Prayer & Meditation

I have recently finished Tim Keller's book, "Prayer". In it I was deeply challenged by how shallow my prayers often are and how they lack frequency and earnestness too. But what I found most helpful was the wealth of guidance on how to meditate on God's Word and then use it to guide your prayer.

At the end of his book Keller offers some patterns and structures for praying daily. I gathered these patterns, principles and advice and compiled a daily prayer guide. Now, the point of this is not to be legalistic but disciplined! My prayer is that this will encourage you and support you as much as it did me.

MORNING PRAYER

Approaching God

Ask him for his presence and help as you read and pray. Consider who it is you are approaching.

Bible Reading Meditation

(Choose a few things to do, don't try and do everything!)

Read passage 3-4 times.

List what it says about God (Father, Son, Spirit). List what it says about yourself

List examples to be followed, commands to obey, things to avoid, promises to claim, sin to forsake

Choose the verse and truth that is most helpful. Paraphrase in your own words. Memorise.

Discern 1-2 truths.

How does this truth, or text, help me praise (or thank) God?

Show me a sin to confess and repent of?

What false attitudes, behaviour, emotions or idols come alive in me whenever I forget this truth?

What does the text show me about a need I have? How shall I petition God for it?

Am I living this truth?

What difference does it make?

Am I taking it seriously? How would my life change if this truth were fully alive and effective in my inward being? Why might God be showing me this now?

If I forget it how does it affect me and all my relationships?

Be concrete: is there something I should stop doing? Start doing?

Prayer (in light of meditation)

Truth about God’s nature (eg - ‘who no secrets are hid’)

Adoration (who God is)

Thanksgiving (what he’s done)

Confession (where I’ve fallen short)

Petition (daily needs, help, request, for others, eg ‘cleanse my thoughts’). Include reasons (eg - ‘that I may love thee’)

In Jesus’ name (reminds me that God hears me because of Jesus)

Contemplation

Take a final moment to enjoy God and his presence.

Let thoughts of God ‘go for a walk’

MIDDAY PRAYER

Paraphrase Lord’s Prayer, personalise.

Self-examination: have I been prickly, proud, short-tempered, cold, indifference, anxious, stressed, cowardly or untruthful Pray for challenges of the day and moment.

EVENING PRAYER 

Ask him for his presence and help as you read and pray.

Read a Psalm

Turn the Psalm back into a prayer and pray it to God - verbatim, paraphrase, personalise, responsive

Confess where you sinned or failed to respond how you should have.

Pray for the people you met or heard about who have needs or are in difficulty.

Pray for some of the more urgent and important needs on your heart.

What I'm Reading

While things are a bit quiet and somewhat slow it's a great chance to bury my nose in some excellent books on Christian living, godliness, evangelism and building ministries.

Here's what's on the list right now (I like to read multiple books at once):

Prayer - Tim Keller. 
An encouraging read for understanding and becoming more disciplined and joyous about prayer. Prayer is a continuation of the conversation God started when He revealed Himself to us

Disciplines of a Godly Woman - Barbara Hughes. 
A challenging read, but also encouraging, an invitation to mature as godly Christian women and bring our hearts and minds under Christ's lordship.

Knowing God - J.I. Packer. 
A wonderful book to reflect on the incredible qualities and character of God, to be reminded of his love, majesty, power and more.

The Deliberate Church - Mark Dever.
A book on being intentional in every aspect of church life. I'm reading this through the lens of someone in women's and children's ministry, not as someone who will be an elder/pastor one day.

Reasoning from the Scriptures with Jehovah's Witnesses - Ron Rhodes. 
I have a couple of neighbour's who are Witnesses. This book has been very helpful in working through their beliefs and organisation, and the scriptures they use and why, and then teaching what those scriptures actually mean.

Settling into a New Year

The start of the year provides a chance to set new visions, goals and routines. But it is also a time of uncertainty and lack of rhythm. I am officially 1 month into my second and final year of my MTS Ministry Apprenticeship, and some things have settled into place (such as a thriving KidzBiz ministry), some things are just starting out (my Certificate of Theology studies), and some things are slow to start (Mustard - high school discussion/Bible study group and 1:1's).

It's easy to be discouraged in how little I seem to be doing and how there seems to be a slight resistance to commit to things but I have faith in God that He will work things according to His plan. As I've probably mentioned I like routine, and so not really having a routine can be stressful for me (probably because I don't feel in control) so this time of year is an optimum chance for me to be faithful to the things God has given into my care.

Passion

What we feed, cultivate, and desire is what our passion is.

What do I spend my time on? What do I wish I had more time to do? Where do I direct my energies? What do I seek to know more of?

Some of the things that I enjoy are good - designing, music, reading, playing games. But if they take up the best of my time, energy and joy then what do I have left to give to God, devotions, holiness and love? Not much usually. If I claim that Jesus is Lord, then he should be my passion, and should be the object of my affection, my nurture and desire.

