by Sue Forde | Dec 30, 2023 | General, Lord Hear Our Prayer, Patriotism, prayer
Do you believe that our nation is in deep trouble? Deep in debt, run by bureaucrats, a government not following our Constitution, immorality, possibility of war, and so many other problems face us today! As I’ve spoken to people, I keep hearing a sense of hopelessness – the inability to do anything to make a difference and change the direction toward the Godly nation we once were. Well, I bring you great news!! There IS hope – and there IS something each of us can do to bring about the needed change!
It goes back to what our Founding Fathers – and before that, to the pilgrims – and what they did. They appealed to Heaven! To God, upon Whose principles our nation was originally founded. It worked then – and it will work now! God’s plan for our nation was to be a light to the world; and this has proven to be true through the years with the number of missionaries we have sent out worldwide to bring His good news to the entire earth.
Our enemies have infiltrated every aspect of our beloved land. It’s time to take it back from them. And, as George Washington and other founding fathers understood, we need to Appeal to Heaven for God’s intervention, as we ourselves cannot do the job.
An “Appeal to Heaven” is a phrase our founding fathers brought about from the writings of John Locke, the English philosopher who wrote a series of papers on “Natural Laws”, stating that human rights originate with God, not government. He made the case that when people have done everything humanly possible to experience those God-given rights and have failed to do so, there remains but one option:
“And where the boy of the people or any single man, is deprived of their right, or is under the exercise of a power without right, and have no appeal on earth, then they have a liberty to appeal to heaven…” (1)
Our founding fathers took this phrase and ran with it, understanding that in the quest for America’s freedom from Britain’s tyranny, they would have to go to war, while knowing that Britain’s great military, weapons and wealth would be overpowering to the colony’s lack of resources. They needed God’s all-powerful intervention and help. So they took the stance that, the right to freedom came from God; He would help them. “We will appeal to heaven,” they declared.
Our nation was originally dedicated to God by the Pilgrims. One of the early leaders, John Winthrop of the puritan’s Massachusetts Bay Colony, used the verse “a city [nation] set on a hill that can’t be hidden…a light to the world” from Matthew 5:14, in a statement about what he believed God wanted to build in America. They believed that America had a God-given destiny, as did our founding fathers, and subsequent leaders of our nation.
President John F. Kennedy referenced Matthew 5:14 in a famous speech, as did President Ronald Reagan and other U.S. presidents. (2) George Washington commissioned several ships highlighting their dependence on providential help. Each vessel flew an “Appeal to Heaven” banner (also known as the Pine Tree Flag).
That same flag became very popular, flying throughout the colonies, and was adopted as the Massachusetts state navy’s official flag. It was (and still is) the symbol of an unwavering spirit of liberty and a statement as to where their faith was placed – not in themselves, but in God.
The Pine Tree flag came about as the official symbol as a result of what happened with the Iroquois tribes. One of their great leaders united five native tribes (later adding a sixth), and established a confederacy among them, with a Constitution. According to their Constitution,(3) their covenant began with the planting of the “Tree of Peace”, where they buried their weapons in a symbolic act beneath a great evergreen tree. The Iroquois nation was influential to our founding fathers – with Benjamin Franklin an advocate in promoting what they did as an example for the colonies. He said in a letter:
“It would be a strange thing if [these] six nations….should be capable of forming a scheme for such an union and be able to execute it in such a manner as that it has subsisted ages and appears indissoluble; and yet that a like union should be impracticable for ten or a dozen English colonies, to whom it is more necessary and must be more advantageous, and who cannot be supposed to want an equal understanding of their interests.” (4)
The symbolism surrounding the evergreen is that of eternal fidelity. In Genesis 21:33, Abraham planted one as a symbolic everlasting covenant.
Over the years, the symbolism and use of the Pine Tree Flag has been lost in the public eye. Our nation has lost its way, and at this point in history, I believe only God can bring us back. How will that happen?
As in the beginning days of our nation, we are in dire straits. It seems we are a ship without a rudder: our leaders, for the most part, don’t use common sense in the laws they pass; the court system seems to be broken and doesn’t follow the Constitution; our society has been immoral on so many fronts. Having been actively involved in the political realm for almost 30 years and trying to make a difference, I have watched as the situation has grown steadily worse. In my opinion, we have no recourse but to Appeal to Heaven.
