prayer

Lessons Learned from Trying to Force a Miracle [Excerpt]

Have you ever ever prayed for something that would advance God’s kingdom, but your plan didn’t work out? This can be disconcerting, to say the least.

“This could be God saying ‘Not yet’ instead of ‘No,’” a friend says. But a delay is mysterious when we see a clear need for God’s intervention. “Why would God wait?” I’ve thought. “Doesn’t he know the timeframe I’m working with? I only get about three score and ten years to make a difference!”

These concerns come out dramatically in this true story from pastor and author Mark Batterson. This story is from his book The Circle Maker: Praying Circles Around Your Biggest Dreams and Greatest Fears, and I hope you find it as encouraging as I did.

-Adam Forrest, Zondervan

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4 Simple Prayer Starters for a Stronger Marriage [via Gary Thomas]

Take time to pray in a few of these directions. If you and your spouse can make time to pray together, even better.
  • Father, teach me humility so that I can see how you want to grow me and shape me through my spouse.
  • Give me wisdom to see when my view of marriage is based on a picture painted by the media or the world and not shaped by your Word and truth.
  • Jesus, when I feel discouraged or disheartened, help me to remember all that you sacrificed for me. Give me strength to stand strong in my marriage, even when emotions ebb and frustration grows.
  • God of hope, fill me with anticipation for all the good things you want to do in my marriage as we walk through this learning experience together.

 

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These quotes are from Gary Thomas’s Sacred Marriage video group study, Session 1.

Watch the video of Session 1 for free on YouTube.

- Adam Forrest, Zondervan

 

 (This post does not represent the views of Zondervan or any of its representatives. The writer’s personal opinions are shared for information purposes only. To receive new Zondervan Blog posts in your reader or email inbox, subscribe to Zondervan Blog.)

 

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When the Answer to Prayer is Bigger than our Brains [Excerpt by Mark Batterson]

 

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(Excerpt from The Circle Maker: Praying Circles Around Your Biggest Dreams and Greatest Fears by Mark Batterson.)

One day, I was praying for God's provision when I felt a prompting to pray for a $2 million miracle. The first thing I had to do was decipher whether this prompting was just my own desire to be debt free or whether it was the Holy Spirit who dropped that promise into my heart. It's tough to discern between natural desires and holy desires, but I was about 90 percent sure it was the Holy Spirit who put that promise in my heart. I had no idea how God would do it, but I knew I needed to circle that promise in prayer.

I love the ending of the book of Daniel… In his final vision of the book, he asks the question that all of us want the answer to: "My lord, what will the outcome of all this be?"

Well, God always answers, but it's not always a straight answer. This certainly doesn't mean it's not an honest answer; it just means it's far too complicated, with infinite twists and turns, for our logical left brains to comprehend. …

 "Go your way, Daniel, because the words are rolled up and sealed until the time of the end." [See Daniel 12:1-13]

 

He's never early. He's never late. When the time comes … the prayer will be unsealed and the answer revealed.

I realize this specifically references the prophecies given to Daniel by the Holy Spirit, but I also believe there is a universal principle in this passage. Our prayers are prophecies, and God Almighty seals them until their designated time. He's never early. He's never late. When the time comes … the prayer will be unsealed and the answer revealed.

 

Natural World vs. Supernatural Prayers

At some point, our spoken words cease to exist because they are subject to the law of entropy. Our spoken words, aka sound waves, run into friction and run out of energy. 

PSM_V13_D058_Sound_waves_1

Our words fade from hearing, but God keeps our prayers.

Our prayers, however, are sealed forever. Our prayers never cease to exist because … the supernatural laws of prayer defy the natural laws of time and space [including the law of entropy].

 

What God Can Do with Four Words

While it's impossible to trace the pinball path of a single prayer, our prayers somehow exit our four dimensions of space-time in order to get to the God who exists outside of the four space-time dimensions He created when He said, "Let there be light." Our prayers don't dissipate over time; our prayers accumulate through eternity.

