Prayer – Page 10 – Pot of Manna

Procrastinating With Questions

We’re getting close to Easter. Can you feel it? Do you feel more “ready” for it than you have before? Are you moving beyond the familiar to SEE Jesus in new ways, different places?

Take John 3:16, for example. It’s quoted, tattooed, worn on t-shirts, and seen at every major sporting event…but can you put it in context? Do you know any of the verses surrounding it?

I turned to chapter three of John’s gospel and read it in the message and a new phrase leaped off the page at me. As the conversation unfolds, Jesus tells Nicodemus what he must do, but Nicodemus is full of questions–very pharisee-like. Finally, Jesus tells him: Yet instead of facing the evidence and accepting it, you procrastinate with questions. (John 3:11, The Message)

Ouch. This habit of questioning may have been used by the Pharisees a lot…but they don’t have a corner on the market. The longer I can keep someone engaged in dialog or conversation, the more I act like I “don’t get it”–the longer I have before I have to DO it. If you can’t recognize this in yourself, maybe you recall how your children could come up with a hundred questions to avoid doing their homework or cleaning their room.

Here’s a quote that might help us put this in perspective: “If you ask too many questions, you will find no answers, only more questions.” (Monica Fairview)

I know the danger here. Someone is going to think I’m saying, “Don’t ask questions.” I’m not. God is able to handle our questions and curiosity. But we know when we cross the line and venture into “Procrastination Land.” That’s what God’s message is for us: Don’t go there.

And we’re not procrastinating to avoid making our bed or finishing our math. No, the stakes are higher. We’re avoiding change. We’re clinging desperately to the familiar to keep from having to release control. Just like with Nicodemus, God is calling us to action or deeper surrender, growth or faith.

So today, let’s determine to leave the security of our questions and trust God to really love us. That is what it says in John 3:16, after all.

PRAYER: God, thank you for loving us…so much, that you gave. Help us to move beyond our questions and procrastination so that we too can give…give our lives to you more fully, deeply, completely. Amen.

Saturday!

Saturdays are supposed to be a day off. But we cram it full of shopping, cleaning, ballgames, and all kinds of running here and there.

They say confession is good for the soul…so here goes: I didn’t want to write this morning. When I woke up and thought about it, I wished I had been more diligent during the week so I could have slept in. Whose crazy idea was it to write a post daily? Oh, wait, it was mine. (Insert sigh here.)

Sitting down to type, I was right on the verge of grousing when God gave me a Gibbs smack. For those who don’t watch NCIS, it looks like this:

https://youtu.be/QqMUuOPsa0o

Now why would God give me a Gibbs smack?

To jar loose a few things I need to remember about him:

Indeed, he who watches over Israel never slumbers or sleeps. Psalm 121:4

So be strong and courageous! Do not be afraid and do not panic before them. For the LORD your God will personally go ahead of you. He will neither fail you nor abandon you. Deuteronomy 31:6

⁵Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, because God has said “Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.” Hebrews 13:5

The LORD says, “I will guide you along the best pathway for your life. I will advise you and watch over you. Psalm 32:8

Bottom line: God doesn’t take a day off.

The reason we need a Gibbs smack is due to that ridiculous habit we have of “tucking things in the back of our minds for future reference.” Don’t ask me how we accomplish that feat…but in the great file cabinet of our brain, we stick these important truths in the back drawer. Then when life gets crazy and we can’t handle things on our own, we go digging and searching…looking for God.

And he’s right there all time.

So, the next time you feel like giving in or giving up…or trying to take a day off from God, remember: He’s on duty, 24/7, 365. Pretty cool.

PRAYER: Thank you, God. Thank you for loving us too much to ever let us be on our own. Thank you for not turning your back on us, even when we’re much less faithful. If it takes a Gibbs smack for us to remember, we’ll receive it in the spirit of loving reminder and discipline from a Father’s heart of love. Amen.

Pick A Box

Do you have God in a box?

It’s an odd question…an old question.

Usually, we say we believe the Creator of the Universe is too big to be limited. We use theological words like omnipresent, omniscient, omni-something-or-other.

But we don’t live what we believe.

Sometimes we act like our problem is too big for God to handle…or too small for him to care. Or at times, we’d rather do things our way, because he’s too slow. Funny…he never seems to be in half the the hurry I am.

We hold back from letting him help because we don’t want him to “mess things up”. All that means is we only want our way, but don’t look at the mess we’ve made.

We take him out when it’s convenient, when it makes us look good, when no one will be offended.

What if God put us in little boxes and only took us out when it was convenient?

Here’s a couple verses that can help us with this box problem:

⁵Trust in the Lord with ALL your heart,
and do not rely on your own insight.
⁶In ALL your ways acknowledge him,
and he will make straight your paths. (Proverbs 3:5-6)

If we will do this…he will do that.

So either we climb into that God box with our ALL, or we let him out so he has freedom to fill and lead us wherever we are.

