Sunday Shorts: Asking God

John 15:16 You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you so that you might go and bear fruit—fruit that will last—and so that whatever you ask in my name the Father will give you. (NIV)

This is one of those Bible verses that is mistakenly used by people who believe in the Prosperity Gospel. They focus on the second part of the verse where Jesus states that ‘whatever you ask in my name the Father will give you.’ They think it means that to get anything they want, they just have to ask for it, using Christ’s name as their guarantor, so God will be compelled to give them whatever they desire. But that is not based on faith, it’s actually a form of magic which is called an enchantment. God becomes the Great Genie in the Sky who grants people their wishes, so long as they use the right words.

This mistake occurs because people forget about the first part of the verse where Jesus states that He chose and appointed people to follow Him for one purpose – to bear fruit; in other words, to expand God’s Kingdom and make faith prosperous, not the person, nor their individual desires. It’s what God wants that is important, not what we want. Christ’s name is honored by being associated with the bearing of fruit and is not trivialized or taken in vain by trying to coerce God into doing what we want. We align ourselves to God’s purpose – the sharing of His love through the life, work, and ministry of His Son – instead of maligning God by expecting Him to give us everything we desire. 

So next time when we’re praying about something that matters to us, let’s be careful about what we ask for, by personally pondering whether or not we are attempting to manipulate God to our will, rather than consolidate ourselves to God’s will.

Point to ponder: When I pray in Jesus’ Name, am I asking for things that will bear fruit for God’s Kingdom or just myself?

Prayer: Lord Jesus, we come to You very often with our needs, wishes, desires, and dreams. We pray for things that we want and forget to ask You what it is that You want for us. Help us to reconsider how we pray and what we ask of You, in order to make our requests more fruitful for God’s Kingdom. In Your Holy Name, we humbly pray. Amen.

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

Sunday Shorts: A Time to Pray

Mark 1:35 In the morning, while it was still very dark, he got up and went out to a deserted place, and there he prayed. (NRSV)

Let’s be honest – we all don’t spend enough time in prayer and only give to God some quick points about how He should bless us, our families, and our plans. It’s almost as if we’ve reduced prayer to a spiritual commercial break in our real busy lives and are quite content to be telepathically texting Him with our urgent requests. It’s not a lot to go on, especially if we want to build up a strong relationship with our Creator. We may lament or reason that we’ve too much going on to effectively pray, but as our old preachers used to honestly chide us: if we’re too busy to pray, then we’re just too busy.

            Jesus must have been one of the busiest people on the planet when He lived on Earth. Every day, He had lessons to teach, people to heal, problems to solve, and disciples to herd. I doubt very much that He had any real downtime to relax, lie on a couch, and sip some wine. People were always asking Him questions or pointing out His mistakes during meals, so how He managed to set aside some quality time to pray was a miracle in itself.

            How Jesus did it was to get up early and be alone with God before the day’s work and struggles began. Simply put, He put God first before the scores of people who would soon come His way. Even in this passage (Mark 1:35-39), when Jesus has managed to find a solitary place to go and be with God, He is soon interrupted by His frantic disciples and the whole circus begins again.

            It is said that the great reformer Martin Luther, whose days were equally full compared to Christ’s was once asked when he found time to pray with such a relentless schedule. Luther simply answered: “I get up an hour earlier before the work begins.”

            I think this is the great secret to those who can really pray – they get up early and seek quality time with God to patiently present their thanks and requests, as well as their praises and petitions. Perhaps if we are constantly concerned with our world, both personal and global, we should also set aside an earlier time to pray about our situation, and then learn to quietly listen to God. I guess if it was good enough for Jesus, it should be more than enough for us as followers.

Point to ponder: When do I make time to pray?

Prayer: Lord Jesus, You taught us how to pray and why we should pray, but You also revealed to us when we should pray. Encourage and enable all of us to quietly make time to talk to You faithfully, fully, and effectively before our scheduled day begins. In Your Holy Name, we ask. Amen.

 

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

Sleepless Nights - 2 Corinthians 11:28

2 Corinthians 11:28 Besides everything else, I face daily the pressure of my concern for all the churches. (NIV)

Like most pastors, I often wake up in the middle of the night thinking about and worrying over people in the congregation that I serve. I guess that other professionals – doctors, teachers, nurses, psychologists, social workers, and counselors experience the same kind of sleepless nights. Like them, I carry around in my heart and mind the many circumstances, issues, and even secrets that the people under my care have shared with me. At times those burdens are hard to carry, so at night I sometimes lose sleep by worrying about the church folks.

