Prayer

Richard J. Foster wrote a book on prayer, and in it he gives the OK to using my imagination to pray. It was good to hear that. I didn’t need to have permission, I had learned in my life to do what ever it takes to break through the muss and tangled mess in my mind to pray. To reach beyond my limitations to gain access to him. To draw near to God.

I have certain images in my mind that depict various thoughts conveyed to me by God. That’s a pretty bold statement, isn’t it? To think that a thought or image is from God himself, I mean.

1 Thessalonians 5:?? comes to mind. To test everything, hold on to the good, and run from evil. Is that what it says?

Final Instructions and Benediction
12 We ask you, brothers, to respect those who labor among you and are over you in the Lord and admonish you, 13 and to esteem them very highly in love because of their work. Be at peace among yourselves. 14 And we urge you, brothers, admonish the idle,[c] encourage the fainthearted, help the weak, be patient with them all. 15 See that no one repays anyone evil for evil, but always seek to do good to one another and to everyone. 16 Rejoice always, 17 pray without ceasing, 18 give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. 19 Do not quench the Spirit. 20 Do not despise prophecies, 21 but test everything; hold fast what is good. 22 Abstain from every form of evil.

I Thessalonians 5:12-21

In a darkened confessional a man confesses to his priest that he watches Reels.

In one of my favourite Reels a young man shows you a Tik Tok video, then asks, “Does that really work?” and he tries what has been demo’d in the video, and it passes or fails based on his experience, live on camera. Its the same idea as myth busters, only small scale.

Squirrel… I noticed that in Daring To Draw Near, John White uses allusions to literature without mapping it out for the reader. One would have to notice the wisdom, or strangeness of a statement like “out out damn spot” to isolate it, and search for the origin of it. The origin is from Shakespeare’s Macbeth, and the words are spoken by Lady MacBeth.

Out, damned spot, out, I say. — One, two — why,

then, ’tis time to do’t. — Hell is murky. — Fie, my

lord, fie, a soldier, and afeard! What need we

fear who knows it, when none can call our power to

account? Yet who would have thought the old man

to have had so much blood in him?

Lady Macbeth, Macbeth Act 5, scene 1, lines 30–34

As you can see I am driven to talk down to my reader, I guess, not believing for a second that they’ve read anything. But, on second look at myself, without being so harsh on myself I mean, I am speaking to a young person, and by pointing to the origin of a quote that has come into play I am doing a couple of things. First and foremost I am making sure that I don’t get the credit for the quoted bit of wisdom, and secondly I am pointing that person to a whole body of work from which they can gather their own knowledge, and thirdly I am enticing my reader and/or listener, to read! Earl F. Palmer does this in his preaching, and I have gained so much by jotting down a book title from which he’s quoted, and reading such books as “One Day In The Life of Ivan Denisovich” and “Les Miserables“. I do the same with movies, sort of. If I enjoy a movie, for example, by Denzel Washington, I will look for other movies by him available on my favourite streaming media platform.

In a recent email to a new friend I wrote:

Nice to hear from you. I’m doing well. My latest book is “Daring To Draw Near” by John White (1977) I gave it to a young man who rode my bus during the last week of my being a bus driver. I guess it must be somewhere in the realm of Matthew 7:1-6… taking one’s own advice. Long story short… I read that book in my teenage years, and it is expositional teaching on some major prayers of the bible. The young man I gave it to is Jacob. Anyways, I thought of once again reading it myself, and as it turns out, God had a message for me, too.

Quit pointing out and talking about the dents in your car, is a word for me, and for you. 

I am an intercessor, that’s one of my spiritual gifts. When I got to chapter 8 of 12 chapters, I once again found myself “longing to be like that” and realizing that God planted the seed way back then. I think Psalm 139 teaches us that the way we will be in life is programmed or pre-wired into us in the womb by our creator. White points out that Daniel was bothered by what he saw going on in the world around him. And he took it to God in prayer. He didn’t try to soothe, nor mask, nor eliminate the tension. The tension is a call to prayer, and the very posture of prayer.

