Wednesday, July 31, 2013
PRAYER THOUGHTS: WHAT DOES ANSWERED PRAYER LOOK LIKE?
"What father among you, if his son asks for a fish, will instead of a fish give him a serpent; or if he asks for an egg, will give him a scorpion? If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will the heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!" (Luke 11:11-13). * Answered prayer takes some surprising turns, but they always work out for God's glory and our blessing--even when the answer is, "No!" * Answered prayer can come disguised as hard work. God promised Zerubbabel in Zechariah 4:6 "Not by might, nor by power, but by my Spirit says the Lord of hosts. What are you, O great mountain? Before Zerubbabel you shall become a plain; and he shall bring forward the top stone amid shouts of 'Grace to it!'" (Zechariah 4:6ff). The rebuilding of the temple was an answer to the prayers of the Jewish people. God said He would help in the building--in fact, if it weren't for the the power of God it never would have been rebuilt. The Jews had no money, no tools, no weapons, but they worked. And, with God's provision, after 20 years of hard work and toil, in faith, the temple was built. It was an answer to prayer. * What I am trying to say is that sometimes God's answers to our prayers might not be what we expected, but they will always bless us. Prayers for wisdom, for example, might be answered with a disciplined study of the Bible in a Bible study group. Prayers for healing might be answered by following a disciplined life style. * Sometimes answered prayers meet our expectations, sometimes they do not. Before we assume the prayer is unanswered or the answer is, "No" we need to take a closer look and see if God has placed some resources at our disposal to use in making our request happen. * Love & Prayers, Tom * **For me, the answer to my prayers is the lovely and gracious Helen who has been a blessing to my life for 43 years.
Friday, July 26, 2013
PRAYER THOUGHTS: HOW TO GET YOUR PRAYERS ANSWERED
When you spread forth your hands, I will hide my eyes from you; even though you make many prayers, I will not listen; your hands are full of blood. Wash ourselves; make yourselves clean; remove the evil of your doings from before my eyes; cease to do evil, learn to do good . . . (Isaiah 1:15-17).
The one who asks, "How can I get my prayers answered?" is one who doesn't understand the importance of relationship with God and what it means to pray in Jesus' name. First, it must be understood that God can respond to the requests of anyone in any way he chooses. There are many testimonies of desperate sinners who have been answered in miraculous ways when they prayed--God is free to answer in any way he sees fit. God can answer prayers, "yes" or "no," or he simply may refuse to listen or ignore the prayers of the unrepentant. How has he been responding to you?
When you can relate to God as "daddy, daddy,"(Romans 8:15) you are well on the way to praying prayers that can be answered in a positive way. Children know what their dad's values are. Children, being immature, sometimes make foolish requests of their dads, but they also know this: "And this is the confidence which we have in him, that if we ask anything according to his will he hears us. And if we know that he hears us in whatever we ask, we know that we have obtained the requests made of him" (I John 5:14-15).
"Whatever you ask in my name, I will do it, that the Father may be glorified in the Son; if you ask anything in my name, I will do it (John14:13-14). Praying in Jesus' name is not a way of ending your prayers so that you will get your prayers answered--it is not magic. Rather, it is first an acknowledgement that it is through the grace of Christ Jesus that we are able to come to the throne of grace at all. It is also in the character of Christ that we come to our Father too, making our requests to God. God wants us to ask (James 4:2), but I just happen to believe that he wants us to ask thoughtfully in the character of Jesus. The answer to one of Jesus' prayers was "no." The answer to some prayers of yours may be, "no," but you will know that all of your prayers are answered.
Love & Prayers,
Tom
The one who asks, "How can I get my prayers answered?" is one who doesn't understand the importance of relationship with God and what it means to pray in Jesus' name. First, it must be understood that God can respond to the requests of anyone in any way he chooses. There are many testimonies of desperate sinners who have been answered in miraculous ways when they prayed--God is free to answer in any way he sees fit. God can answer prayers, "yes" or "no," or he simply may refuse to listen or ignore the prayers of the unrepentant. How has he been responding to you?
When you can relate to God as "daddy, daddy,"(Romans 8:15) you are well on the way to praying prayers that can be answered in a positive way. Children know what their dad's values are. Children, being immature, sometimes make foolish requests of their dads, but they also know this: "And this is the confidence which we have in him, that if we ask anything according to his will he hears us. And if we know that he hears us in whatever we ask, we know that we have obtained the requests made of him" (I John 5:14-15).
