Praying the Solution

“I am praying to you because I know you will answer, O God.” (Psalm 17:6 NLT)

Making yeast bread from scratch takes a lot of effort--measuring, mixing, kneading, waiting for the dough to rise, shaping the dough, waiting some more, baking, and cleaning up the mess--the process is time consuming. The best part of bread making is after all the working and waiting is over, when you get to taste the bread. When you first start baking bread, you aren’t sure how it will turn out. It’s easy to get caught up in the labor and the mess instead of focusing on the results.  

Prayer is a lot like baking bread. It requires work and waiting.  If you get bogged down by the initial process, it can be disconcerting. Most of us get mired in our problems when praying. We repeatedly present our worries, frustrations, and fears to God. We get tired and discouraged in the waiting. We get stuck in the worry phase, kneading and pounding, instead of focusing on the end product.

There is a better way: Pray for the solution instead of the problem. Be confident in the Lord. Trust Him. Look forward to the taste and feel of what He is about to do. Be thankful in advance. Believe that God is able, through His mighty power at work within us, to accomplish infinitely more than we might ask or imagine.

Cleaned and Set Apart

“I send this letter to you in God's church at Corinth, Christians cleaned up by Jesus and set apart for a God-filled life.” (1 Corinthians 1:2 MSG)

One of my cousins sent me a picture of his ‘prayer closet’--the space under the stairs of his home. It was being used as a storage space for odds and ends, but he cleaned it up and set it apart as space solely for prayer. He has several rooms in his home that he could pray in, but those rooms also served other purposes. Some spaces like the dining room and living room were too open. He wanted a room that was private--a dedicated space for prayer and adoration. He says it’s his favorite area in his home now.

I really liked my cousin’s idea of a prayer closet and immediately tried to copy it in my own home. However, I kept encountering issues: some closets were too small; others had no light or electric sockets. Finally, I settled on the room adjacent to our detached garage. It takes a bit of planning to carry my books and supplies over there, but it is private and quiet. I am able to focus on prayer and contemplation. I’ve also discovered solitary runs in nature and solo drives in my car are opportune spaces for prayer.

Jesus is looking for spaces to meet with each of us privately. This can be physical nooks or the recesses of our souls.  He looks at our cluttered minds filled with distractions. He wishes to clean us up and set us apart for a God-filled life. Our part is to submit to the cleansing. First, we have to remove ourselves from the external distractions. Then, we must shush our own internal dialogue, so we can be attentive to the Spirit. The Lord is eager to commune with us. He waits on us to make the time and space.

“When you pray, go away by yourself, shut the door behind you, and pray to your Father in private.” (Matthew 6:6 NLT)

Lesson Plans

“The LORD God gives me the right words to encourage the weary. Each morning he awakens me eager to learn his teaching.” (Isaiah 50:4 CEV)

I am an assistant coach for an after-school running program for boys. The head coach brings me the lesson plans a few days before each scheduled session. Some days, I get so busy with other activities that I hardly have time to even look over the lesson before I show up for practice. I know I can count on the head coach to bring all the supplies and have everything organized ahead of time. On the days when I actually study the lesson plan, I feel more useful. I am able to fulfill my purpose as his assistant much better when I know what I am supposed to do.

Similarly, the Lord has called me to be His assistant. He shares His lesson plan with me early each morning. Some days I wake up and listen--unless I choose to sleep in or get distracted by other things. I know I can count on the Lord to supply everything. He doesn’t need me. However, on the days I study and prepare, I am more useful. The Lord gives me the right words to encourage the disheartened, to comfort the hurting, and to give clarity to the confused.  It is up to me to be attentive and studious, to take the time to internalize the lessons so I can be an effective assistant.

“The Sovereign LORD has opened my ears; I have not been rebellious, I have not turned away.” (Isaiah 50:5 NIV)

Guided by Trust

“Our lives are guided by faith, not by sight.” (2 Corinthians 5:7 GWT)

Experienced runners know that recruiting the right muscles can enhance performance. Proper form and intentional focus is essential. This can be difficult, especially after fatigue sets in. If one muscle in your body is weak, and you compensate by overusing another muscle in its stead--this can lead to injury.

