Thankfulness

 

Most merciful Father, we humbly thank you

for all your gifts so freely bestowed on us.

For life and health and safety, for power to work and leisure to rest,

and for all that is beautiful in creation and in the lives of men,

we praise and glorify your holy name.

But, above all, we thank you

for your spiritual mercies in Christ Jesus our Lord,

for the means of grace,

and for the hope of glory.

Fill our hearts with all joy and peace in believing;

through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Amen

 

(From An Australian Prayer Book p.36)

 

Two books about prayer

I have heard said that if you want to learn about prayer you should read a book about God, rather than a book about prayer.  So true.  Knowing the One to whom we pray is a great encouragement to pray.  But there are times when a specific boost comes in handy.  I've been in need of such a boost so I pulled the two books on prayer that have been waiting quietly in the wings and had a read.

A Praying Life by Paul Miller is good meeting point between a book about God and a book about prayer.  Paul Miller loves God.   And he loves praying.  He prays all the time.  About the big and the small.  He has complete trust that God hears and answers his prayers.  Paul Miller gets "pray without ceasing."

This book is an exhortation to pray.  Like Wendy said, this book makes you want to pray.   And like Jean said, you don't have to wait until you have things all sorted out to come before God because He wants you to come messy.

When Jesus describes the intimacy he wants with us, he talks about joining us for dinner. "Behold, I stand at the door and knock.  If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and eat with him, and he with me." (Revelation 3:20)

A praying life feels like our family mealtimes because prayer is all about relationship.  It's intimate and hints at eternity.  We don't think about communication or words but about whom we are talking with.  Prayer is simply the medium through which we experience and connect to God.

Oddly enough, many people struggle to learn how to pray because they are focusing on praying, not on God.

I didn't agree with absolutely everything he had to say.  And personally I found it a bit too anecdotal - which is funny because used to love books with lots of stories woven into them...  But even so I would have no hesitation in sharing this book with others.  Miller takes the mystery out of prayer (but not the wonder of it) and provides warm encouragement to get on with it, without fear.  If you have stopped praying or never really got started, if you are stuck in a rut or want to up the ante, this book will spur you on. 

The second book I read is called Praying by JI Packer and Carolyn Nystrom.  I've had this one for six years, mostly unread, having had several attempts at starting it.  Others seem to have had that experience with this book as well.    Which I think has much to do with JI Packer's style of writing.  It's deep and dense.  You have to read it slowly.  In fact I read a review of this book that started, "This book is SO good that I had to take six months to read it."

This book is not a quick fix book.  If you need a quick prayer-pick-me-up then this isn't the book for you.  The authors say as much at the beginning - that "non-practitioners" of prayer will be quickly left behind.  But if you want to take deeper look into the subject of prayer - and the One to whom we pray - then this is a great volume.

I didn't get the best out of this book.  I mostly read it late at night and the chapters are long - however the chapters are divided into shorter sections.  A better way to read it, as the reviewer said, would be to take your time.  A bit like Knowing God.  The next time I read it - and I will read it again so I can't say better than that - I will read it not chapter at a time, but smaller section at a time and go through it slowly, slowly over a longer period of time.  There is a great set of study questions at the end of the book as well - and taking it more slowly, I would do the studies as well, which include sections on understanding what has been said, studying the Bible and deep praying - not just a quick prayer tacked on at the end for sake of completeness. 

It's certainly not the easiest book I've read all year, but it's a worthwhile read.  And there are lots of quotes from the puritans and from CS Lewis, so that may spark an interest for at least one fellow blogger.

Longing for Jesus

Heavenly Father,
Please help me to long for heaven -
not for the prospect of being in the new creation where there is no more death or mourning or crying or pain,
not for the prospect of being with all the saints who have died in the Lord for all eternity,
nor for the prospect of resting from my labours.
While these are a beautiful part of the glorious prospect of heaven,
please Lord,
help me to long for heaven
so that I might see Jesus.
Please help me, that this would be my chief longing.
Amen.

Why didn't I pray?

After an afternoon spent with a friend talking deep and good things over a pot of tea why, to finish off our time together, didn't I pray?

And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people.  Eph 6:18

When I sat and listened to someone talking about how truly hard life is at the moment, instead of saying, "I will pray for you," why, then and there, didn't I pray?

Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.  Matt 11:28

During recent weeks, when I found myself fretting over something again and again why, instead, didn't I pray?

Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.  Phil 4:6

While on the phone and hearing the details of a friend's crisis or as I sat and read the email with the bad news why, on the spot, didn't I pray?

