Learning to Talk.

As a Jesus-follower, one knows prayer is an essential part of our journey. But there are critical moments when we know prayer is an absolute must. There are significant decisions to prayer over like who to marry/date, what career path to choose, and where to live. Sometimes we live with an uncertain future where you need to be laser-focused on what to do next. Moments when your job is eliminated or you’re unsure of the economy. And there are difficult circumstances like a devastating diagnosis, or a spouse leaves you, or you’re battling a sense of depression and loneliness.

When these moments come, and they will, we should not be looking left or right but up to our incredible Heavenly Father for direction and peace.

Jesus shows us how to do that in the Sermon on the Mount and specifically in the Lord’s Prayer in Matthew 6. But first, he shows us how NOT to pray. Jesus addresses it in verses 5-8 where he describes the religious leaders of his day who loved to be very showy with their prayers. The word “hypocrisy” that Jesus uses is a theater word which envisions being an actor with an audience. Don’t be an actor.

Instead, Jesus says pray in private. Just have a conversation with God the Father. There is no “right way” to pray so don’t worry about the wording or your body position. Simply have a conversation with the God who loves you.

Jesus reminds us as he opens the prayer in Matthew 6:9 that we are praying to “our Father”. And this indicates it’s a very personal relationship we have with our God. So many times we pray as if there is a contract in place and God is somehow obliged to us. We come to him and say, “God, I’ve tithed, gone to church on Sunday, been a part of a ministry 2-3 times this year…why aren’t you granted my prayer request?”

But Jesus in opening his prayer with the word “father” reminds us that we have a father/child relationship with God. He knows you by name and your story well. So come to him unconditionally as you would your own father knowing God wants what’s best for you.

“Our Father” also indicates immediate access to God. You can go to God anytime, any place. He’s available. Although the opening indicates his home is in heaven, He’s never far away but awaits to have a conversation with you about you life and Kingdom work.

God lives outside the time and space we are confined to live which means he knows more about our story than we do. He’s already in tomorrow so trust him like you would your own father and follow his design for life. In Isaiah 55:8-9 God says, “My thoughts are nothing like your thoughts and my ways are far beyond anything you could imagine.” Trust in God and follow how He’s called us to live in his Son, Jesus. He knows what is best for you.

Finally, Jesus says, “Keep His Name holy.” Holy means set apart, separate, make sacred.” It’s a reminder that God is in a category all his own. We are saying that God has no equal. There is nothing in all creation like God. So, when we pray, we are putting all things under Him and in His will. In prayer, we remove our focus from the mountains in our life and focus on the mountain mover.

Our personal relationship with God the Father comes through Jesus Christ. Start this year by recommitting to Jesus and a regular prayer life. Speak up. God wants to hear your voice. Embrace Jesus and gain access to the Heavenly Father. Blessings on your journey.

It's a Wild Wilderness!

I remember the summer of 1986. It was the summer before I went to college and my dad wanted to go on a family vacation. So he took us to see Mt. Rushmore in South Dakota. He wanted to make it adventurous so he took us in the back way through the Badlands of S.D. We ended up breaking down on this gravel road and my brother and I walked seven miles to the nearest town to get help. Walking through those badlands was hot, sweaty, and long. It was not hospitable.

Sometimes in life, you find yourself in a wilderness. It’s tough. It’s painful. You feel abandoned and alone. Sometimes it’s a season of spiritual dryness. But our deepest need becomes a gift when it drives you to depend on God.

That’s what happens to the prophet Elijah after he defeats the 850 prophets of Baal on Mt. Carmel in 1 Kings 18-19. He literally has this epic mountain top experience with God but one person says something that sends him running. It’s like he forgot all of the experiences in his life that showed him God was with him. That God was real. That God would protect him. That God had a relationship with him.

And some of you are there right now. You’ve had enough. You can’t take anymore. You’re exhausted and overwhelmed. The truth is a nap will not cure how tired you are. The truth is you’re spiritually depleted. You need a real, intimate encounter with God. You need a revelation of hope and loving kindness from a living God. You’re asking God, like the Psalmist in Psalms 23, to restore your soul.

