You’ve seen them. The colorful designs and snappy titles on the inspirational book rack as you move through the store. The offer of blessings and help with every area of your life. Specific formulas on how to manipulate the Kingdom of Heaven to give you maximum benefit.

I like to browse, but I didn’t have the time to check this one out. The title, however, set off some rapid-fire questions in my mind. Why would we put a time restriction on God? The title itself was an imperative, demanding something from the Almighty. (Perhaps adding the word “please” would have given it a touch of humility.) Do we really need a formula for praying?

I myself have struggled with the concept of prayer over the years. I was taught from childhood to recite the Lord’s Prayer, found in the New Testament. As I grew I learned that you should hear prayer requests, keep a prayer list and produce a prayer journal that logs prayers, asked and answered.

I have a relative who maintains that if we are to dress and act a certain way before “kings and potentates”, then why not more so before the Maker of the Universe? Now, I don’t normally hang around kings and those other guys, but I’m with my heavenly Father every day. And a while back I was fairly certain that I heard him say, “Can we talk?”

He told me that because he was intimately aware of every detail of my life, then I should be more conscious of his presence as often as possible, and that, over time, I would begin to feel his presence more — by just talking to him. This includes thinking to him.

In Deueronomy 6:7 the writer encourages us to make God’s commands the centerpiece of our lives. “Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you are walking along the road, when you lie down and when you get up.” Despite what others may think, I don’t believe he was referring to Bible memorization. Commandments are God’s words. And we need a constant flow of his words into and through our lives. We must keep an open line to the Heavenly Call Center.

I started by admitting to him that I had difficulty praying. I proceeded to sharing the most intimate details of my shortcomings, my frustrations about my own life, as well as struggles in relationships with others around me. I began to realize that the conversation was flowing. That I seemed to be hearing responses, even while I was speaking (or thinking).

Let me assure you that I am no Prayer Warrior (whatever that is). But I think that I am beginning to understand this personal Creator-to-Creation bond. While he is much greater than any earthly “king or potentate”, he is still my father, who loves me dearly, and wants me to desire his presence daily.

Talk to him. Tell him about your joys, your frustrations, your failures, your confusion — even about how he does things. Ask him for what you want, and don’t worry about asking for the wrong thing. Along with your request, admit to him that you don’t know what you need. Don’t pick a time to pray. Pray all of the time that you are conscious of his presence. Don’t make a list. Don’t develop a sermon or flowery prayer. Just pray.

You know that he already knows what you are going to pray (or think), and he already knows what you need (and want). So why pray? Because dialogue is crucial to your relationship with him. It will ease your troubles, encourage your walk and bring you peace.

I Kings 8:20

The Lord has kept the promise he made.

Promises are firm statements that something will happen as the promiser intended.  They’re generally positive in nature because the receiver of the promise needs assurance that things will be okay.  Some promises are negative, as in a vow to seek revenge or to inflict harm.  While it’s probably a good thing if negative promises aren’t fulfilled, the good promise is binding in that someone is counting on you to keep your word.

The Bible records a number of promise exchanges between God and his people.  God always keeps his promises — except for those yet unfulfilled promises about our future beyond this life.  But he’s got a pretty good track record, so why shouldn’t we trust him to follow through?  His people, on the other hand, were not so faithful in keeping their promises.  The key figures generally did, but the people as a whole, especially the clergy, were always reneging.

But why does God need to make promises?  A promise is also a vow.  The Bible has a lot of things to say about vows.  Like taking your vow seriously (Numbers 30:2).  Keeping your word.  So why does Jesus say to forget about vows?  He says to let your “yes” be “yes” and your “no” be “no.” (Matthew 5:37)  That makes more sense.  And he’s God’s son.

I also wonder why we even need to exchange promises.  Our character should be such that we promote trust among one another.  If true trust is in place, then promises are unnecessary.  Promises lock us down; they don’t allow for circumstances that enter and make the promise uncomfortable or difficult to keep.  God uses people and events to direct our steps daily.  Promises, oaths or vows may set us up to deny God’s urging because we don’t allow unforseen factors to challenge our promises.

If God makes a promise, he is sure to keep it because he isn’t affected by unforseen circumstances.  But do we trust him because he promises things?  Or should we just simply love him because he’s our heavenly Father?  If we feel the need to make a promise, maybe we should qualify it with “if the Lord wills.”  But that seems shallow, like a cop out.  If we can’t keep the promise, then it just wasn’t the Lord’s will.