Last night I had a dream about my oldest daughter that I am trying to unravel, that’s why I’ve been up since 3:30 am. I lay in denial until about 4:00 am, then got up, made coffee and . . . here I am. 🙂

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Things I think my daughter needs to know:

1) her daddy, that’s me, is flesh and blood weak, but Spiritually strong 

2) is praying, interceding for her

3) I will not articulate it in English, but I will pray in the spirit 

I do not pray so that the burden will be lifted from me, but I pray with the Joy of being included in the fight

God would say this to you:

He is your strong tower, and you are his swift arrow, and a sword to feared, that he wields! 

The task you have been called to will not break you, because YOU are his workmanship!!! You are forged in the fire of Gods forge! You will not break, because HE is mighty that has called you.

Even so, not in your own strength… kneel before him, look and see… there are huge doors which lay between you and his throne room… as you pound on them, they yield… you run through them… past the palace guards, and into his very presence, and you throw yourself into the folds of his flowing robes… your height is shorter than his shins… and as you weep, and hold on against the family expectation of the guards trying to pry you away, God lifts his hand and bids them to leave off… and with his other hand he gently holds your head, and without a word, you know his love, and peace, and that it is ok, to let all of your troubles and sorrows flow through your tears… soaked up by his robe… absolutely weak in his presence, to go forth strong in HIS MIGHT

like Sampson when his hair started to grow again, and he asked that young man to help him to stand between the two pillars that supported the building… 

Intercessory prayer

God woke me up this morning, and instead of rolling over and going back to sleep, I got out of bed… to meet with God, alone

The dream that woke me up was about you.

I was yelling commands to my children down a well LOL or a mineshaft… they all felt safe to be disobedient and rebellious… so I climbed down the pipe to confront them… they burrowed into rooms and closed the doors, but you just lay there on your bed, and as I lay you across my lap to give you a good spanking, I relented… because you were passive and non-combative… and I gave you a symbolic smack, stood you on your feet, and held you close to me as you nestled your head into my shoulder. I “knew” all your sins without words needing to be spoken, and I prayed for you? Well, I held you, loved you, forgave you, and was strong for you.

>>>>>

My daughter is wife of her husband, and mother to 5 children, and a foster child, that makes 6. She carries the weight of the world on her shoulders, ably.

I’m examining my dream, its from God, but it comes from deep inside my heart. I’ll let you know more as things come to light.

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I went to see Glenn yesterday, and we went out to Walmart to pick out an Air Fryer for him, and some food for an in-home cooking demo. Then Ashton and I went back to his place and showed him how to cook chicken and potato wedges with his new appliance! He loves it!

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The significance of being awakened to pray is that God has often tried to rekindle this calling…. and I have resisted, not so much out of rebellion, but more along the lines of refusing to throw off the guilt of my past deeds. The image of Sampson btwn the pillars is one of a man who is blinded and bald. . .  and imprisoned. Too late! It screams, one final act before I die! But there’s a lie in there. Christ is the one who was led between the pillars, so that we might walk in obedience to do the work he has called us to do.

Did you ever stop to think that the book of Ephesians is written to a group, not an individual? So when we quote Ephesians 2:8-10. . . . the YOU  is plural?8 For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, 9 not a result of works, so that no one may boast. 10 For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them

https://www.scripture4all.org/OnlineInterlinear/NTpdf/eph2.pdf

you can see that the word “you” is translated more properly as “ye”

I grew up not knowing this. And I think it is borrowed narcissism. No, wait, maybe its taught! Yes, I would say it is. There’s obviously the message that the world pumps out. The super hero, alone to go save the world. 

Quit being so caught up in your own mess! Get up out of that scene, and see yourself like God sees you! And part of that message is that we are not alone, we are a part of the body of Christ. But that being “a part of” is necessarily from effort, from intentionality. 

thank you for being a part of the body of Christ, and for answering my email.