Jesus wasn’t a super popular guy to most Romans while He was alive. In fact, most of the authority in the time when Jesus was alive wanted Him dead (which is why it eventually happened wink wink).
On the Tuesday of Holy Week, Jesus is teaching in the temple to a crowd of people. While this is happening the leading priests, the teachers of religious law, and the elders came up to him… that seems to be a bunch of authority right there. Here’s what they said: Read More
Every day I see sin and I see selfishness and I see a perversion of what God has called us to do here… and I’m just talking about myself.
I mean, we’re pretty good Christians right? Go to church, hang out on Wednesday nights, read some cool Christian blog posts (thanks for reading by the way), maybe even say some prayers… but we have fallen to sin, and we continue to fall every day.
The point is that try as we may, we are sinful beings and we will continue to sin until the day we die, and that kinda stinks when you think about it. Read More
So that conversation (while a little bit bland) shows us something really simple yet so so important… We, as humans, need communication in order to thrive.
This is best accomplished when there is a two-way channel. That is when you talk then the other person talks back and you create a communication loop…
The loop is a call and response, an action and reaction. Active listening and relevant responses equals good communication.
This is what is so hard about praying for most people. They can’t see the loop, they don’t hear the reaction, it most often feels that they are talking to a wall. Granted, it’s a holy heavenly wall, but when there isn’t actual verbal response it begins to find like a monologue.
Prayer is hard and will always be unfulfilling as long as we continue to have this mindset. Maybe God doesn’t come down to have a morning cup of tea with you, but He is just as much here for us as when Jesus walked this Earth.
God longs for us to have a relationship and that is exactly what prayer is for. It is how we communicate with the most High and He can in turn show us that He loves us.
But what’s the difference? Why shouldn’t I just talk to my friends about all of my problems… why do I even need God to fix my problems?
Sometimes it feels that God simply isn’t listening to us, and you know what? It’s okay to have these thoughts. It doesn’t mean you are going to Hell. Listen to what King David (yes, the David and Goliath guy) says in Psalm 22:1-6:
My God, my God, why have you forsaken me? Why are you so far from saving me, so far from the words of my groaning? O my God, I cry out by day, but you do not answer, by night, and am not silent.
Yet you are enthroned as the Holy One; you are the praise of Israel. In you our fathers put their trust; they trusted and you delivered them.
They cried to you and were saved; in you they trusted and were not disappointed. But I am a worm and not a man, scorned by men and despised by the people.
He’s not happy. In fact, the man who had nothing but faith as he took a rock and killed a giant as a boy, is mad at God. David doesn’t think God is listening to him.
But here’s the thing, God listens. He cares about us and He loves us.
Matthew 7:7-8 says, “Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened.”
God hears us and wants our very best. Sometimes our timing doesn’t line up with His timing, but who are we to even begin to say we know what we need more than as God would.
Prayer is so important. It brings us closer to God and allows us to wash our sins away. Prayer can leave us feeling restored and made new because prayer is where we give everything to God.
Sometimes it may feel easier to just hold in all your fears, your doubts, your failures so that other people won’t see who you truly are… but God wants to take that burden away from you.
1 John 1:9 says, “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”
Don’t let pride get in the way of a holy life.
Don’t let anger get in the way of finding God in every circumstance.
Don’t let an unclear response leave you feeling doubt.
Don’t let the devil take away the clearest path to God there is– prayer.
Dear Lord, hear all of our prayers.
Show us a sign today Lord. We need to see you or hear you or just feel Your presence in our lives today Father. All around us, you have answered people’s prayers, they get exactly what they want and it doesn’t feel fair. Give us guidance, give us peace that we can see Your plan in our own life. Give us assurance and faith that you do hear our prayers. Lord, we just want to know you more and feel a stronger conviction to follow You and preach Your gospel and show Your love. Lord, we love you and know You love us despite all of our failures. Amen.
We’re back and primed for another day of odd questions with weird answers. Finally, we have actual royalty on this here blog post here– The Dansloth.
You know him, you love him… Dan Strickland everyone. Read More
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