Day 6 - God is With You (1 Thessalonians 3:6-13)

How many people do you know that like to pray?

Most people aren't really good at this. Or frequent at it. Or even trying.

Today's reading comes from The Apostle Paul, who prayed obsessively. Continually. Non-stop. 24-7.

What did he pray for?

His friends. Friends all over the world. If he had a Facebook account, he'd be praying for ALL of those people. He'd probably write several letters to us "Facebookians." Sans Facebook or e-mail, Paul writes to the Colossians, Philippians, Romans, Ephesians, and, Thessalonians.

For these Thessalonians, Paul prays like this:

How can we thank God enough for you in return for all the joy we have in the presence of our God because of you? Night and day we pray most earnestly that we may see you again and supply what is lacking in your faith.
Now may our God and Father himself and our Lord Jesus clear the way for us to come to you. May the Lord make your love increase and overflow for each other and for everyone else, just as ours does for you. May he strengthen your hearts so that you will be blameless and holy in the presence of our God and Father when our Lord Jesus comes with all his holy ones.

(1 Thessalonians 3:6-13)

He prays, thanking God for them. (Dear God, thank you for my friends and all the good things you are doing in their lives. Thank you for already giving some encouragement and answers to prayer even this week!)

Paul prays, that he would be reunited with His friends, and get the chance to "supply what is lacking" in their faith. (Dear God, help us long to encourage each other and keep each other going with our faith. We all face challenges and doubts and uncertainties about our future - help us keep living by faith and learn to trust you more each day....)

Paul goes on, praying that his friends' love would grow for each other and for "everyone else..." (God, it's obvious that you want me to pray for more than finances, health concerns, and politics. I pray that my friends and I would get better at showing Christ-inspired love to others. Help me love people to the point of doing something about it. Help me pick up the phone when someone I know needs encouragement. Help me shovel a driveway when there's snow-crazy weather. Help me do better at listening to others and thinking about their lives before my own... )

Paul prays that God would strengthen their hearts and make them holy and ready for the return of Jesus Christ. (God, I confess that I don't usually pray with similar priorities. I easily focus on the here and now, and not the future hope and return of Christ. I forget that we are all in the process of learning, growing, sharpening, and preparing for a wonderful moment of meeting Jesus personally...)

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Note - it is interesting to read the prayers of Paul, and the priorities He thinks about for them. He's not praying that they'll avoid suffering. He's not praying for them to have enough food. He's not asking God to strike down their enemies or to change the politics of the Roman Empire.

How would our lives be different if we started praying like Paul?

Day 5 - God is With You (John 13:31-38)

Some quotes just stick with you... like this one that I heard a couple of years ago...

"The only difference between your life today, and your life five years from now... will be the people you spend time with and the books that you read."

I think that's generally true. You gradually become like the people around you, or at least influenced by them. You learn gradually when you read - whether as a student or as just a leisurely reader. Both people and words influence the way you view life and practice life...

What would my life look like if I spent more time with God? How would my life be different in five years if I read His book?

Chew on those ideas... that you can change your future.. or "engineer," "design" your future life by choosing books, people, and "input" that will help you become the person you know you could be...

Some people got to spend a few years being up close and personal with Jesus as He walked the earth. We call them "disciples." "Disciple" means "learner, student, or apprentice." Someone who is "in training, following a leader."

In today's reading (John 13:31-38), Jesus is spending time with his disciples, passing on the MOST IMPORTANT truth about their future lives... He is about to leave them, and he's in the midst of breaking that bad news to them... "where I am going, you cannot come..."

But He gives them these remarkable words... easy to remember, sometimes impossible to do... "A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another" (13:34).

Love one another.

I wish I could be better than that.

And yet, if I've spent time with Jesus, and I've read His book... I will gradually get better at loving people.

On the other side of the coin... I think that a lot of people see so-called "Christians" who do not show love, and think, "Why in the world would I want to be like those people?"

So true, and I don't blame them. We Christians have an image problem, and we have to love our way out of it, just like the disciples did. If you'd like to see one way they did it, check out Acts 2:42-47 - very impressive!

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Dear God...
- First of all, thank you for allowing me to know your love and experience your love. I want even more of that as I spend time with you in these "Dear God" times... Help me learn about and think about your love.
- Second, help me love others more than I love myself. Even today, I confess that I've been a pretty selfish Gary. Please forgive me and help me focus some energy and care toward others. Jesus did that so well, and calls me to join Him.
- God, I want people to see YOU in my life and in my friendships... Help us, your people, love each other better. Forgive us when we let "lesser issues" like music, politics, traditions, or fashion get in the way. The only thing that matters is when we express our faith through love. (Galatians 5:6)

Day 4 - God is With You (Matthew 11:25-30)

Dad. Father. Pops. Pa Pa.

