Prayer Team

38 And Elisha came again to Gilgal when there was a famine in the land. And as the sons of the prophets were sitting before him, he said to his servant, “Set on the large pot, and boil stew for the sons of the prophets.” 39 One of them went out into the field to gather herbs, and found a wild vine and gathered from it his lap full of wild gourds, and came and cut them up into the pot of stew, not knowing what they were. 40 And they poured out some for the men to eat. But while they were eating of the stew, they cried out, “O man of God, there is death in the pot!” And they could not eat it. 41 He said, “Then bring flour.” And he threw it into the pot and said, “Pour some out for the men, that they may eat.” And there was no harm in the pot. (II Kings 4)
Besides being a unique account of Elisha's leadership as a prophet of God, this is one of several mentions of these "sons of the prophets." They are not the same as a group of preacher's kids; they appear to have been a group of men who gathered around the prophet to pray, share with the prophet and each other what God was saying, then proclaim what we considered to be revealed truth to the people as directed.  In another account they came to Elijah to tell him God had revealed to them that his time on earth was short. They listened intently to what God was saying.  They were a team of praying men.  We need that kind of team today - men who will pray together, cry out to God, and listen to Him. Where are you, o men of God?

Getting your three-a-day (or more)

16 

But I call to God,

    and the Lord will save me.

17 

Evening and morning and at noon

    I utter my complaint and moan,

    and he hears my voice.

18 

He redeems my soul in safety

    from the battle that I wage,

    for many are arrayed against me.

19 

God will give ear and humble them,

    he who is enthroned from of old, 

Selah

(Psalm 55:16-19a)

In this Psalm of David we get a glimpse of one of his prayer practices, which also appears in other places in scripture and Judeo-Christian writings: praying at three points in the day: morning, noon, and evening. Sometimes they are called "the hour of prayer".  Of course some did adhere to the "letter of the law" - they would not be caught dead showing up in public anywhere else at those times of day.  But David shows us the true intent. We need more than a quick "help me today" in the morning, or a "now I lay me down to sleep at night," with a few "thank you for this food" one-liners in between. Prayer is often, often intense, often a matter of life and death spiritually.  David developed a lifestyle of prayer which we would do well to follow.  Make sure you get your three-a-day, with lots of snacks in between.  

Pray to be Heard, not Seen

5 “And when you pray, you must not be like the hypocrites. For they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and at the street corners, that they may be seen by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. 6 But when you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you. (Matthew 6)
Jesus was by no means saying to never pray in public.  Otherwise, we would never be able to listen in on some of the great prayers prayed by men and women of God who are in fellowship with Him, and get a glimpse of a heart seeking after Him.  What He is doing is warning us against the spiritual show.  He is also telling us not to depend on everyone else's prayers to carry us through. We all have a responsibility, and privilege, to talk with God - to allow Him to lead us.  And we all need a place where we do so regularly. It can be a "closet", a room, a bedside, a chair, in the car, or in the middle of a dark field, but we need a somewhere (or two or three), where we regularly talk with God not to impress anyone (especially Him), but to engage in a continuing conversation committed to submitting to Him.

The Fun Begins at Forty?

Genesis 25:19 These are the generations of Isaac, Abraham's son: Abraham fathered Isaac, 20 and Isaac was forty years old when he took Rebekah, the daughter of Bethuel the Aramean of Paddan-aram, the sister of Laban the Aramean, to be his wife. 21 And Isaac prayed to the Lord for his wife, because she was barren. And the Lord granted his prayer, and Rebekah his wife conceived.

Genesis 26:34 When Esau was forty years old, he took Judith the daughter of Beeri the Hittite to be his wife, and Basemath the daughter of Elon the Hittite,35 and they made life bitter for Isaac and Rebekah.

Forty was a monumental year for these twins, and for others in the Bible as well: Moses, Joshua, Ishbosheth, etc.  When they hit forty, things really began to change.  Sometimes getting there is a problem; often getting there well is one.  It is not that all of a sudden the light comes on, but that those forty years were building years preparing these men for a test. Would they turn to the Lord, follow the Lord, and seek to please the Lord, or would they turn their own way, the world's way, and bring grief and shame to themselves and their families.  Forty years - or even forty days - invested well can get us moving in the right direction.  In a society that never wants to wait, that can be difficult, but it is worth the investment and the persistence.  Prayer is like that. Not always easy. But forty days can prepare the way for great things. Just ask Jesus. 

