Rain and Reign

Homonyms – two words that sound the same but have different meanings and spellings. As a second grade teacher, this was one of my favorite lessons to teach. It figures. I’m a writer. I love words.

You probably expected me to talk about thankfulness this week, not homonyms. But this morning’s prayer time led me to discuss a simple truth: sometimes praying is difficult. Let’s be honest. Sometimes we don’t know what to pray or how to pray. Sometimes our gratitude sounds repetitive. Sometimes we lack words. It’s on those days I am especially thankful the Spirit intercedes on our behalf.

We don’t show this side of our prayer lives to others. In fact, we’d rather hide it. I haven’t seen an article lately on prayers that lack passion. Am I the only one who struggles on occasion? I know I’m not. Sometimes we are eager to pray, our mouths bursting forth from the fullness of our heart. Other days our hearts seem half-empty, and our mouths follow suit. But when asked to pray aloud in church, we always find a way to pray, clothing our words with our Sunday best. Kind of like homonyms, such prayers may sound the same as those from a sincere heart, but they are different.

Sometimes our hearts are filled with praise and thanksgiving, and praying comes easy. Other times our hearts are filled with grief and desperation, and our prayers erupt from the depths of our souls. A prayer offered sincerely, whether in joy or anguish, is an honorable one. Jesus said, "God is spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth." (John 4:24)

But still there are other times when our hearts are simply beating, and sincere prayers are laborious. Truth be told, most days our hearts are not overwhelmed with joy or pain. Most days our hearts read “average” on the barometer of emotion, and so seem our prayers; for from the heart, the mouth speaks. (Matt 12:34) But emotions should not drive our prayers. It is a spiritual love of God that should fill our hearts, not just an emotional one. This love encompasses all of us, transcending both emotion and intellect. It is based on a personal knowledge of God, that because of Jesus, His Spirit lives within us.

So how do I pray from this spiritual love when my joy is waning and my angst minimal? How do I approach the throne of God in spirit and truth with a heart that is simply beating? Today was one of those days. I have many things for which to be thankful, and I have concerns to bring to God in prayer. But my words did not flow readily. I did not wish to pray out of habit, or with pretty Sunday words. I desired to worship, praying in spirit and in truth. God led me to pray just two words: reign and rain.

The two greatest needs I have every day, regardless of my mood or circumstances, are for God to reign in me and to rain in me. Just because God lives in me doesn’t mean I honor Him as ruler of my life. So I must begin each day by bowing my heart and submitting to His lordship. Also each day, I need His Living Water of refreshment to quench my thirsty soul. Especially on days when the emotional barometer isn’t worth reading, I need a shower straight from His heart to enliven mine. I can thank Him in advance, as surely God will answer these two simple and sincere prayers every time I ask.

If we had a heavenly perspective of our salvation, we would overflow with joy every moment of every day, constantly thanking God in prayer for our blessings. But we are humans, still fighting battles of the flesh for a victorious view. Yet while our emotional delight may not spill over 100% of the time, we should be grateful that neither does our emotional strain. God may allow days or even seasons of desperation when it’s easier to be on our knees than on our feet, but thankfully these don’t last a lifetime. Everyone experiences reprieve.

But regardless of our emotional state, our spiritual state is constant. Our relationship with God is secure, and does not depend on the force of our feelings, or the wealth of our words. For this, I am also thankful. So on days like today, when my mouth is barren and my emotions are as still as the fog out my window, I’ll simply pray for rain.

The Three W's

When your mother notices you haven’t blogged in a while, it is definitely time to blog. Thankfully, God has worked in my heart in such a way that I don’t take that as a criticism, but a compliment. It is encouraging to know that someone is missing my prayerful reflections.

Amazingly, God had already prepped me today for Mother’s prodding. This morning He spoke to me in my prayer time and gave me a three point sermon. Since I don’t preach, I knew it must be meant for Prayerfully Penned.

My three points in less than 20 minutes

We pray in many ways, at different times and for different reasons. Today, I was reminded of an essential three. Regardless of the day or season, I should always pray about my will, willpower, and wisdom.

1. Philippians 2:13 teaches us that it is God who works in us to will and to act for His good pleasure. God works in us to will. That means He works in our hearts to put the desires there that He wants us to have. When I was just a teen, He revealed this truth to me at a youth revival. I can honestly say it was the first verse that made a serious impact on my life. I realized, perhaps for the first time, that I was worshipping a living God, one that had access to my heart, one that could change my heart. Thankfully He did. Even now, however, I don’t always desire the right things. My will is innately selfish. So the first prayer point I should be sure I hit every day is to ask God to align my will to His.

2. Willpower is the energy to act upon the will. If I want to work out, but never act upon it then my will is not exercised and neither is my sagging body. To act on what we want takes more than want. It takes drive, determination, energy and self-discipline. These seem to be directly proportional to the strength of my desire. I may want a lot of things, but only those I want badly enough will I actually pursue. For example, a day doesn’t go by that I don’t find a way to eat. Even if I’ve been working around the house all day and have no food in the refrigerator to prepare, I’ll order a pizza. I’m pretty determined when it comes to eating. Philippians 2:13 says God works in me not just to want to do the right things, but He works in me to the point of doing them. So I need to pray every day for the energy, drive and determination to accomplish the desires He has put in my heart. I must ask Him to strengthen my will so that it becomes powerful to the point of action.

3. Finally, I was reminded to pray for wisdom. We can have the right desires and an abundance of energy, yet remain fruitless for Him. God has given me the will and the willpower to speak boldly of the truth of His Word. But if I do not have wisdom with regard to audience, timing and word choice, I may not only be ineffective I may do damage. I may also neglect other God-given desires in the process. To be most effective for God we must be wise. We must seek His mind to make decisions that glorify Him. “For the LORD gives wisdom…” (Pr 2:6) These days, many people are quick to share their worldly advice, but God is the only source of true wisdom. Last month I talked about this topic on “Fresh Start”, a weekly webcast hosted by my friend Karol Ladd. If you’d like to hear more about wisdom by viewing last month’s show, click here. Wisdom comes from God, and He longs to give it in abundance to those who ask Him.

As a former educator of children, I spoke often of the three R’s. As an educator of believers, I’m speaking today of the three W’s: will, willpower, and wisdom. I pray they transform your prayers as they are mine.