reader comment: the power of prayer

Posted by e. barrett | Posted on 15-09-2009

Category : God, prayer, reader comments, taking action

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I got this email from Chris who writes Got-Fruit.net.

Your post [about the power of prayer] has many wonderful thoughts about how we’re to relate to God and others.  I read that the point is; that we should be just as if not more concerned for the spiritual welfare of others as we are about our own necks.

I too have been trying to get into a better habit of writing down prayer requests more often, as well as how they’re answered.  As you mentioned, it’s not to track when God is blessing me, rather to have a broader view of how and when God is working His will; how I’ve been privy to seeing Him work I suppose you might say.

My experience(s) have been that sometimes the Lord’s work in others is done not just for their sake but for mine as well; I’ll get a glimpse of how He’s blessing or working in another person’s life and I then begin to relate & understand better; my relationship with Christ – where I’m faltering or where I might need to add or delete an activity for example, to adjust to the Lord’s will.

Prayer is something that is remarkable.  It’s a unique chance to communicate with God.  We don’t need fancy clothes, special rituals, or a go-between.  We simply need to take the time and say “hey God” and start a conversation.  What’s not to like about that?!

the power of prayer

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Posted by e. barrett | Posted on 02-09-2009

Category : God, living a life of faith, prayer, sharing faith, taking action

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I’m a big believer in prayer.

I know this isn’t always a popular position to take in our culture.  Most people, including many people who attend church, think of prayer as a formal obligation at best and a bit strange at worst.  But I’m a true believer as Stan Lee might say.

I fully believe that God is active in answering our prayers.  But that hasn’t always been true.  There was a time I didn’t believe in God, let alone prayer.  Because of that background I got into the habit of “tracking” my prayers.  I don’t mean I plug them into a spreadsheet or anything.  I just make a note of the prayer.  Sometimes by writing them down, other times just making a mental note of what I’ve prayed for.  I did this initially because I wanted to see if God was real.  I wanted to know if he answered prayers.

But now I do it because I find it useful to periodically check my prayers to see if they’ve happened.

They don’t always.  Sometimes, though, I am surprised.  There has been more than one prayer that I’ve forgotten, only to be reminded by a random slip of paper.  Those are the prayers where I think God is gloating a bit.

The benefit of all of this is that I occasionally notice trends.  For instance, it seems that when I pray for myself, many of my prayers are being answered in powerful, obvious ways.  You’re thinking, “isn’t that supposed to happen?”  Yes it is.  But that’s not the only thing I’ve noticed.  I’ve also seen a disturbing counter-trend: my prayers for other people don’t seem to be as effective.

Now there’s a lot of stuff that goes into prayer.  Your relationship with God, your behaviors, your desire to let God work in your life, and what God has planned for you.  Not to mention all the spiritual warfare stuff.  (Which I guess I just mentioned…)  So maybe my prayers are effective for other people and I just don’t realize it.  Or maybe God is trying to work in their lives and they aren’t cooperating.  Or maybe there’s some other reason that I don’t know.

But it makes me wonder: could my prayers for other people be less effective because I’m not praying with the same intensity and urgency I pray for myself?

It’s easy to pray for my own life.  I know the specifics.  I care about each and every thing in my life.  Do I carry that same passion when I pray for other people?

The truth is, I don’t.

And that bothers me.

It bothers me to think that maybe my intensity and desire isn’t enough.  It bothers me to think that I am not praying with urgency for people.

Don’t get me wrong.  I’m not saying that I am the reason for problems in other people’s lives.  I don’t have enough of an ego to believe that I have that kind of control.  But what it does suggest is that I am not loving others enough.  That I am breaking the greatest commandment: love your neighbors as yourself.

And that bothers me.

Of course just thinking about something isn’t a way to live out a life of faith.

Living out a life of faith means that you need to take action.  You need to move.  You need to get dirty (metaphorically in this case).  So I’ve taken steps to fix this problem.  Since I noticed this behavior I have come up with two ways to enhance my prayer life.