The good thing about this is that I also get some quiet time to pray for their situations. During the day, there is a lot going on and finding a quiet place or a quiet time can be hard to do. However, in the wee small hours of the morning, I can quietly come to God to pray for the healing, help, or wholeness that people need. I can whisper their names to God and ask for strength, guidance, and grace to be given to them. Usually, when I have about finished my prayers, sleep begins to drift over me, so I can return to my bed and get beneath the warm blankets to myself.

When I read today’s verse from the Apostle Paul, the first thought that crossed my mind was ‘he gets it.’ We tend to think about Paul being a fearless preacher who faced many dangerous and life-threatening moments in his ministry. But he was also a pastor who had a heart for the people he met – this is why he writes of the daily pressure he endures because of his concern for all of the churches that he cared about. I believe that Paul, too, had some sleepless nights and quiet moments of prayer for the church folks that he knew.

Maybe you’ve been waking up at night because of family, work, school, or health issues. Perhaps you are worried about money or concerned about the future. May I humbly suggest that you use those sleepless times effectively by seeing them as sacred moments when the Holy Spirit is calling you to pray? I think you’ll find an answer to your problems and a much better sleep after praying.

Point to ponder

What concerns do I presently have? When and where can I quietly pray about them?

Prayer: Lord Jesus, when we have sleepless nights because of our current issues and prevailing worries, help us to quietly turn to You in prayer. Enable us to share deep concerns with You and to sincerely seek Your guidance and grace, strength and healing. In Your Holy Name, we quietly pray. Amen.

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

Today’s image is one of John’s autumn drawings called ‘Fall Retreat.” If you would like to view a larger version, please click this link: Retreat.

Trusting God - Jeremiah 17:7

Jeremiah 17:7 Blessed is the one who trusts in the Lord, whose confidence is in him. (NIV)

            In today’s highlighted verse, we are encouraged to personally trust God and place our confidence in Him. We sometimes view these positive values as spiritual feelings we should muster, especially when we are faced with an issue or a crisis. So, to do this, we steady our nerves and steel ourselves for whatever lies ahead. We aim to control our fears by fortifying our faith, so no matter what we face, we know God is with us and He will not let us down. Usually, these are good feelings to have, but this is not what the prophet Jeremiah understood when he spoke about having trust and confidence in God.

            In ancient Hebrew, the words for trust and confidence are batach and mibtach, which sound very Klingon to me. However, they are not gutsy feelings of bravado; they are the intentional acts of someone who deliberately seeks a place of safety or a haven free from any harm. In Jeremiah’s time, a person who placed their confidence in God also had to be proactive about their situation or plight. It was not enough to just ‘let go and let God’; someone who was seriously needing God’s help had to fully be involved in finding the solution to his or her trouble. In fact, someone who trusted and had confidence in God not only prayed about their condition or crisis, they also displayed that they were seeking the best possible outcome or resolution to their problem.

            These days, we sometimes offer God glib prayers about our situations and then expect Him to fully work out our problems and solve all the issues. We want our wishes to be fulfilled, but don’t want to change our lives. We need our petitions to be heard, but don’t like to be bothered by having to deal with the actual process. In other words, we seek a shortcut to the solution, so we can get back to feeling good and carry on with our daily lives. The trouble with this instant-response spirituality is clear: God becomes a genie in a lamp and our prayers sound very much like magic spells.

            In order to realize what Jeremiah originally expressed about trust and confidence – batach and mitbach – we need to get beyond our feelings and actively seek a solution to our problems. At the same time, we also should look for God’s wisdom and guidance to lead us through the whole process. In this way, we rely on God to show us the way ahead, so we can take the right steps to deal with our troubles. Faith, then, is no longer just a trustful feeling – it becomes something we can positively apply in our present circumstances and personal situations.

Point to ponder

What am I currently facing? What am I asking God to help me with? How am I applying His guidance?

Prayer: Lord God, You know us completely and the different situations we each face. We look to You for help and seek Your wisdom to deal with our issues. Grant us patience and guidance, as well as trust and confidence to look for the assistance we need, the counsel we require, and the solution to our problems. In Christ’s Holy Name, we pray. Amen.

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

Today’s image is one of John’s very first faith drawings called “Crossing Over.” If you would like to view a larger version, please click this link: Crossing.

Lifestyle devotion: High Anxiety - Psalm 139:23

Psalm 139:23  Search me, God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts.

