Sabbath Psalms: God's Love

Psalm 66:20 Praise be to God, who has not rejected my prayer or withheld his love from me! (NIV)

              Each morning as I drive to church, I talk to God in prayer. I find it helps me focus on what tasks I need to complete that day, as well as saying personal prayers for my family, friends, and parishioners.

I usually start by giving thanks to God for another day, for the sleep I have known, and for the opportunities to serve the Lord which I don’t deserve. I know that I am unworthy of being blessed by God because of my selfish and sinful ways, so this makes me grateful, just like the psalmist before me, that despite who I am or what I’ve done, God does not reject my prayer or withhold his love from me. 

By the time I get to the church building, I have completed my daily prayers which includes asking God to protect and bless my loved ones all over the world. My prayers include folks and relatives who live in the US, Scotland, England, Ireland, Norway, Austria, South Africa, Australia, New Zealand, the US again, and finally, Canada. It’s a global list of people that I know and love, so each day I’m thankful to God for watching over them. 

I think the psalmist from long ago experienced something similar. The practice of prayer is very empowering and there have been many times in my life when prayers have been positively answered by God to help loved ones and friends overcome issues and crises, illnesses and problems. In some circumstances, they were unable to pray for themselves, so I have been glad to do their praying for them. 

I hope that you may also be given the opportunity to experience the power of prayer, as well as God’s love and compassion. No matter who you are or what you’ve done, no matter what situation you or loved ones are experiencing, please know this: God is mindful of what’s going on and will not reject your prayers or withhold his love from you. 

Prayer: Lord God, thank You for the gift of prayer which enables us to reach out to You for guidance and support, encouragement and love. Be near to all of our loved ones and bless them with healing and strength, confidence and faith. In Christ’s Name, we pray. Amen.

Sabbath Psalms - Unanswered Prayers

Psalm 22:2 My God, I cry out by day, but you do not answer, by night, but I find no rest. (NIV)

We’ve all been there at some point in our lives – crying out to God for help, but receiving no response. Usually, the prayer is about our health or the well-being of a loved one. Instead of getting the answer we want, nothing changes, leaving us feeling bewildered, abandoned, even forsaken by God. It makes us question God’s existence, as well as asking what’s the point of having faith if God won’t do what we want?

The Bible doesn’t shy away from those hard questions. Psalm 22 is a prime example of someone who is feeling forlorn and forgotten by God. The writer is feeling vulnerable and lost, finite and frail, so he is looking to God for strength and deliverance, renewal and restoration. It’s a painful psalm to read because it’s written by a tormented soul and even though it ends with some sort of resolution, the sorrows expressed appear to be unanswered and relentless.

Jesus quoted the beginning of this psalm when He was brutally nailed to the Cross. In His final moments of life, He truly identified with the pain, loss, and suffering which all human beings experience. He could have chosen to run away before He was arrested to save His life. He could have called down legions of angels from Heaven to rescue Him from death and destroy His enemies. Instead, He chose to accept a painful end to His life, so that He truly became one of us, as well as the prophesied “Man of Sorrows” described in Isaiah 53.

Perhaps you are going through a hard time and praying for someone you love. Maybe you feel as though your prayers are unanswered and that God doesn’t care about your plight. It’s an awful feeling and heavy burden to bear. I’ve been there, too, but what got me through it was an understanding that Jesus knew exactly what I was facing and had felt the same kind of pain. In other words, He walked beside me to help me endure. I hope and pray He will do the same for you.

Point to ponder: What painful prayers and burdens am I currently experiencing?

Prayer: Lord Jesus, today we appeal to Your humanity and not Your divinity. Today, we pray for You to walk alongside us as we journey through a path of pain and loss. Help us to endure and enable us to overcome. In Your Holy Name, we pray. Amen.

John Stuart is a Scottish presbyterian pastor now living in Knoxville, Tennessee.

July 13 devotion - How to Pray

How to Pray

            Over the years, church folks have asked me about how to pray. They are usually concerned with doing it the right way in order to respect God and receive His blessings. They hope that they are praying correctly and sometimes worry if their prayers are actually being heard. I often tell them not to be concerned because God knows what is in their hearts when they actually pray. God’s grace assures us that He does listen to His Son’s followers and welcomes their prayers.

However, for those who need some prayer coaching, the following points are a few basic ideas that anyone can practice in order to deepen their prayer life with God. I’ve used an acrostic of the word ‘PRAY’ to help explain the process.

P = Purpose.              

Before we begin to pray, we should think about why we are doing this. What is the purpose behind our prayer? Is it thankfulness for God’s blessing? Are we seeking guidance about an issue? Do we have a confession to make? Or are we worried about a specific person or circumstance? If we understand why we need to say a prayer, we will be able to vocalize it better and describe it more fully to God. It’s not that God needs this clarification; it’s more for ourselves. Over the years, I have found that when I focus on what I’m about to pray, then I become more aware of what it is that is troubling or concerning me.

R = Recognition.        

Recognize God’s authority over us. When we pray, we do so as creatures of the Most Powerful Being in existence. God’s Sovereignty is the most sacred power in the universe. A casual, carefree conversation may be good enough for our friends and acquaintances, but every time we pray, we are approaching the throne of God so we should make our prayers respectfully. To do this, we need to begin our prayers by referring to God as our Lord, Creator, Father, or Majesty.

