PrayerPoints ~Wednesday, February 10

Ash Wednesday_m

Welcome to a New Season of PrayerPoints!

Today’s PrayerPoint ~ Psalm 51

For the 40 days leading up to Easter I will post what I am learning during my Lenten journey. You are welcome to join me and share your thoughts as well. If I only focus on things from my limited viewpoint, I miss out on the bigger picture. But when I intentionally focus on God’s Word, He alters my perspective on my circumstances and challenges. The insights I glean are PrayerPoints.

Each day I will post a Psalm and I will share the verse or verses that stood out for me that day as well as some related thoughts. I would love to know which verses stood out for you (and why) if you are inclined to share. To gain the most benefit from PrayerPoints, I encourage you to read through the Psalm of the day, either silently or aloud, with a pencil or highlighter in hand to make notes. We might be drawn to the very same verse within the Psalm or we might not be–it all depends on our circumstances and on what God is working on within each of us. That, my friends, is the beauty of God’s Word.

Psalm 51:10 Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me.

A pure heart. Can you even imagine having a pure heart?

My selfish desires and my limited perspective always seems to get in the way of any purity. But the more I am connected to God and His Word, the more I sense Him bringing my impurities to the surface. If you know me, I am sure you have encountered my impurities. They seem to make an appearance every day in some form or fashion. And, sometimes I want to hold onto those impurities and not let God have His way with my heart.

Why do I resist His work on my heart?

I think because there are some attitudes I feel rather justified in having.

Been pushed around one time too many?
Been taken advantage of?
Trusted someone who you now know was untrustworthy?

Pure hearts are hard to come by. I know I don’t have one. But as I walk more closely with Jesus, the easier it is to see my impurities. As I allow Him to cleanse my heart and my mind, it does renew my spirit and gives me strength for the days ahead.

Weekly Verse

The focus verse for this week is above. If you already know it, great! If it is one you would like to “hide in your heart” then write it, seek it, ponder it, share it, look it up and read the verses around it. All these thing will help you commit it to memory!

How did I get here?

Today’s PrayerPoint ~ How did I get here?

There have been many times I have asked myself this question, particularly as I was analyzing a challenging moment in my life like a:

bad grade
financial problem
relationship challenge
unhealthy behavior
sick feeling in my gut

Can you relate? Are you where you want to be? Do you have any thoughts on why you are where you are? Are there things you want or need to change?

Sometimes I ran to the unfortunate places I have gone. Sometimes it was a little “indiscretion” that was a tiny step by tiny step progression until I landed squarely where I ended up. On occasion it was someone who seemed healthy or trustworthy who influenced my path but I continued the journey as I worked my way through some distorted understanding of myself and the world. Unchecked emotions or behavior has led me to difficult places. And sometimes it took a long while to extricate myself from those spots.

Changing bad habits is difficult and demanding work. I know because I have worked on a few in my day. If you find yourself in a place you wish you were not you might want to incorporate a few of the following ideas:

Take an honest look at your situation.
Confess your issues to God and ask for His help
Find a healthy accountability partner with whom you can be completely honest
Visit with your pastor
Join a support group

This may sound crazy but there are times when others may not be supportive while you work on your bad behavior. Others close to you might not be happy with efforts and they may actually try to sabotage your progress but keep moving to a healthier place.

We are all in process. We all have things to work on. Some of it is big stuff and some of it is fine-tuning some little stuff. If you have ever worked on a big thing please have compassion on those who are in the middle of their big project. You likely are able to offer some hope to someone just beginning his/her journey of change. A little encouragement can go a long way for someone who is downtrodden by the weight of his/her sin and the consequences of bad choices.

God’s Classroom

Today’s PrayerPoint ~ God’s Classroom

Have you ever felt unnecessarily squeezed into a painful circumstance only to realize later that God used that time to deepen and shape your character in profound ways?

A friend recently reminded me about a very difficult time in her life she looks back on and knows she was in God’s Classroom. Sure, there were things she needed to work on–she won’t deny that. But she found herself in the midst of a Frank Peretti type novel in the small town God placed her in. Significant spiritual warfare. Generational ugliness. Betrayed families. And yet, some of the most depth to relationships she has ever felt occurred there. It seemed that the whole community was undergoing significant shifts regarding what was True and Right and Godly. It’s amazing how God can teach His Truths to all but the lessons are so individualized, while being inexplicably connected to one another.

Ever been a pupil in God’s Classroom? Sometimes it is just a word or verse that seems to be popping up everywhere. Sometimes it happens as a consequence when your incredible selfishness and arrogance makes a grand debut into the lives of others. Other times, through no fault of yours, you find yourself in the wrong place at the wrong time and in the middle of a spiritual mess.