            Anxiety is part of being human. We all experience anxious moments in our lives; we all go through times of intense worry and deep concern. Our anxiety may be about our health, our family, our work, or our resources. We may constantly worry about what people think or how we appear, who we are or what we do. We may even perhaps be deeply concerned about our community, our nation, and even our world. No matter who we are, we will experience anxiety at some point; no matter what we accomplish, we will have worrying times.

            Psalm 139 is one of the most intimate psalms ever written. The author expresses his intense relationship with God, which he believes began even before he was born. The intimacy of God is almost claustrophobic; there is not one area of the psalmist’s life that God doesn’t fully know or completely understand. This comforts the writer because he deeply relies upon God to help him throughout his entire life. God has always been there for the psalmist; his belief in God is personally defined by the deep abiding presence of God all through his days.

            If, as I have stated before, anxiety is a part of being human, then so is our spiritual capacity to pray to God. Over 90% of the world’s population pray to a Higher Being, so in the midst of the world’s difficulties and crises, a lot of praying must continually be going on.

            As Christians, we focus our faith on Jesus Christ and look to His Holy Spirit to lead and guide us through our anxious times and troubled moments. We rely upon God in much the same way as the ancient psalmist, but we experience our deep intimacy with God through our Savior’s grace and love. We turn to Christ to seek His wisdom and guidance. If we worry too much, then we are praying too little. If we are anxious too long, then we are making Jesus too small. The solution has always been the same: to let Christ search our hearts and bring peace to our anxious thoughts.

Questions for personal reflection

Am I presently anxious about some issue or personal crisis? Am I willing to really pray to Jesus about it?

Prayer:            Lord Jesus, You know us completely and understand our present circumstances. You see the critical times that we experience and offer us Your grace and guidance to persevere with our problems and overcome our issues. Help us to set aside some real prayer time to be intimate with You, to express our concerns, seek Your solutions, and follow Your ways. In Your Holy Name, we pray. Amen.

John Stuart is the pastor of Erin Presbyterian Church in Knoxville, Tennessee. If you would like to ask questions or make comments about today’s message, please send him an email to Traqair@aol.com.

Today’s image is one of John’s bulletin cover drawings. If you would like to view a larger version, please click this link: Psalm.

Devotion on Prayer: Praying Persistently - Luke 18:1

Luke 18:1      Then Jesus told his disciples a parable to show them that they should always pray and not give up.

            Like many other Christians, I pray all through the day. Sometimes I pray when I’m driving my car; at other times I pray when I’m sitting at my desk, or lying on my bed. My thoughts and prayers cover all sorts of subjects, people, issues, and requests. And whenever I’m going through a difficult time, or perhaps a family member is, or even a church member, I pray continually for help, healing, and wholeness.

            I try to be persistent in what I pray. If a friend of mine is really ill or going through a hard time, I constantly ask God for mercy and grace, guidance and goodness to come into that person’s life. I try not to give up, not because I seek to pester God with my requests, but because I know that God has the power, grace, and love to bring about healing, restoration, rescue, and renewal. Prayer is both a great privilege, as well as a powerful gift, so I really try hard to focus on what I am actually asking God to do.

            All of my prayers have been answered. Sometimes the answer is “Yes.” At other times, the answer can be “No,” but usually the answer is “Not now, not yet.” So I continue to pray thankfully, faithfully, and persistently. It doesn't make me holy or saintly; instead it keeps me connected to God and seeking His guidance. It makes me realize that I am a creature and He is Creator; I am a servant and He is my King.

            Today’s parable of the persistent widow (Luke 18:1-8) was told by Jesus so that His followers would continue to use prayer as the vehicle of their requests, as well as the channel of their direct connection to God. Prayer keeps our faith activated, as well as joining our spirits to Jesus. Persistent and sincere prayer maintains our hope for healing and sustains our strength in Christ.

Questions for reflection:    How often do I pray? What do I frequently pray to God? How does God answer my prayers? How do I respond to His decisions?

Prayer:          Lord Jesus, thank You for teaching us how to pray faithfully and effectively. Keep us connected to You through the spiritual experience of focused prayer. Be with us and bless us this day. In Your Holy Name, we pray. Amen.

John Stuart is the pastor of Erin Presbyterian Church in Knoxville, Tennessee. If you would like to ask questions or make comments about today’s message, please send him an email to Traqair@aol.com.

Today’s image is one of John’s new woodcut type drawings called “Night Lights.” If you would like to view a larger version, please click on this link: Lights.

Prayer devotion: Peaceful Prayers - Luke 6:19

Luke 6:19      And the people all tried to touch Him, because power was coming from Him and healing them all.