Here is what we must do:
“If My people who are called by My name will humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land.”-??II Chronicles? ?7?:?14? ?NKJV??
I know that thousands of believers are praying for spiritual revival. Continue on. If you aren’t already praying for this, start now. God listens to – and answers – prayer. Join in with our forebearers, and pray, declaring God’s favor and blessing over America. By faith, call our nation back to the path of our founders, to fulfill its destiny. People in every generation – from the time of the pilgrims – has stood and acknowledged God, and in His mercy, love and forgiveness, He has responded. It is our turn.
The Appeal to Heaven banner is a symbol – wear it, fly it, consider it as our battle cry to the heavenlies for spiritual revival across our land. As Pastor Dutch Sheets so eloquently puts it: “Appeal to heaven daily for a spiritual revolution that will knock out the Goliaths of our day.” (5)
God will answer.
_____
- John Locke, “The Second Treatise of Civil Government. Chapter XIV, of Prerogative, Section 168.” 1690.
- John F. Kennedy, “The City Upon A Hill” speech given at Mass. General Court, 1/9/1961; Ronald Reagan, “We will Be a City Upon a Hill” speech, First Conservative Political Action Conference, 1/25/1974; also quoted by Presidents John Adams, Alexander Hamilton, George Washington, James Madison, Abraham Lincoln, Ulysses S. Grant, Woodrow Wilson, Calvin Coolidge, Franklin D. Roosevelt and Bill Clinton.
- Www.iroquiosdemocracy.pdx.edu/hteml/greatlaw.html – Sections 1 and 65.
- Benjamin Franklin’s letter to James Parker on the Iroquois League. 1751.
- Dutch Sheets, An Appeal to Heaven, page 66.
by Shauna Millar | Jun 28, 2023 | encouragement, General, hope
One moment can change our entire lives. It can change the direction we were heading in and put us on a fresh path. It can turn our lives upside down. Sometimes those moments are significant – such as accepting Christ into our lives. Sometimes those moments are horrifying ones, like the death of a loved one. Or beautiful, like the birth of a child. However, what all these moments have in common are the “after” effects. What comes after a life-changing moment? The breath of “what’s next” or “now what?” The path we find ourselves on also comes with decisions that we will have to make.
How do I choose to raise my child? How can I move forward after losing someone I love? How will I become a person worthy of Christ dying on the cross for me? What can I do to make the world a better place in the next moment? We live moment to moment, decision to decision, breath to breath. What we make of our world is based on our choices. They are a gift freely given. Yet, everything comes with a cross. Jesus paid a price for our sins. There is always a “price” for everything that is “free”. Even though Christ chose to die for us [Titus 2:14], to give us a clean slate, He paid the price. His life was the cost for our sins to be washed away. His life was what it took for us to have a “clean slate” in God’s eyes. Jesus had a choice.
We want to be worthy. We want to do our best. We want to follow the path that is set before us. It is HARD. We will not always make the right decisions; we will fail, and make mistakes, and yet still we can move forward. We can learn from our mistakes. Doing better than we did before. Every time you fail doesn’t mean you should give up. It simply means there was a lesson to be learned so we don’t fall into the same pattern of behavior again. Yet, we are also our deepest critics. We judge ourselves harshly, beat ourselves over the head, throw down, and pound the ground. We want to use it as an excuse to give up, not move forward, as the reason “nothing good ever happens” and “why it can’t be done”.
It does not mean our mistakes and failures happen for this purpose. They are there to allow us to see what we did wrong and how we can improve. God gave us the gift of forgiveness. He gave us the gift of making us “whiter than snow” [Isaiah 1:18] not so we can roll around in the dirt, but so we can move forward with boldness. We can choose to cling to the past or we can step forward in faith and strength. The decision is ours. Though, it is often easier to wallow in misery than to lift our heads and move forward.
