prayer

Praying for Gatlinburg

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“When you walk through the fire,
    you will not be burned;
    the flames will not set you ablaze” (Isaiah 43:2b, NIV).

When I first saw the posts about about the wildfires raging between Pigeon Forge and Gatlinburg, I felt like my best friend had just died.

I have so many childhood memories tied up in that place that come alive whenever I drive up into the Smokies. I’m not overly a fan of how touristy the place has become, but I still wax nostalgic whenever I’m walking up and down the main drag.

I’m praying for Gatlinburg and the Smoky Mountains tonight. Sure, I have my selfish reasons, but I’m also thinking of the many who live and work there. I’m thinking of all the history and nature that’s in peril.

The world needs a place that’s quaint (and sometimes even a little hokey), a place that’s  not hipster-ed to death or upscaled and overpriced into absurdity.

There needs to be a Pancake Pantry and a Space Needle and a Dollywood and all the riot of colors from the leaves turning in the fall. All of those do wonders for restoring my soul.

I’m praying, “God, let it rain.”

That’s what is needed more than anything, I think. A nice long downpour.

Update: Apparently, several structures have caught fire in Gatlinburg. I don’t know which ones, but I know that the residents there would appreciate as many prayers lifted up as possible during the night and into the morning.

Most of all, pray that no lives are lost. Property can be replaced and buildings can be rebuilt but no human life can ever be replaced.

Above all, trust in the sovereign hand of the One who is Lord over both the flood and the flame. God’s still in control.

One more update: I just read where the rain has finally arrived. God is already working.

 

Come, Lord Jesus: An Advent Prayer for 2016

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“Come, long-expected Jesus. Excite in me a wonder at the wisdom and power of Your Father and ours. Receive my prayer as part of my service of the Lord who enlists me in God’s own work for justice.

Come, long-expected Jesus. Excite in me a hunger for peace: peace in the world, peace in my home, peace in myself.

Come, long-expected Jesus. Excite in me a joy responsive to the Father’s joy. I seek His will so I can serve with gladness, singing and love.

Come, long-expected Jesus. Excite in me the joy and love and peace it is right to bring to the manger of my Lord. Raise in me, too, sober reverence for the God who acted there, hearty gratitude for the life begun there, and spirited resolution to serve the Father and Son.

I pray in the name of Jesus Christ, whose advent I hail. Amen” (A Catholic Advent Prayer).

At this time of year, I’m always on the lookout for prayers and quotations that reflect the true heart of the Advent season. I found one just now.

The incarnation of Immanuel means so much more than my world getting put right. It’s about the entire world getting put right. It’s about God inviting me to be a part of the revolution that started not from a throne room and a king or a battlefield and a general but from a manger and an infant.

The question this advent: how can we show tangible love to those around us with whom we live and work and play? How can we be the visible body of Christ to those who have never seen or heard this gospel (or who have seen and heard a very distorted version of it)?

I’m praying that this Advent is about more than just me and my own serenity and fulfillment. I want it to be about more than buying and receiving presents. I want to see change in the world and I want it to start in me.

 

One Last Bit of Voting Advice

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By this time tomorrow, we will know who the 45th President of the United States is going to be (God willing). All the votes will be in and counted and one side or the other will have a majority (again, God willing).

I have one last bit of advice for those of you still yet to cast your ballots (and for those who already have): Remember that both Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton are human beings created in the image of God and died for by Jesus.

It’s easy in the heat of battle to dehumanize the opposition and make them evil monsters with no trace of humanity or feelings. It’s equally easy to do the same to those who follow said opposition.

I seem to remember what Jesus told us in regard to those we consider our enemies– He told us to pray for them. He did not mean pray for bad things like hemorrhoids or infinite paper cuts. He meant pray for them like you would want to be prayed for.

That’s it. That’s all my advice. Remember that both Hillary and Donald have worth and value because they bear the imago dei (the image of God). Remember that you do, too. All of us do.

Also never forget to pray for both of them, whatever the outcome, regardless of where you cast your vote. Pray for those whose ideologies are different than yours, who see the world differently than you. In case you missed what I’m getting at, just pray.