"Whatever you ask in my name, I will do it, that the Father may be glorified in the Son; if you ask anything in my name, I will do it (John14:13-14). Praying in Jesus' name is not a way of ending your prayers so that you will get your prayers answered--it is not magic. Rather, it is first an acknowledgement that it is through the grace of Christ Jesus that we are able to come to the throne of grace at all. It is also in the character of Christ that we come to our Father too, making our requests to God. God wants us to ask (James 4:2), but I just happen to believe that he wants us to ask thoughtfully in the character of Jesus. The answer to one of Jesus' prayers was "no." The answer to some prayers of yours may be, "no," but you will know that all of your prayers are answered.
Love & Prayers,
Tom
Tuesday, July 23, 2013
PRAYER THOUGHTS: WHY PRAY?
Have no anxiety about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which passes all understanding, will keep your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus (Philippians 4:6-7).
The question has been asked many times, "Why pray? God knows what we need before we need it so why doesn't he just give it? Not only that but, God's mind can't be changed once he has determined something so isn't prayer just futility?" Pardon me for saying it, but questions like these are indicative of the relationship of the person who is asking with God. They see God only as useful if he gets them out of the jam they are in right now.
Prayer is necessary for relationship with God. In a letter written to Christian folks the Lord said, "Behold, I stand at the door and knock; if any one hears my voice and opens the door, I will come into him and eat with him, and he with me (Revelation 3:20). Similarly, in Isaiah 1:18 the Lord extends the invitation, "Come now, let us reason together, says the Lord." God is not there only to save us from hell and to get us out of jams. God is there to have a relationship with you and me. The closer the relationship, the more we will become more and more like Christ (2 Corinthians 3:18). We should pray because God wants us to, and we will be blessed because of it.
Prayer also draws Christians closer to each other. In Matthew 18:19 Jesus tells us, "Again I say to you, if two of you agree on earth about anything they ask, it will be done for them by my father in heaven." Prayer isn't something that is done only alone in your prayer closet, it is something we should do together as well. We should at least agree about the things that we need to pray about in church so that as a body we can pray together. As a result it will draw us closer together and closer to the Lord. No one will then be able to say, "It was my prayer that brought about this powerful answer," but only, "It was our prayers that God heard and answered." One of the good things about agreement in prayer is that others can help the one requesting see the true need for prayer, not just the emotional desire. We should pray to deepen our relationship with others.
In sum, those who see God only in utilitarian or fatalistic terms, do not have a relationship with God. God calls us into relationship with Him--that is His desire. Without prayer your relationship with God and others will be shallow.
Love & Prayers,
Tom
The question has been asked many times, "Why pray? God knows what we need before we need it so why doesn't he just give it? Not only that but, God's mind can't be changed once he has determined something so isn't prayer just futility?" Pardon me for saying it, but questions like these are indicative of the relationship of the person who is asking with God. They see God only as useful if he gets them out of the jam they are in right now.
Prayer is necessary for relationship with God. In a letter written to Christian folks the Lord said, "Behold, I stand at the door and knock; if any one hears my voice and opens the door, I will come into him and eat with him, and he with me (Revelation 3:20). Similarly, in Isaiah 1:18 the Lord extends the invitation, "Come now, let us reason together, says the Lord." God is not there only to save us from hell and to get us out of jams. God is there to have a relationship with you and me. The closer the relationship, the more we will become more and more like Christ (2 Corinthians 3:18). We should pray because God wants us to, and we will be blessed because of it.
Prayer also draws Christians closer to each other. In Matthew 18:19 Jesus tells us, "Again I say to you, if two of you agree on earth about anything they ask, it will be done for them by my father in heaven." Prayer isn't something that is done only alone in your prayer closet, it is something we should do together as well. We should at least agree about the things that we need to pray about in church so that as a body we can pray together. As a result it will draw us closer together and closer to the Lord. No one will then be able to say, "It was my prayer that brought about this powerful answer," but only, "It was our prayers that God heard and answered." One of the good things about agreement in prayer is that others can help the one requesting see the true need for prayer, not just the emotional desire. We should pray to deepen our relationship with others.
In sum, those who see God only in utilitarian or fatalistic terms, do not have a relationship with God. God calls us into relationship with Him--that is His desire. Without prayer your relationship with God and others will be shallow.
Love & Prayers,
Tom
Saturday, July 20, 2013
PRAYER THOUGHTS: WHAT IS PRAYER?
Pray like this: Our Father who art in heaven . . . (Matthew 6:9).
I'm putting a few thoughts together for a prayer ministry that will be meeting at my church each Monday evening. What I am writing here will not be the final form, but I find that writing out a few of my thoughts helps me to think more. The next few posts are a part of my thinking process, so here we go.
A simple dictionary definition of prayer is that it is a solemn request for help from God or an expression of thanksgiving to God. From the model prayer the Lord Jesus gave us, prayer is also an acknowledgement of who God is--He is holy and he is our Father. By implication, God is our creator and redeemer. Prayer, then, is not just asking and thanking, it is acknowledging the relationship that God wants to have with us.
