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Posts Tagged ‘prayer’

Hosanna! But Not That Way

Posted in Feast Days and Holy Days, Ordinary Time, tagged , , , , on July 25, 2009| Leave a Comment »

John 12:12b-13a
…when they heard that Jesus was coming to Jerusalem, took branches of palm trees and went out to meet Him, and cried out: “ Hosanna! … ”

Hosanna means “save us.” But unfortunately, the crowds who cried, “save us!” at the triumphal entry of Jesus in Jerusalem (now marked as Palm Sunday) did not particularly like his methods. In fact, by the time Passover had arrived, they realized he was not going to overthrow the Roman occupation in the way they expected. In fact, he was unwilling to declare his sovereignty over Israel at all.

I think Judas Iscariot suffered from the same disappointment. He had his own “mental model” of how things should go and finally, decided to take things into his own hands. Perhaps he believed that Jesus, once forced by the Sanhedrin to declare himself, would establish his kingdom. (This is just a personal interpretation of the Judas story.) In any case, Judas’s way changed the course of history.

But don’t both of these cases, the crowds of Jerusalem and Judas, mirror our own efforts to control the outcomes our circumstances? In prayer, we cry out for help, but when help comes, we don’t like it or worse, don’t recognize it (like the story of a man stranded on a roof in a flood and prayed for rescue but did not recognize God in the rowboat of a neighbor or the motorboat and helicopter of strangers–he drowned, by the way).

I think God is in the prayer answering business. All prayer is answered: we must learn to accept the answers. When we say God hasn’t answered our prayers, what we often mean is that God hasn’t answered us immediately and miraculously.

We sometimes err in thinking that the phrase “Your will be done … ” means that God can choose either to answer our prayers or not. But I really think it is just a reminder that we acknowledge and accept His answers because they will always be within His will. These are the only answers we should be interested in receiving.

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Just Say the Word

Posted in Ordinary Time, tagged , , , , , , , , , on July 23, 2009| Leave a Comment »

Luke 7:7
“Therefore I did not even think myself worthy to come to You. But say the word, and my servant will be healed.”

The centurion who came to Jesus asking for the healing of his servant had total faith and confidence that Jesus was able to do it. What he didn’t know was whether Jesus would choose to do it.

So often, as I pray for the healing for one person or another, I feel like a little girl in a classroom with her hand up, waving and snapping my fingers, “choose me, choose me–heal my friend, heal my daughter.” It’s like I’m trying to convince Him that my request is worthy.

I suppose there is some support in scripture for persistent “whining,” look at the story of the widow and judge [Luke 18:4-5]. But, of course, this judge was not a godly judge. And then there’s the clever Greek mother [Luke 7:24-30] who pleaded for the “crumbs under the table” so that Jesus might choose to heal her daughter.

But even in his own time, Jesus did not heal everyone. Those He did heal were by His choice and His timing and for the glory of the God and the advancement of the kingdom (that is, the building of koinonia… groups of believers who would live as Christ taught).

In modern times, we have doctors and therapists and practitioners who do what they can to encourage the body to heal itself. They provide altering drugs and change the environment in which the disease or pain lives. But, in the end, the healing is still an act of God. We must grow in our confidence and faith that Jesus can and will “say the word” of healing for our loved ones and ourselves. We must carry our faith and hope to the very end. We must wait for His word despite all circumstances.

And when he does not “say the word” and that healing does not come and there is death instead, we can know that we stood firm in our faith and trust and then our acceptance of His silence will come easier. This I believe.

Oh, Lord, just “say the word” today for Lily B, Sarah W, Janis U, Anne W, Linda D, Chelsea A, and Gerda S.

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“Our” Father

Posted in Ordinary Time, tagged , , , on July 22, 2009| Leave a Comment »

Luke 11:2a
And He said to them, “When you pray, say: Our Father Who is in heaven…” [amplified]

In recent years, I have been a little resistant to praying “our” father during the Lord’s prayer. It just seemed less personal so I started changing all the pronouns to the first person (My Father … etc.). I enjoyed that intimacy and wrapped myself in the cocoon of His promises.

Today, I had a small epiphany. I decided to pray the Lord’s prayer on behalf of my family and of course, by doing that, I returned to the traditional pronouns. But then, I thought, I could also pray on behalf of my neighbors who may not know this prayer… or I could pray on behalf of my neighborhood, or my town, or my state… and off I went and the realization hit: the “Our Father” is an intercessory prayer for the human race and for the ages. There is no “religion” or belief that cannot embrace the prayer that Jesus taught his disciples. Our “father” is God and that is a loving relationship that God wants for us and by entering into this relationship and acknowledging God, we can ask for (and receive) provision, forgiveness, and protection.

Our Father in heaven,
Hallowed be Your name.
Your kingdom come.
Your will be done
On earth as it is in heaven.
Give us day by day our daily bread.
And forgive us our sins,
For we also forgive everyone who is indebted to us.
And do not lead us into temptation,
But deliver us from the evil one.”

