Prayer Alphabet – Day 40

Today’s video can be viewed here. In today’s entry in Draw the Circle, the author closes the book and the challenge with some stories about knowing how to pray. The scripture that opens the entry is “Lord, teach us to pray.” from Luke 11:1.

The first story is about a 76-year old African-American preacher who served alongside MLK Jr. in the civil rights movement. When attending the Easter Prayer Breakfast at the White House, the author heard this man pray and was incredibly moved and humbled. From the book:

I was expecting a perfunctory pre-meal prayer, but it was anything but. To be honest, I usually pray short prayers before meals because I believe in eating food while it’s hot. So I certainly wasn’t expecting a pre-meal prayer that would make my entire prayer life flash before my eyes.

This seasoned Saint prayed with such familiarity with the Heavenly Father that I felt like I barely knew God, but it made me want to know God the way he knew God. And he prayed with such authority that it felt like he had just left the throne room of God. His prayers seemed deep-fried in the faithfulness of God. By comparison my prayers seemed like weak sauce.

When this preacher had finished praying, I turned to two friends standing next to me, Andy Stanley and Louie Giglio, and I said, “I feel like I’ve never prayed before.”

I wonder if that is how the disciples felt when they heard Jesus pray. I wonder if that’s why they asked him, “Lord, teach us to pray.” Jesus’ prayers were so qualitatively different that the disciples felt like they’d never really prayed before.

Have you increased your feeling of familiarity with prayer over the course of this challenge? Do you feel less intimidated by uncertainty or feeling like you don’t really know how to pray? I know it’s made a difference for me. I came into this thinking I had a pretty decent prayer life, and I’m coming out the other side with an even better prayer life, but also with the desire to continually seek to improve. I definitely feel more comfortable speaking frankly with God (and being willing to do the self-introspection that requires). Greater honesty in prayer has made the most substantial impact for me over these last 40 days.

The author expresses a similar sentiment, that while he’s written a literal book on prayer, he still feels like he’s in prayer kindergarten. The more he’s learned, the more he learns there’s so much more yet to learn. Also, he mentions that for some, the word prayer can induce feelings of guilt because of a perceived lack of ability or too little time spent in prayer. He encourages us to see prayer as something not guilt inducing, but rather incredibly exciting since “nothing is more potent than kneeling before God Almighty.”

Most importantly, don’t bemoan past shortfalls or compare yourself to others, thinking, “I’ll never pray like them.” While you are probably right, it’s not in the way you might think. You won’t pray like them, because you are not them. And the most important thing is that you continue to come to the Lord and ask Him to teach you. Continue to explore different methods of prayer, continue to spend time with your Maker and develop an ever deeper relationship with Him.

One of the misconceptions about prayer that I had early in my walk with the Lord was that prayer needed to have special language. I heard so many people who I thought were really good at prayer and felt like I needed to emulate them. What I really needed to do was just talk to my Creator like the loving father that He is. We have a dear and perfect friend in Jesus, so why would you talk to Him any other way than you would talk to your dearest friend? Of course, He deserves the reverence that a perfect Savior and Creator should have. But anything less than honesty would be disingenuous. If you are mad, or sad, or raging at the world, He can take it. It makes me think of a story I shared in a post many years ago.

There is a chaplain at a hospice who is approached by a man who has spent the previous night ranting, raving and swearing at God. He now feels dreadful and is worried that his chances at eternal life are lost forever and that God would never forgive one who had so cursed and abused him. The chaplain asks the patient, “What do you think is the opposite of love?” to which the man replies, “hate.”

Very wisely, the chaplain replied, “No, the opposite of love is indifference. You have not been indifferent to God, or you never would have spent the night talking to Him, honestly telling Him what was in your heart and mind. Do you know the Christian word that describes what you have been doing? The word is ‘prayer.’ You have spent the night praying.”

I truly believe that one of the things that kept me more distant from God than I could have been was my fear of being truly honest with Him, feeling like I shouldn’t say something that might offend Him. And then I realized, that what would offend Him is me putting on a show, pretending that all is well, when it’s really not. What would come between us was not true words spoken with the emotion I’m honestly experiencing, but my holding back, feeling unsafe to really share myself with my Lord. How silly is it, that we put on airs with the only One who truly knows us completely?

One last (cute) story from the book:

A grandfather walked by his granddaughter’s bedroom one night and overheard her praying the alphabet, literally. “Dear God, A, B, C, D, E, F, G.” She prayed all the way to Z and said, “Amen.” The grandfather said, “Sweetie, why were you praying that way?” The granddaughter replied, “I didn’t know what to say so I figured I’d let God put the letters together however he saw fit.”

There’s something to learn from this little girl. When we don’t know how to pray, the most important thing to do is just to pray. We don’t have to have the words, the Holy Spirit will pray for us. Just spend time with your Creator, draw strength and encouragement from being in His presence. And if you don’t feel Him near, know that He is always near, whether you feel it or not. Be open to His leading, and have the boldness to follow it, even when it doesn’t make sense. Pray as long as it takes, but be active in your waiting for an answer – do the next right thing and keep on praying.

I’ve been blessed beyond my wildest imaginings by this challenge. I’m so glad that I followed God’s leading in doing this, even though I was intimidated. It’s when we get out of our comfort zone that God can really use us, and in my experience, it’s when we are blessed beyond belief. Thanks for being here with me – I pray that you are blessed as well!

God, I can’t believe it’s been forty days. You have met me in this challenge in ways I couldn’t have imagined. I want to never stop learning about You, and about ways to seek You in prayer. Thank you for your encouragement and the way You always give me just what I need exactly when I need it. Help me to grow in my trust in You, letting go of things that aren’t my job, and resting in the faith that You are always on time (Yours, not mine). I pray that my tiny step of faith in blogging this challenge is a blessing to others and inspires them to closer relationship with You.

