When I Pray Nothing Happens

Whenever I pray nothing happens. How many times have you heard that phrase uttered or maybe you have expressed the same sentiments yourself. You ever wonder why God seems to answer some prayers while other prayers it seems that He completely ignores. I have been a Christian for many years and I know that there are times when I pray and I feel an immediate peace about whatever it is that I’m praying about.  And then there are times I pray and the moment I say the word “Amen” my hands are still sweaty and my spirit is still very troubled.  Why is that?

I have read and studied the scriptures to find the purpose of prayer and I don’t profess to have all the answers but I do have an opinion and I think my opinion matters. At least, to me it does.

I think it’s time we pull out our bible and find the biblical definition for prayer. James 4:3 says “Ye ask, and receive not, because ye ask amiss, that ye may consume [it] upon your lusts” so then, according to James, when we ask God for something that is by definition a prayer.  So to put this verse into context, James is saying that the reason why so many prayers go unanswered is people tend to pray with themselves as the chief recipient of whatever it is their praying for.  So, before we move to the next point lets be clear on what prayer is exactly; to pray is to ask, make a request or to simply converse with God.

Now armed with this definition of prayer it’s correct to assume that praying is a pretty-big-deal.  Think about that for a minute. God the creator of the universe wants his kids to converse with him. Which means that prayer is our time TO TALK with God and it's also his time TO TALK with us.  Now to some folks that may seem a little odd or far-fetched. They would say God is far too busy to be concerned with my life. But again I think its best to base our opinion about God according to what the bible says about Him.  I need to give more scripture here before we go further.  Jesus is teaching some folks about prayer and I want you to pay close attention to what Jesus says about prayer in the text. Check this out: Luke11:9-13 “And I say unto you, Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you.10For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened.11If a son shall ask bread of any of you that is a father, will he give him a stone? or if [he ask] a fish, will he for a fish give him a serpent?12Or if he shall ask an egg, will he offer him a scorpion?13If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children: how much more shall [your] heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to them that ask him?”

Clearly Jesus wanted his listeners to know that God was as interested in what they had to say as they would be in terms of listening to their own children.  I love what Jesus says in this passage.  Clearly he wants us to know that God in many ways is much like our earthly parents but far better. Note verse 13 “If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children: how much more shall [your] heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to them that ask him.” Ok, it could not be clearer; God wants to talk to you as a father desires to speak to his own child.  The real question is why.  Why does God expect us to pray or more specifically what is the purpose for praying?  

I want to give you My Top Ten Reasons why it’s good for us to be praying on a daily basis.

1.       Jesus Prayed.  If I am to be conformed to the image of Christ then it only makes sense for me to follow the example of Christ.

2.       God knows what I don’t. Every day is new day to me and I don’t know what new challenges I’m going to be facing that day but God does. So I pray to him for help in getting me through a day that he sees clearly from His perspective.

3.       Peace. So many people do not trust in God because their minds can’t fully understand why God allows so many tragic things to happen.  If God is real, then why did my brother, father or friend die so tragically?  Whenever I pray consistently God often gives me peace when I am facing very difficult times.

4.       Strength. I often chuckle in my spirit whenever I talk to people who are arrogant enough to think that they don’t need God.  I have had people tell me that God is nothing but a crutch for me, to which I reply, “He’s a really good crutch. You should try him.”  How do people make it without going to God for strength? I have no idea. The strength I pray to God for often helps me to avoid temptation.  Prayer is a wonderful thing.

5.       Provision. There are times when your efforts just aren’t enough to make ends meet.  God says it’s ok to seek our provision from him each day in prayer.  That does not mean that we should forsake our responsibility of working.  But when we are being responsible with our finances and we still don’t have enough God promises to provide us with our daily provisions. What an awesome promise of scripture and like the three Hebrew boys said in Daniel, “if he doesn’t provide I’m still going to trust him.”  

6.       Providence. God’s plan and purpose should always be more important than my plans.  If I’m praying and the situation never changes in the way that I feel that it should, then there is a strong possibility that God is working out His will in my life, His way. My prayer is that I’m ok with that. Jesus said as much. “Not my will farther, but your will be done.”  Jesus prayed this way in the Garden of Gethsemene just before he faced Calvary’s Cross.    

7.       Forgiveness. There are times when I pray and I know that God wants to discuss a certain issue of my heart.  If I don’t address that particular issue it seems as if God won’t move on to other topics.  Usually when this happens it’s because I have unforgiveness in my heart.  So then when I pray I need to make sure that I have dealt with any unforgiveness with a sister or brother, because if I don’t, that will affect my prayer life.  So, I make it a practice to apologize if I know I have wronged someone, especially if that someone is my wife. J

8.       Confession. So many times we pray and do not confess transgressions.  It’s one thing to go and seek forgiveness from a spouse that I have wronged but I also need to agree with God that I have done wrong.  This to me is what’s awesome about prayer.   Whenever I confess my wrong doing to God the immediate feeling of freedom that I experience is indescribable.  He forgives me and He does not hold grudges and that’s a good thing. Often I will confess a wrong to God and before I’m finished praying I will make the same mistake again.  God is so awesome.

