My prayer group

For nearly two years, I’ve spent almost every Monday morning with a small group of guys from my church.  From 7:15-7:45am, we meet to pray.  We were meeting face-to-face, but during the pandemic we’ve continued to meet together via Zoom.  Throughout our time as a men’s prayer group, we’ve moved from a group of guys who get together to pray into a band of brothers who genuinely care for each other.  We’ve prayed with each other through many uncertainties, especially when it comes to our own health, work struggles, or life events.  Together, we’ve prayed about cancer and kidney stones, car accidents and child raising, job difficulties and times of uncertainty. 

Our ages range quite a bit and our life experiences vary greatly.  Our careers do not intersect, and it’s highly unlikely we would have any meaningful relationships, if not for being part of God’s family.  But here we are, each week, checking on each other and checking in with God.  By doing so, we are fulfilling one of Paul’s directions to his protégé, Timothy:

1 Timothy 2:1-4
First of all, then I urge that petitions, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for everyone, for kings and all those who are in authority, so that we may lead a tranquil and quiet life in all godliness and dignity.  This is good, and it pleases God our Savior, who wants everyone to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.

The topics we pray about are wide open.  We do not pray for everything and everyone every time, but here is a sample list of topics that we routinely bring before God:

We pray
for each other, our families, our church leadership;
for wisdom in decision making;
for grace when we are offended or attacked;
for help for those who are hurting, how to help those we know who are in pain;
how to reach out to the community to show them that we love them, we are for them, and that, ultimately, God loves them. 

We pray
for wisdom for how we can best invest in the generation coming up behind us;
for those fighting COVID19 – both the patients and the healthcare workers;
for our city, county, state, and national leadership – that God would provide good counselors and wisdom to make the best decisions possible for the situations at hand;
for those who are depressed, anxious, and dealing with doubts. 

At least some part of the prayer is asking God to help us apply the pastor’s message from the day before…it’s fresh in our minds, so we ask God to show us how live out God’s Word and His love.

Do we have to pray as a group?  Not necessarily.  Of course, any single one of us can talk to God about anything and at any time.  Every topic listed above is fair game if I’m going to pray by myself and petition the Creator of everything.  However, this time every Monday is special to me for a variety of reasons:

·       It’s a great way to start off a week – to intentionally focus on God’s agenda for 30 minutes before daily life and the work agenda clamors for my attention.  Listening to their prayer helps keep my mind from wandering.
·       It’s encouraging to hear someone else pray for the things that are on my own heart.  I find that I’m not the only one who needs God’s strength in the weak areas of my life…a friend is asking for help and direction in the same place.
·       It reminds me of other situations that need to be lifted to God in prayer.  There are so many needs – I don’t know them all and for those I am aware of, I can’t remember them all.  However, when I am silently agreeing with their petition to our Heavenly Father, I am reminded of how far God’s love can reach and how deep our world’s needs are. 
·       It’s encouraging to hear others praise God – both for what He has done and for who He is.  Finding out how God is working in other people’s lives reminds me of how BIG God is…and that He is working in ways I cannot see or understand…and without asking my permission or seeking my approval to do so!

Our consistent gathering together for prayer fulfills part of God’s will for us.  Look at how Paul instructed the believers in Thessalonica regarding what they should be doing as a congregation:

1 Thessalonians 5:11, 16-18
Therefore encourage one another and build each other up as you are already doing…Rejoice always, pray constantly, give thanks in everything; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.

I encourage you to find a group to begin praying with.  A group of men or a group of women outside your immediate family circle.  Prayer isn’t so much about changing God’s mind as it becomes allowing God to change ours.  When we pray for the things that are on our hearts and desire to match them up with what is on His heart…we are slowly shaped into the likeness of Jesus.  Praying in a group of people who want to do God’s will enriches that process in ways that do not happen when we pray solo.

If you can’t find a group to pray with, ask a friend to meet with you…either in person or via Zoom/WhatsApp/FaceTime/etc…and don’t be surprised when others want to join in as well.

Keep Pressing,
Ken

Flashback Favorite - In need of peace

I’m still clinging to lessons already learned. New posts are coming, I promise. But given our current world-happenings, I think this post needs to be revisited.

In need of peace
originally posted on July 13, 2016

There doesn’t seem to be a lot of peace in the world right now.