Holy Ground – Day 39

Today’s video is here. In today’s entry in Draw the Circle, the author tells stories of unmistakable divine appointments. The first is retired chief of chaplains, General Cecil Richardson’s 5:30 am Holy Spirit nudge to get new glasses. His wife had been encouraging him to get new specs, but 5:30 in the morning is an odd time to feel moved to visit an optician’s office. Since they aren’t open that early, the General first enjoyed a long breakfast at Denny’s and went to the nearest vision center at opening time.

When he walked in, he felt led to mention he was a chaplain to the woman at the counter, but he was resistant. He didn’t want her to think he was looking for a military discount, but he obeyed the Spirit’s leading. When he said, “I’m a chaplain,” the woman’s response was to tremble and cry. From the book:

She said, “My husband is in the military and stationed abroad, and I just found out I have cancer. I have no idea what to do, so yesterday a friend and I prayed that God would send me a chaplain. And here you are.”

These are the moments that give you goosebumps. These are the moments when you are reminded that God cares about every detail of your life. These are the moments when you take off your shoes, because you know you are standing on holy ground.

My husband recently had an interaction that was not quite as dramatic as this one but still clearly God orchestrated. He was going through a period of uncertainty and change. A job which he once loved that began as a God-led mission field (albeit a non-standard one) was sadly, but more and more obviously coming to an end. He was feeling worried that the new job he was planning to start might not be the direction he was to move in.

As a favor to me, he was at the post office, dropping off a package and getting stamps. While in line, he overheard the man in front of him telling the clerk about the crosses he makes and was shipping to a friend, so once my husband finished his transaction, he caught up with the man outside. They had a great conversation, and by the end of it, my husband asked the man if he had a business card because the field the man worked in overlapped with his new job. The man asked who he would be working for. Hubby tells him the company’s name and the man knew them immediately, saying, “you’ll love working for them – I’ve done work with them for years and they are really great guys.”

He called me so excited – it was just the encouragement he needed in that moment of uncertainty. What are the odds that not only would they be in that line together, but that they’d both know the same small company? Astronomical, I’d say, but God knew exactly who’d be where when. Isn’t it amazing to know that the Creator of everything loves us and sends us exactly what we need, when we need it?

The other story the author shares in today’s entry is one I’ve heard in a sermon at church before. An author named Ken Gaub has an incredible prayer testimony. I highly recommend reading the full version I’ve linked but I’ll summarize. Ken is traveling with family and they decide to stop at a restaurant. The family goes right in, but Ken feels the need to walk a bit, so he tells them he’ll be in shortly. He gets a drink, and as he wanders around sipping on it, he hears a pay phone ringing and ringing. Annoyed, he eventually answers it himself. To his shock, the operator says, “Long distance call for Ken Gaub.” He expresses his surprise, but eventually assures her that he is in fact, Ken Gaub. The call connects and the voice on the other end tells him how she, in a moment of hopelessness, prayed a desperate prayer, asking that God would let her speak with the man she knew from television, hoping that he could help her know how to go on. Numbers came to her mind and she called them. After a Spirit-led conversation, they both came away amazed and encouraged. From the story:

I walked away from that telephone booth with an electrifying sense of our Heavenly Father’s concern for each of His children.

What were the astronomical odds of this happening?.

With all the millions of phones and innumerable combinations of numbers, only an all-knowing God could have caused that woman to call that number in that phone booth at that moment in time.

Forgetting my drink and nearly bursting with exhilaration, I headed back to my family, wondering if they would believe my story. Maybe I better not tell this, I thought, but I couldn’t contain it, “Barb, you won’t believe this! God knows where I am!”

God knows where you are. He knows exactly what you need when you need it. If you have eyes to see, and ears to hear, He will encourage you, reassure you.

God, you are all-knowing and endlessly awe-inspiring. You sustain and hold together everything that is. And yet, you care for us, know our names, and our deepest inward thoughts. You know us better than we know ourselves and you strengthen us, help us and hold us up. Thank you for your perfect provision, for your amazing grace. I pray that we would have eyes to see the divine appointments you have for us, and the courage to do our part in bringing a bit of your Kingdom joy here on Earth.

Climb the Watchtower – Day 38

Today’s video is here. Today’s entry in Draw the Circle starts with a bit of information about watchtowers. In the ancient world, they had a variety of purposes: in a city wall for defense, built in a pasture so shepherds could see approaching threats to their flock, or in vineyards as a lookout for thieves. The author stresses how the watchmen, due to their elevated position, saw the farthest, and so were the first to see a threat. He makes the analogy that, “Intercessors are watchmen and watchwomen. They see sooner and see farther in the spiritual realm. Why? Because prayer gives us a unique vantage point.”

Have you experienced uncanny coordination among people who haven’t shared their plans, but yet their individual parts came together as if they had? I see it nearly every week at church. We have a general theme of the pastor’s sermon to select music, but not specific scriptures or examples. And yet, somehow, the people who compose the prayer to be shared at prayer time, our music and call to worship scripture and the pastor’s sermon, all fit together as if they’d been carefully orchestrated. Well, I suppose it’s because they were, but not by us humans. We all pray over our tasks, and the Holy Spirit guides each of us to our choices.

I had never really considered going back to places of spiritual significance as being renewing of my faith, as the author shared in the video, envisioning biblical characters revisiting the sites of their stories. In my experience, when I have gone to places where significant moments of my faith journey happened, it usually feels different; like I’m trying to recapture a thing that occurred in a moment in time, not so much related to the physical landscape, but more related to my internal landscape at that point. I just get the sense that I can’t really go back. Maybe I should have the perspective of the surroundings helping me to better remember, but I don’t know if that would really help either – I used to often say, “I’m a bear of very little brain.” My memory isn’t fantastic.