 

According to the Doppler Effect, our universe is still expanding. The significance is this: The four words that God spoke at the beginning of time, "Let there be light," are still creating galaxies at the edge of the universe. If God can do that with four words, what are you worried about? There is nothing He cannot do. After all, He created everything out of nothing.

 

His words never return void. Neither do your prayers when you pray the word of God and the will of God. The same God who hovered over the chaos at the beginning of time is hovering over your life, and you never know when His answer will reenter the atmosphere of your life. But you can know this: The Lord is watching over His word to perform it…

- Mark Batterson


A thought for the road: The final verse in the book of Daniel reads, "As for you, go your way till the end. You will rest, and then at the end of the days you will rise to receive your allotted inheritance." (Daniel 12:13)

What's one way you can choose to 'go your way till the end'?

 

 

Learn More about The Circle MakerLearn More

 

Learn more about The Circle Maker
Watch session one of The Circle Maker DVD Group Study

Follow Mark Batterson on Twitter (@MarkBatterson)

 -Adam Forrest, Zondervan

 

(Images & some styling above are web-exclusive features not included in the text of The Circle Maker… Image attribution: Sound waves | Date = 1878 |Author = Unknown, Scientific American Monthly |Permission = {{PD-old}}, via Wikimedia Commons. This post does not represent the views of Zondervan or any of its representatives. The writer's personal opinions are shared only for information purposes. To receive new Zondervan Blog posts in your reader or email inbox, subscribe to Zondervan Blog.)

 

 

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A Prayer Against Anger [From Common Prayer Pocket Edition]

 

(Excerpt from Common Prayer Pocket Edition by Shane Claiborne and Jonathan Wilson-Hartgrove.)

 

A Prayer Against Wrath

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Once again, Lord Jesus Christ, I face the power of anger…

 

When I am harmed by another,
or think myself to have been,
give me patience
to go to that person with a humble spirit,
seeking to be reconciled.

 

When I am outraged by injustice,
show me clearly how I too must repent
of complicity in this world’s broken systems,
and cover me in your mercy.

 

When I can neither rest nor work
because of the indignation that stirs my spirit,
teach me the power of forgiveness
and the freedom of love.

 

Deliver me from anger,
that I might not be consumed by its fire
but turn the great energy of my soul
toward a desire to serve you
and your little ones.

 

Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner.

Cross from Common Prayer Pocket Edition

Image: Cross from Common Prayer Pocket Edition.

 

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Learn more about Common Prayer Pocket Edition. “It’s like the backup vocals” of Common Prayer: A Liturgy for Ordinary Radicals, write authors Claiborne & Wilson-Hartgrove.

I like the idea behind Common Prayer Pocket Edition, which might as well be called Field Guide for the Praying Christian. In the front of the book you’ll find this quote from Benedict of Nursia:  “If someone’s work takes them so far away that they cannot return to the chapel for common prayer, they should pray the office where they are, and kneel out of reverence for God…”

- Adam Forrest, Zondervan

Visit the Common Prayer website at www.commonprayer.net

Other Posts You May Like
A Prayer for the Grace to Serve
Sloth, aka “The Noonday Demon:” A Mug Shot, Rap Sheet, and Prayer for the Slothful

 

(Some styling in the excerpt above is web-exclusive. This post does not represent the views of Zondervan or any of its representatives. The writer’s personal opinions are shared only for information purposes. To receive new Zondervan Blog posts in your reader or email inbox, subscribe to Zondervan Blog.)

 

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A Prayer for the Grace to Serve [From "Common Prayer Pocket Edition"]

 

(Excerpt from Common Prayer Pocket Edition by Shane Claiborne and Jonathan Wilson-Hartgrove.)


A Prayer for the Grace to Serve

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It was your joy to serve.
Thank you for your service.
Show me where you want me to serve,
give me the ability to serve,
let me serve.
And make my heart pure toward everyone.

 

It was your joy to sacrifice.
Thank you for your sacrifice.
Show me what you want me to sacrifice,
give me the ability to sacrifice,
let me sacrifice.
And make my heart pure toward everyone.

