Prayer Posts and Prayer Dares #9

Continuing with our conversations on prayer, let’s dive into prayer and God’s will.

I once heard a story about how Adam and Ever prayed for days in the garden (pre-fall) over what they should eat for dinner. They went on prayer retreats, spent time apart from one another praying, prayer journaled, prayed together, etc. but never came up with “God’s will” for their dinner. The point of the story was that God told them to eat “anything” from the garden—just not “that” tree. At the end of the story they settled on fruit salad since God wasn’t giving “clear” answers.

This imaginary scenario/story is typical of the way many of us approach “God’s will” for our lives. It’s the same kind of approach that some people have when they are looking for a job or a spouse.

However, we can find no clear evidence in the Bible that God is in the business of revealing a “perfect choice” for us through prayer. Some choices are better than others. Some choices are definitely wrong.

Sure, there are stories throughout scripture where God physically showed up and revealed His desire for someone but we need to put that in a different category.

I do strongly believe however, God IS revealing His will to us and HAS revealed His will to us in many ways.

For instance, God HAS revealed His moral will to us in scripture. Whenever there is a crisis or one finds himself or herself at in impasse or quandary, it is safe to say a good spot to check first is with the Bible—where God has already revealed and communicated a moral standard.

If your friend is wondering if he should start having an affair with his neighbor—no prayer is needed. Answer=no.

I actually had a conversation with a gal recently who wondered if it was God’s will for her to pursue an affair because she saw so many “godly” qualities in this other man who seemed to be her “soul mate.” Ummm . . . no.

When it comes to making choices, we can know some things with absolute certainty:

• God does not contradict himself.
• God will not move us to do anything contrary to scripture.

There may be any number of choices and dreams we could pursue in life that may be “in God’s will” for us.

You can pick any job in the world—just not “that” one.

You can have any spouse that may reciprocate your love and your wooing—just not “that” one.

We can also safely operate by the proverbial ideas:

• There is safety in a multitude of counsel (Proverbs 11:14)
• Being open to correction is a way to wisdom (Proverbs 19:20)

In many ways, the OT prophets were “tested” by this logic and this instruction. When someone stuck their head up and said, “thus sayeth the Lord” they were opening themselves up to the testing and scrutiny of scripture and of the community.

Deuteronomy 13:1-3 and other passages specifically warn about messages or dreams that contradict scripture

If a prophet, or one who foretells by dreams, appears among you and announces to you a miraculous sign or wonder, 2 and if the sign or wonder of which he has spoken takes place, and he says, "Let us follow other gods" (gods you have not known) "and let us worship them," 3 you must not listen to the words of that prophet or dreamer.

Deuteronomy 18 teaches the prophet’s words must come to pass. Prophet posing presented some pretty harsh risks.

19 If anyone does not listen to my words that the prophet speaks in my name, I myself will call him to account. 20 But a prophet who presumes to speak in my name anything I have not commanded him to say, or a prophet who speaks in the name of other gods, must be put to death."
21 You may say to yourselves, "How can we know when a message has not been spoken by the LORD ?" 22 If what a prophet proclaims in the name of the LORD does not take place or come true, that is a message the LORD has not spoken. That prophet has spoken presumptuously. Do not be afraid of him.

In reality, we are seldom faced with the kinds of “false dreams and visions” that the above scripture is warning us about. Though history has shown the church and the world abroad plenty of “crazy” visions and schemes that left unchecked by scripture and wisdom have ended in tragedy. Kool-aid anyone?

But . . .

You might be surprised at the countless seemingly harmless ideas and dreams that are presented to the local church leadership all wrapped up in a feverous box stamped, “God gave me this dream” day in and day out.

Often times, people judge the validity of their dreams/visions/choices/ideas based on the lack of any apparent obstruction or difficulty in achieving them. In the same way, many are quick to judge something as “invalid” or “not God’s will” based on roadblocks.

Scenario: A man is out of work and applies for a job in a new town. His wife hates the town, they will have to compromise on the children’s education, they have been warned by many friends not to go there, the man has a past history there that will be hard to overcome, there is no church for them to be involved in, etc. However, the man is offered a new position in the town after searching for work for a year. Should he take it?

OR . . .

Scenario: A woman applies for a job in a new town. She has been drawn to this town her whole life. Though she has been gone a few years, she grew up there, there is opportunity to help the community, she loves her home church there, she has many great relationships there. Many have counseled her that it would be wise to pursue something in this town. She knows that if she keeps pushing on towards her dream of moving back she can accomplish great things and she has a vision for the community. But, she can’t find a job there. Should she give up trying?

