“But I am Prayer”

David wrote Psalm 109 as a plea to the Lord for help. But, early in the Psalm, verse 4b, he writes, “…but I give myself to prayer.” The Hebrew here, according to the ESV translators, literally means, “…but I am prayer.”

 

It struck me—can I say this?

 

Can I say that in every circumstance, every life situation that I face or that my children face, “I am prayer”?

 

Or, do my hands and feet get ahead of my mouth? Do I try to be the fixer before I gain the mind of Christ through prayer?

 

If “I am prayer,” then I will be already in the correct place to receive help from the Fixer who isn’t just about repairs but is the Restorer and Redeemer. In fact, I think I prefer to be restored and redeemed and definitely prefer that for my children.

 

May we each be able to say, “…but I am prayer.”

 

 

Thus says the Lord, your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel:

I am the Lord your God, Who teaches you to profit,

Who leads you in the way that you should go.

Isaiah 48:17 (AMP)

Tuned Ears

The main road from town to our home, which is near the city limits, is four lanes, two in each direction. I usually stay in the far right lane knowing that I will have to turn right on our road. But, often when a car or cars are in front of me, I sense the need to change lanes. I can’t always say I listen, but either way, I quickly find out that the car in front of me all of sudden slows down to turn right. Recently, I sensed that, so I moved my car into the left lane, and watched as both of the cars in front of me slowed down, one right after the other to turn right into different driveways.

 

Have you ever sensed something familiar?

 

I thought, this really isn’t a big thing. But it reminds me that the Living God who indwells me through His Spirit knows where I am and knows about every detail of my life…and He cares. Changing lanes to avoid being slowed down really is only a very small thing in the scheme of life. But it is certainly a huge reminder that this is true of the big things. I just need to keep my ear tuned to hear and my heart ready to obey.

 

And that makes me think of how mightily the Spirit works in this world, even in the lives of those He does not indwell. Scripture tells us—

 

He will convict and convince the world and bring demonstration to it about sin and about righteousness (uprightness of heart and right standing with God) and about judgment

John 16:8 (AMP)

 

But we who have Him indwelling us have a part to play—prayer.

 

That is why we must never give up praying for our children no matter their age or their circumstances. It is the Spirit of God that works to move them from one path to another—just as He moves us.

 

Lord God, we come before You with hands held out to plead for our children. May Your Holy Spirit speak into their lives. May their ears be tuned to hear sweet words behind them: “Go this way. There is your path; this is how you should go” whenever they must decide whether to turn to the right or the left. (from Isaiah 30:21 VOICE). In the Name of our Living Savior, Jesus, amen.

 

Tirelessness in Prayer

The warm spring days we’ve had recently are good times to watch the critters outside our living room window as they enjoy their changing environment. Birds, mostly starlings, one afternoon were rummaging in the grass while a squirrel was traversing the high wire up above. He was heading back from probably our oak tree to the huge maples in the neighbor’s yard. Suddenly, not far from the first tree, he was almost knocked off the wire by a starling’s attack! I’d never seen a starling do this before. The squirrel quickly recovered and had continued on his way when the starling repeated the attack. This time, the squirrel jumped from the wire to the center of the maple tree only to have the starling, again on the attack, follow him right onto the tree! It was like the bird took on squirrel attributes as it “ran” over the tree limb. Both disappeared from my sight.

 

This whole interaction made me think of how even when we are traveling on a good path, the enemy is still after us. Persistently, he tries to knock us off the path. And when we get off, his attack intensifies to make it difficult for us to get back on.

 

The enemy is tireless. So, praying moms, we must be tireless in prayer. Because even when we think our kids are on the safe path, more prayer is needed. Their enemy will, without a doubt, try to knock them off with repeated attacks. And, if he succeeds, he will make even more effort to keep them from getting back on.

 

We need to follow Jesus’ example when Satan was after Peter. In fact, the Amplified Bible takes this deeper to say that Satan was after all the disciples, not just Peter—

 

Simon, Simon (Peter), listen! Satan has asked excessively that [all of] you be given up to him [out of the power and keeping of God], that he might sift [all of] you like grain,

Luke 22:31 (AMP)

 

We see Jesus’ example of intercession as Luke goes on to write one of those “but God” verses—

 

But I have prayed especially for you [Peter], that your [own] faith may not fail; and when you yourself have turned again, strengthen and establish your brethren.

Luke 22:32 (AMP)

 

May we follow the example of Jesus. Peter was on the path, following Jesus, yet the enemy was on attack. Similarly, it is often when we think our children are “safe” that they really are most vulnerable. Our children need the backup of our prayers to not only keep them on the path but also to restore them when they are knocked off.

 

May we keep praying until Jesus comes. May we “be unceasing in prayer [praying perseveringly]” (1 Thessalonians 5:17 AMP)

 

Servants of VICTORY

Victory does not happen to us while we passively wait …

a victorious Christian is deliberately and personally involved

in a process that leads to victory.

If you are to achieve your goals, you must be involved to the maximum extent.

Charles Swindoll

Proverbs 21:31 tells us that "the horse is made ready for the day of battle, but the victory belongs to the Lord." And Paul wrote in 1 Corinthians 15:57 in agreement that it is "God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ."

 

Yet, John wrote in 1 John 5:4 that "everyone who has been born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world—our faith."

 

So, how does what Charles Swindoll wrote reconcile with these and other scriptures?

 

What it all boils down to is this—

 

If you want victory, you have to surrender.

War Room (the movie)

 

Because faith—the victory that has overcome—equals surrender. Thus, it is our active involved choice of surrender in faith—believing, trusting, and relying upon the Lord, not ourselves—that allows our God, then, to do the work in and through us that leads to victory.

 

In that choice of faith, we surrender our own desires and will to those of our Father God, just as Christ did. (Philippians 2:5-8, Luke 22:42) Jesus, our example, humbly surrendered His will to His Father’s will. He chose to be His Father’s servant and was involved to the maximum extent in the process of accomplishing His Father’s goal—even to death. And the result? Victory!

 

If victory is really our desire, we, too, must humbly surrender our will and be involved to the maximum extent. That will mean death to ourselves.

 

The reality is, then, praying moms, surrender is what has to happen if we are to be prayer warriors for our children. Because, honestly, what keeps us from prayer? Isn’t it ourselves?

 

We may place the blame on this or that, but the truth is we choose what we do with our time. Even if the demands of others are involved, we still choose.

 

It’s a peculiarity of the Christian life—surrender brings victory. So, my prayer for us is that we will each make the choice of surrendered faith to be involved to the maximum extent and be servants of victory.

How we thank God for all of this! It is he who makes us victorious

through Jesus Christ our Lord!

1 Corinthians 15:57 (TLB