Why isn’t our faith enough? For some reason, there is a mistaken belief that once you accept Christ into your life, everything will be easier. It is not easy to choose to follow Christ. The path is narrow for a reason. Human nature dictates that we take a wide path. The one that’s trampled and paved for what seems like an easier, smoother journey. The question is, who paved that path? Why is it easier? We can look throughout history to see the persecution of Christians. No one likes to be persecuted. No one wants to deal with hardships and difficulties. You would think after 2,000 years that Christians would have it easier. Yet, throughout the world, we continue to see Christians being oppressed or blamed for the ills of the world. For standing up for the truth against the masses.
In today’s society, it is even less popular to be a Christian. Or to be any person who has a moral compass, especially in the U.S., where the world has been turning into everything the Bible warns about. No one aspires to be harassed, attacked, or “canceled out” based on their belief system. Yet, the world says it is okay to do that to followers of Christ, but not to those who would prey on our children. The world says it is better to make children a victim than to allow Christians to stand firm in their faith. Most religions in the world don’t face the same type of persecution that Jews and Christians do. Why? Perhaps this is something to think about.
We cannot afford to not stand firm. We need to speak the truth and pray for people to receive what is being said. Just because you speak out against sex in schools or force children to attend pride celebrations in schools doesn’t mean that you are incorrect. Remember, some of us will prepare the ground, while others will plant, water, and still others will harvest. God called us to be a light set upon a hill. He called us to follow His word and His will. He called us to meditate on the Word day and night [Joshua 1:8] so that we may show ourselves approved [2 Timothy 2:15]. He has told us to hide the word in our hearts. [Psalms 119:11]
One moment, standing in front of the school board and speaking the truth, could be the thing that changes the direction. Remember, it started with one woman who took prayer out of school. One woman started the abortion movement and got Roe v Wade instilled. Last year, (2022) in a historical moment the Supreme Court gave the power back to the states.
Things can and will change. We must do our parts. We need to remember that every moment matters and what we do with each one of them. You may be the one person who starts the next movement of positive change.
by Shauna Millar | Jun 8, 2023 | encouragement, General, strength
There are a lot of pressures in our world right now. None is more clear than the willingness of Christians to stand up and be counted. There has been a lot of silence with what has been happening. The pressure facing Christians is more and more prominent in public education and, in particular, our children. With CRT (Critical Race Theory or whatever name it currently goes by) and explicit sex education beginning in Kindergarten, we need to make sure we are not only praying but getting involved.
Matthew 18:5-7 states:
“But whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in Me to sin, it would be better for him if a millstone were hung around his neck, and he were drowned in the depth of the sea. 7 Woe to the world because of offenses! For offenses must come, but woe to that man by whom the offense comes!
Recently, in our town, there was a reading and showing of one of the more explicit books at our local library. People showed up to pray for those children. Sadly, parents brought their children to learn and listen to what was being taught. Five- and Six-year-olds have no business learning about sex. They should be out playing and being children instead of being groomed. We should protect their innocence. Letting them learn to play. Directing them along a path that will allow them to not become involved in what the current world agenda offers. When a baby is born, for a parent to automatically dismiss its gender based on pressure from the world is wrong. Telling a child that they are a different gender is wrong. Yet, we are seeing these types of things more and more.
It is an agenda that continues to grow and transform into new and more evil forms of “reality”. There are those who say that we all have our “truths”. No, there is one truth. The rest is how we lie to ourselves to make it okay to accept what is going on. The Bible tells us everything we need to know; how to handle what is going on. What we should do, say, and how we act or react to situations. There is nothing new under the sun.
Ecclesiastes 1:9
That which has been is what will be,
That which is done is what will be done,
And there is nothing new under the sun.
We know that throughout history, children have been taken advantage of and exploited. While a few years ago there were the “rights of the child”, we no longer see anything like that. Once again, an agenda is being imposed on our children. It’s an agenda that starts early and continues as they get older. The rise of transgenderism in our youth has become prevalent. It has reached a critical point, where they are being given chemical castration drugs and unnecessary surgeries in their formative years. How many individuals have had this type of surgery and have now, in their early 20s, admitted it was a mistake? Children, no matter their age, need to be allowed to explore who they are and what they want without a permanent solution being forced on them as if it was their idea.
