Posts Tagged: Prayer
“Grandma’s Pump”
When I was a little critter, I would stay at my grandma’s house for a night or two sometimes. I liked this for a lot for many reasons. One thing I liked about staying with her was that Grandma’s house was much more technologically advanced than ours was. For one thing, she had indoor water—sort of.
We had running water, if we ran to fetch it from the well or, when the well ran dry, from the pond. Grandma, on the other hand, had a handpump inside her house, just off her kitchen. I was very impressed!
However, in the mornings when we got up, the pump had lost its prime. There was just air in the line, and you couldn’t get a drop of water out of it, no matter how hard you pumped. My grandmother solved this problem in a very simple manner: She had a small bucket with water in it beside the pump. Each evening, she pumped some water into the bucket so that, in the morning, she could pour it down the pump shaft while working the pump handle.
Voila! Water!
I was thinking about Grandma’s pump in connection with a recent phone conversation with a twelve-step friend. We were talking about the importance of how we start our day and how difficult it is to get started on doing the next right thing. Grandma’s pump came to my mind, and a thought-provoking question flowed out of it: What thing or things can I do to prime my pump?
Of course, this question itself is a way of priming of the pump and is useful in all sorts of ways.
- How do I prime my pump spiritually? For me, this involves prayer, the Bible, and meditation.
- How do I prime my pump physical? Two things that I have been doing regularly of late are walking (and a little running or jogging) about 7,000 steps and doing stretches and weights.
- How do I prime my pump mentally? I am trying to learn something new every day. For example, I get a word-of-the day from Anu Garg. Today’s word was “Penelopean”. (No, I’m not telling you what it means. Think about it, try to figure out on your own what it means, and then look it up. You might want to sign up with Anu Garg to get his daily words.) I am also learning a little Spanish.
- How do I prime my pump relationally? For me, this basically means connecting in a positive way with my little dog Laylah, my twelve-step friends, and my wife, Sharon. (No, these are not listed in the order of importance. They are listed in the order of when I encounter this little furry critter and my human posse.)
It would probably be a good idea to make a list in the evening as to how I plan to prime the pump the next day. Grandma needed a bucket. I need a bucket list. Not a bucket list of exotic locations to visit or difficult things to do, just a bucket list of things to prime the pump.[1]
[1] This post was produced without the aid of AI. Hopefully, it was produced with some sort of intelligence.
“Prayers and Divine Appointments”
I was struggling with my runaway mind this morning. Not unusual, but very uncomfortable. I’ve discovered that there are some things that work to counter that tendency. One that I wrote about a few days ago is replacing not-so-good thoughts with better ones. That works well, except when it doesn’t.
Another is moving a muscle. We have the saying in twelve-step work, “Move a muscle, change a thought.” So, I went to our local park to hit softballs off a tee and walk. It helped a little, but the intruding thoughts regrouped and attacked again.
Of course, there is always prayer. That, unfortunately, is usually the last resort for this deeply flawed Christ-follower. I am reminded of a comment I read years ago. A lady was talking with her friend about her problems and ended by saying—with an air of resignation bordering on despair— “I guess we’ll just have to pray and trust God.”
Her friend replied, “Oh dear, has it come to that?!”
Bottom line: It would probably be better if I prayed and trusted God first, but I don’t always do that.
Well, anyway, I prayed. And just then, as I was beginning my walk, I saw a friend on the path whom I had not seen for quite a while. Bill and I talked. I mentioned being attacked by my own thoughts, and he mentioned his struggles with feelings of not having much of a purpose. We had both just prayed for God’s help, and there we were, walking together.
Now, of course, the whole thing could have been a coincidence. However, I’ve heard it said that what we call “coincidences” are God’s appointments.
Could be, you know! Pay attention to the so-called coincidences in your day. You might be encountering God in them.
