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Archive for January, 2010

Treasure Houses of the Spirit

Posted in Devotional Prayer, General Discipleship, Spiritual Disciplines, tagged , , , on January 28, 2010 | Leave a Comment »

A more reasonable estimate of human costs and values will lead us to think that no labour is better expended than that which explores the way to the treasure-houses of the spirit, and shows mankind where to find those goods which are increased by being shared, and which none can take from us. - William Inge

Author Dallas Willard references this quotation in the opening chapter of his book The Spirit of the Disciplines. The majority of Christians live life ‘catching God on the run’; that is to say, in the midst of the day to day busy-ness of normal life. The problem is that such an approach will invariably result in missing the ‘treasure-houses of the spirit’.

Paul wrote that the Holy Spirit ‘searches all things, even the deep things of God’ (1 Cor. 2:10). I am not satisfied with only knowing the introductory things of God; I want to know the deep things of God. This is not some form of impractical contemporary mysticism. Quite the contrary! Even a cursory reading of the New Testament will show that the apostles deeply desired that the church would grow in their revelation (living understanding) of the deep things of God.

Prayer is one of the most significant pathways toward the ‘treasure-houses of the spirit’. I love that phrase because it creates excitement in me to search out the treasures of God. In my previous post, I wrote about the importance of developing and using a personal prayer list. Why? Because only a conscious, long-term, disciplined approach to spiritual growth will result in encountering those divine treasure-houses. Obviously a prayer list is only a tool to aid in prayer and prayer is only one facet of spiritual growth. However my point is that we will not simply stumble into the ‘divine treasure-houses’ that are available to us. There may be some exception here or there but as a rule, the majority of believers will miss out on what the apostle Paul described as ‘glorious riches’ that really could be ours if we would but pursue them diligently!

I urge you to give careful consideration to what you want most in life. David wrote of God: “You have made known to me the path of life; you will fill me with joy in your presence, with eternal pleasures at your right hand.” (Ps. 16:11) I want to encounter the God who will give ‘eternal pleasures’ to those who will have the vision to lay things aside in order to come and labor and search for them!

What are you laboring after in this life?

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How to Develop a Personal Prayer List

Posted in Devotional Prayer, General Discipleship, Intercessory Prayer, Spiritual Disciplines, tagged , , , , on January 27, 2010 | 11 Comments »

I am a strong believer in helping people to a develop personal prayer list. For many people the idea of a ‘prayer list’ sounds dry and boring but actually it is a powerful tool in our prayer life. We want to ensure that we don’t neglect certain areas or themes in prayer. Let me use a weight lifting example: I’m not a big weight lifter but I’ve been to the gym enough to see that people who are serious about weight training have a list of exercises that they go through in their work out. Often they will have a small booklet with them and check off how many sets they did and what the weight was for each set. If you’re serious about weight training you want to ensure that you’re hitting all the various muscle groups in a systematic way. (otherwise you might end up with huge biceps but tiny lats!)

It’s important to have a systematic approach to our prayer life as well. There are a number of different areas in prayer that I want to practice and gain strength in and one of the important means for doing that is to develop a personal prayer list.

Here is how I approach it: I have  a list that has 3 main sections: “Personal Devotional”, “General Intercession”, “Specific Requests”. The section names are not important; you can call them whatever you want, but let me explain the differences and why each section is important.

Personal Devotional prayer is a section that applies to my personal spiritual life. It contains Scripture passages that I like to pray for myself on a regular basis. A example of that would be the great commandment in Matt. 22:37 to love God with all my heart, soul, and mind. Another example would be Galatians 5 and the list of the fruit of the Spirit. These are important passages that I want to make sure that I’m praying into my life on a regular basis. (I also have sub-categories within this section, but that’s for another post!)

General Intercession is a list of prayer areas that are ongoing and that I want to cover regularly. Some examples would be my marriage, my wife and my kids. I also have areas related to my job. In each one  I have specific Scriptures that I pray through. The key here is that the areas are ‘ongoing’ or ‘long term’ rather than ‘seasonal’ or ‘temporary’.

The Specific Requests section is where I have included more ‘temporary’ prayer needs. This is the part of my prayer list that changes regularly. It includes what I would call ‘traditional prayer requests’, such as people with illnesses or other ‘short term’ needs. When people say “can you pray for this or that”, those requests go in this section.

There is so much more to say about how to develop a prayer list, but for today I simply wanted to introduce the concept. Always keep in mind that the purpose is to help strengthen your prayer life. A prayer list is a tool to serve your vision to connect your heart to God through prayer. The unfortunate reality is that most people do not have a disciplined, balanced approach to their prayer life, and developing (and using!) a prayer list can be a significant tool to help remedy that in our lives.

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Learning Devotional Prayer

Posted in Devotional Prayer, tagged , , on January 26, 2010 | Leave a Comment »

One of the great needs that presently exists for many Christians is to develop and strengthen a devotional prayer life. Devotional prayer is different from intercessory prayer in terms of focus: intercessory prayer is mainly focused on other people and situations and devotional prayer has a focus on our own relationship with the Lord.

There is a lot of talk in churches today about spiritually ‘fat’ believers who mostly focus on being ‘fed’ rather than actively ministering to others and reaching out beyond themselves. I plan to write more extensively about that issue but for now I will simply say that such a concern does not apply to a strong devotional prayer life.