In today’s entry, the author also tells the story of Michael and Maria Durso, who founded Christ Tabernacle in Queens, New York in 1985. CT (now known as Saints Church, but at the time of the book’s writing was CT) is a daughter church of The Brooklyn Tabernacle. At the time of the book’s writing, Michael and Maria’s three sons, Adam, Jordan and Chris were on the pastoral staff, but their close relationship with God wasn’t always that way. From the book:

They are one of the most anointed families I’ve ever met. This anointing is a testament to the power of prayer because all three boys were prodigals as teenagers. At times it seemed as though their sons were beyond lost, but Michael and Maria would not stop fasting and praying for them. They literally purchased a shooting target, wrote their boys names on the bullseye, and kept aiming their intercessions at their boys. That target was a tangible way of drawing a circle around them. It took years of circling and they experienced seasons of discouragement, but one by one their boys came back to Christ.

One footnote.
When Michael and Maria were in their 20s, they were as far from God as a person can get. They lived from drug fix to drug fix, and they mocked anything remotely religious. They were on vacation when Maria mysteriously came under the conviction of the Holy Spirit. She wasn’t in a church. She wasn’t listening to a preacher. She wasn’t reading a Bible. The conviction came out of nowhere. What she didn’t know is that 30 of her friends had gotten saved after she and Michael had left for vacation. The moment she came under conviction was the same moment that her friends formed a prayer circle and started interceding for her!

One more footnote.
For many years the Dursos prayed for a youth group. What they didn’t realize is that the youth group was right under their noses. They were raising the youth pastors in their own home. One day, God gave Adam a vision of young people lined up to get into their youth ministry the way people line up to get into nightclubs. Adam started a Youth Ministry, and Chris now leads it. And hundreds of kids line up around the block on Friday nights to get in.

There are countless stories of the power of prayer out there. We’ve heard quite a few over the course of this prayer challenge, but if you find them encouraging, do a Google search. It is uplifting and inspiring to read of other people’s experience with God’s perfect provision. I highly recommend this one, about Michael Bushilla, who owns and operates, of all things, a wedding venue, but his story is amazing.

I am moved to mention here, most of us who are followers of Christ have a story: who we were before we came to understand how much we were in need of a Savior, and who we’ve become since we began to follow Him. We may forget that we were once so very different, or others around us might not know that we were not always how we are today. Can I encourage you to write your story down? And maybe share it with someone, or many someones?

I appreciated how our former pastor, and forever dear friend and brother in Christ, Randy offered a structure – easily remembered with BC, FC, AC. Tell about your life Before Christ, tell about how you came to Faith in Christ, tell about how your life has been changed After making the decision to follow Christ. I shared my testimony one Sunday at church many years ago, and the writing of it was a joy that continues to bless me even today. Sharing it was terrifying, but also wonderful. So many of my lovely church family shared how parts of it resonated with them and encouraged them. And remember how I mentioned earlier that my memory is terrible? It helps me to occasionally reread my testimony, to be reminded of how far God has brought me from where I was.

I’ll close with one last quote from the book:

Let me repeat, there is nothing magical about circling. It honestly doesn’t matter whether it’s literal or figurative. And it can be a circle, oval, square, or hexagon. The shape isn’t the point. The point is this: if the Holy Spirit prompts us to pray, then we need to take a step of faith and mark God’s territory.

Father, You are our protector, provider, friend, confidante, teacher. You are the creator of everything, and yet You love us each like a perfect father. Your ways are higher than our ways, Your thoughts higher than our thoughts. Please continue to teach us about prayer, show us each day in ways unique to each of us how You desire our close, personal relationship. Show us any fault within us, any unnoticed sin separating us from You, so that we may repent and turn to You. Thank you for for Jesus’ sacrifice, for restoring us to right relationship, so that we can come before You, holy and blameless.

Prayer Contracts – Day 37

Today’s video can be watched here. Today’s entry in Draw the Circle begins with a Scripture from Matthew:

Whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven.

matthew 18:18

The author tells about the vision and prayer that preceded National Community Church building Ebenezer’s Coffeehouse. As he walked by the crack house on the property they would eventually acquire, God gave him a vision for a coffeehouse. In the same way that wells were gathering places in the ancient world, coffeehouses are gathering places in modern society. The property was listed at $1 million. At that point in time, NCC had few members and little money, but they circled the property in prayer and laid hands on it for five years. As they continued to pray, the price was reduced time and again. Eventually, they purchased the property for $325,000. They were, however, not the only parties making offers on the property, and the other offers were higher. Why were they chosen to purchase the property?

The author credits the scripture above. From the book:

The word bind has a legal connotation. It means to place a contract on something. This is precisely what happens when we pray in the will of God. Our prayers place a contract in the spiritual realm. So while February 7th, 2002, is the date we put signatures on a piece of paper and took ownership of the property in the eyes of the government, the spiritual contract predates it by several years. The deal dates back to the first prayer circle we drew around the property.

Praying in the will of God is the prerequisite – but thankfully, prayer is the best way to align our will with God’s will. Over time, He helps us to discern what His will in a situation is. Of course that is in His time, not ours. I think that’s the hardest part for me. Most of the time I’m an antsy, do it now person (oddly mixed with procrastination), so not knowing what something will be can be hard. God is working on me, though. I’m so grateful for His gentle correction, showing me a better way. Sometimes I hear and follow the leading, and see it when it goes the way He’d want it to. Sometimes I don’t listen and see it when it goes sideways in a way it wouldn’t, had I followed.

Anyway, back to the book:

In retrospect, I’m glad it took as long as it did to purchase our piece of our Promised Land. And I’m glad it was as hard as it was. Why? Because we learned to dream big, pray hard, and think long. It may sound redundant, but if it hadn’t taken a miracle, it wouldn’t be a miracle.

That experience didn’t just teach us how to negotiate on a human plane; it taught us how to negotiate with God through intercession. It pushed our limits and stretched our faith. And now we’re stewarding the miracle by believing God for even bigger and better miracles.

We tend to view the goal as the goal, but in God’s economy, the process is the goal. It’s not about what we’re doing at all; it’s about who we’re becoming in the process.

It’s not about doing great things for God; it’s about God doing great things in us.

Isn’t that the truth? I love that last line. Don’t get me wrong, doing great things for God is wonderful. But it’s lacking if it doesn’t do anything in us. It makes me think of Paul’s examples of doing great things without love at the start of 1 Corinthians 13. If we aren’t motivated by love, and as a result, remain unchanged by the process, it’s all an empty show.

