prayer

March 19, 2013

Jesus Wept For Jerusalem

Are you seeking spiritual awakening and Christian renewal in your community? What would it take to see a move of God initiated and sustained in the Tennessee Valley area?

When He approached Jerusalem, He saw the city and wept over it, saying, “If you had known in this day, even you, the things which make for peace! But now they have been hidden from your eyes.” For the days will come upon you when your enemies will throw up a barricade against you, and surround you and hem you in on every side, and they will level you to the ground and your children within you, and they will not leave in you one stone upon another, because you did not recognize the time of your visitation.” (Luke 19:41-44 NASB)

Jesus wept over the city of Jerusalem. He knew the absence of peace that was coming to that city of peace. He lamented their failure to recognize the fulfillment of promise, the season of salvation, the turning-point of visitation.

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I am praying for an outpouring of heaven that so impacts the Tennessee Valley region that it becomes hard to go to hell from Huntsville, Alabama. How about you? Are you ready to do what it takes for revival and awakening?

March 12, 2013

Seek the Peace and Prosperity of the City Where You Live

Obedience to God’s directives ensures God-promised hope and future.

As Judah spiraled into sin, popular opinion assumed the fall of Jerusalem impossible. False prophets gave false hope, but God’s true prophet Jeremiah declared, “Those prophets are prophesying lies in my name. I did not send them or appoint them or speak to them. They have been prophesying false visions, idolatries, worthless magic, and their own wishful thinking.” (Jeremiah 14:14 NCV) Jeremiah’s audience ignored his true message.

The Jewish people didn’t think God would judge them, but they were wrong. Near the end of the 7th Century B.C., Nebuchadnezzar and his brutal Babylonian army besieged and destroyed Jerusalem. The army carried away thousands of Judah’s best and brightest as slaves and deported many thousand more into exile in Babylon.

God loved His people too much to allow them to continue in their wicked ways. He loved them too much to abandon them. He loved them so much that He allowed the cruelty of the Babylon to discipline His people. He loved them so much that even at the moment of chastisement He had good plans in mind for His people.

Because of sin, God sent His people into captivity. They were refugees forced to start over from nothing. Removed from their Judean homes, they were banished to Babylon – a different climate, a different language, a different culture. The exiled people must have felt like life would never return to normal. But God wasn’t done with them; He promised a hope and future.

As the exiled Jews struggled to support themselves in strange new surroundings, prophetic lies began to surface. Jeremiah once again proclaimed God’s unadulterated message (chapter 29). The Lord censured the false prophets, “Do not let the prophets and diviners among you deceive you. Do not listen to the dreams you encourage them to have. They are prophesying lies to you in my name. I have not sent them” (Jeremiah 29:8-9 NIV). Apparently, some were trying to foster resistance and rebellion to the Babylonian regime, but God had other plans for His people. Jeremiah’s letter provided welcome comfort and clear advice for the remnant eking out existence in exile.

This is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says to all those I carried into exile from Jerusalem to Babylon: “Build houses and settle down; plant gardens and eat what they produce. Marry and have sons and daughters; find wives for your sons and give your daughters in marriage, so that they too may have sons and daughters. Increase in number there; do not decrease. Also, seek the peace and prosperity of the city to which I have carried you into exile. Pray to the Lord for it, because if it prospers, you too will prosper.” (Jeremiah 29:4-7 NIV)

God told them to settle down, build houses, plant gardens, invest their lives, and create a growing presence in their new locale. Gardens provided food and provided a source of income which allowed the exiles to serve others, not just take from others. God wanted His people to marry and have kids, even in the midst of difficult times. “Increase; don’t decrease” was His command. Pray for the city in which God had placed them. Their prosperity was dependent upon the city’s prosperity.

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Pray for the economy of the city.
Pray for the safety of the city.
Pray for the politics of the city.
Pray for the people of the city.

