PERCOLATING PRAYERS

“And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests.”  (Ephesians 6:18a NIV)

I have friends who spend hours each day interceding in prayer. Their children are grown and gone, and they can devote extended time to supplication. I’m not in the same place of life. Sure, I pray daily, and I have a prayer journal I write in consistently. But during these busy years when my three children consume most of my waking hours, I also find strength in little prayers. I like to call them “percolating prayers.”

All kinds of these short, power-packed prayers pop up throughout the Gospels: The disciples prayed, “Lord, save us!” The troubled mother prayed, “Lord, help me!” The soldier cried, “Lord, my servant is suffering.…” The teacher of the law said, “Teacher, I will follow You.…” The leper said, “Lord, You can make me clean….” The blind man called out, “Have mercy on us, Lord….”

Today, my little prayers went something like this: “Surround us with Your love.” “Teach me.” “Fill us with Your Spirit.” “Help me to be patient.” “Please give the kids wisdom.” “We need Your guidance.” “Thank You, Lord.” “Wow, God! You are awesome!”

Some prayers are requests for help. Others simply acknowledge the facts. The form or shape of the prayer really doesn’t matter. There are no restrictions on when or where these prayers can percolate.... What matters most is that we connect with God and link our soul with our Power Source. As the gentle touch of a light switch generates power to illuminate a room, so, too, our little prayers connect us with God and release His energy to empower us for the day. 

-- Pam Vredevelt in “Espresso for Your Spirit”

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ALL-CONSUMING PASSION

"As the deer longs for streams of water, so I long for You, O God. I thirst for God, the living God."  (Psalm 42:1-2a NLT)

What has your attention at this very moment? This reading? Perhaps, but we all know that we can give modest attention to several things at once. We eat, read, and listen for the phone all at the same time. When our search for something consumes all our energy and all our faculties, everything else fades away and disappears. Even a ringing phone goes unanswered when we are seeking to give answer to another call deep within. What are you searching for that consumes all your energy and attention? The quest for God is a search worthy of such all-consuming passion and energy. 

-- Norman Shawchuck and Rueben P. Job in “A Guide to Prayer for All Who Seek God” 

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COMING TO WORSHIP WITH EXPECTANCY

“When they said, ‘Let’s go to the house of God,’ my heart leaped for joy.”  (Psalm 22:1 MSG)

Sometimes people bring energy to a gathering; sometimes they just show up.  My wife used to head up a ministry to twenty-something folks who were mostly single.  I knew, even with my eyes closed, if I was in their presence, just by the smell.  They smelled great.  In regular church services, with mostly old married people, no one cares how they smell.  But when people are hopeful of meeting someone, there is electricity in the air.  And a scent in the air.  They are alive.

It is the same with God.  If I really believe that I may meet with God, I don’t just show up.  My mind is awake.  I am hoping and looking for something beyond myself.

-- John Ortberg in “The Me I Want To Be”

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