Offense or defense?

What is your prayer posture?

For me, it all depends.

Sometimes there is an immediate need or situation I am praying for: healing from illness or injury, peace in the midst of a difficult circumstance, or protection when I know someone is in peril.

Other times, I am just praying much more generally for someone — in advance of any need I know about, but will surely come their way. In terms of my kids or grandkids it might be things that occur in their lives after I am no longer on this Earth.

It is easy to see that praying for others can take quite a bit of time. As we get older and spend less time doing and more time being, we may more easily find the time to pray.

But, we can also start today!

Do you have someone you can pray for through all of their upcoming life stages? I have my grandkids in mind. We have two 5 year olds and a 3 year old. They have a lot of life coming up and I am praying for them and all their upcoming life experiences.

Whose life are you covering in prayer?

Switching Seats

Have you ever been in a moment of deep frustration over how communication is going with someone?

I sure have! And, thankfully, I have a couple of people I can go to to share my relational dilemmas. I hope you have a few people like that in your life!

Recently, one of my people (Person A) was sharing one of their dilemmas. I have no connection to the person whose actions she was trying to understand (Person B). I think that helps. I am not neutral by any means, but I didn’t have a negative or positive idea about Person B.

As she described the scenario I was trying to think of a word picture to better understand the situation. I came up with one and shared it. As a verbal processor I couldn’t help myself. And, while my idea didn’t hit the mark, sharing it helped. Then I thought a little more about the situation — and really tried to “sit in the seat” of this other person and understand their actions.

Depending on our mood or how deeply we are intwined with a situation we might be able to “switch seats” and look at some potential perspectives of the “offending” party. But, sometimes we might benefit from some help from someone who is a little more neutral and can take a step back and try to look at the dynamics and come up with some possible scenarios. Sometimes “switching seats” will diffuse the situation enough that a calm conversation can happen.

As always, ask God to shed His light, perspective, and discernment on a difficult situation. If it is a very complex one you can also check in with a 3rd party who can be relatively neutral. And sometimes you will need a completely neutral 3rd party. You won’t go wrong if you seek to understand.

Dear Lord…

Today I am praying for all of the people I am related to by blood or law. It’s such a long list. I am not sure how often some of these folks pray — for themselves or others — because everyone is in a different place in their relationship with God and it is my privilege to pray for them! I love them each and so I pray for :

their relationship with God, May they grow in their knowledge of His love for them and their need for a Savior.

perseverance through trials

physical health

mental and emotional health

good relationships with the people they love and care about

their jobs and studies

I typically start with my husband, our children, and the grandchildren. Then I move on to my siblings and their spouses and their children. Then my husband’s siblings and spouses and children and grandchildren. Then the living aunts and uncles on both sides and then all the cousins and their families. Then I move onto the next round of second and third cousins on my side and then to those on Don’s side. I don’t necessarily list everyone’s names the further down the line I go because I actually don’t know or remember all the kids of all the cousins but I typically will say the head of the family and ask God to bless those who fall under that family line. Honestly, it all depends on the time I have that day. And it may not always be a formal prayer time. If they cross my mind during a day, I might just ask God to bless their day and their situation. Formal prayer time is great, but I would rather think of my day as one long conversation with God.

Heavenly Father…

Please be with those we know who are struggling with physical and mental illness. Please be with the doctors as they diagnose and treat. Please be with the patient as their bodies and minds respond to the medication and therapy and head towards healing. Please be with friends and family members who love and support and encourage the patient.

We ask for Your love and compassion to be poured out on those who are learning that their condition is incurable. May they find comfort in You and, if they don’t know You, may they be drawn to You. May we find ways to be of service to those who are walking this road in our circle.

Only You know the number of our days. May we have courage to share our faith in You when we are in a position to, entrusting those we love into Your care and continue to intercede for them even if their hearts are not ready to receive You. May we never grow weary of interceding for others. Give us eyes to see the needs of those around us.

Amen.

The gift of family

I have been gifted with some wonderful family members. While we certainly don’t all agree on everything, there are common bonds of family history and relatives. There are various degrees of genetic connection to these “relations” and, of course, there are some who have no genetic relationship but we are connected “in law”. There are some “in laws” who really know how to be family. What a blessing.

I am thankful to be surrounded by such diverse and wonderful people.

And then there are other folks who are not related to you by blood or law and yet they feel like all the good things about family. They are in your life because they choose to be. And, sometimes, they know us better than family. There is not an obligation to connect, it just is such a natural thing. A relationship so natural and frequent that sometimes the kids think they are cousins because of the amount of time together, and it just seemed easier to have them referred to using something more familiar like “Aunt Mary” and “Uncle Don” instead of the more formal “Mr. ________ or Mrs. ________”.

I am thankful for the people I love in my life, whether or not we are technically related. God seems to bring just who I need in my life at just the right time.