No doubt the Jews in Babylon were surprised to hear Jeremiah echo the vocabulary of Psalm 122. Psalm 122 had been used for hundreds of years to inspire prayer for the prosperity of Jerusalem.

Pray for the peace of Jerusalem: “May those who love you be secure. May there be peace within your walls and security within your citadels.” For the sake of my family and friends, I will say, “Peace be within you.” For the sake of the house of the Lord our God, I will seek your prosperity. (Psalm 122:6-9 NIV)

Now, they are commanded to use the same prayer for Babylon.

More revolutionary still was the advice to seek the welfare (s?a?lo?m) of the Babylonian regime, to pray for its welfare and not its downfall. Jeremiah by these words cast the people completely adrift from all those things on which they depended and which they regarded as essential to their own well-being, a nation-state, kingship, an army, national borders, the temple. Without all these Yahweh could give the nation new perspectives and a new understanding of their calling. For the present the action lay in Babylon. Such advice would not have been easy to accept for people who had been carried off from their homeland by those for whom Jeremiah was asking them to pray. (The Book of Jeremiah, 1980, Jeremiah 29:1-32)

“This is what the Lord says: ‘When seventy years are completed for Babylon, I will come to you and fulfill my good promise to bring you back to this place. For I know the plans I have for you,’ declares the Lord, ‘plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.’” (Jeremiah 29: 10-11 NIV)

Could the directives God gave to the exiled Israelis help you to walk into your hope and future?

March 11, 2013

Do Something Awesome

Every time I visit Tulsa, Oklahoma, I am inspired by the audacity of a Pentecostal preacher who believed God to establish a world-class university. Oral Roberts keep this motto on his desk: “Make No Little Plans Here”! Last weekend, my daughter Kimberlyn went with a group of students to visit Oral Roberts University. Yes, Patti and I would like for her to go to ORU; we met there! No, we are not forcing her to go, but she is feeling like God wants her to continue her education at ORU. I was happy when Kimberlyn said, “Dad, they are putting that statement all over the place.”

Here are four suggestions to help you accomplish something great for God’s Kingdom!

#1 PLAN PURPOSEFULLY

Forethought is important. Jesus says, “Don’t begin until you count the cost. For who would begin construction of a building without first calculating the cost to see if there is enough money to finish it?” (Luke 14:28 NLT)

Even when God specifically spoke, “You are NOT the one to build me a house (1 Chronicles 17:4-12),” David planned for a gorgeous temple (1 Chronicles 22:2-19). David gathered materials, selected skilled laborers, and saved enormous quantities of gold and silver. He opened the door for Solomon to walk through successfully.

#2 PREPARE PRAYERFULLY

Today’s prayers release tomorrow’s miracles. Prayers can’t be answered until they are prayed. “In every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.” (Philippians 4:6b NIV)

“Planning and prayer should be intimately related. Through prayer, our plans are expanded with God’s wisdom, ennobled by God’s holiness, and empowered through God’s providence. Planning that honors the Lord needs to be based on a prayerful recognition of God’s grace, sovereignty, and resources.” (What Does the Bible Say About, p. 301)

Karl Albrecht suggests replacing the word “planning” with the word “futuring” because you can only really plan when “you have certainty about the situation in which the actions will take place and nearly full control of the factors that ensure success in achieving your outcome.” (The Northbound Train, 1994, p.60-63) Only the Lord knows what tomorrow holds, so do your “futuring” with lots of prayer.

#3 PROCEED POSITIVELY

Attitude affects outcomes. Learn from the example of ancient Israel (1 Corinthians 10:6). Don’t grumble or you just might miss your Promised Land!

“Positive thinking must be linked to positive behavior for success to be the outcome. Positive behavior is diligent, honest, truthful, loving, kind, generous, persistent, and joyful. You can think you are wonderful—even righteously so—but if you fail to work, or to do what the Lord has put before you to do, you will never succeed.” (Success God’s Way, 2000, Charles Stanley)

#4 PURSUE PERSISTENTLY

Keep your feet on the ground but keep them moving forward.

