Sense: To Be Aware Of; Comprehend

For who knows a person's thoughts except the spirit of that person, which is in him? So also no one comprehends the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God. Now we have received not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we might understand 

the things freely given us by God.

(1 Corinthians 2:11-12 ESV)

We perceive the world around us with the five senses: sight, touch, hearing, taste and smell. Carving pumpkins is one of those activities where all five senses can be engaged. The smell of the pumpkin when you slice open it's lid. The feel of the ooey, gooey "guts" cold in your hand. The sound of giggles, as we witness each other's creative attempt at various faces. Tasting the roasted pumpkin seeds harvested from the "guts." And the delight of watching the candle light up each face once the sun goes down.

God gave us our senses to engage with His creation. He gave us his Spirit to help us comprehend the things freely given to us, especially the spiritual truths in the Word and in nature. A favorite book that I used to read to my kids around this time of year was The Pumpkin Patch Parable by Liz Curtis Higgs

In 30 Ways to Wake Up Your Quiet Time, Pam Farrel asks us to engage with the Bible using our five senses:

Look through the Bible and note the smells, like Jesus being called the "Rose of Sharon."

Gather up a few treats from the Song of Solomon...listen to a recording of Hebrew music while you eat.

Watch a travel video of the Holy Land...

Hang a nail from you Christmas-tree branches as a reminder of his death on the cross. 

You might try incorporating a traditional Jewish holiday into your family traditions. Attend a Passover Seder or set up palm booths ... and celebrate Purim and read the story of Esther.

Use color to rev up your quiet-time experience. Use colored pencils to mark verses so you can find them more readily. 

©Pam Farrel from 30 Ways to Wake Up Your Quiet Time (IVP). For more devotional books by Pam www.Love-wise.com

Adding color to my quiet times has taken on various forms over the past several years. First, I found the book Praying in Color that encourages you to doodle and color while you pray, giving you focus. Some may think doodling is distracting, but it actually helps me to concentrate. Then after the coloring is done, the image gets imprinted in my memory. When I see the image it reminds me to pray for the person or situation I was concentrating on at that time.

A prayer doodle using a Sharpie pen and  watercolor pencils.

As I have become more interested in mixed-media art and collage, I have been incorporating those practices into my devotional time. The joy of creating and playing with color and texture gives me a more tactile remembrance of my time with God. You could even incorporate Scriptures or a word that describes your relationship with God into your art work.

Dream

Another resource, I just found at a women's conference, is You are Loved! A Doodle Devotion by Marsha Baker. You can get the journal and read more about her doodling philosophy at Blessinks: Drawing People to Christ

A page from the doodle devotional workbook.

I would love to hear the creative ways

 you engage your senses in your devotional times.

Cultivate: To Foster the Growth Of

After this I looked, and behold, a great multitude that no one could number, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes, with palm branches in their hands, and crying out with a loud voice, “Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb!” And all the angels were standing around the throne and around the elders and the four living creatures, and they fell on their faces before the throne and worshiped God, saying, “Amen! Blessing and glory and wisdom and thanksgiving and honor and power and might be to our God forever and ever! Amen.” 

(Revelation 7:9-12 ESV)

When I was a little girl, one of my favorite parts of Vacation Bible School was the featured missionary. I remember after meeting a missionary from Africa, who brought items from her country to touch and pass around, promising God that I would go to Africa for him when I grew up. As a single young person, I thought I would become a full-time missionary. 

As a grown woman, I have learned that I can be a part of missions through prayer and support. In 30 Ways to Wake Up Your Quiet Time, Pam Farrel challenges us to find ways to expand our global perspective on the kingdom of God. 

Make friends with a missionary, writing to him or her may enrich your quiet times . . .visit churches from other cultures . . .if you can't find a church of a different culture in your area, then you can be equally inspired by books. 

Here are links to the resources she mentions:

From Jerusalem to Irian Jaya: A Biographical History of Christian Missions

The Global Prayer Digest

From Arapesh to Zuni: A Book of Bibleless People 

©Pam Farrel from 30 Ways to Wake Up Your Quiet Time (IVP). For more devotional books by Pam www.Love-wise.com

How do you maintain a kingdom perspective 

in your quiet times?

