A Key to Faith in Your Prayers

Are there challenges beyond your own strength and abilities looming in the not so far future? Overwhelmed!?!?!

Maybe you’ve felt that before. Have you taken inventory of the types of prayers you offer during those pressure packed segments of life’s journey?

Sometimes, to my shame, I have thought, “Maybe if I prayed a little more earnestly or just one more time or stepped out and did a good deed, it might change something. Then, just maybe, God would honor this prayer.”

When I think about some of my paranoid ramblings during life’s seasons of desperation for God’s intervention, a Scripture comes to mind. Jesus gave these instructions just before He presented His disciples with the model to pray, what we know as “The Lord’s Prayer”.

Matthew 6: 6-  But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.  7  And when you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words.  8  Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him.

Even though I don’t stutter when I pray (the original meaning for babbling), my prayers are repetitive (probably fall into the ‘many words’ category), and God hears the same thing again, and again, and…. That’s not all bad -- especially when you take the story from Luke 18 into consideration. There was a persistent widow who kept badgering a judge about receiving justice.  Consider this: if an unjust judge finally gave in to her pleas, how much more will God, our loving Father, work in circumstances to bring about justice for us. What is problematic is when petitions from my heart are offered without closure. What do I mean by that? Here’s a verse to illustrate:

Philippians- 4: 6  Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. 7  And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

Thanksgiving will help spur your faith amidst agonizing, heartfelt cries that each of us feels when waiting on answers and offering our persistent prayers. It’s mentioned, but almost in passing right in the middle of a command, not to be anxious. Offer the prayers ‘with thanksgiving’ (v. 6).

“How do I thank God when I’m going through harsh circumstances in my life that are clearly out of my control?” you may ask. I think you mix the thanks ingredient into prayers by reminding Him and yourself of promises in the Bible that counsel you with the truth that He will never leave you, that He will not sleep on the job, that He will guard and keep you, that He will direct your steps as you live in submission to His plan for your life, and that He works in your circumstances to bring about His glory and your good. Rest in confidence that He said that He wants to bring you hope and a bright future. When you choose to put those kinds of statements in your prayers, the petitions and requests that you bring to Him are surrendering to HIS good purposes in your life. Choosing to trust that HE truly gives a rip about your heartfelt desires and trusting His heart are central to the thanksgiving. So, choose that posture.

It encourages me to remember that “your Father knows what you need before you ask Him.” (Matthew 6:8)  If we truly believe that,  we can move on with expressing faith in our GOOD God. Thanks mixed with your deepest expressed longings is key to prayers full of faith.

"Gratitude is an offering precious in the sight of God, and it is one that the poorest of us can make and be not poorer but richer for having made it." A. W. Tozer in Signposts

Our Father...

March Madness is in FULL swing, and much of the United States tunes into the games, even while at their desks on the job. Many are glued to any device that will feed the fast-paced, nail-biting struggle between the Goliath’s of the hardwood and the David’s who earned the right to face them.  It’s an intense, exciting time for sports fans who love to see the skirmishes where small mistakes remain for a lifetime in the minds of players and decades in the memories of the university’s fan base.

You see players who love to compete AND who rise to the occasion to propel their teams to victory. Every mistake has ramifications, and victory is often dependent on a last second act of heroism.

Have you ever observed the parents of the players while their child is in the thick of competition? CBS and TNT’s camera crew make sure that we experience the reactions of parents in the crowd.

Try to imagine it. Your son steps to the free throw line. If he hits one shot, it’s a tie; then an eventual overtime. If he hits the second, he seals the victory.  If made, you were part of raising a hero. If missed, you may have to pick him up and dust him off when the emotional rubble of the event settles.

As a parent of a toddler and preschooler, I’m not seated watching their performance on a stage like the NCAA Tournament, but I’m painfully aware of the desire I have for my kids to succeed. I want them to live some of my dreams and accomplish their own as well. In fact, I need to surrender my dreams for them and make sure I do all I can to help them achieve dreams that are God-honoring that they have for their own lives.  

Recently, I tried to pray the “Lord’s Prayer” each day for two straight weeks. The first phrase, is “Our Father….”  You know it: Matthew 6: 9-13.

On a sleepless night, after a tournament game, the imagery of parents in the stands came to mind as I prayed for my own kids. Pictures of parents with faces buried in their hands during those intense moments, or a mother cheering with abandon for a son who hit a big shot were fresh in my mind. These thoughts came to me that evening. If He really is “Our Father,” don’t you think God has all that feeling for us, too? Maybe He wants us to achieve His will even more than we want. I’m thankful that His own security and identity isn’t all wrapped up in our performance, but He certainly is emotionally involved in our victories and our failures. He’s figuratively jumping up and down when we succeed and is moved, even with sadness, when we fail. And He works in circumstances and events to redeem the mishaps that cause us grief, shame, or embarrassment. In life, there are definite parallels to the intensity of competition found in the NCAA tournament. In general, life experience is rich and beautiful, but it is also a struggle with seasons that cause us to dig into win.