The author also stresses the importance of not just praying our own words, but praying Scripture as well. From the book:

Don’t just pray your words all the time; pray the word of God because his word does not return to him empty.

In the Old Testament, the idea of binding yourself to the Word of God was taken literally. The Word of God was kept in visible places and attached to body parts as a constant reminder. The Lord commanded the Israelites, “Thou shalt bind them for a sign upon thine hand, and they shall be as frontlets between thine eyes.”

Chain it to your mind through memorization. Chain it to your heart through meditation. Chain it to your past, present, and future through prayer.

Scripture memorization is a struggle for me – at least in the word-for-word sense. But I’ve found, over years of study and time spent in God’s Word, that the concepts and snippets of the text live in me. I may not be able to quote it verbatim, but I know the essence of the scripture that comes to mind. It’s enough for a quick search to find it if I need to, or more importantly, it’s enough to uplift or encourage me in a difficult time.

One last concept from today’s entry in the book – the author comments on how the word prayer circle can be taken in two ways. He’s used it to mean circling an object or need in prayer. But it’s also used for when several people pray for a thing together. After the scripture quoted above about binding on earth and heaven in Matthew, Jesus goes on:

“I also tell you this: If two of you agree here on earth concerning anything you ask, my Father in heaven will do it for you. For where two or three gather together as my followers, I am there among them.”

Matthew 18:19-20

The author says, “something powerful happens when we agree in prayer. Our faith isn’t just added together; it’s multiplied. It doesn’t mean we can walk down to our local car dealership and circle our favorite model with some friends. But if we are praying in the will of God and for the glory of God, then agreeing with someone in prayer is like getting our prayer contract notarized.”

Is there something you’ve been praying for, circling, that you could bring some brothers and/or sisters in Christ in on? You’ll have the triple benefit of deeper connection and relationship with those friends, the blessing of sharing your burden, and the change in your prayer’s impact thanks to their prayers.

I’m struck by the way prayer is somehow both straightforward and a mystery all at once. Many of the concepts are simple and Scripture stresses the importance and power of prayer. But like many of the things of God, it’s sometimes nebulous and hard to grasp. Just when we think we’ve got it all together, it gets hard, or feels impossible. Just today, as I tried to get into this time of prayer and writing this post, I was SO sleepy. I got plenty of rest last night, I’d had my breakfast, my coffee (and no, my breakfast wasn’t heavy and nap-inducing). So I listened to my bible guy for a bit (the Bible app has audio versions of many translations, and you can use them with reading plans – today I listened to this one) and I probably dozed some, but eventually I had enough consciousness to get going.

I could beat myself up for it. I could give myself a hard time for distraction or sleepiness or whatever tries to get between me and my time with God. I choose to just recognize it, deal with it as best I can and get back to where I intended to be. I trust that God knows everything I struggle with, and is patient and kind – and just glad to spend time with me, no matter how it happens. Now, this isn’t how I’ve always been – I’ve spent many years beating myself up for every perceived failure. But it’s how God has moved me to be. And wherever you are is where God has you right now. Be patient with yourself, and let Him work in you.

Father, thank you for your goodness and your wisdom. Thank you for Your direction and your sovereignty. Thank you for your patience and faithfulness. You are so much kinder than we deserve; may that inspire us to always be kinder than others deserve. I ask that You would give us vision and discernment to know Your will, and the boldness to pray as long as it takes. Lead us to connection and unity with others, and grant us the grace to accept everyone (including ourselves) where we are, trusting that You aren’t done with us yet.

Senior Partner – Day 36

Today’s video is here. In today’s entry in Draw the Circle, the author tells the story of his friend and hero, Stanley Tam. Stanley is 95 (or was when the book was written), and more than 50 years ago, he made God his Senior Partner, transferring 51 percent of his business to Him by founding the Stanita Foundation. Dividends from this stock was used to support Christian missions.

Many would have been satisfied or even proud of that sacrifice, but after reading the parable about the pearl of greatest price, and how the one who found it sold everything he had to attain it, Stanley felt God leading him to give the 49 percent he still owned as well. Every share was transferred to his Senior Partner on January 15, 1955, and Stanley went from part owner to salaried employee. As of the book’s writing, Stanley has given away more than $120 million.

In 2023, at the age of 107, Stanley went to be with the Lord, but his legacy lives on in the company he founded and gave to God. According to their website, the company’s support of Christian missions led to 277,294 baptisms in 84 nations in 2025 alone.

The author shared some of the conversation he had with Stanley during a meal, when he had come to speak at NCC. From the book:

I ate up every word that came out of his mouth. The wisdom he dispensed in one hour will last a lifetime. In his matter of fact manner, Stanley said, “God’s shovel is always bigger than ours.” Translation: “we cannot out give God.” Stanley discovered the key that unlocks the joy of generosity: what we keep we ultimately lose; what we give away we ultimately get back. So Stanley said, “I just send it ahead by giving it away.”

If only more business owners had the perspective Stanley Tam has, our world would be a much kinder place. Not only does the company give to Christian missions, its focus changes the workplace environment as well:

“I love being a part of something bigger than myself. Knowing that the work I do here affects others in an eternal way gives me a great sense of purpose. I want to be faithful in my responsibilities and be as productive as possible. God has given me this work to do and he is totally with me as I do it. He gives me the resolve I need to keep going, even in the midst of stressful situations. Giving 100% at work is an easy decision. I love serving our customers with quality products and I love building God’s kingdom.”

— Roberta Thaman, Tamco Operations Director

Back to the book…

Toward the end of our meal, Stanley shared one last thought that doubled as dessert. I’m not sure if it’s what he said or how he said it, but it struck me as a simple profundity. Stanley said, I’ve got the same God that George Mueller has.

The same God who helped George Mueller raise tens of millions of dollars is the same God who helped Stanley Tam give away tens of millions of dollars! And He’s the same God who can accomplish the plans and purposes He has put in your heart. If it’s God-ordained, it’s inevitable.

