Monday, June 12, 2006
June 13 Galatians 4
Go ahead and look first at Galatians 4 . See how God speaks to you individually. Then come back, if you wish, and see what God has put in my mind/heart.
Key Verse(s): Galatians 4:3-4
And pray for us, too, that God may open a door for our message, so that we may proclaim the mystery of Christ, for which I am in chains. Pray that I may proclaim it clearly, as I should.
Title: Prayer for the Messenger
Observation: I am never sure how much prayer to ask for. I understand it is prayer that somehow participates in moving the Spirit into action. In a way that I don’t fully understand, prayer, fervent and often, affects the nature of how God works on earth. So obviously this is of primary importance.
Yet prayer and calling people to prayer can also be a power play. I have seen it. Prayer teams can be used as a tool of egocentric pastors to make them themselves the message and not the Gospel itself. It can be played upon to build a false sense of intimacy and caring for a group. It can be a nice hiding place for those who have no intention of living sacrificial lives to speak of failure as “God’s will”.
But asking for prayer, sincerely, is allowing yourself to be vulnerable. Asking for prayer admits weakness. And while it may be easy to acknowledge weakness in the abstract, calling for prayer for very human failings is much harder. And a true prayer community demands time and nurture, intimacy to flourish and grow.
I need prayer. I want, like Paul, to proclaim the message clearly. And without God’s intervention I will not be used in the way I need to be.
A story I once heard about the great Baptist preacher Spurgeon is that a young reporter came to him and asked him where his “power” to preach came from. Spurgeon was known to make remarkably accurate statements about people he had never met. So the young reporter followed the 300lb Spurgeon down a rickety staircase to the basement, expecting to see some of the tricks common at the séances of the time displayed before him. Instead he saw a circle of men on their knees in prayer. Spurgeon said very simply, This is where my power to preach comes from.
Application: I need to invite more people into my circle to pray for me, to acknowledge my weakness and failures so that they can lift me before the Father in heaven. I need to nurture these relationships so that they might grow us together and closer to Jesus.
Prayer: Lord God, help me to be honest and vulnerable. Allow me to build relationships with real intimacy. Help me to not be afraid of them. Allow me to build permanent relationships that allow me to be loved and hurt by those who will come to prayer on my behalf.
In Jesus Name,
Amen.
Key Verse(s): Galatians 4:3-4
And pray for us, too, that God may open a door for our message, so that we may proclaim the mystery of Christ, for which I am in chains. Pray that I may proclaim it clearly, as I should.
Title: Prayer for the Messenger
Observation: I am never sure how much prayer to ask for. I understand it is prayer that somehow participates in moving the Spirit into action. In a way that I don’t fully understand, prayer, fervent and often, affects the nature of how God works on earth. So obviously this is of primary importance.
Yet prayer and calling people to prayer can also be a power play. I have seen it. Prayer teams can be used as a tool of egocentric pastors to make them themselves the message and not the Gospel itself. It can be played upon to build a false sense of intimacy and caring for a group. It can be a nice hiding place for those who have no intention of living sacrificial lives to speak of failure as “God’s will”.
But asking for prayer, sincerely, is allowing yourself to be vulnerable. Asking for prayer admits weakness. And while it may be easy to acknowledge weakness in the abstract, calling for prayer for very human failings is much harder. And a true prayer community demands time and nurture, intimacy to flourish and grow.
I need prayer. I want, like Paul, to proclaim the message clearly. And without God’s intervention I will not be used in the way I need to be.
A story I once heard about the great Baptist preacher Spurgeon is that a young reporter came to him and asked him where his “power” to preach came from. Spurgeon was known to make remarkably accurate statements about people he had never met. So the young reporter followed the 300lb Spurgeon down a rickety staircase to the basement, expecting to see some of the tricks common at the séances of the time displayed before him. Instead he saw a circle of men on their knees in prayer. Spurgeon said very simply, This is where my power to preach comes from.
Application: I need to invite more people into my circle to pray for me, to acknowledge my weakness and failures so that they can lift me before the Father in heaven. I need to nurture these relationships so that they might grow us together and closer to Jesus.
Prayer: Lord God, help me to be honest and vulnerable. Allow me to build relationships with real intimacy. Help me to not be afraid of them. Allow me to build permanent relationships that allow me to be loved and hurt by those who will come to prayer on my behalf.
In Jesus Name,
Amen.
