Prayer | From the Inside Out

Archive for the ‘Prayer’ Category

A Song for Commuters

Posted in Encouragement, God, Prayer, tagged Commuting, Encouragement, God, Praise, Prayer, Stressful Commutes, To God Be the Glory, To God Be the Glory Parody on January 7, 2013| 22 Comments »

For ten years of my twenty-six year teaching career, I commuted almost fifty miles each day. Those of you who endure the same or worse understand that it is: 1) boring, 2) a waste of time, and 3) FRUSTRATING! The roadways are filled with thoughtless, rude drivers who can raise your blood pressure to dangerous levels if you’re not careful.

One day, after yet another encounter with a dreadful driver, I started to sing, “To God Be the Glory”—an old hymn that is still a favorite of many folks. Only I stumbled upon new words that fit my situation: “To God be the glory in spite of the jerks who travel the turnpike and drive me berserk!”

It made me chuckle. The tension in my shoulders began to relax.

M-m-m, I thought. I may be on to something.

For the next several weeks I spent my commuting time working thoughts into rhymes and rhymes into the rhythm of the old hymn. Here are the results.

The South Florida Commuter Song

To God be the glory in spite of the jerks
Who travel the turnpike and drive me berserk!
I’ll focus on Jesus and all of His works,
Improving my attitude and calming my nerves.
Praise the Lord for the trees, and the birds on the wing!
Praise the Lord for the clouds, and this song I can sing!
I’ll thank Him for His promises and victories won,
And for taking frustration and making it fun!

I’ll pray for the poor bloke who speeds out of sight.
He’s clueless I’ll see him at an upcoming light.
I’ll pray for his safety, since he’s unconcerned,
And hope in the process some patience I learn!
Praise the Lord for the sun as it spangles the sky.
Praise the Lord for the ponds, and the mist on the rise.
I’ll thank Him for creation, its beauty sublime.
Renouncing frustration, His peace I shall find.

And when drivers speed by then squeeze in ahead,
Replace my frustration with your grace instead.
Remind me they don’t know you, they’re striving alone.
I pray they may seek you, and make you their own.
Praise you, Lord! I am yours, and you’re always with me.
Help me lean, and be serene, even when folks are mean.
I pray for Your Spirit to take full control
As over the highways and byways I roll.

There’s one more group of drivers that I must address.
They pull out in front of me, then drive like Aunt Bess!
They poke along slowly, yet still make the light,
But then the light turns red—I’M stuck! What a fright
How upset I can get when others drive thoughtlessly!
But I have heard from Your word how You want me to be:
As loving and forgiving as You are to me.
So when others drive like Aunt Bess, I’ll say, “God bless!”

Are you smiling? I hope so. And perhaps you’ll be inspired to turn a frustration in your life into an attitude-changing song. If you do, please share it with us!

Read Full Post »

Mary’s Song

Posted in Christmas, Prayer, Worship, tagged Elizabeth, Luke 1:39-55, Magnificat, Mary Mother of Jesus, Mary's Magnificat on December 20, 2012| Leave a Comment »

Can you remember the first time you studied a snowflake under a magnifying glass? What was your reaction to those delicate intricacies of pattern?

Or how about your first glimpse through a microscope at a drop of pond water? Suddenly you were viewing infinitesimal, squiggly creatures you never knew existed. Chances are your responses included “Wow!” “Look at that!” “I can’t believe it!”

And perhaps that’s when you learned: Only when we examine something closely can we begin to appreciate its value.

Like our Heavenly Father.

Scripture urges us to “magnify” God: “O magnify the Lord with me, and let us exalt his name together” (Psalm 34:3, KJV, RSV).

To magnify God is to look closely at Him and take careful notice of his actions and attributes. Mary did exactly that, when she visited her cousin, Elizabeth. Elizabeth was much older than Mary, well beyond child-bearing age. But like Sarah of the Old Testament, God had intervened for her. Elizabeth would be the mother of John the Baptist.

When Marry first arrived and greeted her cousin, Baby John leaped in Elizabeth’s womb. (I’m not exaggerating. That’s the exact word in Luke 1:41, NIV. Can you imagine how it would feel to have a baby jump inside you?)

Elizabeth responded with a blessing for Mary and the baby she carried. Mary was so overcome with joy and incredulity, she burst into praise. Her song is called the Magnificat. (See Luke 1:39-45 for more details.)

For ten verses, Mary magnifies the Lord, examining the reason for her joy (vs. 46-49) and looking closely at God’s attributes and actions (50-55) that contribute to her joy. If your Bible includes cross references you’ll notice that Mary recites a varied collection of verses from the psalms, specifically from chapters 34, 138, 71, 103, 98, and 132.

Take note: that’s six psalms. It would seem she chose appropriate thoughts, and wove them together into this beautiful prayer. On the spot, no less! Dare I suggest that Mary was a highly intelligent young woman?

Such an ability would also indicate Mary grew up in a godly home where scripture was highly esteemed. Her family evidently took to heart the words of Psalm 1:2, “His delight is in the law of the Lord, and on his law he meditates day and night.”

Full of emotion, Mary rejoiced in God, her Savior. He had been mindful of her, a humble peasant girl. God had blessed her beyond imagining, to be the mother of the Messiah.

Then Mary itemized specific ways God had benefited all his people:

• He extends mercy to those who reverence him (v. 50)
• He has performed mighty deeds (v. 51)
• He has scattered the proud (v. 51)
• He has brought down rulers, but lifted up the humble (v. 52)
• He has filled the hungry, but sent the rich away empty (v. 53)
• He has been merciful to Israel (vs. 54-55)

Has God been at work in your life, perhaps in similar ways? Has God been mindful of you and blessed you (v. 48)? What great things has He done for you (v. 49)? Has his mercy been extended to you (v. 50)?