It is my conviction that just because something comes easy it doesn’t make it good. And, just because something is difficult doesn’t make it not worth pursuing.

I am certainly not saying praying for direction is irrelevant. Far from it! I do believe we should pray through difficult choices. I believe as we line our desires up with scripture, listen to wise counsel, practice Godly wisdom, learn through mistakes, meditate on the Word and digest it, and respond to God our prayer life will come alive and we will gain Godly perspective and direction.

Prayer Posts and Prayer Dares #8

This post focuses on the “quirkiness” of group prayer—the people and the prayers we all put up with and/or don’t know what to do with in group prayer gatherings.

And, in no certain order—as they pop out of my brain—here are a list of things that will make me want to put my head in a freezer in group prayer settings : : :

Prayer gossip. This is where a “prayer request” is shared as a covert tattletale operation or a way to fill everyone in on something. i.e. “We should really pray for Susan. I don’t know if it is true or not but I heard she is having an affair with her neighbor. It is probably true. She has been acting weird. Let’s pray.”

The "unspoken" prayer request. Who started this one? I don’t understand. i.e. “I have an unspoken prayer request.” Thanks, Joe. “Lord, we pray for Joe’s unspoken request. You know what is going on. Please deal with that.”

The long talker. This is the guy you can’t shut up in the prayer meeting who wants to talk about himself a lot and/or whine about his life and/or prays for a stinking long time without giving anyone else a chance. The problem may not lie with this guy as much as it does with the leader who doesn’t step in and set boundaries.

The holy roller. This is the person who either speaks in tongues and makes everyone freak out or prays so loud and fast and adds so much “energy” that everyone is looking for the exit door.

The “share your prayer requests” time. This is the time when everyone chats about what they need to pray about before they pray. This usually eats up most of the prayer time and then you get to hear it all again in the short “during prayer” version.

The “praise report” time. Yeah, this one always weirds me out. This is when you get to hear all about things that happened throughout people’s week that they are happy for. They range from great things like “I got a new job” to trivial things like “I found a new lady to do my nails.”

The prayer echo. i.e. “Yes, Lord. I echo what Steve and John and Tim and Joel have said. Yes.

I like the sound of my own voice person. This person prays very verbose prayers. Poetry. Long. Loud. Pause. Pitch. Pace. Punch. Their prayer is a COM201 rhetoric exercise. Very well spoken. And they know it.

“Mmmmm. Yes, Lord.” This person is pretty self explanatory but, just in case we need help, this is the person that doesn’t say much in the group except, “Mmmmmm, yes, Lord.” Over and over again. It’s not that it’s bad to agree with one another. But . . .

Touchy prayer person. This person feels the need to reach out and grab you during prayer. Maybe it’s the knee. Maybe it’s the back rub or shoulder squeeze. What makes it awkward is that they are the only ones doing it. It’s different if everyone is holding hands. But, somewhere in the middle of “let’s pray” and “amen” this person surprises you with the touch. If the hand goes on the shoulder it can be especially weird because they usually don’t know they are pushing you into the ground with their hand weight. Can actually be okay if it is a friend.

The out-of-context Bible verse prayer. This may not be weird for everyone but it always derails me. This is when someone is praying about something and they decide they will “claim” a Bible verse as proof their prayer is legit but it is totally out of context and not what the passage means. i.e. God, we are so glad there are three of us praying here tonight because we believe ‘where two or three are gathered you are there.” (that is not what the verse means outside the context of Matthew 18 and furthermore, God is “present” when even one is praying).

The “let me fill you in” prayer. This is the prayer where someone tells a story as they pray. The story is not for God’s benefit. It is for everyone else. i.e. “Lord, today I was sitting watching the kids play bla bla bla . . . when I remembered that time back in college bla bla bla . . . and it was then you made it very clear bla bla bla . . . and in light of that I pray for my friend Don next to me . . . who is very much like my neighbor Hank who just last night said blab la bla . . .

The bomb-drop prayer. This can be a doozy. You don’t want this one to happen. This is where the person has something to say but doesn’t know how to tell everyone so they drop it like it’s hot in the middle of the prayer. i.e. “Lord, you know that we are getting a divorce” or “Lord, not everyone knows here but I have been lying for years about stealing that money” or, “God, you know I am having an affair with so-and-so” etc. When the prayer bomb is dropped it is intended to diffuse the shock of the person’s news because—after all, they are telling God and you can’t interrupt.

The Bible study/preacher prayer. This is the prayer where someone believes they have some wisdom to impart to you and they use the prayer time to do so. i.e. “Lord, before we came in today I couldn’t help but notice John was having a hard time disciplining his child. Lord, we trust your word is true when it says to train up a child in the way he should go and he will not depart from there and we pray for John that he will understand this truth and apply it to his life. Lord, we know you desire John to be a good parent. Your word also says . . .”