There are a few habits I am working on that tend to take me away from being focused on Jesus. One such habit is checking emails first thing in the morning (in doing so I am creating a personal culture that work is more important). Instead of doing this I am asking God to help me resist the temptation, and to create in me a desire to know and be with Him. Before I check my emails I have to have breakfast, and over breakfast I read the Bible, a and sometimes part of a devotional book (at the moment it's 'Knowing God') and pray. Only once I have focused on God and made him the centre of my day can I check emails.

It's a small thing, and some would say legalistic, but I know my heart and I know when it's prone to wander and where it wanders to.

"Prone to wander, Lord, I feel it
Prone to leave the God I love
Here's my heart, Lord, take and seal it
Seal it for Thy courts above"
I want God to be my passion, to be permeating my thoughts and conversations, changing me to be more like Jesus. I want to see Him working in me, my husband and friends.

Against Busyness

This morning I read a blog on The Gospel Coalition - 4 Ways to Win the Battle against busyness.

This paragraph jumped out at me:

"The draw of busyness is that it gives us a sense of importance. When my schedule is full, I feel like I’m in demand. Without me, we think, all of this would fall apart. As Christians, we all too often baptize this idolatry by assuming that busyness equals faithfulness. And all the while we’re “burning ourselves out for Jesus,” we’re running on the fumes of our own self-importance. Meanwhile, Jesus is unimpressed."

:/ Oh dear. Yep. That's me. I'm certain that if I didn't do my part, do the thing, make it work then it would all fail! Sometimes I act this out, most times it's sneaking through my heart and I pretend that I don't think I'm the most important and most needed in the room.

The article continues with some much needed heart surgery and urges me to rest in Jesus, sit at His feet, find my sufficiency in him and then, only then fill up my schedule with whatever he tells me to.

This prompts me to reconsider my day - am I doing these things to satisfy my own wants and desires, or am I doing it to care for others, use my gifts, please God?

In regards to ministry, do I gain satisfaction for having 100 women I'm meeting with, a tower of theology books I'm reading, planning meetings to go to, events to run? Do I take pride in answering the question, "How was your week?" with, "Busy!" Well, yes. Am I being faithful with what God has given me? Most likely not because I'm 'running on my own self-importance' and not being Christ- and other-centred. Ministry is not a checklist of achievements, it's not a campaign to improve people. It's a chance to point people to Jesus and help them live under his lordship.

I think I need to make some changes. Busyness does not equal faithfulness! God is important not me! The world will not fall apart if I stop and rest! Most of all, I need to fill my life with Jesus and be satisfied in him!

I'm going to try and switch my mind off when I'm in a rest period, and not be thinking of what I need to do, should be doing, could be doing. Instead I will endeavour to relish the God who gives me rest because I am human and need recharging. I will use the time to marvel at the God who never needs to stop and sleep.

Happy New Year!

As you could imagine the last few weeks have been ever so busy and full with family and celebrations. This Christmas I was reminded anew that Immanuel, God is with us! That's a huge thing! God, who created this world came into our world and time as a baby born to a poor young woman, to be one of us so that he could take our punishment of death! And now, as believers, God is still with us.

Immediately after Christmas we headed off to beach mission (Lorne, Vic) with my husband as one of the directors and with me as team cook. Every night for a week we ran an open mic, and some other activities such as giant jenga, a nightly poll question (on life, faith or religion) an art space and cafe/bbq. It was a joy to see the team members (new and old) interacting with people as they came into our space. Many gospel conversations were had, many discussions of ideas and perspectives and much hospitality and kindness was shown to all. One girl was feeling a bit despondent that she wasn't having many conversations about Jesus. I encouraged her that she should keep looking for opportunities to share her faith but also to know that her attitudes, behaviours and character would testify to a loving God who has saved her.

Beach mission reminded me that people are watching us and if we are loving others then they will notice that something is different. As Christians we should stand out against the way the people of the world interact with each other. God is shaping us each day to be more like His Son, Jesus and that should show!

And finally, on Sunday we were taught from the book of Philemon to live out our faith and that we should be vulnerable, genuine and God-honoring in our relationships.

This year, can I encourage you to pray that
- that you will know that God is with you,
- that God will shape your character to be like Jesus,
- that He will enable you to be genuine and honest in your relationships, and
- that you will seek to glorify God in everything you do.

Resting

Take a Break from the Chaos - Desiring God blog

"For those of us who are in Christ, we want to come back better, not only rested, but more ready to love and sacrifice. We want to find new clarity, resolve, and initiative, or return primed to re-double our efforts, by faith, in our callings in the home, among friends, at work, and in the body of Christ.

One benefit of silence is simply searching the depths of our own souls, asking what our blind spots have become in the rush of everyday life. In the busyness, is there anything important I’m neglecting or repressing? How am I doing in my various roles? What needs refocusing?"

Rest is hard, yet crucial. I don't like stopping, slowing or admitting I can't do something by myself. But God made me, I am dependent on Him and He has built within in me (and all of us) the need to stop, rest, rejuvenate. To rest is to stop thinking about that to-do list, to slow or silence the internal monologue, to quiet the anxious heart and to meditate on and praise God, to read His Word, talk with Him and listen to what He has to say. Rest is not escapism from the worries and needs of the day but it is to refocus on the one who made me and sustains me.