Isn’t it comforting to know you have a parent in your corner who wants you to succeed even more than you do? I can’t imagine Him biting His nails, but I think His heart wants us to flourish in all the challenges we face.

Grappling With Being a Stay At Home Dad

Sarah doesn’t love going to work when most mothers have the opportunity to stay home with their children. When asked if she feels bitterness toward me, she says she struggles only when I whine about having to stay at home, when that is something for which she longs. Her efforts to provide aren’t a negative experience for her, except for my derogatory comments about my current lot in life- full-time fatherhood.

Allow me to share a few of my internal struggles:

-          It is difficult for me to separate myself from the traditional understanding of the man of the house being the provider.

-          Since I have a driven and competitive nature, hearing of my friends’ accomplishments in their careers doesn’t always result in rejoicing. I’m happy for them, but I long for impact from my occupational pursuits as well.

-          The wide-scope of my employment history has never resulted in a specialization in one area- which honestly, probably would have bored me to tears. Yet, I long for the seemingly significant contributions of peers who exemplify expertise in a field of service.

-          Dealing with working buddies, who seem so detached from the internal war of feelings, who dismiss my inward groans by saying, “I’d give anything to be a stay at home dad.”

-          Since Sarah’s “part-time” work is meeting our current need, it seems naïve of us to move unless I feel the Lord’s finger in my back.

-          Selling our home in this economy may result in a significant loss.

-          It is difficult to not feel that my work skills may diminish as I stay at home with the kids. One finds that just living offers opportunities to grow, not excluding full-time fatherhood. So, I’m hoping I’m growing in my patience and in relating to people through my involvement with my toddlers.

-          Seeking out the next open door is a struggle since I have no idea when God wants me back in the work force and very few opportunities even fit in a situation where a large segment of the population is looking for employment.

-          Trusting that God is guiding every step, and actually resting in that belief, feels like naivety, on my part, in a culture that encourages a person to get out there and make your dreams come true.

-          In Sarah’s and my case, it does not feel like any job will do. We both sense it should provide enough for the kids’ childcare. And, we don’t think it is worth putting them in childcare unless I’m convinced and psyched about joining the cause that provides the paycheck. We are also praying for the caregiver, because if a job comes along, we want that person to be top-knotch.

These are just a few of the issues with which I’m grappling through this long season of unemployment. I continue to lean into promises from the Bible, about how God guides EVERY step of His children. That’s where I want to rest. Believing that HE has great blessings in store for those who trust HIM, is what I choose to believe.

Waitin'...

Psalm 27:14 "Wait on the LORD; Be of good courage, And He shall strengthen your heart ; Wait, I say, on the LORD!"




It has been said, “Patience is giving the opportunity for God to work according to His timetable.” Don’t you despise waiting, though? It’s amazing how I’ll check multiple lines in a grocery store just to make sure that I get in the shortest one. No doubt, change in perspective surely takes place when the fulfillment of a desire hasn’t arrived, but…we’ve all been there, haven’t we? Maybe we wait on the birth of offspring, a loved one to change and place trust in Christ, or we wait to find fulfillment in our job or an opportunity to travel to a dreamed of destination. No one escapes time in deliberation over an unfulfilled desire.



Have you ever noticed that main characters of the Bible spent a lot of time waiting? Noah waited on rain. Abraham and Sarah waited on the fulfillment of a promise and even tried to rush the process. The children of Israel awaited freedom from Egyptian bondage and, later, entrance into the “promised land.” Moses longed to see that land but wasn’t permitted. Joseph spent time in undeserved imprisonment. Hannah waited for a son to be born. David trusted in the LORD for HIS timing in the transition from Saul’s kingship. Like Joseph, prophets and apostles alike spent time in prison (one in a cistern) waiting for a fair trial or release. The Jews awaited the promised Messiah, and Simeon announced that he’d finally seen the consummation of that desire fulfilled when he laid eyes upon Jesus.



In this verse from Psalm twenty seven, two times the reader is commanded to wait. One time he is commanded to “be of good courage.” These are not suggestions, but rather, imperatives. And, the instruction to wait means to wait in expectation, looking for something. Interestingly, a secondary meaning of this Hebrew word for wait is to “bind together” or “collect.” Also, imperfect tense in the verb "strengthen” denotes that there is a process involved in the waiting to be strengthened. What may God desire to deposit into our lives that is our responsibility to collect and allow HIM to bind up (pull together) in our waiting period? He goes about transforming us as we follow HIS command to look to Him. As we obey HIS voice, HE promises to strengthen us -- something you and I NEED as we wait.



Though a different Hebrew word for "wait" is used in Lamentations 3:26, it sums up what is revealed in our verse from Psalm 27. “It is good to wait quietly for the salvation of the LORD.” God is doing good things as we are following His commands to wait and be of good courage.