“On Childproof Seals and Persistence”
“The Parable of the Persistent Widow
Luke 18:1 And he told them a parable to the effect that they ought always to pray and not lose heart. 2 He said, “In a certain city there was a judge who neither feared God nor respected man. 3 And there was a widow in that city who kept coming to him and saying, ‘Give me justice against my adversary.’ 4 For a while he refused, but afterward he said to himself, ‘Though I neither fear God nor respect man, 5 yet because this widow keeps bothering me, I will give her justice, so that she will not beat me down by her continual coming.’” 6 And the Lord said, “Hear what the unrighteous judge says. 7 And will not God give justice to his elect, who cry to him day and night? Will he delay long over them? 8 I tell you, he will give justice to them speedily. Nevertheless, when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on earth?” (Luke 18:1-8, English Standard Version)
I don’t know if “child-proof” packaging frustrates children, but it most definitely proves frustrating to this old guy. You see, not to get too graphic, I have some chronic digestive issues which makes it desirable for me to take over-the-counter meds. And these meds come in childproof individually wrapped packages. They have a tab, but I’ve tried various ways of using those tabs, and nothing seems to work. Even my wife has difficulty with them and has to resort to scissors to cut them open.
However, being the stubborn individual that I am, I decided to try to find a way to open it when I did not have scissors with me. My determination paid off. I discovered that if I ran my thumbnail along the pill packages where they were scored, and if I kept on doing that for long enough, I could liberate my antidiarrheal pills. Persistence pays off!
Anytime that you’re doing something that needs to be done, persistence also pays off. However, with very few exceptions, I am not known for patience or persistence. I expect to do things perfectly (or at least well) right now, effortlessly. My middle name is not Persistence.
Jesus told a story about a widow whose first name was “Persistent”. She kept going to the same corrupt judge over and over and over, seeking justice. She eventually got her justice, not because the judge was just, but because she was just a pain in various parts of the judge’s anatomy.
Jesus explains that God is not corrupt like the judge. God will take care of his people’s needs speedily. And yet, it seems to me that Jesus indicates that there is the need for persistent faith and prayer in God’s children. It seems so to me because Jesus explicitly says that this is so.
But if God is going to speedily intervene on behalf of God’s children, why there is the need for persistent faith and prayer? I don’t know. Jesus often juxtaposes two things, that in our way of thinking, don’t make sense together. Jesus, like Mary Poppins, never explains anything. But while I don’t know, I do have a couple of suspicions.
First, I suspect that God’s speedily isn’t our speedily. We are creatures of the moment. God is the Creator of all moments, and God lives in eternality. So, while we wait for God’s speed, we need to persistently pray and trust.
Second, I suspect that we wouldn’t even realize that it was actually God intervening if we did not persistently pray and trust. This suspicion is based on my own experience and the experience of others who have reported the same. Without persistent trust and prayer, we would ascribe the meeting of our needs to anything but God. We would fall into the delusion that it was luck, or hard work, or—worst of all—the result of our own goodness.
Now, I would really stop here, but in the interest of full disclosure, I have a confession. It is this: Here of late I haven’t been persistent in prayer, trust, or much of anything that is good. I haven’t murdered anybody or robbed a bank this past week, but I haven’t been persistent or consistent in Bible reading, prayer, praise, gratitude, service, or even making my bed and taking regular showers. Sorry to be so blunt, but I’ve just been kind of a mess. Not a total mess, but a mess nevertheless.
So, one of the things that I am going to be persistent about is writing and posting on this website every day this week. Hold me to that, dear reader!
Oh, I almost forgot! I’m also shaving and taking a shower every day.
“Domination or Steady Steps?”
“Keep steady my steps according to your promise,
and let no iniquity get dominion over me.” (Psalm 119:133, English Standard Version)
I am free to sin, but when I sin, I am no longer free. The Bible often speaks of sin as a form of bondage. In Psalm 119:133, the psalmist does not use the common word for “to rule.” Instead, it is a word used for exercising absolute authority over someone. Sin doesn’t just “get dominion over me.” Sin dominates. I don’t like being dominated.
How do I avoid being dominated by my own not-so-free choices? The psalmist hints—or more than hints—that prayer is one aspect of how to avoid being dominated. Notice that verse 133, like much of Psalm 119 (and much of the entire book of Psalms), is prayer. I can get captivated and dominated by all kinds of sins on my own, but I can only escape from such slavery by calling on God. But here is the problem: I don’t like asking for help, not even from God, but I need to do that on an incredibly regular basis.