The prayer you pray all the time and don’t do anything about it prayer. This prayer is a weird one. An example is the guy who always prays God will give him an opportunity to share his faith at work. Got news for you buddy . . . you have been praying that prayer for 10 years. The opportunities have come and gone. What you need is to get off your butt and talk to someone. Someone please tell this guy God already answered his prayer and he needs to move on.

Big words guy. Self explanatory. Knows the prayer jargon and uses it. Thick.

The King James prayer. Leave the multiple thee’s and thou’s where they belong--17th Century England. Thee works well sometimes in a song because it rhymes well with “me” and “see” but, other than that . . .

Break out in song prayer. Now, this can actually be cool sometimes but nothing will make everyone more uncomfortable in no time at all than when someone breaks out in song during prayer expecting everyone to join along but . . . no one knows the song. Obviously, the person “thought” everyone would know it or they wouldn’t have started it. But, nope. Wow, this is awkward. The words slowly die, the volume goes down, then there is the awkward “where do I finish the song?” moment. Exit doors?

Think of any others?

Prayer Posts and Prayer Dares #7

This post is on the topic of “group prayer.”

When I say “group prayer” I am referring to any number of prayer vehicles such as small group prayer, prayer email groups, prayer chains, etc.

Each “group” has it’s own dynamics and it’s own personality so, though I am throwing them all into one group for this post, I will also separate them and discuss their own idiosyncrasies in future posts.

For years, I have led prayer groups. I led one in High School before school in a classroom. I have led small groups where prayer is a focus. I have pastored prayer teams.

Over the past few years at Westwinds, we have had prayer groups come and go. We have had groups organize for the purpose of praying through “requests” that come in on cards and emails. We have had groups meet during Fusion. We have had one particular prayer group that has ebbed and flowed and died and rose from the ashes countless times with countless leaders at the helm.

Recently, I had someone ask me why I didn’t seem very supportive of the “prayer group” (the one that keeps dying). I think it is time I jotted some things down to clear up that little misconception.

It is a misconception that I don’t “support” it but, this person was very astute in thinking I have some concerns. The concerns are not with “prayer” but rather some of the “prayer talk” surrounding a group of this nature. I plan on getting together with some of those who want to see this group thrive but I am going to show my cards and seed the conversation here first. I think it is also good for the rest of us.

Before I voice my concerns and invite you in to the conversation, I want to point out some important things—some of the things I LOVE about group prayer.

• For starters, I believe in prayer because God instructs us to do it (Ephesians 6:18). I believe it aligns us with God and helps us develop a relationship with our Maker (Matthew 26:41). I believe prayer gives us perspective and reminds us of who we are in light of who God is(Ephesians 5:2). These things are true of private and group prayer.

• I believe there are some great benefits to prayer besides “getting answers” or tracking things in a journal to see how God moves—or doesn’t move.

• I believe prayer unites us. Jesus prayed for our unity with one another. He prayed we would be in community with one another and with God just as He and the Father are in community. This unity talk was all in the context of His prayer (John 17). When we pray with one another, not only are we aware of one another’s needs, concerns, victories, challenges, etc., we don’t have a chance to bicker with one another. We get on a level playing field. We focus on something other than ourselves. Group prayer promotes unity.

My concerns with group prayer in some contexts revolve around some myths about prayer and some problems with group dynamics.

Let’s look at a couple of the myths.

Myth #1—the more people that pray, the better chance God will answer that prayer in the way we want.

There are a few different scenarios with this myth that bother me to my core. It is not always “stated” as I have it stated above but it is certainly implied.

The greatest infraction is probably the Fwd: Fw: Fw: email prayer request. It’s not the request itself that bothers me—I like to know what is happening with my friends and I love to pray for them. It is the prayer request that comes in from a friend of a friend who has a brother who knows a guy in some country I have never heard of that seems to think if “enough” people pray his prayer will be answered. And, that I need to stop everything I am doing and pray and forward that prayer request to as many people as possible so that it can be answered.

I don’t see “the more people who pray” argument anywhere in scripture.

Again, good things happen when God’s people are in unity but we don’t have any reason to believe that God is counting prayers before He makes a move.

Frankly, I think this perspective is dangerous. I think it is a slippery slope that leads to believing we somehow hold the power to make things happen if we have enough “faith.”

Myth #2—If we “bathe” an event in prayer, God shows up.

Again, God does not “need” us in order to make a move.