[Luke 11:2-4] Amen. So be it.

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Genuine Praise

Posted in Ordinary Time, tagged , , , , , , on June 6, 2009| Leave a Comment »

John 5:41-42
I do not accept praise from men, but I know you. I know that you do not have the love of God in your hearts.

Praise can be given but has no value if it is not accepted. Genuine praise must come from the depths of the heart. It is grounded in truth and love for the other. Anything else is self-serving.

It comes back to motive. Why do we praise others unless we really want them to be lifted up? Genuine praise comes from genuine humility.

And so, it is really quite simple: we are challenged to get the heart right before we give out from there. Praise that comes from the heart is full of power. It is truly about the “other” and not about self. Once we can tap into this authentic love, praise will come naturally.

Lord, fill my heart so that praise becomes a natural expression… for you and for others. This is my prayer.

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Spending Time Together

Posted in Time Up to Pentecost, tagged , , , , , on May 20, 2009| Leave a Comment »

John 3:22
… Jesus and his disciples went out into the Judean countryside, where he spent some time with them, and baptized.

It’s really very simple. To get to know someone, you have to spend time together. If we want to be known, then we have to spend the time. But, our contemporary life is making the spending of time with others more and more difficult. We are busy… too busy to “spend” time. We will spend money before we will spend time. We will rush from place to place, event to event, workday to workday, phone call to phone call… but is it really spending time together?

To me, spending time means giving no thought to my own agenda, but giving that time as a gift to another. If I am more interested in the other person and listening to that person, I am spending my time on him or her. There is a difference.

I confess, I enjoy telling a good story. I can “entertain” anyone or any small group with a series of anecdotes about the Browns… one teen story after another, one work story after another, one random act after another (for instance, I fell out of my shoes at the last Chamber of Commerce luncheon: I landed on the floor and my shoes remained standing like two brave soldiers… a funny story at my expense). But, have I spent time with the person? Have I listened to them? Not really.

The time has come to make a conscious effort to “give” my time, my presence, my heart to others. It’s time to spend the time. And of course, the same is true for the time I spend in prayer and meditation. As I give time to God, I am rewarded with more time to give. “… to him who has, more will be given…” (Luke 19:26)

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Persistence Brings Justice

Posted in Time Up to Pentecost, tagged , , , , , , , on May 2, 2009| Leave a Comment »

Luke 18:7-8
… “And will not God bring about justice for his chosen ones, who cry out to him day and night? Will he keep putting them off? I tell you, he will see that they get justice, and quickly. However, when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on the earth?”

In this parable, Jesus clearly states that persistence is rewarded with justice, whether the dispenser of it is just or unjust. God promises to reward those who cry out to him. I am counting on this justice (as well as his mercy) as I pray and fast for my daughter.

But the last line tells me that there is a key element to this 24/7 crying out to God: Faith. My faith must be rooted in His ultimate sovereignty over our situation and circumstances. I pray now because the outcome is unknown. But will I have the same courage and faith if the doctors give a bad report or if she is destined to suffer?

Some years ago, my friend, who is a “white-knuckle flyer,” was very agitated as we flew across the country together. I told her she could rest easy that God would not allow that plane to fall and for us to die. She asked how I could be so sure and I told her that we had just adopted two boys (back in 1997) and I was sure he wouldn’t save them just to take away their mother again.

Today, I seek this same confidence in God’s will for our adopted daughter. There is something in the adoption process that carries a unique sense of destiny. The stories of orphans around the world are heart wrenching. And when one is picked up, like a starfish in the sand, hope is rekindled for his or her future.

This is my prayer.

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Exhausted From Sorrow

Posted in Time Up to Pentecost, tagged , , , , on April 14, 2009| Leave a Comment »

Luke 22:45
When he rose from prayer and went back to the disciples, he found them asleep, exhausted from sorrow.

Sometimes we just don’t realize how exhausting it is to live in sorrow. What is the source of that sorrow? Is it grief because of a loss? Is it depression and being overwhelmed by the responsibilities of life? Is it heartache from a loveless relationship? Is it from the accumulation of pain from illness? Is it the trials we face through wrong choices (our own or a loved one)? Is it just the sadness from disappointment?

What caused the sorrow of the disciples that fateful night as they prayed on the Mt. of Olives? It was Jesus we read about who prayed in anguish and sweated drops of blood. He had asked the disciples to pray that they not be tempted. But they fell asleep, exhausted from sorrow. Perhaps they shared some of his pain that night after all. But, it was too much for them to bear.

Sorrow comes to all of us. It is important to be mindful of our sorrow, not to dwell in it, but to consciously reveal the depth of it to Christ, who is able to bear it for us. So often, people in depression and grief sleep. It is an escape from the pain. But it is in wakefulness to the Holy Spirit that we can receive relief.

I confess my sorrow. In particular, I confess the sorrow I have stored away in the deepest part of my heart that has found residence there for many years. It is time to reveal it and let it go.

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