Prosper in hope

I have a hope, I have a future
I have a destiny that is yet awaiting me
My life's not over; a new beginning's just begun
I have a hope, I have this hope

God has a plan; it's not to harm me
But it's to prosper me and to hear me when I call
He intercedes for me working all things for my good
Though trials may come we have this hope

I will yet praise Him, my great Redeemer
I will yet stand up and give Him glory with my life
He takes my darkness and He turns it into light
I will yet praise Him, my Lord my God

My God is for me, He's not against me
So tell me whom then, tell me whom then shall I fear
He has prepared for me great works He'll help me to complete
I have a hope I have this hope

Goodness and mercy, they're gonna follow me
And I'll forever dwell in the house of my great King
No eye has ever seen all He's preparing there for me
Though trials may come I have this hope

I will yet praise Him, my great Redeemer
I will yet stand up and give Him glory with my life
He takes my darkness and He turns it into light
I will yet praise Him, my Lord my God

There's still hope for me today
For the God of Heaven loves me

CCLI Song No. 5087587© 2007 Doulos Publishing (Maranatha! Music [Admin. by Music Services])Tommy Walker

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DcjhNjO_l5o



For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. (Jer. 29:11 NIV)


This Sunday I received news of a friend who had lost a baby at 12 weeks gestation. Because I knew she and her husband were looking forward to this new addition to their family - she and I had talked about it just last week - I also expect she's grieving the loss of this life.

And this week our church interviews the first of our potential new senior pastors. The long process of searching, waiting, preparing, praying has come to this point. We don't know yet whether he's The One, but we are optimistic - or should I say "hopeful."

My friend's hope for this child has been swallowed up by the reality of no heartbeat. Our church's hope for a new pastor is still growing, even if a bit tired around the edges.

But, I think this verse from Jeremiah can speak to both these situations and many more. So, would you join me in praying it over these two situation (and any others you'd like to add)?


God, thank you for knowing us and loving us and caring so much about us that you have plans for our lives. Thank you that you want us to prosper and that your plans are not harmful. Thank you that your plans are for hope and for our futures. God, for my friend who is grieving the loss of this baby, I pray that you would help her to know your comfort and peace. Help her to hear that your plans for her life are for hope, for good, for prosperity, for her future. And for our church we pray the same - prosper us, show us your plans, give us your hope. We pray for clarity in wisdom and discernment as we meet with these potential new pastors. In Jesus' name we pray, Amen.

Tired

The other night I had the chance to talk with a friend who I hadn't seen in several months. She and her husband have four boys age 2 to 6 and she works full time as a teacher in a neighboring school district. Her husband is a stay-at-home dad. We were talking, in part, about the joys and trials of parenting four young, energetic, busy boys and the word they each kept coming back to was "tired." It's just tiring to do this type of parenting.

And it's tiring to care for elderly parents, or to hold down multiple jobs, or to be a single parent supporting your family, or to be looking for work - still - and again.... or..... any number of things. Some say being tired is just a part of life today. Maybe it is, but I don't think God intended it to be that way.

Psalm 62 has been speaking to me this week and I share it with you with this prayer that for whatever tired places you have in your life, you would trust God with them.

⁵ Find rest, O my soul, in God alone;
my hope comes from him.

⁶ He alone is my rock and my salvation;
he is my fortress, I will not be shaken.

⁷ My salvation and my honor depend on God;
he is my mighty rock, my refuge.

⁸ Trust in him at all times, O people;
pour out your hearts to him,
for God is our refuge. (NIV)

Hear again these words of encouragement and hope from Isaiah:

Do you not know?
Have you not heard?
The LORD is the everlasting God,
the Creator of the ends of the earth.
He will not grow tired or weary,
and his understanding no one can fathom.

