Jesus Prayed

Jesus Prayed

“In the early morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house, and went away to a secluded place, and was praying there. Simon and his companions searched for Him; they found Him, and said to Him, “Everyone is looking for You.” He said to them, “Let us go somewhere else to the towns nearby, so that I may preach there also; for that is what I came for.” And He went into their synagogues throughout all Galilee, preaching and casting out the demons.”  Mark 1:35-39

“After He had sent the crowds away, He went up on the mountain by Himself to pray; and when it was evening, He was there alone.” Matthew 14:23

“It was at this time that He went off to the mountain to pray, and He spent the whole night in prayer to God. And when day came, He called His disciples to Him and chose twelve of them, whom He also named as apostles.” Luke 6:12-13

“Then Jesus came with them to a place called Gethsemane, and said to His disciples, ‘Sit here while I go over there and pray.’” Matthew 26:36 

            I’m hoping you catch a theme here… Jesus prayed.

            Read the verses again. Each of those four verses represents four different situations. In Mark 1 Jesus went away in the early morning, went to a secluded place and He prayed. The Bible tells us His disciples searched for Him… I’m thinking it must have been a fairly secluded place – they had to actually search for Him. Once they found Him He told them what He planned to do that day – He planned to preach.

            Matthew 14:23 follows the feeding of five thousand men. If you start with verse 13 you learn that Jesus had just heard about the daughter of Herodias asking Herod for John the Baptist’s head on a platter. Jesus withdrew to a secluded place by Himself. But the crowds of people found Him and out of His compassion He healed their sick. Then He fed them. Five thousand men…  He’d had a busy day. First He heard some sad news, and then He poured out love on thousands of people, healed them and fed them. After he sent the crowds away, He went up on a mountain alone to pray.

            Luke 6:12 comes after Jesus healed a man on the Sabbath and right before He chose His twelve disciples and, Matthew 26:36 proceeds Jesus crucifixion.

            Of course there are other instances of Jesus praying in scripture, I simply quoted four of them and chose to take a closer look. This closer look shows us four unique situations when He prayed. He prayed in the morning before going out to preach and cast out demons. He prayed after hearing disturbing news and after ministering to those in need. He prayed all night long before choosing the twelve disciples and He prayed before going to the cross to take our sins upon Himself for us.

            Jesus prayed.

            Sometimes its good just to let a thought like that sink in. God’s own Son, Who paid for our sins, Who was with God in the beginning, Who knows our innermost thoughts, Who died for us and rose from the dead… prayed.

            John 17 actually tells us some of the things Jesus prayed about. It’s a powerful passage of scripture. But one of my favorite parts of John 17 is verse 20 where Jesus says, “I do not ask on behalf of these alone, but for those also who believe in Me through their word; that they may all be one; even as You, Father, are in Me and I in You, that they also may be in Us, so that the world may believe that You sent Me.”

            Jesus prayed for those would believe in Him through the teaching of the disciples who He just prayed for in the verses preceding 20. That’s us! Jesus prayed for us! Two thousand years before we were born, Jesus prayed for us.
            Bottom line, talking to God is important. Jesus did it and we should do it. Jesus showed us what to do. He showed us that it should be a priority in our lives. Jesus prayed early in the morning and late at night. Prayer has no time schedule. The Bible tells us to pray without ceasing.

            God desires to talk to us. He commands it. He showed us how to do it. Jesus went away to quiet places to pray. Sometimes in this very distracting world it can be difficult to find a quiet place. But we need to. If Jesus needed to do it and He is the Son of God, how much more do we need to do it?

            While attending a recent pastor’s retreat, we were encouraged to read from Mark 1 and glean from it what God wanted to teach us. The speaker emphasized the importance of taking time away to pray – to prepare for the ministry we are involved in, to prepare for our day.

            Of course, reading Mark 1 prompted me to search the scriptures for other instances when Jesus prayed. I could write a whole book about it, but the message I hope to pass on with you right now is that Jesus prayed and that we need to do the same. In whatever situation we are facing, whether its starting the day, ending the day, praying for someone else, praying for strength… the Bible tells us in Psalm 46:10 to Be still and know that He is God.

            God bless you, friends as you seek His face and pray.

 

Carol

Worthless Salt

Worthless Salt

Last week I attended a youth pastor’s retreat in the mountains of Colorado. It was through Leader Treks. I’d never attended a Leader Treks retreat before and I was incredibly surprised. It was both refreshing and insightful.

Before our sessions, Doug Franklin had us take time to do a little personal Bible study. Refreshing. Quite different from the many large youth pastor’s conferences I’ve attended in the past where you can become so busy with all the good stuff there is to see and learn and hear that you can forget to take time to be still and know God. I appreciated that part of the retreat probably most of all, although I enjoyed the whole thing.

One of the days we were encouraged to read from Matthew 5 where Jesus delivers the beatitudes. It was a good study that had us dig into our hearts and consider what really spoke to us in those verses. So I got to verse 13. “You are the salt of the earth; but if the salt has become tasteless, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled under foot by men.” As much as I wanted to apply one of the “blessed are you…” verses to my life at that moment, what really stuck out to me was ‘don’t lose your saltiness.’

