Musings From My Journal: Praying for England and Spiritual Transformation

Musings From My Journal: 

I believe God has given me a heart for or a burden for England. I'm praying they would be restored to the Christian faith. The good elements of their ancient faith. They like Americans, need spiritual transformation. Political solutions can be helpful, but they’re not the only answer. The problems are too big for governments to solve. 

Only Jesus can transform hearts. And that comes from beholding Him. Spiritual transformation comes by degrees. It can be a slow process. If we learn to behold Jesus little by little we will experience the transformation we seek. 

Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another. For this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit. - 2 Corinthians 3:17-18 ESV

My Consecrated Recliner: The Prayer Series

“And when you pray, you must not be like the hypocrites. For they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and at the street corners, that they may be seen by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. But when you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you.” - Matthew 5:5-6 ESV 

Meeting God in the Quiet of the Morning

It’s a little old, and the fabric is beginning to fade. My wife wanted to get me a new one, but I can’t part with it. It’s a consecrated recliner.

It was originally in our family room, but now it's in my study. When I was a much younger man, living paycheck to paycheck, one of my goals was to own a recliner. 

Aren’t all men supposed to have recliners?

It’s where I go to meet with God in the morning.

I’ve tried other places in the house, but they just don’t seem right. I know you can pray anywhere, and God will hear you. 

I do pray in other places. But there’s something special about that chair.

Recently, I heard someone at a conference talk about the importance of having a consecrated place of prayer. That’s something I’ve been sensing for some time now. It was confirmation to me.

It’s not quite the same when I pray in another room. 

I know God isn’t confined to a particular place, but I believe there’s something to what Christian mystics have called thin places— where the nearness of God is experienced.

It’s the atmosphere. And the expectation of meeting with God. 

My Bible, a pen, and a journal are always part of my morning routine. There’s something about beginning the day with God, opening His Word, listening, reflecting, and writing down what He impresses upon my heart.

The children of Israel gathered manna every morning during their wilderness journey. They had to gather it early, before the sun grew hot and the manna disappeared. They couldn’t live on yesterday’s manna; they needed fresh provision for the day.

In much the same way, we need to gather our spiritual manna each morning. We need fresh insight from God’s Word, and his still small voice.

To me, this is a pattern. It’s consecrating the first part of my day to the LORD.

Morning prayer should be a place of encountering God. There are days when I experience His nearness. And there are days when I don’t feel His presence at all. 

Sometimes He seems absent.

I’ve wrestled with deeply concerning thoughts about the future sitting in that chair. What will happen to my family when I’m gone? 

Those are the moments when I must relinquish my problems to Him, commit my family to His care, and trust that our Father knows best. 

I have worked through many difficult situations while praying in that chair. I haven’t always received immediate answers, but I’ve had a place to bring my fears, pour out my heart, and remember that my family ultimately rests in God’s hands.

God isn’t legalistic about our morning routines. There are days when I have extra time to linger in His presence, and there are days when my prayer time is brief. 

But I treasure those mornings when I can sit quietly before Him unhurriedly.

The point is we all need a designated place where we regularly meet with God. 

And so, I think I’ll keep my old recliner a little longer.

Oh, and lest I forget, I take a cup of coffee into my prayer closet.

Jesus’ Suffering and Prayer: The Prayer Series

 

“In the days of his flesh, Jesus offered up prayers and supplications, with loud cries and tears, to him who was able to save him from death, and he was heard because of his reverence. Although he was a son, he learned obedience through what he suffered. And being made perfect, he became the source of eternal salvation to all who obey him, being designated by God a high priest after the order of Melchizedek. - (Hebrews 5:7-10 ESV)

The Father appointed Jesus as our high priest (Hebrews 5:5-6). He was tempted in every way like us, yet without sin ( Hebrews 4:14 - 16).

He suffered in agony while praying in the garden of Gethsemane. He suffered to the point that his capillaries burst in his head. He sweated drops of blood. Jesus was fully obedient to his Father’s will. 

“That Jesus “learned obedience” does not mean that he was disobedient and then became obedient. Rather, it means that Jesus followed fully and obediently the path of suffering the Father had designed for him.” (1)

Through prayer, He prepared himself to bear the sins of the world. This is beyond human comprehension. 

Reflecting on his ultimate sacrifice leaves me in awe and wonder. 

What a Savior!

Jesus’ consecration, piety, and reverence are a model for us in prayer. In the Gospels, we see him denying his flesh. He lived by every word that came from the mouth of his Father (Matthew 4:4). The devil's temptations were powerless over him in the wilderness and Gethsemane.

The serpent could not stop Jesus from finishing his assignment. 

Jesus, being fully God - did the unthinkable by becoming fully man (John 1:14).

Bible scholar, Craig Keener writes:

“Jesus’ participation in human suffering qualified him to be the ultimate high priest; the *Septuagint applies the word used here for “made perfect” to the consecration of priests.” (2)

The fact that we are sinful should not discourage us in prayer. Jesus is presently at the right hand of our Father in Heaven. Those who have surrendered to the Lordship of Jesus - are family now. We are the people of God with access to him through our high priest, Jesus. 

He prays for us so that we can, effectively pray for others. He knows all about our personal struggles and human weaknesses. He is for us. While we will never be sinless in this life, our goal with the help of the Holy Spirit - is to sin less.

We are called to live holy and consecrated lives. This is not religious legalism. It's a journey of allowing God to love us. To give Him the love, glory, and honor that he deserves. Jesus the “friend of sinners” is our Savior and friend. 

God is working in us to conform us into the image of His Son. (Romans 8:29) As followers of Jesus, we are called to deny ourselves those things in our lives, that are offensive to God. And to take up our own cross and follow him on the narrow path.

Scripture To Meditate on: 

“Enter by the narrow gate. For the gate is wide and the way is easy that leads to destruction, and those who enter by it are many. For the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life, and those who find it are few.” - Matthew 7:13-14 ESV 

“Then Jesus told his disciples, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it. For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and forfeits his soul? Or what shall a man give in return for his soul?” - Matthew 16: 24-26 ESV 

Prayer: 

“Pray like this:

Our Father in heaven,

Hallowed be Your name.

Your kingdom come.

Your will be done

On earth as it is in heaven.

Give us this day our daily bread.

And forgive us our debts,

As we forgive our debtors.

And do not lead us into temptation,

But deliver us from the evil one.

For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.”

 - Matthew 6:9-13 (NKJV)

(1) Zondervan Illustrated Backgrounds Commentary, Volume Four, Page 34

(2) The IVP Bible Background Commentary, New Testament, Craig S. Keener, p 646.