29 He gives strength to the weary
and increases the power of the weak.

30 Even youths grow tired and weary,
and young men stumble and fall;

31 but those who hope in the LORD
will renew their strength.
They will soar on wings like eagles;
they will run and not grow weary,
they will walk and not be faint. (Isa. 40 NIV)

Jesus, you said when we are weary and heavy laden we should come to you. You said that when we cast all our cares upon you that you will lift us up. You promised that we would not succumb to the cares, pressures, or tired-ness of this world, but that when we trust in you we would know your peace. So, we trust in your promises and pray you would be our Rock, that you would strengthen us, that you would ease our weariness and help us to discern what of our "busy-ness" we can release. Be our peace we pray....Amen.

Destroying families

¹⁰Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. ¹¹Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes. ¹²For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.¹³Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. ¹⁴Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, ¹⁵and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. ¹⁶In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. ¹⁷Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. ¹⁸And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints. (Eph. 6 NIV)

For worship yesterday I was asked to do a "testimony" / "word of witness" about Spirit Filled Mothering. After several weeks of thinking & praying about it and clarifying with the pastor, I had some organized thoughts and q & a prepared.

But the days before I felt a heaviness on my person. I was testy sometimes and doubtful; minor things became more annoying; and (although I am not normally frightened to speak in front of people) I was even nervous about this. It finally dawned on me late in the week that this is the same thing that happened before our monthly Mom2Mom events. How are these things related? They are about encouraging godly families and parenting. Wait a minute: could it be that the evil one wants to destroy Christian families? Could it be that destroying Christian children helps to dim the Light of Christ in the world?

Ummmm...in a word...YES!!!!!!!

Whether you are a parent or not, you can join me in praying that God's Light in children, youth, and in adults would not be dimmed by attacks of evil.

God of might and power, help us to be strong in you and in your mighty power. Help us to stand against the devil's schemes. Protect us so that when the days and moments of evil come, we may be able to stand our ground because we have your truth, your righteousness, your peace, deep faith, and your Word. We pray for protection for families - especially Christian ones. We pray that the Light of Christ would shine brightly from godly parents and children as they seek to honor you in their families. In the strong name of Christ we pray. Amen.

Old friends

I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go, I will counsel you and watch over you. (Psalm 32:8 KJV)

Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the LORD your God will be with you wherever you go." (Joshua 1:9 NIV)


Today I received a phone call from our former church asking if I would be available to play organ for a funeral on Wednesday. I agreed to play the funeral and then realized that I hadn't played organ in over a year; better go practice! So, tonight I went there and spent most of an hour reaquainting my hands and feet (and mind and heart) with classical organ music and hymns. It was a wonderful time of reconnecting with old "friends" in the hymnal and hearing familiar texts and tunes again.

One of the songs I came across I make today's prayer.

God, grant us wisdom and courage for the facing of each hour.

God of grace and God of glory,
On Thy people pour Thy power.
Crown Thine ancient church’s story,
Bring her bud to glorious flower.
Grant us wisdom, grant us courage,
For the facing of this hour,
For the facing of this hour.

God, in a time when much looks so dark, please help us be courageous lights.

Lo! the hosts of evil ’round us,
Scorn Thy Christ, assail His ways.
From the fears that long have bound us,
Free our hearts to faith and praise.
Grant us wisdom, grant us courage,
For the living of these days,
For the living of these days.

God, when we struggle with fears and attack, protect us, free us and help us trust and praise you.

Cure Thy children’s warring madness,
Bend our pride to Thy control.
Shame our wanton selfish gladness,
Rich in things and poor in soul.
Grant us wisdom, grant us courage,
Lest we miss Thy kingdom’s goal,
Lest we miss Thy kingdom’s goal.

God, we pray for peace in the world and peace in our souls.

Save us from weak resignation,
To the evils we deplore.
Let the search for Thy salvation,
Be our glory evermore.
Grant us wisdom, grant us courage,
Serving Thee Whom we adore,
Serving Thee Whom we adore.*

God, let us run with endurance the race you have set for us and help us find your glory, your wisdom, your courage. May our lives be a pleasing offering to you. In Christ's name we pray, Amen.