 

It was your joy to suffer.
Thank you for your suffering.
Show me how you want me to suffer,
give me the ability to suffer,
let me suffer.
And make my heart pure toward everyone.

 

The San Damiano Cross from Common Prayer Pocket Edition

 Image: The San Damiano Cross. From Common Prayer Pocket Edition.

Learn more about Common Prayer Pocket Edition. “It’s like the backup vocals” of  Common Prayer: A Liturgy for Ordinary Radicals, write authors Claiborne & Wilson-Hartgrove.

I love Common Prayer and Common Prayer Pocket Edition. To me they feel ancient and refreshing — crack one open, and it’s like finding cool, clean water in an old cistern.
- Adam Forrest, Zondervan

Visit the Common Prayer website at www.commonprayer.net


(This post does not represent the views of Zondervan or any of its representatives. The writer’s personal opinions are shared only for information purposes. To receive new Zondervan Blog posts in your reader or email inbox, subscribe to Zondervan Blog.)

 

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The Legend of the Circle Maker & History-making Prayer [Excerpt by Mark Batterson]

 

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(Excerpt from The Circle Maker: Praying Circles Around Your Biggest Dreams and Greatest Fears by Mark Batterson.)

It was the first century BC, and a devastating drought threatened to destroy a generation — the generation before Jesus. The last of the Jewish prophets had died off nearly four centuries before. Miracles were such a distant memory that they seemed like a false memory. And God was nowhere to be heard. But there was one man, an eccentric sage who lived outside the walls of Jerusalem, who dared to pray anyway. His name was Honi. And even if the people could no longer hear God, he believed that God could still hear them…

With a six-foot staff in his hand, Honi began to turn like a math compass. His circular movement was rhythmical and methodical. Ninety degrees. One hundred eighty degrees. Two hundred seventy degrees. Three hundred sixty degrees. He never looked up as the crowd looked on. After what seemed like hours but had only been seconds, Honi stood inside the circle he had drawn. Then he dropped to his knees and raised his hands to heaven. With the authority of the prophet Elijah, who called down fire from heaven, Honi called down rain:

“Lord of the universe, I swear before Your great name that I will not move from this circle until You have shown mercy upon Your children.”

 

History belongs to the intercessors. -Walter Wink

The words sent a shudder down the spines of all who were within earshot that day. It wasn’t just the volume of his voice; it was the authority of his tone. Not a hint of doubt. This prayer didn’t originate in the vocal chords. Like water from an artesian well, the words flowed from the depth of his soul. His prayer was resolute yet humble, confident yet meek, expectant yet unassuming.

Then it happened.

As his prayer ascended to the heavens, raindrops descended to the earth. An audible gasp swept across the thousands of congregants who had encircled Honi…

 

It began to rain calmly, peacefully. Each raindrop was a tangible token of God’s grace. And they didn’t just soak the skin; they soaked the spirit with faith. It had been difficult to believe the day before the day. The day after the day, it was impossible not to believe.

Eventually, the dirt turned into mud and back into dirt again. After quenching their thirst, the crowd dispersed. And the rainmaker returned to his humble hovel on the outskirts of Jerusalem. Life returned to normal, but the legend of the circle maker had been born…

 

The legend of the circle maker had been born...

Image by Chris Sampson (051111-050 CPS Uploaded by Ultra7) [CC-BY-2.0 (www.creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0)], via Wikimedia Commons.

 

[History-making Prayer]

[Honi] knelt down in the circle he had drawn. And that’s all it takes to change the course of His-story. In the words of theologian Walter Wink, “History belongs to the intercessors.” …

 

Never underestimate the power of one prayer circle… When you draw a circle and drop to your knees [it] changes the forecast of your life. It’s always cloudy with a chance of quail.

 

You can’t fell a fifty-foot wall, but you can march around Jericho… You can’t make it rain, but you can draw a circle in the sand.

 

When you draw a circle and drop to your knees… it’s always cloudy with a chance of quail.