Prayer is an exercise of faith. First, it is a part of the body of faith that is to be believed and obeyed. Second, God is a spirit, He cannot be seen, touched, smelled, tasted or heard unless He wills it. Thus, whether it be in church, at home or in the forest, that prayers are getting a listening higher than the treetops is a matter of believing God's word. But the Bible tells us that the just shall live by faith (Habakkuk 2:4, Romans 1:17, Hebrews 10:38). We cannot have a relationship with God unless it is by faith. One of the ways that faith grows is through prayer.
How is your prayer life--is your faith growing?
Our Father's Blessings,
Tom
I'm putting a few thoughts together for a prayer ministry that will be meeting at my church each Monday evening. What I am writing here will not be the final form, but I find that writing out a few of my thoughts helps me to think more. The next few posts are a part of my thinking process, so here we go.
A simple dictionary definition of prayer is that it is a solemn request for help from God or an expression of thanksgiving to God. From the model prayer the Lord Jesus gave us, prayer is also an acknowledgement of who God is--He is holy and he is our Father. By implication, God is our creator and redeemer. Prayer, then, is not just asking and thanking, it is acknowledging the relationship that God wants to have with us.
Prayer is an exercise of faith. First, it is a part of the body of faith that is to be believed and obeyed. Second, God is a spirit, He cannot be seen, touched, smelled, tasted or heard unless He wills it. Thus, whether it be in church, at home or in the forest, that prayers are getting a listening higher than the treetops is a matter of believing God's word. But the Bible tells us that the just shall live by faith (Habakkuk 2:4, Romans 1:17, Hebrews 10:38). We cannot have a relationship with God unless it is by faith. One of the ways that faith grows is through prayer.
How is your prayer life--is your faith growing?
Our Father's Blessings,
Tom
Wednesday, July 17, 2013
HOME FROM VACATION 2013
When day came, Jesus left and went to a secluded place; and the crowds were searching for Him . . . (Luke 4:42).
Even Jesus needed some time off, though His times off were short. Every year the Tom and Helen Steele family attempts to round up as many children and grandchildren as can come and do a family vacation together. This kind of togetherness helps to integrate inlaws and grandchildren into the Steele family system--at least we have not scared anyone away yet, though we might have come close this year.
We rented two cottages near the northern-most tip of Michigan's lower peninsula on Black Lake. The trip to Black Lake included driving a lot of miles on two-lane roads through Wisconsin's and Michigan's rural areas. That was a treat because of the beauty of those states. We stayed the night in Green Bay, Wisconsin the first night. We football fans could not stay the night without visiting Lambeau Field--it would be a sin not to visit. None of our family are "Packer" fans, but we were inspired, none the less, by the great tradition of the Packers.
The next highlight of the vacation was crossing the Mackinac bridge. The Mackinac bridge is the third longest suspension bridge in the world. Including approaches, the total length of the bridge is a bit more than 5 miles long. The height of the roadway above the water at its highest point is 200 feet and, depending on wind strength, the bridge can sway as much as 35 feet. So, to me, it was an adventure just to cross the Mackinac bridge.
The time we had together on vacation was priceless. It will be a dynamic in the formation of the lives of our grandchildren. Hopefully, the faith in Christ that is lived out in their grandparents and parents will take root and grow in their lives too.
On the way home we stayed the night in Elkhart, Indiana, very close to South Bend and Notre Dame University. Though none of us are fans of the "Fighting Irish," the men among us could not not visit one of the revered sites of college football. Our visit to the campus was inspiring and makes for a more favorable perspective of Notre Dame University and football.
Much more could be said about vacation, but we arrived safely home for some much-needed rest.
Our Father's Blessings,
Tom
*If you are planning a vacation, the Mackinac area is a great place to go--it will be a "Moment in Time" that will not be forgotten. We spent a day on Mackinac Island and it was an enjoyable historical experience.
Even Jesus needed some time off, though His times off were short. Every year the Tom and Helen Steele family attempts to round up as many children and grandchildren as can come and do a family vacation together. This kind of togetherness helps to integrate inlaws and grandchildren into the Steele family system--at least we have not scared anyone away yet, though we might have come close this year.
We rented two cottages near the northern-most tip of Michigan's lower peninsula on Black Lake. The trip to Black Lake included driving a lot of miles on two-lane roads through Wisconsin's and Michigan's rural areas. That was a treat because of the beauty of those states. We stayed the night in Green Bay, Wisconsin the first night. We football fans could not stay the night without visiting Lambeau Field--it would be a sin not to visit. None of our family are "Packer" fans, but we were inspired, none the less, by the great tradition of the Packers.
