Day 58 – Lift Up Holy Hands in Prayer

Posted on April 5, 2012 by

1 Timothy 2:1-8 – I urge, then, first of all, that petitions, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for all people — for kings and all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness. This is good, and pleases God our Savior, who wants all people to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth. For there is one God and one mediator between God and mankind, the man Christ Jesus, who gave himself as a ransom for all people. This has now been witnessed to at the proper time. And for this purpose I was appointed a herald and an apostle—I am telling the truth, I am not lying—and a true and faithful teacher of the Gentiles. Therefore I want the men everywhere to pray, lifting up holy hands without anger or disputing.

Devotion:  Prayer is the first act of evangelism.  Long before the person of God should speak to someone far away from the Kingdom of God, they must first meet with the Father, Savior, and Sanctifier – who is One – on behalf of the lost soul. Before we knock on the door, we must kneel on our floors.  Before we reach out to the lost, we must reach up to the Lord.  This “coming together” of Christ and the Church is right and is acceptable in the sight of God (v. 3), for it is God who evangelizes the nations using believers as witnesses to Jesus Christ.  Only after we have received our instructions we can obediently follow them.

When the Christian prematurely attempts to evangelize their neighbors without conferencing with the Evangelizer of the nations, the experience can end in frustration that “no one is responding.”  When the church uses business growth strategies or marketing tools to entice large crowds, one must wonder if this is God’s will that only a few become fully devoted followers.  When the church refuses to speak to the Lord on behalf of our lost ones, we must wonder if we are fully devoted followers of Christ.  Then, there are other churches who do not evangelize the nations at all because they, too, have not conference with the One who desires everyone to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth (v. 4).  Christians must first convene a meeting in prayer with the One who was “lifted up from the earth,” in preparation to “draw all people to himself.”[1]

The Apostle Paul urged his young apprentice to know the truth: God evangelizes the nations. It is the Holy Spirit who calls, convicts, and converts the sinner’s heart.  There is no one more powerful or skilled for the task of drawing people to Christ than the Spirit of the Resurrected One.  Yet, God has determined to use men and women who are willing to lift up their hands to heaven – not in a jealous outrage like Cain when he killed his brother Abel[2] – to save their brother and sister.  This is a partnership between heaven and the church for those on the earth.

Paul instructed Timothy that “petitions, prayers, pleadings, and praises” be offered to God on behalf of every class of people.  This four-fold intercessory act was not to exhort God to evangelize the lost, for God already desires all people to be saved.  Instead, it was to serve as a meeting of the minds between the church and Christ – between men and their Mediator – in an effort to orchestrate evangelize.

Dear souls, if your spouse is lost, pray.  If your son or daughter is lost, pray.  If your neighbor is lost, pray.  If your co worker, prayer.  If you best friend in school is lost, pray.  Hear God’s invitation to “coming together” on your knees in ardent prayer on behalf of the one you love.  Conference with the Lord who longs to forgive, love, reconcile, and transform all people – high and low – into kingdom citizens.  Then, when you rise from the floor, you will be better prepared to witness to your loved one in the name of Jesus Christ our Lord.

Prayer:  Father, who do you want me to speak with about your Son, today?  My spouse? My neighbor? The homeless man?  The mayor?  The king?  I humble wait here on my knees for you to give me the word, and then I will go in unison with your Spirit, in Jesus’ name.  Amen. 

Prayer Exercise:  “Novenas,” page 85, in Patricia D. Brown, “Paths to Prayer: Finding Your Own Way to the Presence of God,” (San Francisco: Jossey-Bass, 2003). ISBN: 0-779-6565-0. Copyright © 2003 by Patricia D. Brown.  All rights reserved.  

