Simple Thoughts On Prayer - Part 1

There are those who believe in God but are unsure about how what to say in prayer.  These few thoughts in this blog and the next are for you. This is simply a description of how I pray in the hope that sharing my practice will help you get started.

These are things I ask for every day, knowing I need God’s help with them every day.

I am sharply aware of my limitations, imperfections, and inadequacies so there is a sense of urgency to all of them.

You’ll see that in much of this I’m doing the alliteration thing. I didn’t set out to do that it.  It just developed that way.  I like it because it helps me remember what I need/want to ask for.

First - God, I’m Yours.

It seems right to start the day with a prayer affirming my complete availability and submission to God as well as asking for His power for kindness, love, and strength for service. It helps me be in the right place as I recognize the rightful place of God.  If you want an "e" to keep the theme going, you might declare that you want to "Empty" yourself of you.

Second - Engineer The Day. 

I ask God to engineer my day. He is the Master Designer of all things  I trust He knows what is ahead. I trust He is wiser than me on the use of each minute. I trust that He can arrange the events, provide the guidance, and steer me through each task. As a teenager, I encountered Proverbs 3:5-6, this prayer for God to divinely engineer my day comes from these words, “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him and He will make your path straight.”

Third - Empower Me

 I pray daily for God to empower me. The New Testament (John 15:5, Galatians 5:22) makes it clear that for there to be any of the character of Jesus in me, it will require a work of God’s Spirit. And, it’s not automatic. So I ask, “Holy Spirit empower me,” acknowledging what I know to be true, that there’s nothing in me that can produce the fruit of virtues such as love, kindness, and so on. My worldview starts with a belief that there is a God, who really does interact with people, and who can supernaturally work in them.

I would caution you against thinking that asking for God-empowered character eliminates the need to make efforts in that direction. That would be, in my view, unbiblical. I ask for a kind heart AND I strive to be kind. God works in me AND I engage in every effort in the same direction.

(To Be Continued.)

I'm Certainly Not Taking The Blame!

I blame Christmas. Or maybe it was the candy makers who shall remain unnamed. They made the sweet, chocolatey delights. They put the peanut clusters right there! Right in front of me where I had to walk by them.  And those things with the peanut butter in the middle and the chocolate on the outside. WHAT WAS I SUPPOSED TO DO?? They basically forced me to consume them. And then what happened? I saw a number on the scale that I didn't like. It's their fault. No question. Wait....maybe the scale's broken? I hadn't thought of that.   

One thing's for certain:  I'm not taking the blame. The number I saw and what I may or not see in the reflection (I admit nothing) is their fault.  

Them. They. Him. Her. Isn't that how it goes? It's always someone else's fault. 

This is what we do, isn't it? We look for someone to blame.

Looking for someone to blame is a bad, unproductive, no-good  habit of the mind. And it's all too common.  

Two things about this blaming business:

First, it guarantees we won't fix the real problem. We won't look for how we contributed to the outcome. We won't evaluate our role, and we'll never see where we can make some changes.

Second, it often pushes someone away and raises the tension in the room.  Telling someone “it’s all your fault” only puts them on the defensive or triggers their sense of shame. No one wants or needs that. Here's what never happens:  You blame someone for what happened and have them respond with a genuine "Thanks for pointing that out. I take full responsibility, and I'm better for knowing that I did it." 

There is a thinking shift needed. Break the habit of instantly looking for someone to blame. Recognize the truth: When things go a bit sideways, we all contributed. Be honest about your part of making the mess.  Sharing your contribution first, will help get a conversation off to a good start. Then you can attack the problem, not the other person/people involved.  

Remember the words of I John 1:8 - "If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us." You build credibility when, with authenticity, you own your part of the problem. The path to progress always passes through honesty with your self about what really happened.

I need to wrap this up now. There's still Christmas candy in the kitchen that someone has to tend to.