* "God of Grace and God of Glory" by Harry E. Fosdick

Lost, part 1

I saw this column in "The Best of the Web Today" on wsj.com. Somehow, the last sentence was very profound to me:

Here's a fascinating report from LifeSiteNews.com, a Web site whose point of view is obvious from the name:

The pro-life movement in America is growing in leaps and bounds, attracting young, zealous women to defend the unborn in droves--a fact that even the president of NARAL has now admitted.

NARAL's Nancy Keenan told Newsweek last week that she considers herself a member of the "postmenopausal militia"--a phrase that captures the situation of pro-abortion leaders who are aging across the board, including the leadership of Planned Parenthood, and the National Organization for Women. Newsweek's Sarah Kliff notes that "these leaders will retire in a decade or so."

Keenan also remarked on the enormity of this year's March for Life in Washington, D.C., and, according to Newsweek, is troubled that such passion has faded among the youth on her side of the movement.

"I just thought, my gosh, they are so young," Keenan said about stumbling on this year's March for Life in Washington. "There are so many of them, and they are so young."

The report cites a NARAL survey finding that, in LSN's words, "while 51 percent of pro-life voters under 30 considered abortion a 'very important' voting issue, only 26 percent of abortion supporters in the same demographic felt similarly."


What is behind this shift in sentiment? LSN, not surprisingly, attributes it to the moral power of the antiabortion cause. Newsweek and Naral actually make some concessions to this point of view; the group's ex-head Kate Michelman tells the magazine, for instance that ultrasound technology "has clearly helped to define how people think about a fetus as a full, breathing human being."

There's a question here that nobody is asking: Where don't babies come from? "Young, zealous women," after all, begin their lives as baby girls. For a more detailed exposition of this theory, check out our 2005 article "The Roe Effect." But here's the short summary: If the next generation of abortion proponents is mysteriously missing, it may be because their mothers availed themselves of the right to have an abortion and thus did not become mothers.

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704423504575212303032885376.html

It struck me suddenly that there could be a LOT more people of my generation. (I was born in 1971.) Who have we as a society missed?

Weary of waiting

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-iWj8wPhimE

"We Will Wait"

We will run and not grow weary

We will walk and will not faint

For the Lord will go before us

And His joy will be our strength

Mounting up with wings as eagles

As our spirits start to soar

When we come into His presence

And we wait upon the Lord

We will wait upon the Lord

For in His presence is fullness of joy

And our strength will be restored

As we wait upon the Lord

CCLI Song No. 833465

© 1992 Integrity's Hosanna! Music

Martin Nystrom | Tricia G. Allen

O God, you are my God,
earnestly I seek you;
my soul thirsts for you,
my body longs for you,
in a dry and weary land
where there is no water. (Ps. 63:1 NIV)

I've written two blog entries this week and have the start of another one. However, this blog/prayer entry is very specific: I want to pray for the search process for our church's new pastor. We have been without a permanent pastor for 18 months now and actively searching for a year. I am (personally) becoming weary of the process, the waiting, the unknowns - and I'm on the search committee. Tomorrow night we interview (via Skype) three potential candidates.

The past two weeks we have been praying this scripture from Colossians 1 over ourselves and the new pastor. Now I ask you to pray it with us.

⁹For this reason, since the day we heard about you, we have not stopped praying for you and asking God to fill you with the knowledge of his will through all spiritual wisdom and understanding. ¹⁰And we pray this in order that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and may please him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God, ¹¹being strengthened with all power according to his glorious might so that you may have great endurance and patience, and joyfully ¹²giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in the kingdom of light. (NIV)

We pray for knowledge of His will through all spiritual wisdom and understanding.

We pray that we and he may live a life worthy and pleasing to God, bearing fruit in every good work.

We pray we would continue to grow in the knowledge of God.

We pray we will be strengthened with all power according to God's glorious might.

We pray for great endurance and patience.

We pray for joy to inhabit this situation.

And we join with the words of the Psalmist:

² We have seen you in the sanctuary
and beheld your power and your glory.

³ Because your love is better than life,
our lips will glorify you.