PRAYER: God, sorry about the box thing. This world we live in is so conveniently compartmentalized. It’s how we try to maintain control. Help us to do that hard work of trusting you with our ALL so you can lead us into your best. Amen.

Would I Know You?

⁹Jesus said to him, “Have I been with you such a long time, and yet you have not known Me, Philip? He who has seen Me has seen the Father. So how can you say, ‘Show us the Father’? John 14:9

I’ve been married for 36 years. You would think in that time I would have learned everything there is to know about my husband. But no. New things pop and I wondered how I could be with him all that time and not know him.

Jesus wondered the same thing about the disciples. He had just told the disciples he was the only way to the Father and if you have seen him, then you see, know, the Father.

Phillip was not one for Jesus double speak. “Just show us God.” Plain and simple.

Jesus must have shook his head as he replied, “When you look at me, listen to me, watch me interact, see me love…you have seen the hand of God, the heart of God, the mind of God…the plan of God.”

Perhaps we shouldn’t give Phillip and the gang so much grief for not getting it. How often do we wonder? How many times have we prayed to see God more clearly? How many people have spent their entire lives in church, going to Sunday school, studying the Word…and still not see…still not know?

PRAYER: God, you want so much for us to understand, to know you, that you came in a form we could relate to…Jesus. Open our eyes to really see who you are…how you are…and how you want us to be. Amen.

Even a Booger

²⁰For ever since the world was created, people have seen the earth and sky. Through everything God made, they can clearly see his invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature. So they have no excuse for not knowing God. Romans 1:20

Once upon a time, in a very distant church, a young pastor was given the task of providing children’s stories during the Sunday morning worship hour. That pastor was me and I loved it.

It was so much fun to bring spiritual applications to the wide open minds and hearts of children.

It wasn’t hard for me because I grew up believing Romans 1:20. I sang about it in church choir. I can still sing the song. “There is enough of God in nature, his power is clearly shown. A man has no excuse for wandering. God and heaven are known. God and heaven are known.” (You can find the whole musical on youtube: The Apostle-Continental Singers 1973.)

I am wired to see spiritual things in common place things. This is so true one girl told her mom she thought I could make a sermon illustration out of a booger. I probably could, but I’ve refrained and restrained myself.

But it all came back when I was making a peanut butter and jelly sandwich.

My grandson is in a PBJ phase. But a simple sandwich is not enough for him. He prefers one that looks more like this:

He is happiest with a super thick layer of chunky peanut butter and a thin smear of strawberry jam…and it has to be triple decker.

So can God be seen in a triple decker PBJ sandwich?

I don’t mean like some people see him:

What I referring to is seeing God in the ordinary, the everyday.

What spiritual implication is there in a PBJ? I think we all go through phases where we want to taste and see that God is good (Psalm 34:8), but he wants to be the God of exceedingly, abundantly, above (Ephesians 3:20).

When we reach for all that God is, we find satisfaction and fullness of life.

Where will you see God today?

PRAYER: God of everywhere, thank you for wanting to be seen, wanting to be known. Open my eyes to see you, my ears to hear you…my heart to receive you. Speak to me in the ordinary, plain, and everyday things around me. Amen.

Too Busy

“Lord, remind me how brief my time on earth will be.
    Remind me that my days are numbered—
    how fleeting my life is.
⁵You have made my life no longer than the width of my hand.
    My entire lifetime is just a moment to you;
    at best, each of us is but a breath.” Interlude

⁶We are merely moving shadows,
and all our busy rushing ends in nothing. Psalm 39:4-6

On the way to work the other morning, I was running behind. Technically, I wasn’t late, but I sure felt rushed.

Too rushed.

When I got to the school crossing I nearly blew through it. At the very last second I saw the crossing guard’s car door open. I glanced across the street and saw three elementary aged children nearing the curb. I slammed on the brakes. The guard nodded my way. I breathed a prayer of thanks.

I was still running behind, but I had a clearer sense of my surroundings…and the need for it.

A couple blocks down the road I came to the Senior Center crosswalk. Rarely do I encounter anyone crossing the road, but on that day it looked the bingo crowd was heading in! I stopped, smiled, and waited.

I was probably 10 minutes later to work than I wanted to be. But I was surprised by how peaceful I felt.

I felt good about not rushing. Slowing down. Taking time to notice…appreciate…to just simply see the things around me.

As I walked to the building, I noticed the blue sky. I heard a bird song. I felt the breeze. All things I would have missed if I raced to the door, fumbling with my bags, and searching for my key.

I know in my head rushing may get me to the destination, but I don’t enjoy the going.

And the scripture is clear: all our rushing gets us nothing.

We certainly can’t see God, nor experience life fully, the way he intended.

So what will it take to slow you down? A crosswalk was a good reminder for me.

Bucket Theory

⁴⁵A good person produces good things from the treasury of a good heart, and an evil person produces evil things from the treasury of an evil heart. What you say flows from what is in your heart. (Luke 6:45, NLT)

The cold water feed does not work on our washer. We have had repairmen look it. My husband has torn it apart, replaced parts, and it still doesn’t work.

