What if...we prayed with an energy that never tires, persistency and courage?

"Our praying needs to be pressed and pursued with an energy that never tires, a persistency which will not be denied, and a courage which never fails" E.M. Bounds

This quote from E.M. Bounds is a favorite of mine. I like to remind myself of it whenever I seem to be in a slump with my own prayers. I have to admit, I tire easily of praying the same things over and over again when I don't receive an answer (in my timing). Then after so long of not receiving an answer to my prayers, I give up any persistency I may have had and decide I must accept "no" for an answer. Then because I know God is God and He is going to answer as He sees best anyways, I begin to lack in my courage and don't ask for things too impossible.

The enemy has me right where he wants me at these times, keeping me from experiencing the power of prayer and I refuse to let him keep me there which is why I often like to pray the scriptures because that is the one thing I can put my confidence in and believe in the power of the Word of God and know the enemy cannot stand up against it.

The following scripture helps remind me of this.

Hebrews 10:35-39

"So do not throw away your confidence; it will be richly rewarded. You need to persevere so that when you have done the will of God, you will receive what he has promised. For in just a very little while, He who is coming will come and will not delay. But my righteous one will live by faith. And if he shrinks back, I will not be pleased with him. But we are not of those who shrink back and are destroyed, but of those who believe and are saved."

What if...we we're always sure of ourselves

I don't know about you but one day I can be so sure of myself and confident in the outcome of situations in my life that nothings seems to be able to shake my faith but then I also have days where I waver and I am not sure about anything.

I would really prefer to be unshakable in my faith and certain of things that I do not see just as the scripture says in Hebrews 11:1 but I have to admit that when I am, I can easily get a little lazy and begin to settle for where I am.

I find it is these times of uncertainty that I do not settle for where I am but I become determined to do something about it. I begin to search my heart and soul and dig deeper into the Word of God to find answers. I may not be certain of when or what the outcome will look like but I can be certain that it will bring me to a whole new level of understanding and appreciation in my walk with God and how to deal with those things in life that tend to shake my faith.

What If...we let ourselves be more transparent?

At the coffee shop we were supposed to be talking about upcoming projects we were working on. Somehow, though, the conversation took a turn and suddenly we were talking about life and deeper things. I’d known Kara for about four years, but I had no clue that she’d had such a difficult childhood.

She gave me such a gift when she gave me her vulnerability and trust. Kara poured forth stories about her mostly absent father who sporadically stops by her mother’s for money and a place to sleep. She talked about the years he spent in prison after being caught running a meth lab and how he hasn’t worked in years. I don’t think this young, professional woman would have come to the point of sharing so much with me if I hadn’t already told her a little bit about my own parents being alcoholics and what affect that had on my life. I don’t talk about that very often. It’s still hard not to feel that I am betraying my parents, even though they have both passed on. However, I am coming to truly understand how God can use any part of our lives to connect with and support other human beings.

It’s easy for us as Christians to think we should have it all together and separate ourselves from each other by the masks we keep firmly in place. I am discovering that authenticity is not just about openly sharing stories of our lives, but allowing others to hold our hearts in their hands and connect at a deep and soulful level. It’s often the cracks in our hearts that make space for God to enter in. Our own brokenness can be a gift for others. I have been where you have been, I’m walking a similar path, and I understand.

In The Message version of the Bible by Eugene Peterson, I love the wording of these verses from Matthew: ‘When the Pharisees saw him keeping this kind of company, they had a fit, and lit into Jesus' followers. "What kind of example is this from your Teacher, acting cozy with crooks and riff-raff?" Jesus, overhearing, shot back, "Who needs a doctor: the healthy or the sick?”’

Kara hasn’t been a part of any church, but she decided to come to my church last Sunday after our conversation, and plans on coming back this week. Perhaps in my openness she is seeing a glimpse of how God loves all his children. So hey – here I am, Lord, just one of the riff-raff trying to live life wide open, with a heart willing to let you use my messiness to help draw others closer to you.