⁴ We will praise you as long as we live,
and in your name we will lift up our hands.

⁵ Our souls will be satisfied as with the richest of foods;
with singing lips our mouths will praise you.

⁷ Because you are my help, we sing in the shadow of your wings.

⁸ Our souls cling to you;
your right hand upholds us. (Ps. 63 NIV)

Uphold us, God; help us not to be weary. Help us run with endurance the race set before us. Help us trust your ways, your thoughts, your timing. Give us strength and hope - and patience. May our hearts be in tune with yours and our spiritual ears be able to hear your voice. May our wills do what you want and may your Kingdom be honored and furthered. In the strong and comforting name of Christ we pray. Amen.

Do you not know?
Have you not heard?
The LORD is the everlasting God,
the Creator of the ends of the earth.
He will not grow tired or weary,
and his understanding no one can fathom.

²⁹ He gives strength to the weary
and increases the power of the weak.

³⁰ Even youths grow tired and weary,
and young men stumble and fall;

³¹ but those who hope in the LORD
will renew their strength.
They will soar on wings like eagles;
they will run and not grow weary,
they will walk and not be faint. (Isa. 40 NIV)

Preparedness

"Disaster strikes like a cyclone, whirling the wicked away, but the godly have a lasting foundation. (Prov. 10:25 NLT)

"A prudent person foresees the danger ahead and takes precautions; the simpleton goes blindly on and suffers the consequences." (Prov. 22:3)

"Those who fear the Lord are secure; He will be a place of refuge for their children." (Prov. 14:26 NLT)

Several months ago I connected with a website that helps with disaster preparedness. Later I realized that the very helpful, perky young women on the site were probably members of the Mormon church. And that got me thinking.

What if there really was a disaster or series of disasters? Who would help hurting people? Would the local Christian church be prepared to reach out in love with food, water, shelter, medicine, resources, etc. if there was some type of major event?

And what would our witness be to the community? Because I believe there are major theological problems with the Mormon faith, I do not want pre-believers being led astray while the real Church is trapped in unpreparedness, indecision, infighting, or a myriad of other things.

And for the real Church to be prepared, we have to have our financial houses in order - both our corporate church and individual family houses - so that we have resources to give. We need to have our priorities of time and talents and treasure (even non-monetary) set according to God's principles. And we need to be prepared to extend grace and love no matter what - even during and after a disaster.

How do we do this? I'm not sure exactly. I do think any step in the direction of being prepared is better than sitting in a feeling of frustration or helplessness - or just being lazy. But I think that the Kingdom benefits of being prepared to minister to people - especially pre-believers - are huge. If disaster victims know "know we are Christians by our love" we can help fight back the forces of fear, confusion, despair, loss, and (especially) spiritual darkness.

Proverbs 11:24 says "It is possible to give freely and become more wealthy..."

May our love and grace - and our material preparedness - help us to give freely to a world being suffocated by darkness. May our love freely given come back to us pushed down, running over, and enriching us.

God who owns the cattle on a thousand hills, who knows the hairs on our heads, and the numbers of our days, teach us to make our days count as we walk this earth. Help us to know your wisdom and your plans for our future with hope. Help us to be prepared without hoarding, to live as good stewards of our resources, and to honor you with our actions, words, and thoughts. May the Light of your Church shine brightly as you call all people unto yourself. In Christ's name we pray, Amen.

from "Live Like We're Dying"

by Mark Sheehan and Danny O'Donoghue of The Script/recorded by Kris Allen

You never know a good thing till it's gone
You never see a crash till it's head on
Why do we think we're right when we're dead wrong
You never know a good thing till it's gone

Yeah, we gotta start
Looking at the hands of the time we've been given
If this is all we got and we gotta start thinking
If every second counts on a clock that's ticking
Gotta live like we're dying

We only got 86,400 seconds in a day to
Turn it all around or to throw it all away
We gotta tell them that we love them
While we got the chance to say
Gotta live like we're dying

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YbfeSImDntw