Oh, I almost forgot to remind you of one more thing. The day after tomorrow, when we know who the President-elect is, Jesus will still be in charge. He will still be on the throne of the universe. I believe that trumps whoever is the next President.

 

My Prayer at 11:08 PM on a Friday Night

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“I thank God for most this
amazing
day; for the leaping greenly
spirits of trees
and a blue true dream of sky;
and for everything
which is natural, which is
infinite, which is yes” (e. e. cummings)

On this Friday, I give thanks for the following:

  1. Fridays, which have never gotten old, even when I was unemployed. I can’t remember when Friday didn’t make me extremely happy.
  2. Another overcast Autumn day to remind me of why I love fall.
  3. An oversized mug of hot chocolate from The Well to remind me of why I love hot chocolate. Or anything at all from The Well. Or just hanging out at The Well in general.
  4. Geriatric cats that still curl up in my lap and fall asleep there (well, just the one geriatric cat named Lucy who would probably kill me in my sleep if she ever found out that I referred to her as geriatric).
  5. Doctor Who (particularly the episodes with David Tennant and Billie Piper). I’m late to the party, but I’m now officially a fan. And I still at some point would like to watch all the existing episodes, starting at the very beginning. Put that on my bucket list.
  6. Netflix on my iPad, which is way cooler than the portable TV I used to tote around back in the day when I thought I was the cat’s pajamas (again, don’t tell my cat Lucy I said that).
  7. A comfortable bed at the end of a long day.
  8. Not having to set the alarm for 5 am for tomorrow morning.
  9. God’s grace at the end of the day and God’s new mercies for the beginning of the next new day.

So what did we learn today? Gratitude still pays dividends. That and it’s a really good thing my cat Lucy doesn’t read my blog posts.

 

Another Good Borrowed Prayer

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“Lord, when I don’t like me,
You still love me, You still like me, You still lavish me with acceptance.
When I am fed up with me, You invite me to Your feast,
When I am done — with me, with life, with everything,
You whisper, ‘Hang on — I am making *all things* — *you* — new.’ (Rev21:5)
And when I want to quit, You cup my face: ‘This great work I started in you? I won’t stop that beautiful work until you are fully, completely, gloriously beautiful’ (Phil1:6, 1 Cor2:7)
So this becomes our brave & broken-hearted hallelujah, the one we sing into the dark, even when it’s hard to believe:
I am His Beloved, His Beloved, His Beloved… and even now I will be held.

In the name of the only One who loved us to death & back to the real & forever life… Amen.” (Ann Voskamp).

This is a good prayer for the week that never seems to want to end. This is a doxology for the difficult days that seem to come in bunches and never in just one.

I still remember the line from The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel that I quote to myself periodically: “Everything will be fine in the end, and if it’s not fine, it’s not yet the end.”

I remind myself that even the worst of days where nothing goes right still only lasts for 24 hours. It may feel longer, but the tell-tale ticking of the second hand on the clock tells a much different story.

I suppose this is another variation on my infamous “Don’t give up because God’s not done with you yet” rah-rah cheery blog posts. I don’t care. I’ll keep thinking of different ways to keep preaching the gospel to myself (and hopefully you as well) until it finally begins to sink in. And I think it’s working at last.

 

Praying Over the World

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Sitting on the front row at The Church at Avenue South, I had a thought totally unrelated to the sermon from Genesis 45. Yes, I paid attention to the message about Joseph and his brothers and the need for reconciliation and forgiveness.

I was thinking about my friend, John Paul, lying in the ICU in Memphis. I may not be able to go to him in person, but I believe strongly that when I am interceding that I am just as present in that room.

It’s a mind-blowing concept that you can reach places through prayer that you’ve never seen with your own two eyes and you can connect with fellow believers that you might never meet in person on this side of heaven.

It’s feasible to me that when we do arrive in heaven, our impact will have been greater than we ever could have imagined. All those nights spent on our knees interceding for those missionaries halfway across the world will not have been in vain.

