Sowing the Seeds of Prayer

 

 When my father became disabled and was no longer able to farm his land due to heart disease, he found great comfort in playing hymns on the organ in our home.  He was not a great musician, but this did not matter to any of us.  We knew that he found solace in the words and notes of the hymns.  One of his favorites was “Sweet Hour of Prayer”.  I think he played that one more than any other because for him, prayer is what kept him going day by day.  This should be true not only in our individual lives but also in the church as well.
     Since I grew up on an Ohio farm, I know about planting season and harvest time.  There was a lot of work in preparing the ground and planting the crop.  The rest was in God’s hands.  My father worked hard to keep the weeds down, and the plants fertilized.  His labor is not unlike that of a Christian.  As we labor in prayer, we are planting seeds that will one day come to fruition just as my father’s crop came to harvest time.  The question is will our harvest be plentiful because we sowed many seeds to the Lord or will we reap only a small harvest because we did not spend much time in His presence?  How then, do we begin to sow the seeds of prayer?
     Coming into His presence with reverence, worship and thanksgiving opens our heart before the Lord.  Psalm 50:14-15 says:  “Offer to God a sacrifice of thanksgiving, and perform your vows to the Most High, and call upon me in the day of trouble; I will deliver you, and you shall glorify me.”  We honor God by coming to Him and offering ourselves in an attitude of thanksgiving.  Yes, sometimes it is a sacrifice on our part.  Life is hard, and at times, it is all we can do to find much to thank God for.  Yet, when we come thanking Him, we open our own hearts to His healing touch.  He rejoices more in this sacrifice than anything else we could bring to Him.
     Once the soil of thanksgiving has been tilled, we are ready to plant the seeds of prayer not only for our concerns but also for the needs of others.  I Timothy 2:1-2 reads:  “First of all, then, I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for all people, for kings and all who are in high positions, that we may lead a peaceful and quiet life, godly and dignified in every way.”  Rather than spend our time complaining about things we cannot change, let us go to the only One who has the authority and power to change the things that concern us.  God already knows our thoughts and our hearts, but He waits to hear from our lips the words of our concern.  What a release we experience when we can carry our burdens, our cares and our family before the Lord.  He is able to do what we cannot.  As we pray, we sow these seeds into His soil.  Likewise, these verses tell us to pray for our leaders, our church and our brothers and sisters in the faith.  More is accomplished in prayer than can ever be done through our own efforts.
     Now, at this point, I have to caution that prayer does not mean instant answers any more than when my father sowed seeds in the ground.  It is God’s perfect timing for all things that brings results.  My father could not make those plants grow.  He did what he could but only God could bring the harvest.  The same is true in prayer.  Be patient but persistent in prayer.
The harvest will come if we remain faithful.
     What should we carry to God?  All that troubles our heart as well as all the praise for what He has done.  Once we have spent time communing with Him, we will never be the same.  Corrie Ten Boom once said:  “Don’t pray when you feel like it.  Have an appointment with the Lord and keep it.  A man is powerful on his knees.”  What a privilege we have to carry everything to God in prayer.  The more we sow to His glory the more we will find joy in our daily living.  Do we want to see souls saved?  Then, we need to pray daily for those around us.  Do we want to see God at work in our church and our homes?  Then, we need to bathe all this in prayer.
     My father always had a great harvest each year.  It did not come about by chance but by effort in working his ground and trusting in God.  We must, likewise, labor in prayer sowing the seeds of faith and see what great things God will do for His glory and our growth.  His harvest never fails.  Selah!

Chicken Yard Living

   
       Growing up in farm country (Ohio), I experienced being around a lot of livestock and poultry.  One of my great uncles had a chicken yard.  As a child, I thought it was funny to go in the chicken yard and watch them scratch the ground for food.  When my uncle threw some feed on the ground, the chickens ran to quickly grab their share.  My mother was not too happy with me walking around in the chicken yard because it was smelly and there was a lot a little girl could step in!  In addition, there was a bully rooster who liked to chase me around and try to peck me.  I guess that old rooster knew I didn’t belong in that yard.  It is the same in our daily lives too.  We were not created to live a chicken yard life.

