Matthew 7:7-11
7-11“Don’t bargain with God. Be direct. Ask for what you need. This isn’t a cat-and-mouse, hide-and-seek game we’re in. If your child asks for bread, do you trick him with sawdust? If he asks for fish, do you scare him with a live snake on his plate? As bad as you are, you wouldn’t think of such a thing. You’re at least decent to your own children. So don’t you think the God who conceived you in love will be even better?
It’s Friday evening and I am on a prayer walk on the beautiful sidewalks of Walnut Creek. I see young women in the latest fashion walking arm in arm, couples in their finery rushing to get to their seats at the Lesher Theater, bars and restaurants full of happy (looking) patrons.
I walk these streets in prayer. Wandering a few blocks from me are two other Creek pray-ers. Separately, yet in unison, we pray over this beautiful town, over the busy people, over the busy workers, over the closed business, over the hidden fears and needs of the people we pass by. I make eye contact with a man. We talk. The streets, facades of worldly perfection are marred by his presence. The streets I walk are his home. He is among others, yet separate. He lost his job at a Concord glass company. He lost everything. He asked if I had change. I can feel the pain he has in asking this question; this man, who everyone passes by, who no one wants to see.
I have no change so I ask if I can buy him dinner. We walk a block. He is silent and uncomfortable. I, as always, am talkative. Arriving at the restaurant’s counter he orders a side salad and a glass of water. How humble and respectful. I change his order to a steak and Caesar salad. As I left my new friend I thought of the contrast between the hungry and the fed.
John the Baptist said if you have two cloaks, give one away and follow me. I thought of this then prayed over the people that I passed. Are they fed? Do they hunger for the unspoken love from their creator? Do they know the Peace of Christ?
…Looking forward to more prayer walks.
…Join us.
Comment by Ed McGrath — March 5, 2010 @ 10:57 pm
I’m excited about renewing my prayer life. I started by reading a couple of books. Namely, Crazy Love by Francis Chan, and The Prayer Saturated Church by Cheryl Sacks. I looked at what Scripture says about prayer. Then I set time aside specifically for prayer. My goal is to become a constant pray-er. I want to eliminate the divisions in my life between Pam the child of God and Pam the child of, oh I don’t know, the universe. It’s so exciting to me that God has great gifts for us that he wants us to ask for in prayer. I am God’s daughter. He is my trusted father and I will depend on him. The Creek is meeting to pray on Friday evenings. We stay in sometimes, have a meal together sometimes, and go for walks sometimes. ALWAYS we pray. Rich!
Comment by Pam McGrath — March 13, 2010 @ 3:15 pm
I’ve spent some time thinking about Kurt’s message yesterday, and one of the things that really stood out was this. Am I willing to say "LORD, make me the answer to this prayer?" I think sometimes, I imagine/hope that answers to prayer are going to be divine intervention. It’s occuring to me now, that they very well may be divine intervention, but that God may be by working through me to make this happen. I love to think that I can be part of the "…how deep, how wide, how tall and high His love really is…" Wow!
Comment by Carol Lutz — April 19, 2010 @ 9:37 pm
I echo Carol’s question… Am I willing to say (and mean) YOUR WILL BE DONE? For stubborn me, it means really surrendering my heart, my thoughts, my fears and my preferences . . . and realizing that God wants the best for me. How exciting to know that I can’t even imagine what that might be, or how wonderful that might be!
Yes, I do want to be part part of the answer. So, I will continue to pray that God use me for His purpose and glory. That His will becomes my will. That His joy becomes my joy. That His peace becomes my peace. Easy? I doubt it. But I’ll trade easy for wonderful any day!
Comment by Pam — April 21, 2010 @ 12:57 pm
Enjoyed Johnson’s message on Sunday. How often we (I) come to God asking, wanting, desiring. Such beauty and purity to go to Him, just seeking His face. I will do more of that.
Comment by Carol Lutz — April 27, 2010 @ 6:37 pm
This is the "blueprint" I was given when I began my prayer binder:Monday: Immediate Family (I pray for my husband, my marriage, our son) Tuesday: Extended Family (I pray for my parents, siblings, in-laws, and any other extended family that God puts on my heart or who has a prayer request or need) Wednesday: Friends (This is pretty self-explanatory, but I also try to remember to lift up all the marriages whose weddings I stood in, promising to support them) Thursday: Co-workers (I used to pray for my own co-workers and my students when I was a teacher, but now I pray for my husband’s co-workers – the staff at the Creek) Friday: Other (Anything that doesn’t fit in the other categories, but usually it’s just whatever is on my heart – my free-flow day. Sometimes I ask God what to pray about) Saturday: Community (I pray for our neighborhood, the Creek community, our life group, and the families we serve in tutoring) Sunday: The World (I pray for the missionaries and children we support, our nation’s leaders, and over any current world events)
Comment by Kirsten — May 3, 2010 @ 10:09 am
National Day of Prayer today and here is one way I "celebrated" it – It was the last day of standardized testing, and as all my students worked quietly at their desks, I went around, and gave each child a short shoulder massage. While I did this, I said a silent prayer for him or her, praying some general things like that they would know God’s love. I also individualized each child’s prayer with specific personal info that I know about them – my love letter to my students. I teach in a public school, but prayer (silent and unnoticed) is alive in my classroom.
Comment by Carol Lutz — May 6, 2010 @ 5:12 pm
I am learning about how, when and where to pray. I wonder about the people who have no one praying for them. Are we extra blessed because we have a community? I see that prayer is a partnership, me acknowledging GOD in everything no matter how big, or how trivial. I want that deep rich delight in GOD. I want to be his hands, feet in this world. A big task – seems impossible. But not when we know GOD is present always and everywhere.
Comment by Mary Muse — June 3, 2010 @ 9:49 pm