The First Forty

17 The flood continued forty days on the earth. The waters increased and bore up the ark, and it rose high above the earth. 18 The waters prevailed and increased greatly on the earth, and the ark floated on the face of the waters. 19 And the waters prevailed so mightily on the earth that all the high mountains under the whole heaven were covered. 20 The waters prevailed above the mountains, covering them fifteen cubits deep. 21 And all flesh died that moved on the earth, birds, livestock, beasts, all swarming creatures that swarm on the earth, and all mankind. 22 Everything on the dry land in whose nostrils was the breath of life died. 23 He blotted out every living thing that was on the face of the ground, man and animals and creeping things and birds of the heavens. They were blotted out from the earth. Only Noah was left, and those who were with him in the ark. 24 And the waters prevailed on the earth 150 days. (Genesis 7)
A lot of people in our area had their plans ruined yesterday by sudden downpours.  The forecast for the next few days looks similar. For many in our are, they have had enough rain for awhile. Imagine the days of Noah: 40 days and nights.  Of all the 40s in the Bible, it is the first and most memorable. But it was also not the end of the story: "The waters prevailed on the earth 150 days." The flooding was more than a few days.  What was God doing? Preparing the earth for a fresh start, a new beginning of sorts. Often, that's what the forties of the Bible were for: preparing.  Whether it is lent or forty days of prayer, or whatever: the end of the 40 is not the end, but the beginning of what is being prepared for: change.  What needs to change in our lives? Will it take 40 days to erase an old habit or begin a new? Or is it more like forty years?  It matters not. What matters is "let the forty begin"; it has to start sometime, or change will never take place. Start the forty. Prepare for change; may it last for all time. 

What does God want from me???

3 “O my people, what have I done to you?
    How have I wearied you? Answer me!
4 For I brought you up from the land of Egypt
    and redeemed you from the house of slavery,
and I sent before you Moses,
    Aaron, and Miriam.
5 O my people, remember what Balak king of Moab devised,
    and what Balaam the son of Beor answered him,
and what happened from Shittim to Gilgal,
    that you may know the righteous acts of the Lord.”

6 “With what shall I come before the Lord,
    and bow myself before God on high?
Shall I come before him with burnt offerings,
    with calves a year old?
7 Will the Lord be pleased with thousands of rams,
    with ten thousands of rivers of oil?
Shall I give my firstborn for my transgression,
    the fruit of my body for the sin of my soul?”
8 He has told you, O man, what is good;
    and what does the Lord require of you
but to do justice, and to love kindness,
    and to walk humbly with your God?

(Micah 6)

I'm not going to say a lot about this passage, because Chris, our elder chair, will be sharing with us about it today. (come and hear, listen to the stream, or download later at https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCuQaoP-itwjuiKZOMO4Ybqg/featured)  Suffice it to say that Israel was not living up to what God wanted.  They were treating God as meaningless, only offering him tokens of appreciation instead of their lives.  What He wanted from them, and from us is not complicated, but complete. He wants us to get the focus off of ourselves, instead looking out for the rights of others, the needs of others, and how we can glorify God the most.  This passage is near and dear to my heart because it had a major impact on my life. Early in our marriage (39 years ago yesterday - yes that's why no blog!), my wife cross-stitched a masterpiece with verse 8 on it (when she actually had time for that?) It is especially meaningful to me because when her parents first met me they thought I was a self-absorbed jerk. They were right - I was not a loud, obnoxious jerk, but my attitude of ingratitude, self-deserving mentality, and obliviousness to how my life impacted those around me turned them off. (I was so self-absorbed I did not even realize it.)  When they met me again several years later, after I had absorbed the truths of this passage (and others), they did not remember having met me before because God had so changed my life.  So I encourage and challenge you: seriously study this passage and ask God this question: "What do you want from me?" Listen to His answer. Allow Him to do the changes.  Make it not just a plaque on the wall, but a reality in your life: do justice; love kindness; walk humbly with your God.

Truly Blessed!

Blessed is the one whose transgression is forgiven,
    whose sin is covered.
2 Blessed is the man against whom the Lord counts no iniquity,
    and in whose spirit there is no deceit.

3 For when I kept silent, my bones wasted away
    through my groaning all day long.
4 For day and night your hand was heavy upon me;
    my strength was dried up as by the heat of summer. Selah

5 I acknowledged my sin to you,
    and I did not cover my iniquity;
I said, “I will confess my transgressions to the Lord,”    and you forgave the iniquity of my sin. Selah

(Psalm 32)

Often we hear people say that they, or others are "blessed" - that they have a reason to rejoice and give thanks because it is obvious that God's hand is at work in their lives.  This is no more true than in one whose sins are covered, who has found forgiveness.  The longer we hold on to our sin and guilt, the more it saps the life out of us, pushes down on us, and makes us go all the wrong places to find relief.  It is when we "give it up" that we find forgiveness, cleansing, relief and release. Blessed. That's what it is. To be able to sleep at night, get up in the morning, and go through the day knowing God is watching, and that's more than okay.