     As Christians, we tend to settle for far less than what our Heavenly Father has provided for us.  After all, we are now children of the King through our relationship with Jesus Christ.  He paid for us and brought us out of slavery to sin.  However, we do not live like it.  Quite often, we travel through life content to just scratch for food.  We allow the “bully” roosters to scare us away from what little there is for us to find.  Somehow, we come to accept a mediocre existence when we could be soaring with the eagles.

     Much of this is our faulty thinking which can only be changed by reading God’s Word.  After all, it is the manual for living.  In the pages of the Bible we read this in Isaiah 40:31:  “Those who wait for the Lord shall change and renew their strength and power; they shall lift their wings and mount up as eagles; they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint or become tired.”

     First, we need to think about what it means to be an eagle.  Here in Florida, we have a good share of hawks, osprey and eagles.  It is marvelous to see them glide on the wind currents high above the ground as they search for food.  Their eyesight is extremely sharp, and they have tremendous strength.  Eagles do not scratch for their food on the ground like chickens but rather, they search for fresh game to feast upon from on high. In addition, few birds are bothersome to an eagle because when he is attacked he just rises higher and higher where the smaller creature cannot fly.  What an analogy Isaiah has created for us by using the term eagle in the verse above!

     Secondly, we must consider the word “wait” which the prophet tells us to do.  What does it mean to wait on the Lord?  I personally believe it means to pray, meditate on the Word and study it.  Instead of just scratching around for answers to life’s problems like the chickens, we need to wait for the air current like the eagle.  Then, we can mount up with God’s power and soar high above the difficulties we face.  Interestingly enough, the Hebrew word “Ruwach” refers to wind or the Holy Spirit.  When we are empowered by the Holy Spirit rather than self, we can mount up like eagles and soar on the breath of God.

     Unfortunately, many of us waste our time scratching on the ground of life.  We become content just picking up crumbs.  Don’t get me wrong here.  God is NOT our meal ticket to riches and fame.  He does not wait upon us.  We are to wait upon Him.  When we do, He will be the “wind beneath our wings.”  He will satisfy our souls more than anything we can accomplish in this life.

     What often happens to us is that we get stuck in “chicken thinking”.
The world and our sin nature have so thoroughly permeated every ounce of our being that we look for quick fixes.  We tell ourselves that we will find fulfillment when we reach a certain business level, get married, have children or a new house.  Yet, those things will NEVER fill up the empty spot in our hearts.  No, we were meant for even greater things.  Our life is not a series of goals to be achieved.  Each one of us was meant to glorify God and enjoy Him forever.  If we are busy scratching for the world’s approval, we are missing the heights for which we were created.  The world offers cheap imitations of love and acceptance, but God offers us the real thing!

     I don’t know about you but I am done being chased around by bully roosters and scratching in the chicken yard.  I want to soar with the eagles and find strength in God.  To do that, we need to immerse ourselves in His Word and prayer daily.  We cannot experience all we are meant to be by living in the chicken yard.  Our calling in Christ is for a higher purpose.  Today, look into the Word and allow God to be the wind beneath your wings.  Selah!

     Father, we desire to wait upon You that we may find our satisfaction and fulfillment in You alone.  This world has nothing to offer us compared with Your eternal riches in glory.  Teach us to think differently and to fly higher by the power of Your Holy Spirit.  In Jesus’ name, Amen.


The picture is courtesy of Jorg Hempel at Wiki Commons.

Standing Firm Against the Enemy

     When I hung my bird feeder over a year ago, it was placed in a small oak tree near our home.  My intent was to attract the beautiful Florida birds that live in and around Serenity Acres.  I delight in watching the Indigo Bunting and his mate, the Blue Jays, Cardinals, Red Winged Black Birds and other varieties that come for a visit.  Lately, however, the many squirrels that also inhabit our acreage have invaded my lovely feeding station.
     In an effort to drive them away and keep them from depleting my birdseed, my husband hung one of my flowerpots upside down over the top of the feeder to serve as a baffle for the squirrels.  They just use it as a stepping-stone to get to the feeder.  Then, I tried purchasing a holder and ears of dried corn to hang from a nearby tree to attract them to this area and away from my bird feeder.  Once again, they would eat some of the corn and then return to the scene of the crime.
     On my day off from work, I find myself going outside at least a million times during the day to scare them off my bird feeder.  Sometimes I stand at the door and hiss like a snake, and my husband merely chuckles at me.  He says I remind him of "Wiley Coyote" and the "Road Runner".  I try and try to get the squirrels to back off and nothing seems to work.  As we all know, poor "Wiley Coyote" has no luck either in catching up with the "Road Runner".  At least, I am making a good effort to stand against those sneaky squirrels, and in some respects this is not unlike what we are called to do as believers.