“Therefore we do not give up. Even though our outer person is being destroyed, our inner person is being renewed day by day.” (2 Corinthians 4:16 HCSB)
“Whatever turns up, grab it and do it. And heartily! This is your last and only chance at it, For there’s neither work to do nor thoughts to think In the company of the dead, where you’re most certainly headed.” (Ecclesiastes 9:10 MSG)
“Live a life worthy of the Lord and please him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God, being strengthened with all power according to his glorious might so that you may have great endurance and patience, and giving joyful thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of his holy people in the kingdom of light.” (Colossians 1:10b-12a NIV)

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March 7, 2013

OPEN DOORS, OPEN OPPORTUNITIES

Are you ready to share Christ? Let’s make it hard to go to hell from Huntsville, Alabama. I am praying for an outpouring from heaven that covers the Tennessee Valley and raises the spiritual water level of every Christ-honoring, Bible-believing church. I’ve seen God move amazingly outside the United States, but I want to see U.S. altars filled with lives being changed for Christ’s glory.

God wants to move, but we have a part to play. God has open doors, open opportunities for us to share His message.

“Devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful and thankful.” (Colossians 4:2 NIV)

Have you prayed today? Have you asked God to use you to share Christ today? To be an effective messenger, spend time with Jesus Christ. Let your words be an overflow of a heart passionate about Christ. Maintain daily, intimate relationship with the King of the universe. Pray! Ask the Lord for lives to be changed. Prepare your heart and intercede for the lost. Talk to the Lord about your pre-Christian friend – then talk to your pre-Christian friend about the Lord.

After you have prayed and asked the Lord to use you – be alert! Be watchful during the roughly 160 hours a week you are awake and encountering other people. I have found that praying in the Spirit helps my sensitivity. You need the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit – NOT YOU – will inspire a person to change. It’s His job, not yours. Be sensitive to the unction of the Holy Spirit and thankful for where the Holy Spirit has placed you.

Gratitude and joy are attractive. Be thankful! A wrong attitude will rob you of sensitivity. Don’t grumble about where you are. God can use you in the daily routine of your life.

“And pray for us, too, that God may open a door for our message, so that we may proclaim the mystery of Christ, for which I am in chains.” (Colossians 4:3 NIV)

Are you looking for open doors? Don’t open the door yourself. Let God open the door. Wait on Him but wait alertly! Pray and be alert to know when a door opens. Attentive to the many opportunities God has prepared.

The Holy Spirit can tell you NOT to share. Do you realize that at times Paul was forbidden to preach the Word (Acts 16:6)? Sensitivity is required. The Lord said “no” to Asia, “no” to home, “no” to Bithynia, but “yes” to Macedonia. Paul has a vision in the night (Acts 16:9-10). He must have been awake to see a vision, instead of a dream. Could he have been spending a sleepless night seeking the guidance of the Holy Spirit?

Paul and his companions obeyed and walked through the door open by the Lord. Later, Paul proclaimed, “When I arrived in Troas to proclaim the Message of the Messiah, I found the place wide open: God had opened the door; all I had to do was walk through it” (2 Corinthians 2:12 MSG).

“Pray that I may proclaim it clearly, as I should.” (Colossians 4:4 NIV)

Is your message clear? Avoid religious terminology that is not a part of your natural vocabulary. Share the story of how Jesus Christ changed your life.

Remember to listen – I mean, REALLY listen. Your message will hit home when you listen. Don’t get so caught up mentally in the plan you have memorized that you are preparing your next sentence while the person is sharing.

“Be wise in the way you act toward outsiders; make the most of every opportunity. Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone.” (Colossians 4:5-6 NIV)

WISE REMINDERS:

#1 God has not called you to present a plan of salvation to every person you see today. But that is not excuse for neglecting the one to whom you ARE to share Christ.

