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Don’t Sell Yourself Short

January 8, 2014 in Uncategorized | Tags: , , , , , , | 2 comments


But the angel said, “Don’t be afraid, Zechariah! God has heard your prayer. Your wife, Elizabeth, will give you a son, and you are to name him John. Luke 1:13

Old Zechariah and his wife had been praying for years. They were a godly couple, most likely seen often in the temple. Zechariah was a priest and, as a result, had to be performing his duties at the Temple on a regular basis. I have a feeling Elizabeth was the kind of wife who showed up on those days to pray, worship, interact with friends and travelers and support her husband.

Both Zechariah and Elizabeth most likely prayed for many things and many people over the years. But two prayers were on both of their hearts. One was for Messiah. The long awaited one. The one who would come to rescue them from bondage. It had been hundreds of years since ‘the promise’ repeated often by God’s prophets of old. Then, silence. Four hundred years of silence! All of Israel longed for the deliverance of Messiah.

From eternal standards, the second prayer on this couples heart was the prayer for a child. Try as they might, this couple just couldn’t seem to get pregnant. Elizabeth was forced to watch her sisters and other family members give birth. I’m guessing ‘Aunt Elizabeth’ was the kind who gave everyone birthday cards and always had a present for every child under the Christmas tree. (Yep, I know. No Christmas trees but go with me on this.)

Now of course, that prayer was probably buried in the back of their minds, perhaps even forgotten. They were far too old to have children. Oh, sure, Father Abraham and Sara gave birth to a child in their old age. But God doesn’t work that way in just common folk. So Elizabeth was no doubt resigned to being ‘Auntie Liz’ the one with no children. Resigned to the questions, the stares and the stories. Zechariah? Just another obscure priest in the annals of history.

Then the Angel showed up.

You know the story. The Angel promised Zechariah a son, a son he would name John. John. God’s Grace Among Us. Zechariah didn’t believe it and was struck dumb for Elizabeth’s entire pregnancy. Who could really blame him? Who could really expect that God could use someone that old after all these years.

But he did.

Most Bible scholars agree that the prayer Zechariah was praying for was for Messiah because he’d long given up on the idea of the sound of little footsteps across the dirt floor. God had other ideas. God answered both prayers on his heart that day. Long after Zechariah forgot his prayer for a child, God still remembered and answered in his time.

That’s the beauty of God’s love. That’s the power of prayer. Nothing in your past will take away from how God can use you in the future.

PRAYER: Father God. I confess to you that I doubt you in my prayer life. I look at my weak attempts to live for you. I remember all my failings. In my mind I’m convinced that my past will bind your hands. Forgive me for my doubt. Empower me to live in the power of your promises and your prayer. In Jesus name, Amen.

Prayer is a Love Story in Action

January 2, 2014 in Uncategorized | Tags: , , , , , , | Leave a comment


Isaac pleaded with the Lord on behalf of his wife, because she was unable to have children. The Lord answered Isaac’s prayer, and Rebekah became pregnant with twins. Genesis 25:21

You see it in the movies all the time, especially love stories. The beautiful maiden is abused by her attacker. She struggles alone until all hope is lost. Finally, just as all hope is gone and she is about to be defeated by the enemy, in rushes the hero, the mighty warrior. With mighty valor and superior strength he defeats the enemy and rescues his lovely maiden. Of course, the live happily ever after, after all, isn’t that how all fairy tales end?

John Eldredge states, “Every woman is waiting for a knight on a white charger to come and rescue her.” Normally our vision of that white knight is a mighty warrior with weapons far superior to the adversary. What we don’t often think of is that weapon to be prayer.

For nearly 20 years Isaac and Rebekah prayed for a child. In our culture we don’t grasp the significance of that story. Children were as good as gold to a couple. For the husband/father, children were his posterity. Sorry for the chauvinism here but sons were more valuable than daughters because they carried on the family name.

For the wife/mother, children were a testament of her love for her husband and a sign to the community that she was fertile. Fertility was a sign of wholeness. A woman who could not bear children was considered flawed, and perhaps even under the curse of God for some sin committed by her or her parents.

Infertile women were worthless women. Even God likened Israel’s faithlessness to being as repulsive as an infertile woman. Some Jewish components of the Law allowed divorce if a woman was barren for more than ten years. Infertility was always the woman’s problem and never the man’s.

That’s what makes this love story so powerful. Isaac pled for his wife. The Hebrew words here are strong, powerful, risky. This was no casual request to make his wife pregnant. This was a fervent request to rescue his lover from the clutches of the evil enemy of ridicule, self-doubt and emotional distress.

Isaac was a man that understood the turmoil his wife was having. He stood by her physically, but more importantly, spiritually. Our women need men who they can count on to provide physical support to be sure. But more importantly we as men of God need to be willing to plead and beg for our lover’s emotional and spiritual stability as well. We need to take time to listen, to understand, to seek Godly wisdom and most of all, to pray! We need to be Isaacs for our wives. We need to be the mighty prayer warriors that pray for our wives and not about our wives. We need to be the ones to stand by them and help defeat their enemies.

