Prayer in the “Sacred Ordinary”

Prayer is an effort of the will.

-Oswald Chambers, My Utmost for His Highest

Prayers are not tools for doing or getting, but for being and becoming.

                        -Eugene Peterson, Answering God: The Psalms as Tools for Prayer

Tool: anything used as a means of accomplishing a task or purpose (dictionary.com)

The thing about a tool is, you have to pick it up and use it. It does you no good laying on the table.

I spent 2017 entirely in the Psalms, studying/reflecting on them for my daily quiet times, listening for sermons/talks about them, and reading books related to them. (Here’s a summary of what I shared.) I expected the year to be about praise, but it quickly became more about prayer than anything else. The Psalms, more than any other book in the Bible, talk to God as much or more than they talk about God.

Psalm 23 in the Letter S

I recently came upon a delightful challenge to biblical meditation specially tailored for us #wordnerds. The challenge is to rewrite Psalm 23 alliteratively, that is, using a single letter for as many words as possible. I’ve now also completed (to the best of my ability) the letter Q, and you’ll find it at the bottom. But in the meantime, here’s my meditation using the letter S. I hope it blesses you. Find L and G at the link above.

The Sovereign is my shepherd,
I am sufficiently supplied.

There’s Only One Answer

Psalm 131. Job 3, Job 38:1-42:6.

I used to have so many questions,
So many “hows” and “whys.”
I looked to God for the answers;
I searched the earth and skies.

A Year in the Psalms

I’m still looking back at 2017, in which the Lord called me to spend my daily quiet time in Psalms. For the whole year. I read through the entire book twice, covering one psalm each day except for Psalm 119, where I covered one section a day. That left me about two weeks at the end of the year to dwell in the Christmas story.

Obedience is Not My Goal

The Pharisees of Jesus’ time had a particular way of doing almost everything. They had taken the Old Testament laws and dissected them, working out the best methods and restrictions to ensure they obeyed those laws. Their work led to piles and piles of instructions, details, stipulations, and exceptions. They even had a formula for getting dressed in the morning. If, in your morning ministrations, you skipped one of the prayers or started with the wrong foot, you had to go back and start over. There’s a mindfulness to such deliberateness, but it would have been exhausting—always worrying about prescriptive rules and working to remember every. single. thing.

When Worship Wanes and I Lose My Glasses

I’m on my second walk through Psalms this year, something to which God called me before 2017 began. (Read more about that here.) If there’s one constant through the Psalms, it is worship. Every single Psalm, in one way or another, expresses worship to God.

Why is it, then, sometimes I don’t feel like worshiping?

Watching and Waiting

The guard stands in the tower, eyes cast downward, searching through the thick night for any change, ears tuned for any out-of-the-ordinary noise. He raises his eyes to the distant mountains, their peaks muted by the sameness of the sky. He leans against the edge of the window for a moment, but he cannot relax. He will not descend until the sun ascends.

watchmen’s tower in the Middle East (c) Carole Sparks

Even in the deepest, loneliest part of the night, the guard never doubts the rising of the sun. With absolute confidence, he glances to the east for a moment, eager to catch the first graying of the dark sky, the first dimming of the stars.

Speechless Worship

The further I move into Psalms, the less I have to say. What, after all, am I to say to or about the Creator and Sustainer of the universe? More and more, I read my Psalm for the day, and I just sit back…taking it in…repeating the most meaningful parts. More and more, the only words I have are His. That’s why I call it Speechless Worship.

I’ve never done anything like this before, but today, I invite you to join me in this photo meditation. (All photos are mine. Please don’t use without permission.)

Enough is Not Enough

In our culture, we take everything to extremes. Is no one else bothered by how the term binge has become socially acceptable? It means “a period of excessive indulgence.” Sure, I’ve done it, but no way that’s healthy! Binge eating, binge drinking (alcohol, soda, coffee), binge watching a TV series…none of these help you become a better person—especially a better Christ-follower.

In our self-gratification-centered culture, having enough no longer satisfies. Take Starbucks for example. They used to offer a “short” size. While “tall and skinny” are my preferred adjectives for far more than my lattes, what induced them to offer medium, large, and extra-large as standard sizes?

The Apple Tree

James opened the door to Grandma’s house while Mom unbuckled his baby sister. He didn’t have to knock at Grandma’s. She always said he should just “come right in,” like he lived there. He took a deep breath as his foot crossed the threshold. The air was still thick with old books, old furniture, and antiseptic spray—as usual. On his second sniff, fresh rhubarb pie clouded the mix. James’ shoulders fell. He was hoping for chocolate or apple.