Few things are as inspiring as seeing childlike faith in a very old person. That’s Stanley Tam. He is the youngest oldest person I know. He simply takes God at His word. And when we take God at His word, God stands by His word.

A single person’s commitment to give back to God what is rightfully His leaves a legacy that lives on. The author shared another example of this in today’s entry:

On June 7th, 1857, a Scotsman named Thomas Maclellan made a covenant with the All in All. That Covenant made on his 20th birthday was renewed on his 50th and 70th birthdays, and more than five generations later, the seeds he sowed are still multiplying in the millions of dollars that are given away.

If you like, you can read about the long history of the Maclellan Foundation here. But since 2000, they have “given away over 40 million dollars to various generosity-focused projects. By leveraging grantmaking to inspire others in generosity, others have given away much more money than Maclellan could ever on its own.” The Foundation estimates that as of 2023, in their entire history, when adjusted for inflation, they’ve given away more than $1 billion.

That kind of money is beyond my comprehension, but not God’s. He knew exactly what each of these generous people would accomplish in their lifetimes and beyond. He knows what we can do too. Are we willing to follow Him even when it doesn’t make sense? Will we follow His leading even though we can’t even imagine the impact our small step of faith might have on future generations? Do we trust God to provide when we’ve given away what the world would consider too much? Examine your heart – do you hold on too tightly to security and give with a clenched hand? God loves a cheerful giver. Consider this carefully: are you living for this life, or storing up treasures in heaven?

God, You own the cattle on a thousand hills, everything ultimately is Yours. Help us to truly comprehend that Your resources are unlimited. Give us the ability to trust that Your provision is exactly what is needed right on time. Inspire us to live open-handed, eager for opportunities to bless others with what You’ve given to us. Thank You for your love and care. None of us deserve it, but You lavish us with abundance daily. It may not be abundant in the way the world would perceive it, but You provide all we need and more.

The Longest Lever – Day 35

Today’s video can be viewed here. In today’s entry in Draw the Circle, the author tells about several instances of small beginnings leading to significant things.

He begins with the story of Jeremiah Lanphier. Jeremiah lived as a missionary in New York City in 1857. He felt led to begin a prayer meeting for local business people at mid-day. Only six people came to his first meeting (and those who came, came after the midpoint of the hour-long meeting time). But the following week, there were 20. The week after that, 40. He decided to make the meeting a daily event in a larger room. Eventually, the group grew enough that they needed to move to the sanctuary. When they outgrew the sanctuary, meetings began to multiply across the city.

A reporter was sent to investigate this expanding revival. From the book:

The reporter visited 12 per meetings in 1 hour on one day and counted 6,100 men fervently seeking God in prayer. At the peak of the revival it is estimated that nearly 10,000 people were converted every week in New York City, roughly 1% of the population of 1 million per week!

The New York City revival sparked prayer meetings and revival across the east coast, eventually becoming a national revival, and even spread internationally. It’s fascinating to read about. If you have time, I highly recommend a search for 1857 New York Revival and dig into a few of the pages that come up.

Do you think that Lanphier was initially discouraged at the small turnout for his first meeting? He surely could have had no idea what a large impact his small step of faith would have on the people who attended the meetings that would follow. But God knew. He is the author of the whole thing, the power behind the scenes. Such a large impact could only be made by the Author of everything.

From the book:

If we do little things, God will do the big things. But we have to do the little things like they are big things. We cannot worry about what we cannot do; we have to simply do what we can. Oswald Chambers once wrote, “it is inbred in us that we have to do exceptional things for God; but we have not. We have to be exceptional in the ordinary things.” And if we do the ordinary, God will add an extra to it.

The lever referred to in the entry’s title is prayer. A lever is a simple machine that increases the force applied by an action. The longer the lever, the greater the increase. In the author’s analogy, our actions are multiplied by the humble prayer behind them. One more quote from the book:

In the Kingdom of God, humility equals authority. Call it bold humility or humble boldness. That is our lever. If we try to exalt ourselves, God will find a way to humble us. But if we humble ourselves, God will find a way to exalt us. There is no leverage like kneeling in prayer. If we hit our knees in humble prayer, God will extend his mighty hand on our behalf. He will leverage us in ways that are humanly impossible.

One of our mantras at NCC is “stay humble, stay hungry.” Humility is how we get out of the way of what God wants to do. And if we stay out of God’s way, then there is nothing God cannot do in us and through us.

Father, you are all-knowing and righteous, your power knows no bounds. Our world is in desperate need of revival – for people to be convicted of their sin and repent and make you Lord of their lives. Help us in ways large and small to daily turn our sails to catch the wind of the Spirit. Make us sensitive to your leading, and committed to follow your will. Thank you for examples from the past that encourage us to be faithful today.

Raise Up a Remnant – Day 34

Today’s video is here. Today’s entry in Draw the Circle includes several stories about groups of faithful people committed to prayer bringing about revival in their areas. From the book:

At critical junctures in history, God raises up a remnant to re-establish His reign and rule. It’s rarely a majority. In fact it’s almost always a small minority. But all it takes is a faithful few to begin a reformation.

It’s not a new discovery that sparks it. Reformations are birthed out of rediscovering something ancient, something simple, something true. In the days of Hilkiah the priest, for example, it was the rediscovery of the book of the law that sparked national revival. That one rediscovery brought a nation to its knees.

Every generation needs a reformation. Every generation needs to tear down its idols and rebuild its temples. Every generation needs to repent of its sin and rediscover the ancient truths.

Isn’t it true that humanity as a whole has a tendency to get it wrong on a fairly regular basis? It’s a pattern repeated over and over in the Old Testament (and to be fair, in the New as well). The people of God discover an old truth, repent and change their ways, only to forget and fall away, sinking to new levels of depravity until they repeat the cycle again. I get that it’s a generalization, but there have been some truly terrible things done over the years in the name of religion. Note I said religion – Christianity isn’t alone in its waywardness at times – I think it’s a human issue, not a problem with one faith tradition or another.