God moves in spite of us. God moves without us.

Myth #3—If we don’t have a large group of people praying for “XYZ” then God WILL NOT “bless it.”

False.

God has already revealed his moral will and many of his expectations to us. When we do those things, we are doing His will. He is happy with that.

This sometimes shows up in conversations like “if we don’t pray for God to bless the weekend services how can we expect things to go well and expect the Spirit to show up?”

Answer: We can expect things to go well because the Holy Spirit who moves spontaneously is the same Holy Spirit who guided the planning of the event and is the same Holy Spirit who lives in every believer who is told to worship in community with one another. Therefore, when we worship together, the Holy Spirit is there. Period.

We don't have to beg Him to be there. We don't have to pray He will "rain down" on us.

We can however, pray that while we meet together in HIs presence we are focused on Him, non-distracting and helpful to those who may not believe yet, treating one another kindly, not full of ourselves, listening, attentive, uninhibited, etc. Boy, do we ever need to pray these things.

I am a proponent of prayer. Alone. Group. All of the above. These myths and some others are what add to my “caution” about group prayer meetings. I love them. I support them. But, now you see inside my head a little more.

Do any of you experience some of the same thoughts/concerns?

Prayer Posts and Prayer Dares #6

This post flows better out of the previous post . . . so you know . . .

Right after Jeremiah pours out his heart—and his angst——he gets back to work. I picture him letting out a huge sigh as if to say, “there God, I said what I had to say.” And God replies, “Yeah, I hear you. I know how it is to be laughed at. I know how it is to feel betrayed. I know you can’t take too much before you melt down. It’s okay. I made you. I know.

The last thing I learned about God and honesty and prayer in this passage is:

• You won’t always get the “answers” but you may get a whole new perspective
  

Jeremiah goes back to work. He realizes that God never ever said his job would be painless. I think the pain he expressed to God gave him a much greater perspective than if he had said a few “hail Marys.” I think He learned something about God’s faithfulness in the way God handled his honesty. I think the pain gave him a greater awareness of what it must be like to experience pain without God holding your hand. I think the honesty helped him move on.

I once talked to a friend a few weeks before she went to be with God. She had cancer. Two little girls. Beautiful. Every time I ran into her though, she had a smile.

One day, I cornered her at church. I asked her if she ever said, “this sucks!” to God. “Do you ever shut your door and scream? Have you ever given God the finger? Or, is this otherworldly glow you have something you experience all the time?”

She broke down a bit and shared with me that she felt a freedom to address God with all her anger based on how He handled honest prayers in the Bible. We talked about the King David (you should read his rants!) and his honesty. We talked about Jeremiah. And, we saw a pattern with these guys. We saw anger and disappointment, then a prayer of absolute pain and an honest cry, and then we saw a pause—a reflection, and finally, new perspective.

Mary told me the Psalms encouraged her to be honest and they gave her perspective when fighting her cancer. But, the difference between Mary and I at that moment was that she had a real clear perspective that only came through pain.

I want the perspective, but not the pain.

I’ve learned a lot about God by watching my kids. I remember when I taught my son to pray. He was about 3 or 4 years old and I used to kneel by his bed every night and pray with him. One night, I asked him if he wanted to pray alone. He said he didn’t know how but, knowing that prayer was something like “just talking with God” he said he would try.

I walked out of the room and stood around the corner waiting—the proud father. A minute went by and then I heard him say “Hi, God.” That was it. Simple. I went into the other room and cried like a baby. My son taught me something about connecting with God that I was missing. Honesty. Simplicity. That was the end of my sanitized prayers. I had been ripping—off God and myself with my dishonesty.

I do believe in hope. In peace. In joy. I believe one can have all those in the midst of madness. And, I have experienced it. Real joy. Not a fake Jesus smile--a supernatural perspective in the midst of things I can't understand.

My hope and prayer is for me and you, that we will be honest with God when the pain comes. We will tell him everything—unsanitized and messy as it is. Then, we will pray, “what can I learn? What new perspective can you give me? How can I use my pain to help others on this long, strange trip.

Dare : : : Take out a piece of paper and write "God can handle it" at the top. Make a list of the things that seem unbearable and/or "unspeakable" to you. Hide the list somewhere. Take it out and look at it this time next year.

Prayer Posts and Prayer Dares #5

As a father, I want to be a hero. I want my kids to love me. Sure, I love them unconditionally but, there is nothing like your baby running up to you unsolicited and hugging you. I don’t want tension. But, sometime—they don’t like me very much.