            No matter where He went, people crowded around Jesus. He was constantly mobbed with all sorts of people who were suffering from a multitude of diseases, illnesses, and sicknesses. His fame as a healer had spread around the Galilean region, so He was in great demand by people who needed His help the most. As He walked from town to town, the locals clamored around Him, begging Him for a miracle for themselves, their loved ones, and their friends. They even clawed at Him, believing that if they could just touch Him, they would be instantly healed.

            Sometimes I wonder if Jesus felt overwhelmed by all of this attention. He probably did, because we are also told from scripture that He sought isolated places to be in prayer with God. Popularity enabled Him to speak and preach to the masses, but it also had its negative side – that of being too much in demand, never meeting enough needs, and hardly getting any peace to Himself.

            Today, we can approach Jesus through prayer, allowing His Spirit to touch our weary and sick souls. We don’t have to wait until He passes by, or fight past crowds of other people. We can speak directly to Him and He will hear our pleas and prayers. In the midst of our too busy and burdened lives, we can still find consolation and peace, comfort and strength in Christ. All that we need to do is find a quiet place where we can focus on Jesus and allow His Presence to touch our spirits and His power to refresh our lives.

            Question: When was the last time I found a quiet place to pray to Jesus? When will I make time for that to re-occur?

Prayer:          Lord Jesus, we all need You constantly. We all have worries and concerns, issues and troubles that frequently overwhelm, over-tire, and over burden us. Enable us to seek You prayerfully in a quiet place where we can talk to You openly, freely, and securely. In Your Holy Name, we pray. Amen.

John Stuart is the pastor of Erin Presbyterian Church in Knoxville, Tennessee. If you would like to comment, ask questions, or give feedback about today’s message, please send him an email to Traqair@aol.com.

Today’s image is one of John’s latest drawings called “Scarlet Winter.” If you would like to view a larger version, please click this link: Scarlet.

Devotion about prayer: Before the Altar - 2 Kings 19:14

2 Kings 19:14             Hezekiah received the letter from the messengers and read it. Then he went up to the temple of the LORD and spread it out before the LORD. 

            Sometimes it’s not good to be king. Take Hezekiah, for instance. A faithful and wise ruler, who sought to please God and bring peace to his people. Throughout most of his reign things were going well, and then the Assyrian army shows up and besieges the city of Jerusalem, threatening to destroy everything and everyone in it. Ouch! So much for being faithful to God.

            Hezekiah knew that the Assyrians were powerful. He understood that they could overrun Jerusalem and overwhelm the people. He was also under no delusions about his own fate when the city was defeated – the Assyrians would put him in chains and cut out his eyes, making him a laughing stock to the haughty Assyrian leaders and humiliated before his own people.  In other words, for Hezekiah, it was not good to be king.

            But the old ruler knew of a power greater than the Assyrian army; he had faith in his Almighty God. The king believed in the LORD of hosts who could destroy Judah’s enemies and deliver the people of God. So Hezekiah took the ultimatum letter he had received from the Assyrian general and placed it on the altar in the temple. He sincerely and humbly appealed to God for the deliverance of the people. He expressed to God that the Assyrians had insulted the LORD and that they deserved to be punished. He placed the letter before God to let Him see what was written. He prayed from his breaking heart and the LORD for help. As king, he could have negotiated a peace which may have allowed him to escape, but his people would have been enslaved. Instead, Hezekiah took the matter directly to God and asked Him to intervene. This wasn't a gamble; this was a real act of faith which God honored.

            We all carry burdens in our hearts and worries in our minds. Perhaps we should write down our problems, issues, and fears, and then present what we've written to God. Sometimes the writing down of what we feel clarifies the problematic situations we are experiencing. By giving them wholly over to God and seeking His help, we may begin to turn those circumstances around in positive and effective ways. As long as we are willing to pray, God is always ready to listen.

Questions for personal reflection

What is currently worrying me the most? Am I willing to completely hand over this worry in prayer, or do I keep cradling it in my heart?

Prayer:            Lord Jesus, You once taught that people should not be anxious about tomorrow because there are enough problems to deal with today. You were teaching Your followers and us that the future is in God’s hands, so we should concentrate on what is presently happening. Help us to come to You today with our worries and concerns, issues and problems. Grant us the courage to leave them in Your care. Guide us throughout today. In Your Holy Name, we pray. Amen.

John Stuart is the pastor of Erin Presbyterian Church in Knoxville, Tennessee. If you would like to ask questions or make comments about today’s message, please send him an email to Traqair@aol.com.

Today’s image is one of John’s latest snowman drawings called “Best Buddies.” If you would like to view a larger version, please click on the following link: Buddies.