Unleashed: As You Go – Pray

“Make yourself an ark of cypress wood; make rooms in the ark, and cover it inside and out with pitch. This is how you are to make it: the length of the ark three hundred cubits, its width fifty cubits, and its height thirty cubits. Make a roof for the ark, and finish it to a cubit above; and put the door of the ark in its side; make it with lower, second, and third decks.” (Gen 6:14-16)

Standing in the shadow of the Ark replicate at the Ark Encounter in Williamstown, Kentucky, I was overwhelmed at the size and scope of this wooden structure. At 510 feet in length, 85 feet in width, and 51 feet in height it is simply immense. Regardless of the impressive size of the structure, far greater is the story of salvation which is the real story of the Ark.

Life on earth had not been the same since the rebellion in the garden. Granted, there had been some spiritual bright spots within the generations. Abel sought to genuinely worship God even though it cost him his life. (4:4) Enoch sought such a close intimacy with God that he “walked with God; then he was no more, because God took him.” (5:21-24) Methuselah lived to the ripe old age of 969 years. However, the spotlight has to shine on a man named Noah. “Noah was a righteous man, blameless in his generation; Noah walked with God.” (6:9)

In spite of these few bright spots overall the lifestyle of people on earth didn’t look good. “The LORD saw that the wickedness of humankind was great in the earth, and that every inclination of the thoughts of their hearts was only evil continually.” (6:5) Creation that had been declared “good” by God has deteriorate to the point that “the Lord was sorry that he had made humankind on the earth.”

Somewhere along the way parents forgot to pass along the stories to their children of how “God saw everything that he had made, and indeed, it was very good.” (1:31) People got so busy with life that they no longer “heard the sound of the LORD God walking in the garden” (3:8) No longer did anyone grieve over sin which had caused God to drive their ancestors from the garden of Eden.

“Now the earth was corrupt in God’s sight, and the earth was filled with violence.” (6:11) No longer was God able to enjoy the beauty of his creation because of the wickedness of mankind. Those once cherished moments of relational intimacy that had marked creation now “grieved him to his heart.” He had reached the point where “the LORD said, “I will blot out from the earth the human beings I have created—people together with animals and creeping things and birds of the air, for I am sorry that I have made them.” (6:7)

Can you imagine such grief? Yet one man “found favor in the sight of the LORD.” In the midst of wickedness, violence and evil, this one man, Noah, found favor as he walked with God blameless and righteous in the midst of society. One man chose to walk with God and stood in the gap. Through this one’s faith, generations would experience life.

Noah was given a God-size task, to build a boat in the middle of nowhere. Noah, his wife, his sons and their wives went to work. It wasn’t easy to cut the trees, saw the planks, build the rooms, gather the food, collect the water and listen to the laughter and ridicule of their neighbors. Yet “Noah did this; he did all that God commanded him.” (6:22)

Noah could have joined in with his siblings and neighbors to simply fit in with the culture around him. Surely it would be easier to be part of the party than to be an outsider. Yet,“By faith Noah, warned by God about events as yet unseen, respected the warning and built an ark to save his household; by this he condemned the world and became an heir to the righteousness that is in accordance with faith.” (Hebrews 11:7)

“Then the LORD said to Noah, “Go into the ark…” and there Noah sat with his family and all the animals for seven days. The door was closed and there they sat with all the mooing, grunting and chirping. Waiting is hard.  Noah could hear his brother’s voice ridiculing him. Maybe Mrs. Noah could hear the high pitch whisper of her sewing club talking about how foolish she was. Jesus used Noah as an illustration about being watchful when he said, “For as in those days before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage.” Otherwise life as normal “until the flood came and swept them all away.” (Matthew 24:36-39)

Noah obeyed, yet seven days can seem like an eternity. Did I hear correctly?  Doubting if all the years of living a righteous life was really worth it. Looking down at his calloused hands from all the manual labor. What does he have to show for his life?  Seven days! Then he hears the first drop of rain and he bows his head in worship.

“Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen. Indeed, by faith our ancestors received approval. By faith we understand that the worlds were prepared by the word of God, so that what is seen was made from things that are not visible.” Hebrews 11:1-3

God is great,

Pastor Lynn

 

 

 

 

 

Unleashed: As You Go – Pray

Our Father in heaven,

Hallowed be your name.