Carry each other's burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ.  Gal 6:2

When I was wronged or just plain irritated why, instead of harbouring bitter thoughts, didn't I pray?

Bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you.  Luke 6:28

When I was standing in the queue for all that time why, instead of staring into space blankly, didn't I pray?

Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus.  1Thes 5:16-18

Why didn't I pray?

Then Jesus told his disciples a parable to show them that they should always pray and not give up. Luke 18:1

A prayer for today

This morning I read the last words of David from 2 Samuel 23.  In the middle of those words is this verse:

Is not my house right with God?
Has he not made with me an everlasting covenant,
arranged and secured in every part?
Will he not bring to fruition my salvation
and grant me my every desire?

Today I am praying that I will deeply and truly know and trust that my life for all eternity is arranged and secured by God in every part and that my every desire will line up with His desires and not be driven by my own selfish heart.

A better prayer

When friends have babies I often pray that the newborn would never know a day in their life when they don't know that God is their loving Father in heaven.  I have prayed that prayer many times.  And not only for newborns.  I continue to pray this for various children, including our own boys and our godchildren.

I have been reflecting on how I became a Christian lately.  And I have heard my husband talk about his journey as a Christian a couple of times during the last week as well.  We share quite similar stories.  At one level there was a defining moment for me.  It was 13th August 1987, about 4pm, sitting by the river.  Ironically I skipped a lecture, the only lecture I EVER skipped at university*, to sit by the river to talk to God and give my life to Him.  I remember it as clear as day.

Yet despite this very particular moment, I have always know God as my Father in heaven.  I cannot remember a time when I did not acknowledge and love God.  My parents didn't go to church but they did send my sister and I to Sunday School each week.  And God in His providence always surrounded me with people who loved Him, even after the days of Sunday School - teachers, friends - there was always someone there asking a hard question, keeping me thinking, encouraging me along and as I now know, praying for me.  As a child my relationship with God was vibrant.  In my teenage years that relationship lost some of its vibrancy.  But I never lost a sense of God.  It was more a case of Him being in heaven and me being here in my life on earth.  Distance...but I never turned away.

And as I have heard my husband say twice in the last week of his story, while I can pinpoint an exact moment when I put myself under God's authority, it is actually hard to discount the nearly twenty preceding years when God continued to be very real and it was only my (I now understand) sinful pride that kept me from fully apprehending what it means to be a child of God.  I still had a relationship with God and He was very much at work in my life, even if I didn't fully grasp it.

I realised this week that during my first 20 years I lived the very prayer I pray for newborns.  There has never been a day in my life that I didn't know that God is my loving Father in heaven.  And for that I am deeply thankful.  But it took 20 years, a handful of faithful people who prayed for me and kept badgering me and also a series of events that gradually eroded my confidence in the things in which I had previously placed my security to understand that that God is my loving Father in heaven and Jesus is my friend, Lord and Saviour.  And I need both, not just the first.

So this week I am praying a better prayer for our boys and for our godchildren and for the various other children who are often found in my prayers, that they would never know a day when they don't know that God is their loving Father in heaven and that Jesus is their friend, Lord and Saviour.  This seems to be a better prayer.


* I went on in that particular unit to fail a mid-semester test - the only assessment I ever failed at university - and barely scraped a pass for the subject - the only subject I ever came close to failing.  Ah, Sociology of Education.  It should have been so interesting...

Long haul prayers

When praying for someone long-term, such as a family member, get into the habit of praying for small victories in the form of today's spiritual influence on them. This will prevent vain repetition, as well as get specific and will help you develop eyes to see the answers to these small victories.

This was recently written by Josh Etter on the Desiring God blog here.  

When I first read it I thought this suggestion was REALLY helpful.  I find praying for people/issues over the long term difficult.  I don't think it's a matter of not trusting God to answer those prayers.  It's just plain hard work, it becomes tedious at times and then it drops into the realm of the autopilot. This advice breathes new life into long haul prayers.

Then as I reflected on the advice I began to wonder whether it was a case of modern management practices taking over the things of faith once again.  You know...set a goal, break it down into its component parts, tackle it one small step at a time until the goal has been reached.  This is a helpful model in so many settings.  But is it relevant here - when praying for the big issues over a long period of time...for someone's salvation or for their ongoing health and wellbeing, for the life of one's church or for ongoing gospel opportunities within our communities?

And then I remembered...