Today I want to offer some practical points on how to devotionally pray from the Scriptures, using Psalm 25 as an example:

1To you, O LORD, I lift up my soul;

2 in you I trust, O my God. Do not let me be put to shame, nor let my enemies triumph over me.

3 No-one whose hope is in you will ever be put to shame, but they will be put to shame who are treacherous without excuse.

4 Show me your ways, O LORD, teach me your paths;

Devotional prayer can be done in several ways, but here is how I would suggest using the language and themes of Psalm 25 to establish a dialogue with God:

  • Begin with v. 1 and tell God in your own words, that you want to come to him, that you choose to bring your heart and soul into his Presence.
  • In v. 2 there is the theme of trust. Tell him that you want to trust him; ask God to help you trust him more. Talk to him about areas of your life where you are presently struggling to trust in him.
  • Also in v. 2-3 there is the theme of shame. David’s circumstances were likely different than yours, but the fear and feelings of shame are common to us all. If that strikes a chord in your heart as you read it, begin to talk to God about it. Connect in the theme of trust in God. Also in v. 3 there is an expression of praise. Praise and thanksgiving are key to the prayer life, so use the wording of v. 3 to express your trust and praise to God.
  • In v. 4 the theme is instruction and guidance. I like to begin by actually using the wording of the verse and then express it in my own words. For example:

Father I ask you to show me your ways today and teach me your paths. God I need your instruction and guidance. I ask you to open up my spiritual ears to hear your instruction. I want to walk in your ways God. Help me. Lord I trust you and your ability to lead me along the path you have for me. In the name of Jesus, Amen

You can continue doing that for many more verses in Psalm 25. Don’t be afraid to linger. Don’t rush through the verses. Come back to them, meditate on them. Try to express the same ideas in different ways with different words. You will be surprised how the Holy Spirit gives you insight on what the Scriptures mean. However be careful because the focus in devotional prayer is not Bible study. The focus is your heart and allowing the Holy Spirit to soften your heart, to ‘wash it with the water of the Word’.

I’ll discuss more about devotional prayer, but for today, take some time to pray through the verses in Psalm 25. You’ll be surprised by what happens!

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Knowing God’s Will for Haiti

Posted in Intercessory Prayer, tagged , , on January 21, 2010 | Leave a Comment »

Today in the Edmonton Journal newspaper there was a story about the brewing debate in Haiti about God in relation to the earthquake. Many Haitians believe that the earthquake was God’s judgment against evil in the nation. Others say that God did not cause it but is filled with compassion and mercy for the victims of the disaster. (of course there are so many different ‘gods’ that are worshipped in Haiti it is hard to know which ‘god’ people are referring to)

One of the main passages of Scripture that I have been using to pray for Haiti in the last few days has been Colossian 1:9-12. I am praying this specifically for the believers in Jesus Christ:

For this reason, since the day we heard about you, we have not stopped praying for you and asking God to fill you with the knowledge of his will through all spiritual wisdom and understanding.And we pray this in order that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and may please him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God, being strengthened with all power according to his glorious might so that you may have great endurance and patience, and joyfully giving thanks to the Father…

There are so many questions about the earthquake: Why did it happen? Where was God? Did he cause it? Was it a judgment against evil? My prayer has been that the Lord would fill the Christian believers in Haiti with the knowledge of his will. Most of the time we think of this in terms of knowing what God wants us to do next, but it’s much more than just direction. This speaks of the desire and destiny not only for individuals but also for families, cities and nations. We need to know what is on the heart and mind of the Lord and to be able to provide wisdom and timely insight from God. Right now in Haiti, as important as it is to understand the reasons for what has happened, it is even more important for the Haitian people to know how to respond now and move forward.

In addition I am praying that God would pour out his Spirit upon the believers and strengthen them and produce in them the fruit of the Spirit, including great endurance and patience as well as joy and thanksgiving.

One thing that I know for sure is that God’s will for the Haitian believers right now is for them to be filled with spiritual fruit and to be empowered to live with supernatural patience and endurance that will result in many God glorifying testimonies.

This is an example of how we can use Scripture to pray into what is happening in Haiti right now. I want to encourage you to join me in praying Colossians 1 for the Christians in Haiti right now.

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What to Pray About

Posted in Devotional Prayer, Intercessory Prayer, tagged , on January 19, 2010 | Leave a Comment »

I have to wonder sometimes what people pray for. There are 12,000 people who auditioned for American Idol in Chicago, and a significant number of them are ‘praying’ that they will be chosen as the next American Idol. Most of the time what we pray for is a reflection of what we desire most, long for, or have need of. When we are facing a desperate need or challenge we pray about it. At other times we pray out of ‘the desires of our heart’.

While I am not going to comment on any individual who tries out for American Idol, the show as a whole caters in a wrong way to the desire for greatness in everybody. It’s all made me think about what are hearts long for and what we pray for.

This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us. – 1 John 5:14

While prayer is certainly a way that we can pour out our hearts to God about whatever we are thinking or feeling, it is important that we move toward praying ‘according to his will’. How exactly American Idol auditions fit into that I will leave to others to discuss.

One of the reasons why I am so committed to praying the Bible is because it helps us to know that our intercession is ‘according to his will’. Obviously there are prayers beyond the Scriptures that align with his will, but they are all consistent with the Scripture.

All this makes me reflect on my own prayers. I believe such reflection is helpful as long as it leads us to press in to strengthen our prayer life rather than paralyze it. My prayer is that the Lord would guide my intercession so that it is in accordance with his will.

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