I Owe You One

Tell me something:  are you the kind of person who finds it easy to take things from another?  No, I don't mean "are you a thief?"  That would just be silly.  What I am asking is:  do you find it hard to take something from someone else when you are in need?  For instance, if you are going through a financial difficulty, can you easily ask another for a loan?  Or, when your sitter bails on you, do you feel confident in asking your neighbor to watch your little darling?  What about when you need a ride to the doctor for an appointment that is going to take hours:  is there someone you can ask to go this "extra mile" with you and not feel as though they will decline your cry?

Most of us don't like to ask for help.  Call it pride.  Call it selflessness for not wanting to put another out.  Call it independence for wanting to handle things on our own.  Whatever label you choose, the simple fact is we don't like to be indebted to anyone.  Right?  Come on, now.  You know this is true.  So much so that it often carries on over into our prayer lives.

We don't have much trouble asking the Lord for our daily bread, do we?  Or when we uplift prayers for those around us who are needing.  Yet...when it comes to asking things for ourselves, do you--like me--find yourself bartering with God?

Lord, if You will heal my husband, I promise I will be a better wife to him.

Father?  If You will heal me from this cancer, I'll never smoke another cigarette again.

God, if You will get me out of this debt, I'll start to tithe--or at least make a donation to a certain cause.

Often our exchanges go even deeper, as we try to get the Lord on our side, making vows to be in church every time the doors are open, to pray every hour on the hour, to visit the sick, to take care of the needy, to stop swearing, drinking, philandering, overeating, or whatever we can come up with to get on His good side.  No more football.  No more soap operas.  I'll only listen to gospel radio.  I won't go to the movies, to the bars, to the stores.  I'll stop gossiping.  My clothes won't be so provocative.  I'll only speak when spoken to.  I'll stop complaining, whining, and being ungrateful.  Lord, whatever it takes for You to fix this, I'll do it.  I swear!  And then you proceed to swear by your firstborn, on the Bible itself, or what have you.

Oh my cow, friends, we have got to stop this!  Last time I checked (which was just a minute ago), God didn't put stipulations on His blessings.  Oh sure, He wants us to live righteously and to put certain evils away.  He tells us in 2 Chronicles 7 that:

"If I shut up the heavens so that there is no rain, or if I command the locust to devour the land, or if I send pestilence among My people, and My people who are called by My name humble themselves and pray and seek My face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, will forgive their sin and will heal their land.  Now My eyes will be open and My ears attentive to the prayer offered in this place.…"

And, also remember when Jesus Himself told us in Matthew 11:

"Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, 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..."

But the gist of all this, friends, is that we have not because we ask not.  Let me let Brother James explain it better:

You lust and do not have; so you commit murder. You are envious and cannot obtain; so you fight and quarrel. You do not have because you do not ask. You ask and do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, so that you may spend it on your pleasures.… 

Ask God, friends, for what it is you need.  Don't make Him promises you and I both know won't be fulfilled.  Just ask.  Do you need to beg?  Seriously?  Hmn.  I guess it depends on what you are wanting and just how capable you truly feel God is in being able to handle your request.  Those of us who grew up with earthly dads who were often stingy may feel we have to approach God this way while those who grew up as Daddy's girls may find they just have to sincerely bat their pretty little eyes at God and ask Him unwaveringly what it is that they need.  And those who range somewhere in between these two tangents?  Probably the best advice I could give is to--you've got it!--just ask.  Trust that God knows what we need, when we need it, or if we need something entirely different.  But until we go to Him, to Him friends, we just won't know, now will we?  Let's talk to Him now, shall we?

Dear Lord, the same Father I wrote about days ago Who loves to lavish His children, the same God Who delights in His kids, I come to You now with a plea.  No, scratch that, Father.  Not a plea but a request.  

Father?  I have this thing that has been bothering me for a while now.  It's been an aggravation to me and I tried to solve it on my own, with my methods, and with my interests put first.  But it kind of blew up in my face, and it created strife amongst those I love dearly.  So, yesterday, I made the decision to let it go, to let You handle it, and to take myself out of the equation.  For I see--as You so openly allowed me to when I take advantage of all of those lovely scriptures in Your Word--that this fight, this situation doesn't really concern me at all.  I am a tool, being used to be a stumblingstone.  You know that was not my intent, Lord, when I first began this quest of mine but like most things in life that I try to do without seeking Your approval first (yeah, I took for granted You were going to bless me in spite of me) it fell flat.  It also took a few down with it and now I am grieved in spirit and heart to have been a part of this.

