Author: Mary Custer

Where Do I Start?

Several years ago, I was driving down the freeway when my car died. I pulled over to the side of the road, got out of the car, and opened the hood. As I looked at the engine I thought, A lot of good this does me. I know nothing about cars. I don’t even know where to start!

That’s how we might sometimes feel about prayer: Where do I start? That’s what the disciples wanted to know when they asked Jesus, “Teach us to pray” (Luke 11:1). The best place to look for instruction is in the example and teaching of Jesus. Two questions you may have are:

Where should we pray? Jesus prayed in the temple, in the wilderness (Luke 4), in quiet places (Matt. 14:22-23), in the Garden of Gethsemane (Luke 22), and on the cross (Luke 23:34,46). He prayed alone and with others. Look at His life, follow His example, and pray wherever you are.

What should we pray? In the Lord’s Prayer, Jesus taught us to ask that God’s name be honored and that His will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Ask Him for your daily provisions, for forgiveness of sin, and for deliverance from temptation and evil (Luke 11:2-4).

So if you’re looking for a good place to start, follow the example of the Lord’s Prayer.

The Lord has shown us we can pray
Wherever we may be;
And when we say, “Your will be done,”
His work on earth we’ll see. —Sper

If Jesus needed to pray, how can we do less?

Article by Anne Cetas, Our Daily Bread, Copyright 2012 by RBC Ministries, Grand Rapids, MI. Reprinted by permission. All rights  reserved. Further distribution is prohibited without written permission from RBC Ministries

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2012Nov25

Worship By Prayer

When was the last time you and God met together for a worship service? No choir. No piano. No order of service. Just you and God and prayer.

Want an example? Listen to the psalmist: “I cried to [the Lord] with my mouth, and He was extolled with my tongue. If I regard iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not hear. But certainly God has heard me; He has attended to the voice of my prayer. Blessed be God, who has not turned away my prayer, nor His mercy from me!” (Psalm 66:17-20).

Did you notice what was happening in those verses? The psalmist called out to God in praise. He came with a pure heart—cleansed by confession. He was confident that God was listening. God accepted the prayer, and He lavished His love on the person praying. The psalmist’s worship included praise, a pure heart, communicating with God, and then God’s affirmation and love were poured out. Yes, true worship took place.

What a pattern! Think of the spiritual advantage you gain and the honor God receives when you practice worship by prayer. Anytime, anyplace, you can worship the Lord and He will bless you.  Are you ready to worship?

In solitude, on wings of prayer
My soul ascends before the throne;
My only hope of strength is where
My heart and God’s meet all alone. —Anon.

 God speaks to those who take time to listen, and He listens to those who take time to pray.

 Article by Dave Branon, Our Daily Bread, Copyright 2012 by RBC Ministries, Grand Rapids, MI. Reprinted by permission. All rights  reserved. Further distribution is prohibited without written permission from RBC Ministries

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2012Nov18

Howard Sugden, my pastor when I was in college, preached many memorable sermons. After all these years, the one titled “But God . . .” still makes me stop whenever I come to those words in the Bible. Here are a few examples of verses that encourage me with the reminder of God’s righteous intervention in human affairs:

“You meant evil against me; but God meant it for good, in order to . . . save many people alive” (Gen. 50:20).

“Their beauty shall be consumed in the grave . . . . But God will redeem my soul from the power of the grave” (Ps. 49:14-15).

“My flesh and my heart fail; but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever” (Ps. 73:26).

“For scarcely for a righteous man will one die; yet perhaps for a good man someone would even dare to die. But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us” (Rom. 5:7-8).

“Eye has not seen, nor ear heard . . . the things which God has prepared for those who love Him. But God has revealed them to us through His Spirit” (1 Cor. 2:9-10).

Whenever you feel discouraged, look up some “but God” verses and be reassured of God’s involvement in the lives of those who love Him.

Creator of the universe
Who reigns in awesome majesty:
How can it be that You’re involved
With such a one as me? —Sper

God’s involvement in our lives should reassure us of His love.

 

Article by Julie Ackerman Link, Our Daily Bread, Copyright 2012 by RBC Ministries, Grand Rapids, MI. Reprinted by permission. All rights  reserved. Further distribution is prohibited without written permission from RBC Ministries

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2012Nov11

Saving My Prayer Tree

By Pam Kidd, Nashville, Tennessee

My sacred prayer place was in jeopardy of being destroyed.

May the God who gives encouragement give you the same attitude of mind toward each other.—Romans 15:5 (NIV)

Standing on the newly scalped road leading to our cabin, I was trying to escape the reality of the electric company’s machinery. How could this be happening? The Queen Anne’s lace, the blackberry bushes, even the wild persimmon and the sweet gum trees had been viciously mowed down under the guise of clearing space for power lines.

Ahead, on the other side of the causeway, the oak tree where I always stopped to talk to God was still standing. I considered the tree my “thin place,” where I felt particularly close to “things not yet seen.” Here, I had fervently prayed for our Aunt Kate in her last days. Here, I had asked God to take care of a dear friend, Frances, as she slowly drifted away. Even now, the huge machine was headed in the direction of my tree. I gathered my courage, approached the monster and knocked on the door of its air-conditioned cab. The driver cut the engine and swung open the door. “Whataya want?” he snapped.