[1] John 12:32

[2] Genesis 4

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Day 57 – Fan the Flames

Posted on March 30, 2012 by

1 Thessalonians 5:19 – Do not quench the Spirit.

Devotion: The spring breeze stirs within my kids the desire to fly kites.  My children start singing the popular musical song, Lets Go Fly a Kite, as they frantically search for last year’s racer or beg for a new box kite.  We run across the street to the open field where we launch our light frames of plastic and paper aerials into the sunny sky with the tails whipping in the wind.   The joyfulness continues until lines tangle, tails tear, or the wind stops blowing.  It is the informal start to our summer fun.  Nothing ends the amazement of loftiness like malice and mischief, like the time my brother shot my kite out of the sky with his bow and arrow.

In the church, nothing squashes a good idea like immediate criticism by someone called to love.  How many lofty ideas have started to spread their wings in the springtime of life only to be shot down by the flaming arrows of “friendly fire”?  How many people’s passion for the church have been snuffed out by those called to fan the flames of faith? [1]   Or how many youth have their spiritual excitement extinguished by the deluge of ridicule or unwelcome comments by older generations?  Too often the spark of the Spirit is quenched by the drop of fire retardant ridicule from super-tankers in the sky attempting to prevent a forest fire.  Once the Spirit is suddenly cooled, the faithful lose heart and heat for the cause of Christ.  It is difficult – but not impossible – for God to fan into flames the passions and desires of the Spirit after they have been suppressed.

Paul wrote the Thessalonians: Do not quench the Spirit.  Do not stomp out the creative spark and contagious energy in the congregation by disrespect, criticism, and complaining.  The Spirit is the giver of life[2] which enflames believers to greater devotion, dedication, and service for Christ in the world.  Paul appealed to the church to exercise fifteen virtuous acts that give lift to other people’s faith, passions and ideas. The lifting up of one another will fill the sky with the banners of faith for the entire world to see.  Then, we will be more like Jesus who was careful to fulfill Isaiah 42:1-4: A bruised reed he will not break, and a smoldering wick he will not snuff out, till he has brought justice through to victory.[3]

Prayer:  Father, I confess that I’m more likely to shoot people’s ideas down than lift them higher.  Forgive your church for its unwarranted criticism and cynicism by the sacrificial blood of Jesus Christ.  Send your Spirit to sweep through your congregations with fresh wind that lifts us higher and higher, until the entire world sees your glory in the heavens.  In Jesus’ name we pray.  Amen. 

Prayer Exercise:  “Anointing for Healing,” page 150, in Patricia D. Brown, “Paths to Prayer: Finding Your Own Way to the Presence of God,” (San Francisco: Jossey-Bass, 2003). ISBN: 0-779-6565-0. Copyright © 2003 by Patricia D. Brown.  All rights reserved.  

[1] 2 Timothy 1:6

[2] Nicene Creed

[3] Matthew 12:20

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Day 56 – You Are Not Alone

Posted on March 26, 2012 by

1 Peter 1:1-3: To the exiles of the Dispersion in Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia,  Asia, and Bithynia, who have been chosen an destined by God the Father and sanctified by the Spirit to be obedient to Jesus Christ and to be sprinkled with his blood:  May grace and pace be yours in abundance.

Devotion:  My aunt loves to travel.  She talks of vacations in Paris, Rome, Ireland, Athens, Bangkok, Rio de Janeiro, or Duran, if she had the money.   My uncle, on the other hand, is a homebody.  She says, “His idea of a vacation is taking his soda to the back yard.” She dreams of adventures in far off lands.  He dreams of comfortable chairs, quiet neighborhoods, and cool breezes.  Like most Americans, they take the family on an annual vacation in the United States.

Exile is not a vacation, a sabbatical rest, or a time of renewal.  Exiles are persons who were physically forced to depart the comfort, familiarity, and safety of their homeland for a time of detention in strange, new lands.  Their involuntary relocation felt like a death march to a territory filled with disbelief, discontinuity, and a loss of dignity.  Exile was an experience the people of God knew too well.[1] 

In his letter, Peter was writing to encourage God’s children scattered to the four corners of the earth as aliens in a frightening world.[2] He reminded them that heaven is the believer’s true home.  Therefore, sanctifying souls must endure the hardship of exile until God gathers them together in the everlasting Kingdom.  Exile is not permanent, nor should we grow accustomed to the new world.  We are not on vacation, nor are we trying to escaping the daily demands of life.  Rather, we are to wait in our captive deportation for the anticipated arrival of our Liberating King. 