Still: Uttering No Sound; Quiet

Silence is praise to you,

    Zion-dwelling God,

And also obedience.

    You hear the prayer in it all.

(Psalm 65:1 The Message)

I am restless. A cold snap in the weather caught me unawares. I miss sitting out on our front porch. To go for a walk seems like a huge effort; to find socks, a coat, a hat and gloves appears insurmountable. I sit in the front room staring out at the empty porch swing, wondering how a little cold weather holds me hostage. My mind wanders and focus eludes me. The sunlight peeps through the window. I need some sunshine. I need some warmth. I want to be outdoors in the solitude and silence of a good walk with God.

I grab my phone, a travel mug with coffee, a book and a pen. I rummage through the closet to find gloves and a warm coat. Walking to the park, my mental block begins to thaw. My soul warms up to God. We just walk together. I try to read, but He just wants to be with me. Uttering no sound, being quiet together, moving through the cold, sunny day is enough.

Enough to bring me back to peace, back to some mental clarity and the ideas for a class I'm teaching on Friday begin to flow, just like the blood coursing through my body and the oxygen filling my lungs. 

Solitude affords me the opportunity to be present to the moment. To listen and soak in God's love. 

In 30 Ways to Wake Up Your Quiet Time, Pam Farrel reminds us that we have to carve out time to be still and know God:

Enjoying quiet is a lost art. Many of miss God in the everyday, but when things are still, when we take time in the quietness of nature--or in the quietness of our souls--our hearts will begin to tune into thoughts of God. 

If it's been a while since you stopped to smell the roses, do just that. Begin your journey in solitude by a walk in a garden or park. find a grassy knoll and lay on your back...and watch clouds, noting their shapes. then just pray through your thoughts as they come, even if they seem jumbled and random. 

It may feel strange at first to rest in the Lord, but one day of R and R with God can give you back months of clarity and productivity.

©Pam Farrel from 30 Ways to Wake Up Your Quiet Time (IVP). For more devotional books by Pam www.Love-wise.com

What is keeping you from being still?

Lonely Can Be a Lovely Word

But Jesus often withdrew to lonely places and prayed. 

(Luke 5:16 NIV)

Sometimes I want to be lonely--without company, cut off from others, not frequented by human beings. Some may say this is sad.  But in my loneliest times, I have found God or He finds me. 

When alone, solitary companionship occurs. God alone fills my deepest desires, comforts me in grief, strengthens my emotional being. So maybe I desire solitude--a privacy to be with my thoughts, to be with God.

Jesus sought the lonely places for prayer. He rested from company.  

Once in awhile, maybe quite often I am looking for that quiet day where I can walk in the lonely woods--to cry if I need to--to hum a tune--to sit still listening to . . . 

the gurgling brook

the rushing fountain

the muffled voices

the siren and traffic in the distance

and I am reminded that I am never too lonely.

I just step out of the woods and I am in the midst of the human race

ready to engage, to understand, to embrace, to listen, 

to do what human beings do--

alleviate

each other's loneliness.

Linking up with Five Minute Friday, Still Saturday and The Sunday Community and Sunday Stillness

Temptation: A Cause or Occasion for Enticement

No temptation has overtaken you except such as is common to man; but God is faithful, who will not let you be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also make a way of escape, 

that you may be able to bear it. 

(1 Corinthians 10:13 NKJV)

To entice someone is to "attract artfully or adroitly by arousing hope or desire." (www.m-w.com)

Why should I ask God, the Father, to not lead me into temptation? Especially when I know God does not tempt anyone.  (James 1:13-15) A more accurate translation might be "Do not let us enter into temptation." In essence we are praying, "Prevent me from sinning or show me the way out before I even get tangled in it."

We are enticed by our selfish desires to give in to the temptations of this world: the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes and the pride of life, which beckon us daily. (1 John 2:15-16)

Each of the requests in this prayer have a daily necessity to them. Not only must I ask for daily sustenance, I need forgiveness and protection day by day. 