A = Ask.                      

God loves us as His special creatures because we are made in His image. Through Christ’s sacrifice, we can approach God confidently in prayer. We should never be afraid to ask for God’s help, guidance, favor, or deliverance. God hears our prayers just like devoted parents lovingly listen to the questions their children ask. God knows what we need, but He likes to hear us ask because it honors His authority over our lives, as well as deepening our love for Him.

Y = Yearn.                   Yearn for the Spirit’s blessing and look for God’s answer to our prayers. The Holy Spirit will assure us that our prayers have been heard, so we should seek confirmation of what God has decided about our prayers. If we need forgiveness, we will experience relief. If we are looking for help, we will be given a solution. If we are seeking comfort, the Spirit will embrace us. And if we are thankfully blessing God, we will feel His delight in our hearts.

I hope that this simple process will help you with your prayers. May the Lord God bless all of your goals and dreams by allowing each of your plans to succeed.

John Stuart is the pastor of Erin Presbyterian Church in Knoxville, Tennessee. Come and join us for worship on Sundays at 11:00 AM. You will be made very welcome :)

Table Turner - Matthew 21:13

Matthew 21:13           “It is written,” Jesus said to them, “‘My house will be called a house of prayer,’ but you are making it ‘a den of robbers.’” (NIV)

            The Temple in Jerusalem was meant to be a sacred place where anyone’s prayers could be heard. It didn’t matter who you were or where you came from, if you sincerely wanted to ask God for help, you could actually do it within the Temple courtyards. Even foreigners and aliens were granted this privilege because the outer court was designated as a place of prayer for them. Unfortunately, in Christ’s time, the elite worshippers treated this area as an extra space to set up their money-changing tables, as well as the selling of all sorts of animals. It meant that the whole area became a menagerie of moneymakers, instead of being a quiet dignified place where foreigners could safely pray.

            This commercial set up angered Jesus for two reasons. Firstly, it dishonored God’s House of Prayer – it was a holy area for meditation, confession, and worship, not a wholesale arena for markets, commerce, or wares. Secondly, the place that was set aside for the foreigners had been designated by the grace of God; now it was being desecrated by the greed of men. Jesus condemned the bigotry and injustice that was taking place in God’s House, which is why He angrily turned over the tables and threw the money-changers out of the Temple courtyards.

            Faith and justice, as well as grace and mercy, were key components of Christ’s ministry. In this passage, He teaches all of us today that places of worship are holy areas and that how we treat foreigners does not go unnoticed by God. In a world which is increasingly beset by religious intolerance and contempt for outsiders, Christians should actually remind themselves of what Jesus did in the past and how that should influence what we do now. Such a personal reflection will not be comfortable, but then again, who said that having faith in Jesus was ever going to be easy?

Point to ponder

What made Jesus angry? Why should I deeply care about those things, too?

Prayer:            Lord Jesus, You want all people to freely come to God and receive His blessings. Help us to be gracious, compassionate, and loving to others, especially those who seem so different from ourselves. In Your Holy Name, we humbly pray. Amen.

Today’s image is one of John’s stained glass designs called ‘A New Earth.’ If you would like to view a larger version, please click on this link: New.

John Stuart is the pastor of Erin Presbyterian Church in Knoxville, Tennessee. You can read the church website at this link: www.erinpresbyterian.org.

Dealing with Change - Matthew 17:22-23

Matthew 17:22-23     When they came together in Galilee, he said to them, “The Son of Man is going to be delivered into the hands of men. They will kill him, and on the third day he will be raised to life.” And the disciples were filled with grief. (NIV)

            The disciples appear to have missed the point. Jesus has told them about His death and resurrection, but they got hung up on the bad part of His message. Of course, it could be that they were shocked and couldn’t get past the image of Christ being killed. I guess if we had been in their shoes at the same time, we might have dwelled on it, too. This shows us how human the disciples really were, which means we can often relate to their natural responses to all Christ said or did.

            We live in immensely transitional times, so it’s very easy to get downhearted about all the things beyond our control. We can choose to be fearful about the future or we can decide to remain faithful to the values that we personally embrace. Change is never easy, but it can be an opportunity to consolidate our reliance on God. I personally have found that when I’m faced with turbulent transitions, I pray more often and more deeply. This makes me understand how much I actually depend upon God to help me endure and enables me to eventually overcome my changing circumstances. Instead of dwelling on my difficulties, I prayerfully hand them over to God, letting Him do what I can’t, and allowing Him to lead me where He wants.

Point to ponder

What am I afraid of most, right now? Am I willing to let God help me?

Prayer:            Lord Jesus, You perfectly understand our present circumstances. Embrace us at this moment in time and lead us each day. In Your Holy Name, we pray. Amen.

Today’s image is one of John’s Autumn drawings called ‘Season Finale.’ If you would like to view a larger version, please click this link: Tree.

John Stuart is the pastor of Erin Presbyterian Church in Knoxville, Tennessee. You can read the church website at this link: www.erinpresbyterian.org.