Tag: prayer

Random Journal Day: In Good Company

Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing. (1 Thessalonians 5:11 ESV)

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my newest journal. love the zippered pocket incorporated into the canvas cover. journal is removable, so I could get a replacement and keep using the cover. (Found at Target)
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front view

Once a month, I join with Dawn and her fearless companions over at Random Journal Day. On the same weekend, I also have the joy of meeting in person with fearless journal keepers from our church. Both of these groups encourage me to continue the practice of dialoguing with God in my journal.

So for a treat, I am going to post my entry from today’s in person group with the RJD friends.

Today, our mentor encouraged us to journal about the topic of whether or not our prayers made a difference. Little did she know that I was struggling with this issue in my heart. It may seem odd to write in the presence of others, but it is cherished time set aside, where our leader offers us a prompt, then we each silently pour out our hearts into our journals.

Here is my journal response to her question:

Father God- What a privilege to be reminded that our prayers matter to You, to each other and to the one’s we pray for. I will never know the impact. You have given me seasons of intense intercessory prayer through prayer groups, Moms in Prayer International and the National Day of Prayer ministry, but lately my prayer life has been less structured and seemingly sporadic or very “arrow” prayer oriented. [An arrow prayer is just shooting requests up to God as I go, rather than a focused time of intercessory prayer.]

As the disciples asked , I ask again: “Teach me to pray–how–what–who–where–and when to pray.”

I have time.

I have tools.

I have topics.

What am I lacking? Tenacity? Hope? Faith? Why am I reluctant or strayed away from structured prayer? I feel vulnerable sharing and admitting that my intercessory prayer life is like an abandoned building. I do believe I have a rich , close relationship with You…show me the distractions and what has stunted my desire to intercede “systematically.” How should I pray for others? Do I lack discipline? A plan? The heart?

Thank you for time to take inventory, to admit my lack–thank you that with YOU I lack no good thing. Help me to seek you and follow your example, Jesus, of praying for others.

At this point, I paused in my journaling. The Holy Spirit prompted me to look up John 17, where Jesus prayed for His disciples and us before He died. He addressed the Father on our behalf to experience joy, to be kept from the evil one and to experience the love unifying relationship that he and the Father shared. Much to ponder.

And then I read in Romans 8, that even Paul understood that we didn’t know how to pray as we ought, and reminded us that the Spirit intercedes on our behalf! What relief! And the Spirit prays according to God’s will. In both passages, I heard echoes of the Lord’s prayer (the one he taught the disciples.)

Our Father who art in heaven hallowed by Thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. Forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one. To thine be the kingdom, and the glory and the power, forever and ever. Amen.

Prayer matters. And God is the one who ignites and sustains our prayer life. Hallelujah!

Journaling for about 30 minutes and sharing our insights in a group reminded each one of us that we are not alone in our spiritual struggles. What a blessing to have companions on this journaling journey.

Posted on by kelrohlf 9

Gethsemane: A Place of Great Mental or Spiritual Suffering

They went to a place called Gethsemane, and Jesus said to his disciples, “Sit here while I pray.”  He took Peter, James and John along with him, and he began to be deeply distressed and troubled. “My soul is overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death,” he said to them. “Stay here and keep watch.”

Going a little farther, he fell to the ground and prayed that if possible the hour might pass from him. “Abba, Father,” he said, “everything is possible for you. Take this cup from me. Yet not what I will, but what you will.” (Mark 14:32-36 NIV)

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We are entering the final stretch of this marathon of Lent.  Today, the liturgy invites us to recall the Last Supper along with Jesus’ radical example of washing the feet of his own disciples. After the meal, they depart for a nearby olive grove. Jesus knows what lies ahead. He and his Father have rehearsed the plan, yet Jesus still has to go through the physical, mental and spiritual anguish associated with the Father’s intention to save the world through his beloved son’s death.

As we get closer to the glorious finish, we enter the days when facing the betrayal, the denial, the excruciating pain and the final breath of our Savior on the cross, seem insurmountable. To be perfectly honest, this is the point in the race where I want to quit. I can’t bear to watch. Like the disciples, I am exhausted and I just want to sleep. But Jesus invites me to pray. To overcome the anguish that begs me to just skip the cross and get on to the empty tomb.