While I was very much a “tomboy” growing up. I have an older brother who I looked up to and wanted to be like. I wanted the things he had because I adored him so much. However, later in life, while I still enjoyed some of those things, I discovered who I was independent of him. I became my own person, wearing dresses and heels, and discovering my own unique beauty. Those of us who are older have had that opportunity, yet we say that this new generation doesn’t get to do that. They must make a life-altering decision without discovery.
The children are our future. Without them, there is no future. The freedoms we have known and enjoyed, this next generation may never know, if we don’t shine the light on truth and share it with them. They are being told which direction to go and how to get there. Without the influence of Christians in their lives, to be a light for Christ, what type of future will they really have? What does this mean? We need to be involved at every level. Not just as parents, but as grandparents, aunts, uncles, friends, teachers, and more. We need to step up and offer a different solution. We need to not judge, for judgment belongs to the Lord, but we need to offer a helping hand and be there.
We are all sinners saved by God’s grace. We need to remember that, and be an example of what Christ can do when we let Him. There has been a spotlight that is shining on revival in our lands. We need that revival now, more than ever before. We need to remember the truth. We need to get in – and stay in – the word of God. We need to pray and remain firmly rooted in Him. This is the only way we can reach out honestly, with strength, encouragement, and love. The battle is the Lord’s. We are His army and we need to trust in Him. Pray for God to show you the direction that He wants you to go. Pray that He will give you strength and not let fear of being “canceled” out stop you from stepping out. Move forward in His word and in His will.
Isaiah 6:8
And I heard the voice of the Lord saying, “Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?” Then I said, “Here I am! Send me.”
Be willing to say, “Here am I Lord, use me” – and mean it.
by Shauna Millar | Apr 17, 2021 | encouragement, faith, General
Where do we find faith? Is it in the smell of the freshly cut grass? The feel of the coolness of the breeze as it passes over us? The sound of lawn mower? The person reading a book?
The leaves dancing in the wind? The brilliant green of the grass or the dazzling blue of the sky? When we look around us, what is it we see with not just our eyes, but our hearts, our hopes, our minds?
There are little signs of faith everywhere. We have faith that all these things will be here tomorrow. Yet, tomorrow isn’t promised to us. No, tomorrow is a concept we hold onto. It is something we choose to believe in even though we can’t see it.
We control this moment in time. Only this one. We can plan for the next and the one after that, but we have no real guarantee that it will be there for us. That is faith.
However, spiritual faith is more than all these things. Faith is not holding the hope that these things will be there tomorrow, but if tomorrow isn’t here, we will be with the Creator of these things.
God is a brilliant artist. He loves us and gave us a beautiful world filled with wonderful things. Yet, there are also awful things in the world. Too many attribute these to God as well.
He gave us a free will on how we will live our lives. He gives us the opportunity to surround ourselves with positives. Even in the midst of the negatives. We are a light set upon a hill. How brightly do you let your light shine? With all the things that are happening in the world around us, it is easy to lose sight of what is important.
It is easy to allow ourselves to forget the promises of God. It is easy to forget we are just travelers here. It is easy to forget that this is not our home, it is just the place we are passing through, allowing our light to shine and point others to the joy that is in a relationship with Christ.
Faith is the glue that holds us together when we are struggling; when we don’t understand what is happening in the world around us or even our own world. When my husband died, that pain in my heart was beyond allowing me to feel as if I could breath. It was my faith that carried me through.
Faith has carried me through all the difficult times in my life. My strong conviction that God truly is in control. It is not an easy path. It would be much simpler to just blame God for all my sorrows and troubles. It would seem easier to just curl up and let the world pass me by.
Easy isn’t in our vocabulary. The path we follow can be extremely difficult. History has shown us time and time again what type of persecution we can expect. People who don’t understand our relationship or who want to proclaim themselves god – above others. They are being lied to by the enemy, who is out to steal, kill and destroy.
Satan has been doing his job extremely well. Just look around at the world today and you can see it in almost every area of life. What kind of job are we doing? What kind of job am I doing? We are each responsible for not only our actions but our reactions in our lives. The way we deal with people, situations, troubles, burdens, etc.