Similarly, when trust is weak, we tend to operate by our feelings. This can lead to all sorts of trouble. Fear and anxiety can be severely limiting. Anger and suspicion can lead to injured relationships. Choices made during times of grief can be unwise. Intentionally recruiting trust muscles requires focus.  As we move forward, we must learn to be guided by faith and not by our emotions--allowing God to do a greater work in us and through us.

The person who trusts me will not only do what I'm doing but even greater things. (John 14:12 MSG)

Good Character

“So don't lose a minute in building on what you've been given, complementing your basic faith with good character, spiritual understanding, alert discipline, passionate patience, reverent wonder, warm friendliness, and generous love, each dimension fitting into and developing the others.” (1 Peter 1:5-7 MSG)

Charles was the star baseball player at our high school. He was handsome, popular, and admired by everyone. He went on to play baseball for several major league teams. He was, and still is, the most well-known graduate from our high school. Because Charles was a ‘celebrity,’ much of his life was on public display. Over the last few decades, he has been charged with domestic violence against two ex-wives and doping with performance-enhancing drugs. In comparison, I have another classmate who has led a low-profile life. Over the last few decades, she has walked with God--nurturing and encouraging others to walk in the light. Her life goes largely unnoticed, but it is still noteworthy.

When I was younger, I thought that having a great life meant making a mark on this world and creating a name for yourself. Now I realize that it isn’t one’s circumstances, talents, accomplishments, wealth, or fame that defines success. Instead, becoming a person of good character is what really counts. This involves developing understanding, discipline, patience, reverence, empathy, and generosity. Be helpful, not harmful. Build up others rather than puff up your own ego. Contribute more than you deduct from the world. Your life may go largely unnoticed, yet, it remains noteworthy.

System Update

“Even though you're up-to-date on all this truth and practice it inside and out, I'm not going to let up for a minute in calling you to attention before it. This is the post to which I've been assigned - keeping you alert with frequent reminders - and I'm sticking to it as long as I live.” (2 Peter 1:12-13 MSG)

My computer was stuck on the same screen for hours. It displayed the following message: “Please wait while we install a system update.” There was no progress bar showing what percentage of the update had happened or how much longer it would take. I felt impatient just sitting there watching the continuously spinning wheel. Eventually, the computer finished updating. Unseen things were happening behind the screen while I was waiting. I didn’t notice the changes until after I rebooted the computer. Even though it took much longer than expected, the laptop ran more efficiently after the updates.

Have you ever felt like you were stuck in a rut, spinning your wheels with no progress in sight? Waiting can feel tiresome, especially when we don’t know how long or why we are in a holding pattern. Yet, like scheduled system updates on a computer, God-ordained phases of dormancy can be transformative. Unseen things happen behind the scenes. We are enlarged in the waiting--infused with renewed perspective, increased patience, restored trust, and expanded faith. When we are updated in truth, we are better able to practice it inside and out. Frequent reminders keep us alert to our need for continual communion and restoration. God works in us and through us making us ready for what we are assigned to do.

Underlining

“So, my dear friends, don't take my rather bold and blunt language as criticism. It's not criticism. I'm simply underlining how very much I need your help in carrying out this highly focused assignment God gave me.” (Romans 15:15 MSG)

I often buy used books that previous readers have underlined. I like to know what other readers found interesting. Underlining and highlighting usually mean a reader has studied the text, not just skimmed over parts of it. When you underline a word or sentence, you are emphasizing that it is important. This is not a form of criticism but of affirmation.

As we go through each day, we have opportunities to underline truths that we find relevant. This has two functions: it reminds us that something is worth remembering, and it causes others to pay attention. There are many ways of emphasizing what is important--vocal repetition, writing, or any form of communication can highlight a point. Our daily choices and behavior can also underline our core beliefs. For example, if we believe that honesty is important, we can underscore this truth by reiterating it vocally, writing it down for ourselves and others, and being honest in speech and action. Highlighting the principle of honesty does not have to be a criticism of anyone. It can merely be an affirmation of something you find worthy of attention. However, if our behavior displays a lack of honesty, that is also something worth noting. Repetitive patterns in our speech and actions, whether positive or negative, underscore what we believe to be important. Thus, let us use our lives to highlight what is good, noble, and true.