I truly believe that those we prayed for will have felt the presence of our prayers in those overwhelming moments. Maybe they will sense that we were with them in spirit, if not in the flesh, to agree with them in prayer.

I don’t make any claims to infallibility and I may be speculating more than just a little bit here, but I do believe that we may never physically get to all the places where the unreached people groups live, but we can go in spirit through prayer and intercession.

We can be near those who are hurting and dying through the gift of intercessory prayer, just as surely as the God to whom we pray is there.

Most importantly, the God who heals and answers prayer is there. The Holy Spirit who is interceding for both the one who prays and the one who is prayed for is there. Jesus, who ever lives to intercede for us before God in heaven, is there.

That’s what really matters.

 

Praying Tonight

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I did something I never thought I’d do. I signed up for one of those pray ’round the clock things for a friend of mine who is in critical condition in the ICU after a horrific head-on car collision on Monday.

It gets even better. I signed up for 2:30-3:00 am. I will need to set the alarm on my phone. I will also likely need the Jaws of Life to pry my eyes open at such an ungodly hour.

I’m not super-spiritual and super-sanctified. I’m doing this because I believe as strongly as ever in the power of prayer and especially in the Great Physician to whom nothing is impossible.

I’m clinging to the promise that tells me I can boldly approach the throne of grace in time of need. It won’t be because of some amazing eloquence of mine or even my utmost sincerity but my mustard seed-sized faith in the God who can move mountains, make the blind see, make the lame walk, and make the dead come alive again.

I’m praying to the God because what seems impossible to me is not even remotely difficult for Him. Just ask Lazarus.

I’m asking for all of you to pray for my friend, John Paul Moses. I’m encouraging you to pray boldly in faith for complete and miraculous healing and for a complete and total restoration of health. I don’t mean pious prayers with folded hands and sweet words but wrestling with God and clinging to the corner of His garment and not letting go until He blesses you.

If you so desire, you can sign up to pray for my friend here:

https://m.signupgenius.com/#!/showSignUp/70a0a48aaab2da75-overnight

I should probably end this so I can set my phone to alert me at 2:30. The good news is that I can go back to sleep after. The best news is that the throne of grace is always open to those in desperate need.

 

A Praying Life

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“God also cheers when we come to him with our wobbling, unsteady prayers. Jesus does not say, “Come to me, all you who have learned how to concentrate in prayer, whose minds no longer wander, and I will give you rest.” (Paul Miller, A Praying Life).

I’m not very good at prayer. Whenever I’m alone at the end of the day and I go to pray, I find that my mind can’t be still. Instantly, it’s like 15 televisions and 15 radios come on and start playing in my head, and I can’t get any of them to shut off.

I find that I pray in snippets, then my mind wanders off on a tangent (or I see something shiny), then I rein myself back in, then my mind wanders off again. I think my mind is like a toddler who won’t sit still.

The beautiful reminder for me is that even those awkward moments of silence are prayers. Those moments when we are desperately seeking the right words to pour out our conditions before God are  prayers. The groans and sighs that go too deep for words are prayers, because the Holy Spirit is inside us interceding for us and interpreting what not even we can decipher from all our jumbled thoughts.

When prayer becomes less about getting our laundry list of wants and needs before God and more about sitting at His feet, we are closer than ever to getting the whole prayer thing right. Even in those times when we don’t feel like we are even praying at all– just sitting in silence, away from the noise of life.

What’s important isn’t so much how well we pray or even how we pray but that we pray. As much as I’d like to get to the place where I can spend hours upon hours on my knees in prayer, spending any time with God whenever you get the chance is a win.

“What do I lose when I have a praying life? Control. Independence. What do I gain? Friendship with God. A quiet heart. The living work of God in the hearts of those I love. The ability to roll back the tide of evil. Essentially, I lose my kingdom and get his. I move from being an independent player to a dependent lover. I move from being an orphan to a child of God” (Paul E. Miller, A Praying Life).

The Liturgy of the Hours: A Beautiful Prayer

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I finished The Seven Sacred Pauses by Macrina Wiederkehr and ran across this beautiful prayer that I had to share with you:

“Dear Artist of the Universe, Beloved Sculptor, Singer, and Author of my life, born of your image I have made a home in the open fields of your heart. The magnetic tug of your invitation to grow is slowly transforming me into a gift for the world. Mentor me into healthy ways of living.
—Help me remember to pause.