#2 Don’t beat a person over the head for habits that offend you. You needed forgiveness, too.

#3 Avoid getting pulled into an argument. Make the issue Jesus Christ. Don’t win an argument and lose the person. Please, don’t muddy the water for the next person who tries to fish in that pond. Your goal is to win people, not arguments.

#4 You don’t have to study other religions in order to share Christ. The issue is Jesus Christ because He ONLY is the way, the truth, and the life. Share what you know!

#5 You are not called to bring every person to a decision. Sometimes you plant; sometimes you water; sometimes you reap.

“Pray diligently. Stay alert, with your eyes wide open in gratitude. Don’t forget to pray for us, that God will open doors for telling the mystery of Christ, even while I’m locked up in this jail. Pray that every time I open my mouth I’ll be able to make Christ plain as day to them.” (Colossians 4:2-4 MSG)

February 15, 2013

Distressed? 3 Sources to Encourage Yourself

To extend encouragement to others, you personally need to be encouraged.

Last year, my family walked through some stress. The three ladies in my house all faced rough reports from doctors. Kimberlyn’s four-wheeler accident uncovered a bone tumor in her shoulder that baffled several doctors. With each visit and referral, we were told that the next specialist would know if the growth was cancer or not. Final referral to St. Jude’s Children’s Research Hospital (Memphis, TN) connected us with the specialist who did the surgery. We felt the pressure of uncertainty. It didn’t feel real good.

To make it even more ‘interesting’, Patti and Rozy had test results that initially weren’t favorable (Patti-internal; Rozy-in her gum). Yeah, it wasn’t pleasant. The reports are good now, but walking through it wasn’t easy.

The picture above was taken last year during a day of tests at St. Jude’s. Kimberlyn is great; her next appointment isn’t until September. Good report then will be the end of her treatment. I have had several ask, “Y’all look happy; why weren’t you falling apart?” Why? In the middle of that stress, we were buoyed by God’s strength. Our family benefited from the encouragement of community, and we also knew how to seek out God’s encouragement when we were alone.

I appreciated the encouragement that came from my church family and Godly believers, but I also needed God’s grace when I was alone – all by myself. Today, I want to share with you three sources from which I drew the encouragement. Right in the middle of crummy scenarios, I was still able to find strength.

For the 16 months in which David lives in Philistine territory under the “protection” of Achish of Gath, the Bible doesn’t record David seeking the Lord for anything. David isn’t prepared for the impending distress. Not seeking the Lord is always a setup for disaster.

As David and his crew return from being rejected by the Philistines, evil Amalekites destroy their “secret” base in Ziklag, plunder the city, burn the houses, and take all the citizens hostage including the wives and children of David’s warriors (1 Samuel 30:1-5). David’s wives are also taken, but his men aren’t at all sympathetic.

David is in dire straits. David’s leadership (without seeking God’s direction) is flawed; his orders open the door to catastrophe. The strained loyalty of his fighters capitulates to discussions of stoning David.

Finally, at this bleak moment, David turns his attention to the place where it should have been all along. Prayer brings him back into relationship with his true Defender. When his closet friends were talking of stoning him, David strengthened and encouraged himself in the Lord (30:6).

With his focus reestablished, David seeks direction from the Lord (30:7-8). God commands him to lead the attack and promises him victory. At God’s direction, David and his men marshal themselves and witness the God-promised recovery (30:9-20). Not one of the kidnapped family is hurt!

I hope your friends aren’t ready to hurt you! If discussions of your downfall are already underway, you better act quickly. Get your focus back on Christ! Keep your focus on the Lord. Seek first His kingdom and righteousness (Matthew 6:33).

Do you need encouragement? Even if you are all alone, you can be encouraged as you draw from THREE READY SOURCES:

#1 Your Position in Christ: Paul extols the “encouragement from being united with Christ” (Philippians 2:1 NIV) as a provocation to live and to love like Christ.

