Pastor Suely pointed out to me that the Portuguese word for prayer "oracao" consists of two parts of the word: ora and acao. "Orar" means to pray, and "acao" means action. In this I found a reminder that when we pray, we should not do so "sitting down" so to speak. We should also feel called to action... "to be the change we want to see in the world." And I feel in many parts of the Bible that God has called us to change, to praise, and to follow Him. May I do so in an especially mindful way this special and joyful time of the year!
Action- Change!
Joshua 7:1-8:35
"The Lord said to Joshua, 'Stand up! Why are you down on your face? The Israelites have sinned; they have broken the agreement I commanded them to obey.... Now go! Make the people holy. Tell them, 'Set yourselves apart to the Lord for tomorrow." (Joshua 7:10-11,13)
Here Joshua has just finished crying out to God, "Why, Lord?! Why?" The Israelites were defeated (destroyed). "Why have you brought us this far for this?" (7) God, in no uncertain terms, corrects Joshua. "Get up. Stop all that crying. You know why that happened. So now, go and be holy. Don't just cry about it... change!"
Sometimes when bad things happened, when all seems topsy turvy and a mess, I hoping that I am praying with the most open ears... leaving space and listening intently for what God wants to teach me. What is it I need to do, Lord? Teach me to pray trusting in You, but taking Your guidance and correction into action... with Your powerful to change.
Action- Praise!
Psalm 43:1-5
"Let them lead me to your holy mountain, to where you live. Then I will go to the altar of God, to God who is my joy and happiness. I will praise you with a harp, God, my God." (Psalm 43:3-4)
I have so much to praise the Lord for... so much joy in my heart for every day. In church they ask to share "testimonies" which are basically joys and praises for the day. I hardly know what to say, because I have so much to say. Lord, when I pray to You, I am amazed at having a Lord to whom I may turn in prayer. I am amazed at having a God who answers and leads me through my life. I am amazed at having this life... with new glories every morning. I am amazed at friends who open up to me and love me for who I am, just as You do oh God. I am thankful for the little things- like beautiful flowers on a morning run and a visit from dear friends and a beautiful moonlit walk and a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. Lord, when I come to You in prayer... I cannot stop praising You for things great and small.
Action- Follow!
Luke 9:37-62
"As they were going along the road, someone said to Jesus, 'I will follow you any place you go.' Jesus said to them, 'The foxes have holes to live in, and the birds have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to rest his head.' Jesus said to another man, 'Follow me!' But he said, 'Lord, first let me go and bury my father.' But Jesus said to him, 'Let the people who are dead bury their own dead. You must go and tell about the kingdom of God.' Another man said, 'I will follow you, Lord, but first let me go and say good-bye to my family.' Jesus said, 'Anyone who begins to plow a field but keeps looking back is of no use in the kingdom of God.'" (Luke 9:57-62)
I love this verse in the Bible, but I love a good challenge. And this certainly is a challenge! To me this morning, this verse seemed to scream, "No excuses!" Very early on, we become experts on excuses. In the text the excuses seem legitimate: "needing to bury his father, needing to say good-bye to the family." Our excuses are sometimes more 'lame.' "I'm exhausted," or "I have other plans," or "I'm busy" (the typical grad student excuse). What are the reasons that we don't come to God? Why don't we choose every precious hour that He has given to reflect on His majesty in prayer.
And on a grander scale, are we truly following Him? Are we following His will for our lives? Sometimes when we need to turn to God in prayer, we don't. When I'm struggling, sometimes I fear God's rebuke, God's call away from that which is doing me harm. And I avoid this challenging confrontation. Because it is a challenge. We are called to follow Him today, not tomorrow, and not to look back. So, if we have something that needs to be changed, we must change it... praying to God- asking forgiveness, rejoicing in His forgiveness, and with the guidance of the Holy Spirit, we may truly follow Him.
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