The Lord’s Prayer really is Powerful!

⁹ “This, then, is how you should pray:

“‘Our Father in heaven,
hallowed be your name,
¹⁰ your kingdom come,
your will be done,
    on earth as it is in heaven.
¹¹ Give us today our daily bread.
¹² And forgive us our debts,
    as we also have forgiven our debtors.
¹³ And lead us not into temptation,
    but deliver us from the evil one.’ Matt 6:9-13 NIV

When asked, this is how Jesus instructed His followers to pray.  And it’s how we are still instructed to prayer. 

I was taught this prayer as a kid, but to be honest I hadn’t given it much thought. Put another way, I hadn’t ever really used it as a prayer—it was more of a template for how I prayed.

But a few months ago verse 13 became my “go-to” prayer. 

One year ago my husband and I purchased our “forever house”…and it’s a fixer upper. We have invested much time and money into it (and still have a LONG way to go) but it’s worth it because this is the house we hope to live in until we go to our heavenly home.

But then a kink came into our plans. 

My husband was offered a REALLY good promotion. The only problem—we had to relocate half way across America. While the company was going to cover our moving costs, it was disconcerting to think we might lose money by selling a home we so recently purchased and sank money into. Our realtor wasn’t sure the market was strong enough, especially since we didn’t have any equity in the house.

So we went to the Lord in prayer:  “God, what do You want us to do?”

As I was seeking God, He led me to The Lord’s Prayer, specifically “Lead me not into temptation.” 

While that wasn’t the exact answer I was looking for (I wanted a clear “yes, go” or “no, stay”) it was an answer from God. A promise that He wouldn’t let us be deceived by satan, that He would “Deliver us from evil.”

Turns out we rejected the promotion three times before the company finally realized we were not going to relocate no matter how much they sweetened the deal (It was soooo tempting to take their offer). By worldly standards it seems crazy that we turned down such a great opportunity, but we try not to go by “worldly standards”.

Instead, we sought God’s will. 

We trusted His promise that He would LEAD us away from the temptations before us and DELIVER us from the evil trying to get us outside of God’s will.

As the weeks of negotiations dragged on this verse gave me peace and confidence that we could trust God… even if we didn’t have all the answers. 

The Bible is full of wonderful, life changing promises. 

That experience taught me that I should never leave my childhood lessons in the past. The Lord’s Prayer is as applicable now as it was when I was a kid learning how to talk to God.

And it reaffirmed that I should hold tight to any lessons Jesus taught His disciples. If those lessons were important for them to know, then they are important for me (us) as well. 

Today, I encourage you to embrace the Lord’s Prayer. Use it to guide you and keep you. Trust the promises found in that prayer and throughout the Bible.

And remember, when you pray, you may not get a blatant “yes” or “no” answer, but you WILL get an answer when you take the time to seek God and LISTEN to His voice. 

If you’re interested in learning more about distinguishing the voice of God from the lies of satan read John 10:1-18 (The Good Shephard).

UPDATE: Bill and Kari brought up a great question in the comments section: HOW DID WE KNOW WE MADE THE RIGHT DECISION TO STAY?
Answer: PEACE.
During the process of negotiations we didn't have peace. We kept wondering if we were doing the right thing. We wavered as the deal was sweetened each time we rejected it. It caused us to wonder if we weren't listening to God correctly. But satan knows how to tempt each of us. Being tempted with a promotion and money was hard for us to turn down...we kept thinking maybe God was trying to bless us and we were being too dumb to realize it.
But ultimately we didn't feel "right " about going. So we decided to turn it down for good and once we did we both had PEACE. Not just a sense that a decision had been made, but absolute contentment that money and a status change would not have been right for our family. We also both got really hopeful at whatever else God has in store for us.
We were tempted, but God is faithful, He will make a way of escape.
"...But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can endure it" 1 Cor 10:13 NIV

Returning from Maternity Leave

I’m back…sort of.

In February I took “Maternity Leave” from blogging. I’d planned on returning by August… but as anyone with two kids can tell you, not only does time fly, but priorities change. 

While I’ve missed blogging/writing, I haven’t had a spare minute to jot down the amazing revelations God has given me during these past months. But I’m ready to come back, even if it’s not going to be as frequent as before.

My goal is to post once a month (though it might be more like every 6 weeks) and in between postings I’ll visit your blogs! (I can’t tell you how excited I am about fellowshipping with you all again!)

 I want to thank all my blogging buddies who reached out to me during my months away…offering encouragement, prayers, friendship and advice. It’s so good to know that I wasn’t forgotten. 

Before I close this post I want to tell you a little of what's been consuming my time…mainly a 4 year old and a baby. 

While kids alone can keep a mommy busy, my boys health has brought me into so much contact with doctors I feel as if I’m working as a nurse again! 

Both boys have required numerous visits to their pediatrician as well as different specialists. It seems as if there are very few weeks that go by without a visit to some sort of physician. 

