Prayer and Soaking (Pt. 1)

Okay, so I've been thinking a lot about prayer lately. And I've already learned a ton. And I'm still learning. A ton. And there is still *so much* to learn.

But here are some thoughts from today:

Michael Larson has this song (if you go to michaellarson.com he has a couple songs on there... It's one of them. Listen! He's fantastic.) and it's called "Let the World Sing a New Song".

The first verse says, "Father, we call on Your name. The name revealed by the Word of Your Son. Emmanuel, God with us saves, and Your Spirit invites us to come."

"Father, we call on Your name". We can call on the Name of God. Just like that. In Matthew 6 verse 9 Jesus teaches us to pray to the Father that way.
"The name revealed by the Word of Your Son." We have a tool given to us that actually reveals WHO GOD IS. How does that not excite you beyond words?! 2 Timothy 3:16 says that all scripture is God-breathed, which means that it is from God. Anything and everything in that book is there on purpose and useful.

I was thinking that I would like to learn better HOW to pray. If Jesus taught how to pray, obviously it is something that is learned. Yes, it's a natural reflex sometimes... But sometimes it's hard. And corporate prayer can very easily turn stiff and awkward. That being said, I love when I'm listening to others pray, and I can almost forget that they're praying and not talking to someone physically standing in front of them because they're so... Comfortable in their conversation.

And I want to get to that stage... With people. Because alone, I can chatter on and talk to Jesus about whatever... But I want to be able to corporately do the same. And I've been in situations where that's happened.
So I wondered what's stopping us? Age? Maturity? Fear? A lack of knowledge perhaps?

I brought it up with my mentor that we should teach about praying at youth group, and she said we might in the future.

But then... During this song at Tehillah... It hit me.
I don't need a PERSON to teach me how to pray.

The second verse goes, "Jesus You taught us to pray. To pray for thy kingdom to come. It's a kingdom that won't pass away. It's a kingdom that conquers through love."

I don't need someone to teach us how to pray because *JESUS ALREADY DID*! (Matthew 6:5-15)

Yes, I know the Lord's Prayer. But have I really REALLY studied it? Jesus Himself teaches us exactly how we should pray. What if we seriously studied and imitated it?

I have the best teacher in the world.

Nameless

http://micahbournes.bandcamp.com/track/the-man-without-a-name
(Please check out Micah Bournes! He spoke at Tehillah last night and he is incredible! And yes, this does have relevance to the post.)

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"I don't have a name."

Immediately, my mind went back to a dream I had last week:

I got tricked into driving someone to an abortion clinic to have an abortion.
While there, I somehow ended up "working" there. A lady holding a clipboard thrust it to me saying, "Please continue."

I looked down at the line of people. Single women, couples, and some men alone. I assume they had wives or girlfriends somewhere, cause why else would they be in a line up to have an abortion?

I looked at the paper. It had two blanks I had to fill in. "Name" and "Reason for abortion".

As I went down the line, each person gave me the necessary information. The reasons varied.
"My baby has an incomplete brain."
"I'm 14 and my parents think I'm a virgin."
"I already have 4 I can't take care of."
"My baby has a genetic disorder."

I came to one man standing by himself.

"Name?"
"Reason for abortion?"

And this is the line that stands out:

"We're getting an abortion for a lack of three things: A lack of money. A lack of rescuers. A lack of a name."

The lack of a name?

My mom texted me hours later... "You know the song "Hello, my name is..." by Matthew West? Maybe it wasn't a name name... Maybe it was that kind of name."

I never thought of that.

Nameless people.

Nameless people who have names, but don't know what their real ones are. My mind filled with names:

Loved.
Significant.
Important.
Child.
Son.
Daughter.
Forgiven.
Redeemed.
Free.

How many people do we pass on the streets who are nameless?

Sure, if you asked them their name they could tell you.

But they don't know their value. Their real names.

I've heard this song a million times and it's maybe sliiiiightly overplayed on the christian radio station,
but it emphasizes my point. :)

Acts 4:13

The other day (okay, it was a month ago, now.) I decided to read till I found something that jumped to be blogged about. I started in Acts because I knew my pastor was starting a sermon series on it. Why not get ahead of the game?

Acts 4:13

The members of the Council were amazed to see how bold Peter and John were and to learn that they were ordinary men of no education. They then realized that they had been companions of Jesus.