View the activity of God in your life through the magnifying glass of meditation.

Feel free to comment below, and share with us your observations!

Here’s another idea to consider: as a Christmas gift to your Savior, write a Magnificat of your own.

Read Full Post »

God’s Delight

Posted in Appreciation, Blessings, Faith, God's Delight, Prayer, tagged Faith, God, Psalm 147:11, Reverence for God on November 29, 2012| 7 Comments »

Breathe in this truth, long and deep: God delights in you.

“That’s impossible,” you may say. “I can be downright self-centered, lazy, and prideful. Some days I can’t seem to do anything right. How could God possibly be pleased with me?” (I am quite familiar with this train of thought myself!)

Listen carefully. “The Lord delights in those who fear him, who put their hope in his unfailing love (Psalm 147:11).”

Fear, in this case, does not refer to terror. Fear refers to these attitudes:

reverence
trust
respect
awe
consideration
appreciation

The second half of that verse makes clear that God rejoices in those who turn to him with faith.

If those terms describe your heart, then the following statements are true of you:

He smiles upon you as you express appreciation for his blessings.

His eyes glisten with love as you pray for guidance and strength.

He revels in the time you spend immersed in his Word.

His heart fills with joy as you exult in creation.

He beams with pleasure when you help a stranger.

He rejoices when your heart is filled with peace and joy.

Yes, there are going to be moments when we stumble back into selfishness and pride. We’re not perfect—at least I’m not. But hallelujah! God does not leave it up to us to work through the perfecting-process alone.

Consider this good news the writer of Hebrews shared: “May the God of peace…equip you with everything good for doing his will, and may he work in us what is pleasing to him, through Jesus Christ (Hebrews 13:20-21).

Wow. God not only makes clear what pleases him, he works in our hearts and minds to mold us into those kind of people.

Meanwhile, I think he takes great pleasure in progress, just like human parents do.

You know how it is. Mom and Dad practically shiver with excitement when their little tyke takes his first step and speaks his first word.

But did they leave their little one to learn these skills on his own? Hardly. With loving attention they held the little guy upright so he could practice taking steps. They repeated words countless times until their toddler could form them on his own.

Now relate this situation to our Heavenly Father. Isn’t it probable he experiences the same joy as we take faltering steps toward spiritual maturity? And he’s not leaving us alone to find our own way. He’s equipping us and working in us all along the way.

* * * * * * * * * * *

Thank you, Lord, for being a gracious God who actually delights in his children. Thank you for loving us in spite of our failings and for smiling upon our efforts, meager as they may be. Our hearts are filled with awe and gratitude to realize you, the ultimate, all-powerful King of the universe, not only care about each step of progress we make, you are right beside us. You are magnificent—I can never praise you enough!

(Photo credits: www.pinterest.com; http://www.bsna.co.uk.)

Read Full Post »

I Will Give Thanks

Posted in Appreciation, Faith, God, Prayer, Thanksgiving, tagged Appreciation, God, God's righteousness, Prayer, Psalm 145:17-18, Psalm 7:17, Thanksgiving on November 22, 2012| 8 Comments »

Frequently we thank God for blessings already received: our families and friends, the beauty of creation, material possessions, and circumstances which have turned out well. Today in particular we joyfully celebrate God’s benevolence.

But in Psalm 7:17, David demonstrates a different kind of thanksgiving prayer. He determines to praise God in spite of facing false accusations, slander, and injustice.

David says, “I will give thanks to the Lord because of his righteousness and will sing praise to the Lord Most High” (Psalm 7:17).

How can David be so positive in such dire circumstances? You’ll find the answer in the middle of the verse: “Because of his righteousness.”

And what does God’s righteousness include?

He abounds in love to all who call upon him (Psalm 86:5b).
He answers even before we call (Isaiah 65:24).
He’s an involved God–not one who watches from afar with impersonal detachment (Isaiah 41:10).
He’s always working to bring his plans to fulfillment (Psalm 33:4).
He brings good out of evil (Genesis 50:20), and victory out of defeat (1 Corinthians 15:57).

And that’s just a start. In fact, the righteousness of our God is infinite, so such a list would never near completion.

To sum it up, we can be filled with thanksgiving and praise because our God acts and reacts rightly all the time. Every time. To every prayer. Even the prayers to which he has responded…

…“Not now, dear one.”

Or…

…“No, my child. For reasons beyond your understanding, I cannot grant that request.”

But what then? How do we survive the pain? The loneliness? The unfairness of it all?

We cling to his righteousness.

Heavenly Father, even though there are many prayers for which I am awaiting answers, I thank you, Lord, for your righteousness. Even though you have said, “No, that’s not part of my plan,” I thank You, Lord, for your righteousness. You are righteous in all your ways, and loving toward all you have made. You are near to all who call upon you. My mouth will speak in praise of You (Psalm 145:17-18a, 21a).

What aspect of God’s righteousness is ministering to you right now? Leave a comment and tell us about it.

(Photo credit: www.religionblog.dallasnews.com.)

Read Full Post »

« Newer Posts

From the Inside Out

Impressions Becoming Expressions

Archive for the ‘Prayer’ Category

A Song for Commuters

Mary’s Song

God’s Delight

I Will Give Thanks

Nancy Ruegg

Follow Blog via Email

Recent Posts

Blogs I Follow

Categories

Archives