As God often does with His word when He wants to drive a message home to me, later in the retreat someone quoted that very verse. Being the kinesthetic learner that I am I drew a saltshaker on my paper and asked myself what God was trying to say to me.

Surely I’m still salty… I’m in youth ministry. Teens are coming to know Christ. I’m serving the Lord – I’m salty… aren’t I? 

The passage stuck with me and I carried it down off that glorious mountain in Keystone Colorado, across the plains of Kansas, past a couple hundred windmills, through Missouri, Illinois, Indiana and right to Ohio where I live.

Don’t loose your saltiness.

So I lay awake in bed and pondered it. How does one loose their saltiness?

Coming home and starting right into the busyness that is my life… my family, housework, youth ministry, young adults ministry, pre marital counseling, homeschooling, children’s ministry, writing… In the midst of everything I do in my life, I think I get what God was trying to say to me.

I’ve only got so much salt. God can give me more as I seek Him out and allow Him to. But until I do… I’ve only got so much salt. Where am I going to sprinkle it? How am I going to use it?

When you make chocolate chip cookies, most recipes call for one teaspoon of salt. So how many batches of chocolate chip cookies can I bake if I’ve only got one teaspoon of salt? Can I stretch it and make two batches? Maybe…  I mean, I’ve skimped on ingredient portions before and no one was the wiser… but how about three batches? Four? Five? At what point does my salt become ineffective in my cookies rendering it “unsalty?”

I’d never thought of it before. I’ve wondered how salt can loose its saltiness. It’s a mineral – salt is what it is. But when salt is used out there in the real world if it’s spread too thin eventually you’re not going to taste it anymore.

What good is it when it’s lost its saltiness? The Bible says its no longer good for anything. Yikes. Scary.

I have a spouse and children to love. I’m in youth ministry. I’m a writer. I work with young adults… with college students… children’s ministry… all of these things are important and some of them are things I know God has called me to do. But often times in ministry it comes down to, there’s a need and someone has to fill it and I know I am capable. I’ll do it.

I’ve got the salt… I can share. I’ll sprinkle some here and some here and some here and we can just go for broke and try making five or six patches of chocolate chip cookies with my one-teaspoon… as if God doesn’t have storehouses of salt and other workers with teaspoons… but I forget that and then I get to the very saltless tasting place in my life where I’m trying to do it all when what I really need to do is be still and know that He is God.

Jesus went away to pray. He went alone. He went to secluded places. This is Jesus we are talking about. He went away to pray! Jesus, who really could do it all – took the time to be still, alone and pray. He had a purpose and stayed on track with it. (We talked about that on the retreat too but I’ll save it for another blog).

I on the other hand, often allow myself to become so busy salting everything that I fail to go to the storehouses and refill my spoon. Instead of doing a few things excellently, I end up doing a bunch of things nominally and perhaps with very little salt left on the spoon. Jesus said that is the kind of stuff only good for trampling under foot. Worthless salt.

I don’t want to be worthless, unsalty salt.

So, I guess coming down from that Colorado mountain, I am reminded that I need to be headed to that storehouse more, talking to Him and getting His direction. I also need to quit trying to bake multiple batches of cookies with just a teaspoon of salt. I’ve got to focus on what God has told me to do and pray that He will raise up more saltshakers to help with the other batches.

It’s a lot to swallow right now. I’ve still got to take some time and be still so I can listen and refill. But I’m glad He put that image in my head. I pray that my little rant might touch someone else.

Stay salty. It matters.

Carol 

Trusting the Master

A week ago our neighbor gave us a six-month-old colt. We named him Gentle Jack - “Jack” because we wanted to honor the neighbor who gave him to us, and “Gentle” as a way of positive thinking. When an animal grows up to weigh 1,200 pounds you want it to be gentle.

Our neighbor led Jack’s mother from their farm to ours and Jack followed faithfully. My husband and daughter followed along on the mile hike from the neighbor’s farm to our barn. Jack was willing to follow his mother anywhere – he didn’t need to be led with a lead rope. Out of his pasture, up the road, down our lane and into a strange barn – Jack didn’t question it.

Children are like that when they’re young… no questions asked, they hold our hand and just follow.

Jack took his cues from his mom. She trusted her master and Jack trusted her. For almost a week Jack and his mother stayed in our barn so that Jack could get acclimated to our farm. The normally timid colt adjusted to a new environment, new smells, and new people; because his mother in her quiet obedience showed him that everything was safe.

Jack has done amazingly well. While his mother stood by watching, Jack allowed us to put a halter on him, let us place a lead rope on him and walk him around the barn. In less than a week he was willing to move forward, stop and go backwards. He knew if his mother stood by calmly watching, everything must be okay.

We can learn a lot from Jack’s mother.

Our children are observing us every day. They watch us as we journey through life. They observe our relationship with our Master and how we respond to Him. Under the scrutiny of our children, our walk with God is closely observed. As God leads us down new paths and strange environments, our children watch our response and react accordingly. “Is Mom frightened?”, “Is Mom okay with these changes?”, “Is Mom fighting the Master or is she obeying Him?”

