Pray For Me!

This week my study surrounded prayer and what that means. As I was studying I could not help but realize that sometimes my prayers seem to more robotic than heart felt and genuine.

Do we pray out of habit or purpose?  I would love to say purpose, but what happens when those things you are praying for take FOREVER to come to fruition?  Or worse yet, it is not the answer you seek and is instead the opposite?

I am reminded of Joshua and even with all the faith he had, it had to be placed on the back burner for ~40 years until everyone else caught up to the purpose they were given and he (and Caleb) believed.  In my imagination I see a young man frustrated by the laszia-fair attitude that those around him carried like backpacks full of rocks.  He had times where seeds of doubt crept in but he continued to push those seeds out of his mind. He would refocus in the purpose and vision they were given by God, only to come back to - WE CAN TAKE THEM LET'S GO!

So what does Joshua's story have to do with prayer? Plenty, in my mind anyway. Joshua had to continue to remain committed to the vision & prayer for the children of Israel regardless of what obstacle presented itself. He had to remain committed and hopeful to the outcome of his prayers.  How else could he (and Caleb) have lasted wandering for 40 years for something they did not do?

When the weight of the world bears down on you with no relief in sight, how so you respond?  Do you believe in your prayer(s) or abandon them and set out to fix it yourself?

Heb 11:1 Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen. (ESV)

Blessings,
-d

A Work Filled New Year!

So here we are into a new year, 2014. I'm not sure about you but it is starting to feel like every other year, high expectations at the end of December only to settle back into normality by the end of February. Why is this? I imagine there are many reasons/explanations for this.

So allow me to add yet another one. Throughout the year, life throws us a barrage of punches and loops. We are so eager to move on and forget what we went through that many times we don't take time to reflect on the lessons that presented themselves during those punching sessions. Instead we look for ways to forget and move on...  But do we really move on? Or are we simply tricking our selves into thinking we are moving on only to later ask, "why does this keep happening to me?"

Maybe the answer to that question lies in the fact that we are the common denominator and have not taken the time to put in enough WORK so that we begin to make different choices hence have different outcomes.

So what are your new years resolutions? Are they the same ones as in years past? If so, may I suggest a different way to state the resolution - " This year I will commit to working unil I reach .... when normalcy sets in, I will work harder to break the habits that bind & imprision me to the same cell I have been in for the past _months/years"

My resolution/gift to me this year is to work to see the beauty that surrounds me everyday and not only learn from but look past the negative as I continue to seek to do His will!

Happy New Year All!

Blessings,
-d


Proverbs 14:23 -  In all labor there is profit, But idle chatter leads only to poverty