Praying with Heart

So Hannah ate. Then she pulled herself together, slipped away quietly, and entered the sanctuary. The priest Eli was on duty at the entrance to God’s Temple in the customary seat. Crushed in soul, Hannah prayed to God and cried and cried—inconsolably. Then she made a vow:

Oh, God-of-the-Angel-Armies,
If you’ll take a good, hard look at my pain,
If you’ll quit neglecting me and go into action for me
By giving me a son,
I’ll give him completely, unreservedly to you.
I’ll set him apart for a life of holy discipline. 1 Samuel 1:9-12 (MSG)

Hannah wanted desperately to have a child. Up to this point, she had not been able to get pregnant. Her heart was broken. Her soul was crushed. As she prayed to God, the God-of the Angel-Armies, the Lord in charge of everything, she went all in. She made a covenant with God. If he would give her a son, she would turn around and give the child back to God.

Wait. What? She pleaded for what she wanted but also was willing to let it go. She was willing to receive the gift and then release it back to God…for his purposes.

Made me wonder….do I pray like that? Do I pray with a heart that asks God for what I want not for my benefit but for his? Am I willing to receive the gifts God gives me, the answers to prayer that he provides and then turn around and give them back? Am I willing to use them for his purpose, for his glory?

And then I had to ask myself, what would happen if I did? How would I be changed if I was like Hannah and I trusted God so much with my desires that I was willing to surrender them to Him?

Father God, I know my heart is not in that place. I am asking you to help me get there. Teach me, Lord, to surrender my desires to you; to do with what you will. Like Hannah, give me the joy she had when she surrendered her gift back into your very capable hands. In Jesus Name, Amen

A Minute In It - The Servant's Role

A minute in God’s Word will change your life. Take a moment to read the text below and then answer the questions at the bottom of the post.

7 “Suppose one of you has a servant who is plowing or looking after the sheep. When he comes in from the field, do you tell him to hurry along and eat his meal? 8 Of course not! Instead, you say to him, ‘Get my supper ready, then put on your apron and wait on me while I eat and drink; after that you may have your meal.’ 9 The servant does not deserve thanks for obeying orders, does he? 10 It is the same with you; when you have done all you have been told to do, say, ‘We are ordinary servants; we have only done our duty.’” Luke 17:7-10 (GNT)

Can you summarize this passage in your own words?

What stood out to you in this passage?

Who are you in the story?

What is your reaction to this story?

What is God trying to tell you?

How are you going to obey?

A Minute In It - Only One Thing

A minute in God’s Word will change your life. Take a moment to read the text below and then answer the questions at the bottom of the post.

17 As Jesus was starting out on his way to Jerusalem, a man came running up to him, knelt down, and asked, “Good Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?”

18 “Why do you call me good?” Jesus asked. “Only God is truly good. 19 But to answer your question, you know the commandments: ‘You must not murder. You must not commit adultery. You must not steal. You must not testify falsely. You must not cheat anyone. Honor your father and mother.’”

20 “Teacher,” the man replied, “I’ve obeyed all these commandments since I was young.”

21 Looking at the man, Jesus felt genuine love for him. “There is still one thing you haven’t done,” he told him. “Go and sell all your possessions and give the money to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.”

22 At this the man’s face fell, and he went away sad, for he had many possessions. Mark 10:17-27 (NLT)

What was the man looking for when he came to Jesus?
Why did Jesus ask him to sell everything?
What did Jesus see in the man that the man did not see about himself?
What in your life would be hard to give up to go all in for Jesus?

Doing the Jesus Thing

Bear with each other, and forgive each other. If someone does wrong to you, forgive that person because the Lord forgave you. Colossians 3:13 (NCV)

We had known each other a long time. We’d worked together and I believe, our work relationship had grown into a friendship. This couple that I considered friends were good people. I thought. A few years ago, they made a choice that hurt me financially and emotionally. During this process, they didn’t call to explain. We didn’t have any conversations. Immediately and abruptly, the relationship was severed as they made choices that would negatively impact my life - all in the name of business.

As I journeyed through those years, trying to get back on my feet, I prayed to forgive. It didn’t happen immediately but I eventually got to the point where I intellectually said I forgave them. I reasoned that God is in control of everything and truthfully, this journey grew my walk with God in ways nothing else could.

Recently, God revealed to me that I had not completely forgiven them. In my head I could say I did but my heart was not 100% following along. When I heard there names, my head would understand where it needed to be but my deep down self was not as compliant.

There was still a root in there that I have not addressed. There is still hurt and some anger leftover. And God says this cannot be. God tells us (many times) in the Bible to forgive. We need to forgive because we have been forgiven for so very much. But mostly, I think, we need to forgive to be free of that weight that holds us down.

Do you know how I know I have not totally surrendered this to Jesus? I know because when I think of them I don’t see two children of God who Jesus loves so desperately. My heart doesn’t ache for them to know Jesus. Instead, I see two people who are on the wrong path. Sure. I pray for them but mostly I pray for me. I pray that God will help me forgive.

When I have forgiven someone, the negative burden I feel lifts. I begin to see them as someone Jesus heart aches for and I want nothing more than for them to know him. And my prayers follow that with pleas to God that he will reach their hearts.