I admit I don’t always handle situations in a manner that reflects well on my belief. Sometimes I just struggle with what is going on in my own little world, so much so that I lose focus. Happily, God remains on my side. He is faithful and just to forgive. I need forgiveness quite a bit.
None of us are perfect. We consistently fall short. We judge ourselves harshly and sometimes we judge others even more harshly. We need to find the balance in our lives. The Bible tells us to ‘judge not lest we be judged’ and ‘he who is without sin cast the first stone’. These are just gentle reminders that we are all sinners and fall short.
We live in a toxic environment; separated by politics, race, religion, and more. How do we change this pattern? We need to seek God’s wisdom. We need to not fall victim to the ideals of the world and find the seed of truth that God wants us to grow.
There is a truth that is buried in all our hearts – the value of a relationship with Christ. The connection that if we can make it, simply by asking Him into our lives and hearts, we will be able to learn to rise above differences and realize that we are equal in Him. That what the world says separates us, isn’t a truth. We aren’t separated by the color of our skin, we are only taught and told that, we choose what we believe.
We need to not allow ourselves to continue to be influenced by the world around us. We need instead, to influence the people in the world around us. Be that beacon of truth. Be strong in our faith and in who we are. Know who we are in Christ and believe in that relationship.
Faith is what helps to keep us on the right path, but faith without works is dead. We can’t just say we have faith, we need to act on it.
Will you do that today? After all, today may be all you have.
by Shauna Millar | Apr 2, 2021 | faith, General
We know that these three things remain, faith, hope and love. 1 Corinthians 13:13
We have touched on hope and love, now we will explore faith. Faith means ·being sure [the assurance; or the tangible reality; or the sure foundation] of the things we hope for and ·knowing that something is real even if we do not see it [the conviction/assurance/evidence about things not seen]. (Heb 11:1) We already know that faith and hope go hand in hand. At times it may even seem that the words are interchangeable.
Faith defined is: complete trust or confidence in someone or something. A strongly held belief or theory.
Hope is defined as: a feeling of expectation and desire for a certain thing to happen. A feeling of trust.
Finally the definition of trust is: a firm belief in the reliability, truth, ability, or strength of someone or something.
Do we “earn” trust?
Perhaps you have heard the saying, “trust is earned not given.” Is this true? It is a constant underlined belief in our society. You may even have heard the addition – “trust is earned, respect is given”.
God placed His trust in us that we would return to Him by allowing His only son to be sacrificed on the cross for our benefit. What was the reason? He wanted us back. We didn’t have to prove ourselves worthy of His trust. We didn’t have to earn His trust. If we had, then we might still be waiting for His ultimate sacrifice to be made on our behalf.
God has proven His trust in us through repeated action. We need to learn to follow His example. Sure, trust can be broken. When we place our faith in someone and there is no follow through – we lose trust. We prove ourselves by doing what we say. Trust can be broken in so many ways. So often in today’s society we say one thing and do another, it is no wonder that people aren’t willing to “freely give their trust”.
We can look at earlier generations to realize that people were more trusting. Honesty and integrity were a vital part of life. Respect of others and the world around them wasn’t taken for granted. It was something people just did. It was expected. Distrust was the exception, not the rule. (It happened, even in the Bible we have the example of Judas.)
Today these beliefs are in short supply. The idea that people aren’t willing to put faith and trust in God is almost understandable; especially when they don’t have a personal relationship with Him. Can you blame them? The examples we see around us are disheartening at their best. Even believers are stumbling to keep their eyes toward heaven. The world is giving us a beating and it just seems to keep coming at us.
It is not God who fails – it’s man
When we look at family and what it should be compared to what it has become, we find that the values are no longer the same. Divorce, single parent homes, children being left to their own devices; all in the name of ‘freedom’. What children are being taught is not just a lack of discipline but that they don’t have value. If they did, why would we leave them alone to their own devices?
Compare yesterday’s generations to today’s. The generations that learned what it meant by “spare the rod, spoil the child”. Look at the 8th grade tests from the late 1800’s/early 1900’s; things we would have no clue how to solve today. More was expected of children and they ROSE up to meet those expectations.