Give us today our daily bread.
Matthew 6:11
and
Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.
Matthew 6:34

As a Christian I am exhorted to live one day at a time under God.  Yes, I need to keep my eyes fixed on the end of the race.  But for today I only need grace for today.  And yes, I need to keep my unsaved friend or relative's long term need for a saving knowledge of Jesus in my prayers but they too need specific grace to see God at work in their lives in a way that is specific to today.

So yes, I am very encouraged by this suggestion.  And the added benefit of cultivating gratitude can only help to keep us spurred on in the hard but good work of praying over the long haul.

Peter on prayer - the motivation and the mechanism

You've probably noticed that I have been doing some thinking about prayer lately.  My hope is that I might see a deepening in the scope of my prayers and a building up of my "praying on my own" prayer muscles that have atrophied after long years of sleep deprived or toddler driven distractedness.  

Last week I had the joy of reading through 1 Peter and found a new verse to underline.

The end of all things is near. Therefore be clear minded and self-controlled so that you can pray.
1Peter 4:7

This verse seems to sum it all up for me and has been rolling around my head ever since.

Prayer is important because the end of all things is near.  All the major events in God's plan of redemption have occurred with Christ's work on the cross, his resurrection and ascension and now all things are ready for Christ to return and rule.  We have been in the end times for nearly 2 000 years.  We don't know when Christ will return.  It may not be for another 2 000 years or more.  Or it may be in a minute.  "No one knows about that day or hour, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father" it says in Matthew 24:36.  What we do know is that it will happen and so we need to be ready so that it doesn't come upon us like a thief in the night.  Part of being ready, Peter tells us in this verse, is to pray. That is the motivation.

And then he provides the mechanism. Therefore be clear minded and self controlled so that you can pray.  Which for me means I just really need to keep a clear mind to make mental and physical space to pray.  I have moved out of the season of being distracted by sleep deprivation followed by the endless, energy sapping vigour of toddlers.  That season is over.  I am without excuse now.  Except that I find myself distracted by the various balls I gradually added to my juggling act as the boys grew into greater independence and ultimately reached school age, leaving me with five free hours for five days a week.  More than ever it seems I need to show some self control in regulating my activities so that I can pray serious, sober, informed, intelligent, deep prayers with a clear mind. 

The end of all things is near.  Therefore be clear minded and self-controlled so that you can pray. 1Peter 4:7

Paul on prayer

So you may have noticed that I have been reading A Call to Spiritual Reformation: Priorities from Paul and his Prayers by Don Carson.  I have a couple of friends who have read this book in recent times and have commented that it breathed new life into their prayerfulness.

Now we all know that we can read books on prayer and listen to sermons on prayer (and I have listened to a few lately!!) until the cows come home but none of this going to have an impact on our prayerfulness unless, at our end, we have a desire to grow in our prayer life and we just get on with the business of praying.  This book is not a quick fix.  There is no quick fix.  But if you have a yearning to grow in prayefulness - quality or quantity - then there is much in this book for encouragement.

In chapter four of A Call to Spiritual Reformation: Priorities from Paul and his Prayers Don Carson pauses from his exposition and in a discussion on praying for others, quotes most of the prayers from Paul's letters in full over six solid pages.

I confess, right here on the internet for all to see, that when I first read this chapter at the beginning of June I travelled through these six pages pretty quickly.  I skimmed a few of the passages, skipped over others having read the references because they were so familiar and by the fifth page, just turned it right over to get back to Carson's text. Tut tut!

At the end of each chapter there are three or four study questions or ideas to promote some deeper thinking. At the end of this chapter, point number two is, "As a spiritual discipline slowly read through the prayers of Paul every day for one month.  Record in what ways this discipline influences your own praying."

So my reading of this book has slowed a little because I have decided to have a go at this exercise.  I've only managed to read through the passages three or four times in the last ten days but it is definitely a worthwhile exercise for widening and deepening scope in  prayer.  And for honing focus.  I may tinker away at it as I can during June and then pick it up for daily reading and reflection come the July school holidays.

What follows then is the list of the Scriptures Carson quotes.  I know a long list of Scriptures makes for absolutely deadly blogging so feel free to stop reading right here if this is not for you - at all or just at the moment. But there may be one or two who would like to have a go at this...and so here goes - most of the prayers of Paul.