Dear soul, do not be disheartened by the world even if you find yourself surrounded by the impassible interior mountains of Pontus, the ethical dilemmas of Galatia, the shifting political terrain of Cappadocia, the unscrupulous and greedy leaders of ancient Asia, and the scholarly philosophers of Bithynia.  You are not alone!  Our triune God is with us.  God chose us, the Spirit is sanctifying us, and the blood of Christ is forgiving us because of Christ’s sacrificial death and resurrection.  You are not alone! You are surrounded by a host of other sojourners, known as the Church, who are experiencing the same discontinuity of community and chaos in the dispersion.  Obedience to Christ will give us the abundant blesses of grace and peace needed until you reach your true, final home.

Prayer: God our Father, the world is a strange place filled with disjointed messages, disheartening ideas, disturbance experiences, and disagreeable people.  Grant to your Church the ability to obey Jesus Christ by the work of your Holy Spirit, that we might experience the abundance of grace and peace until we reach our final home with you.  We pray in the name of Jesus, who reigns with you, Father, and the Holy Spirit, as One God forever and ever.  Amen. 

Prayer Exercise:  “Praying with Mandalas,” page 293, in Patricia D. Brown, “Paths to Prayer: Finding Your Own Way to the Presence of God,” (San Francisco: Jossey-Bass, 2003). ISBN: 0-779-6565-0. Copyright © 2003 by Patricia D. Brown.  All rights reserved.  

[1] Isa. 45:14, 52:2; Ps. 149, Lam. 3:7, Jer. 32:2, Zech 9:11

[2] Gal. 4:21-31; Phil. 3;20, Jam. 1:1

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Day 55 – Enduring Ashen Grey

Posted on December 13, 2011 by

John 8:12: Again Jesus spoke to them, saying, ‘I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness but will have the light of life.’.

Devotion:

O, ashen, barren tree,
Split with summer’s heat,
Wounded by rapid growth,
Drought, wind, and winter freeze.

Branches broken high above,
Hanging barely by the bark.
Dangling, lifeless leaves,
Providing sustenance no more.

Birds abandoned your canopy,
Head for warmer winters south.
Anticipating spring’s return,
The song silence drowns out.

What will you do to endure,
The grey clouded skies above?
Dormant and decaying inside,
Like the soul filled with doubts.

Do not fret, O friend of mine,
Thou the darkness linger on.
Brighter days will come again,
In the joyful array of Light.

Prayer: God our Father, thank you for coming in the dark days of winter as the Light of Life in Jesus Christ.  Shine, Holy Spirit, upon all who dwell in darkness of sin, sadness, and the shadow of death, in the name of Jesus.  Amen. 

Prayer Exercise:  “Prayer Walk,” page 209, in Patricia D. Brown, “Paths to Prayer: Finding Your Own Way to the Presence of God,” (San Francisco: Jossey-Bass, 2003). ISBN: 0-779-6565-0. Copyright © 2003 by Patricia D. Brown.  All rights reserved.  

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Day 54 – I Don’t Like You; I Love You!

Posted on December 12, 2011 by

John 13:34: Jesus said, “Let me give you a new command: Love one another. In the same way I loved you, you love one another. This is how everyone will recognize that you are my disciples—when they see the love you have for each other.”

Devotion:  My kindergarten son wrote his first complete sentence: “I like dad.”  I was very proud of him, and astonished at his maturity.  He has struggled to learn his alphabet, numbers, and articulate his thoughts.  So, a deep sense of pride welled up within me for my son when I saw his first sentence, notwithstanding the fact that he wrote it across his sister’s bedroom wall.