One of my temptations is to let down my guard by slowly neglecting these requests, until in desperation, I cry out the last petition of the prayer: "Lord, deliver me from evil!"

It is interesting that in some translations the phrase is stated: "Deliver us from the evil one."  
We know the tempter, the devil, does tempt us. He entices us to false hope (believing someone or something else can comfort us outside of God's divine love) or to despair (distrusting the goodness of God), both which arouse in us a selfish desire to numb ourselves to the pain and disappointments of life. 

As much as I need daily bread, I need daily deliverance. Deliverance from myself and from the temptation to believe lies from the enemy of my soul. And so, I must pray daily: "Lord Jesus, deliver me from evil. Fill me with your hope and truth. Amen."

How has God delivered you recently?

Need: A Lack of Something Requisite, Desirable or Useful

For the bread of God is he who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.

(John 6:33 NIV)

When we get to this familiar request in the Lord's prayer, we are halfway through the recitation. It is the most practical and basic of requests. Yet the surrounding thoughts feed through this request. 

We make our daily request based on the knowledge of God as our Father. We can depend on the promise of provision as it is His will to provide for us. And when He grants this request, we have everything we need to hallow His name and our lives. Once we have experienced His provision, we seek the deeper spiritual needs: asking for and offering forgiveness and requesting the way out of temptation.

The significance of this simple request becomes clearer, if you dig into the original language. When Jesus spoke, he used the local dialect--Aramaic. In Aramaic, this sentence translates roughly to this: "Give to us today, this very day, the bread of our need."

Bread is a basic staple of most diets. To meditate on the bread of our need, takes me back to the Old Testament and then directly to Christ as the fulfillment of the promise. In Old Testament worship, they placed the Bread of Presence on the altar before God. During the wandering desert days of the Israelites, God sent down b read (manna) from heaven to meet their daily need for sustenance.

Jesus is our our daily bread. The bread of our ultimate need is salvation. Jesus satisfies this need completely. To know Jesus is to have everything requisite, desirable and useful, in order to relate with our Father in heaven.

During the sacrament of communion, we eat bread to recall Jesus' broken body on the cross, broken on our behalf. A friend recently pointed out that the phrase, "Taste and see that the Lord is good," takes on a richer meaning for her, whenever she partakes of communion. As I put together her insight and the daily "breadness" of Jesus, I rejoiced in the goodness of God. The rest of the verse (Psalm 34:8) states: "Blessed is the one who takes refuge in him." I marveled at how these mixed metaphors of bread and refuge give me something more to chew on. 

To dwell within God's presence is our daily benefit. So by all means, let's ask "Give us this day our daily bread, our daily refuge, our daily need, our daily portion of goodness." 

What comes to mind, when you pray, 

"Give us this day our daily bread"? 

Will: Desire, Wish, Request and Command

Linking up with Still Saturday and The Sunday Community.

Teach: To Accustom to Some Action or Attitude

Now Jesus was praying in a certain place, 

and when he was finished, one of his disciples said, 

"Lord, teach us to pray . . ."

(Luke 11:1 ESV)

When I think of written prayer, the most famous one that comes to mind is "The Lord's Prayer." This prayer brings comfort to many around the world daily, as it is recited in unison. It is familiar to both religious and secular people.

In Luke's gospel the prayer is recorded as a response to one disciple's request: "Lord, teach us to pray."  The disciple made his request after he had witnessed Jesus praying. Jesus modeled prayer. And He gave us a written prayer to reference as a teaching guide. 

Each line is full of instruction and affirmation of what it means to pray, to ask in faith based on our relationship with God. This first phrase is full of love and belonging. Jesus doesn't teach us to pray to His father, but to our inclusive Father. 

He tells us where our Father dwells. He is of heaven, a place beyond us, yet the unseen One makes Himself known to us through His Son. And through this very Son invites us to beseech Him as Father. A Father who intimately loves us and knows our words before they even form on our tongue. 

To simply meditate on this one line of the prayer evokes the attitude of a contented child. To act upon this hope of heaven and to respond to the Father who loved us enough to send our eldest Brother to embody this truth, births in me a desire to love God.

No wonder the next line is "Hallowed be thy name!"