Romans 1:8-10
Romans 10:1
Romans 12:12
Romans 15:5-6
Romans 15:13
Romans  15:30-33
1Corinthinans 1:4-9
1Corinthinans 16:23
2Corinthinans 1:3-7
2Corinthinans 2:14-16
2Corinthinans 9:12-15
2Corinthinans 12:7-9a
2Corinthinans 13:7-9
Galatians 6:18
Ephesians 1:3-8
Ephesians 1:15-23
Ephesians 3:14-21
Ephesians 6:19-20
Philippians 1:3-6
Philippians 1:9-11
Philippians 4:6-7
Philippians 4:23
Colossians 1:3-14
Colossians 4:2-4
1Thessalonians 1:2-3
1Thessalonians 2:13-16
1Thessalonians 3:9-13
1Thessalonians 5:23-24
1Thessalonians 5:28
2Thessalonians 1:3-4
2Thessalonians 1:11-12
2Thessalonians 2:16-17
2Thessalonians 3:2-5
2Thessalonians 3:16
1 Timothy 1:12
1 Timothy 2:1-6
2 Timothy 1:3-7
2 Timothy 1:16-18
2 Timothy 4:22
Titus 3:15b
Philemon 4-7
Philemon 25

If you think you might like to have a go at this and I know you (in person or via frequent commenting between blogs) and you would like me to photocopy the six pages out of the book and post them to you (it is helpful to just have the passages in front of you, all in one place) then leave me a message and I will see what I can do.

And a new take on ACTS

ACTS is another and very well known prayer schema.

Adoration
Confession
Thanksgiving
Supplication

It's a really helpful way to organise one's prayer life, praying one's way through that list, and it ensures that prayer doesn't degenerate into a whiny, needy shopping list.  I have used it often, although not slavishly or exclusively.

But as I listened to Tim Keller's sermon on prayer at the pool I was delighted to learn of a new way to use this schema.  He described using ACTS as a means of meditating on Scripture.  He suggests taking a short passage of Scripture and then, having read through it a handful of times, pray through it using ACTS.

The very next day I was reading Matthew chapter 22, which includes these famous verses:

“Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?”
Jesus replied: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment.   And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’  All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.”

And I decided to have a go.

Adoration - what a GREAT God we have, that He is worthy to be loved with all our heart, soul and mind, and that he gives us people (neighbours) to love.  And what a great God that He gave us Jesus.
Confession - DO I love Him with all my heart, soul and mind?  And do I love my neighbour (and I started with my own family) as I love myself?  There was plenty to confess there - we were well into the long school holidays by then!  This section probably took me the longest.
Thanksgiving - for a God who forgives, for a God who invites us to be in relationship with Him and to love Him with all our heart, soul and strength, for a vast array of neighbours to love, that those I love also have big hearts to forgive me when I don't love them as well or as fully as I should.
Supplication - for a bigger heart, capacity and desire to love God with all my heart, soul and mind and to love my neighbour as myself, and for new and creative ways in which to do this.

I have had some good times of "meditating on Scripture" in the past but generally I either don't do it or when I do try, find myself floundering or distracted pretty quickly.  I found this use of ACTS profoundly helpful - I think it will be a very useful tool as I learn how to pray in God's will without distraction and am looking forward to applying it to many other passages from the Bible.

A new take on IOUS

Incline my heart to your testimonies, and not to selfish gain. (Psalm 119:36)
Open my eyes, that I may behold wondrous things out of your law. (Psalm 119:18)
Unite my heart to fear your name. (Psalm 86:11)
Satisfy us in the morning with your steadfast love, that we may rejoice and be glad all our days. (Psalm 90:14)

I first heard about this lovely prayer, assembled directly from Scripture by John Piper, from Jean.  She suggested it as a good one to pray prior to reading the Bible.  I copied it out on the front page of my Bible and have used it almost every day before reading the Bible ever since.

I recently looked it up on John Piper's blog to find it mentioned in an article about how to pray for the pastoral staff at his church.  It turns out he uses the IOUS prayer to pray for those close to his heart. 

It is a beautiful way to pray for those we love - great prayers to pray for others and ourselves - as well as for our own times reading God's Word.

The Parents' Prayer Programme - Take Two

So, the other day I particularly enjoyed one of the prayers on the Parents' Prayer Programme and thought I would make mention of it here on the blog.  However when I returned to my post featuring this programme I discovered that Bob Hostetler's original was ordered and worded slightly differently - and if you were following along using that programme, it would bear no resemblance to the prayer I prayed this particular morning.  Which just goes to show that you should never blindly cut and paste without doing a little proofreading!!  So below is the version I use and have used for the last ten or so years.  To my thinking, the language in the version presented below is a little easier.  Maybe that's just because I have been using this tool for so long.   Either one will provide you with a good solid set of prayers to pray for your children, your loved ones or yourself.  Using either one in prayer will be time well spent.  But just for the record, the one I use is this one, not the other one.  Happy praying!!

