faith

Prayer Lessons – Day One

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Prayer Lessons: Day One

Now Jesus was praying in a certain place and when He finished one of His disciples said to Him “ Lord teach us to pray… Luke 11:1 ESV

My step father was a concert clarinetist and when I was entering first grade he decided it was the perfect time for me to begin to learn to play. Lessons were every Saturday and I was expected to practice every day after school. Now I confess I never liked clarinet but the lessons taught me the discipline of music and later I fell in love with singing.

No one; not even my very strict step-dad expected me to just spontaneously begin playing one of Beethoven’s Symphonies for a while.

man performing on stage

Photo by Gabriel Santos Fotografia on Pexels.com

So why do we think that praying is any different? Jesus wasn’t angry that the disciples didn’t know how to pray. He welcomes us to ask Him to teach us and He began by teaching what we call The Lord’s Prayer.

Pray then like this: Our Father who is in heaven hallowed be your name. Matthew 6:9

Lesson one in prayer is that we can only begin as a child of God. Jesus didn’t tell us to pray to the creator of the earth; the king of heaven or the master of the universe. Jesus invited us to come as children. We must accept His invitation to join His family before we can pray as we should. And as a part of a family we say “Our Father” humbly accepting that we are a brother or sister to everyone who comes to Him by faith. Are you ready for your prayer lesson today?

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God’s construction Zone

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As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good, to bring it about that many people should be kept alive, as they are today. Genesis 50:20 ESV

A few years ago the street in front of our house was closed for construction while the city re-worked the storm drains. The job was complicated by an underground brook that also ran under the road and the project ended up being dug up and filled in four or five times. During one phase when the work of smashing and pounding was still going at11 p.m.; I put on my jacket and marched down the street to complain. The polite young foreman of the job explained that he was really sorry; but since they had dug up the road it had to be filled in before morning.

asphalt blur city cityscape

Photo by Tranmautritam on Pexels.com

Joseph’s life reminds me of our construction zone. First he was beaten, thrown into a pit and sold into slavery; by his brothers. In his new life, God began blessing Joseph and soon things started looking up then – wham! He was arrested and thrown into prison for a crime he didn’t commit.  But even in prison Joseph was blessed and years later God used him to interpret the pharaoh’s dreams and he was promoted to governor of the kingdom. Joseph’s key to success was that he understood construction zone living. He didn’t become bitter or use his position to retaliate against his brothers. Instead he helped those same guys who had thrown him into the pit. Joseph was able to forgive because he knew that no matter how many times his plans were torn down or dug up; that God had a way of turning it all into good. He knew that when things in life got turned upside down that God would work overtime until he turned into good and had the road of his life filled in by morning!

Birds of the Air

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Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? Matthew 6:26 ESV

Jesus told us we could learn some lessons from birds. I enjoy taking pictures of all different kinds of our feathered friends.

One thing they all have in common is that they never worry. No matter what is going on, the fishers still fish, the singers still sing and the hunters still hunt.

They do not worry so much that their life is short; they just love to spread their wings!