How does it feel to know that God is our Father? How does this truth affect your attitude or direct your actions?

Ignite: To Set in Motion; Spark

The apostles said to the Lord, "Increase our faith!"

(Luke 17:5 NIV)

The cry of the apostles sums up my petition for myself these days. I need faith. Sometimes it is hard to believe God is good. Often life confuses and obscures what I think I want or need. Sometimes life feels downright unfair. Dark and gloomy doubts begin to whisper to me. And I begin to believe God doesn’t care after all.

This quote caused me to pause and think more deeply about God:

God is subtle, but he is not malicious.

 (Albert Einstein)

I am still mulling it over. It is obvious that God is not malicious, but how often my griping and complaining cloaks my fear that God may be ambivalent. To think of God as subtle brings me strange comfort.

When I make requests of God, I expect answers, because He promises them. But sometimes, the answers are nuanced in ways that leave me raw and wondering. Other times, I get it. I feel like I hear Him directing and saying, “That’s it! Go that way! You’re listening now!” But either way, He is present. And He wants me to know, He is near. He is with us.

A conversation with God can ignite a lot of questions. Crackling like a campfire, talking with God sets into motion more mystery than I can bear at times. I have to step away from Him, just like when I stand too near the blazing bonfire on a summer night to get some relief from the heat.

As the fire burns down, I move closer again and I’m comforted in the presence of the glowing embers. The sparks sputter into the sky, and I wonder whether God catches them in the dark. In the dark, our faith grows into more faith, settling our hearts with His warm embrace.

Spirit of God, spark our faith, hope and love into new action each day.

Fill our lives with wonder and awe in your presence . . . (Roman Catholic)

In what ways do you experience God as subtle?

Confidence: A Relation of Trust or Intimacy {Where I Reveal My Dream Come True}

 

But know that the LORD has set apart the faithful for himself;

the LORD hears when I call to him.

(Psalm 4:3 NRSV)

When I was a teenager, during a youth retreat we were encouraged to choose a name that would describe who we wanted to become. I chose the word, "confidence." I drew a key and wrote the word across it. Probably the first time I ever used a concordance to look up Scriptures. Under the listing, I remember reading: "The LORD is my confidence." (Proverbs 3:26a)

At that retreat was one of the first times I asked God for something for myself. I wanted Him to be my confidence, but also to make me more confident.

For many years I have been growing into that name. As I  was getting ready for a new venture today, God reminded me of that act of faith so many years ago. Back in May, through a series of God events, I took a step towards fulfilling a dream. This dream came to life today! I am calling this dream:

 

 

 

(Logo design created by Jessie Flori)

Souldare will be a place where people gather together to discover their created self through journaling, collage art and eventually, nature hikes accompanied by times of contemplative prayer.

What does this post have to do with my recent series on prayer? God hears when we call to him. And sometimes, the answer is revealed in stages, over the years. And sometimes, He uses that very request to increase our faith and confidence.

When I look at the word confidence, I think "with faith" or "with fidelity," which when applied to my life humbles me. To think that God would call me one of his faithful ones exalts his faithfulness. It indicates a depth of intimacy with God that has grown sweeter over the years.

What a joy it was today to witness others exploring and discovering their created selves through collage art and journaling. God was in our midst. I can't wait until next week to see how God reveals himself to us again.

 

A poem I read before I left to facilitate the workshop became another prayer for confidence:

Where fear imprisons, faith liberates;
Where fear paralyzes, faith empowers;
Where fear disheartens, faith encourages;
Where fear sickens, faith heals;
Where fear makes useless, faith makes beautiful;
Where fear puts hopelessness at the heart of life,
faith opens the windows on a new world,
a new life that knows no end.
(Father Philip Chester, as qtd by Jonathan Aitken in Prayers for People Under Pressure)

 

How is faith enabling you to overcome fears?What long forgotten request

is God answering today?

 

Raiment: Clothes; Garments

Behold, I have caused thine

iniquity to pass from thee,

and I will clothe thee

with change of raiment.