The next highlight of the vacation was crossing the Mackinac bridge. The Mackinac bridge is the third longest suspension bridge in the world. Including approaches, the total length of the bridge is a bit more than 5 miles long. The height of the roadway above the water at its highest point is 200 feet and, depending on wind strength, the bridge can sway as much as 35 feet. So, to me, it was an adventure just to cross the Mackinac bridge.
The time we had together on vacation was priceless. It will be a dynamic in the formation of the lives of our grandchildren. Hopefully, the faith in Christ that is lived out in their grandparents and parents will take root and grow in their lives too.
On the way home we stayed the night in Elkhart, Indiana, very close to South Bend and Notre Dame University. Though none of us are fans of the "Fighting Irish," the men among us could not not visit one of the revered sites of college football. Our visit to the campus was inspiring and makes for a more favorable perspective of Notre Dame University and football.
Much more could be said about vacation, but we arrived safely home for some much-needed rest.
Our Father's Blessings,
Tom
*If you are planning a vacation, the Mackinac area is a great place to go--it will be a "Moment in Time" that will not be forgotten. We spent a day on Mackinac Island and it was an enjoyable historical experience.
Tuesday, July 16, 2013
PROMISE, NOT PERFORMANCE
That is, it is not the children of the flesh who are children of God, but the children of the promise are regarded as descendants (Romans 9:8).
What a privilege to be a child of God! One is not a child of God because of the color of skin, the amount of money, power or beauty that is possessed. One is not a child of God because of apparent fulfillment of the good works of the Old Testament Law. One is a child of God because of faith in Christ. That is the promise of God . . . for with the heart a person believes, resulting in righteousness, and with the mouth he confesses, resulting in salvation (Romans 10:10).
What a person believes changes his life. If a person believes and there is no life change, does he really believe?
Our Father's Blessings,
Tom
What a privilege to be a child of God! One is not a child of God because of the color of skin, the amount of money, power or beauty that is possessed. One is not a child of God because of apparent fulfillment of the good works of the Old Testament Law. One is a child of God because of faith in Christ. That is the promise of God . . . for with the heart a person believes, resulting in righteousness, and with the mouth he confesses, resulting in salvation (Romans 10:10).
What a person believes changes his life. If a person believes and there is no life change, does he really believe?
Our Father's Blessings,
Tom
Wednesday, July 03, 2013
MUSING ON THE 4TH OF JULY
A city set on a hill cannot be hid (Matthew 5:14).
A person who "muses" is one who thinks deeply. Right now my mind is exhausted so I do not know if I am capable of thinking deeply, but the question has crossed my mind today, "What would the world be like if America would never have come into existence?" It is not difficult for me to believe that the world would have progressed little from the time of the forming of America until now. I do not believe that the world would have continued on, progressing as though America had no influence on the progress of nations.
Without America, Hitler would have won. Without America, the Soviets would have won. Without America, the Islamists would have won--oh wait, that one isn't over yet. In any of these cases, freedom would have been killed and the vast majority of humanity would be living in slavery. Freedom is rare! It is precious! It is not free!
The Lord has said that man does not live by bread alone. A tyrant can feed his people, but without freedom they can never really live and thrive. The freedom that Americans enjoy has fed the aspirations of the peoples of the world. The basis of that freedom is the rule of law, law founded on the God of the Bible. Laws of purely human origin are arbitrary and unlawful, but laws based in the character of God are truly lawful. What has made America exceptional is that, for the most part, America is a nation of the rule of that kind of law.
Times are changing. American jurisprudence is becoming more and more arbitrary. Becoming as the other nations of earth, the light of America is going out, then what will the world be like?
Our Father's Blessings,
Tom
A person who "muses" is one who thinks deeply. Right now my mind is exhausted so I do not know if I am capable of thinking deeply, but the question has crossed my mind today, "What would the world be like if America would never have come into existence?" It is not difficult for me to believe that the world would have progressed little from the time of the forming of America until now. I do not believe that the world would have continued on, progressing as though America had no influence on the progress of nations.
Without America, Hitler would have won. Without America, the Soviets would have won. Without America, the Islamists would have won--oh wait, that one isn't over yet. In any of these cases, freedom would have been killed and the vast majority of humanity would be living in slavery. Freedom is rare! It is precious! It is not free!
The Lord has said that man does not live by bread alone. A tyrant can feed his people, but without freedom they can never really live and thrive. The freedom that Americans enjoy has fed the aspirations of the peoples of the world. The basis of that freedom is the rule of law, law founded on the God of the Bible. Laws of purely human origin are arbitrary and unlawful, but laws based in the character of God are truly lawful. What has made America exceptional is that, for the most part, America is a nation of the rule of that kind of law.
Times are changing. American jurisprudence is becoming more and more arbitrary. Becoming as the other nations of earth, the light of America is going out, then what will the world be like?
Our Father's Blessings,
Tom
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