  1. I pray right away.  When someone says, “will you pray for me?”  I don’t wait until some later point to pray.  I do it in the moment.  If I wait, I might forget.  Or I might try to cram it into a busy and hectic day.
  2. “Formal” prayer involves prayers for others.  When I spend specific and deliberate time with God, I make sure to pray for other people.  Maybe not everyone who asked, but enough.  This ensures that people get prayed for repeatedly, and ensures that I am not totally self-centered in my prayers.

Prayer isn’t a magic formula.  It’s not about how many times you say it.  It’s not about saying it some specific way.  It’s about a posture and an approach towards God.  And I want my posture and approach to God to be one of humility, awareness, and love.

swimming laps

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Posted by e. barrett | Posted on 24-08-2009

Category : God, bible, different, faith, sharing faith, taking action

Tags: , , , , ,

……….

At the end of last week I wrote that I felt like I was in over my head.

Well no longer.

In fact, I actually feel like swimming some laps.  Metaphorically of course.  I actually hate to swim.  My swim style is more akin to a brick than a fish.  But back to the point at hand – since Friday I have spent two days reading the Bible.  And frankly I feel ready to tackle the world.  I knew that I had let my “spiritual disciplines” lapse because of my schedule.  I also knew that in the past, the more I read my Bible and prayed, the closer I felt to God, the more energy I had to handle new challenges.  But sometimes I don’t take my own advice.

So once again I had let those disciplines slip.  As I sat in my apartment, feeling a thousand-fold better, I started talking to God.  As I prayed I simply asked God, “could it really be that simple.”

And I believe he said, “yes.”

Sometimes our temptation is to make things complex.  We don’t want simple solutions, because simple means we lose our built in excuse of “it’s too hard.”  But when all it takes is a slight change to your schedule, it’s hard to find excuses.  Hard, not impossible of course.

There are some things about God that are complex.  Some things defy a simple answer.  I’m not trying to deny that.  But not everything is like that.  When we try to push mystery into things where there is none, all we end up doing is losing sight of the obvious.  We start turning God into something that he is not.

I don’t understand everything about God.  But I do understand this – if you love someone you make it easier for them to talk to you, not harder.  You go out of your way to call them, talk to them, e-mail them.  That is what God does.  He has given us an easy, simple, straight forward way to stay connected to him.

So why is it so hard?  Well I think if we’re honest with ourselves we need to ask another question first: Is he the problem?  Or are we?

I don’t always have the motivation, energy, or discipline to stay focused on reading the Bible.  But there is no question, if you want to stay connected to God, reading your Bible is key.

It really is that simple.

in over my head

1

Posted by e. barrett | Posted on 21-08-2009

Category : God, choice, failure, faith, living a life of faith, taking action

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……..

I am a bit frustrated this morning as I write this.  I think I am in a bit over my head.  Oh I’m not in trouble.  Well, at least the legal kind.  I have just allowed myself to get so busy (with virtually all good to awesome things) that I have let my daily reading, writing, and study go by the way side.  I don’t think that it’s a coincidence it’s harder to muster up the enthusiasm for prayer and reading the Bible this week.

When you live in a self-driven whirlwind of activity, you start to believe that things will only get done if you do them.

As I’ve said before, a relationship with God takes work.  And when we slack off, is it any wonder the relationship takes a  hit?  If you ignored your wife or girlfriend (or husband / boyfriend) how do you think things would feel?  It’s not much different with God.

I find though, that more than my prayer life suffers.  The rest of me suffers as well.

The enthusiasm and excitement just aren’t there to tackle hard projects (of which I have agreed to do several!)  It’s also more challenging to trust that God will deliver on his end.  When you live in a self-driven whirlwind of activity, you start to believe that things will only get done if you do them.

How far from the truth that is!

On the positive side I have been lucky enough to be involved in some very cool life-changing, city-changing activities.  When I finish up these projects (for a church and a non-profit), God’s Kingdom will have solidly advanced.  And what’s not to like about that?!

