Resting is a posture of trust. When we pray we work. Prayer is labor. It requires effort. In it we expend energy. Paul spoke of Epaphras as one who "wrestled" and even "agonized" in prayer. It is important to do the work of prayer- the work of discerning how the Spirit is leading us to pray and then pray with perseverance. Then however, it is important that we trust. We trust that God hears and is acting. In 1 John 5:14 &15 we are assured that God will answer every prayer that is in step with His pleasure. We need to act like what He said is true. This may mean that we begin to talk about the answer that is on the way. We might say something like "I thank you for the provision that is on the way or "Thank you for the breakthrough and freedom that is coming or "Thank you that you are pushing back the darkness and releasing your vengeance against it." What is the primary concern you are holding before the Father these days? Are you confident that you are praying in step with His desire? If so, now may be the perfect time to transition from active praying to trusting and to making bold declarations about what God is going to do!
by Kevin "Mac" McClure
Resting is a posture of trust. When we pray we work. Prayer is labor. It requires effort. In it we expend energy. Paul spoke of Epaphras as one who "wrestled" and even "agonized" in prayer. It is important to do the work of prayer- the work of discerning how the Spirit is leading us to pray and then pray with perseverance. Then however, it is important that we trust. We trust that God hears and is acting. In 1 John 5:14 &15 we are assured that God will answer every prayer that is in step with His pleasure. We need to act like what He said is true. This may mean that we begin to talk about the answer that is on the way. We might say something like "I thank you for the provision that is on the way or "Thank you for the breakthrough and freedom that is coming or "Thank you that you are pushing back the darkness and releasing your vengeance against it." What is the primary concern you are holding before the Father these days? Are you confident that you are praying in step with His desire? If so, now may be the perfect time to transition from active praying to trusting and to making bold declarations about what God is going to do!
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"And whenever you stand praying, forgive...."
Mark 11:25 By Kevin "Mac" McClure Veteran Christians have heard much about the need to forgive. We embrace this idea on an intellectual level and assume that forgiveness is simply a matter of saying "I forgive" while doing our best to push the offense out of our mind. Forgiveness is actually hard work. Another passage that requires that we forgive specifies that our forgiveness must not be superficial- it must come "from the heart"(Matthew 18:35). In order to forgive from the heart, the wounded heart must heal. If it does not heal, forgiveness will not be genuine. In order for the heart to heal, we must acknowledge the offense and the depth of our pain. This is hard work. It is tempting to move past the pain of looking at the wound, but we must look and we must feel. Unhealed pain won't go away; it will just express itself in unwholesome ways. Perhaps instead of being aggressive toward the person who hurt us, we will be passive-aggressive. Is this really an improvement? A healed hurt is a beautiful thing and it is worth the work of acknowledging the offense and the pain associated with it, so we can then bring this pain to Jesus. Ideally, we will do this in the company of a trusted friend. The goal is not to slander the person who hurt us, but to take advantage of the healing nature of the faith community. Some of our time with God in prayer can be spent talking to Him about our pain and asking Him to show us how we may receive healing for our pain so that we can offer true forgiveness. Have you talked to Him lately about your pain? By Kevin "Mac" McClure
Rabbi Abraham Heschel said, "Prayer begins at the edge of emptiness." If we are honest with ourselves, we must admit that sometimes we feel empty. We have nothing left to give. Our emotional energy is depleted. Does this mean we're weak? Of course! What is bad about being weak? It seems like we'll do anything to avoid feeling weak or being seen by others as being weak. Weakness places us at the threshold of encountering God. Paul learned to value weakness. I don't know if he thought of it as a virtue, but there is no question he saw it as an opportunity to lean into God. When you are empty you feel weak. You may feel hopeless too. That's painful, but it's okay. Hope is birthed amidst hopelessness. Hope is not something you can conjure up. There are times when you know you can't muscle through. That's when you are ready to receive the hope that enables you to peacefully acknowledge you are empty and to actually thank God for the emptiness, because it is in this frame of mind that you are poised to experience the grace that is the bestowal of God's life. The true heroes of the faith are ordinary people who learn that feeling empty and being weak are friends of deep spiritual growth. Are you ready to embrace weakness? I hope you grow to love emptiness, because it is empty vessels that God loves to fill! |
Author"Conference Speaker, Dean of students at a seminary, House Church Pastor, Husband, Father and all around good dude" -Chaz Lowder Archives
November 2022
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