In Elijah’s story, he runs away from the threat on his life but God is with him. And in his wilderness, God asks him a question, “What are you doing here, Elijah?”

God may be asking you the same question. “What are you doing here? You know better! You have full access to me. You’re a child of the King. You’re part of my family. Why are you running away?”

In Elijah’s story, God asks him to come to the edge of the mountain so that God can pass by in front of him. There is a multitude of things that happen: rock-busting strong wind, earthquake, fire…but God was not in any of those radical moments. God ultimately is in a quiet whisper. And why does God whisper?

Because he’s very close…he’s near to you. He’s right there with you in your wilderness. You can reach out and hold his hand. He’s that close to you. And what is he whispering to you? “I will never leave you or forsake you. I will hold you up with my strong right hand. I will stand by you. I won’t let you fall. I will be a light for you. I love you more than you can imagine.”

So know as we say goodbye to 2020, we embrace a new story and a new year. It’s a story where God is with you no matter what you are experiencing in life. He loves you and will never leave you. Blessings on your journey.

Embrace Your Valley

I’ve been hiking in several locations. Got lost on Mount Beirstadt in Colorado. Saw seven states at the same time from a location on Lookout Mountain in Georgia. The mountain top experience is breathtaking and beautiful. But you can’t stay on the mountain top for long.

You know, everything grows well in the valley. Nothing really grows on the mountain top. The Valley is where things are well fed. It’s where the water is located. It’s where things mature.

The prophet Habakkuk reminds us in his story, during very difficult times, you embrace your valley. It may be painful. It may not be your first choice. But if you truly want to mature and grow in Christ, embrace your valley. The first two chapters of Habakkuk, he’s wrestling and embracing God. He’s got some questions. He’s heard all the incredible stories of how God came to the rescue and saved his people.

Habakkuk says he’s seen how God works. He’s heard the stories of God rescuing his people from Egypt and how he parted the Red Sea. He’s heard the stories of God providing manna and quail in the wilderness. He’s heard the stories of God providing water out of a rock. He knows God held true to his promise of giving Canaan to his people. The list goes on. God can do powerful, mighty, unbelievable things.

So, where is God in Habakkuk’s valley? Nothing is joyful or happy any more. There seems to be no silver lining in the the clouds that loom. There are no parties or sounds of laughter. God, do you see what’s going on? Do you see the pain of your people? I’ve heard of your awesomeness. Will you share that with us now? Please come to our rescue.

As you look around your story and our world, we could ask the same things. COVID-19 has locked down our planet. People have lost careers, jobs, income. Unemployment is high. American death toll is over 100K. Some of those in places of authority have abused that gift and people have been hurt because of it. The racial tension in our country is incredibly high, resulting in riots, damage, meanness, and hate. Children are dying on the African continent simply because they don’t have enough to eat. Nations bristle against one another because they cannot find peaceful ground. Civil war is out of control in the Middle East and Africa. We look around and wonder, what are we to do in this valley?

Like Habakkuk, we will wrestle and embrace. We wrestle with God asking and praying for solutions and positive outcomes. But we never let go of His hand. We continue to embrace almighty God. He still sits on his throne. We will remember and embrace the faithfulness of God. We believe that God is still good despite what is happening all around us.

If Habakkuk 1 is about wondering where God is and chapter 2 is waiting on God in your story, then chapter 3 is about the power of God in your life. Habakkuk looks a bad situation in the face, knowing it’s only going to get worse and says that the Lord is still on his throne and He is worthy of praise!

See, I get to enjoy God on the mount top but I get to know him in the valley. I praise him on the mountain top for the “what” in my life but I praise him in my valley for the “who” that He is. You cannot really have his power to move through your situation, your valley, your difficult story without the wondering and waiting. So, embrace your valley. Look it in the face and say, ‘My God is bigger.” God is building you. Continue to embrace but don’t let go of God. Wrestle and embrace. I love the mountain top but I grow in the valley.

May God surround you as the mountains surround Jerusalem. Blessings on your journey.