#2 Scripture: The Bible “was written for our instruction, so that through perseverance and the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope.” (Romans 15:4 NASB)

#3 The Holy Spirit: The same Spirit who encouraged early church growth encourages us. “The church then had peace . . . and it became stronger as the believers lived in the fear of the Lord. And with the encouragement of the Holy Spirit, it also grew in numbers.” (Acts 9:31 NLT) I am praying for this kind of Holy Spirit encouragement in Valley Fellowship today!

Christ’s life encourages you, God’s Word encourages you, and the Holy Spirit encourages you, AND, don’t forget you also have the encouragement of community! (check out yesterday’s post)

Encourage yourself in the Lord! Receive His mighty strength. Mourning may last for the night, but joy comes in the morning. The light ahead of you is not an oncoming train. As you encourage yourself in the Lord, the light ahead of you is His direction, a lighted-path to victory.

February 2, 2013

Prayer Targets from Acts 4:29-31

Valley Fellowship Church has TWO Sunday Services tomorrow – 8:30am & 10:00am. I am praying for great things. Let’s join together in faith and allow the Lord to do what He desires. I’ll see you tomorrow in the buildings at 3616 Holmes Avenue NW, Huntsville, Alabama!

Will you join me today before God’s throne? Below are three prayer targets from the experience of the early church in Acts 4:29-31.

“Now, Lord, look on their threats, and grant to Your servants that with all boldness they may speak Your word, by stretching out Your hand to heal, and that signs and wonders may be done through the name of Your holy Servant Jesus.” And when they had prayed, the place where they were assembled together was shaken; and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit, and they spoke the word of God with boldness. Acts 4:29-31 NJKV

PRAYER TARGETS

#1: BOLDNESS (4:29)

#2: MIRACLES (4:30)

#3: HOLY SPIRIT OUTPOURING (4:31)

January 19, 2013

5 Principles from Jesus’ Prayer Life

This afternoon, Patti, Kimberlyn, Mom and I enjoyed time with 86 year-old Elmer Hollingsworth, one of the original members at Valley Fellowship. He told me of a difficulty he had a few nights ago and said, “I got up and talked to the Lord. I told Him what was going on, and then, I told the Lord it was His problem. He heard me. There was no reason for both of us to stay up and worry about it, so I just went back to sleep.” Brother Elmer T. is battling lung cancer, but his joyful attitude uplifts anyone around.

Mr. Hollingsworth understands that believers are invited: “Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.” (Hebrews 4:16 NIV) One of the easiest ways of approach is prayer.

Simply defined, prayer is talking to God. Prayer is communication with God, an intimate dialogue between God and man, a spiritual resource that unleashes God’s purposes and appropriates His sovereignty in and through our lives.

During His incarnational ministry on earth, Jesus tapped into this reservoir. Jesus refreshed Himself in God’s peace/rest, resourced Himself with God’s provision, renewed His spirit, and readied Himself for the ministry of the day. One morning, Peter and the other disciples awoke to find Jesus had gotten up before daylight to communicate privately with His Father.

Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house and went off to a solitary place, where he prayed. Simon and his companions went to look for him, and when they found him, they exclaimed: “Everyone is looking for you!” Jesus replied, “Let us go somewhere else—to the nearby villages—so I can preach there also. That is why I have come.” Mark 1:35-38 NIV

If Jesus needed to pray – how about you and me? Below are five more thoughts from the example of Jesus’ prayer life in Mark 1:35-38:

#1 Make a daily appointment and start each day with prayer (v. 35a). Make prayer a priority or the demands of the day will fill your schedule for you. If your planner is too full, you are too busy NOT to pray!

“It is a good thing to let prayer be the first business of the morning and the last in the evening.” (Martin Luther)

#2 Wisely choose a good spot for prayer – away from distraction (v. 35b). Designate a “prayer closet” (Matthew 6:6). Mine is often my office. As a boy, I often heard my mom’s prayer from the bathroom she had chosen as her prayer closet. Where is your spot?