See, when you're homeschooled, sometimes you get questioned and have little things made fun of.
The fact that your writing doesn't look the same as everyone elses because you used a different program in grade 1. You haven't read certain books (though you've read many others) or you listen to different music... Don't understand certain jokes... Maybe you think differently. Dress differently. Act differently. (And maybe you don't. There are some pretty quirky people in the traditional schools too, trust me. It's not just us homeschoolers. ;)

My biggest annoyance is when I get to know people and it's totally normal... And then they find out I'm homeschooled. And all of a sudden, the way I cross my Ts and dot my Is makes a world of a difference that it wouldn't have if I had gone to a traditional school.

That's why this verse jumped out at me. Maybe it's just the way I read it, or maybe it's the way the writer meant it.

When the rulers and elders heard Peter and John speak, they noticed *first* their courage and boldness.
Their first thought wasn't, "You're uneducated and stupid." It was, "Wow, you're bold and brave."

I'm far from unschooled. True, I have not done classes in a traditional school since learning to count to 100 and how to sound out the word "cat" in kindergarten... But I'm graduating this year. I'm taking my diploma exams just like all the other students in the province who go to traditional schools.
I'm more educated than most of the world, really.

But my schooling itself? Really doesn't matter to me. I said that the other week as I filled out college applications. (Which, granted that I pass all my courses this year, got accepted!)
I don't need to go to the highest end university or get the best degree and spend thousands and thousands of dollars I don't have on it...
Because the education itself really means nothing. Its what I can *do* with my learning that I care about.

I don't want the education to be able to say, "Yes, here is my list of degrees from the best university in the country..."

I want the education so I can do a job and do it well. So I can help people and be qualified to do so.

And that I can get from the simplest college or the fanciest university.

What I want people to notice? My courage. My boldness. I want them to see that I have been and that I am a companion of Jesus.

I'll laugh with you if you make fun of me in any way, because I know I have Jesus, and that makes me no one's inferior.

Heroes - Faith

Heroes.
We all have them, don't we?
The people that we look up to with love, respect and admiration.

I have many. Some of them I know personally, some I do not... Some are close to my age, some are much older... Some haven't been alive since long before I was born...

I have so many, in fact, that they can't ALL be my hero all at once. They kind of have to take turns with the spotlight of my mind.

And often, my "hero" of the minute isn't the real Hero. But my hero is my hero for a moment because (s)he allows the real Hero to speak through them in amazing ways. Or they show me things about myself that I need to grow and work on.

Currently?
I think Joel Houston is kinda cool.

The reason?

Sometimes when I'm worshiping, certain lyrics will jump at me and I'll have to pause and think, "Can I actually sing that?"

And it's not because the lyrics are untrue... They're not wrong.

They just take an insane amount of faith to truthfully sing.

And I don't want to shout something I don't mean.

Usually, with a little thought, I decide that I am willing to sing. But I'm glad I think it over first. And I hope Jesus notices when my praise is well thought out and meant fully, too.

But I've noticed... A few of these songs have the same name tagged on them: Joel Houston.

And I can't help thinking... If I need to pray and think about the lyrics before I can sing and know I mean them...

How much faith must the man who wrote them have?

A crazy big amount.

Faith.

It's something that I've always wanted.

When I got baptized, that's what I shared about - the faith I wanted to have.

"When Jesus had finished saying all this to the people who were listening, he entered Capernaum.2 There a centurion’s servant, whom his master valued highly, was sick and about to die. 3 The centurion heard of Jesus and sent some elders of the Jews to him, asking him to come and heal his servant. 4 When they came to Jesus, they pleaded earnestly with him, “This man deserves to have you do this, 5 because he loves our nation and has built our synagogue.” 6 So Jesus went with them.

He was not far from the house when the centurion sent friends to say to him: “Lord, don’t trouble yourself, for I do not deserve to have you come under my roof. 7 That is why I did not even consider myself worthy to come to you. But say the word, and my servant will be healed. 8 For I myself am a man under authority, with soldiers under me. I tell this one, ‘Go,’ and he goes; and that one, ‘Come,’ and he comes. I say to my servant, ‘Do this,’ and he does it.”

9 When Jesus heard this, he was amazed at him, and turning to the crowd following him, he said, “I tell you, I have not found such great faith even in Israel.” 10 Then the men who had been sent returned to the house and found the servant well." (Luke 7:1-9)

I shared this story, and I followed it up with this: "I love this story particularly because the officer doesn't have a shadow of a doubt that Jesus will be able to heal his slave, even without coming to his house.

I want faith like that.

Whenever I read stories like this, or stories about people in other countries who are persecuted for their faith, stories about individuals who trust so completely, my question is always, "Would I have the faith to do that? Would I have the courage to do that?" And my answer to myself is also almost always the same: I hope so."