In the meantime, I must consciously choose to slow my life down, because I am running at a pace that does not honor God.  Living out a life of faith doesn’t mean you always do the right thing, or choose the best path.  It’s about getting back up (repentance) and trying again.   It reminds me of something Erwin McManus has said in the past (and I paraphrase), “the toughest decisions aren’t between good and bad choices, but between equally good choices.”

Amen to that!

doing God’s will

Posted by e. barrett | Posted on 07-08-2009

Category : different, faith, living a life of faith, taking action

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……….

What do you think of when you hear someone say “I want to do God’s will”?

If you’re like me you think it means something big.  Like moving to Tibet or Africa.  Or maybe eating all your vegetables.  While there’s no doubt God has big plans for our lives, for once “thinking big” is the wrong direction.  I believe that if we want to do God’s will, we should “go small.”

Isn’t God’s will simple things like loving our enemies?  Praying regularly?  Letting someone into merging traffic?  Leaving a generous tip?

How about simply refusing to sell your property like Naboth did.

The more I think about it, the more I am convinced that “doing God’s will” is measured in the day-to-day responses to God.  In fact, I think this might be the hardest thing about anyone’s journey with God.  If you’re going on a big mission that’s typically a decision you make once.  Do I go to Africa?  Do I quit my job?  Do I move to another town?

No doubt those are big questions, but they are just one question.

The real challenge comes when you have to answer repeatedly the questions of “how will I love my enemy?”  How will I show grace to someone?  How do I avoid temptations that lead to sin?  How will I build the Kingdom in my office when I sit in a cubicle from 9 to 5?

It’s those questions that take daily answering.  And it’s that process that’s the hardest part about doing God’s will.  So don’t feel less obedient just because you aren’t doing something “big”.  Sometimes size doesn’t matter.

time management, unemployment, and God

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Posted by e. barrett | Posted on 22-06-2009

Category : God, R3, faith, living a life of faith, taking action

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……….

The irony of unemployment is that I haven’t been this busy since I was in college.

A few months ago I wrote an article about 5 things to do while unemployed.  One of the things to do while unemployed was volunteering.  Now I’m not one to simply write about what you should do and not live out that principle.  In fact, the whole point of R3 is to learn what it means to live out a life of faith.  That’s why I find R3 to both be incredibly fulfilling and challenging all at the same time.  While I’m not perfect I find writing publicly what I believe really forces me to follow through with my actions.

And volunteering is one area I’ve thrown myself into full force.

The challenge I’m facing right now is time management.  The stuff I do involving R3 takes up quite a bit of time.  There are the three weekly updates.  I am also working on the finishing touches to R3’s first community guide.  Plus there are a ton of  side things I do with R3 like research, reading blogs, and twittering.  (Yes, yes, I know, I’m not very good at twittering.)

On top of that I am looking for a job, creating content for another website called Meaning to Work, balancing two small groups, four serving ministries, and all the different friends I have made through all of those activities!

To put it simply there is a lot going on.  And much of it is volunteer related.

But I am not alone.  Most Americans live lives with this much activity.  Little Johnny has soccer practice, Little Suzy has piano lessons.  Mom has a meeting and Dad has softball.  Sound familiar?  As a people we tend to be overwhelmed by obligations, activities, and responsibilities.  This time pressure has made us sensitive to “wasted time.”

What does this busyness do for our relationship with God?

A lot of times you’ll hear that it’s bad to be busy.  And it can be.  If you’re so focused in moving from one meeting to the next you’ll never live with enough urgency to have time to act when needed.  But I think sometimes busyness gets a bad rap.  There are good things that come with busyness.  Busy people really are more likely to accomplish things.  It’s easier to keep your momentum going forward, than it is to find momentum if you’re not doing anything.  When you are on a schedule you’re more likely to use your time productively – however you define that.