I ask You now (and thanks for letting me come to You after the fact after I have messed up) to re-right the apple cart that I spilt.  Help me to save face as much as possible and mend fences where some of the boards were cracked.  Humble me and remind me that this lesson wasn't one I needed to relearn until I tried to do things in my own strength and power.  I was wrong.  I took my eyes off of You and placed them on me.  That's never a good idea, is it Lord?

Thank You for reconciliation and the opportunity to do better next time.  May my eyes focus on You and Your glory is my prayer for today.  In the name of Jesus I ask for it.  Amen. 

P R A Y

May 28, 2015

Petition the Lord

Requests for the Lord

Adoration for the Lord

Yield to His commands

Good morning! As I was pondering about what to write on today, I looked up the definition for "pray" and "prayer." My dear friends at Merriam-Webster had this to say about pray: to speak to God especially in order to give thanks or to ask for something: to hope or wish very much for something to happen: to seriously ask (someone) to do something. For prayer, here is what they listed: an address (as a petition) to God or a god in word or thought <said a prayer for the success of the voyage> (2) : a set order of words used in praying: an earnest request or wish: the act or practice of praying to God or a god <kneeling in prayer>

I wasn't satisfied so I made up my own acronym for pray (yeah, we old English majors will do that when we can't find the words that suit our special needs). Wander with me through each letter and let's see what we find.

Petition. Per Merriam-Webster, this word means to have an earnest request. That works for me! When I really want something, I can surely lay on the passion. For instance, when my friends are hurting, I can fervently ask God to intercede and to do His wonders. When pain is wracking bodies, my voice can be heard in a strenuous tone, imploring on the Lord to take the ache away. When others are in a strong sense of need, I can diligently ask my God to change things for the better.

Request. I like this one. One of my favorite sayings (which coincidentally is also a passage of scripture) is "you have not because you ask not." Example? Sure! Yesterday while at the doctor's office watching two of my gsons while my daughter was being attended to, I had CMan crawl up into my lap. I told him I bet that I could read his mind, to be still, let me look into his eyes, and give me just a moment. Fascinated, he sat there and tried not to squirm. I then said, "I bet you are thinking, 'Does Granny have any money so that I can go over to that machine and get me a snack.' Am I right?" His eyes widened with glee and he said "Yes, that is exactly what I was thinking!" He smiled winsomely at me and then said, "Well. Do you have any change, Granny?" Needless to say, the boy got his crackers and was blissful.

Usually I am not much of a mind-reader but there are many times when I think I know what someone is wanting. How much more so is God, our merry Father, waiting to hear us ask for Him to supply our needs--and our wants? Can't you just picture Him, eyes twinkling, as He waits for us to ask for what's on our hearts? Sure, He could just think it into action and it would be. But, He kind of likes it when His kids ask, when they talk to Him, and try to convince Him this is a good thing that they are talking to Him about. So, go ahead and ask. I dare you!

Adoration. Happy sigh. When I think of God this way, as a fatherly figure who is just waiting to see how He can make my day, how could I be anything but in love with Him? How could I not adore His characteristics, long for time with Him, and just bask in the warmth I am allowed to feel when my focus is on Him? Who else is always there, waiting for me to share my dreams, listening to my requests, guiding my path, and loving me with no condemnation through it all?

Yield. Uh, this is not my favorite part of this acronym but yield I must if I am to fully participate in prayer. After all, this isn't Burger King, where I place my order and expect it to be fixed my way. I need to realize my wants, my needs, and my hopes may not be in God's will--whether that means at this time or if that means not at all, since He knows best. My heart must line up with His knowledge so that all these things can work together for good. If that means I don't get everything on my list, then there is a purpose for that. At this stage of the game, I am more than sure that my Father knows best!

So, to wrap it all up, petition the Lord. Make your requests known to him. Adore Him and revel that the Creator of the world devotes His whole self to you when you call upon Him. Lastly, surrender. Yield to the One Who knows the end from the beginning. He has you in the palm of His hand and He sees you, friend. He hears you. Mostly though, He loves you and is making you to be like His Son Jesus. That's my prayer today. Hope it's yours as well!