Another other way to be free from domination is by establishing or keeping my steps in accordance with God’s promise. The life of faith is not a life of avoidance, not even of avoiding sin. The life of faith is a journey in which we put one foot in front of the other in the direction of God and love. And even here, especially here, we also need God to establish our steps.
Or, as my sponsor often reminds me, JKDTNRT: Just Keep Doing The Next Right Thing.
My prayers for me and for you is that we would live free, with God-ordered steps, just for today.
“Hot Weather, Blankets, and Prayer”
Today’s post is a Facebook post by a loving but exasperated mom. You will understand the title better after you read the post. Here it is!
“Are my kids amazing? Yes. Do they also make me lose my mind at least once a day? Yes. Absolutely yes.
This morning in the organized madness of trying to get all four kids out the door., I had to run back in the house twice to get car blankets. Never mind that it’s the middle of summer, we’re in a heatwave, and we swam like three times yesterday because it was “sooo hot!” Car blankets. We had real tears, genuine sadness, and basically accusations of borderline child abuse should I not go back in the house and grab them these dang blankets. Cue me in utter exasperation digging through the hall closet trying to find these blankets that, “silly me!” I put up once the cold weather was over.
But it’s fine. Everything’s fine. We aren’t even late! Probably because I started preparing for our exit 2 hours prior… At least now I can drive in peace knowing that my children will not freeze in this intense weather.
Anyway, if your kids’ logic is as gloriously flawed as mine, I see you. I hear you. But also, so does God. And I can imagine the number of times he is shaking his head at me in exasperation as I whine for something I clearly don’t need, but adamantly, deep in my core, believe that I do.
Thank you Lord for your patience with me. For gently leading me when I am so far off base that it’s comical. Guide me to trust that You know best. Help me to have that same love and wisdom with my children and with everyone I interact with today. In Jesus’ name, Amen.”
“Fear? Not!”
I think that it is safe to say that we are all at least a little fearful right now. Yes?
So, what do we do with our fear? Perhaps a better question is this: What do we refuse to let fear do with us?
I suspect that there are several things that fear wants to do to/with us.
One thing that fear wants to do to/with us is to make us panicky. Fear can be a good thing. It alerts us to danger, and helps us to take prudent measures that protect ourselves and those we love.
Panic, however, is not a positive thing at all. Panic always makes a bad situation worse. Always remember the eleventh commandment: Thou shalt not panic!
Another thing that fear wants us to do is to collapse on ourselves, to become completely self-absorbed. Many of us (especially those who write blogs) are already self-absorbed enough.
So, what can and should we do with our fear?
First, we can feel afraid. Feelings of all kinds are made to be felt. Don’t deny your fears. If you’re not afraid right now, you’re not paying sufficient attention.
Say your prayers. You don’t believe in God? Well, say your prayers anyway, even if you have to start them out with “To whom it may or may not concern.” When I pray, I feel calmer. In fact, one of my most consistent prayers right now is a calm-my-spirit prayer that I learned years ago, when a church I pastored was going through a 50-Day Spiritual Adventure. Here is the prayer: Calm my spirit, Lord. That’s it. That’s the whole prayer.
Second, do the things that normally work for you, even if you don’t think that you can, even if you don’t think that doing those things will work. I am continued to do 12-step readings, to make gratitude lists, to do (at least sporadic) blog posts.
And, since panicky fear wants you to be self-absorbed, do something that you really don’t want to do for someone else. Check on other people. Call. Email. Text. Yes, by all means, wear a mask and gloves. But minister to the needs of others. The coronavirus is a serious threat, but cowardly selfishness will damage us even more.
Fear?
Not!
“A Small Dose of God Revealed”
Today’s post is from a guest writer: my wife. This is her prayer that she read to me after she wrote it for “The Rooted Experience,” a journey that our church family is taking together. The prayer was written as a response to the following prompt: “Write a prayer to God asking Him to reveal Himself to you.” Her writing was so good that I asked her permission to share it with you. She graciously agreed.