I suspect I’m not the only one whose heart breaks when I learn of instances of injustice or harm. So many people daily deal with the impact of actions taken by individuals who’ve either forgotten, or never really taken to heart Jesus’ greatest commandment: to love God and love people. So often people are motivated by self-serving interests, not considering the impact of their actions on others (or just not caring about it). I can definitely get behind a movement of prayer that the Holy Spirit would spark a revival.

The author relates how, during the 40-day prayer challenge at their church, they circled one promise from the Bible:

If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land.

Yes, Lord. Hear our prayer. Our land needs healing on SO many levels. Will you join me in praying for this? I’m not being city, country or continent specific here – this whole planet is humanity’s land. We are called to be good stewards of the things God has given us, including the people we interact with on a daily basis. Will we seek His face, and turn from our wicked ways? I pray it will be so.

From the book:

If we circle the promises of God, God will deliver on them. It’s not a question of if; it’s only a question of when. But if we are determined to pray as long as it takes, revival will come. It’s as predictable as the sun rising in the east. It’s as inevitable as the sun setting into the west.

It has to start somewhere – someone has to be the first. Why not us? Each of us, individually, praying, and encouraging others in our sphere of influence to pray for revival. Revival of true faith, for the good of humanity, for the glory of God.

Father, you are faithful and true, endlessly good and abounding in mercy. You never lose hope, even for those we would consider hopeless. We come before you seeking your wisdom, asking that you work in the hearts of people everywhere, and that we would see opportunities to show your love to those around us. We don’t deserve your love, we all have fallen short, so help us to extend the love and grace you’ve given us to those we come into contact with. Let all that we do be motivated by love and truth.

Prayer Covering – Day 33

Today’s video is here. In today’s entry in Draw the Circle, the author stresses the importance of not just praying for others, but having people who will pray for you. He uses Exodus 17:12 to illustrate his point.

The Israelites have been attacked by enemy forces. Moses tells Joshua to fight the enemy while he, Aaron and Hur go to the top of a nearby hill. As long as Moses holds the staff of God over his head, the Israelites have the advantage, but if it falls, the enemy has the advantage. When his arms get tired, Aaron and Hur help him to hold them up. With their assist, Joshua is able to defeat the enemy.

Do you have people you pray with and for? Are there friends or family members you can count on to cover you in prayer as you pray for others? From the book:

If we are going to intercede for others, we had better be sure that others are interceding for us. We need a prayer covering, especially when we enter an intense season of prayer and fasting. When we hit our knees, we pick a fight with the enemy. And the enemy will fight back. Make no mistake, there is a target on our back. The enemy wants to take us out, but he cannot touch us. He has no jurisdiction in our lives if we are covered by the blood of Jesus, but we also need a prayer covering.

Intercession is spiritual warfare. It’s not for the faint or the feeble. By definition, praying hard is hard. There will be times when our hearts are breaking because of a prayer burden. There will be seasons when the labor pains become intense because the Holy Spirit is birthing something new in us. And there will be times when we feel the enemy launching a frontal assault on our family, or business, or church. That’s when we need to stay on our knees and pray through.

I am thankful to have connections in many areas of my life where there are amazing brothers and sisters in Christ that I can count on to pray for any need I have, if I just ask. I’ve reached out to these folks in times of crisis and felt the power of their prayers for my situation. I’ve never considered asking for prayer reinforcement for myself, beyond specific requests for peace or focus, but it’s definitely something I’ll keep in mind.

Back to the book:

We will have moments when we lack the ability, strength, will, or faith to pray for ourselves. That’s when we need a prayer partner or prayer circle to hold up our arms, just as Aaron and Hur did for Moses. I’m so grateful for my personal prayer circle. There are a lot of people who pray for my family, but I have an inner circle that prays with a little more specificity, consistency, and intensity. I know they are on their knees interceding for me everyday. I may unfairly get credit for the things I have done, but they get the assist.

If you are longing for solid Christian brothers and sisters that you could call on in times of need, whether it’s for prayer covering, or for specific situations in your life, I highly recommend joining a small group at your church, or getting involved in a volunteer ministry group. By ministry group I mean something like Koinonia or Walk to Emmaus (Christian retreat groups), or any number of possibilities near you. Find a place where people are serving and jump in and help. It’s a great way to get to know other committed followers of Jesus. We’ve met incredible brothers and sisters in Christ through our involvement in various areas of serving (including community groups), some of whom I consider very close friends.

God, you are a God of relationship. Your natural state is one of community – close connection between the Father, the Son and the Spirit. I pray for my brothers and sisters, whether I know them personally or not, that they would be drawn to community. That they would find an “inner circle” of close friends who they can pray for, and be covered in prayer by. Thank you for all the relationships you‘ve blessed us with – help us to treat them with the love and care you’ve so richly given us.

Get a Testimony – Day 32

Today’s video is here. In today’s entry in Draw the Circle, the author talks about both sharing and hearing testimonies about God’s answers to prayer in the lives of His children. He writes:

Since the release of The Circle Maker, I’ve become a connoisseur of prayer testimonies. Hardly a day goes by that I don’t hear a story that makes me want to cry or give God a round of applause. Those testimonies have lit a fire under my faith unlike anything I’ve ever experienced. Here’s why: if God did it for them He might just do it for me. Maybe that’s why Revelation 12:11 places such importance on sharing testimonies. And maybe that’s why the enemy wants us to keep our testimonies silent.

They triumphed over him
by the blood of the Lamb
and by the word of their testimony.

Revelation 12:11

The author encourages us to share with others when God answers a prayer, no matter how small. He cautions that if we don’t share and turn the answer to prayer into praise, we may be in danger of becoming prideful – not putting the credit where it’s due. Another reason why it’s important to share our answers to prayer is that others will be encouraged and perhaps inspired to greater trust in God.

