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Coming in on a Wing and a Prayer…
Ever feel you’ve made “lists and requests” but not prayed enough prayers? I’m afraid I do…and if you’re with me on that, read on…and thanks for joining us this week at Finishing Well! We’re continuing on in Acts 2:42-47, the classic passage of what the Early Church majored in. it appears in verse 42, it was “teaching truth “ (the apostles’ doctrine), “bearing burdens” (fellowship), “making holy moments” (the Lord’s Supper & glad meals together), and this week we focus on “PRAYING PRAYERS”. It’s always basic obedience that God uses to help us flourish. We’ve looked close at the first 3 words and phrases of this passage and now we want to examine what simply “praying prayers” might look like for us today and for the early believers a little over 2000 years ago. I do have to be honest. I feel guilty in life many times over several things. One is looking at a menu in a restaurant too long. I mean a lot of the world is starving and I can’t decide on chicken fajitas or a chimichanga! I know. Pitiful! I also feel guilty over reading a good amount of the Word of God and not always taking the time to notate enough. I get caught in trying to cover TOO MUCH ground without attempting to articulate and boil down what I’ve just read. Then there’s the guilt over not journaling like I should. My good friend Neal Windham (who we’ll hear from in a few weeks as he will be a guest devotional writer) has tried to ease my remorse thru the years by reminding me it’s good to just “journal the big things” if I can’t be as vigilant as I’d like to be! But I honestly want to grow more in this area we focus on today of “praying simply, and simply praying”. I many times “list prayers, more than pray prayers”. I don’t know if any of you share that same spiritual assessment of yourself. So this week I want us to look at some “realignments” that I know will be good for me and maybe you might find it helpful, too. They’re lengthy passages so you’ll need to go old school and look them up in your Bible or your phone. So here we go….. MONDAY…. “Praying SECRET Prayers” (Matthew 6:5-15)
In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus covers so many topics. But here He articulates how important it is to “pray in secret”. Now He has just mentioned how important it is to “give” to the needy in secret. And as soon as He finishes this teaching on prayer, He will mention that secret “fasting” is in the same category. Now the “boil down” of this passage has Jesus giving a warning of the hypocritical example of loud public prayer for the purpose of “being seen by men”. He says that is the only reward of that kind of prayer. He also mentions we don’t need to babble on and on, because God already knows our needs! Jesus says to simply pray like He taught His followers to pray…and then He gives the “Model Prayer”, if you will. Let’s break that beautiful prayer down just a bit. He mentions approaching God as OUR Father..…recognizing His holiness. Asking His KINGDOM TO COME…..on earth as it does in heaven. Requesting DAILY FOOD AND FORGIVENESS…..as we remain willing to offer forgiveness to those who need the same from us. And then He encourages us to request the strength from God to “NOT YIELD” to temptation…..but to be RESCUED from the evil one, himself. What a simple, powerful outline of a prayer. Now take a moment with me if you will…..and pray the type of prayer He taught us. In your own words. It’s not a race. Nor is it a show. Just you and Him. Maybe a fill in the blank will help…… Father, I see Your purity and holiness in the way You _______________. Please let Your KINGDOM come into my life this day….especially in these areas….. _______________________. You already know this, Lord, but I think what I really need from You TODAY is _________________________________________. And here Lord is the person(s) at the top of my list that I’m struggling to FORGIVE…_________. By the way, here’s what I am TRYING TO FORGIVE THEM for…_______________________. (I’m gonna need Your help, Lord.) And here’s where my TEMPTATION is Lord…____________________. Please steer me away and help me find “the escape route”! I’m leaving this all up to You, Lord. Amen. May we OFFER our prayer….PRAY our prayer….RELEASE our prayer….and ENTRUST our prayer to Him, the One who hears and responds. TUESDAY…..”Praying Powerful Prayers TOGETHER” (Acts 4:23-31)
The Church had begun. 3k repentant baptized believers have found a brand new “forever family”! A crippled beggar can now leap for joy because God graciously allowed his healing. And with a crowd drawn like that, Peter delivers sermon number 2, which gets church attendance up to 5k! But it also draws the attention of the “religious heat” (the Pharisees and priests) as well as the Sadducees (who didn’t believe in a resurrection of any kind). So Peter & John come before them and defend their behavior in that moment, saying they “can’t stop speaking about what they have seen and heard”. So they’re threatened and released. And the result is, all the believers come together and pray for boldness. And God pours it on! Did you see how the passage ends? The PLACE IS SHAKEN! Yes, when we pray together for the same thing that is honorable to the Lord, He shows up and empowers His people to speak powerfully in His name. He answers our prayer! So what do you need to request boldness in today? Let’s apply the practice of “praying together”, call or text a friend asking them to join you in praying you’ll be more bold in your faith with those you love (maybe your grandkids)…with friends…..with those in your path, even if they’re not specifically on your heart. My prayer is to be more “appropriately bold” with our grandkids….without overdoing it….looking for “teachable / encouraging moments”. So I’ll be praying that prayer for you today as well! WEDNESDAY…..”Praying Prayers with a Broken Heart” (Psalm 51:1-19)
It might be your heart is heavy over something right now. David expresses repentance over his sinfulness in this Psalm. He had crossed lines like he never had before in his relationship with God. But he was drawn back by the confrontation of a trusted spiritual friend (2 Samuel 121-14). It was after that encounter that he wrote this Psalm. He was broken. But rather than remain “shattered and scattered”, he brought the pieces of his broken heart back to God. Maybe there is an area in your life you are overwhelmed by right now. Maybe fear….or regret….or anxiety in some form and for some reason is creeping in to your life. Notice some of David’s phrases. Keith Green back in the early 80’s wrote music to go with the lyrics David wrote in Psalm 51. He simply sang that prayer that David prayed……. Create in me a clean heart, O, God. And renew a right spirit within me.