Whatever you call him, God wants you to trust Him, learn from Him, and come to Him with the understanding that He is your true Father.

Jesus has always had an exclusive relationship with God as His Father, and he talks about that in this passage. God gave him a place of great privilege and responsibility - nobody can approach or know the Father apart from Jesus. In Matthew 11:27, Jesus says, "no one knows the Father except the Son and those to whom the Son chooses to reveal him."

In other words, if you don't know Jesus, you don't really know God.
If you haven't listened to the life and words of Jesus, you don't know the Father.

Pretty exclusive and seemingly-offensive claims - aren't they?

Either Jesus is telling the truth or He isn't. Decide for yourself, and decide at your own risk...

But for those who DO know the Father.. and respond to the invitation of Jesus... you will get REST for your SOUL.

He says, "Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls."

Life is going to stress you out.
People will let you down.
Your health won't always be on your side.
Work and bills and taxes and responsibilities weigh on all of us.

Jesus offers to shoulder the load of your life.

When you're tired, talk to Him about it.
When you're feeling overwhelmed, just talk to Him about it.
When you're confused about what to do, tell Him you're ready to learn whatever He has to teach.

It's a promise - "Come to me... and I will give you rest."

That's another reason for doing this 40-Day journey... so we can keep reminding ourselves to go to Him!

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Dear God, thanks for this invitation. Jesus, thanks for inviting me to a place of rest, understanding, and encouragement. Thanks for promising to take the burdens of my life and help me overcome them. Thanks for this reality of trusting you, and not trying to solve it all myself. I don't have to. Quite often, I can't, anyway.

Help me come to you on a regular basis... and find rest. You know when I'm stressed, when I'm tired, when I'm nervous, or when I'm over-confident. Please help me see you and trust you and rest in the fact that you're running the show. You've got all I need to find rest for my soul...

Day 3 - God is With You (Matthew 6:5-8)

Today, I'm snowed in in Central Ohio. More time to play hoops with Luke, make snow angels with Allie, and we've got some friends hanging out over here as well.

The prayer journey moves today to the words of Jesus - a much shorter section on prayer, but extremely valuable to consider... Here it is... Matthew 6:5-8

"And when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by men. I tell you the truth, they have received their reward in full. But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you. And when you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words. Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him.

In just four sentences (or so), Jesus reveals what our priorities should be when we talk or listen to God...

(1) Just between us - God wants to know that you're making a priority to be with HIm, and not to impress people. To be honest, I had to check my own thoughts about blogging on prayer. "Am I doing this so that people will think I know about prayer or God?" or... "Would I do this anyway, and it's good to keep a notebook (online) of prayer-worthy thoughts."

The reality is that my prayers this week (or at least some of the content) is not for you to read about. You and I need moments where it's just you and God. Driving in the car, waking up in the morning, sitting down with a Bible and a coffee, or going to bed.... the point is that you have a place and a time in your life for just you and God.

(2) God will reward! - He refers to the "rewards" of praying just within that private relationship... God won't reward those who are praying to be seen or heard by others... but He does reward you when you talk just to Him.

He doesn't "spell out" what the rewards are. I'm sure we'd all like more money or answers about the future.

But in the context, my best guess is that the rewards are these --- (1) God hears you out. He's not listening to the babblers or the hypocrites, but He will give you the time of day. He will listen when He knows you're talking first to Him! (2) God answers. There's enough in this passage and in the New Testament to believe that God answers the people who are actually praying. Remember, He's God, and you aren't. Being God, He has the privilege to answer HOW he wants, WHEN he wants, and WHY he wants. I'm glad He's running the Universe, and not me. (3) God actually does send extra rewards... things like spiritual growth, wisdom, encouragement, power, awareness of His presence in your life, and positive answers to prayer.

God hears, God answers, God rewards.

Seems like we should pray more, even after these 40 Days are over. Seems obvious, but it's easier said than done.

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Dear God,

It's awesome to know that you want a deeper friendship with me. Thanks for truly being that Friend who is always there... You see what Gary is like behind closed doors, and you still want me. You still hear me and desire to reward me.

God, help me get my priorities straight. I don't want to live for the praise or approval of people... Nobody can please everyone... Help me get focused time just between the two of us more and more each day.

