Praise as a Garment

Have you ever thought of praise as a garment?

God's Word in Isaiah 61:3 speaks of praise in that manner. Isaiah wrote that it is the Lord's desire is to give us the "garment of praise" in exchange for the spirit of heaviness.

 

The Hebrew word translated praise is tĕhillah. It means praise, song or hymn of praise. It is the kind of praise that is voiced, not just thought. The Amplified conveys it as, "…the garment [expressive] of praise…"

 

The word for garment in Hebrew is ma`ateh, which literally means a wrap or mantle. Since this is its only occurrence in the Old Testament, that gives it significance. Matthew Henry commented, "The garments of praise, such beautiful garments as were worn on thanksgiving-days." His words made me recall of growing up when it was the tradition to dress up for Easter (Resurrection Sunday), a day of celebration and thanksgiving. One year, all six of us girls had new matching lilac-colored dresses with little jackets and flowery headbands. We were dressed to celebrate and our clothes certainly let that be known.

 

And, isn't it true that what you wear on the outside seems to have an effect on how you feel on the inside?

 

As I thought on these words, I was watching trees dressed in their autumn glory being shaken by the wind. In response, the "voices" of those golden leaves sounded like applause. It was as if the trees were wearing garments of praise.

 

Isn't that what can happen with us? When the wind of the Holy Spirit breathes on us, we can choose the applause of praise to the Lord even when the forecast is bleak. Even when He strips us down to our bare "bones," like the fall winds do to the trees. We can still give praise because we know the resurrection victory is ours. We know that no matter what the winds of time bring to us, eternal life and glory are just a "moment" away.

 

Michael Youssef wrote, "We do not have to live with feelings of doubt and fear. We can opt to live a life of praise! … In times of praise, God becomes the focus of our hearts. We see Him as the source of our hope and strength. Praise changes our attitudes and prepares us for the manifestation of God’s power in our lives."

 

Praying moms, before you lay out all your burdens to the Lord, spend some time leaning back into Him through praise. Your sacrifice of praise will not only change your attitude but will change your perspective and prepare your heart and mind for the wondrous works that the Lord will do in answer to your prayers. Our God is able to do exceedingly abundantly more than what we ask or even think to ask of Him. (Ephesians 3:30)

 

"I will sacrifice a voluntary offering to you; I will praise your name, O Lord, for it is good." Psalm 54:6

 

 

"Teach Us to Pray"

The only reference in the New Testament where we find it being asked of Jesus, "Lord, teach us…," is in Luke 11:1 where it is written that one of His disciples said, "Lord, teach us to pray."

Why?

 

Mike Glenn, pastor of Brentwood Baptist in Tennessee, said recently that his guess is that when the disciples heard Jesus pray, "He prayed like no one else they had ever heard pray. There was a power when He prayed. There was an intimacy when He prayed. There was a simplicity when He prayed. There was a love when He prayed…a confidence when He prayed that they had never been around before in their life."

 

So, Jesus took time to give His disciples (and us) a sample of what prayer should be like. And, as we read Luke 11 as well as Matthew 6, we see Him expand on that outline.

 

Later, we read how the disciples put what Jesus taught them into practice. We see that powerfully exemplified in the book, The Acts of the Apostles.

 

We really aren't any different than the former disciples. We need to learn how to pray, how to practice prayer. I think this is very clear considering what research has brought to the light.

 

According to LifeWay Research, 2009, prayer is at the bottom of the top critical church ministries of surveyed Southern Baptist pastors. When asked about the number one most important ministry, prayer was only considered such by 5%. That's 40 pastors of the 801 surveyed. When asked about the top five ministries that were critical to the mission, future health and progress of their church, prayer faired a bit better. It was 9^th with 13% of those pastors considering it in the top 5. I doubt the statistics are any better in 2013 than they were in 2009.