Create in me a clean heart, O, God. And renew a right spirit within me.
Cast me not away from Thy presence, O, Lord.
And take not Thy Holy Spirit from me.
Restore unto me the joy of Thy salvation.
And renew a right spirit within me. Sometimes we need someone to “sing our prayers” and we join in with them. If so, you can download this and sing along (and pray along) with Keith Green…..and King David. Here’s the link: ”Create in Me a Clean Heart” / Keith Green THURSDAY…..”Praying Prayers that Long for a Specific Outcome” (1 Sam 1:9-18)
In this prayer we look at today, Hannah was very misunderstood by the priest, Eli. He mistook non-verbal and tearful passionate prayer for drunkenness. He was soon corrected and validated the integrity of her prayer for a son. Notice Hannah’s incredible clarity and humility in her prayer. She was very specific. She prayed for a son. Loneliness had taken a toll. And with the ridicule of her husband’s “other wife”, the disappointment seemed unbearable. But she vowed to offer a son back to God in service to Him, if He was willing to grant her request. Today, there might be a very clear prayer you have on your heart. It’s probably been there for a long time. It’s OK to be very specific in your prayer to God. Take just a moment now to “pray that prayer”. Don’t just list it. Pray it. Ask God for it to be honored. It might not have the intensity or sense of desperation that Hannah’s prayer had. But let your prayer be as specific as Hannah’s prayer was. And let God know the “intent you have…of the blessing you request”. In other words, let God know how you will show your gratitude to Him in the way you plan to “steward” that blessing. Your prayer might be financial……or medical….or relational. And let me wade into the deep water for a moment….are you asking God for financial help, but not willing to give back to Him? Or a prayer of restoring your health, without a willingness to serve Him? Or mending a relationship without a commitment of further encouraging that person in a way that honors God? You see Hannah came into that prayer moment with “skin in the game”. She said, “Lord, if you give me a son, I’ll give him right back to You”. Will we honor God after He answers our prayer? Just doing a little heart check on our prayer today. Go right ahead and pray your prayer. Be ready for God to answer. And be ready to joyfully honor Him in some way when He does! FRIDAY…..”Praying Prayers that Need Permission and Direction (2 Sam 5:17-21)
In this passage today, David has just become the King, and yet he still is a leading warrior. But before he impulsively goes out to war against the Philistines he prays. He doesn’t assume or avoid. He doesn’t presume that by being the king now, God will bless his every move. His prayer to God was, “should I and will you?” And God responded with “Yes, go ahead and I will certainly hand them over to you.” David needed God’s permission even though he was the king. He needed God’s direction, even though he was pretty sure what to do next. He was now representing God and leading God’s people, but he didn’t try to do that with a humble dependent relationship with God Himself. He knew who the battle belonged to and who got him to where he was. When we forget that, we forfeit many “blessings”, or sometimes many of the “protections” God has for us. So join me in praying a simple prayer for God’s direction. He might not be as clear with us as He was with David, but He will prompt your heart thru the power of His Word…and His Spirit….and sometimes even thru His People around you! I hope it’s been a great week for you as we near the end of the month of June! May the Lord continue to guide your every step this summer! Love you guys, george P.S……For those who might be interested, there’s an article about our “Finishing Well” ministry in a new magazine called “Today’s Transitions” this week. Also one by our Ann Kulwicki in this edition! It’s a new magazine that’s edited by Anita Oldham, and I was honored when she asked to do an article on us! Here’s the link to the article and the magazine” (we’re on page 22 and you can find Ann on page 28), which promises to be a rich resource, for what my doctor calls “someone of your age!”
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