Step back and take a look at who is ‘in class’ with you. Sometimes you have already learned what they are learning now. Maybe they have walked a path you will soon be walking. There is no coincidence that the people around you are in your life. Some you need to learn from. Others you need to model to.

What is God teaching you today? There is always something to learn!

Show me your ways, O Lord, teach me your paths; guide me in your truth and teach me, for you are God my Savior, and my hope is in you all day long. Psalm 25:4-5

Expectations

It is so easy to be moved from being satisfied to dissatisfaction when we allow our own or someone else’s expectations run the show.

Not all expectations are bad. I am referring to the expectation that you will be able to pull off the unrealistic perfect family gathering this weekend! We see those photos in ads where there aren’t any dirty dishes or dust bunnies and every outfit blends or coordinates with every outfit in the photo and all of that is accented by the perfect food, makeup, and….well, the list goes on. Media and advertising have painted unrealistic and unattainable “picture perfect” moments for us to try to reproduce in our own homes.

Can you imagine how long it takes to set up those photo shoots?

And when we aren’t able to pull it off we become dissatisfied with what we have.

Don’t do it. Don’t go there.

Folks, it isn’t happening at our house. We won’t be serving perfection but we are serving love, forgiveness, mercy, and grace. We have been busy with life so we might be a wee bit tired and the house isn’t perfectly clean. We didn’t buy new dresses. We probably won’t be color coordinated but we will be enjoying one another’s company. When it is time to share the big meal, my goal is for all the food to be ready at the same time but even that isn’t always easy.

Expectations. Sometimes they kill the joy of the moment!

God sent Jesus in an unexpected way to save ordinary people like you and me. Jesus died an unimaginable death to set things right with God on our behalf. This isn’t the picture perfect situation by the world’s standards but God’s love for us is perfect, so this evidence of God’s love is perfection.

God has given you His all. Ask Him to open your eyes and heart to be satisfied with all He is and all He is doing.

Thank You, Father, for Your perfect love!

Painful Friendships

Over the course of life there are so many friendships we experience–some are an amazing source of love and grace and laughter on this bumpy road of life and some leave incredibly deep wounds.

If you decide to take a few moments to contemplate old, expired, and difficult friendships be sure to take along a big bucket of grace to dump over the entire situation.

As you survey your lifetime of friendships, a few may stand out. The painful friendships are precious in their own way–maybe the relationship didn’t survive but hopefully there were some lessons learned by both parties. It is tricky business to have two people in relationship with one another because everyone has their own issues. Believe me, I have mine and I am willing to bet you have yours. Those frictional friendships often help us understand more about ourselves if we can step back and look at them with an introspective eye. (I know, introspective eye sounds a little weird). At any rate, sometimes a big chunk of time might need to go by before you can look back at a friendship and consider what was going on there. If you find yourself wondering to a time period with a painful friendship, I pray you are willing to see God and His perspective and be able to experience His peace.

Adoption

I think about all the joys and challenges that surround the word of adoption and it is so full of prayer possibilities. I am sure we all know at least one family impacted by adoption in some way. Lift them up in prayer because there are times when it takes a lifetime to process the impact of adoption. Whether they are going through a time of discouragement or a time of celebration, pray God reveals His loving care to them each step of the way and pray they can recognize His work in their lives.

Here are some ideas to get you started if you are drawing a blank:

the adopted
the birth mother
the birth father
the birth grandparents
the adopting family (parents, other children, grandparents)
the challenges (and joys) of international adoption
Adoptions involving disabilities

There are so many adjustments, expectations, joys, waits, and hurts that those in any of the above categories experience through the process of adoption. Take time to pray for and encourage those you know who have an experience relating to adoption in their lives.

Seasons…of Disobedience

Have you ever had a season of disobedience? Sometimes those “seasons” go on for years! Pure selfishness typically characterizes the attitudes and actions during this time. Oh, and the sowing of seeds of future challenges! It’s like you are taking musk thistle seeds and burying them all around you to ensure you have some life long challenges with deep and difficult roots. Oh the crazy things we do!

I am in the middle of Beth Moore’s Bible Study on David. Her studies are very in-depth and thought provoking and I encourage you to explore one if you ever get the chance.

Remember David from Scripture? The shepherd boy, king, adulterer, and author of many Psalms? If you get a chance to survey his life in a study, you should definitely do it. He had an incredibly close relationship with God and then wandered far away. And then he recognized his sin. Fascinating and familiar, all at the same time! Here are a few powerful quotes from the Beth Moore study David: Seeking A Heart Like His (workbook pages 150-159) I have been pondering:

* Most of us have had seasons of unrepentance when we outwardly attempted to go on with life as if we had not sinned against God.
* In the gap between wanting and getting we must flex the muscle of self control to protect ourselves.
* A heart out of God’s hands never fails to fall into danger.
* “All rebellion begins in isolation.”
* Little should frighten us more than realizing the Holy Spirit’s conviction has grown so faint we hardly sense it.
* Intense selfishness accompanies a faraway heart.
* Sometimes the further we wander outside God’s will, the more we judge others and the less we show mercy.