I felt hard, looking at him. Meeting my eyes, it was clear that he felt the same. I wanted to say mean things but out came words I didn’t expect to say: “That tree, up ahead … the tallest one. Well, it’s my … my praying place.” His eyes softened, his expression changed. “I was just hoping,” I finished, “that you might spare that tree.”

The door closed, the engine restarted, and I hurried back to the cabin where my husband was waiting for a trip to town. Hours later, I squeezed my eyes tight as we approached the causeway. How could I bear seeing my tree twisted into splinters and sawdust?

“Pam,” David said then, “what in the world happened? Your tree is still there, and it’s the only one in sight!”

 

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2012Nov4

 A Walk In The Woods

 

Do not let sin reign in your mortal body, that you should obey it in its lusts. —Romans 6:12

     A friend of mine wrote to me about certain “reservations” in his life—areas of secret sin that he reserved for himself and into which he frequently withdrew.

These “reserves” are like the large tracts of wilderness in my home state of Idaho. It may sound exciting to wander around these untamed regions by oneself, but it’s dangerous.

So too, each journey into sin takes its toll. We sacrifice our closeness with God, forfeiting His blessing (Psalm 24:1-5), and we lose our influence on others that comes from purity of mind and body (1 Timothy 4:12).

The wild areas in us may never be fully tamed, but we can set up perimeters that keep us from wandering into them. One perimeter is to remember that we are dead to sin’s power (Romans 6:1-14). We do not have to give in to it.

The second perimeter is to resist temptation when it first attracts us. Initial temptation may not be strong, but if we entertain it, it will in time gain power and overwhelm us.

The third perimeter is accountability. Find a person who will commit to ask you each week, “Have you ‘taken a hike in the wild’? Have you gone where you should not go?”

Impurity is ruinous, but if we long for holiness and ask God for help, He will give us victory. Press on!

O Lord, help us to recognize
When we begin to compromise;
And give us strength to follow through
With what we know is right and true. —Sper

Beware—the more you look at temptation, the better it looks!

 

Article by David H. Roper, from Our Daily Bread, Copyright 2012 by RBC Ministries, Grand Rapids, MI. Reprinted by permission. All rights  reserved. Further distribution is prohibited without written permission from RBC Ministries.

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2012Oct28

Watching and Waiting

     In Isaiah 18, it appears that the whole world is set to battle God’s  people. Yet what is the response of the Almighty One? “I will take My rest, and I will look from My dwelling place” (v.4). His stillness may appear to have been an acceptance of the conspiracy against them. But it wasn’t. God’s response was His reminder that He acts in His timing—at just the right time according to His will.

I think of Jesus waiting 4 days while Lazarus lay in the grave (John 11:39). Was He unaware? Did He not care? Of course He cared! He was waiting for the right time to act and to teach the lessons He wanted to teach.

The Bible records God’s “delays,” many of which seem at the time to be inexplicable from our point of view. Yet every delay flows from the depths of His wisdom and love. If nothing else, delay, if we accept it, can produce the quieter virtues—humility, patience, endurance, and persistence—qualities that are often the last to be learned.

Are you in distress? Does the Lord seem distant and detached? He is not indifferent to your plight, nor is He unmoved by your pleas. He is waiting while His purposes are achieved. Then, at the right moment, He will intercede. God is never in a hurry, but He is always on time.

 

Turn not aside, discouraged one;
Stir up your gift, pursue your goal;
In God’s own time you’ll see Him work;
He’ll give you hope and lift your soul. —D. DeHaan

God is worth waiting for; His time is always best.

Article by David H. Roper, from Our Daily Bread, Copyright 2012 by RBC Ministries, Grand Rapids, MI. Reprinted by permission. All rights  reserved. Further distribution is prohibited without written permission from RBC Ministries.

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2012Oct21

 

My first bike had one gear. Whether I was going fast or slow, uphill or downhill, that gear did everything. My next bike had three gears: one for level surfaces, one for going uphill, and one for going downhill. My third bike had ten gears, allowing me an even broader range of choices. Even though my last bike had several gears to choose from, I didn’t use all of them every time I rode. Some were best suited for starting and climbing, others were reserved for gaining speed, and others were best for a leisurely pace. But the thing about gears is this: Even though I wasn’t using all of them at the time, it didn’t mean I would never need them.

The same can be true in regard to our spiritual gifts and abilities. During times when I feel I am not being used to do certain things I once did, instead of feeling useless and unappreciated I thank God for the “gear” I’m currently able to use. Just because a skill is not needed right now doesn’t mean it never will be.

Our spiritual gifts are needed in different ways at different times. Needs and circumstances change in unforeseeable and unpredictable ways. The apostle Paul reminded Titus, “Be ready for every good work” (Titus 3:1). May that be true of us as well.

Heavenly Father, I need to remember that what I do is up to You,

but how I do it is up to me.

Keep your tools ready—God will find work for you.

Article by Julie Ackerman Link, from Our Daily Bread, Copyright 2012 by RBC Ministries, Grand Rapids, MI. Reprinted by permission. All rights  reserved. Further distribution is prohibited without written permission from RBC Ministries.

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2012Oct14