1. Salvation
Lord, let salvation spring up within my children, that they may obtain the salvation that is in Christ Jesus, with eternal glory.
(Isa 45:8, 2 Tim 2.:10)

2. Growth in Grace
I pray that they may “grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.”
(2 Peter 3.18)

3. Love
Grant, Lord, that my children may learn to live a life of love through the Spirit who dwells in them.
(Ephesians 5.2,Galatians 5.22)

4. Honesty and Integrity
May integrity and honesty be their virtue and their protection.
(Psalm 25.21)

5. Self-control
Father, help my children not to be like many others around them, but let them be “alert and self-controlled” in all they do.
(1 Thessalonians 5.6)

6. A love for God’s Word
May my children grow to find your Word “more precious than gold, than much pure gold; [and] sweeter than honey, than honey from the comb.”
(Psalm 19.10)

7. Justice
God, help my children to love justice as you do and to “act justly” in all they do.
(Psalm 11.7, Micah 6.8)

8. Mercy
May my children always “be merciful as [their] Father is merciful.”
(Luke 6.36)

9. Respect (for self, others, authority)
Father, grant that my children may “show proper respect to everyone” as your word commands.
(1 Peter 2.17)

10. Strong, Biblical Self-esteem
Help my children develop a strong self esteem that is rooted in the realisation that they are “God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus.” (Eph 2.10)

11. Faithfulness
“Let love and faithfulness never leave [my children],” but bind these twin virtues around their necks and write them on the tablet of their hearts.
(Proverbs 3.3)

12. A Passion for God
Lord, please instil in my children a soul with a craving for you, a heart that clings passionately to you.
(Psalm 63.8)

13. Responsibility
Grant that my children may learn responsibility, “for each one should carry his own load.”
(Galatians 6.5)

14. Kindness
Lord, may my children “always try to be kind to each other and to everyone else.”
(1 Thessalonians 5.15)

15. Generosity
Grant that my children may "be generous and willing to share [& so] lay  up treasure for themselves as a firm foundation for the coming age.”
(1 Tim 6.18-19)

16. Peace, peacability
Father, let my children “make every effort to do what leads to peace.”
(Romans 14.19)

17. Hope
May the God of hope grant that my children may overflow with hope and hopefulness by the power of the Holy Spirit.
(Romans 15.13)

18. Perseverance
Lord, teach my children perseverance in all they do, and help them especially to “run with perseverance the race marked out for [them].” (Hebrews 12.1)

19. Humility
Lord, please cultivate in my children the ability to “show true humility toward all.”
(Titus 3.2)

20. Compassion
Lord, please clothe my children with the virtue of compassion.
(Colossians 3.12)

21. Prayerfulness
Grant, Lord, that my children’s lives may be marked by prayerfulness, that they may learn to “pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests.”
(Ephesians 6.18)

22. Contentment
Father, teach my children “the secret of being content in any and every situation ... through him who gives [them] strength.”
(Philippians 4.12-13)

23. Faith
I pray that faith will find root and grow in my children’s hearts, that by faith they may gain what has been promised to them.
(Luke 17.5-6, Hebrews 11.1-40)

24. A Servant Heart
Lord, please help my children develop servant hearts, that they may serve wholeheartedly “as if [they] were serving the Lord, not men.”
(Ephesians 6.7)

25. Purity
“Create in [them] a pure heart, O God,” and let their purity of heart be shown in their actions.
(Psalm 51.10)

26. A Willingness and Ability to Work Hard
Teach my children, Lord, to value work and to work hard at everything they do, “as working for the Lord, not for men.”
(Colossians 3.23)

27. Self-discipline
Father, I pray that my children may develop self-discipline, that they may acquire “a disciplined and prudent life, doing what is right and just and fair.”
(Proverbs 1.3)

28. A Heart for Missions
Lord, please help my children to develop a heart for missions, a desire to see your glory declared among the nations, your marvellous deeds among all peoples.
(Psalm 96.3)

29. Joy
May my children be filled “with the joy given by the Holy Spirit.”
(1 Thessalonians 1.6)

30. Courage
May my children always “be strong and courageous” in their character and in their actions.
(Deuteronomy 31.6)

Bob Hostetler's 31 Ways to Pray for your Children

I love Bob Hostetler's Prayer Programme for Children so much that I emailed him and asked for permission to reproduce the programme here.  That permission was granted so here it is. If these prayers are new to you, print them out and have a go with them for a month, praying them for yourself or for someone you love.  It will be time well spent for the Kingdom.