9.       Awareness. Somebody reading this point right now does not believe God exists. I dare you to pray sincerely for God to reveal himself to you. I know that He will.  Praying often helps me to become more spiritually aware of how God wants to work in my life.

10.   It is a Command. We should be praying because God tells us in his word that believers should pray and not become tired. So keep praying and seeking the Lord.  He is awesome. So these are my top ten reasons and purposes for prayer.  God always hears and answers prayers.  Just keep praying.

A Shot Herd Round the World

Life changing events are hard to forget, aren’t they?  I think of life changing events as life’s landmarks. I am old enough now to have had several of these so called landmarks.  I remember my first kiss and that’s all I’m going to say about that. I remember the first time I slept alone, in my own room, that is. I remember the first night I spent away from home in college. I remember asking Carolina to be my wife and it’s been 20years now. I thought I would just throw that in there.  These of course were all life changing events for me personally. 

I wonder have you ever thought about what it is about events that makes one event more important than the other.  Why do we remember some things and forget others?  The ultimate question I’m asking is this, “What is it about certain events that we just can’t seem to get them out of our minds?” And of course the answer to that question is obvious. We tend to remember things that bring about the greatest change in us. Amen.

Ralph Waldo Emerson a famous poet who wrote a hymn honoring the Battle of Lexington and Concord. The name of the poem is “The Concord Hymn.”  The first stanza in the poem reads as follows

By the rude bridge that arched the flood,
Their flag to April’s breeze unfurled,
Here once the embattled farmers stood,
And fired the shot heard round the world.

The 4^th line of the Stanza states that the farmers of Lexington fired the first shot that started the American Revolutionary War.  Now figuratively or literally does not matter.  The facts are that on April 19, 1775 a shot was indeed fired and because of this single shot a war between 13 Colonies and Great Brittan was ignited.  Literally this single event changed the destiny and shape of the World at that time.  Do you think the guy who fired the first musket ever forgot the day he fired that rifle? I think not.

If you’ve followed my writing style you know I’m going somewhere with this.  I love reading and rereading through the scriptures tracking the life of Jesus.  I especially like paying attention to the impact that Jesus had on people who may have met him for the first time.  Literally, each time you read about a person meeting Jesus for the first time, the impact that single event had on them is quite remarkable.  I want to very quickly look at a view of these examples in scripture. 

First let’s look at the centurion guards who stood at the foot of the cross Matt27:54 “Now when the centurion, and they that were with him, watching Jesus, saw the earthquake, and those things that were done, they feared greatly, saying, Truly this was the Son of God.” What did these men, soldiers, see that caused them to admit that this man, who they had just crucified, was indeed the Son of God. The scripture gives us a vivid description of what they saw. I promise you that those guards, who witnessed the sky go black, the earth quaking and shaking, who heard Jesus praying, knew that the events they were witnessing were no ordinary events. I’m absolutely sure that many of the soldiers that day left the scene of the crucifixion forever changed.

Second let’s look at Simon the Cyrene, this is the one lone man who helped Jesus the Messiah carry the cross from The Praetorium to the Hill of Golgotha Matt27:32 “And as they came out, they found a man of Cyrene, Simon by name: him they compelled to bear his cross.”  Now to go from the Praetorium to Golgotha’s Hill was no short journey.  I know Jesus was exhausted from the beating he received earlier that day.  Pilate made every effort to beat Jesus bad enough to avoid actually crucifying him.  However, Caiaphas the High Priest and the other leaders only wanted to see Jesus dead.  So imagine this, Jesus has blood all over his body, his cloths are socked through and through with his own blood, yet Jesus made every effort to carry that cross.  Jesus took every step, with as much effort as he could muster up, even though he had the help of Simon the Cyrene.  Simon could see in Jesus eyes that though he appreciated the help of Simon, Jesus wanted to carry that cross.  Do you think that event changed Simon?  I tell you the truth it did. Simon saw the strength of God up close and personal.  Writing about what Simon witnessed moves my heart to a compassion that I can’t completely explain with words.

Third and finally, I want to look at Pilot. Now here is this governor whose wife at this point has been persuaded that Jesus is indeed a just man. I would say chances are that Pilot’s wife has had a conversion experience.  Now, with that being said, Pilot is faced with the crucifying of Jesus, who, if he didn’t crucify Jesus, would destroy any political future that he had left.  The Jewish leaders knew that Pilot was facing political dismissal from the powers that be because of the political upheaval in Jerusalem already.  They knew Pilot was one riot away from losing his power, authority and maybe even his own life.  Then interestingly enough Pilots’ wife shared some things with him, about this Jewish messiah, that I’m sure he could not get out of his mind.  Pilot of course like many of us did not want to go down this very difficult road.  Pilot elected to crucify Jesus though he knew Jesus was innocent. Pilot knew that the Jewish Leaders just wanted Jesus dead in order to preserve their own power.  I want to show you a passage that stands out to me as it relates to Pilot and Jesus: Matt27:11 “And Jesus stood before the governor: and the governor asked him, saying, Art thou the King of the Jews? And Jesus said unto him, Thou sayest.”I believe Pilot is asking this question in all sincerity.  If it’s true that Jesus is indeed King of the Jews, then Pilot knows according to Jewish teachings, that this is indeed prophecy being fulfilled, right before his very eyes.  Pilot is aware of the Jewish teachings. He knows what Herod did when he thought a King was born 30 plus years ago. Pilot is standing face to face with truth and there is no doubt in my mind that he knows the answer to the questions he asks.   