Talking with a friend at church last week, she asked me what was new in my life and I shared about this prayer challenge. Her response was that she had seen my posts and was amazed at what I had done and continue to do. I was quick to clarify that it was only God in me that has given me the ability to do this. Definitely not a thing that I could do in my own strength. I honestly am as amazed as she is. This is WAY out of character for me, so I can only say that it’s a God thing.

The author relates testimony to sharing our faith – in the sense that we are loaning it out to others. And when we hear other’s testimonies, we are borrowing faith from them. I love this analogy, but I feel it’s important to clarify (this may go without saying) that “borrowing” faith is an additive thing, much like love; the more we love, the more love there is to go around. The more we share our faith (with love, of course), the more potential for faith there is for those around us.

Can I digress here a bit and share a story about testimony from early in my walk with God? I’m sure you all know there is a helpful way to share your faith and there’s a way that’s, shall we say, less winsome. I suspect you’ve all been witness to both at one point or another.

When I was just a baby Christian, finding my way in my newfound faith, I was at a local store. While waiting in line to check out, I and the other folks in line were witness to the not so helpful form of sharing faith. There was an older lady just laying into a stock boy, ranting about how he was going to hell and he needed to get right with God. It was awkward and painful for us all. And I was saddened that her malformed faith likely made her believe that she was accurately representing God in that moment. Even in my early days of faith, I knew that we were called to be like Jesus. At no point in the Gospels does Jesus berate and belittle, telling people they’re going to hell.

The thing that stuck with me the most about the situation was the snippets of conversation that those of us in line had with the young cashier who was obviously bothered by the older lady’s behavior and her coworker’s discomfort, just trying to remain professional as he was faced with her vitriol. The young cashier had some experience with faith, mentioned her mother’s Bible study groups and how none of those ladies ever acted that way. And what I bemoaned at the time, is that I didn’t have the words to tell her how the lady’s actions didn’t look much like Jesus. That we’re called most of all to love people and love God. And that the lady was doing what she thought was right, but that we sometimes get it wrong, despite our best intentions.

I talked about the situation with the ladies I was in a small group with at the time and it led to a great discussion. I think we were all challenged and stretched in our faith as we explored how we should and shouldn’t deal with situations like that. So while that wasn’t technically testimony about answered prayer, and I’m a little off-track here, it felt relevant to me at the time. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Back to today’s entry:

Our churches are filled with hearsay. What we need are witnesses with first-person testimonies. No amount of education can compensate for a lack of first-person experience. We don’t get a testimony in seminary; we get a testimony by being tested. And if we pass the test, we get a testimony. That testimony is worth far more than any seminary degree can afford. And that first-person experience with God will override any of our inadequacies. Peter and John were described as unschooled, ordinary men, yet the Jewish Council was amazed at their boldness. It simply says that, “they took note that these men had been with Jesus.”

Nothing can compare to the power of first-person testimony. The most educated and erudite second-person testimony still can’t compare with a first-person witness! So go ahead and get an education. Study to present yourself to God as one approved. But please don’t just get an education; get a testimony! We don’t change the world by going to graduate school or getting a degree. If we want to change the world, we must spend a lot of time with Jesus.

Regarding education and spending time with Jesus, our late farmer friend used to say that it was a difference of 18 inches. Knowing all about faith and Jesus, growing up in church, the head knowledge doesn’t get you there until it moves 18 inches from your head to your heart. All the secondhand knowledge and testimonies can’t get us to a personal relationship with Jesus without personally making that heart commitment to love and follow Him.

Again, from today’s entry:

We cannot live off of someone else’s experience forever. Second-hand faith is as dangerous as second-hand smoke. We need a faith with our own name on it. We need to own it, and it needs to own us. We can’t just know what we believe; we need to know why we believe what we believe. And it must be continually upgraded.

Don’t be satisfied with simply going to church; get into God’s presence.

Don’t be satisfied with hearsay; get a word from the Lord.

Don’t be satisfied with secondhand faith; get a testimony!

I’ll close with a story from today’s entry. The author shares about two men, one a local pastor, Mike, the other the pastor’s missionary friend, Jamie. Mike shared with the author how his friend Jamie travels frequently to Bagdad and is a missionary to the Muslim world. He speaks Arabic, knows the Qur’an front to back, and has led countless Muslim leaders (imams) to faith in Jesus. Jamie prays bold, crazy prayers and has testimonies about how God has answered his prayers in bold, crazy ways. He’ll be praying for a specific imam and that imam will just happen to be in the restaurant at the table behind him or on the same plane. A bit from the book:

One morning Mike was scheduled to have breakfast with Jamie, so he prayed, “Lord, I’m sick of just hearing stories; I want to see one. Do something sovereign that is unmistakable.” When they got in line to place their order Mike noticed that the woman in front of them was wearing the traditional Muslim hijab with head covering. All they could see was the woman’s eyes. Jamie greeted her in Arabic, which got her attention. Then he said, “I know you.” Even though he could only see her eyes, he said, “I heard you speak at the University of Georgia a year ago” – to which she responded, “I remember you. You sat on the front row.”

This woman was not only an incredibly influential woman in the Muslim world, but Jamie had been praying for her and had been praying he would meet her, but didn’t know how to make contact. This “chance” meeting could only be a work of God. What are the odds that she would be visiting from out of town and stopped at Panera at the same time as Mike, and they’d be in line one after the other? As a result of their meeting, the woman made contact with a number of leading imams, who met with Mike and Jaime to talk about faith.

What a lovely example of the bold prayers of two believers bringing about a divine appointment; with one’s bold prayers inspired by the other’s testimony about past answers to prayer. Who inspires you to pray more boldly? Could you seek out the testimony of others and be encouraged and inspired yourself?

I know I said I was closing with that story, but I remembered a thing I wanted to share. As I mentioned before, I’ve been reading a book called The Art of Listening Prayer. Today, while I was practicing listening prayer with the questions from the book, I realized a thing about myself and was again moved to tears about the way that God relates to me specifically. I expected words – memory of Scripture verses or the like. I got something else, and it was perfectly suited for me.

