Bible in 90, Day 35: Remember me, oh God

Nehemiah 1-13

*image courtesy of eyebiz at www.sxc.hu

“Pray without ceasing.” (1 Thessalonians 5:17)

It can be hard to understand what this verse is talking about.  Are we to live our lives on our knees, never talking to anyone, but only praying all the time?  How do we fulfill any of the other commands of God if we are praying non-stop?  Rather than try to explain, let me illustrate.

Nehemiah was a great man of prayer.  Throughout the book that bears his name, Nehemiah is praying without ceasing (Nehemiah 1:1-11, 2:4, 4:4, 4:9, 5:19, 6:9, 6:14, 13:14, 13:22, 13:29).  I’m sure you picked up on this theme throughout today’s reading.  Just before giving an answer to his king about his downcast mood, he asked God for help.  When recounting his righteous acts, he constantly asks God to remember him for them.  He asks God at the beginning of the book to remember His covenant love and promise to return His people.  When enemies try to stop the rebuilding of the wall, He asks God to vindicate them.  When they threaten the people later, he asks for God’s protection.  When the assault comes against him personally, he asks for God’s strengthening.  He asks God to remember Tobiah’s and Sanballat’s evil doing.  Every time you turn around, Nehemiah was seeking God’s help.  Whether the need was spiritual, practical, religious, or political, Nehemiah sought God.

This is what it means to pray without ceasing.  In all we do, we should be seeking God’s help, His wisdom, His strengthening.  This does not mean we have to always stop, kneel, and break out in poetic language.  Imagine how short and to the point Nehemiah’s prayer in 2:4 had to have been!  The king asked a question, and before he answered, he prayed to God!  That’s a quick prayer.  It reminds me of the so-called shortest prayer in the Bible.  When Peter was walking on water with Jesus, he started to sink and prayed/screamed “Lord, save me!” (Matthew 14:30).  That’s quick praying!

Let’s live like Nehemiah did, praying without ceasing.  Let’s remember that no matter where we are, no matter what we’re doing, we can seek God’s help.  Whether it’s a short prayer for guidance, the right words, or wisdom in a decision; or if it’s a lengthy eloquent prayer recalling God’s past faithfulness and asking for His continued fulfilling of promises, God hears and God answers.  So pray, without ceasing.

originally at Words of Reason

Bible in 90, Day 27: The God who cares about tools

2 Kings 4-15

*image courtesy of asheley at www.sxc.hu

“What do you want to pray about tonight?” I asked my 2½ year-old son.

“Umm… snacks!”

“You want to pray for snacks?”

“Uh huh, that God will give us snacks.”

“Ok, go ahead.”

“God, please give us some snacks tomorrow, amen.”

Elisha’s request of Elijah was that he would receive a double portion of the spirit that resided on his master, Elijah.  Second Kings goes on to relate the fulfillment of this promise by recording twice the number of miracles in Elisha’s ministry as in Elijah’s ministry.  Second Kings 4-6 shows us several, rapid-fire miracles.  A common theme throughout these miracle stories is that each one met a need.  These weren’t just flashy shows of the power of God in Elisha’s life, they met various needs in various ways.  Some were weightier than others:  we see a widow being saved from poverty, a son given, then restored to life, and a commander being healed of leprosy.  These were all dire situations into which God intervened.

However, several were needs that we might consider mundane: fixing a pot of stew that otherwise would have been thrown out, feeding a hundred men with a small amount of food, and getting a lost ax head back for a prophet who had borrowed it.  These might seem trivial, especially the last one.  We might even think them beneath God’s concern, and certainly His miraculous intervention.

God loves His children.  What is important to us (assuming godly standards of course) is important to Him.  This man lost a valuable piece of equipment, and worse, it was borrowed!  There was no running to Lowe’s to get a new one.  The man was concerned about his reputation and relationship with his friend.  Now, did he expect God to move heaven and earth, to temporarily suspend the laws of physics to bring it back?  Probably not.  Nonetheless, God cared, and met the man’s need.

We serve the God who even cares about our tools!

When he first said he wanted to pray for snacks, I thought it was silly.  But then I realized that my son had better theology than I did.  I had taught him that every good gift comes from the Father above (James 1:7).  He accepted my words as the words of God, as they were in this case(1 Thessalonians 2:13)!  So, snacks are good, God gives all good things, God gives snacks!  God please give us snacks tomorrow.  And God heard it.

And I’m sure He smiled.

God is our Father, and He is a good Father who meets our needs and wants us to come to Him with them (Matthew 6:9-11, 7:7-11; James 4:1-3).  He knows the little details of our lives, right down to the hairs on our head and he cares for us more than anything else in creation (Matthew 10:29-31).

Let’s never think that our need is beneath God’s concern.  If we are asking not out of selfishness, but in child-like faith, and according to God’s will, God will hear us and answer us (James 5:15; 1 John 5:14; Matthew 18:3).  Let us approach God with the simple faith of a child, humbly asking Him to supply our needs.

He will hear, and He will smile.

Bible in 90, Day 26: Who ya gonna call?

1 Kings 16 – 2 Kings 4

*image courtesy of jazza at www.sxc.hu

On everyone’s short list of baby names, I’m sure, is the name of today’s hero: Jehoshaphat.  Aside from having a snazzy name, and apparently being known for his jumping abilities, Jehoshaphat had a remarkable characteristic that reveals itself in today’s passage.

Particularly in 1 Kings 22 and 2 Kings 3, Jehoshaphat shows his dependence on God.  In both these situations, Jehoshaphat finds himself allied with the king of Israel (Ahab and Joram, respectively) in a military situation that requires some guidance.  In the first instance, the question is whether or not the two kings should go to war against Aram.  In the second, the kings of Israel, Judah, and Edom find themselves in the predicament of having run out of water in the midst of the desert.  In both situations, Jehoshaphat’s natural tendency is the same:

Let’s ask the Lord!

Whether it was seeking wisdom (yes!  three days in a row!  sweet!), or seeking provision, Jehoshaphat went to God.  He asks virtually the same question both times, “Is there not a prophet of the Lord that we might inquire of?”  He also affirms this sentiment further.  In 2 Kings 3, when told that Elisha is nearby, he says “The word of the Lord is with him.”  In 1 Kings 22, he mildly rebukes Ahab for not accepting the message from God through Micaiah just because he doesn’t like it.  Jehoshaphat valued the wisdom of God even when it wasn’t convenient for him.

Let us be the same!  When faced with a decision, let us always first think of asking God.  When faced with a need or some threat, let us always first think to go to God with our need.  As believers in Jesus Christ, we don’t even have to go through a prophet!  We have a new and living way into the presence of God, and because of this Way (that is, Jesus), we can enter His presence boldly (Hebrews 10:19-23).  If we ask anything in His Name and according to His will, He will answer us (John 14:14; 1 John 5:14).  So let us enter boldly, not on our own worth but Christ’s, and seek God.  We will find Him when we seek Him with all our hearts (Jeremiah 29:13)!