“Prayer pulls the rope below and the great bell rings above in the ears of God. Some scarcely stir the bell, for they pray so languidly; others give but an occasional pluck at the rope; but he who wins with heaven is the man who grasps the rope boldly and pulls continuously, with all his might.” (C. H. Spurgeon, Feathers for Arrows, p. 171.)

#3 Don’t let the demands of others sidetrack the journey you have mapped out during prayer (v. 36-37). Let your prayer perspective set your calendar agenda. The journey is worth the troubles, obstacles, and persecutions if you’re on the right road.

“If God is not first in our thoughts and efforts in the morning, he will be in the last place the remainder of the day.” (E. M. Bounds)

#4 Find strength to face difficulty through prayer (v. 38). Prayer doesn’t always remove obstacles but often positions us to face hardship victoriously.

“Prayer is not an argument with God to persuade Him to move things our way, but an exercise by which we are enabled by His Spirit to move ourselves His way.” (Leonard Ravenhill)

#5 Spend time in praying, communing with God, before ministering for God (v. 38). Ministry efforts demand preparation in prayer.

“The one concern of the devil is to keep Christians from praying. He fears nothing from prayerless studies, prayerless work, prayerless religion. He laughs at our toil, mocks at our wisdom, but trembles when we pray.” (Samuel Chadwick)

January 18, 2013

7 Points to Ponder (seven word summary of Acts)

A precise perusal of the Book of Acts portrays people participating with the Holy Spirit. I’ve put pen to paper and pigeonholed seven particulars from their personal pursuits:

#1 PRAYER: Disciples pray – packed in one place, privately on roof tops, during imprisonment, with fasting, for boldness and guidance – and God answers!

#2 POWER: Christ-exalting phenomena are publicized – lame pace, phony liars die, prison doors open, tongues speak, demons flee, dead rise.

#3 PARTNERSHIP: Property, cooperation, and community are politely portioned and shared together in love.

#4 PRAISE: Worship proceeds in the upper room, despite threats, after salvation, after Spirit Baptism, after healing, after miracle deliverance, after torture, and even for the privilege of suffering for Christ.

#5 PERSECUTION: Persecution is both a path for Holy Spirit ministry and a product of Holy Spirit engagement.

#6 PREACHING: The Spirit-inspired public proclamations of Peter and Paul are published.

#7 PROSELYTISM: For pattern’s sake, I employed a posh word for the prolific addition of people into God’s family. Holy Spirit ministry prompted thousands and thousands into the kingdom.

Praise the Lord who provides, protects, preserves, and promotes! I propose a painstaking probe of my provocative phrases. I promise – pondering and picking up on these points propels positive progress.

January 14, 2013

5 Requirements to Discern God’s Will

Am I after my Heavenly Father’s agenda or my own? Harry S. Truman once joked, “I have found the best way to give advice to your children is to find out what they want and then advise them to do it.”

Jesus declared, “I seek not to please myself but him who sent me.” (John 5:30b NIV ) God’s will is supreme in the universe, but this did not rule out the freedom of Jesus’ action in doing that will. Jesus prayed for the Father’s will (Matt 26:39; Mark 14:36; Luke 22:42). “Abba, Father,” He said, “everything is possible for you. Take this cup from me. Yet not what I will, but what you will.” (Mark 14:36 NIV)

Those who belong to Jesus have freedom to do God’s will without necessity or compulsion. God’s will is not automatic, not forced, not coerced, and includes voluntary action. We must choose to cooperate.

How do we clearly discern God’s will?

We need honest desire to follow His Will. (We must seek just as Jesus prayed.)
We need to tap into Scripture. (2 Timothy 3:16-17)
We often need the help of other believers.
We need to PRAY much. (Luke 6:12-13 Jesus prayed ALL NIGHT!)
We need to have a personal ongoing mind renewal.

Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship. Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will. Romans 12:1-2 NIV

January 14, 2013

God created the world; He can handle my problems!

I confess I can fret and become overly concerned with mundane stuff when I don’t keep focused upon God’s great goodness. I think of myself as easygoing and not inclined to worry unduly, but I am not perfect. I don’t want to a worrywart dwelling upon a real or imagined problems, but trivial matters can cause me to lose focus.

God created the world; He can handle my problems – no matter how mammoth I think they are. “O Sovereign Lord! You made the heavens and earth by your strong hand and powerful arm. Nothing is too hard for you!” (Jeremiah 32:17 NLT) There are no degrees of difficulty for a God who can do anything. Heavenly Father isn’t sitting on His throne, wringing His hands, stressing about how to handle your difficulty.

In May 1995, Randy Reid, a 34-year-old construction worker, was welding on top of a nearly completed water tower outside Chicago. According to writer Melissa Ramsdell, Reid unhooked his safety gear to reach some pipes when a metal cage slipped and bumped the scaffolding on which he stood. The scaffolding tipped, and Reid lost his balance. He fell 110 feet, landing face down on a pile of dirt, just missing rocks and construction debris. A fellow worker called 911. When paramedics arrived, they found Reid conscious, moving, and complaining of a sore back. Apparently . . . As paramedics carried him on a backboard to the ambulance, Reid had one request: “Don’t drop me.” (Doctors later said Reid came away from the accident with just a bruised lung.) Sometimes we resemble that construction worker. God protects us from harm in a 110-foot fall, but we’re still nervous about three-foot heights. The God who saved us from hell and death can protect us from the smaller dangers we face this week. (Fresh Illustrations for Preaching and Teaching, p. 208)

Proverbial wisdom says, “Worry is like a rocking chair. It gives you something to do, but never gets you anywhere.” Instead of wasting energy worrying, you and I need to pray. Worry never robs tomorrow of its sorrows, but worry saps today of its strength. Jesus Christ taught, “So don’t worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will bring its own worries. Today’s trouble is enough for today.” (Matthew 6:34 NLT)

Don’t fret or worry. Instead of worrying, pray. Let petitions and praises shape your worries into prayers, letting God know your concerns. Before you know it, a sense of God’s wholeness, everything coming together for good, will come and settle you down. It’s wonderful what happens when Christ displaces worry at the center of your life. Philippians 4:6-7 MSG

I really like Peterson’s word choice “when Christ displaces worry at the center of your life” (Philippians 4:7 MSG). Christ-focus is my desire; problem-focus is my distraction. Misplaced priority upon temporal trouble keeps me from heavenly reward. Misappropriate worry is a warning light that I am not trusting the goodness and bigness of my Lord. “Anxiety in the believer is tantamount to lack of faith either in God’s ability and promise to provide his needs, or in God’s concern for him. Both are an expression of doubt in God’s word, and, again, in the final analysis, either places more reliance in the things God created than in their source, God Himself.” (M. S. Mills, The Life of Christ)

The sometimes-awkward relationship between the great reformer Martin Luther and his wife Katherine is recounted by many historians. Apparently, Katherine’s concerns for Martin’s well-being weren’t always taken as expressions of love, but Martin benefited from her care – even if he complained. Last night, I was laughing about one incident so I read the account to my wife. She didn’t think it as funny as I, but she did agree with me that it was a great illustration. During one trip away from home, Martin sent the following letter:

To the saintly, worrying Lady Katherine Luther, doctor at Zulsdorf [the home of her inherited farm] and Wittenberg, my gracious, dear wife. We thank you heartily for being so worried that you can’t sleep, for since you started worrying about us, a fire broke out near my door, and yesterday, no doubt due to your worry, a big stone, save for the angels, would have fallen and crushed me like a mouse in a trap. If you don’t stop worrying, I’m afraid the earth will swallow us. Pray, let God worry. (Marshall Shelley, The Healthy Hectic Home, p.16)