     Scripture teaches us to stand against the enemy of our souls.  In his letter to the Ephesians, the Apostle Paul writes:  "Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of His might.  Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil.  For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.  Therefore, take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm" (Ephesians 6:10-13).
     In this passage, Paul tells us to be strong in the Lord.  There is no expectation by the Apostle that we can be strong on our own accord.  We all know how easy it is to give in to temptation and our efforts alone are not enough to ward off the attack of the enemy.  We need God's power, wisdom and insight if we are to stand our ground.  Additionally, Paul tells us to put on the whole armor of God.  There are two things we can learn from this admonition.  First, God has provided for us a means of protection.  Secondly, when we employ this spiritual armor, we are able to stand against the schemes of the devil.  This should be a comfort to us because life is filled with difficulties, pit falls, and temptations.  Furthermore, we are not battling people as we sometimes think we are.  Yes, we all meet those hard to get along with individuals, but the real battle comes from the spiritual powers of evil behind the darkness of this present age.  In fact, Paul tells us in Ephesians 5:8-9:  "...for at one time you were darkness, but now you are light in the Lord.  Walk as children of light (for the fruit of light is found in all that is good and right and true)...."  This is our purpose in standing to act as a contrast to the darkness that rules hearts and minds of unbelievers in this world system.
     Paul goes on in Ephesians 6 to describe the armor and weapons that God has supplied for us.  Of course, they are all important.  The helmet of salvation protects our mind.  This is the entry point where temptation can come knocking on our door.  The breastplate of righteousness protects the heart.  This is the seat of our will and emotions.  Taking a dart from the enemy in this area can leave us wounded, which is why it is critical to keep this piece of protection in place.  Next comes the belt of truth for without truth we cannot combat the lies of the enemy.  Paul then goes on to tell us that we must put on shoes that protect our feet as they did the Roman soldiers.  They give us stability and protection in battle and are founded upon the peace of the Gospel that readies us for war.  Then, he tells us to take up the shield of faith that puts out the flaming darts of the enemy.  We know that we will be assaulted, challenged, attacked.  To be without this important defensive device is to leave us exposed.  Finally, the most critical offensive device is the Sword of the Spirit that is the Word of God.  We know that Jesus defeated the enemy in the wilderness by wielding the Word of God as a weapon against Satan.  What did Satan do?  He left Him.  If we carefully handle God's Word, we will also defeat the powers of darkness that wage war against our souls.
     Three times in the book of Ephesians chapter 6, Paul repeats the admonition for us to stand firm.  We can do this only if we are prepared, prayed up, and ready to handle God's Word with care and accuracy.  Unlike "Wiley Coyote", we are victorious in our efforts to combat the enemy of our souls, but only through the power of God's strength and might.
     Thus far, my efforts to fight off the squirrels with baffles, extra feeding stations, and my attempts at scaring them, haven't worked completely, but this doesn't mean I am giving up.  I will continue to plot my strategy to outwit them.  In the same way, we need to continue to stand firm in our faith and not give in to the enemy who wants to demoralize, depress and discourage us.  We are more than conquerors in Christ and this is what we must remember.  "Greater is He that is in you than he that is in the world" (1 John 4:4) needs to be our motto in this battle.  Daily, lets remember to put on our armor trusting in God to give us strength, feeding our minds in His Word so we can refute the lies of the enemy and praying that we might have God's battle plan.  This is how we will be able to stand firm as vessels of light in this dark world.  Until He comes again, may we be found faithful.  Selah!