“Everywhere God Is, Prayer Is”

Good morning. It is Monday, July 6, 2015. Back to work today.

Today’s word of the day, from Dictionary.com, is telegnosis. Telegnosis is a noun, meaning, “supernatural or occult knowledge; clairvoyance.”

Today is Fried Chicken Day. That doesn’t sound real great at 5:45 AM, but it might sound good later.

We had a nice visit with Rachel and Justin, yesterday, but Christi hasn’t been feeling well for the past couple of days. Something has gotten into her stomach that has her “under the weather,” and she woke up with some kind of catch in her right knee, yesterday morning, as well, so she’s definitely not 100% this morning. We still had a good time, though, yesterday, playing a card game called “Set,” before lunch arrived, ordered from Tony’s Pasta and Pizza. During and after lunch, we watched a movie on Netflix, chosen pretty much at random. The movie was a New Zealand horror film with a comedic flair, called Housebound. It actually turned out to be quite entertaining. I think it surprised us all.

After the movie, Christi went to take a nap, and Rachel and Justin headed home. I just watched some more TV for a bit, until Christi got up. That’s pretty much it for the day.

I’ve been sort of dreading work today. I’m concerned that we might get a double load of receiving today, since UPS did not take off on Friday. Whatever will be, will be, as they say. And “this, too, shall pass.”

TODAY’S DEVOTIONAL

For it is a statute for Israel, a rule of the God of Jacob.
He made it a decree in Joseph when he went out over the land of Egypt. I hear a language I had not known:
“I relieved your shoulder of the burden; your hands were freed from the basket.”
Psalm 81:4-6

(From Prayer: Experiencing Awe and Intimacy with God)

“The Bible is all about God, and that is why the practice of prayer is so pervasive throughout its pages.” When we read the book of Genesis, we find that the patriarchs prayed with stunning familiarity and directness. Consider Abraham’s persistent prayer on behalf of Sodom and Gomorrah in Genesis 18. Consider Moses’s prayers in Exodus, as he “secured the liberation of Israel from Egypt.” Deuteronomy 4:7 says it well: “For what great nation is there that has a god so near to it as the LORD our God is to us, whenever we call upon him?”

When we fail to pray, we are not just breaking “some religious rule,” we are failing to “treat God as God.” I had not noticed this before, but in 1 Samuel 12:23, Samuel says to Israel, after they have demanded a king, “Moreover, as for me, far be it from me that I should sin against the LORD by ceasing to pray for you, and I will instruct you in the good and the right way.” Please note that Samuel says that he would be sinning against the LORD if he did not pray for Israel!

Many are familiar with the Psalms of David (along with a few others who composed them), 150 chapters in the middle of our Scriptures. Yes, they are songs, but most of them are also prayers. Solomon built the temple and “dedicated it with a magnificent prayer,” which can be found in 1 Kings 8 and 2 Chronicles 6. In fact, over and over, Solomon prayed that God would hear the prayers of the people. He even prayed that God would hear the prayers of foreigners who found their way to the temple. “Prayer is simply a recognition of the greatness of God.”

In the book of Job, we see Job working through his suffering and pain with prayer. In fact, at the end of the book, God, being angry with Job’s friends, tells them that he will not punish them “only if Job prays for them.” The Old Testament prophets are permeated with prayer. In fact, it very well may have been the main source of the Word of God coming to them. Daniel was nearly executed for his practice of prayer. Nehemiah, as he rebuilt the wall of Jerusalem, accomplished this tremendous feat through prayer and wise leadership.

Moving to the New Testament, we see Jesus teaching his disciples to pray, healing people through prayer, and casting out moneychangers as he called the temple a “house of prayer.” He even said that some demons could only be cast out through prayer. Jesus prayed regularly, sometimes all night. In fact, Jesus died praying.

The book of Acts is filled with instances of the disciples praying together. “All Christians are expected to have a regular, faithful, devoted, fervent prayer life.” The Holy Spirit gives us confidence in prayer, and even helps us when we don’t know how to pray. We are told, by Paul, to “pray without ceasing,” in 1 Thessalonians 5:17.

“Everywhere God is, prayer is. Since God is everywhere and infinitely great, prayer must be all-pervasive in our lives.”
(pp 26-28)

Father, you are everywhere. Therefore, I should always be praying. If prayer is a sign of the Holy Spirit’s presence in my life, then help me to pray without ceasing. Let prayer be like breathing to me, Lord, as I consider my ways before you. Teach me your ways, that I may walk in your truth. Father, today has great potential to be a challenging day, both physically and spiritually. May your Spirit guide me through this day, centered around prayer. I’m beginning the day with prayer. I plan to spend the drive to work in prayer and meditation. Help me to remain centered on you through that time, regardless of what I see around me. Help me to stay focused on you throughout the work day, regardless of the circumstances. I desire to be a positive force in this world, for your glory.

I pray for this day. Father, I pray desperately for Christi, this morning. She is not feeling well, at all. I pray for your healing hand to touch her body, whatever is wrong with it. I pray for her to able to make it through this day, or to have wisdom to decide what is best for the day. Be a strong presence in her life today, Father. May you touch Stephanie, Rachel, Justin, and Mama with your great love today.