Make of me a faithful vigil in the heart of darkness, I want to be a sentinel through all the dark hours. When the deep darkness falls, let me be your star. Name me One Who Watches Through the Night. Reveal to me the holiness of lingering with mystery. Employ me in the holy art of waiting.
—O teach me to live with a vigilant heart.

Make of me a dawn. Let me be a small voice of joy, rising with the sun. Color me with sunrise. Let me be your awakening first light of new day. Make me a joyful, unexpected surprise in the lives of many, an everlasting birthday. I want to be your goodness rising, your grace poured forth in every hour. Name me Dawn, sweet beginning of every day, gift for a sleepy world.
—O make of me a rising dawn.

Make of me a midmorning blessing. As you breathe me into this day, let me become your breath. Transform me into early morning sun, bright with potential and possibility. Let me be your love made visible. Sing through me in the mid-morning hours. Make me your musical instrument.
—Strum a melody of blessing with my life.

Make me your noonday sun, bright with passion, on fire with truth, enduringly courageous. Let me be light for the world. Create in me a nonviolent heart. O let me be your heart. Help me believe the truth about myself no matter how beautiful it is. Let me be the peace for which I pray. Teach me to energize others, to stir up their enthusiasm without overwhelming them.
—Make my power to love stronger than my love of power.

Make of me a midafternoon shadow that I may soften the intensity of the sun. Let me be shade. Robe me with wisdom. Enable me to be at home with impermanence. Teach me the dance of surrender. O make of me a great letting go. May the sacred emptiness of my life help others to know fullness. May I never fear a death that brings me life.
—Let me rejoice in the harvest of each dying day.

Make of me a twilight: wake of color, trail of glory. In the evening of life transform me into a song of gratitude. I want to be an evening star for those who have lost their way. I want to be beauty at the end of each day. On my pilgrimage through the day, write mystery stories with my life. Out of my faithful attendance to the hours pour forth the incense of your praise.
—Transform me into a song of gratitude.

Make me your holy darkness, your blessed night. Transform me into a great silence that drowns out distracting noises. Fashion me into one who sees with the eyes of the soul. I long to be a protective mantle of comforting darkness for all who need rest. Give me insight into the Holy Mystery that cradles me through the night.
—O make of me your night prayer.

Help me to remember to pause on my daily pilgrimage through the hours. Teach me to live with a vigilant heart. Make of me a rising dawn. Strum a melody of blessing with my life. Make my power to love stronger than my love of power. Let me rejoice in the harvest of each dying day. Transform me into a song of gratitude. Make of me your night prayer. Enfold me in the circle of your Time-Enduring-Now, even as it was in the beginning  and shall be forever. Amen.”

PS I highly recommend this book. You can pick it up at Amazon by following this link.

A Blessing Prayer

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I’m in the middle of reading Seven Sacred Pauses: Living Mindfully Through the Hours of the Day by Macrina Wiederkehr. I found this beautiful prayer that echoes my prayer for all you who are reading this right now:

“What is a blessing but a rain of grace falling generously into the lives of those in need; and who among us is without need?
May the Spirit touch your spirit in this midmorning pause.
May this day be a pathway strewn with blessings.
May your work this day be your love made visible.
May you breathe upon the wounds of those with whom you work.
May you open yourself to God’s breathing.
May you honor the flame of love that burns inside you.
May your voice this day be a voice of encouragement.
May your life be an answer to someone’s prayer.
May you own a grateful heart.
May you have enough joy to give you hope, enough pain to make you wise.
May there be no room in your heart for hatred.
May you be free from violent thoughts.
When you look into the window of your soul may you see the face of God.
May the lamp of your life shine upon all you meet this day” (Macrina Wiedekehr).

I can only add one more sentiment– may you be so filled with Jesus that you are able to serve out of the overflow of a joyful heart, so that those who cross your path will know they have been in the presence of the risen Christ.