 

I believe that the Lord has given the ministry of Moms in Prayer International a task of teaching His daughters the practice of prayer, particularly, corporate prayer using a format often seen in Scripture that begins with praise (or adoration), then confession, followed by thanksgiving and afterwards intercession (supplication). We use God's written Word to guide our prayers. We don't just talk with one another about our children but talk to the Lord and include each other in that conversational prayer.

 

But even more, I believe that Moms in Prayer International is being used to call the church worldwide back to corporate, prevailing prayer. Women, having learned this powerful practice of prayer, often go into their churches and communities to teach others what they've learned.

 

Francis Frangipane wrote, “All the efforts of man to establish laws and govern righteously will not truly transform our culture. We need something greater; we need the presence of God poured out." He went on to write, "God has uniquely designed [woman] with a latent ability to release life through [her] intercession." And, "God is raising up and anointing a prayer army of women who are about to be given even greater power as they intercede before God for their families and their nations."

 

Praying moms, we are an army of prayer warriors given the task to release life through intercession.

 

May our lives echo the words of Winston Churchill—

 

"We shall not flag or fail. We shall go on to the end. We shall fight … with growing confidence and growing strength … whatever the cost may be. … We shall never surrender!"

 

If you'd like to join this army of praying mothers, check out www.MomsInPrayer.org.

 

Secret Ingredient to Unique Tone

Archeological discovery of closely timed volcanic activity, happening over just a few decades, may be the root cause of the Medieval Little Ice Age, which is, as Dr. Elizabeth Mitchell writes, "Memorialized in the paintings of ice skating on London’s Thames River during medieval yearly freezes that lasted until 1804… [and] by famines and death throughout Europe."

 

But, then, she added, "On an ironically happy note, the famed Stradivarius violins were produced by Antonio Stradivari during the Little Ice Age, apparently from the much denser-than-normal wood from trees that grew during these cold years, and the unique qualities of the wood are thought to have contributed to the unique tone of these violins."

 

Dr. David Whitehouse agrees, writing that "the long winters and cool summers of the period produced wood that gave the unique, rich sound of the Cremonese instruments."

 

The unique tone of these instruments was greatly due to weather which for many resulted in destruction. But for the trees that survived those difficult conditions of less sun and colder weather, their wood became "one of a kind" and was used to create extremely valuable, "one of a kind" violins.

Stradivarius Violin - Photograph from Internet Source

 

Similarly, it is with human beings. Trial and difficulty can strengthen us and grow in us unique qualities that make us one of a kind and give a unique tone to our lives.

 

Or not.

 

What makes the difference is our response to the trial and difficulty. That is the secret ingredient to produce the unique tone of our lives.

 

And, that is why, praying moms, that we must wrap our children in our prayers. As we see them go through trial and difficulty, we need to pray that our children will "Rejoice and exult in hope; be steadfast and patient in suffering and tribulation; be constant in prayer." Romans 12:12 (AMP)

 

Our prayers need to echo John's, "Beloved, I pray that you may prosper in every way and [that your body] may keep well, even as [I know] your soul keeps well and prospers." 3 John 1:2 (AMP)

 

The Psalmist reasons—

 

"I know, O Lord, that Your judgments are right, and that in faithfulness You have afflicted me. Let, I pray, Your merciful kindness be for my comfort, according to Your word to Your servant. Let Your tender mercies come to me, that I may live; for Your law is my delight." Psalm 119:75-77 (NKJV)

 

Our prayers will assist our children to be like those trees that not only survived but were strengthened by decades of troublesome weather. Our prayers will help them not just overcome but triumph and come out better on the other side.

 

 

 

Right to Live

I recently received an update from our World Vision sponsored child who lives in India. When asked what he learned through World Vision about some of his Child Rights and Protection, he wrote, "Right to live, right to protection, right to participate, right to survive."

His desire reflects the desire of children all around the world.

 

His desire reflects the hearts of mothers all around the world—for their children to live.

 

This is a world full of wickedness, trouble, and darkness. Yet, the Light has shone in the darkness.