I would rather just trust in the Lord’s will.  I pray for it daily.  I’m particulary conscious of it, and desire it, when I have a medical concern, or a frustrating workday, or a difficult relationship.  Beyond that I want those around me to know that my “yes” and “no” can be trusted.  And that my love is genuine.

John 16:33

I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.

Jesus told his disciples that they would be going through rough times. They would be tried and persecuted. Following him would cost them their lives. He also promised them a Comforter, the Holy Spirit, who would guide and teach them. The Spirit would take them through the persecution, and their amazing peace would draw many to Christ.

At any point in time, somewhere throughout the world, someone is experiencing the same severe treatment and facing the same death as the disciples. But the great majority of us Christians will face nothing more than personal rejection by friends and family for our faith. Yet we struggle with having real peace.

We’re burdened by judgemental behavior; we give it and receive it. We’re weighted down by the cares of making a living, losing a loved one or fighting an illness. For many the only persecution they experience comes from within the church. Doctrinal challenges from all sides keep us from enjoying the peace of Christ.

While we’re not likely to be nailed to a cross or tossed to the lions, we are assured the same peace that was offered to Peter, James and John. The same Spirit walks with us that accompanied them in the Promised Land. Jesus said in Matthew 6, “Each day has enough trouble of its own.”

How did Jesus overcome the world? By showing us that his Father — our Father — cares for us deeply, has given us everything beautiful and wants us to give him the glory — and let it show. Jesus overcame the world by showing that life does not end with death. That life is, just as God said that his name was I AM. And Jesus gave a little demonstration to prove it, by hanging around for a while following his own “death.”

For this we can take heart. We have a peace that passes all understanding. And the world is watching us.

I was listening to a radio preacher the other day, and she seemed to be trying to explain things that were accomplished  and completed in the name of the Lord, while admitting that those same things must still be dealt with.

She said that Satan was defeated at the cross, but doesn’t know it yet. Really?  I thought defeated meant that he had no more power, was no longer a threat.  The message from pulpits across the country is that we still struggle against “the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.” It sounds more like Satan will be defeated, but doesn’t believe it yet.

She went on to say that our sins were nailed to the cross, but she admitted that we still struggle with them.  I suppose she was referring to the teaching that the cross (the finished work of Christ) provided complete forgiveness for our sins, even though we still sin.  I believe that Christ died while bringing God’s message of love to us.  However, God wants us to stop sinning, and no amount of forgiveness is going to change that.  Discipline will.

The radio preacher then tried to illustrate her point by saying that God gave the promised land to the Israelites, but that they had to go in and take it.  So basically God was saying, “I don’t care much for those people in Canaan; they don’t believe in me, and they’re sinning like crazy.  So I want you to go in and kill every man, woman, child and animal.  That’ll show ‘em!  Plus you get free land — after you dispose of all of those carcasses.”  No comment.

Jesus finished what he was sent to do, because he was in complete obedience to his Father.  We, on the other hand, are still an unfinished work.  Jesus us taught us how to live, and assured us that what we call death is not really the end.

And why are we so concerned about being “finished” anyway?  Jesus’ prayer for us was that we would recognize the fact that true eternal life is to know God as the only true God, and that God sent his Son to us. (John 17:3)

With this process there is no timeline.  We need only trust in Christ, who is the “author and perfecter of our faith.”  (Hebrews 12:2)

And obey. 

Romans 8:38, 39
For I am convinced that neither death nor life,
Neither angels nor demons,
Neither the present nor the future,
Nor any powers,
Neither height nor depth,
Nor anything else in all creation,
Will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

The Apostle Paul seems to go to great lengths in order to assure us that God’s love is greater than anything that would attempt to keep us away from him. It’s a wonderful verse, and I believe it with all my heart. But most “Christians” don’t. 

What can separate us from God’s love? Can hell? Are those that are in hell now on the outside of God’s love? How can he still love them and burn them forever? Or does the verse only apply to Christians — those who “accept Jesus as their Lord and Savior?” What about John 3:16? Does he truly love the world but with strings attached?

Or what about 2 Corinthians 5:19, where God is reconciling the world to himself in Christ? Is the Lord of the Universe not capable of meaning world when he says world?

Suppose our children were apathetic, mean, disobedient, unbearable or outright evil — would they ever stop being our children? Never! If we stop loving them, shame on us. Would we not do anything in our power to bring them back to us of their own free will? If we can even imagine it, why can’t God do it? Of course he can. He wrote the book.