1 SALVATION - "Lord, let salvation spring up within my children, that they may obtain the salvation that is in Christ Jesus, with eternal glory" (Isaiah 45:8, 2 Timothy 2:10).

2 GROWTH IN GRACE - "I pray that they may 'grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ'" (2 Peter 3:18).

3 LOVE - "Grant, Lord, that my children may learn to 'live a life of love,' through the Spirit who dwells in them" (Ephesians 5:2, Galatians 5:22).

4 HONESTY AND INTEGRITY - " May integrity and honesty be their virtue and their protection" (Psalm 25:21, NLT).

5 SELF CONTROL - " Father, help my children not to be like many others around them, but let them be 'alert and self-controlled' in all they do" (1 Thessalonians 5:6)

6 A LOVE FOR GOD'S WORD - " May my children grow to find your Word 'more precious than gold, than much pure gold; [and] sweeter than honey, than honey from the comb'" (Psalm 19:10).

7 JUSTICE - " God, help my children to love justice as you do and to 'act justly' in all they do" (Psalm 11:7, Micah 6:8).

8 MERCY - "May my children always, 'be merciful, as [their] Father is merciful.'" (Luke 6:36)

9 RESPECT (FOR SELF, OTHERS AND AUTHORITY) - " Father, grant that my children may 'show proper respect to everyone,' as your Word commands" (1 Peter 2:17a).

10 STRONG BIBLICAL SELF-ESTEEM - " Help my children develop a strong self-esteem that is rooted in the realization that they are 'God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus'" (Ephesians 2:10).

11 FAITHFULNESS - "' Let love and faithfulness never leave [my children],' but bind these twin virtues around their necks and write them on the tablet of their hearts" (Proverbs 3:3).

12 COURAGE - "May my children always 'Be strong and courageous' in their character and in their actions" (Deuteronomy 31:6).

13 PURITY - "'Create in [them] a pure heart, O God,' and let their purity of heart be shown in their actions" (Psalm 51:10).

14 KINDNESS - "Lord, may my children 'always try to be kind to each other and to everyone else'" (1 Thessalonians 5:15).

15 GENEROSITY - "Grant that my children may 'be generous and willing to share [and so] lay up treasure for themselves as a firm foundation for the coming age'" (1 Timothy 6:18-19).

16 PEACE, PEACABILITLY - "Father, let my children 'make every effort to do what leads to peace'" (Romans 14:19).

17 JOY - " May my children be filled 'with the joy given by the Holy Spirit'" (1 Thessalonians 1:6).

18 PERSEVERANCE - " Lord, teach my children perseverance in all they do, and help them especially to 'run with perseverance the race marked out for [them]'" (Hebrews 12:1).

19 HUMILITY - " God, please cultivate in my children the ability to 'show true humility toward all'" (Titus 3:2).

20 COMPASSION - " Lord, please clothe my children with the virtue of compassion" (Colossians 3:12).

21 RESPONSIBILITY -  " Grant that my children may learn responsibility, 'for each one should carry his own load'" (Galatians 6:5).

22 CONTENTMENT - " Father, teach my children 'the secret of being content in any and every situation. . . . through him who gives [them] strength'" (Philippians 4:12-13).

23 FAITH - " I pray that faith will find root and grow in my children's hearts, that by faith they may gain what has been promised to them" (Luke 17:5-6, Hebrews 11:1-40).

24 A SERVANT HEART - " God, please help my children develop servant hearts, that they may serve wholeheartedly, 'as to the Lord, and not to men'" (Ephesians 6:7, KJV).

25 HOPE - " May the God of hope grant that my children may overflow with hope and hopefulness by the power of the Holy Spirit" (Romans 15:13).

26 THE WILLINGNESS AND ABILITY TO WORK HARD - " Teach my children, Lord, to value work and to work hard at everything they do, 'as working for the Lord, not for men'" (Colossians 3:23).

27 A PASSION FOR GOD - " Lord, please instill in my children a soul that "followeth hard after thee," a heart that clings passionately to you (Psalm 63:8, KJV).

28 SELF-DISCIPLINE - " Father, I pray that my children may develop self-discipline, that they may acquire 'a disciplined and prudent life, doing what is right and just and fair'" (Proverbs 1:3).