(Zechariah 3:4b KJV)

 

When we come to God with our sin, it is like exchanging filthy garments for fresh clean clothes. The word raiment has a beauty to it. It derives from the word “array,” which means “to set or place in order.” This describes accurately what happens when we come to God in confession.

Array often is associated with richness. Often it used to describe those who clothe themselves with ornate, luxurious robes. Several times in Scripture the metaphor of being clothed is used to describe our condition before God. When we “wear” Jesus, we gain a robe of righteousness, a garment of praise and a beautiful spirit of grace. Not only does God cleanse us from our sin, but He adorns us in His best qualities.

Another way to display God’s goodness in prayer is the practice of thanksgiving. Most people will agree that is easier to give thanks when life is going well, than when it’s full of trials and despair.

In Prayers for People Under Pressure, Jonathan Aitken admits, “ . . . although praying to God when our lives are going topsy-turvy is an almost impossible challenge, we should reflect of the argument for trying to do just that.” And while I agree that it is beneficial to thank God for the difficult things in our lives, as well as the benefits, today it occurred to me that I very rarely thank God for taking away my sin and for forgiving me for my many faults. When I think about it this way, I have something to be thankful for everyday.

When we find it difficult to be thankful, maybe we should pray one of these two prayers from renowned English bards:

 

O Lord, thou hast give so much to me;

give one thing more; a grateful heart. Amen.

(George Herbert, 1593-1633)

 

O Lord, that lends me life,

Lend me a heart replete with thankfulness.

(William Shakespeare, 1564-1616)

Linking up with Soli Deo Gloria Sisterhood

Stop: To Cease Activity

 

 

 

Cease striving and know that I am God.

(Psalm 46:10 NASB)

 

 

"Stop, in the name of love...

before you break my heart."

(The Supremes)

 

 

When I was out running the other day, I saw a stop sign and the above lyrics started humming through my mind. God in His sweet way was asking me to stop sinning in my thought life, which inevitably seeps into my language and actions. To stop out of love for Him and because sin breaks His heart.

 

Once a month Dawn at Beneath the Surface: Breath of Faith and the Recovering Church Lady co-host, Random Journal Day, where we daringly pull a random journal off the shelf or pile and pick an entry to share with the group.

After reading a couple posts from this month, I made this connection between journaling and prayer: If you write prayers in a journal, you have a great resource for written prayers to glean insight from, as well as see how God has been transforming your life.

 

I pulled a journal from the summer of 2009. And the following confession made me feel vulnerable, but I wondered if others have had similar struggles and awareness. As I reread it, I recognized how much God has helped me overcome this recurring sin in my life.

 

Confession brings sin into the light. Once it is named, God gives me strength to move away from the sin, in order to stop operating under its influence. The ability to turn away from sin is a supernatural ceasing.

 

Here's the confession, I came upon in my journal from August 2, 2009:

 

I admit that I do give my tongue free rein to say hurtful things--judgmental things. My tongue frames deceit-- I lie about myself and make up motives for others. I wrongly accuse. I try to put words in their mouths. I confess that I justify my slander by thinking that I am evaluating or assessing or problem solving.

 

O God, guard my tongue. Let me be silent rather than foolishly harm others. Purify my heart and tongue. How can I praise you one moment and tear down those you love the next. I am wretched.

 

Forgive me, most of all, for believing or thinking that You, the Most High and Holy One could even think or evaluate others the way I do. Let me worship you in holiness. Keep my lips from sinning.

 

Thank you for not remaining silent, O God Most High. Thank you for speaking to me about my tongue. For rebuking me in love. I accept the charges. I am guilty of slander, lies and wickedness in my heart, words and actions. Help me to think more highly of your beloved children.

 

Instead of slander, I offer praise, accolades, value and welcome. Why do I slander others? Because I doubt my own value. I want to keep the focus off my own shortcomings. I want to feel superior.

 

Father God, forgive me . . .

 

It is a rough thing to look into the mirror and see my grisly face, but it is also a beautiful thing because then our Gentle Healer can wipe away the debris and clean the wounds and bind us up with His mercy.

 

 

What kind of prayers do you write in your journal? Do you think written prayer is necessary or useful? Why or why not?