We face a changing world every day and many of the events changing the world I believe are orchestrated by God.  I know God loves each created person who is living or who has ever lived.  Perhaps people like Pilot chose to ignore the God-Change-Moment in their lives.  While others will use the same event as a reason to draw nigh to God.  However, one thing is for sure, when the shot herd round the world was fired back in 1775, the world changed and the people had no choice but to respond to their changing world.  Jesus is changing and preparing this world for his promised return.  My prayer is that maybe, just maybe, the reading of this blog will be the event that God uses to change you.

If It Don’t Kill You It Will Just Make You Stronger

It’s been a while since I have blogged.  I have been doing lots of pondering and bantering in my mind of late which explains why I haven’t shared anything on my blog page.  This exercise of pondering has proven, in most cases, to be a dangerous occupation for me.  Are you familiar with the saying an idle mind is the devils play ground? Well, if you are, then you must know that I certainly am no exception to this draconian rule.

I have been thinking about the many difficulties that ordinary folks face and what I have come to realize is this.  Many times unknowingly folks tend to live in an imaginary protective bubble.   Meaning and certainly I am guilty of this, their personal problem’s are the only thing in life that matter. Often, when I face very difficult times my prayers tend to be primarily self focused. I tend to pray things like, and I’m just being honest here “God take this problem away or make it better just do something. Amen.”  I realize that difficult times have a way of making you think only about ducking and covering. But something I can remember hearing from my parents when I was much younger and I think it’s a truth worth repeating and remembering “if it don’t kill you it will just make you stronger.”

I know I have ADD because I have to mention something here that is relevant but off subject a bit.  The other day I was listening to NPR radio which stands for National Public Radio.  Anyway, there was a segment on about the Lost Boys of Sudan Africa.  The country of Sudan between the years of (1983-2005) was torn by civil war and as civil war goes in that part of the world 27000 young boys along with other members of their family fled on foot and walked barefooted from Sudan to Ethiopia. Many of those fleeing Sudan died along the way.  However, several of these now refugees survived the treacherous journey. Did I say they were mostly traveling bare footed through the ruff terrain of Northern Africa, no shoes…..wow!  The United States granted 3800 of these lost boys citizenship.  The good news is that a large majority of these boys have went on to get advanced degrees and many of them are thriving and living financially independent in a foreign cultural that they knew absolutely nothing about which again validates to some extent what I want you to get from today’s blog, “if it don’t kill you it will just make you stronger.”

OK, let’s see where was I?  I need to give you some bible to help get this truth down into your spirit.  If you got a minute go grab a bible you might want to read more than I’m going to quote here, Phil1-21-23 “For to me to live [is] Christ, and to die [is] gain.22But if I live in the flesh, this [is] the fruit of my labour: yet what I shall choose I wot not.23For I am in a strait betwixt two, having a desire to depart, and to be with Christ; which is far better:24Nevertheless to abide in the flesh [is] more needful for you.” I need to give you some background information here that will help you understand the truth we want to communicate here.  Paul is in prison for doing what God called him to do and the blessing he received for his obedience was a Roman prison sentence! Yea, you read correctly a Roman Prison!!  So then, it would seem fair and reasonable for Paul to be angry and to some extent hacked off at God.  After all, Paul was only doing what God called him to do, right?  But, and there’s always a but, let’s try and gain more insight from Paul’s point of view. 

Paul says in verse 21 “for me to live is Christ, and to die is gain.” But why does Paul say this? It’s true he is in Jail for following Christ but why is his perspective so, I don’t know, so positive?  The answer to that question is found in verse 20 “According to my earnest expectation and [my] hope, that in nothing I shall be ashamed, but [that] with all boldness, as always, [so] now also Christ shall be magnified in my body, whether [it be] by life, or by death.” It seems that Paul has learned a deep but very simple truth. He has learned that his life is all about making much of Christ and as long as Christ is being glorified in a trial that he happens to be facing then it is both a good and positive exercise. Now I can’t honestly say that I’ve reached this level of spiritual maturity but one thing is for sure “If it don’t kill you it will just make you stronger.” So I know as long as I have life I still have trials that I will continue to face. However my prayer is that as I suffer God will help me to grow stronger and that my suffering be a result of my boldness of wanting to make much of Jesus. Because I know that he has already made much of me.