Don’t let what you cannot do keep you from doing what you can. Draw the circle. Don’t let who you are not keep you from being who you are. You are a circle maker.

 

Don’t attempt this by yourself. Israel had an army. You need to invite others into your prayer circle. Together you will form a prayer circle. And when two or three agree in prayer, double circling their God-ordained dreams, all bets are off.

 

 

Learn More about The Cirlce Maker Learn More

Learn more about The Circle Maker.

 

Follow Mark Batterson on Twitter (@MarkBatterson)

 

(*Images above are web-exclusive features and are not included in the text of The Circle Maker… This post does not represent the views of Zondervan or any of its representatives. The writer’s personal opinions are shared only for information purposes. To receive new Zondervan Blog posts in your reader or email inbox, subscribe to Zondervan Blog.)

 

 

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Sloth, a.k.a The Noonday Demon: A Mugshot, Rap Sheet, and Prayer for the Slothful

 

What do apathy, fear, avoidance, distraction and despair have in common? They’re all aspects of sloth. With so many tricks up its sleeve, here’s an attempt to put a face on Sloth, with the hopes of making it easier to detect and resist. -AF

This is a mug shot of Sloth, alias “The Noonday Demon.” Sloth is one of The Seven Deadlies… one of the usual suspects.

image from zondervan.typepad.com

(Image by Soffie Hicks from Wales (Sloth) [CC-BY-2.0 (www.creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0)], via Wikimedia Commons.)

 

Sloth’s Rap Sheet. (Excerpt taken from the Christian Dictionary of Spirituality by Glen Scorgie)

Sloth is one of the seven “deadly sins,” usually associated with acedia (weariness of the soul)… It is sometimes called the “noonday demon,” referring to Psalm 91:6… More generally, early Christians associated it with deprivations of desires, failed plans, and impeded purposes, accompanied by anger. Its cousin with similar symptoms is what moderns call “depression,” though there are differences…

Aquinas identifies it as “an oppressive sorrow” that weighs the person down so much that he wants to do nothing. But it would be wrong to identify sloth merely with laziness. Cassian points out that it can also manifest itself as feverish activity that disguises a sluggishness of the soul. That is, it is a spiritual condition — an emptiness that encourages flight from spiritual discipline or purposeful, life-giving activity through indifference or distraction.

The early monastics… urged the monk to stay away from those who were idle, restless, or busybodies (see 2 Thess. 3:6, 14–15); instead, one should meditate on what is “praiseworthy” (Phil. 4:8–9). Cassian and Gregory recommended keeping an eschatological perspective — specifically, living as if one will die tomorrow with God’s final assessment of his work, but treating the body as if he will live for many years to come. In the end, the countervailing virtue to cultivate is passion in serving the Lord and others.

 

A Prayer for the Slothful. (From Common Prayer Pocket Edition by Claiborne, Okoro & Wilson-Hartgrove.)

Once again, Lord Jesus Christ, I face the power of acedia [sloth].

Against the torrent of oblivion, I plead the blood of Jesus.

When the day stretches out before me and I am tempted to despair, encourage my soul through rhythms of prayer and work.

When I imagine my life would be easier if only I were somewhere else, help me not to flee but to trust your grace in this place.

When I lack attentive care for my neighbor, remind me how you laid down your life for me when I was still an enemy.

Deliver me from acedia, that I might greet that of you in every person and know the place where I am standing to be holy ground.

Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner.

 

Resources Referenced Above

Learn more about Dictionary of Christian Spirituality

Dictionary of Christian Spirituality
by Glen S. Scorgie
“This reference work provides readers with a global, biographical, historical, topical, and biblical understanding of the origins, development, and contemporary expressions of Christian spirituality.”
Learn More

Learn more about Common Prayer Pocket Edition

Common Prayer Pocket Edition
by Shane Claiborne, Enuma Okoro & Jonathan Wilson-Hartgrove
“Designed to help individuals, families and congregations pray, sing and act together across traditions and denominations… this portable book of common prayer [will] help you and your community join together each day with the same songs, scriptures and prayers.
Learn more

 

- Adam Forrest, Zondervan

 

(This post does not represent the views of Zondervan or any of its representatives. The writer’s opinions are their own, and are shared for information purposes only. To receive new blogposts in your reader or email inbox, subscribe to Zondervan Blog.)