29 PRAYERFULNESS - " Grant, Lord, that my children's lives may be marked by prayerfulness, that they may learn to 'pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests" (Ephesians 6:18).

30 GRATITUDE - " Help my children to live lives that are always 'overflowing with thankfulness,' 'always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ'" (Colossians 2:7, Ephesians 5:20).

31 A HEART FOR MISSIONS - " Lord, please help my children to develop a heart for missions, a desire to see your glory declared among the nations, your marvelous deeds among all peoples" (Psalm 96:3).

Copyright Bob Hostetler (http://www.bobhostetler.com/). Used with the permission of the author.  

Reflections on Reflections

If you click here it will take you to a link from the Desiring God blog of an interview with John Piper about his devotional Bible reading . Reading the interview is a worthwhile endeavour, if for no other reason, than to catch a beautiful glimpse of a humble heart.

But there is plenty there to encourage and inspire as well. Here are some things that caught my attention.

Firstly, John Piper gives about an hour per day to his quiet time. He reads four chapters of the Bible (four chapters per day will get you through the Bible in a year), taking about twenty minutes. He then prays for twenty to thirty minutes, leaving five to ten minutes per day to memorise Scripture. I don't think I have ever thought of using this particular part of the day to memorise Scripture. But I like the idea.

To memorise Scripture he chooses a verse, reads it ten times and then closing his Bible and/or eyes, says it ten times. "Ten times read, ten times said and you've got it, " he says. The next day he repeats that verse five times (for revision) and then moves onto another verse. I tend to go phrase by phrase throughout the day, adding more on as phrases are mastered. I've recently started trying to memorise some Scripture again and generally aim for two verses a week. I wonder if my brain could do a whole verse at a time and that many a week? There's a challenge to exercise the brain!

Piper also explained why he memorises Scripture - and it is not so that he can boast that he can say the whole of Leviticus from memory. And nor is it to merely exercise his brain. (A personal rebuke slipping in there.) No, he memorises Scripture so that at 3pm, when the good effects of his morning quiet time have worn off, he has Scripture in his heart and mind to keep fighting the good fight. He memorises Scripture so that if he is talking to someone about the things of God and he hasn't got his Bible with him, he can still be sharing from the Word of God. John Piper memorises carefully chosen Scripture for the good of his soul and for the good of the souls around him - not to be clever, to have a fit brain or to boast. John Piper is a humble man.

The other thing that caught my eye was that when he prays for his twenty to thirty minutes, he prays for his family, the church and his soul. Whoa! He prays for his family, the church AND HIS SOUL.

Now, this is not rocket science, but I don't think (at least during these busy days of life with young children) that I pray for my soul. There is much to pray for with my family and the church. Yes, I pray many prayers of confession. I ask for help a great deal. But I don't think I pray for my soul - that I will grow in my knowledge and love of God, in my trust and dependence upon Him - even though I pray this for lots of other people. I think I hope that through my reading, thinking, prayerfulness for others, actions, the need to confess that invariably follows my actions and so on, that my soul will just grow...

Life as one of God's children is such an adventure. There is always something more to consider. And that is good. This interview contains plenty to encourage those new to reading the Bible right through to seasoned readers of the Scriptures. If having a quiet time is a part of your life - or you want it to be - then the few minutes it will take to read this article will be time well spent.

Prayer - (2) Quantity

I always feel it well to put a few words of prayer between everything I do.
So said Charles Spurgeon. And CJ Mahaney quoted him here as he wrote about punctuating his day with prayer, humbling himself before God in each new event rather than relying on his own self-sufficiency.

As I make my way from meeting to meeting, decision to decision, and phone call to phone call, I find the counsel of Charles Spurgeon very helpful. “I always feel it well,” he wrote, “to put a few words of prayer between everything I do.” Throughout his busy days, Spurgeon scattered words of prayer between each activity, a model I have sought to emulate over the years.
I really, really, really like this idea.

It's not a substitute for periods of extended, focussed prayer. But it's about coming to God at frequent intervals during the day – making sure that we are relying on Him in all that we do, that we are serving Him in all that we do, giving the mundane activity some purpose and doing such tasks with a cheerful, thankful heart - and keeping the things of God as our main priority throughout the day.

Since reading this I have been thinking about how this practice of pausing to pray before each new thing might apply in the life of a stay at home mum. Because the life of a stay at home mum is not divided into neat hourly blocks. I seem to move to something new every three minutes or so...from hanging out the washing to assisting in locating that critical piece of Lego to sweeping the leaves off the trampoline to dinner preparation and oh yes, back to hanging out that load of washing that was interrupted by the Lego! The days can pass by in a bit of a blur of unfinished activity. Which is fine. This is the nature of life with smalls.