God, please kill the hypocritical and babbler tendencies inside me, and help me just be my raw, honest self with you.

God, I also pray that for all of us on this journey. You don't want us to try to pray like anybody else, or use words to try to impress you or whatever... you just want us to be ourselves, to talk with you, and to seek YOUR reward. Don't let us miss out on that.

Day 2 - God is With You (Psalm 139)

You can't outrun God. You can't hide from Him.

At first, that seems constraining, but King David doesn't think so. Instead, my man is GLAD that God is always with him.

This makes sense, especially in the bad times, which appears to be the occasion for this prayer in Psalm 139. In 139:19-22, David talks about how much his enemies are threatening him and stressing him out. This raw outpouring of frustration shows just how free he feels to be honest with God.

God already knows. He sees the frustration. He knows the actions of everybody involved. David is glad...

"If I rise on the wings of the dawn, if I settle on the far side of the sea, even there your hand will guide me, your right hand will hold me fast" (139:11-12).

Even in the darkest of times, God is there.

When the enemies surround, God is there.

When God seems distant, God is there.

In fact, every day of your life and mine, God is there, and he's not threatened by our circumstances. "All the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be" (139:16). Nice.

Some people like to debate verses like this and say, "Well, if God already knows, what's the point?"

This morning, I was playing mini-basketball with my three-year-old boy, Luke. He stands about five feet from the basket, and throws it overhand towards the rim. Usually makes it. Yes, I'm bragging that my three year old has an outside shot going. But there are sometimes, when he shoots, I know he's going to miss. Bad form or bad aim? Sure. Other times, I know he's going to miss, because I'm going to catch or swat the ball before it gets to the net. Just about every time he shoots, I am involved somehow in the outcome - directly or indirectly.

Maybe God is like that with us. Maybe he wants us to keep shooting, keep living, keep learning.

Sometimes, he knows we'll fail.
Sometimes, he blocks our shots - not because he's evil, but because we have a lot to learn, and the point is our relationship with the Father.

See, we think it's all about just putting the ball in the hoop.

God thinks it's all about spending time with our Dad. That's most important... isn't it?

And he's always there with us and for us... "Where can I go from your Spirit?"

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God, thanks for always being there for me.... even in those times when I thought I was alone. Thank you for knowing, watching, and caring about the details of my life. I don't deserve this relationship or concern from you, and yet you freely offer it.

Thanks for being there for me during the darkest times of my life... times when I thought my enemies had ruined the best of life... times when I thought life would never be, as the song says, "back to good." Thanks for not only listening to my prayers, but for shooting hoops with me, your little kid.

Remind me that the point of all this - this life as I know it - is to know and love you as my ultimate Father and Friend.

Day 1 - God is With You (Psalm 23)

David views God as always "close up" or close by. God restores, guides, leads, and is "with me." This is a reality for David, because David takes on the regular habit of practicing the presence of God in his life. "I will dwell in the house of the LORD forever" (v. 6).

"Dear God..."
- I pray that you would use these 40 days to bring me closer to you... to make my heart and mind aware of You and Your presence all throughout the day.
- I pray that you would teach me more about prayer through the readings and the things I will be learning through each day.
- I pray that you would lead me beside some still waters, as it's easy to let stress or to-do lists rule my attitude and mind. Even this prayer journey can feel like something I do on a checklist and then move on. I don't want it to be like that - that would totally miss the point!
- It would be great to hear stories and accounts of how people are drawing close to you throughout the next forty days, and praying for the things that are most important to YOUR heart.
- Thanks so much for a great day yesterday, even though I am still tired... we loved worship on Sunday with Sound Investment, and then the study on Psalm 139. Enjoyed a great lunch with two families from our church who are tremendous encouragements to us and to others... Celebrated communion and the "love feast" with some friends there at Grace... just a wonderful day overall.
- Please help me spend the rest of today seeking you... being open-minded and aware of your work in each moment throughout the day.
- I want to praise you because you are always at work... in my life from the beginning. Thank you so much!!! Move my heart to praise you and remember your awesome works... so many blessings I do not deserve!

The 40-Day Prayer Journey - starts Monday!

Coming on Monday, January 26th, our church family will be reading and praying through "Dear God," a 40-Day experience in the Bible and in conversation with God. We're excited to look into prayers in the Psalms, prayers of Jesus, and prayers of the Apostle Paul as we read. This is a great way to refresh or reconnect in your faith.

In conjunction with the readings, I will post some thoughts and questions each day as I reflect on the time with God.

Sunday's sermon kicks off the journey with "Dear God... are you still there?"