It’s not as if slowing down somehow makes us less lazy.  I can’t be the only one who when they don’t have much going on gravitates toward the TV than an interesting book.

But when I’m busy I know I have to choose between a book and TV.  There is no “I’ll get to it later” because I don’t have the time for that.  So I stay focused.

Time management is like so many things – it can be good or bad, healthy or unhealthy.  What matters is where we put our time in relationship to God.  Are we pursuing things that honor him?  Are we pursuing things that build into our relationship with him?  If we are, then even if we are busy that is a good thing.  But the minute we become too busy for God, then there’s a problem.

So as so many people struggle with unemployement, don’t let this be an excuse to do nothing.  Go out and volunteer.  Get engaged in your communities.  But don’t let this become an excuse to become so busy you forget about God.

who is God?

Posted by e. barrett | Posted on 27-05-2009

Category : 1 Kings, God, choice, faith, fear, taking action

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Then a great and powerful wind tore the mountains apart and shattered the rocks before the LORD, but the LORD was not in the wind. After the wind there was an earthquake, but the LORD was not in the earthquake.  After the earthquake came a fire, but the LORD was not in the fire. And after the fire came a gentle whisper.  When Elijah heard it, he pulled his cloak over his face and went out and stood at the mouth of the cave.  Then a voice said to him, “What are you doing here, Elijah?” (1 Kings 19: 11-13)

Sometimes we think of God as so magnificent, so powerful, so amazing that he must exist only in the great big powerful things of the world.  That if we were going to see God, he’d be sitting on a high throne looking down at us.  That his voice would be booming and intimidating.

But that’s not who God is.

Elijah was afraid.  His life had been threatened and he lost his nerve.  He was on the run, scared, hiding, timid.  When God finds him we’re told that mountains were torn apart, earthquakes shook the ground and fire burned.  But God wasn’t in any of that.  God came in the form of a gentle whisper asking a simple question, “What are you doing here, Elijah?”

God recognized that Elijah was afraid.  And like a gentle parent he came and whispered, “child, why are you hiding?”

I have a confession to make.  When I read this story I am overwhelmed by emotion.  Because I have been that child.  And God has reached out to me whispering, “don’t be afraid, I am here.”  I am moved because God doesn’t have to bend down to my level.  Yet that’s exactly what he does.  God always stoops to my level, because he loves me.  How can I not love him back?

The world often tells us that things must be big, loud, and aggressive to get attention.  But as Elijah found out, sometimes the most powerful thing in the world can be a gentle whisper.

upside down kingdom

Posted by e. barrett | Posted on 25-02-2009

Category : barbarian, different, faith, taking action

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Sometimes the Bible scares me. 

I try and pretend I don’t understand, but deep down I do.  I know all too well that the Bible is clearly teaching a message I don’t want to hear.  In the book Titus, Paul says, “Teach slaves to be subject to their masters in everything, to try to please them, not to talk back to them, and not to steal from them, but to show that they can be fully trusted, so that in every way they will make the teaching about God our Savior attractive.”

That does not make me feel comfortable!  That’s such a dangerous statement.  If slaves must be obedient, pleasing, and trustworthy toward their owners, how much more must I be?

God calls Christians to an unbelievably high standard.  We are called to be set apart, to live differently, or as Erwin McManus says, to The Barbarian Way. 

We’re called to live this way in every area of our life.  Not just an hour or two on the weekend.  Which is why I found it interesting that I came across two sports stories in the same week. 

1. Grapevine Faith vs. Gainesville State School

2. Covenant vs. Dallas Academy

Each story had one team from a Christian school.  But the endings were miles apart.  Grapevine demonstrated Christ-like love to Gainesville by cheering for them.  Why?  Because Gainesville is a prison.  They had no one to cheer for them.  They had no family or friends on the sideline.  They don’t even have freedom.  Yet Grapevine Faith created a moment of love for kids who may have never experienced that type of love before.