PRAYER: Lord God I pray for my fellow men. May we be men that pray for our wives and not about our wives. Let us do battle on our knees on their behalf. Amen.

Undaunted!

October 25, 2013 in Uncategorized | Tags: , , , , , , | 3 comments


In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us through wordless groans. And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for God’s people in accordance with the will of God. Romans 8:26-27

Have you ever felt the need or desire to pray, but were at a loss for words? Maybe it was during a very trying time in your life like divorce, financial crisis, or relational issues. Often, when crisis hits, the first word that comes to our mind is ‘Why?’ We question ourselves, we question the actions of others, we question where God is and why he isn’t acting.

The best way to describe these times is ‘perplexed’. By definition, perplexed means completely baffled or very puzzled. Psalm 13 expresses the emotional prayer of a perplexed David.

Psalm 13: 1-4 says, “How long, Lord? Will you forget me forever? How long will you hide your face from me? How long must I wrestle with my thoughts and day after day have sorrow in my heart? How long will my enemy triumph over me? Look on me and answer, Lord my God. Give light to my eyes, or I will sleep in death, and my enemy will say, “I have overcome him,” and my foes will rejoice when I fall”.

Times of turmoil often affect our prayer life and we find ourselves speechless. Paul encourages us in the book of Romans to remember that even when we are beyond words, the Holy Spirit ‘helps us’. He supports us, holds us up, shores us up like a weak beam and assists us in carrying our burden

The second thing Paul acknowledges is that there are times when we just don’t know what to pray for. We don’t always know what’s best for us. We don’t know what God may be willing to grant us. We are ignorant of God’s true character or the reasons he acts as he does.

When times of trial and temptation come along we are reminded of our inability to live the spiritual life as we’d like and that leaves us speechless. That’s when the Holy Spirit, our intercessor, utters words we cannot speak on our behalf to the father.

So, during those times when you don’t know how to pray; when you feel completely confused or abandoned by God, remember that it’s during those times we can lean on God’s Holy Spirit to speak for us on our behalf.

Let’s go back for a moment to Psalm 13. After the Psalmist voices his confusion over God’s seeming silence, he says, in verses 5-6, “But I trust in your unfailing love; my heart rejoices in your salvation. I will sing the Lord’s praise, for he has been good to me.” God’s silence isn’t a sign of his absence but a call to lean more heavily on the fact of his presence. His Holy Spirit knows your heart and is interceding on your behalf. With God’s Holy Spirit embracing me, I can be undaunted when life is perplexing.

PRAYER: Father, there are times when life becomes too confusing for me and I can’t find you. During those times remind me that your Holy Spirit will intercede for me and reassure me of your unfailing love. I will sing to you O Lord for even in my perplexity, you are good to me. Amen.

Nothing but Fish Bait

January 25, 2013 in Uncategorized | Tags: , , , , , , , | 2 comments


Though you are a lowly worm, O Jacob, don’t be afraid, people of Israel, for I will help you. I am the Lord, your Redeemer. I am the Holy One of Israel.’ Isaiah 41:14 (NLT)

Ever taken a walk after a spring rain? One morning I was out walking my favorite path through the woods. Although the path I walked was paved, it was covered with worms. Small, skinny ones, large, fat ones. Some just lay there, others were making a hasty retreat.

As I walked I came upon a friend with a bucket in hand. He was walking along the path picking out the fattest worms and putting them in his bucket. When he saw me approach he greeted me with a smile and said, “These will be nice ones for fishing. Easiest way I’ve ever had to gather worms!”

Consider the lowly worm. Small, defenseless and slow, it spends most of its life underground. When it enters our world it is in danger constantly. Cars, bikes, walkers and hungry birds are no match for the worm.

As a worm looks across a busy road and gets ready to cross, what do you imagine is going through its mind? Fear? Anguish? Terror? He’s helpless. He’s at the mercy of whatever is coming along the path.

The Father likens us to worms! From his perspective we are slow, helpless and doomed to destruction. A worm left on its own is in grave danger, but a worm in the Father’s hand lives without fear.

Fear is a matter of perspective. If we look at life from our perspective it can seem overwhelming. We can easily become filled with frustration, fear, anger and anxiety.

If we look at life from God’s perspective the mountains and canyons become flattened plains. The dusty wilderness roads become thoroughfares. We rest in his hands. In our own power we are defenseless, but in his arms we are strong.

The worms my friend collected for fishing were doomed for destruction. We aren’t like those worms. Our Father promises to pick us up from the path of danger and hold us in his hands. We may endure trials and tribulations, but we are never out of the palm of our redeemer. We have nothing to offer in return. There is nothing attractive about us. There is no reason for our protection other than the great love of an all-powerful heavenly Father.

PRAYER: Almighty God, there are so many times when I feel trapped by the demons of fear and worry; when I feel small and insignificant; when I feel overwhelmed by the tasks ahead of me. I praise you for your protection. When I am in your hand I need fear nothing this world throws at me. Thank you Lord, Amen.

A Prayer for Our Nation

October 30, 2012 in Uncategorized | Tags: , , , , , , | 2 comments


“I in them and you in me—so that they may be brought to complete unity. Then the world will know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me.” John 17:23

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