I can’t do it all

And, furthermore, I wasn’t designed to. What a relief!

Our culture and sinful nature pushes us to be independent. And that often even means independent from God. It isn’t sustainable. And the isolation becomes unbearable.

Being in community means being connected to others. There is beauty and vulnerability in sharing burdens and blessings, disappointments and joys.

A community doesn’t need to be a huge group of people. It can be just a couple people you can share your heart with. They might be family members, but not always. They might live close by or they might live far away.

But even better than the human community is communion and connection with God! He is always available. He always hears us. He has shared His wisdom through His Word and can transform our hearts and minds and experiences.

I have no desire to do it all. I am only here to do my part. I seek God’s wisdom and grace and gentle leading in the paths I should go.

I love my own way

I love to make a plan and follow it when it suits me.

I know God gives us a heart and a mind and gives us inclinations and all that. But that doesn’t mean all my intentions are good, proper, godly, or pure.

There may not even be a problem with the way I want to go — so much in life is pretty open ended. I can choose this or that and it doesn’t matter. But when I have invested my time and energy on a certain path and it is clear it is not the way to go, well, sometimes I don’t want to give it up. I want my own way.

Instead of behaving like a two year old in the midst of a tantrum, I try to hand over to God that thing I am holding onto so tightly. Insisting on my own way may not be in my best interest.

I can trust God with my dreams, hopes, and fears. After all, He is the Creator. He knows my needs and provides for me!

Relationships

¹Hear us, Shepherd of Israel,
    you who lead Joseph like a flock.
You who sit enthroned between the cherubim,
    shine forth ²before Ephraim, Benjamin and Manasseh.
Awaken your might;
    come and save us.

³Restore us, O God;
make your face shine on us,
that we may be saved.

⁴How long, Lord God Almighty,
    will your anger smolder
    against the prayers of your people?
⁵You have fed them with the bread of tears;
    you have made them drink tears by the bowlful.
⁶You have made us an object of derision^[b] to our neighbors,
    and our enemies mock us.

⁷Restore us, God Almighty;
make your face shine on us,
that we may be saved. [Psalm 80:1-7, NIV]

Relationships are about give and take. Some relationships are imbalanced all the time. Some relationships are imbalanced most of the time. And some relationships have an imbalance that switches back and forth between the people within the relationship. All of these things are a part of regular human relationships.

Our relationship with God is so different! From start to finish, He takes care of it all! He is sure to hear and restore and save us. But, God also feels. He gives and gives some more, even though He has given it all already. We have the relationship before us.

We have the gift of faith.

He loves and we can respond. Ultimately, He has provided the opportunity for choice to His creation. We can reject. We can turn away. But He holds tight.

He hears.
He restores.
He saves.

I trust God and His Word.

Blessings on your week!”
Liz

Being Known

You have searched me, Lord,
    and you know me.
You know when I sit and when I rise;
    you perceive my thoughts from afar.
You discern my going out and my lying down;
    you are familiar with all my ways.
Before a word is on my tongue
    you, Lord, know it completely.
You hem me in behind and before,
    and you lay your hand upon me.
Such knowledge is too wonderful for me,
    too lofty for me to attain. Psalm 139:1-6

I love being known on such a personal level. No matter what else is happening in my many relationships, this one is the most comprehensive. Who has traveled with me through it all? Who has been there, whether I have noticed, known, or cared — through every moment of my being?

It is incomprehensible to me. And yet sometimes I still contemplate it, even though He says it is too lofty for me to attain.

On most days I rest in God’s promise that He loves me, just as I am.

Layers

The initial “hellos” give way to more profound discussions. For some relationships, deep conversations can come quickly, particularly when time is short.

It could be there is just a short amount of time face-to-face due to busy lives but it could also be there is a terminal illness in the picture. Whatever the reason, peeling back the layers that may have been built up against the regular world and having conversations of substance are important.

Sometimes, when I meet someone, we dive deep right away. But, most often, it is over time that a relationship gains trust and leads to richer conversations. I enjoy discussing the deeper things; the challenges, the discoveries, but I am also good with the mundane and silly. Sometimes hanging in the deep for too long can get heavy and there is a need to take a break from it. But allowing time for relationships and discussions to deepen is important.

I know I am guilty of squeezing conversations into a short period of time. The lingering cups of coffee and opportunity to really get into some meaty discussions are set aside in favor of whatever I am in the midst of dealing with.

Have you made the time to peel back the layers of life to delve into deeper discussions?

¹⁶May our Lord Jesus Christ himself and God our Father, who loved us and by his grace gave us eternal encouragement and good hope, ¹⁷encourage your hearts and strengthen you in every good deed and word. [2 Thessalonians 2:16-17, NIV]

Blessings to you as you make time and space for the important conversations!

Liz

PrayerPrompt: FOOTHOLDS