 

 

 

 

 

Linking up with Random Journal Day

 

 

Wake: A Track or Path Left

 

 

Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the Lord for ever.

(Psalm 23:6 KJV)

 

 

 

 

The psalms are full of prayer language. The last verse of Psalm 23 has been following me around all week, begging to be mentioned today. One time a good friend of mine told me, that if she had two dogs, she would name them "mercy" and "goodness," then mercy and goodness would be following her wherever she went.

 

This week as Psalm 23:6 kept hounding me, I wondered how often I leave mercy and goodness behind as I walk out the days of my life. I am not always successful, but God always covers up my tracks with His mercy and goodness. 

 

 

How about you?

What are you leaving in your wake?

 

 

 

Linking up with:

 

 

Still Saturday and The Sunday Community



Room: Opportunity or Scope for Something

 

 

Answer me when I call, O God of my right!

    You gave me room when I was in distress.

    Be gracious to me, and hear my prayer.

(Psalm 4:1 NRSV)

 

 

The more I think about prayer, the more questions surface in my heart. What is the purpose of prayer? Is prayer something to practice or is it practicing the presence of God? Does prayer change things or does it change me?

In reading Psalm 4 today, the opening verse sheds some light on my quandary. God can be trusted to bring about right in my life. He listens. He answers. He enlarges my perspective when I am in distress. Just being in His presence is grace. When I make prayer more than an entrance into His presence, I lose sight of the purpose of prayer—communion.

God makes room for me. He invites me to empty myself, to recognize my nothingness in light of His all-ness. He offers me various opportunities to express my love to Him. The capacity of God staggers me. And His very being thrills me like a spacious room. To be empty is to make space for God’s fullness.

 

Here’s an emptying prayer from early church history:

Sever me from myself that I may be grateful to you;

may I perish to myself that I may be safe in you;

may I die to myself that I may live in you;

may I wither to myself that I may blossom in you;

may I be emptied of myself that I may abound in you;

may I be nothing to myself that I may be all to you.

                                             (Desiderius Erasmus, 1466-1536)

 

What is the purpose of prayer in your life?

 

Delight: Extreme Satisfaction; Joy

Keep company with God,
    get in on the best.

(Psalm 37:4 The Message)

 

Take delight in the Lord,
    and he will give you your heart’s desires.

(Psalm 37:4 NLT)

 

 

 

 

Last month filled my heart with great satisfaction. I kept company with God with my nieces and nephews. We had quiet, creative mornings and fun-filled afternoons. We met with friends and we stayed home.

 

My favorite memory of the month was introducing them to the idea of meeting with Jesus in their heart room. My sister gave us a book of meditations to read over the month. Most mornings after breakfast, we gathered in the quiet corner and contemplated some object that introduced us to an aspect of God's love and presence in our lives.

 

We imagined a kite flying freely in the sky, and then we thought about how God holds us secure, yet allows us to express ourselves freely. How the presence of the Holy Spirit sustains us and thrills us as we soar in God's loving care.

 

One day we recalled the birth of Jesus. Then we contemplated the cross and the pain He suffered on our behalf. The next day we celebrated His triumph over death. We remembered His sacrifice with the bread and with the cup.

 

Our days together ended with a loss. During our last week together, our dear dog, age fourteen, became feebler. Each child responded in their own way, when we told them she had died. We cried and talked about her life, and my youngest niece led us in a meaningful memorial time by burying Milli's collar and play toy in the garden.

 

What delight children and pets bring to our lives. I am grateful for the time we had together, both the highs and lows of the month. As we go into July, I have prayer on my heart.

 

Sometimes I find it difficult to pray. At those times I am drawn to the written prayers of others. Last week, also marked the death of a dear family friend. She lived far from us, and I am thankful for the years we were able to visit with her the past several summers. Over the years my family and I enjoyed Mary's company and her hospitality, whenever we came in to town for a visit.

 

Here is a prayer for those who love her and miss her:

 

Almighty God, Father of all mercies and giver of all comfort, deal graciously we pray as we mourn, casting all our care on Thee, knowing the consolation of Thy love; through Christ Jesus Our Lord.

 

(Book of Common Prayer 1928, adapted)