Your grace is sufficient.

I love how the section of the book ends today. “Everywhere God is, prayer is. Since God is everywhere and infinitely great, prayer must be all-pervasive in our lives.” So very true. May we who call the name of Jesus be constantly in prayer before the greatness of God.

Grace and peace, friends.

Esse Quam Videri

Good morning. It is Sunday, July 6, 2014.

Today is Fried Chicken Day. Yum! Just might have to do that.

Yesterday was a mixed bag. In some ways, it was pretty good. But Christi did a lot of running around in the late morning, early afternoon, helping her mother out, yet again. The church service went pretty well, in spite of mixed feelings before it began. The rehearsal was rough (I was only listening, not involved), but when the music actually happened, for the most part, it went pretty well. There were less than twenty people there, though, as a lot of people were out for various reasons. The prayer times that were interspersed with the music went pretty well, but I think, for future reference, we shouldn’t break it up quite like that. I’m not sure. There were some awkward times, when people weren’t sure if they should be standing or sitting, and I didn’t want to tell them to sit every time we prayed, as I thought they might begin to feel like a “Jack-in-the-box.” We’ll probably adjust a little, if we do that kind of service again.

Stephanie spent another night with her friend Megan, and they have decided that they are both going to come with us to my parents’ house today. That’s a new development, but not entirely surprising. 🙂 So we will be heading that way at around 11:00 this morning.

(Source: This Day In History)

It was on this date in 1933 that the first Major League Baseball All-Star Game was held at Comiskey Park in Chicago. The idea was to “bolster the sport and improve its reputation during the darkest years of the Great Depression.” Unfortunately, it is still happening every year, breaking up any potential momentum that any given team might be experiencing. But that’s just my opinion. It doesn’t help any that Bud Lite (the “commissioner” not the beer) decided a few years back to give the winner of the annual game home-field advantage during the World Series. The Wild Card team should NEVER have home field advantage in the World Series!! And that’s all I’m going to say about that.

Today’s birthdays include John Paul Jones (the war hero, not the keyboard player for Led Zeppelin), Burt Ward, Geoffrey Rush, Bill Haley, Janet Leigh (shower girl from Psycho), Ned Beatty, Merv Griffin, Adam Busch, Allyce Beasley, Dave Allen, Sebastian Cabot, Pat Paulsen, and Della Reese.

Burt Ward played “Robin” in the sixties TV series, Batman. I was a huge fan of Burt Ward’s Robin when I was a kid. Here is a clip I found on You Tube of Burt auditioning for the part of Robin in 1965. Burt is 69 today.

TODAY’S DEVOTIONAL

Teach me your way, O LORD, that I may walk in your truth; unite my heart to fear your name.
Psalm 86:11

(From The Divine Hours)

Sing to the LORD, bless his name; tell of his salvation from day to day. Declare his glory among the nations, his marvelous works among all the peoples!
Psalm 96:2-3
Let my cry come before you, O LORD; give me understanding according to your word! Let my plea come before you; deliver me according to your word.
Psalm 119:169-170
Lord, you have been our dwelling place in all generations. Before the mountains were brought forth, or ever you had formed the earth and the world, from everlasting to everlasting you are God.
Psalm 90:1-2

“Lord, make me have perpetual love and reverence for your holy Name, for you never
fail to help and govern those whom you have set upon the sure foundation of your
loving-kindness; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and
the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.”

Today’s reading in Reflections for Ragamuffins is “The Way of Integrity.”

In this “way of integrity,” there are no grounds for boasting, because “it is the work of the Spirit within us.” That is easy to say, of course, but we must remember that “without the Holy Spirit we cannot even see that Jesus is risen.” The way of integrity calls “the disciple to rigorous honesty about his attitudes, values, lifestyle, and personal relationships.” Sadly, it seems that honesty is a rare quality, “seldom found in society or in the church.”

“Like the alcoholic who denies he has a drinking problem, many of us have been deluding ourselves for so long that dishonesty and self-deception have become an accepted way of life.”

We must get away from the habit of “seeming to be,” rather than actually being. “Esse quam Videri” is attributed to Saint Gregory Nazianzen. (It may have originated with Cicero.) It means “to be rather than seem to be.” What this means for me is that pretense and sham cannot be enough to get by; pious thoughts cannot replace “putting on an apron and washing dirty feet;” and neurosis cannot be “an adequate substitute for suffering.”

. . . who devour widows’ houses and for a pretense make long prayers. They will receive the greater condemnation.
Mark 12:40

Father, help me to be more honest, both with myself and everyone else around me. May I never put on pretense or sham, in an effort to convince others that I am really what I say I am. May I live out the phrase that is the title of this entry, “esse quam videri.” Help me to be rather than seem to be. I cannot do this without your Spirit enabling me. Therefore, I pray that you fill me with your Spirit on a daily basis.

I pray for this day, that we will have a safe trip to Mineral Wells and back, and that all will have a good time as we visit with my parents. Then give us good rest for the week of work ahead, that we might work from our rest.

Regardless of your belief system, life would be better for all if we would “be rather than seem to be.” Honesty and integrity are worthy qualities.

Grace and peace, friends.