“I think it is a scary prayer to ask God to reveal Himself to me. I was sitting at the ballfield while the guys were practicing before the game, working on this study. I thought, I can only take small doses of God revealing Himself to me.
About that time, an older gentleman pulled up in his red Hybrid car. He had come to play ball. He appeared to be in his mid to late 70’s. As he slowly hobbled across the parking lot carrying his bat, I suddenly felt compassion for him.
Is this how God sees us? Yearning for the days of our youth. Broken down and worn out from the burdens of life. And yet, still looking for that spark of pleasure that tells us we’re still in the game.
God sent His Son, Jesus, to tell us we can all still be in the game. This life is not all there is. He is the Ultimate Coach that can bring this team back to life by believing and turning all our old ways over to Him and following His example. The trophy for a well-played game is Eternal Life in Paradise.
Oh, did God just reveal Himself to me in a small dose?”
Postscript: The “hobbler” did an excellent job playing third base for the team I play on. His accomplishments included handling virtually everything that was hit his way, initiating a triple play, and hitting a triple himself. We won!
Everybody wins with Jesus—even those who lose. And thanks, dear wife, for an excellent piece of writing, and a wonderful prayer.
“ON (MAYBE) HAVING A DISEASE I DIDN’T USED TO BELIEVE WAS REAL”
I used to believe that fibromyalgia was not a real thing. It was easy to be a disbeliever, since I didn’t have it. However, over the years, I’ve come to accept that it is a real thing.
It became really easy today, because I am aching all over. I went to the doctor. My vital signs were all great, which is . . . great! However, the doctor was really puzzled by my symptoms. I was actually somewhat pleased when she said, “I have no idea what’s going with you.” I never trust anyone who never says, “I don’t know.”
However, I do trust my wife! She lives with my pretty much all the time, and she is a nurse. Furthermore, I have had things in the past that she diagnosed long before the doctors and medical procedures verified them. So, when she said, “You know, this sounds kind of like fibromyalgia,” I was listening. Pain that nearly doubles you over sometimes helps you to hear better.
So, we each did a bit of research, and sure enough, the vague (but intense) symptoms seemed to fit. In addition, some things that I read about possible contributing factors sounded like some things I have been going through—anxiety, lack of sleep, and so on. Some things that help ease the pain also sounded like some things I had been intuitively doing.
I was especially struck by the anxiety piece. The truth is that I most certainly have some anxiety right now. I am about to teach a class I’ve never taught before, in a program that I’ve never taught in before, using Accordance Bible software, which I downloaded less than a week ago. And, from the time I was asked to teach the class, until the first class was just over two weeks.
Yes, I would say that anxiety could be an issue!
However, it occurred to me that there was something I hadn’t done. I hadn’t prayed.
Now, I believe in God (most of the time). And I also believe that God answers prayer. Whether it is the answer we want is a completely separate matter.
But God has been so good to me, has given me so many wonderful things, that I hesitate to ask for one more. Why, in Heaven’s Name, shouldn’t I hurt?! After all, I’ve had a good life.
As soon as I verbalized this thought to my wife, I heard how stupid it sounded. God is not constrained! God can bless and bless and bless again. Why shouldn’t I pray for healing?
So, I did. And I took a nap. When I got up, I felt much better. I could stand straight, not looking like a human question mark.
And another thing: For the past, I don’t know, two months (?), whenever I am inclined to entertain regrets, I send Jesus to the door. For some reason, regrets seem to be scared of him. They do not come in. Instead, they run away.
So, I thought to myself, anxieties are actually just regrets that I have imported from the future. Why not send Jesus to the door whenever anxieties knock?
If I deal creatively with anxieties (or rather, let Jesus deal with them), the pain may go away. At the very least, sending Jesus to the door may help substantially.
“HANDS FREE TO WELCOME GOD’S BLESSINGS”
I sometimes do a prayer thing called, “Palms down, palms up.” It is simple, perhaps even simplistic, but I find it helpful.
When I turn my palms down, I am dropping into the hands of Almighty Love all my concerns about the past, worries about the future, and concerns of the day.