 

Our prayer as mothers is that our children will turn from the darkness to the Light, Jesus Christ. That is my prayer for this young man as well, that he would have life by believing in the Light, that he would become a son of Light. (John 12:36)

 

In Moms in Prayer, we often pray from Acts 26:18 for unbelievers:

 

Open _______’s eyes and turn him/her from darkness to light,

and from the power of Satan to God, so that he/she may receive forgiveness of sins

and a place among those who are sanctified by faith in Jesus.

 

Jesus said in John 8:12, “I am the light of the world. He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life.”

 

Referring to this verse, Steve Hall wrote, "The Lord Jesus Christ illumines mankind to all of God's truth and life." ("I Want to Know More of Christ," page 222)

 

Life—the right to live, the right to protection, the right to participate, and the right to survive. Isn't that what is at the heart of all we do for our children?

 

That heart should stir us as mothers to put aside the busyness of this culture and get down to serious battle in prayer. May we shine the Light of Christ "to illuminate and destroy the works of spiritual darkness" (Steve Hall) as we persist in prayer, crying out on behalf of those not yet living in the Light.

The Sensitive Hands of God

Have you ever just contemplated your hands?

 

Did you know that your fingers are some of the densest areas of nerve endings in your body? That means they give the richest source of tactile feedback to your brain. Your sense of touch is intimately associated with your hands. And that sense of touch tells you a lot about what is in your hands. You can "see" with your hands.

 

I grew up in Sunday school and VBS singing, "He's Got the Whole World in His Hands." I sang the song many times with my own children when they were young. We loved to sing the different verses and do the motions.

 

Scripture has many verses that speak of God's hands.

 

He not only holds the world in His hands, those same hands formed it. "In His hand are the deep places of the earth; the heights of the hills are His also. The sea is His, for He made it; and His hands formed the dry land." Psalm 95:4-5

 

His hands are mighty.  "O Lord God, You have begun to show Your servant Your greatness and Your mighty hand, for what god is there in heaven or on earth who can do anything like Your works and Your mighty deeds?" Deuteronomy 3:24

 

Indeed, His hands never lack power. "Behold, the Lord’s hand is not shortened, that it cannot save; nor His ear heavy, that it cannot hear." Isaiah 59:1

 

His hands are righteous. "According to Your name, O God, so is Your praise to the ends of the earth; Your right hand is full of righteousness." Psalm 48:10

 

Our very breath is held in His hands, "In whose hand is the life of every living thing, and the breath of all mankind." Job 12:10 NKJ

 

His hands uphold His people. "Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, yes, I will help you, I will uphold you with My righteous right hand." Isaiah 41:10

 

In fact, His hands hold each one of His people securely. "My Father, who has given them to Me, is greater than all; and no one is able to snatch them out of My Father’s hand." John 10:29

 

But, think again of your own hands as you hold your child. What is traveling between you and your child through those nerve endings?

 

Now imagine yourself enfolded in the hands of God. As He holds you, His hands sense everything there is to know about you. Nothing is hidden. Every fiber of your being is sensed by His touch.

 

And because He is also your Creator, He knows your inner being as well as your outer being.

 

Genesis 2:7 tells us that the Lord God formed man. The Hebrew word translated formed is yatsar, meaning to form, fashion, or frame actively. Gesenisus' Lexicon notes that it is like what a potter does with clay, in essence, hands on. And, when woman was made, Genesis 2:22, the Hebrew word, banah, translated made, means most commonly to build or build up. Again, this speaks of a something that takes time and attention to do.

 

Psalm 139 reminds us of God's intentional activity in the formation of every human being. That means you, that means me, and that means our children, too.

 

There are many verses to the song, "He's Got the Whole World in His Hand." And we can add our own. We can sing, "He's got our sons and our daughters in His hands," because we know that as we pray for them, our Lord God wraps His mighty and sensitive hands around their lives to work His righteousness around these children we have committed to Him through prayer.

 

"…for I know whom I have believed and am persuaded that He is able

to keep what I have committed to Him until that Day."