Too many Christians in the local church are stuck on this elementary spiritual state: they like each other but they do not love one another.  How many churches do you know that are filled with “friendly” people but the members are not friends?  Friendly people keep a protective distance from others while friends authentically enter into the lives of one another.  Friends care for each other in holistic ways (i.e., compassion for hurts and pains, common courtesy, respect, willingness to sacrifice for the betterment of others, time spent listening and sharing, building up each other, giving generous space for opposing views, etc.).  Friends do not find people “just like them” (how boring!) but they find people who will love them for who they are and who they are becoming in Christ.

Jesus Christ commanded that his disciples love one another (Greek agape, self-sacrificing love).  The apostles were vastly different from one another with a hodgepodge of working class fishermen, financial experts, Publicans, a traitor, and zealots. Yet, Jesus’ new command summarizes the old commands into a single call to universal service.  The command came from Jesus’ Trinitarian experience! Jesus said, “As the Father has loved me, so I have loved you; abide in my love. If you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commandments and abide in his love.”[1]  Christ’s followers display the Trinity’s reciprocating love as Christ’s a witness to the world.  God chose to display this witness in the local church!

What message would the world recognize about God if local Christians stopped liking one another but started loving each other?

Prayer:  Our Father in Heaven, thank you for becoming our friend in Jesus Christ. Now, make us friends with believers in the world by the work of your Holy Spirit.  Amen. 

Prayer Exercise:  “Emmaus Prayer Walk,” page 214, in Patricia D. Brown, “Paths to Prayer: Finding Your Own Way to the Presence of God,” (San Francisco: Jossey-Bass, 2003). ISBN: 0-779-6565-0. Copyright © 2003 by Patricia D. Brown.  All rights reserved.  

[1] John 15:9-10

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Day 53 – Jesus Enjoyed Life!

Posted on December 9, 2011 by

Luke 10:21: “At that same hour Jesus rejoiced in the Holy Spirit, and said, ‘I thank you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you have hidden these things from the wise and the intelligent and have revealed them to infants; yes, Father, for such was your gracious will.’”

Devotion: Jesus enjoyed life.  He loved his family.  He delighted in his discipleship[1] and gathering disciples.[2] He took pleasure in attending parties,[3] wedding banquet, Sabbath suppers, and raising the dead.[4]  He savored solitude.[5]  Jesus was happy when he healed people.[6]   Jesus embraced children with a holistic love.[7]  God’s son relished thirty-three years of relationships on earth before the excruciating experience the week of his crucifixion.  Jesus’ death and resurrection was the most important event in human history, and his Second Coming will define history forever.  However, should the suffering of our Savior overshadow the fact that Jesus enjoyed life?

One might say Jesus came to enjoy life since God is a God of relationships (the Father loves the Son and Holy Spirit, who reciprocate love as Trinity).  The Father incarnated the Son, Jesus Christ, as the Lamb of Bethlehem, by the overshadowing power of the Holy Spirit, for the purpose of bringing joy to life.  Jesus said, “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy.  I came that they (my disciples) may have life, and have it abundantly.”[8]  Yes, Jesus came for multiple reasons: to reveal the Father,[9] give his life as a ransom for many,[10] to do the Father’s will,[11]  to bring division,[12] to serve,[13] etc.  Pleasure was also part of the plan.

As Christ’s followers, shouldn’t our lives match that of our Savior?  Should our lives solely reflect the final somber week of Jesus’ incarnation or can our lives be filled with the ecstasy of the Spirit which Jesus experienced in prayer?  Rejoice in the LORD and be glad, you righteous; sing, all you who are upright in heart! (Psalm 32:11)

Prayer:  Our Father in Heaven, you delighted in making us for the pleasure of your own good will in the joy of the Holy Spirit.  Give us a glimpse of your goodness that our hearts might sing, mouths praise you, and bodies dance, in Jesus’ name.  Amen. 