As I sat and waited for the answer to my prayerfully asked question, images came to mind, stories from the Bible or events in my life. And along with those visuals, a sense of what I was to take from them. For example, in answer to the book’s question, “Do I possess a hunger for a close walk with you? What would an increased hunger for a closer walk with you look like?” I remembered doing this challenge and how I felt at the beginning, and got a sense of “You did this prayer challenge despite your fear.” I was reminded of the Daniel Fast that my Husband and I plan to start on Sunday, and got a sense of “You plan to fast.” And lastly, I saw Peter getting out of the boat, with the wind and waves tempting distraction, and got a sense of “Keep your eyes on me. Trust.”

Lovely reassurance, encouragement, exhortation – a gift from God for me today. I’ve just realized that I’m sharing my testimony of an answer to prayer, which is what this whole entry was about. Okay God, now you’re just showing off.

Father, I’m constantly amazed by the way that You are so incredibly faithful. You are always present, always seeking connection with your image-bearers, and that still blows my mind. I’m so thankful for this journey into deeper connection with and love for You, and for Your never-ending patience and encouragement. I pray that You would use my testimony to inspire and encourage others to step out in faith and seek You in a new way. I know that You can do more than I could ask or imagine, so I am trusting You for outcomes and focusing on taking my next right step each day. Help me to remember that you are always with me…

The Lord himself goes before you and will be with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged.”

Deuteronomy 31:8

Spell It Out – Day 31

Today’s video is here. Today’s entry in Draw the Circle encourages us to be more specific in our prayers. The author uses Matthew 20:32 (“What do you want me to do for you?“) to illustrate his point with an example from the life of Jesus.

Jesus and the disciples are leaving a town and, along the way, they come to two blind men sitting on the side of the road. These men, hearing that Jesus was coming, start calling out, “Lord, Son of David, have mercy on us.” The crowd yells at them to be quiet, but they called even louder. Jesus hears them and the above quote was His response, asking what they wanted. It seems obvious that what they’d want was their sight, but He made them say it specifically. Thus, spell it out.

For the young folks, or ESL friends unfamiliar with the phrase, “Spell it Out” is an English idiom, meaning to “explain something in explicit, meticulous detail, leaving no room for doubt or misunderstanding. It implies breaking down complex information into simple, easy-to-understand parts, often used when the listener has failed to understand, or to make an obvious point perfectly clear.” From the book:

A few years ago I read one sentence that radically affected the way I pray: God does not answer vague prayers. I was immediately convicted by how vague my prayers were. Some were so vague that there was no way of knowing whether or not God had answered them. To be honest, I was subconsciously hedging my bets. My lack of faith didn’t allow me to go out on a limb and lay my true request on the line. And because I was afraid God might not answer, I didn’t even give Him a chance to answer!

The more faith we have, the more specific our prayers will be. And the more specific our prayers are, the more glory God receives. If our prayers aren’t specific, however, God gets robbed of the glory he deserves because we second guess whether or not he actually answered them. We never know if the answers were the result of specific prayers or general coincidences that would have happened anyway. Well defined prayers give God an opportunity to display His power in new ways. Well developed Faith results in well-defined prayers, and well-defined prayers result in well-defined answers.

I remember when we were looking for a house years ago, I had recently read a story about a couple who were looking for property for their animal sanctuary. They had prayed specifically about some must-haves for the property and included something that was a bit odd, but would make it clear to them that it was the property God wanted for them. So, naturally, I made a very specific list of must-haves:

• The house must have a basement – there are tornadoes where we live and I’m a scaredy-cat so I have to have somewhere to go.
• It must have an attached garage – the house we were moving from had the garage way in the back and it was a long walk in the rain from the car if it was parked inside, so we just parked in the driveway. I’m a wimp about getting wet, so I hoped for an attached garage.
• It must have a large open space for get-togethers, we love to entertain, so having space to feed a crowd was a must.
• And the odd thing: A willow tree near a body of water. I love being near water – I don’t care if it’s a stream, a pond, a lake, or the ocean, for me, water is life. And I grew up never having one, but loving willow trees, they’re beautiful and hiding under their branches is such a lovely thing.

We looked at several properties that had some of the must-haves, and some that I feel like God was just making a joke with. There was one that had a pond in the back yard with a sad, stunted, chopped-off willow tree, but the garage/driveway was SO FAR from the house, even further than our then-current home. We had all but given up and decided that we’d just build, when our realtor called us about a place that had just come on the market. We went to look at it that day, and we loved it. It checked all our boxes and then some, but I didn’t see a willow tree (although, to be fair, it was still early spring and all the trees were bare). We loved it so much that despite the lack of a willow tree, it was a no-brainer. Our offer was accepted and we moved in. Imagine my delight when the trees leafed out and we explored the backyard more – I went into the neighbor’s yard a bit to take a photo of our youngest daughter near the water’s edge when I saw it.

Not only was there a willow tree, it was in the shape of a rainbow. Ok, God, now you’re just showing off. I didn’t see the complete answer to my prayer until after I’d already moved in the direction God led me. I think there’s probably a lesson in that, isn’t there?

From the book:

Too often we rob God of the opportunity to answer our prayers because they are so vague. Don’t worry about when God answers or how God answers. That isn’t our responsibility. Our responsibility is to simply discern what God wants, and then humbly yet boldly to ask him for it. And God will throw in a few holy surprises along the way because he may spell the answer differently than we spelled the request.

So what do you want? Is there something that you can be more specific in your prayers about? It’s a question I’m asking myself, to be sure.

God, you are all-knowing; You already know what we need before we need it. You are kind and loving; You work things out for our greater eventual benefit, even when it doesn’t make sense to us in the moment. You have told us to bring our requests to You, and I’m grateful for the way You both accept our honest truth, and guide us to Your greater truth. Thank you for loving us just the way we are, but loving us too much to leave us there. I’m so glad you aren’t done with me yet; please give me the grace to remember that is also true of the people around me. Help us to be more specific and still aligned with Your will in our prayers. I pray that Your clear answer to our specific prayers gives us a testimony that leads to Your greater glory.