I want more. I want stronger.
The faith to sing out, "The lost are found, the blind will see, the lame will walk, the dead will live and You, our God, forever You will reign." and believe it with every ounce of my being. (Yeah, I know. Not Joel Houston. Awks. Still Hillsong!)

And maybe, Joel Houston and his music are God's voice, saying to me, "Will you trust me? With this?Through this?"

Challenging me to grow.

"Spirit lead me where my trust is without borders."

Done - Tagged - Filled

I'm done.

Done with this basking, waiting, resting thing.

"God has two games that He really loves to play. The first is hide-and-go-seek. The second is tag. But He does it like this "TAG! You're it. Now go into the world."" (Pastor Landon)

I'm filled.

The amount of love, hope, joy, faith, passion, strength and power that was poured into me last night is way beyond the capacity of my heart and mind.

Which is why I'm done.

I can't sit here in silence and peace anymore.

I can't sit here and think back on the night and all that happened and thank God once again that it happened... And then sit here alone.

Even though it feels good. It even feels almost right. Doesn't it?
But then it would be simply an experience.

Seeking... And seeking... And He tagged me. He tagged US. Didn't He?

"TAG."

And the power that was transferred into me with that tag caused me to lose my balance and stagger backwards for a second. But they caught me, the leaders and pastors caught me. They took my arm and held me up when I couldn't hold myself and the weight of what I was being filled with at the same time. They held me while I lost myself and became something different.
They held me until I could sit and absorb it all.

I'm 'it'.

God plays tag differently than preschoolers do.

When He tags you, He doesn't run away to avoid being tagged back... Because the point of THIS game of tag isn't to tag Him back... But go run into the world.

"If I'm smeared in peanut butter and I give you a hug... What gets on you? Peanut butter."

I'm anointed in the Spirit. What happens to you when I come into contact with you?

So if it was really an encounter and I'm really transformed...

Then I need to be done sitting still.

I can't be transformed and keep it in my own heart.

I've been tagged. No one likes playing tag with someone who stops running when they get tagged.

I'm restless.

I'm it.

Isaiah 61

 1 The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is on me,
    because the Lord has anointed me
    to proclaim good news to the poor.
He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted,
    to proclaim freedom for the captives
    and release from darkness for the prisoners,
2 to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor
    and the day of vengeance of our God,
to comfort all who mourn,
3     and provide for those who grieve in Zion—
to bestow on them a crown of beauty
    instead of ashes,
the oil of joy
    instead of mourning,
and a garment of praise
    instead of a spirit of despair.
They will be called oaks of righteousness,
    a planting of the Lord
    for the display of his splendor.
4 They will rebuild the ancient ruins
    and restore the places long devastated;
they will renew the ruined cities
    that have been devastated for generations.
5 Strangers will shepherd your flocks;
    foreigners will work your fields and vineyards.
6 And you will be called priests of the Lord,
    you will be named ministers of our God.
You will feed on the wealth of nations,
    and in their riches you will boast.
7 Instead of your shame
    you will receive a double portion,
and instead of disgrace
    you will rejoice in your inheritance.
And so you will inherit a double portion in your land,
    and everlasting joy will be yours.
8 “For I, the Lord, love justice;
    I hate robbery and wrongdoing.
In my faithfulness I will reward my people
    and make an everlasting covenant with them.
9 Their descendants will be known among the nations
    and their offspring among the peoples.
All who see them will acknowledge
    that they are a people the Lord has blessed.”
10 I delight greatly in the Lord;
    my soul rejoices in my God.
For he has clothed me with garments of salvation
    and arrayed me in a robe of his righteousness,
as a bridegroom adorns his head like a priest,
    and as a bride adorns herself with her jewels.
11 For as the soil makes the sprout come up
    and a garden causes seeds to grow,
so the Sovereign Lord will make righteousness
    and praise spring up before all nations.

Springtime.

I love springtime. Spring is when life happens, and it's so exciting to watch.

Yeah. I know. It's September.

But one of my theme songs right now states that it's always like springtime.

I can definitely attest to that right now.

The weather outside is downright miserable. But my heart is screaming "SPRING".

Springtime is when things are awakened.

Springtime is when things come to life.

Springtime is when the snow melts and the rain washes away all the dirt and mud from the past months.

Spring is fresh and new.

And I think one of the reasons people get so excited about spring is because it's (In my opinion) the most dramatic season change.

The air just changes as soon as the calendar says "April"... Doesn't it?

People mark summer with the end of the school year, and fall with the start of the school year... Winter just... Happens.

But spring brings new motivation. The push you need to finish the year successfully. The push to live fully.

It's a new season.

Let's live in a constant spring. Constantly becoming new.