So many problems that are not easily resolved, and the feelings heaped on top of the issues make them that much harder to sort out.  Hurt.  Injustice.  Anger.  Hatred.  Hopelessness.

There are also many competing ideas on how to solve these issues and the feelings attached to them.  We hear a steady stream of suggestions: some advocate that the government should pass additional laws, some want retribution and violence, some want more of God, others are calling for less of God, and others still are looking to smaller ‘gods’ to escape – like money, stuff, isolation, the appearance of safety, anything to find what we are all deep down really looking for:

Peace.

I hear people say we should ‘Pray for Peace’ and send our ‘thoughts and prayers’ to those who need it now.  I also hear those who complain that ‘thoughts and prayers’ haven’t fixed anything, given that the tragedies keep coming.

So how’s a Christian supposed to handle all of this?  Once again, Paul’s direction to Timothy for the believers in Ephesus is helpful.  Notice that Paul recognizes our desire for peace in this life, but also look for what he says accompanies it:

1 Timothy 2:1-2
First of all, then, I urge that petitions, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for everyone, for kings and all those who are in authority, so that we may lead a tranquil and quiet life in all godliness and dignity.

The goal of our prayers for all those who are in authority is so their leadership will follow God and His design for human government.  The end result of that kind of leadership will heavily influence our ability to lead a tranquil and quiet life.  However, while the Ephesian believers are to pray for these things, Paul also expects them to live life in godliness and dignity.

Godliness can best be thought of as “God-like-ness” where we mirror the characteristics of God that He has shown us.  Things like mercy, grace, love, sacrifice, and forgiveness – when we understand what those words mean and how God shows them to us, then we can mimic those traits in our own life.  Being godly is displaying God-like traits to those who are completely undeserving of that kind of treatment, just like God has done for us.

When we imitate God this way, it doesn’t guarantee that everything goes perfect for us – or that we should pretend that everything is going perfectly, either.  When life goes sideways (and it will), how well we are connected to God is on full display.  Being godly and acting with dignity is sure to stand out in the turmoil going on around us.  We need to actively pursue God-like-ness while we pray for those same characteristics to show up in our leaders.

So don’t give up.  Take Paul’s advice to Timothy and make petitions, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings…for everyone, for kings and all those who are in authority.  Not because the act of praying changes anything.  Do it because you know the power of the One you are praying to. 

And then let’s get out there and reenact the qualities that God has shown us – mercy, grace, love, sacrifice, and forgiveness – for people that don’t deserve it…because, like them, we didn’t deserve it, either.

Keep Pressing,
Ken 

In need of peace

There doesn’t seem to be a lot of peace in the world right now.

So many problems that are not easily resolved, and the feelings heaped on top of the issues make them that much harder to sort out.  Hurt.  Injustice.  Anger.  Hatred.  Hopelessness.

There are also many competing ideas on how to solve these issues and the feelings attached to them.  We hear a steady stream of suggestions: some advocate that the government should pass additional laws, some want retribution and violence, some want more of God, others are calling for less of God, and others still are looking to smaller ‘gods’ to escape – like money, stuff, isolation, the appearance of safety, anything to find what we are all deep down really looking for:

Peace.

I hear people say we should ‘Pray for Peace’ and send our ‘thoughts and prayers’ to those who need it now.  I also hear those who complain that ‘thoughts and prayers’ haven’t fixed anything, given that the tragedies keep coming.

So how’s a Christian supposed to handle all of this?  Once again, Paul’s direction to Timothy for the believers in Ephesus is helpful.  Notice that Paul recognizes our desire for peace in this life, but also look for what he says accompanies it:

1 Timothy 2:1-2
First of all, then, I urge that petitions, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for everyone, for kings and all those who are in authority, so that we may lead a tranquil and quiet life in all godliness and dignity.

The goal of our prayers for all those who are in authority is so their leadership will follow God and His design for human government.  The end result of that kind of leadership will heavily influence our ability to lead a tranquil and quiet life.  However, while the Ephesian believers are to pray for these things, Paul also expects them to live life in godliness and dignity.

Godliness can best be thought of as “God-like-ness” where we mirror the characteristics of God that He has shown us.  Things like mercy, grace, love, sacrifice, and forgiveness – when we understand what those words mean and how God shows them to us, then we can mimic those traits in our own life.  Being godly is displaying God-like traits to those who are completely undeserving of that kind of treatment, just like God has done for us.