My 9 year-old is a doll. A princess. And, as most 9 year olds—she has a . . . problem with authority at times. I remember once when she was about 5 I had to send her to her room for a time-out. She had just finished having a meltdown of sorts. She was cranky, tired, had too much sugar, had been spoiled at a friends home, and wasn’t getting her way.

As she stomped off to her room she screamed the dreaded words I had never heard her say.

“I hate you!”

Could I handle it? Yeah. Did I tell her it was hurtful? Yes. Do I want to hear it said again? Not really. Did I stop loving her or beat her for saying it. No way. I told her there is nothing she could say that would make me stop loving her. I would still love her even if she didn’t apologize. As a matter of fact, I wept for her.

So, what does Jeremiah do? How does He handle it when he is angry at God?

7-10You pushed me into this, God, and I let you do it.
You were too much for me.
And now I'm a public joke.
They all poke fun at me.
Every time I open my mouth
I'm shouting, "Murder!" or "Rape!"
And all I get for my God-warnings
are insults and contempt.
But if I say, "Forget it!
No more God-Messages from me!"
The words are fire in my belly,
a burning in my bones.
I'm worn out trying to hold it in.
I can't do it any longer!
Then I hear whispering behind my back:
"There goes old 'Danger-Everywhere.' Shut him up! Report him!"
Old friends watch, hoping I'll fall flat on my face:
"One misstep and we'll have him. We'll get rid of him for good!"

11But God, a most fierce warrior, is at my side.
Those who are after me will be sent sprawling—
Slapstick buffoons falling all over themselves,
a spectacle of humiliation no one will ever forget.

12Oh, God-of-the-Angel-Armies, no one fools you.
You see through everyone, everything.
I want to see you pay them back for what they've done.
I rest my case with you.

13Sing to God! All praise to God!
He saves the weak from the grip of the wicked.

14-18Curse the day
I was born!
The day my mother bore me—
a curse on it, I say!
And curse the man who delivered
the news to my father:
"You've got a new baby—a boy baby!"
(How happy it made him.)
Let that birth notice be blacked out,
deleted from the records,
And the man who brought it haunted to his death
with the bad news he brought.
He should have killed me before I was born,
with that womb as my tomb,
My mother pregnant for the rest of her life
with a baby dead in her womb.
Why, oh why, did I ever leave that womb?
Life's been nothing but trouble and tears,
and what's coming is more of the same.

What I learned about expressing emotion from God:

• God is not afraid of your honesty—He already knows, you cannot hide anyway, there was no lightning, there was no smoke when Jeremiah spoke these words. As a matter of fact, God continued to use Jeremiah and be pleased with him. (Moses fought with God as well)

• When you are convinced of God’s character and love—you know it’s safe. Jeremiah knew He was Lord and Creator (10:12-16) He is all powerful (32:27) He is everywhere present (23:23,24) He desires reconciliation (31:31-34) By God's very nature and names He let's us know He is "safe" and desires our honesty.
  

Jeremiah knew God could handle a messy, disorganized, angry, gutsy, painfully honest prayer. He cursed God out. He accused God of seducing him. He called God a liar. He threw it out. “This is where I am at, God.”

Quite frankly, I think Jeremiah was even being sarcastic with God in verses 11-13

11But God, a most fierce warrior, is at my side.
Those who are after me will be sent sprawling—
Slapstick buffoons falling all over themselves,
a spectacle of humiliation no one will ever forget.

12Oh, God-of-the-Angel-Armies, no one fools you.
You see through everyone, everything.
I want to see you pay them back for what they've done.
I rest my case with you.

13Sing to God! All praise to God!
He saves the weak from the grip of the wicked.

I have a hard time believing Jeremiah was being "sincere" in 11-13. Those statement are bookended by him shaking his fist at God. I can picture him saying it in a mocking tone.

How do we feel about that? Are we ready for that kind of honesty? Is God?

Do we believe that God is all the things He says He is? Kind, compassionate, slow to anger, abounding in love, just, righteous? If so, He has to be the kind of God that can handle my screwed up prayers.

This was a hard one for me to learn. For most of my Christian life, I may have said I believed it, but I certainly didn’t practice it. I was taught to be "respectful" in my prayers. Which usually, for me, meant "fake it 'till I make it."

Sometimes, the things I have thought “should not” be uttered.

Psalm 62:8 says “Pour your heart out to God, He is a refuge for you” It does not say to rehearse your prayers and clean them up. It doesn’t say put on a happy face. It doesn’t say turn that frown upside down. It doesn’t even say to take out the cursing. God is a refuge.

Prayer Posts and Prayer Dares #4

Sometimes, the environment we grow up in—though it may be uncomfortable for us while we are in it—or we may not want to return to it—can be very helpful in our learning process if we embrace it.