Your kingdom come.

Your will be done

On earth as it is in heaven.

Give us this day our daily bread,

And forgive us our debts,

As we also have forgiven our debtors.

And do not lead us into temptation,

But deliver us from the evil one.

For yours is the kingdom and the power

And the glory forever. Amen. Matthew 6:9-13 (NKJV)

 

“He was praying in a certain place, and after he had finished, one of his disciples said to him, “Lord, teach us to pray, as John taught his disciples.” (Luke 11:1) Surely Jesus’ disciples had heard others pray. It’s not as if the disciples didn’t know how to pray, they had listened to countless hours of prayers by the religious leaders. They had even listened as Jesus taught about prayer. However, something finally clicked in this one disciple’s soul for him to voice the question, “Lord, teach us to pray.”

Maybe for the very first time the simple intimacy that Jesus prayed touched him so deeply that he wanted more. Maybe it wasn’t the words, but the depth of a relationship that he saw. Maybe for the first time, the words of Jesus, “when you are praying, do not heap up empty phrases as the Gentiles do; for they think that they will be heard because of their many words”, took root. Much like our modern idiom, “the light bulb went on in his brain,” he understood there was more to prayer than words only.

“Someone once approached a teacher and asked her how to cultivate a deeper prayer life. “Say the Lord’s Prayer,” she replied, “but take an hour to say it.” (author unknown)

Instead of hitting the gas and going from 0 to 30 seconds which is about the average for repeating the words to this model prayer, slow down and let the prayer be the frame for our requests and worship. No longer do we see it as a rote prayer but as a life-giving pattern to enjoy communion with God. There may come mornings when we never get passed the opening phrase, “Our Father” when we are praying.

“The Lord’s Prayer is a prayer about God’s honor and glory. It is a prayer about God’s kingdom coming on earth as in heaven—which pretty much sums up what a lot of Christianity is all about. It’s a prayer for bread, for meeting the needs of every day. And it’s a prayer for rescue from evil.” (N.T. Wright)

Enjoy the beauty and intimacy of this prayer as the gift of grace that Jesus intended for your life. Slowly let the words of Jesus form your words. Meditate upon each phrase allowing it to shape your prayer requests for the day. Don’t get so focused on the form that you miss looking into the face of God.

Lord, it is about You, not about me but You let me make it about me until I finally understand it is all about You! You listen so deeply to what I think are my needs even when they sound more like wants. You forgive me, now if only I can forgive others. In a world filled with evil, You wait patiently to guide me home safely. “For yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen”.

God is great,

Pastor Lynn

Unleashed: As You Go – Pray

“And the Spirit immediately drove him out into the wilderness. He was in the wilderness forty days, tempted by Satan; and he was with the wild beasts; and the angels waited on him.” Mark 1:12-13

Rob Lundgren and his son were backpacking in Idaho’s Frank Church-River of No Return Wilderness.  Lundgren remembers crawling into his nice warm sleeping bag that night but found himself startled awake after falling into the icy cold creek. Now wide awake at 8,000 feet and 20 degrees outside, he lives out a nightmare in the wilderness.  “I hadn’t sleepwalked in over 50 years, so it was the last thing on my mind…”  

Bitten by a Rattlesnake

Mauled by a Grizzly

Stranded on a ledge

Lost in an Ice Cave

Mauled by a Mountain Lion

Such are some of the headlines from the Backpacker magazine. Life in the wilderness with all of its amazing beauty, is also a place of unbelievable danger. Much like Lundgren, we have often found ourselves awaken from a wonderful dream into a living nightmare.

Eugene Peterson said it well, “There are times, no matter how thoroughly we’re civilized, when we’re plunged into the wilderness—not a geographical wilderness but what I’m going to call a circumstantial wilderness. Everything is going along fine—and then suddenly we’re beside ourselves. We don’t know what’s going on within us or in another who is important to us; feelings erupt in us that call into question what we’ve never questioned before. There’s a radical change in our bodies, or our emotions, or our thinking, or our friends, or our job. We’re out of control. We’re in the wilderness.”