When we imitate God this way, it doesn’t guarantee that everything goes perfect for us – or that we should pretend that everything is going perfectly, either.  When life goes sideways (and it will), how well we are connected to God is on full display.  Being godly and acting with dignity is sure to stand out in the turmoil going on around us.  We need to actively pursue God-like-ness while we pray for those same characteristics to show up in our leaders.

So don’t give up.  Take Paul’s advice to Timothy and make petitions, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings…for everyone, for kings and all those who are in authority.  Not because the act of praying changes anything.  Do it because you know the power of the One you are praying to. 

And then let’s get out there and reenact the qualities that God has shown us – mercy, grace, love, sacrifice, and forgiveness – for people that don’t deserve it…because, like them, we didn’t deserve it, either.

Keep Pressing,
Ken 

Praying for those in authority

Whom do you pray for?  When you petition God the Father, which person do you talk about the most?  Given that the average person prays about 8 minutes per day, that’s not a lot of time to discuss other people.

If I were to measure, from most to least, the time I spend on the people I talk to God about it, the list would look pretty close to – myself, my wife, my kids, my job, my extended family (sometimes), people in my church (occasionally), and then a rare ten seconds for people I don’t know who are dealing with circumstances that deep down I’m thankful I’m not personally going through.

Looking back on that list, I see a whole lot of me.  Myself, my wife, my kids, my life’s circumstances.  It’s low hanging fruit to bash myself for being so self-oriented toward God.  I’ve heard many preachers, when teaching about prayer, make the point that we’re too self-focused.

On the one hand, though, it’s hard to pray for people we don’t personally know.  We don’t know their issues and hang-ups.  We don’t know where they struggle, so it feels a little hollow to continually pray “God help them…with…their stuff”.  But just because it feels awkward or difficult seems like a flimsy reason to exclude those outside of my life’s circle from being brought up before the Creator of Heaven and Earth.

On the other hand, when I look back over my list and I look at the motivation behind the ‘me’ and the ‘my’, it comes down to the fact that I’m looking for peace in my life and the world around me that I know.  I desire for life’s events to go well.  I don’t mind the work involved, provided I can see that the outcome is beneficial.  Deep down, I long for the time when sin won’t derail what God made us to do, and I’m asking God for just a taste of that now.

So which approach is better?  Praying about my stuff (which I know all too well) or praying about other people’s stuff (which I don’t know hardly at all) ?  We could talk circles around these questions for quite a while and do nothing but increase our frustration level.

Perhaps instead of getting all twisted up about what we’re bringing to God in prayer, we should focus on what subjects God tells us He wants to hear about in our prayers.  Paul gave direction on what topics Timothy and the church in Ephesus should be bringing to God.  Remember, Ephesus wasn’t a ‘Christian’ city.  It didn’t have God-focused government.  Their history, laws, and business practices weren’t Biblically rooted.  It was a cosmopolitan metropolis with people from all over the known world passing through.  Their ideas of ‘higher powers’ in the world primarily came from Greek and Roman gods, Egyptian gods, pagan gods, and Jewish myths.

So, how does the one true God expect a Christian to pray in the midst of all that?

1 Timothy 2:1-2
First of all, then, I urge that petitions, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for everyone, for kings and all those who are in authority

Paul tells Timothy that every subject we could possibly communicate to God – needs, discussions, interventions, and thankful acknowledgments – are all fair game when talking to God about our stuff and everyone else’s stuff.  But what I find interesting here is that Paul calls out a very specific group of people that the Ephesian believers shouldn’t forget to pray for – kings and all those who are in authority.

While I might pray that a certain candidate win an election, how long has it been since I petitioned God on behalf of President Obama?  Or prayerfully interceded on some issue between God and the President?  Or thanked God for something the President has done? 

But Paul didn’t just specify the top individual in a society as being the subject of our prayers, he said to pray for all those who are in authority.  Honestly, I don’t recall ever petitioning God on behalf of our town’s mayor or city council.  It’s very rare that I have asked God to send the gospel message to our county representatives or, for that matter, even the local school board.

Paul’s point is that those who have authority in our society need us to approach God on their behalf.  Paul is serious about this, too.  He’s urging believers to pray for leaders.

I think we’re going to need more than 8 minutes.

Keep Pressing,
Ken