Sure, not all children require the same type of discipline. We are, after all, unique individuals. Some are more sensitive than others. Some people will argue against the “rod” method that the Bible talks about. Let me be clear here. The Bible doesn’t tell us to abuse our children. It doesn’t tell us to beat them. It tells us to discipline them. Raise them up in the way they should go and they shall not depart from it. (Pro 22:6)
As I mentioned, some children only require a look of disappointment to respond. This is why it is important we KNOW our children. We need to understand them as individuals in order to best guide them.
What does this have to do with Faith?
Simple. Children have faith. It isn’t something they are taught. it is something inherent in them. They don’t lose their faith until they have been influenced by others. It is what they are taught that changes their perspective. This is why the innocence of a child is so important. Why children need to be allowed to be children. We are given the opportunity to see the world through their eyes. A reminder of what has changed in us. Learning from them while we teach them to become their own person.
Children believe that their parents have their best interest at heart. They don’t question it. It isn’t something they examine under a microscope. It just is. When that belief is challenged; whether it is abuse, neglect, or giving the job to someone else – they lose their faith, not only in their parents, but the world around them. They become distrustful of the world.
We can learn to have a child’s faith with God, our Father. The difference is, that unlike those around us, God will never let us down. He will never do anything to break our trust. He will only continue to give us reasons to have faith and believe.
Hebrews 11:6 And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.
Faith is something that shouldn’t be a challenge for us, but it can be. The older we get, the more the world has smacked us around, the more those around us have influenced us to distrust. Yet, the more our faith is challenged, the more it gives us opportunities. We will either rise to the occasion and grow closer to the Lord. Or we will fall under the pressure of the world and move away from Him. Just remember that no matter which direction we move, God is always moving TOWARD us.
Joshua 1:9 – Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.
God is with US no matter what
We can choose to embrace our faith and to have faith or we can choose to ignore it. It is why we were given free will. We can choose to allow the world around us to drag us down or we can fight for it. We can pray. We can share our lives and hearts with others. We can be an influencer. We can show others the strength of our faith. We can be a beacon of what happens when we trust. We can share our hope.
God will direct our path.
Romans 5:1-5 Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. Through him we have also obtained access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice in hope of the glory of God. More than that, we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.
by Shauna Millar | Mar 5, 2021 | General, prayer
Let us look at the basics of prayer.
The dictionary defines prayer like this; “a solemn request for help or expression of thanks addressed to God or an object of worship.”
In the Hebrew Bible the word is defined as an evolving means of interacting with God, most frequently through a spontaneous, individual, unorganized form of petitioning and/or thanking.
Prayer is the communication we share with God, our Father.
Imagine, if you will, walking into your Father’s sanctuary. Whether that is a study, an office, the garage, or even the backyard. If you did not grow up with a father, then think about what you would have wanted that place to be.
Now, imagine needing something from him. You walk to the entrance, and you peer in. You stand there waiting for a few indecisive moments until you realize he is watching you, waiting.
You gather yourself together, blow out a big breath of air and you walk in. Then, instead of getting right to the point, you ask him how things are going. You ask him about what he is working on. You thank him for taking his time out to see you. You thank him for the last gift he gave you.
You compliment him on how good the place looks. You compliment his tools or his jacket or whatever else you can think of. Finally, as you realize he is still patiently waiting for you to get to the point, you ask him for what you really want.
You might even go so far as to explain to him why you NEED it. How it will improve your life, or it will improve the way you do things. How you will be able to help others. Then you wait.
Waiting for his answer is the most difficult part.
You know he may say yes. However, you also know he may say no. Or- heaven forbid the most painful of all – he may tell you wait. In the meantime, he will expect you to continue to figure out if what you are asking for is really what you want or need. He may be waiting for you to show how this will actually improve your life.
What about God, our Father?
Psalms 100:4
4 Enter into his gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise: be thankful unto him, and bless his name.
Why then do we treat our conversations with God any differently? When we pray, when we seek God’s will in our lives, we are coming to Him in a conversation.
The basic outline of our prayer should be something like what the Psalmist tells us; We enter into prayer with thanks. We thank Him for all the things He has done and provided in our lives. We are acknowledging that He has done things for us.