But how might Spurgeon's model apply when life lacks a bit of structure?

1. Use cues in the environment. A friend of mine gave me some really groovy clothes pegs at one stage. At the time she was in great need of prayer and so I got into the habit of praying for her every time I put out the washing. That habit remains – she gets a lot of prayer because I do a lot of washing! This is one example of many.

2. I have the prayer diary of the main mission society we support and also our church's directory on my recipe rack in the kitchen. I seem to be in the kitchen a lot – doing things that don't take a lot of concentration so I use the time to pray through those lists of people. You can cover quite a lot of territory in a day this way!

3. The thing that punctuates my day is people - the people I meet at school drop off and pick up times, the people I might visit or who visit me, the people I speak to and do business with at the shops. I have decided, spurred on by Spurgeon (and CJ Mahaney!) to use people rather than appointments as markers in my day. So I am trying to stop (actually stop) and pray before I go to school, on my way to see someone, on my way to answering the door when someone calls by at our house – praying for those I will meet, praying for a valuable and encouraging interaction, praying that I will be like this.

4. Pray with our children. When something happens or someone comes to mind and prayer is required – or in any of the above three categories – I am just starting to try to form the habit of praying about it with our children. It is one thing to be praying often and silently (which is fine) but I have also become aware that our children need to see this habit of praying frequently throughout the day modelled too so that they learn to "pray without ceasing" and realise that prayer doesn't just happen when saying grace or goodnight prayers. And by teaching them this habit maybe they might even remind me to pray about something one day. That would be a joy.

I'm not too bad at the first two ideas. The second two are new habits that I am trying to form.

I always feel it well to put a few words of prayer between everything I do.
Well, between EVERYTHING may not be practical, but frequently has got to be a good alternative. Any other ideas?

Prayer - (1) Quality

As I was praying for my family a few weeks ago I noticed something about my prayers that absolutely horrified me.

There are various things that I pray for repetitively. I pray that my husband will have an effective and productive work day and that any meetings he has will of value. I pray that the gospel will sink deep into my boys' hearts.

And there are other things that I pray about repetitively. I pray that gospel seeds will be sown in the hearts of the children in my scripture classes and to that end, I often pray that they will simply behave during our lesson together so that they can engage with the lesson.

I pray that the children at our Sunday School will love coming to church, that they will make real relationships with each other and the grown-ups who are trying to connect with them and that they will learn something wonderful about God in their time together.

On these and other subjects I pray the same things over and over and over and over.

And there is absolutely nothing wrong with repetitive prayers. Nothing at all. Except when you catch yourself thinking, before you pray one of your repetitve prayers, "Well, I suppose I ought to pray for such and such now..."

I suppose I ought to pray for my husband and his day ahead because I am his wife. I suppose I ought to pray for our boys because I am their mother. I suppose I ought to pray for my scripture classes because I am their scripture teacher...

It is wrong to pray repetitively if those daily prayers become empty words mouthed out of a sense of duty.

That horrible (and wonderful) morning I realised that I was praying my way through a list in order to tick the box of duty served and not because I actually believed God would answer those prayers. Autopilot meets unbelief.

It was horrible to realise that this was what I was doing. A weight lifted off me as I repented of my wretchedness. And a certain joy and fresh enthusiasm for prayer replaced it as the quality of my prayers changed - as I actually began to pray in belief that God is listening and will answer.

Yes, I still pray my repetitive prayers for my husband, my boys, my scripture classes, the Sunday School children and for a whole lot more besides - but now I try to start those prayers asking God to help me to pray with concentration, with genuine love and concern for those I am praying for and for a sincere and deep belief that God will hear those prayers and answer them. Again and again.

"I do believe; help me overcome my unbelief." Mark 9:24

A Prayer of Thanksgiving

Here is a beautiful prayer of thanksgiving taken from the 1978 edition of An Australian Prayer Book.  Enjoy…and if you like, pray.

Most merciful Father,
we humbly thank you
for all your gifts so freely bestowed on us.
For life and health and safety,
for power to work and leisure to rest
and for all that is beautiful in creation and in the lives of humanity,
we praise and glorify your holy name.
But, above all, we thank you
for your spiritual mercies in Christ Jesus our Lord,
for the means of grace,
and for the hope of glory.
Fill our hearts with all joy and peace in believing;
through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Amen