The list of our circumstantial wilderness experiences is never exhaustive. We may find ourselves unemployed because the company reorganized. We may find ourselves in the hospital because a drunk driver ran a traffic light. We may find ourselves sitting in a funeral service from the death of a loved one. We may find ourselves_______, you fill in the blank.

This May Connie and I found ourselves sitting in the Piedmont Emergency Room with my Father-In-Law who had a life threating knee infection, only to get a call at midnight the same day, from our daughter in Nashville that our little grandson was at the Vanderbilt ER struggling with a breathing problem.  We found ourselves in a circumstantial wilderness. Scripture is filled with example after example of wilderness living.

Young David finds himself being driven into the wilderness by King Saul. David had learned some lessons about living in the wilderness but now he found himself facing new obstacles for his survival. What did David do? He turned to God. “You, God, are my God, I earnestly search for you.” (Psalm 63:1a)

“If you are chased into the wilderness when you are persecuted, do not be afraid as if you were all alone. Instead, rise up early in the morning and sing Psalm 63 to God knowing that he is there.” (Athanasius)

Moses’ time in the wilderness prepared him to lead God’s people out of slavery and he found himself standing on holy ground (Exodus 3). Elijah fled to the wilderness fearful of his life only to find renewal at the hand of God (I Kings 19).  Jesus found himself in the wilderness locked in battle with Satan until “angels came and took care of Jesus.” (Matthew 4)

“I readily acknowledge that this circumstantial wilderness is a terrible, frightening, and dangerous place; but I also believe that it’s a place of beauty. In the wilderness we’re plunged into an awareness of danger and death; at the very same time we’re plunged, if we let ourselves be, into an awareness of the great mystery of God and the extraordinary preciousness of life.” (Eugene Peterson)

Life in the wilderness can push us to our limits. The truth, we will all find ourselves at some point living in the wilderness. The question becomes, what will you do?

Lord, I find myself in a wilderness that I didn’t choose. A wilderness that is overwhelming. A wilderness that makes me afraid. I know I can’t go it alone so please be my refuge, my strength, my rock. As you walk with me in this wilderness let me find in you the joy, hope, peace and knowledge that only you can provide. Amen.

God is great,

Pastor Lynn

 

Unleashed: As You Go – Pray

“I have learned to be content with whatever I have. I know what it is to have little, and I know what it is to have plenty. In any and all circumstances I have learned the secret of being well-fed and of going hungry, of having plenty and of being in need. I can do all things through him who strengthens me.” Philippians 4:11-13

“I can do all things through him who strengthens me” only because I learned (am learning) to be content in good times and bad, in wealth and in poverty or whether I am eating well or barely have enough. The secret is found in my relationship to Christ and only in that relationship to be able to do all things “through him who strengthens me.”

Many believers find comfort in quoting “I can do all things through him who strengthens me” during a crisis and stressful times of life, yet quickly forget to quote it during the good times. Contentment in any circumstance is the key that allows Christ to strengthen me to do all things.

Russell Conwell’s story of an African farmer in “Acres of Diamonds” exemplifies contentment well. The farmer sold his land and everything he had to go in search of diamonds and the wealth they would bring him. The farmer had a modest farm that provided for him and his family, yet the lure of wealth drove him to envy the stories of men who became rich prospecting for diamonds. The man spent the rest of his life in a vain search for diamonds that he thought would bring wealth and material contentment, but never found the true contentment of his soul. He came to the end of his life finding it empty until ultimately committing suicide.

However, the new owner of his farm found an interesting stone while working in the field and placed it on his mantle. According to the story, he had no idea that the pretty stone was anything but a stone until a visitor identified it as a diamond. It was just one of many diamonds to be found on his farm. The original farmer never found contentment though he walked daily on riches beyond his imagination.

Paul writing from a prison cell can testify that contentment isn’t about location or circumstances. We all agree that verse 13 is a great verse when facing difficult times but without the developing relationship with Jesus that brings contentment, it can leave you with a type of rabbit-foot faith. Contentment born out of a relationship with Christ provides for the when-I-can’t moments but keeps me balanced in the when-I-can opportunities. Learning contentment in all circumstances is the launch-pad that allows “I can do all things through him who strengthens me” to impact a life.