We then move on to praise. We praise God for the many things He constantly gives us even when we are undeserving. Even when we don’t think that we are worthy, God provides for us.
Then we make our request. We ask Him for the things we are seeking. We ask Him for guidance. We ask Him to give us direction. We ask for whatever we want. There is no wrong answer in what we are asking.
Then we wait.
We wait for His response. Just like an earthly parent, God will give us a “yes”, “no” or “wait”. Unfortunately, sometimes it isn’t the answer we want. We refuse to take no for the answer, and we don’t want to wait. We decide that we should just rush in and do it without His guidance and direction. Then when we fail, we blame God. This way we don’t have to blame ourselves. We don’t have to hold ourselves accountable.
There is a lot to prayer – it can be complex. Or it can be simple.
“Now I lay me down to sleep, I pray the Lord my soul to keep. If I die before I wake, I pray the Lord my soul to take.”
One of the first prayers we learn as a child is this simple rhyme. We don’t understand the words. We learn to kneel next to our bed, put our hands together, bow our head, and say the words. Then we jump into bed and are tucked in.
With a child’s innocent trust, we have asked God to keep His angels watching over us and taking care of us. We have asked Him to protect our soul from harm.
The next prayer we learn is The Lord’s Prayer. (Matthew 6:9-13 and Luke 11:2-4)
9 After this manner therefore pray ye: Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name.
10 Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven.
11 Give us this day our daily bread.
12 And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.
13 And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen.
One of the most well-known prayers that even non-believers have an acquaintance with. We have heard it enough times to be able to repeat it.
This prayer follows a simple pattern of acknowledging who God is, asking for His will in our lives and His protection, asking for His forgiveness as we forgive others and finally asking that He will continue to guide us away from temptation and evil.
The importance of God’s guidance
We learn early to ask for God’s protection and for His Guidance. We learn to ask, but do we really want it? Are we really requesting it or are we just saying the words that we have been taught?
Prayer is an intimate conversation with our Creator. It can be one that we have learned, or it can be spontaneous. The way we pray, how we ask, what we say is between us and God.
- It can be trying to strike a bargain, like Abraham did for Sodom. “If there are 50 good men….”
- It can be a petition for God to reveal something or someone to us, like when Eliezer prayed to be shown Isaac’s wife. God revealed to him Rebecca.
- It can be made out of fear, like Jacob did when he was reunited with Esau.
- Or spontaneously like Moses did when he asks God to be merciful to the people after they created the Golden Calf.
- When Hannah prayed for a child, the bible explains that the prayer was in her heart, her lips were moving without sound.
The bible shows us that there are many reasons we pray. There are many types of prayers and ways to pray. The other thing that the bible reveals, is that even though we know these men prayed, we do not know the words they used in their prayer to God. We know what the prayers were about and the results that came from them.
What does this mean for us?
Prayer is our communication with God. It is our way to be in a conversation with Him where we seek, ask and find. God knows our hearts. He knows where we are coming from. It is not important to be eloquent with our words. We don’t need to spread our arms wide and call attention to ourselves. In fact, that is the exact opposite of what we need to do.
We don’t need man’s attention; we want God’s attention. We want to be humble. We want to acknowledge. We can even bring to Him the times before where He has done for others what we want for ourselves. (Not that God needs the reminders; often we need to remind ourselves what He has done.)
When we pray, we need to learn to accept that along with the “yes” comes the “no” and the “wait”. We need to learn to be patient. We need to realize that God sees more than we do. He can see a lot farther down the road than we can. He has our best interest at heart, we should allow ourselves to accept that.
No matter the situation or circumstance, at any time night or day, you can come to God in prayer. He is always there waiting patiently for us. Waiting for us to have a conversation with Him. He wants us to. He wants us to make Him a part of our life. In all things.
Take a moment to pray from your heart. Wherever you are in life right now, there is something to bring to God. It can be thanks. It can be praise. It can be asking for His guidance. It can be asking for His protection. It may be a prayer for your family. It can be anything. I encourage you to learn to take the time to pray. I want to remind you there is no wrong way to pray.
Prayer can be simple. Or it can be complex. Mostly prayer reflects who we are. Don’t find reasons not to pray, instead find reasons to.