Today, I came across an old hymn called Go to Dark Gethsemane (James Montgomery). Each stanza seems to reflect the path of the next four days. I was confronted with my lack of peace that results from an ongoing struggle with unbelief, pride and selfishness. And each step of the way, Jesus instructs me through his life experience that these temptations can be overcome.

In the garden, Jesus overcomes unbelief with prayer. It must have felt unbelievable that his disciples couldn’t keep watch with him. The unspoken question, “Is all this pain really necessary?” hovers on this dark night of his soul. He confesses to his Father that his flesh would welcome relief, would welcome a different plan, but by wrestling through his anguish, he releases his will to his Father.

I leave you with the first stanza of the hymn to pass this hour with Jesus:

Go to dark Gethsemane, you that feel the tempter’s power;

Your Redeemer’s conflict see, Watch with him one bitter hour.

Turn not from his griefs away; learn of Jesus to pray.

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Marathon: Something Characterized by Great Length or Concentrated Effort

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Keep on asking, and you will receive what you ask for. Keep on seeking, and you will find. Keep on knocking, and the door will be opened to you. (Matthew 7:7 NLT)

Lent as marathon. That was the message of the Ash Wednesday service. Later that morning, my friend found this poem about marathons, and I share it today for our contemplation.

“To Marathon”

To pursue a goal you cannot see.
To apply what you have done to what you must do.
To sacrifice.
To dare.
To not fear pain.
To not fear hard.
To undertake both.
To meet the limits of endurance.
To push beyond.
To have a body with nothing left to give.
To have a mind that believes otherwise.
To be carried by a thousand cheers.
To know the strength in the words of a stranger.
To fall.
To be lifted.
To keep running.

(Source)

I see myself in the poem AND I see Jesus. Who do you see?

 

Posted on by kelrohlf 4

un(settled): not comfortable

 These all died in faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them afar off were assured of them, embraced them and confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth. For those who say such things declare plainly that they seek a homeland. (Hebrews 11:13-14)

Whether you are leaving or arriving, seeking out or settling in, let the practice of prayer remind you of God’s faithful presence. (Rachel Hackenberg)

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Why are you unsettled, O my soul?
Not knowing whether you come or you go.
Feeling tossed and tumbled
tugged and pulled–
a tug of war
internally;
eternally wondering
wandering
waiting
wanting
longing for
home.

 

 

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My Magic Wand {and Random Journal Day}

But the LORD still waits for you to come to him so he can show you his love and compassion. For the LORD is a faithful God. Blessed are those who wait for him to help them. (Isaiah 30:18 NLT)

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Often around this time of year, you may hear me say, “I wish I had a magic wand!” Recently, to my delight and relief, I discovered that I do have a magic wand. I found it one day when I was using my journal.

The joy of keeping a journal started many years ago, when as a young teenager I needed a place to privately vent my feelings without censure. As I grew in my relationship with God, my journals became the place where I recorded my thoughts, my feelings and dialogues with God.

A journal has so many purposes, I could never describe them all in one post. But the other day I realized that my journal is my magic wand!

Here’s a glimpse into my musings that day. I started out with this thought:

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I wish I had a magic wand to get ready for the holidays…

it would clean my house

decorate for Christmas

give me plenty of time to play, to create, to share, to love myself and others

Then I wrote this confession:

I feel pressure, stress, fear of not finishing, lack of energy, overwhelmed, cluttered, shut down

On the next page, this revelation poured from my pen:

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My magic wand is spending an hour journaling, playing with mixed-media, taking a walk with our new dog, Kokomo.

My magic wand is prayer, seeking God’s presence in every moment.

Permission to pause, to read my book club book, to let the dishes sit in the sink, to leave clothes unfolded, to trust, to wait, to invite GOD to reveal His character into my life, to invite GOD to lead, energize and direct me!

Finally, I drew a magic wand in my journal with some words of affirmation:

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I have a magic wand…it helps me to do my to-do list…it gives me permission to have fun, to be creative, to play before I work; it inspires me to use what I have…to look for grace and energy from the Holy One!

Maybe you’ve never wished for a magic wand. But I invite you to pick up your pen and  some paper,  and then let God know what you wish for. Give it a try! Finish this sentence:

I wish…

Linking up with Random Journal Day

 

Posted on by kelrohlf 9