Then, when I turn my palms up, I picture myself receiving all the blessings of the day. Sometimes I say something to the effect, “God, I welcome all the blessings you have for me today.” I said that this morning.
And as soon as I said it, a bluebird landed on the garden fence post right outside my study window. And I am not exaggerating! It was right after I prayed this! And immediately after that, a goldfinch swooped through and landed on another garden fence post!
So, the first three items on my gratitude list today were:
- A lovely morning.
- A bluebird I saw, right after praying to God, and saying, “Help me to accept gratefully whatever you give me today.”
- The goldfinch I saw right after I saw the bluebird.
Of course, a skeptic would say, “How do you know those birds wouldn’t have landed on those fence posts anyway?!” And of course, the skeptic would be right.
But one thing is for sure: I don’t think I would have noticed the birds if I had not prayed.
And one final thought. It is only after I’ve dropped a lot of stuff that I am in a position to receive God’s gifts. I need my hands free to welcome God’s blessings.
What do you need to drop in order to see and enjoy God’s blessings? Remember that it is first “palms down,” before it can really be “palms up”!
DOWN TO EARTH BELIEVER
- DTEB, “Getting Christ and Ourselves Back in Focus” November 11, 2024“Col. 3:1 ¶ If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Col. 3:2 Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth. Col. 3:3 For you have died, and your life is hidden […]
- “Search Me!” October 27, 2024“Psa. 139:23 Search me, O God, and know my heart! Try me and know my thoughts! 24 And see if there be any grievous way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting!” (Psalm 139:23-24, English Standard Version) I am participating in a Bible study, and this is a prayer […]
- “Christian Speech” October 26, 2024“Eph. 4:29 Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear.” Foulkes, in his excellent commentary on the Book of Ephesians, writes the following, which I quote at some length: “29. Now the […]
- “God is in the Details” October 11, 2024“The devil is in the details.” (A general saying, often quoted by lawyers, reporters, and negotiators.) “God is in the details.” (Me, almost certainly not original.) “Luke 12:7 Why, even the hairs of your head are all numbered. Fear not; you are of more value than many sparrows.” (Jesus) God does not micromanage, but God […]
- “Grandma’s Pump” October 8, 2024When I was a little critter, I would stay at my grandma’s house for a night or two sometimes. I liked this for a lot for many reasons. One thing I liked about staying with her was that Grandma’s house was much more technologically advanced than ours was. For one thing, she had indoor water—sort […]
- “Wearing the #14 Wrong-Side-Out” October 5, 2024Pete Rose, #14, is dead. Many of the old guys with whom I play softball watched him play and appreciated him greatly. I do as well. He was one of the greatest players who ever played the game. Yes, he admitted (eventually) to betting on baseball. But many of us still regard him as one […]
- “Passing Along the Love (and a Link)” October 4, 2024Several years ago, a friend of mine put me onto a daily meditation by Richard Rohr and friends. I don’t read them all the time, but I probably should. They are good! I thought that today’s writing was especially good, and I also figured that this would be a good way to post something. I […]
- “Witnessing Versus Being Witnesses” September 19, 2024“Acts 1:1 In the first book, O Theophilus, I have dealt with all that Jesus began to do and teach, Acts 1:2 until the day when he was taken up, after he had given commands through the Holy Spirit to the apostles whom he had chosen. Acts 1:3 He presented himself alive to them after […]
- “A Bathroom Prayer for Hurting Hands” September 11, 2024A week ago Sunday, my hands were hurting so badly at church that I went to the bathroom to run hot water over my hands. Arthritis perhaps, or carpal tunnel, or general orneriness—I don’t know why my hands hurt, but they do. They have for years. So, while I was running hot water over my […]
- “Waiting and Seeking” September 10, 2024“Lam. 3:19 ¶ Remember my affliction and my wanderings, the wormwood and the gall! Lam. 3:20 My soul continually remembers it and is bowed down within me. Lam. 3:21 But this I call to mind, and therefore I have hope: Lam. 3:22 ¶ The steadfast love of the LORD […]
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