This is true for me and prayer. I spent a good deal of time in one particular church experience as a child that I would never want to repeat, nor would I wish it on anyone. However, in those painful years I learned a ton. I learned a lot in the way one might look at a parent and say, “when I grow up I will not treat my child like that.”

So, here is a list of some things I learned from other Christ followers growing up (p.s. just in case you are not good at picking up on sarcasm, the list below is NOT something I believe). These things screwed with my prayer life for years :

What I learned about expressing emotion from “Christ Followers” :

• Christ Followers are “happy people” (shiny, happy people) at all times

They “know God is in control” so they smile
There is too much to be happy about—no tears

• Christ Followers who struggle and are frustrated are people without clarity

So, they give clarity with misquoted Bible verses and pithy grabbers intended to satisfy (God is in control, He won’t give you more than you can handle, there is power in weakness, there’s a prize at the end, there’s no crown without a cross, yada, yada, yada. They are not always false, but mostly they are untimely.

• Christ Followers that are “spiritual” have good sounding prayers to God—well thought out and verbose

Things I learned from the world, the media, friends, and the uninformed:

• God sends lightning

• God’s main job is to punish us

• We have to earn God’s favor—so don’t make Him mad!

• I must change before God accepts me (stop drinking, smoking, cussing, looking at porn, being angry), I must get my act together!

Things I learned from life experience and motivational speakers, tapes, and books

• Doubt is the opposite of belief

• It’s best to buck up, grab the bootstraps and move on

• People with emotional “issues” are weak

I believe these are unbiblical misconceptions about God, emotion, prayer, etc. and if we don't move past them, they will haunt our prayer life (or lack thereof) forever.

Another prayer dare : : : go down this list of misconceptions again and find one that may have you hamstrung. Tell someone about it. Investigate it. Ask someone to pray through the issue with you and ask God for a change of perspective.

Prayer Posts and Prayer Dares #3

I think I have more questions about prayer now than I did when I started. I don’t have it all wrapped up nice and tidy. My “theology” of prayer is incomplete.

Some questions I used to ask (and some I still ask) : : :

Does it change His mind? Does God move only if I pray? What about multiple pray-ers? What about email prayers? Can I influence God? Is God the only one who hears? Does He only hear believers? How do I address Him? Does God wait for me to ask?

Today, we’ll camp on another one of my questions as you walk this journey with me. The big question today is . . . What can I and can’t I say to God—what are the boundaries?

Jeremiah’s story is recorded for us in the longest book of the Bible—containing more words than any other book. Jeremiah was a prophet who began speaking for God about 626 BC. Sometimes Jeremiah is referred to as, “the weeping prophet.”

Jeremiah lived in a time where people were giving God the finger. Probably a lot like the world we live in. They didn’t give a rip about God. The leaders were corrupt, the priests were liars, the people were crooked and self-centered; the moral fabric of the nation was getting weaker all the time.

So, God approached Jeremiah and told him He had an assignment for him. He wanted Jeremiah to tell these people that God still loved them and they still mattered, but He was going to teach them a huge lesson if they didn’t turn.

In Jeremiah 1:17 through 19, God gives Jeremiah the charge and a promise.

So Jeremiah accepts. He gets and audience with the rulers and warns them. He encourages them to repent—to turn. They laugh. Jeremiah is puzzled.

God tells Jeremiah to go to the potter’s house and watch him work. He sees the potter making clay pots but halfway through it the clay spoils and he has to mash it up and start over again. God says, “go tell the people what you saw.” So Jerry tells the people what he saw and tells them, “God was shaping you into a great nation but you have turned out to be bad clay. If you don’t repent, God will mash it up and start all over again.”

Well, they didn’t like that at all. People usually don’t like hearing they are about to get mashed. Damnation speeches aren’t very popular in any culture. They start to think of a way to shut him up for good.

Jerry, at this point, is going, “God, what’s the deal? These guys are after me. Why don’t you just do some of that God Kung Foo Panda action and go postal on them. Go Uma Thurman on these bad boys. Take ‘em out. This is ridiculous. He is getting a bit discouraged.

So God responds by saying, “I have another object lesson. Go buy a big vase. Gather all the leaders together again. Hold the vase above your head and tell them if they don’t repent, they don’t turn, they don’t humble themselves, they will be like the vase. Then, smash it to the ground (smash vase).”

He does it. And . . . they don’t like it. Jeremiah 20:2 says they then proceeded to beat him and throw him in stocks by the gate of the city. People could then walk by and ridicule him, spit on him, hit him, and hurl insults.