It’s not always easy, staying calm in the midst of change. The journey to our farm meant big changes for both Jack and his mother. Did she know that the journey to our farm meant Jack was going to begin his own life with a new family? Did she know he’d be staying here and she’d be going back to her farm?

Jack’s mother stayed with him for the week but then her master came to lead her back to her farm. She stood obediently while he put a lead rope around her and took her from the barn and away from her colt. She walked beside him as he led her down our quarter mile lane. Only once did she look back when she heard Jack whinny to her. She never panicked. She trusted her master. She trusted the plan he had for Jack.

God has a plan for our children. He is the Master, we have the choice to follow faithfully and trust Him that His plan is good. Our response to our Master can greatly affect our children’s response. As they grow, mature, and eventually move on to their own pastures, will we model to them that they can trust the Master?

My girls are still young. They’re still observing me very closely. I have this time in their lives to live before them the importance of following and trusting the Master. When that day comes when they move to another pasture, I want them to be prepared. I want them to listen to the Father’s leading and obey Him. Jeremiah 29:11 tells us that God knows the plans He has for our lives. He promises that those plans are good plans – that those plans will give us a hope and a future.

I wonder if some day when we’re riding Jack down past our neighbor’s farm, his mother will meet us at the fence and say, “Good job, son. I told you that you could trust the Master.”

A Living Prayer

I love praise songs that are also a prayer. It’s powerful when you can close your eyes and sing the words to God and really mean what you’re saying. Over the years, I’ve found many songs have touched me that way. But one song takes the cake. The first time I heard Make My Life a Prayer to You, by Keith Green, I was moved to tears. Just the title of the song says it all.

The idea that our lives themselves could be a prayer to Almighty God – every action, every word, every motive… puts things into perspective. If the way I treat others is my “prayer” what am I saying to God? Am I living words that bring Him glory?

The Bible tells us to do all things to the glory of God, but putting it into practice isn’t always easy. What I love about this song is that the song itself asks for God’s help in doing just that. It acknowledges our need for help in this area. “Make my life a prayer to You – I want to do what You want me to…”

Just like Paul in Romans 7, this song recognizes that what we do and what we want to do aren’t always one and the same. It acknowledges we have prayed token prayers – but we don’t want to. It acknowledges that we have prayed empty words – but we don’t want to. Our deepest desire is to shine His light and tell the world about Him – that’s what we want to do.

Dying to self it what it all boils down to and Keith Green sums it all up in the last stanza of his song: “I want to die and let You give Your life to me so I might live and share the hope You gave to me - the love that set me free.” To truly make our lives a prayer to Almighty God takes dying to self. There is no other way. As long as “self” is sitting high up on her perch, my life prayer won’t be the sweet aroma that God desires it to be. But the great thing is, He is patient with me and He loves me. Imagine – our lives can be a prayer to Almighty God and He’ll help us do it.

Make My Life a Prayer to You

Keith Green

Make my life a prayer to You

I want do what You want me to
No empty words and no white lies
No token prayers no compromise

I want to shine the light You gave
Through Your Son You sent to save us
From ourselves and our despair
It comforts me to know You're really there

Chorus
Well I want to thank You now
For being patient with me
Oh it's so hard to see
When my eyes are on me
I guess I'll have to trust
And just believe what You say
Oh You're coming again
Coming to take me away

I want to die and let You give
Your life to me so I might live
And share the hope You gave me
The love that set me free

I want to tell the world out there
You're not some fable or fairy tale
That I've made up inside my head
You're God the Son and You've risen from the dead

Chorus

I want to die and let You give
Your life to me so I might live
And share the hope You gave to me
The love that set me free

Donuts in the Snow

My husband was doing donuts in the snow with our four-wheeler today. Being the type of person who loves to look out at the clean, freshly fallen snow, free from even the footprints of my dog, I was frustrated. “You ruined the snow!”

            The smile and look of utter exhilaration that was on my husband’s face was not abated. “You’ve got to try that!”

             The snow was already ruined and I really had nothing better to do, so I slipped on a pair of boots, gloves and my coat and set out to try this new experience.

Our four wheeler does not have four wheel drive (which has made my children ask why we call it a four wheeler…) thus making it much more squirrelly in the snow. One time around the yard and I was convinced that this was fun.

             My husband and children are often times great reminders of the fun that’s out there waiting to happen if I’d only stop worrying about “messing up the snow.”

               Years ago an older friend of mine told me that when my children are grown, they won’t remember a clean kitchen, a spotless bathroom and a perfectly tidy house. “What they will remember, however, are the
good times you share as a family. There will be plenty of time for a perfect house. Enjoy your children while they are young.”

            Sometimes, when I look at a sink full of dirty dishes, it’s easy to forget that truth. Can I set aside the “perfect snow” and play a game with my children, make their favorite cookies with them, pretend the woods are Narnia and hike into another world with them or even read them a book? Those are the things that make memories.

            The older my girls are getting, the more I am reminded that I need to stop cherishing the perfect snow and go make some donuts.