If you sense you are in a season of disobedience, repent and talk to God. If you remember a season of disobedience in your own life, consider what you learned immediately following that time. What steps have you taken to insure that season doesn’t darken your doorstep again?

Do Not Enter!

If I ever see this street sign when I am driving my vehicle, I do not intentionally drive down the road that way. But I confess that during my life I have been stubborn, determined, and foolish enough to make choices that took me down a path that was clearly marked Do Not Enter!

I suspect you remember doing something like that too. I hope you can remember both the times when you clearly chose the better path and the times when you blew it because both are important to keep in mind. When I see someone heading down a path that isn’t good, I definitely pray for them. If I am in a position to chat with them, I consider doing that too. But what I really want to do is jump up and down and say “Don’t do it!” Sometimes my concern comes from personal experience — I traveled down a similar path and endured some difficult consequences. Other times my age and life experience can help me see when something might not turn out well.

Where did I get that experience? From making poor decisions and learning where those decisions can lead. There are times lessons can be learned vicariously but there is a certain segment of the population that feels the need to throw caution to the wind and forge their own difficult path. Pray for them as you see them traveling. God can redeem difficult situations and circumstances. He has done it for me and He can do it for you.

God’s Promptings

I wish I could tell you I always responded to the nudges I get from God, but I don’t. Sometimes I am too dense, too tired, too vulnerable, too distracted, too impatient, too independent, too wrapped up in my life and my crazy situations to pay attention to what God is showing me or asking me to do.

I can get as crabby as I want with my kids or my husband for not responding to me ~ aren’t I queen of their world? But I act so similarly when it is God requesting me to incline my ear to Him or use my hands to serve one of His beloved in my midst.

Have you had a situation when you responded to a prompt from God, not having any clue what the impact would be only to hear from someone that it was exactly what they needed at that exact moment to encourage them? Isn’t that just like God? He weaves together two lives, even if only for a moment, to bring encouragement, cheer, confirmation, and the reminder of “I see you, my sweet child, I know you are struggling. Please trust Me as I work out all the details. In time, My love. In My time, My love.”

As you still yourself before the Lord with your plans for the day, invite Him to interrupt your schedule and when He asks something of you, be sure to respond! I know He knows we are only human, but if we are regularly too dense, too tired, too vulnerable, too distracted, too impatient, too independent, too wrapped up in our “own” lives and crazy situations to pay attention to what God is showing us or asking us to do then we are clearly missing the point!

If you have a story to share about God prompting you, you responding, and how someone else was encouraged in the faith, please share it! It is such a testimony to God knowing even the tiniest details of our concerns and responding to them!

Fishing: Access Points & Equipment

(part 3 of 5)

Access Points: Some people fish along the shore–but not every shore is accessible so there are docks and boats if you want to change up your approach. Of course, it also matters what kind of fish you want to catch. Deep sea fishing is much different than kayaking on a little reclaimed strip mine lake in southern Indiana which is different than fly-fishing in Poudre Canyon, Colorado. You need to decide if you will be next to the water, on the water, or in the water because that determines the rest of what you need to bring along. But one thing remains true–you need to go where the fish are….they don’t come to you ~ unless you are in an area with Asian carp and then they will try to jump in your boat!!!

God calls us to carry His message to many places. Where is He equipping and directing you for service?

Equipment: What are the “tools of the trade” for a fisherman? There are fishing poles and small nets, large nets, and fishing traps. I am sure there is much more I haven’t mentioned. But you can own all the bells and whistles for fishing equipment and still not catch any fish. I think it is important to settle on a few basic tools and learn how to improvise from there. What works for one person isn’t always the best thing for another. And what works for deep sea fishing isn’t really useful from the shore.

What tools has God given you — uniquely craft during your lifetime of circumstances and experiences? Have you considered your faith in God’s work in your life is the most important piece of equipment you carry into the ministry He is doing through you?

While I do not like to give satan too much credit, it is important to keep some awareness of his desire and goal to tear down and block God’s Kingdom work and distract God’s people. Take note–satan also uses various access points and equipment. Some of it the very same as you or I might be working with which might be confusing for those who are not yet able to discern between God’s activity and satan’s.

Spend some time in prayer thanking God for your history. We each have difficult things in our past but I believe He is knitting together our past with our present for work He has for our future. Who knows? You may be called to fish from the shore but you may also be called to do some deep sea fishing! Follow His lead!