After hours of this torture, he is released. Jeremiah has reached the end. He is spent. He’s thinking, “Hey, I was just doing my job, God. I was doing what you told me. I warned them. I went to see the potter, I smashed the vase. He is confused, feels betrayed, he is very angry. He has a lot of baggage to deal with.

Not to mention the part where God promised to protect him.

What would you do if you were Jerry? What advise do you have for him? What do you do when you are just going along in life, trying to live right, trying to stay out of people’s way, trying to worship God the best you know how and then . . . crash. It all falls. Your protection isn’t there. How do you approach God? What do you say to Him?

Your good friend dies in a car wreck. You lose your job. Your teenager tells you she hates you and you are worthless. Your home is vandalized. Your family member talks about taking their life. You’re ridiculed and betrayed by a friend. Your spouse. A family member dies. A family member is called to war.

When you start feeling those feelings of confusion, abandonment, anger or resentment towards God, what do you do with the feelings? When God’s definition of protection and love seems like it came out of a different dictionary than yours, what do you do?

Today’s dare . . . if you have a hard time expressing to God how you really feel, start by telling Him you are afraid to tell Him.

Prayer Posts and Prayer Dares #2

I didn’t grow up in a Christian home. When it came to things like prayer, I had little frame of reference.

My grandmother had some beads she used to hold when she would pray. She would go from bead to bead chanting mantras. She called it her rosary. And, she wouldn’t only talk to God, she talked to his “mom” apparently—I thought her first name was Hail. Hail Mary.

My father occasionally talked to God and addressed him by his full name. I thought his last name was dammit. I’d pray before meals, tests, and when I needed something. But, God was really no more real to me than Santa Claus. We didn’t really “chat.”

And, maybe you’re like me in that when I first started attending a church—it wasn’t so much about heart change for me, it wasn’t so much about a journey or experiencing God, it was about, “doing the right things.” I wanted to be a good boy.

So, when I started attending club Christian—I started looking for examples. I started to mimic. I wanted to do things right. I’d hear things like, “Oh, Mr. So-and-So is a good pray-er.” “Oh, she has a direct line to God.” “That was such a ‘moving’ prayer.” “They are prayer warriors.”

I modeled a formula . . .

Recipe for Prayer:

• 1 dash of “tion” words i.e. “propitiation,” “supplication”

• A sprinkling of poetry—use generously

• A couple of adjectives before “Our Father” like “most gracious” or “all knowing”

• A few sighs

• 2 “amen’s” example: “amen and amen!”

• 10 or more uses of the word “just”—Lord, I just want to thank you just for . . .

This is the model I had learned as a child. Whenever I heard people pray, this is what it sounded like. I guess I got good at it.

One day, someone told me they liked my style of praying.

But, honestly, I didn’t want a prayer “style.” I wanted to know more about prayer. I wanted to talk to God.

If I were to ask my dad for his car keys, I wouldn’t say . . . “Oh, most loving and gracious father, might you bestow upon me—your humble son—thy keys for which to use the vehicle you have so lovingly provided for my use? I would say, “Dad, can I use the keys?” Plain. Simple. Genuine. So why did I talk to my heavenly Father as if I were in a Shakespearean play?

Then, I started noticing quirky things about prayer all around me.

It was not only the language that was bizarre, not only the Monty Python words and accents, it sounded so . . . unconversational and so . . . not real. Every prayer was so sanitized. So clean. So polished. So impressive.

I was talking to a friend of mine tonight about prayer and he said that even after reading my blog post yesterday he realized how many habits he slips into with prayer without even thinking twice—the language—the posture.

What are some of the prayer quirks you have? Have you been able to change old prayer habits? Do you have a default language?

Today's dare . . . make mental note of the things you say in prayer that you are not really even sure what they mean.

Do you use words and phrases you are not sure of? Make a list. Share them here.

Prayer Posts and Prayer Dares

Before I begin, let me say I love Jesus. I believe in prayer. I pray. I believe prayer is important. Jesus taught us to pray. Pray.

Please read all my prayer posts through that lens. Please.

I have always been somewhat of a student of prayer. I have never considered myself a “prayer warrior” and, quite frankly, the phrase makes me a little uneasy.

The topic of prayer has come up A LOT around Westwinds lately. I think it is time to blog a few of my thoughts and maybe you can process with me.

I have been a follower of Jesus for 30 years.

I have read more books and had more conversations on prayer than you could possibly imagine.

And, honestly, I don’t feel much further down the line with my understanding of prayer than I did 30 years ago.

Sometimes, I think I understood it better back then—when I didn’t know anything. And that very statement may actually be more profound than I originally intended.

