Today has been an interesting one for me. We've been in Chicago again for some time now since my last post (about 8 months) and life and ministry are going well. We're helping out with another church plant while we lay the ground work for our own congregation up on the farthest north side of Chicago in the neighborhood of Rogers Park. Life is good and ministry is gaining steam. IT's all good...
Today as I sat in church watching, listening, praying.... I had no idea that there was about to be a spiritual collision taking place. We're spending this year sitting at the feet of Jesus in Luke and this new fledgling community has been going thru the wringer when it comes to life issues. We're only officially four weeks old today but there is life and trial that makes us look way older. So many are dealing with major issues in their families. From the loss of loved ones to physical issues to the loss (or loosing) of babies yet to be born. It's so hard. Today I knew that we were going to be praying in particular for one guy that is really at the end of it all. He has a kidney issue and is about to start treatment that will either lengthen his life a bit... or potentially end it sooner. He is already only projected to live a little longer as is and this treatment potentially comes with a ton of side effects. If it works it may give him five more years... maybe.
With all that is going on Dave (the congregational lead) decided we needed to deviate from the normal stuff we were going to talk on and get to Jesus' teaching on prayer in Luke. As he taught, the Spirit of the living God went to work on some hard spots in my heart. Reminding me of His adoption of me as a son and the extravagant love He has for me. He also went to the work of convicting me. I don't often "hear" words from God but this caught my attention. While we sang the closing songs, which I cannot even remember now, I heard Him gently say " will you dare to pray like you really believe I AM who I say that I am." BOOM, it hit me like a ton of bricks. I was standing in front of the congregation there to pray for people as they had need and God was wrecking me. I got it together enough to pray for a guy that was struggling with stuff I could really relate too and then went back to singing.
What came to mind as we sang was the very stark reality that for this guy we were about to pray for these could be some of the last songs he ever gets to sing. It shook me out of my ordinary. It hit me in the gut, do I believe God is real? And if so have I been living like it? Praying like it? Loving others like that was the reality? We sang songs like "It is well with my soul" and "The great I AM", all the while my thoughts going to this guy who was singing with the reality that these may be the end of his days. Why had I not cared before...
As my mind recalled the sermon on Luke 11:1-13 some things rushed back into my mind. Prayer is fundamentally an act of TRUST. Do we trust God? Do we trust HIM as a good father who has brought us into the family and loves us not for what we've done but just because HE loves.
A few points on this idea of prayer that I want to remember:
It is God's honor to give to those HE loves
: we should approach God shamelessly (as a child asks their father for the things they want, unashamedly)
: we should ask with reckless abandon (nothing is too big to ask of God, He is I AM)
: we should ask CONSTANTLY (if it's God's pleasure to give, we can never ask too much. He may not always give but we can always ask)
The scripture tells us that we should:
pray for our needs : daily provision
pray for forgiveness : daily repentance
pray for freedom : daily protection
It is God's call on us to pray like we believe that HE really is there and really cares for the things on our hearts. The perfect Father who loves. Our adoption into the family of God is the paramount key to who we really are ... sons and daughters of the Most High.
For a few seconds today the vail peeled back just a bit and I think I saw the heart of the Father.
Father help us to live well, pray well, and pursue YOU like YOU really are there ... because YOU are I AM!
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