Paul quoted “I can do all things through him who strengthens me” only because he understood life through the lens of contentment. Somehow, I think he would have told the farmer that whether he barely survived on a farm growing corn, or if he flourished on a farm filled with diamonds, that his source of true life could only be found in Christ who would strengthen him.

Dallas Willard wrote, “He (Paul) succeeded in abundance because of his relation to Christ just as much as he succeeded by grace in his times of need. Few people understand that they need help to abound. The gospel is for the up-and-in as well as the down-and-out, equally so, and equally needed, from God’s point of view. The church’s solidarity with the poor cannot be realized until spirituality has a place in the boardrooms and factories, the universities and government offices, equal to what it has in the church house, the religious retreat, or the rescue mission.”

Jesus, I acknowledge my need for you no matter what my circumstances. If I struggle, then I ask for your grace. If I abound, then I ask for your humility. It is out of my relationship with you that “I can do all things through you who strengthens me.”

God is great,

Pastor Lynn

Unleashed: As You Go – Pray

“…. Stand up and bless the LORD your God from everlasting to everlasting. Blessed be your glorious name, which is exalted above all blessing and praise.” Nehemiah 9:5

Looking out across the faces of those gathered for his inauguration, George Washington realized that he and this fledgling nation faced an uncertain future. He had no precedent on which to lead nor traditions on which to draw; his would be the responsibility to lead this new nation into existence. Once he took the oath of office and gave his inaugural speech, President Washington walked with other leaders of the new nation to St. Paul’s Chapel to pray. A quote attributed to Washington is that “it is impossible to rightly govern a nation without God and the Bible”.

President Washington understood that without God, this new nation faced a perilous future for “It is the duty of all nations to acknowledge the providence of Almighty God, to obey His will, to be grateful for His benefits, and humbly to implore His protection and favor.” Our nation was birthed with imperfect leaders. It would take decades to address wrongs that would ultimately allow freedom for all to be weaved into the fabric of the nation. The work continues for our nation and its people to be “One Nation Under God”.

Nehemiah understood the challenges of leading and rebuilding a nation in shambles. The once powerful and proud nation of Israel had been left in ruin because of their sin and rebellion against God. Nehemiah’s deep passion for the survivors had broken his heart and he “sat down and wept, and mourned for days, fasting and praying before the God of heaven.” Out of his passion for the people, Nehemiah sought to return to Jerusalem to undertake the rebuilding of the city.

Nehemiah faced hostile opposition, oppression of the poor and vulnerable, and political intrigue, yet through it all he completely relied upon God to strengthen his hands until “the wall was finished”. The day finally came when the wall was completed and the gates set in place “and when all our enemies heard of it, all the nations around us were afraid and fell greatly in their own esteem; for they perceived that this work had been accomplished with the help of our God.” (Neh 6:15-16)

The time arrived for Nehemiah and the people to celebrate the completion of the wall. It was a time of worship and of finding a restored hope as the people of God. Unlike our typical July 4th celebration of fireworks, parades and cookouts, the people of Jerusalem “assembled with fasting and in sack cloth, and with earth on their heads”. (9:1) Those gathered recognized their need for God as they moved into a time of national confession.

They “stood and confessed their sins and the iniquities of their ancestors. They stood up in their place and read from the book of the law of the LORD their God for a fourth part of the day, and for another fourth they made confession and worshiped the LORD their God.” (9:2-3)

As we celebrate July 4th, maybe the words spoken by President Theodore Roosevelt in 1909 are as relevant for Americans today as they were then. “I believe that the next half century will determine if we will advance the cause of Christian civilization or revert to the horrors of brutal paganism…the choice between the two is upon us.”

The people of Israel assembled to hear a word from God and to worship. Out of this sacred assembly the people sought to renew themselves through confession of their sins and those of their ancestors.

Today could mark the transformation of our nation and a renewed Independence Day “if my people who are called by my name humble themselves, pray, seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land.” (2 Chronicles 7:14).

God is great,

Pastor Lynn