I have changed my mind about how to pray, when to pray, how often to pray, and what prayer accomplishes more than you can imagine.

And, I'll be honest . . .

I have strong opinions about what bothers me when it comes to prayer. I have strong opinions about what bothers me about certain kinds of prayer agendas. I have strong opinions about prayer words and phrases—i.e., “get on your knees and fight like a man,” “we must align our hearts with God,” “lift your request up to him” . . .

I have strong opinions about definitions of prayer that somehow “require” God to respond in certain ways based on where my heart is or how often I pray or how many people pray with me, etc.

I will have some scattered thoughts and posts about prayer over the next few days. Comment please. Converse.

Sometimes, I'm a prayer mess.

I have shown some of my cards already.

Honestly, a lot of my prayer baggage is out of a concern for those who are just beginning to follow Jesus and are watching and listening. To us. To me. I am scared to death sometimes at the garbage that some people are fed about prayer that I believe is --at best-- silly and shallow and --at worst-- unbiblical. So, it is more than pet peeves that I will be sharing.

This first post is simple. No deep theology. No big questions.

Just a simple challenge.

This challenge is for the “seasoned” pray-er. This challenge is for the professional Christian pray-er. This challenge is for the student of prayer. It is not meant to belittle or demean anyone.

If we are going to have this conversation, I dare you to pray for one day like this:

• Without using the word “just” i.e. “Lord, we just want to just thank you for just . . .

• Address God differently than your normal go-to name i.e. “most gracious heavenly Father, etc.

• If you pray out loud this week, talk like you normally talk—normal inflections. Normal words.

• If you pray out loud this week, do not sigh

• Without using words you never use in any other context (most of the “tion” words like propitiation are out)

• Try ending your prayer with something other than, “in Jesus’ name” as a form of “sincerely”. Maybe try putting the “in Jesus’ name” at the front of the prayer. Or leave it off the prayer.

• Try praying “after” a meal once.

• Try praying in the middle of a meal once.

• Try praying with your eyes open.

• If you stand, try it on your knees. If you kneel, try standing.

• Do not use the phrase “we lift up” while praying
  

The next part of the challenge is tough. Kinda weird.

Make mental notes of how many times you hear other people praying around you in light of the above list. God will not be angry at you for doing a prayer experiment—He is bigger than that. I happen to believe God is a big fan of learning through observation.

After you try it for a day, discuss it here. This is food for conversation.

The Crucifixion of Oprah Part One

Okay, I received this video from a few different sources re: Oprah. All of a sudden Oprah has become the new thing for Christians to rally against.

• A few years ago it was the emails telling me not to buy Heinz catsup.
• And not to go to Disneyland.
• And not to buy Pampered Chef.
• And not to vote for gay people because they are apparently dumb.
  

Every few months someone starts a panic through email and webposts and video about what or whom we should not support as Christians.

I think I finally got all the messages right in my brain. It is hard to stay on top of them.

I think : : :

I am not supposed to spend any money anywhere with my debit card not only because it is run by a huge computer in Belgium called The Beast but also because my money eventually funnels to Harry Potter who bought Disneyland with Berkshire Hathaway money that he earned while building gay abortion clinics for Warren Buffet which are only a cover for Madeline Murray O’Hare to counterfeit money without “In God We Trust” printed on the bills which you can only find if you use your Golden Compass. Or something like that.

Then came the Oprah video(s) and posts and emails.

Pause.

Let me take off my sarcastic hat—for just a bit.

For the record, I am a Christian. I believe there is only one way to God through Jesus Christ (many people find Jesus in a number of ways but that is for another post). I believe Jesus is real. He lived on earth. He died. He rose again. I believe I am not Him. I believe I will die and have no control over when. Outside of these things, there is a lot of for grabs.

My friend Dave says Len Sweet told him we are all wrong about 25% of what we believe—we just don’t know which 25%.

As Christians we should all be concerned about investigating claims, we should all beware of what is happening in the media, we should all be careful to hold tight to that which we know to be true about Jesus. Agreed.

But before you get caught up in the frenzy and forward the video to all your friends with a picture of a sunset and a nudge to email it to 10,000 of their closest friends to receive an answer to prayer, let’s take a close look at this video.

Part of me does NOT want to do this. Partly because I know some people mean well and I don’t want them to feel bad and partly because it just takes too much time. But I also believe part of what I am called to do is do the things that take time.

So, if you are really interested in the “claims” on this video regarding Christians watching Oprah, watch the video above and read on--more posts to come.

(I will be quoting the video so it is a good idea to watch it then read on. If you don’t watch, you can still read but some things may be lost in translation)