So, I am back to the beginning. I am facing this thing that happened but with a different goal. I don’t want to get to the place where as a Christian I can say I did what God asks. I want to get to the place where I actually am doing what God asks. Only the transforming power of Jesus can do this in me. I just need to surrender and stop trying to do it on my own.

A Minute In It - What Do You Hold On To?

A minute in God’s Word will change your life. Take a moment to read the text below and then answer the questions at the bottom of the post.

54 So they arrested him and led him to the high priest’s home. And Peter followed at a distance. 55 The guards lit a fire in the middle of the courtyard and sat around it, and Peter joined them there. 56 A servant girl noticed him in the firelight and began staring at him. Finally she said, “This man was one of Jesus’ followers!”

57 But Peter denied it. “Woman,” he said, “I don’t even know him!”

58 After a while someone else looked at him and said, “You must be one of them!”

“No, man, I’m not!” Peter retorted.

59 About an hour later someone else insisted, “This must be one of them, because he is a Galilean, too.”

60 But Peter said, “Man, I don’t know what you are talking about.” And immediately, while he was still speaking, the rooster crowed.

61 At that moment the Lord turned and looked at Peter. Suddenly, the Lord’s words flashed through Peter’s mind: “Before the rooster crows tomorrow morning, you will deny three times that you even know me.” 62 And Peter left the courtyard, weeping bitterly. Luke 22:54-61 (NLT)

Why did Peter deny Jesus?
What was he protecting?
What is it in your life that you are protecting?
Are you denying Jesus by holding on to what you have?

How Do You Worship?

But the time is coming—it has, in fact, come—when what you’re called will not matter and where you go to worship will not matter. “It’s who you are and the way you live that count before God. Your worship must engage your spirit in the pursuit of truth. That’s the kind of people the Father is out looking for: those who are simply and honestly themselves before him in their worship. God is sheer being itself—Spirit. Those who worship him must do it out of their very being, their spirits, their true selves, in adoration.” John 4:22-24 (MSG)

As Jesus leaned in and talked to the woman at the well, he did what he always does with us, he started focusing on her heart. He pointed out things in her life that were not what they should be. He highlighted her sins with his “only Jesus can fix this” spotlight. Jesus gently let her know that he could see what she was struggling with.

As the conversation between them became more intimate, she did what we all do. She deflected. This was getting too personal and uncomfortable. Let’s talk about something less heartfelt…..like where we should worship. Should we worship in this church or that church? Which denomination is better, yours or mine? The woman tried to make the topic of importance about something other than her life.

Jesus cut to the heart of the matter again.

He said all that stuff doesn’t matter. It is semantics. What matters is what is in your heart. What matters is that you worship God with all of your soul, with your very being. When you are in a relationship with me, your life will be changed. You will become a different person. That new being, that new person is where the worship starts. The way you live your life is your worship.

Are you living your life in worship? Do the decisions you make and the way you live life reflect a heart that is in love with Jesus? If not, then there is something missing. We were not created to just attend church and check the box. We were intended to worship with all of our heart, soul and mind.

That’s what a life surrendered to Jesus looks like.

Still Thirsty?

But those who drink the water I give will never be thirsty again. It becomes a fresh, bubbling spring within them, giving them eternal life. John 4:14 (NLT)

The woman came to the well. Same routine as yesterday and the day before. As she walked there in the middle of the day, the sun beat down on her. It was hot. But she came now because she couldn’t face the people in her village. Her life had been a series of one mistake (or bad choice) after another. And because the village was small and they all knew each other, everyone knew her history.

People are not kind. If you do something they don’t like, they judge you and make you feel like an outsider. That’s the way she felt. So instead of facing it every day and going to the well with the crowd, she went alone. Alone was painful but less painful than the people were.

As she approached the well, there was a man sitting there. A Jewish man. What was he doing here? He was n Samaritan territory. This was unheard of. She thought to herself, “I am going to get my water and get out of here. He won’t speak to me anyway. Jews don’t talk to Samaritans and men don’t talk to women. Ever.” As she approached the well, he asked her for a drink.

She almost dropped her jug. What in the world? As he engaged her in conversation, she felt herself relaxing. There was something different about him. He was talking about giving her water. He didn’t even have a bucket to draw water with. What was he thinking? Then he began to tell her about his water. His water was different. He said if you drank it, you would be filled up. Never thirsty. Never empty. He said if you drank his water something inside you would change.

Something would start and it would keep bubbling up to overflowing. She desperately wanted that water. She wanted to quench the thirst in her soul for something better than this life she was living. Her heart yearned for it. In that moment she decided. She would take some of this water. She would let it change her.

I want this water too. Each and every day I will look for the water that Jesus offered her. I will drink it and my soul will be satisfied. How about you?

A Minute In It - It's Not All Mine!

A minute in God’s Word will change your life. Take a moment to read the text below and then follow the instructions at the bottom of the post.

The earth and everything on it
belong to the Lord.
The world and its people
belong to him. Psalm 24:1 (CEV)

Take a moment and list the gifts God has given to you. List the big things (like maybe a car) and the small things. Don’t forget to put non-material things like time and people.

We are so focused on what we see as “ours.” Based on today’s text, it is all God’s. Knowing that everything on your list is not yours but God’s, how does that change what you do with it?

Spend some time in prayer and ask God to show you how to use what is His.