bookshelves and prayer

today, again, God reminded me that He answers prayer.

my calendar on my iPod touch reminded me after work "get bookshelf".

for Christmas I had asked my parents for a bookshelf. I have two small bookshelves which were quite full before i started seminary, and now I'm purchasing about 15 books per quarter...needless to say, my shelves have quickly overflowed (even with just the first quarter's worth of books!).

when i went home for Christmas a quick glance under the tree told me there was no bookshelf under there. either that or it was there, but it would only hold 6 books--there were no large boxes of any shape under the tree. but i was glad when i opened a "coupon" that read "This coupon good for one sfine bookshelf. Merry Christmas!" (for those of you who might not speak "Fairfield", "sfine" can mean a wide variety of things from "fine" to "great" to "we want to get you a bookshelf, but we think it'd be great if you picked it out 'cause then you could get the one you like and then we'll just pay you back for it." ...it's a powerful word.)

so...today after work i set out with this coupon in hand, intending to redeem it. i wasn't sure where the best place to find a bookshelf would be, so i kept my eyes peeled on my way home. there was a mall-type place right off the freeway, so i decided to take that exit. though no store seemed to be a good store for bookshelves, i headed into Macy's. an employee was standing near the door as i walked in. i asked if they had any bookshelves. "No, we don't carry those." I was about to walk out. Then I asked "Do you know what store would sell them?" He mentioned a few places including a special Macy's Furniture in Novato. I decided to check it out. Being my typical self I didn't ask for directions, and having never been to Novato I had an adventuresome time finding the Macy's there. but i like driving adventures.

i walked in and was overwhelmed by the amount of furniture. the place almost seemed void of people (not surprising with the combo of the recession and being new year's day), but i was able to find a salesperson. he showed me a few bookshelves and one stood out to me. i really liked it. but the price...seemed a little too much for the "sfine" range. but i decided to call my dad just in case. we talked about it for a bit, got some more info from the salesman (Michael) and I walked out to my car. After talking a bit more my dad encouraged me to head back inside and order it. I couldn't believe it. This was a NICE piece of furniture! I wasn't pushing my dad to buy this for me, and honestly, i didn't think I would end up with this bookshelf--it was way too nice! I talked with Michael again and had it ordered. It is scheduled to be delivered on the 16th.

I walked back out to my car stunned. I called home again and talked to my dad (who put me on speakerphone so my mom could be in on the conversation as well). I expressed to them my thankfulness as much as I could. this was an incredibly generous gift.

and i realized something. and i told them. i was reminded of Matthew 7 --

"Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you.
"For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened.
"Or what man is there among you who, when his son asks for a loaf, will give him a stone?
"Or if he asks for a fish, he will not give him a snake, will he?
"If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give what is good to those who ask Him!"

I had received from my earthly father because I had asked. My earthly father does know how to give good gifts, he knows how to bless me. and he does this generously and lovingly. he loves to bless me. and i felt blessed.

much more, then, my Heavenly Father, knows how to give good gifts to me. and He does and will do so.

what an amazing lesson.

even greater, though...but i didn't realize this until i was almost home (maybe 30 mins later). months ago, when i realized i was going to need a new bookshelf, i started praying for one. a bookshelf is not something that adds to my spirituality to any extent--i knew it was not a prayer request for something that i absolutely needed. just something i wanted. i had thought about how God might answer it: have someone give me their used bookshelf, provide a bit of money so i could go to target and get a particleboard bookshelf, receive a wal-mart quality bookshelf for Christmas. all of which i would have been very grateful for.

but, driving home i realized: God had answered even this request. this unnecessary request. my Father answered it exceedingly, abundantly, beyond all that i had asked or thought.

He does answer prayer. praise Him!

j-wards strikes again

If some Christians who have been complaining of their ministers had said and acted less before men and had applied themselves with all their might to cry to God for their ministers--had, as it were, risen and stormed heaven with their humble, fervent, and incessant prayers for them--they would have been much more in the way of success.

~Jonathan Edwards

Paul Washer on prayer meetings

just heard this today. he has some interesting points though i can't say i agree 100%. its a 6 minute clip.

prayer works

...in amazing ways.