 

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Margaret Feinberg Interview: “Hungry for God” and Hearing His Voice

 

How do we know when God is speaking to us? Will we just know his voice when we hear it? Author Margaret Feinberg responds to these questions and more in an interview with Dan King of BibleDude.net. 

 
The Interview
Click the links below to watch excerpts from Margaret’s interview.

Watch Interview Clip

 

Margaret describes our “divine appetite” and how it prompted her to write her new book, Hungry for God: Hearing God’s Voice in the Ordinary and Everyday. Watch Now

Should Christians expect God to show up in a burning bush? Should we be worried if we’ve never even heard him whisper? Watch Now

Margaret suggests why it’s so difficult for us to listen, and she shares one vital tip for listening to God. Watch Now

 

Learn More about Hungry for GodLearn More

Extended interview clips on YouTube
Other tips on listening to God. Watch Now

This “listening to God” thing — how can we make sure we “get it right”? Margaret explains why we probably never will… and why that’s okay. Watch Now

And what do you think?
Do you agree with Margaret that God speaks more often than we think?

Tell us how you have heard from God.

About Margaret Feinberg
Margaret Feinberg (@mafeinberg) is a popular speaker at churches and events such as Catalyst and Creation Festival. Named one of the Thirty Emerging Voices of Christian leaders under age forty by Charisma magazine, she is author of The Organic God and The Sacred Echo. She lives in Colorado with her hubby, Leif, and superpup, Hershey. Learn more at her website www.margaretfeinberg.com.

 

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Awakening to God with Common Prayer

Guest post by Tim Otto, member of the Church of the Soujourners in San Francisco, CA.

 

I’ve dragged my body, for the last ten years, to morning prayers with my housemates. In spite of that effort, my heart hasn’t always made it there along with the rest of me (I’m fond of the saying, “If God had intended us to see the sunrise God would have scheduled it later in the day.”).

 

We’ve tried traditional prayer liturgies, but by the time we trudge into the third Psalm, I find that I’ve usually lost the trail, and my mind is wandering elsewhere. We’ve tried “evangelical prayers,” but in those early, tired hours, there are so many awkward silences, and so many petty petitions. We’ve tried centering prayer, but the silence so often slips into sleep.

 

Perhaps I’m just a hopeless case—a modern, attention deficit disordered person, incapable of real prayer.

 

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But I find myself re-inspired by the book Common Prayer: A Liturgy for Ordinary Radicals. Just like my beloved morning cup of coffee, Common Prayers feels stout and rousing. It awakens my sleepy brain and heart with its combination of songs, responsive readings, scripture, historical reflections—all pointing to a common theme. Somehow the diversity—all pointing to a unity—wakes me up and helps me remember what my life is about, and my desire for God. The content feels modern and timely, and yet it draws from the ancient. It provokes, and ponders, and prods, and preaches, and … it prays.

 

I still wish morning prayers were later in the day, but in the meantime, I’m glad that Common Prayer helps me pay attention and awakens me to God.

 

- Tim Otto, The Church of the Sojourners, San Francisco

 

Read excerpt of Common Prayer on Scribd
Visit commonprayer.net

More about Tim Otto
Wes YoderTim Otto co-authored Inhabiting the Church: Biblical Wisdom for the New Monasticism with Tim Stock and Jonathan Wilson-Hartgrove. Tim has lived at Church of the Sojourners, a church commune in San Francisco, for sixteen years. He works part time as an RN, providing home nursing for the uninsured of San Francisco, and is also a primary teacher/preacher at Sojourners. Learn more about the Church of the Sojourners at churchofthesojourners.wordpress.com.

 

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