2 Timothy 1:12

 

 

Full of Jesus

This past week, my Bible readings have been in the Gospel of Mark. In chapter 6, Mark describes a time when Jesus sent His disciples out two by two giving them power over unclean spirits. The disciples "went out and preached that people should repent. And they cast out many demons, and anointed with oil many who were sick, and healed them." (Mark 6:12-13 NKJ) Wow! What results!

But, then, in chapter 9 of Mark, these same disciples were unable to cast one demon out of a child. And Jesus called them a "faithless [unbelieving] generation" and told them the demon could only leave the child by means of prayer and, some versions add, fasting.

 

Did they not believe?

 

Were they not praying?

 

Was there even time for what we define as fasting?

 

A deeper look at chapters 8 through 10 reveals a problem, probably the problem. The disciples were full of themselves and not so much of Jesus. It seems possible that their previous sent out experience was so exhilarating that it may have turned their focus inward and not upward on God. That might even explain why a few versions add "and fasting" as the intent of fasting is to help "focus one's energies on the resources available in our great God." (Thomas Nelson NKJ Study Bible)

 

I love the format of the Four Steps of Prayer that Moms in Prayer International has been given. Beginning with praise, we invite the Lord's presence to abide with us. Then, silent confession makes room for His presence to fill us. Thanksgiving opens our eyes to the fact that it is about His good purposes coming to reality, which are far better than ours.

 

These first three steps usually result in the emptying of our "self" and the filling us up of Jesus. That has a powerful, faith-filled effect on the way we intercede for our children and their schools.

 

Jesus told the father, "If you can believe, all things are possible to him who believes." (Mark 9:23 NKJ)

 

As we admit our own resources are weak and ask for His help, He makes hope come alive because we see the possibilities of His resources coming into play. When we ask Him to strengthen our faith and look to His resources, we frequently see "impossible" things happen.

 

Perhaps first there is more convulsing, as with this child, and death appears to have won, but in the end, Jesus will have His way.

 

May we each use our voice to speak to Jesus and echo the child's father's words, "Lord, I believe; help my unbelief!" (Mark 9:17, 24b NKJ)

 

 

 

Are You One Who Sees the Smoke?

Recently, I heard a story about a man who, while stopped at a freeway exit, noticed smoke pouring out of the back wall of a nearby structure. As he considered what to do, the thought occurred to him, what if he was the only one who saw the smoke?

 

That spurred him into action. Putting his plans aside, he turned and drove to what turned out to be an apartment building. He quickly got out of his car and started banging on doors. Because of his action, everyone became aware of the danger and got out safely.

 

Are you one who sees the smoke?

 

What if you are the only one?

 

Are you willing to act?

 

We live in a world predominantly unaware of the smoke and of the fire it hides. It really is a matter of life and death. The present tense "is" indicates urgency.

 

Everyone who sees the smoke has a responsibility to act. But, we often think we don't have the resources or the power, even the authority, to act. If that is our thinking, we are dead wrong.

 

The Lord Jesus through His Holy Spirit has given His followers great resources, power and authority. Significantly, those resources come alive through the action of prayer.

 

Jesus' words tell us, “If you live in Me [abide vitally united to Me] and My words remain in you and continue to live in your hearts, ask whatever you will, and it shall be done for you." (John 15:7 AMP) And, “I assure you: The one who believes in Me will also do the works that I do. And he will do even greater works than these, because I am going to the Father.  Whatever you ask in My name, I will do it so that the Father may be glorified in the Son." (John 14:12-13 HCSB)

 

Now, that's the powerful influence of asking—of prayer.

 

May the Lord's words to Ezekiel (22:30, HCSB) not be true of us, "I searched for a man among them who would repair the wall and stand in the gap before Me on behalf of the land so that I might not destroy it, but I found no one."

 

Instead, may we be like Moses, God's chosen one, who "stood in the breach before Him to keep His wrath from destroying..." (Psalm 106:23 RSV)

 

For those of us who see the smoke, may we turn from our own plans to action in powerful prayer to rescue those in danger from the fire.