Prayer Exercise:  “Jesus Dance,” page 311, in Patricia D. Brown, “Paths to Prayer: Finding Your Own Way to the Presence of God,” (San Francisco: Jossey-Bass, 2003). ISBN: 0-779-6565-0. Copyright © 2003 by Patricia D. Brown.  All rights reserved. 

[1] Luke 2:49

[2] Luke 5:1-11

[3] Luke 5:27-32

[4] Luke 7:11-17, 8:40-56

[5] Luke 5:16

[6] Luke 8:26-39

[7] Luke 9:47

[8] John 10:10

[9] Matthew 11:27

[10] Matthew 20:28

[11] John 6:38

[12] Luke 12:51

[13] Matthew 20:28

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Day 52 – Do You Hear the Trumpet of the Lord?

Posted on December 9, 2011 by

Leviticus 25:1-24: “You shall count off seven weeks of years, so that the period of seven weeks of years gives forty-nine years.  Then you shall have the trumpet sounded aloud; on the tenth day of the seventh month – on the Day of Atonement – you shall the trumpet sounded throughout all your land.  And you shall hallow the fiftieth year and you shall proclaim liberty throughout the land to all its inhabitants” (v. 8-10).

Devotion:  My daughter learned to play the trumpet.  We enjoyed listening to her play familiar melodies on her rented brass instrument, now that she is past practicing, “Hot Crossed Buns,” for one thousandth time.  Winter concerts became enjoyable, too.  Her insatiable desire to wake the family from our winter slumber with a trumpet blast, however, was something we have not grown to love.

The blast of a ram’s horn (Hebrew: yobhel, meaning jubilee) was essential to Israel’s worship.  The piercing sound proclaimed the onset of sacred time (time set apart for God).  God ordained the Sabbath (seventh day),[1] sabbatical rest (seventh year),[2] and the Jubilee year (seven times seven years).[3]  These festivals (along with other appointed festivals and at the beginning of your months) started with a trumpet call for all people – free and enslaved, rich and poor, male and female, Jew and non-Jew – to rejoice in the Lord who provides for human needs, protects God’s people, establishes justice, frees the prisoner, and stresses ownership of all things.[4]  This practice was to continue in perpetuity, until the Last Trumpet sounds for Christ’s Second Coming as the ultimate, unending Jubilee.[5]

Do you hear the ram’s horn blowing for you?  It summons you to lay down your weapons against God, and surrender to the truth of sacred time: you are a bankrupt sinner whom God yearns to set free through forgiving love.  You were an enemy of God by your rebellious will but the trumpet proclaims God’s festival celebration among the angels at the moment you repent.[6]  It is a trumpet of warning telling you that time is drawing nigh – For the Lord himself, with a cry of command, with the archangel’s call and the with the sound of God’s trumpet, will descend from heaven, and the dead in Christ will rise first.  Then we who are alive, who are left, will be caught up in the clouds together with them to meet the Lord in the air; and so we will be with the Lord forever.”[7] Don’t miss the ram’s horn for the ultimate Jubilee because you are asleep!

Prayer: God our Father, you call us to wake-up in Jesus Christ by the stirring of your Holy Spirit.  Open our ears to hear the Jubilee call by the blast of your trumpet in Jesus’ name.  Amen. 

Prayer Exercise:  “Centering Prayer,” page 138, in Patricia D. Brown, “Paths to Prayer: Finding Your Own Way to the Presence of God,” (San Francisco: Jossey-Bass, 2003). ISBN: 0-779-6565-0. Copyright © 2003 by Patricia D. Brown.  All rights reserved.  

[1] Exodus 20:8-11

[2] Leviticus 25:1-7

[3] Leviticus 25:8-55

[4] Numbers 10:10

[5] Revelation 11:14-19

[6] Luke 15:1-7

[7] 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17

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