Talk The Talk

Your house is to be called a house of PRAYER.

Not a house of EVANGELISM. Not a house of DISCIPLESHIP. Not a house of PREACHING. Not a house of TEACHING. Not a house of COUNSELING. Not a house of WORSHIP. Not a house of SERVICE. Not a house of FELLOWSHIP. Not a house of MINISTRY. Not a house of OUTREACH. Not a house of MISSIONS. A house of PRAYER.

What happens when prayer stops being the main thing?

Church becomes little more than a weekly social ritual.

So a true revival is not only a revival of evangelism but first and foremost a revival of prayer.

Without prayer there is no EVANGELISM, there is no DISCIPLESHIP, there is no PREACHING, there is no TEACHING, there is no COUNSELING, there is no WORSHIP, there is no SERVICE, there is no FELLOWSHIP, there is no MINISTRY, there is no OUTREACH, there is no MISSIONS. Everything in my house must be permeated and saturated with prayer. Otherwise I am not in it.

But the Bible says all those things are God-honoring!

How can I be in all those things when there is no room for me to be in all those things because the door that opens to my presence in all those things has been locked by prayerlessness?

Which is exactly what you warn against in 2 Chronicles 7:14 when you say “IF my people…will humble themselves and pray.” That’s a really big IF, especially in this day and age when our time is largely filled with countless, meaningless, techno-savvy distractions.

I would say it is the biggest IF my church has to overcome today. It’s even bigger than “If you love me, obey my commandments.” There simply is not nearly enough prayer cascading toward my throne from my church.

So true spirituality is a trickle-down effect from prayer to obedience.

Exactly.

But the trickle can’t begin just anywhere, can it? I mean, isn’t that the problem with our churches today? We try to put a bunch of different things in place of prayer, and then ask you to bless them, still fully expecting this trickle down effect from whatever area we choose to emphasize over prayer. Trouble is, we are starting the trickle from a place you never intended.

No substitutes allowed. Prayer is the beginning point of all true spirituality. If you don’t communicate with me, don’t expect me to bless you or your efforts. My blessing is always given in proportion to your prayers.

Some people think they aren’t spiritual unless they curl up with you in their own little designated prayer closet, when in reality this kind of posture and position and location is really quite difficult to come by.

Yes and no. Yes, I did tell you in the New Testament to go into your room and close your door whenever you prayed, but no, that is not the only time you can commune with me. In fact, I prefer you communicate with me as often as you can. The more you communicate with me, the more fresh and vibrant our relationship will be.

Kind of like human relationships. In a truly God-honoring marriage, a husband doesn’t just communicate to with his wife at a designated time every day. He communicates with her as often as he can. Some conversations are short, some conversations are long, some are intense, some are hum-drum, but all go toward building a solid relationship with his wife. And they don’t all happen in the same location, either. Much happen on the go.

Prayer that truly pleases me is exactly that–relationship-building. Your prayer won’t always win an Oscar for dramatic effectiveness, and your prayer won’t always be boring beyond words. But you should always still pray. I don’t care what it sounds like or how you say it. What I care about is you living your life in me so I can live my life through you. A prayer life is merely the spiritual continnum and equivalent of communication between human beings. It’s not some foreign object you can’t understand. If you can talk to human beings, then you can surely talk to me. I think you’ll find I’m a pretty good listener.

You’re ready to listen. We’re experts at talk. What’s our big problem then?

2 Chronicles 7:14. “If my people…will HUMBLE THEMSELVES and PRAY.” You have to have a humble heart in order to pray effectively, and you have to humble it in my presence through confession and repentance.

Meaning we have to deal with our sin before we can deal with our prayers.

Exactly.

But we’re not so big on sin, are we? Just like Adam, we would much rather attempt a getaway into the woods than have to face up to the sins we’ve committed against you and against others.

Pride goes before destruction…

And a haughty spirit before a fall.

Just a few willing hearts and this nation will see a revival like at no other time in its history.

Politics God’s Way, Part 2

Hey God, Jeremy here.

Yes, my child.

I have a question about the presidential election.

Yes?

Why is it that one candidate gets investigated to the teeth about a very intimate family situation, and the other candidate does not even get investigated to the shoelaces about certain questionable mentoring associations?

Good question.

Do you have an answer?

I do, but you cannot bear it at this time.

What can you tell me then?

Let’s go back to the Bible. Do you recall what I said about how I treat people?

You said that you aren’t a respecter of persons. Another translation says that you show no partiality. In other words, you have no favorites.

I have no favorites, and I don’t play favorites.

But what about people who know you versus people who don’t know you? Don’t you favor those who obey you and disfavor those who disobey you?

Now you’re starting to understand the clash between impartiality and justice. While I do favor and bless those who obey me, and disfavor and bring guilt upon those who disobey me, my justice demands I treat everybody as they deserve. My impartiality demands I treat everybody equally.

How is that possible?

My ways are above your ways and my thoughts are above your thoughts. Your thoughts are on the earth, and my thoughts come straight from the throne room of heaven. I don’t expect you to understand. I only expect you to bow down and worship me.

I love to worship you! But how does the fact that you are not a respecter of persons tie into the situation with the presidential candidates?

See how frustrating favoritism is? When it comes to modern American politics, impartiality is a concept of the past. America is divided because the majority of Americans operate according to partiality, without regard for objective truth.

And a kingdom divided against itself cannot stand.

Exactly. And a partial media makes it all the more difficult to discern and determine objective truth about each candidate.

I feel as if we are standing on the brink of a national collapse. Collectively we have all finally arrived at the proverbial cliff of stability, and are just waiting for a cataclysmic earthquake to shake the ground from under us. I fear the election of the wrong candidate will make the tenuous needle of the Richter scale jump off the charts.

No need to fear, my child. Just trust.

Okay…

The core of your faulty thinking is placing too much emphasis on the cause-and-effect relationship of candidates to the future of America. It’s what the media wants you to believe. Now, this thinking would be true if you lived in a monarchy, and everything the king said was law, as in the time of King David. Your democracy has been set up with checks and balances to prevent any one person or party or branch of government from gaining or wielding too much power.

That’s not exactly a comforting thought.

More importantly, nothing ever escapes my hand.  Do you trust me?

Of course I do. I trust you with my life, my marriage, my finances, my home, my future.

Then you can also trust me with America. Remember the book of Isaiah: the nations are little more than a drop in the bucket to me. And I’m the one that squeezes the sponge.

Do you think maybe you could also squeeze some objective truth out so the American public can truly understand the gravity of this election? It would give me much peace of mind to have the truth about each candidate revealed for all the world to see.

Silence

You still there?

Silence

God?

Silence

What about the actual presidential election? We didn’t even get to discuss those things yet. What am I supposed to do about that?

Come and see, my child.