We wash our clothes in cold water, so we fill the buckets up in the kitchen and carry them around the corner to the laundry room.

See that lip or ridge around the bucket? I have learned to only fill it up that far–otherwise on the walk to the washer…it’s spill city. The water starts to slosh and even if I slow down, I will make a mess.

Today wasn’t too “sloshy.” I felt pretty good as I turned the corner–only to run smack-crash right into my grandson. Water everywhere.

I deposited what was left in the washer, dried us off, and mopped the floor. Instead of grousing, I began to giggle. I explained to my grandson. who thought I may be losing it, the story of Jesus describing how either good or evil will spring from our hearts when we “bump” into people–just like the water from the bucket.

As he returned to playing, my grandson announced he wanted to spill out love. Pretty good thinking for a nine year old.

What will spill out of your heart today? Remember “GIGO”? Garbage in–garbage out. If we expect to spill love, we need to be sure we’re putting love in–God’s love.

PRAYER: God, you fill our hearts with so much love…fill us again, today.

Awaiting the Bridegroom

⁴⁴Therefore you also must be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an unexpected hour. Matthew 24:44, NRSV

Hustle, bustle, and brides all around.

The ministry where I work is hosting two events this weekend. On Saturday there’s a bridal show. There are all kinds of vendors hawking their services to starry-eyed brides. The highlight will be a fashion show and give-aways. The setup process has taken most of the week. It runs from 3:00 to 7:00. And when it’s done exhausted workers will tear everything down and return the building to its original state.

This event is a huge reminder that weddings are a lot of work.

The other event begins today and goes through Sunday, and may even spill over to Monday. On the top floor denominational leaders will be meeting with prospective individuals and couples applying to serve as missionaries. These candidates have completed training, schooling, internships, and service in the process of preparation. Being ready to serve is not a walk in the park. There is typically a time of proving and testing of one’s call.

Sitting here surrounded by wedding dresses hanging on mannequins and thinking about the bridegroom text, I couldn’t help but sing the “old” Larry Norman song, “I Wish We’d All Been Ready.”

And then I pictured all those hope-filled candidates anxiously awaiting the church’s stamp of approval upon there call. They’re ready! And willing.

In the story of the bridesmaids (Matthew 24) all ten thought they were ready, but only five had done the work. As they waited, they all fell asleep. The sleeping wasn’t the problem, no more than it was a problem for the disciples who went to the garden with Jesus to pray.

Here’s the key, as I see it in the story: we don’t know when the bridegroom will come. We can’t be lazy, or forgetful, or complacent. Readiness takes constancy and effort. The question that used to be asked was, “Are you paid up and prayed up?”

Are you?

PRAYER: Lord, you love us, and your desire is that we would be ready and anticipating your return. Show us where our faith has become lazy–and help us get back on track. We want to be ready….whenever you come.

This Little Light of Mine

¹⁴‘You are the light of the world. A city built on a hill cannot be hidden. ¹⁵No one after lighting a lamp puts it under the bushel basket, but on the lamp stand, and it gives light to all in the house. ¹⁶In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father in heaven. (Matthew 5:14-16, NRSV)

Being light is not a suggestion. Jesus didn’t say, “Hey, if y’all don’t have anything else planned, I have this really cool idea. How ’bout we let the glory of God shine through our broken places and carry light into the darkness.”

No. He said, “You’re it. You’re the plan. Go be who I created you to be. Be light. Be warmth. Shine brightly.”

And you won’t be able to hide it. A wise man once told me, “There are no secret disciples. Either the disciple will kill the secret or the secret will kill the disciple.” (Charles Munson)

Where will you shine your light today?

AFTERTHOUGHT: I want you to know I picked the version of “This Little Light of Mine” very intentionally. There were several renditions with a single voice. And at first, I thought I wanted that. But when I listened to this version by The Lower Lights, I was impressed by the group. I pondered again the verse and went to the Greek.

The “you” is y’all (humeis). You plural. His light will always shine brighter when we shine together.

Cracked Pots

We have this treasure in jars of clay.

Someone described those clay jars as cracked pots.

Not everyone would be able to understand or appreciate this thought. Those with wealth and means would not put their treasures in clay jars. Their treasures would be kept in the most beautiful and exquisite vases.

God, the creator and Lord of the universe, however, chose to put his treasure in common clay pots. Humble pots. Pots from humus…earth. That’s where we came from.

Imperfect pots chosen intentionally “so that it may be made clear that this extraordinary power belongs to God and does not come from us.” (2 Corinthians 4:7, NRSV)

Are you feeling broken? Unusable? Used up? Worthless? Rejoice! You’re exactly what God wants to use. You are not full of yourself or thinking too highly of yourself.

Those cracks you try to hide, they’re perfect places and spaces for the light of God to shine through.

He shines in the broken places.

Amen.

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