Covenant on the other hand destroyed Dallas Academy by 100-0.  Is there anything wrong with that?  Maybe not.  But can you imagine Jesus running up the score on a bunch of kids?  Neither can I. 

Compare that with what one kid from Gainesville State School said, “everything about it was upside down.”  Do you think anyone is saying that from Dallas Academy?  We don’t like to say things like this – but was God glorified in any way by running up the score?  Did it teach anyone anything about who he was?

Sometimes we get caught up in the moment and make poor choices.  It happens.  And we must learn to live with our failure and move forward.  God’s Kingdom is an upside down Kingdom.  Our lives should be upside down too.

 

i’m a loser

Posted by e. barrett | Posted on 23-01-2009

Category : Jesus, Mark, choice, failure, faith, taking action

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Success.  Failure.  We all experience these things.  Even if you’re Bill Gates or Tom Brady you will have both highs and lows in your life.  That’s just the way it is.  In fact, we’re all losers – we all have more failures than successes. 

In the AFC championship game a Steelers rookie dropped a pass that was a guaranteed touchdown.  He was so wide open it was embarrassing.  And yet at the moment that would have crowned his rookie year, he blew it.  A moment that would have sealed him in Steelers history, he choked and took his eyes off the ball.

We’ve all been there.  Well, ok, maybe we haven’t screwed up before a live TV audience.  But we’ve all screwed up in public ways.  And we have all wanted to lie on the ground and pretend we’re injured, just like Sweed did.  We think, “well if we’re injured, at least we have an excuse.”  Which feels so much better than admitting you’re a loser.

We live in a world that pretends you can be successful 100% of the time.  We’re told that life can be easy.  That it can be safe.  That the worst thing that can happen to us is to be placed in danger.  But the truth is, that’s a lie. 

The world is filled with failure.  And we are all losers. 

The question isn’t, “will I fail?”  The questions is, “will I get back up again?”  Limas Sweed almost didn’t get back up.  He almost stayed on the ground.  But something changed his mind.  Something made him get back up.  And you know what?  He became a winner.  He had two key plays that changed the course of the game.  He unleashed a devastating block and had a key catch.

In one game Sweed was both a loser and a winner.  That sounds a lot like our lives, doesn’t it?   

Peter had days like that too.  On the day Jesus was arrested, Peter put his best foot forward and declared,  ”even if all fall away, I will not!“  I think most of us would be thrilled to make such a bold statement.  We’d love to take a stand for Jesus that many people refused to do.  Yet, within a few hours Peter was hiding in fear, denying his relationship to Jesus. 

Peter was a loser.

But that’s not where his story ends.  And it doesn’t have to be where our story ends.  Peter went on to change the world with his life.  He got back up.  And because of that was able to do something amazing. 

That’s what God wants for all of us: to get back up.  We may be laying on the ground, just like Peter, but we don’t have to stay there.  We can get up and keep moving forward.  That’s the whole point of grace. 

There may be no better definition of faith then getting up one more time – especially when we don’t feel like it.  That’s what it means to live out a life of faith. 

life and football

Posted by e. barrett | Posted on 21-01-2009

Category : faith, fear, live for the eternal, trust

Tags: , , , , , , , , ,

 

I love watching football for one reason: I don’t know the outcome.  It’s the anticipation of what’s about to happen that’s so exciting.  That’s what makes it thrilling.  Tivo it and I couldn’t care less.  The outcome has already occurred.  But when it’s live – nothing is more exciting.

Yet when it comes to my life, I feel the opposite.  I am afraid of the unknown.  I dread the anticipation of what’s about to happen. 

Why?  Why should there be this difference?

I think there shouldn’t be.  We should live to embrace the moment.  We can’t enjoy life if we’re always regretting the past, or even reminiscing in the “good times” of days gone by.  Nor can we live life to the fullest if we’re always terrified of what’s about to happen.  The only way to live out a life of faith is to do so now.  In the moment.  At this point. 

Anything else just won’t cut it.  And where’s the fun in that?

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