Don't fret.  God is good and we are doing well. We're not as healthy as I’d like us to be, but we have much to be thankful for. 

With that being said, here are some of the topics God has been teaching me and that I hope to share with you in the coming months:

1.       Comfort and Power in the Lord’s Prayer (Matt 6:9-13)

2.       God is my Refuge (Numerous Psalms and other scriptures)

3.       God is my Strength…I literally cannot do anything on my own (2 Cor 12:10)

4.       Sowing in tears and reaping Joy (Psalm 126:5)

5.       God’s timing and priorities over my own (too many verses to share here)

Now it’s your turn:  Please tell me what’s going on in your life or what God is teaching you?

Coming for Christians

A Google search of “Christian Beheadings” or “Christian Persecution” will pop up numerous RECENT articles from a plethora of sources (CNN, New York Times, Reuters, etc.) outside the usual outlets such as Open Doors, Fox News, The Blaze ,and Christian Post. 

If you haven’t viewed the recent video’s (yes this has happened more than once in recent months) of ISIS beheading Christians on a beach I encourage you to take a deep breath and watch at least a minute of the brutality our Christian Brothers and Sisters are facing (I’ve only watched a few minutes of each gruesome video and the images are burned into my brain- I have not included links so you’ll have to do your own search).

Why am I asking you to do this?

Because God commands us to:

^“ Continue to remember those in prison as if you were together with them in prison, and those who are mistreated as if you yourselves were suffering.” Heb 13:3 NIV

Seeing these images will help you REMEMBER those suffering extreme persecution. And once you REMEMBER, you can take action to help your Brothers and Sisters in Christ.

I was speaking with my husband about this and he asked, “How can we help them? We’re powerless to stop this.”

I went to bed thinking about what he’d said. Is this why so many American and European Christians are silent about the slaughter of our fellow members in the Body of Christ…they feel powerless?

I began asking God what I could do that would make a difference and God reminded me that there is POWER IN PRAYER.

“…The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective.” James 5:16b NIV

In Jeremiah 33:3, God says, “Call to me (PRAY) and I will answer you and tell you great and unsearchable things you do not know.”

Later in Chapter 33 God reminds Jeremiah that His covenants are everlasting; we cannot break them any more than we can change the day into night. Therefore, we can have confidence in His promises… and He promises that HE WILL ANSWER WHEN WE PRAY. 

In Jer 32:24 God asks a rhetorical question, “I am the Lord, the God of all mankind. Is anything too hard for me?”

We may feel overwhelmed and powerless to help those facing martyrdom, but God doesn’t.

This isn’t too big or too powerful for God. 

So if He instructs us to REMEMBER others and challenges us to CALL to Him, shouldn’t we do it?

I realize FEAR also plays a role in our refusal to acknowledge the evil being perpetrated against our fellow believers in Christ. A recent podcast on Engaging Missions, A Wind in the House of Islam with David Garrison, will lesson your fears. 

Muslims are coming to Christ by the thousands. 

God is using Christians just like you and me to bring the Gospel to those who invoke fear in us. 

In Jer 38:14-28 King Zedekiah told Jeremiah that he feared man more than he feared God. Jeremiah encouraged him to obey God, but he refused and Jerusalem was taken just as Jeremiah warned. 

We mustn’t fear. We must obey whatever it is God asks. I don’t know what God is asking of you… and chances are you don’t know either, unless you’ve spent time seeking His will.

While you might not be called to witness to someone who intimidates you, you can certainly pray for them. You don’t have to know them personally in order to pray for them.

Likewise, you don’t have to KNOW the Christians across the world suffering for their faith in order to lift them up to God in prayer.

Just begin praying. 

Pray for those being persecuted. 

Pray for those doing the persecution.

And let God do the rest. 

He may or may not lead you to do more, but you’ll never know if you don’t begin somewhere. 

Why not start with prayer?

 If you’re interested in learning about witnessing to those of the Muslim faith here are two books on my reading list that I got from listening to the podcast linked above:

Any-3: Anyone, Anywhere, Anytime—Win Muslims to Christ Now

The Camel:  How Muslims are Coming to Faith in Christ

If you’re wondering, YES I’m still on maternity leave and will not officially be back for some time. Writing this post took a great deal of time but I felt I must share it with you. 

Time is critical. 

Christians are daily dying for their faith. 

The time to act and pray is now. 

Here’s a link I HIGHLY encourage you to read.  It puts this all into greater perspective. 

Will you stand against the Christian Holocaust? By Glenn Beck

Lastly I’ll leave you with this quote from Martin Niemoller:

“First they came for the Socialists, and I did not speak out—
Because I was not a Socialist.
Then they came for the Trade Unionists, and I did not speak out—
Because I was not a Trade Unionist.
Then they came for the Jews, and I did not speak out—
Because I was not a Jew.
Then they came for me—and there was no one left to speak for me.”

They are coming for Christians..and it can happen here too. 
Will you speak? Will you pray?