This morning I and two high school guys (Jordan and Kyle) went over to Pastor Ray's house and washed his cars. A month or so ago Pastor Ray had quintuple-bypass surgery and has had a couple complications since (pacemaker put in and then a stent put in...so 3 operations total). As a church body we are trying to take as many burdens off of he and his wife, Sharon, as possible since, with his operations, they already have a lot to worry about. So the Elders asked me to organize the washing of their cars every couple week for the next several months. Today was the second time we've done it.

After we washed the cars, Pastor Ray invited us in to visit for a bit. Visits have been generally discouraged because if too many people visit him it will tire him out and not allow him to rest up and heal, but since he invited us in we accepted. It was good to hear how God has been at work. After the doctor put the stent in, he looked at Pastor Ray and said, "God has been at work." The stent needed to be put in because one of the bypasses from the first surgery had become kinked. The kink was more than a simple kink and even the nurse said she had never seen anything like that operation. Pastor Ray had told the doctor, "You have been bathed in prayer for this operation." It showed.

What hit me though was Sharon's side of the story. I have been praying often for them and one of the things I've been praying is for peace for Sharon through all of this. Sharon told us that during his surgery she was anxious and her mind was wandering into what horrible things might happen, but then, she told us, that she felt God saying, "I will keep you in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on Me. Trust in Me." That's from Isaiah 26:3. I was amazed when I heard her say that, because that is one of the specific verses I have been praying for her!

In my head I know that prayer works. But when I actually see it work...I am amazed at our God who hears our prayers and answers them. Praise Him!

on prayer

i'm saddened by our prayers. by our prayer requests. we pray so often for safety. for healing. for a "good day". for things to go "well". that we would have "fun". we pray that our days would be easy, our work would go by quickly, our weekends would be long, and that we'd have a good night's rest. we pray for our dogs, our cars, our food, our stubbed toe.

is that what prayer is? a direct line to God so that He can make our life enjoyable and worry- and pain-free? listening to the prayers of so many people and reading the prayer requests that circulate on our email prayer chain have caused me to think this is how we view prayer.

should we be seeking safety? is that our goal? should we be seeking for *our* days to be "good"? is that our goal? what is the goal of prayer? should it not fall in line with the ultimate goal of man? the chief end of man is to glorify God by enjoying Him forever. prayer should fit in with this. but when we simply pray for our safety, comfort and enjoyment, we are seeking our own glory, our own interests and not those of Christ Jesus.

I was speaking with a student today. We had prayed and one of his requests was that work would go by quickly. I talked to him about this, and attempted to let him see that his request wasn't focused on the glory of God, which is what our entire lives should be focused around. Praying for patience no matter what the situations in work would be a better prayer. God receives the glory when we are patient because this is a fruit of the Spirit--a proof that the Spirit is in us, controlling our lives and producing His fruit in us. When we have patience it points to Him and brings Him glory. On our own we would not be patient, when we are, praise Him! He is working!

At another time today I was talking with Pastor Bob on the phone and he was telling me a bit about what his studies for the sermon this week had brought him to. He said he had studied so many different prayers in Scripture and they are so God-focused. He mentioned the Lord's Prayer:

'Our Father who is in heaven,
      Hallowed be Your name.
'Your kingdom come
      Your will be done,
      On earth as it is in heaven.
'Give us this day our daily bread.
'And forgive us our debts, as we also
      have forgiven our debtors.
'And do not lead us into temptation, 
      but deliver us from evil. 
[For Yours is the kingdom and the power
      and the glory forever. Amen.]'

Look how God-centered that is! "Our Father who is in Heaven" [side note: i always try to capitalize the word "Heaven". is it not a proper noun? a place? the place of all places i would say! why don't people capitalize it??] this phrase acknowledges who God is: He is our Father--He created us, He has authority over us. He is "in Heaven", He rules, reigns, is glorious and sovereign. "Hallowed by Your name" points to His holiness and how we should revere Him. "Your kingdom come"--God will be greatly glorified when His kingdom is set up on Earth! We need to seek His glory. "You will be done, on Earth [there they go again not capitalizing proper nouns...this one isn't so bad as "Heaven".] as it is in Heaven." Whose will should we pray for? Our own? Our own desires and wants? No, His--our Father's. "Give us this day our daily bread." I love this part. This is a command--"give". Jesus tells us we can command God to do things. That's intense. I think a key to understanding this is found in Proverbs 30:7-9

Two things I ask of you, O LORD;
       do not refuse me before I die:
Keep falsehood and lies far from me;
       give me neither poverty nor riches,
       but give me only my daily bread.
Otherwise, I may have too much and disown you
       and say, 'Who is the LORD?'
       Or I may become poor and steal,
       and so dishonor the name of my God.

