Living in Prayer

Ephesians 3:20-21

Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, 
according to His power that is at work within us, 
to Him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! 
Amen.

It is amazing how the lessons I teach in Sunday School so often apply to my own life. This week, we read letters 26 and 27 in C.S. Lewis' The Screwtape Letters. In one of the chapters, Screwtape mentions the "Heads I win, Tails you lose" strategy against humans and prayer. In a nutshell, it's a train of thought that nullifies prayer; if the prayer is not answered, then it proves praying is ineffective, if it is answered, then it was bound to happen anyway, and praying is coincidental.

My laptop charger is very feisty. Getting on five years, sometimes there is no electric current running through the black box, especially if it was unplugged for a couple hours. Well, I had to unplug my laptop to write a paper this afternoon, and it was working fine the past couple weeks. Then, I get around to thinking about my devotion for today, so I go to plug my charger in, and of course, it's not working. Going from outlet to outlet, cleaning the prongs, nothing was working. And my devotion time was being eaten into. Then, I had the bright idea to pray about it. Pray for a laptop? Of course!

So I prayed. With conviction. Saying, "God, you are the God of everything, even electronics. Please fix whatever is going on with my charger. Please please please please please!! I know you can do it, you're God. Okay..let's try this!" I took a deep breath and went to plug it in once more time, and lo and behold...the green light lit up! It's working again!

Now, I don't mean to spiritualize everything, but..c'mon..that CANNOT be mere coincidence! As I was praying, I was picturing a tiny little cartoon demon holding onto my laptop charger, keeping it, and me, from working. I don't see demons, but I do believe in their existence, and try to picture them hiding here or there. I know this is a silly little testimony, but so encouraging in my own life, and hopefully for yours, too. Knowing we can bring the little things to God in prayer just shows how much God cares about our everyday routine. God answered my little three-second prayer in such a way, how much greater will His response be to something that we pray for all day every day?

Living with Assurance

Luke 22:31-32

Simon, Simon, Satan has asked to sift you as wheat. 
But I have prayed for you, Simon, that your faith may not fail. 
And when you have turned back, strengthen your brothers.

This is the memory verse for my high schoolers this week. I especially like this verse because you can put your own name in place of Simon's, and you'll know that Jesus is praying for you, that he has your back. "Katie, Katie," "Will, Will," and so on. Isn't that such a reassuring thought? Since it is Jesus who is praying for me, for us, his prayer is powerful and will give us the strength to resist Satan. 

Also, he tells us to strengthen our brothers when we come back to his side. There is no condemnation, no reason to feel guilty for having wavered or backsliding. In fact, I think he is encourage us to use our journey to encourage others, who may or may not be on a similar journey. 

We all know what happened after this; Simon Peter denied Jesus on the night he was taken. But, he also became such a powerful apostle, such a faithful follower. What a testimony! I only hope that I can have such a story, that even though I've been going through a bit of a dry spell, that it can somehow, someday, be turned around and serve as an encouragement to others. 

Living With Confidence

Obadiah 1-9

On my multi-year task of reading through the Bible, I finally arrive at Obadiah. Trying to find relevance in the Prophets is not easy for me, without extrabiblical guides, without a Bible study, without knowing the historical context. However, I did try to see how this passage can relate in my life, and surprisingly (or not), it is relevant!

Thus says the Lord GOD concerning Edom.

Edom, the nation descended from Esau, jealous brother of Jacob/Israel.
Edom, representing the world who despises the body of Christ.

The pride of your heart has deceived you, you who live...in your lofty dwelling. Though you soar aloft like the eagle, though your nest is set among the stars, from there I will bring you down, declares the LORD.

Will I not on that day, declares the LORD, destroy the wise men out of Edom, and understanding out of Mount Esau? And your mighty men shall be dismayed, O Teman.

Lately, I've been feeling a bit down about my life's accomplishments. After all this training, after all this dedication, what do I amount to? A handful of students in my private studio. A hard to reach, uninspired youth group. Few, if any, friends on whom I can count on to always be there. Living at home after a brief taste of freedom. Comparing myself to my friends who are pursuing PhDs, MDs, and JDs. Living on their own in NYC, in Hong Kong, making a difference in the world.

But with this passage, I am comforted. My anxieties are put to rest. I don't need to compare myself with others. It doesn't matter how high I go, or how far my reach is. God will, sooner or later, bring down those who don't know him; humble those who take pride in their own accomplishments. If I am "successful," it is by the Grace of God that I have that responsibility. If I am where I am now, it is by the Grace of God that I can continue to work on myself, getting ready for the future, that I am given these lives to affect.

Living in Today

Today, I realized that my spiritual life hasn't been as disciplined as I'd like, or need, it to be. I go through times when I'm fairly regularly in the Word, praying, and so forth, and (many) other times when I'm not. Excuses range from "I'm too tired," "I have no time," to "My Bible is all the way across the room, and I'm too lazy to get up and get it."

Well...enough is enough.

How can I expect to be effective for the Kingdom if I am ill equipped? I have nobody to blame for my dry spell but myself. All these years, I've been complaining about my church, how it is emotionally unhealthy, there is little to no teaching and mentoring, how I'd like to find another church but can't. The truth is, while the church is very important (VERY important), I shouldn't be expecting it to just feed me, to give me all the answers. I can't grow like that. I need to want to find God on my own. I've been a Christian all my life; I shouldn't be satisfied by staying in the church all the time. That's not what the Church is there for.

So here I am. Today, I start to continue my journey. It is my hopes that I will use this space to make note of the lessons learned, and inspirations from the Word, Spirit, and others. Here will I process my thoughts and prayers. I don't claim to have the answers, nor do I have the questions, but I need to start looking.