This request/command is for the glory of God. We can ask for our daily bread. Not too much, so that we don't become self-reliant. And not too little so that we are not tempted to steal and thus sin and thus dishonor God. It's okay to tell God things when what we are saying is in line with Scripture. In that case it's simply restating the truth He has already communicated to us through His Word.
"And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors." This takes into account our need for forgiveness, and we need to ask God for forgiveness because He is the only one who can give it (that's the gospel in short, definitely glorifying to God). And we also need to make sure we are living the gospel, not simply praying a prayer of forgiveness and not experiencing it. Elsewhere Jesus communicates that when we experience true forgiveness, we will live changed lives and forgive others (cf. Matt. 18:21-35; Mark 11:25).

"And do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from evil." As we succumb to evil, we sin and do not please God. Sinning is the opposite of glorifying God.

Lord, God, may our prayers be pleasing to You. May we seek Your glory first and foremost, not our own happiness, safety or pleasure. Thank You for Your promises in Your Word that as we seek You first, we will find true joy, peace and pleasure.

God answers prayer?

when God answers prayer i am amazed and excited. yet at the same time i am ashamed. i am ashamed at my amazement. yes, God should amaze and excite us. maybe it is more that i am somewhat startled when He answers prayer. yes, it is because i do not have faith that He will answer. then i see that He does and am startled that He did answer and ashamed i did not believe.

today i received a text message from a prayer warrior in my church, "well, did the credit card show up?"

rewind to yesterday when my dad explained a situation to me: my sister, angela (who works at an orphanage in haiti, and thus doesn't live in the same country as her bank in the US), has a check card which expires soon, so the bank sent my parents the new one. my parents sent it to shannon (a lady who lives in so cal and works with the orphange) so that shannon could somehow get it to haiti to my sister. as my dad was explaining this to me yesterday he said, "we sent the card a week ago, and shannon hasn't received it yet." i got this knot in my stomach--i feared someone had gotten hold of her card and she would 1- not be able to use it to buy food etc, and 2- have the possibility of dealing with bad credit, identity theft, all that stuff that could possibly come from someone stealing your check card or credit card. my dad continued, "i'm just going to pray that it gets there tomorrow."

so later on that night i followed my dad's example...i prayed hard to God that my sister's card would be in shannon's mailbox tomorrow.

but i feared my prayers weren't strong enough, so i shot off a text message to someone who i know is a prayer warrior in our church, "you're a prayer warrior. please pray that my sister's credit card will be in shannon's mailbox tomorrow. thanks! :)" this person had no idea who shannon was or anything about the credit card situation. but today at 2:30 in the afternoon i got the text message: "well, did the credit card show up?"

ah! i had forgotten to check! i went over to my mac, pulled up my parent's webmail (my parents left for Ukraine this morning on a mission trip), and saw an email from shannon in the inbox "Re: Visa"! i opened it and read this:

Okay - who has been praying????

Your credit card arrived today!...

WOW. God answers prayer. God answers prayer? i knew it. i can read it in Scripture. i've heard stories of answered prayers. God has even answered my prayers before. but, somehow, i still don't get it. God...answers...prayers.

what i found cool was that, when we prayed He would cause the credit card to arrive today...that's the very day it DID arrive. not a few days later ("oh, whew, it showed up. thank You, God."), not that we were mistaken and it had already showed up ("oh, thank You, God! it was here all the time!")...both of which would have been, in a sense, an answer to prayer because our desire was simply that it would not be lost and in someone else's hands, and that we would be able to get it to my sister. no...God answered our SPECIFIC prayer. on the DAY we asked it to be there.

God indeed does answer prayer.

Praise Him!