Persevering in Prayer, episode 90

1
00:00:00,000 --> 00:00:10,000
If you love a prodigal, you can discover help and hope for your wilderness journey right here at When You Love a Prodigal,

2
00:00:10,000 --> 00:00:15,000
and also help and hope for your own life journey.

3
00:00:15,000 --> 00:00:25,000
Today, we will continue our wilderness exploration, looking for treasured gifts on a prodigal journey.

4
00:00:25,000 --> 00:00:33,000
Be sure to jot down any ideas you want to try in your wilderness journey so you don't forget.

5
00:00:33,000 --> 00:00:36,000
I used to think I knew how to pray.

6
00:00:36,000 --> 00:00:47,000
Then, this prodigal time of our lives, 15 years, with my wandering son, required desperate prayer,

7
00:00:47,000 --> 00:00:53,000
and I moved into a new dimension of what it meant to pray.

8
00:00:53,000 --> 00:00:59,000
Even now, I realize I still know so little about praying.

9
00:00:59,000 --> 00:01:04,000
Prayer is a wonder I can barely comprehend.

10
00:01:04,000 --> 00:01:09,000
Sometimes I feel woefully inadequate and terribly ineffective.

11
00:01:09,000 --> 00:01:13,000
Does anything happen when I pray?

12
00:01:13,000 --> 00:01:18,000
Yet I keep praying, often, even always.

13
00:01:18,000 --> 00:01:21,000
Here are some of the ways I pray.

14
00:01:21,000 --> 00:01:25,000
Maybe these will be an encouragement and help to you.

15
00:01:25,000 --> 00:01:27,000
It's not a formula.

16
00:01:27,000 --> 00:01:34,000
There's no order, because life in the moment often dictates how I come to the Lord,

17
00:01:34,000 --> 00:01:39,000
what I say, and even what position I get in.

18
00:01:39,000 --> 00:01:45,000
We'll start with one of my favorite ways to pray, walking on the beach.

19
00:01:45,000 --> 00:01:53,000
In our conversation with my God, with sand in my toes and the waves lapping my ankles,

20
00:01:53,000 --> 00:01:59,000
the ocean masking nearby sounds, I usually ask God,

21
00:01:59,000 --> 00:02:02,000
what do you want to say to me?

22
00:02:02,000 --> 00:02:10,000
And he usually responds with words of love, affirmation, comfort,

23
00:02:10,000 --> 00:02:16,000
and new opportunities and sometimes some admonition.

24
00:02:16,000 --> 00:02:22,000
And then sometimes I start with, I have something to say, Lord.

25
00:02:22,000 --> 00:02:25,000
I almost always pray with great honesty.

26
00:02:25,000 --> 00:02:31,000
I find it's good to tell God the truth, because he knows it anyway.

27
00:02:31,000 --> 00:02:37,000
The beach is a good place to yell out my anger or fear or confusion.

28
00:02:37,000 --> 00:02:42,000
My home, when no one else is there, also works well.

29
00:02:42,000 --> 00:02:48,000
God always listens patiently and responds compassionately,

30
00:02:48,000 --> 00:02:57,000
reminding me of truth I know, of what he is like, of how I need to respond.

31
00:02:57,000 --> 00:03:02,000
Sometimes I fall on my face, literally, in awe,

32
00:03:02,000 --> 00:03:10,000
that the God of the universe would invite me into his presence to talk with him,

33
00:03:10,000 --> 00:03:15,000
to share my heart, to listen to his heart.

34
00:03:15,000 --> 00:03:22,000
I am so unworthy, yet he treasures me and wants me with him.

35
00:03:22,000 --> 00:03:30,000
Or I might drop to my knees and cry out, begging God to choose to do what I know he can do.

36
00:03:30,000 --> 00:03:37,000
Would he please heal or rescue or provide or change things,

37
00:03:37,000 --> 00:03:42,000
change a mind or a heart or a situation?

38
00:03:42,000 --> 00:03:49,000
Jesus says that he responds to those who cry out day and night, so I do it.

39
00:03:49,000 --> 00:03:55,000
Many times, as David describes in the Psalms, my tears have soaked my pillow.

40
00:03:55,000 --> 00:04:00,000
Help me, Lord, or help my loved one.

41
00:04:00,000 --> 00:04:05,000
I also pray by myself and with others.

42
00:04:05,000 --> 00:04:11,000
I use scripture. I pray through long parts of the Psalms, for example,

43
00:04:11,000 --> 00:04:18,000
and a lot in the latter part of Isaiah has been a great source of prayer for me.

44
00:04:18,000 --> 00:04:22,000
I read aloud prayers written by others.

45
00:04:22,000 --> 00:04:25,000
I raise my hands in worship.

46
00:04:25,000 --> 00:04:31,000
Of course, I have interceded on behalf of those I love, friends and coworkers,

47
00:04:31,000 --> 00:04:39,000
our leaders, world situations, those needing justice, and many other people, needs, events,

48
00:04:39,000 --> 00:04:43,000
and for those who love a prodigal.

49
00:04:43,000 --> 00:04:49,000
Gratefully, one of my most frequent prayers is, thank you, Lord.

50
00:04:49,000 --> 00:04:54,000
I have taken seriously the admonition to give thanks in all things.

51
00:04:54,000 --> 00:04:59,000
And oh, the difference it has made in all the above prayers.

52
00:04:59,000 --> 00:05:05,000
If I can say thank you, I have a whole different perspective on it.

53
00:05:05,000 --> 00:05:09,000
So you say you actually thank him?

54
00:05:09,000 --> 00:05:14,000
Does he answer your prayers that you should say thanks for the answer?

55
00:05:14,000 --> 00:05:20,000
Well, yes, he answers. Sometimes my hearing's not so good.

56
00:05:20,000 --> 00:05:25,000
Often he says, no, not a good idea.

57
00:05:25,000 --> 00:05:32,000
Other times he says, yes, but it usually looks a little different than what I had in mind.

58
00:05:32,000 --> 00:05:37,000
Often he says, I have a better idea, Judy.

59
00:05:37,000 --> 00:05:42,000
He is rarely in a hurry, but always on time.

60
00:05:42,000 --> 00:05:47,000
He is always in a hurry from his great knowledge and his great love.

61
00:05:47,000 --> 00:05:52,000
My saying thank you affirms that I believe he is God and he is good.

62
00:05:52,000 --> 00:05:59,000
And in my experience, those little words are like a key to open a door for God to work.

63
00:05:59,000 --> 00:06:03,000
I've experienced some amazing answers to prayer.

64
00:06:03,000 --> 00:06:07,000
I've seen people healed in heart and body.

65
00:06:07,000 --> 00:06:12,000
I've seen a remarkable community praying with them.

66
00:06:12,000 --> 00:06:15,000
Yes, sometimes God seems silent.

67
00:06:15,000 --> 00:06:22,000
At those times I feel like I know nothing about praying and I grow weary of waiting.

68
00:06:22,000 --> 00:06:30,000
Then once again, my Abba, daddy, father invites me into his embrace, into his heart.

69
00:06:30,000 --> 00:06:37,000
I can listen and cry and laugh. How sweet is that?

70
00:06:37,000 --> 00:06:40,000
Oh yes, there is the waiting.

71
00:06:40,000 --> 00:06:45,000
I think wait is one of God's favorite words.

72
00:06:45,000 --> 00:06:50,000
I'm not a fan of waiting and probably you aren't either.

73
00:06:50,000 --> 00:06:56,000
But one of the realities that God seems committed to is that when we learn to wait,

74
00:06:56,000 --> 00:07:02,000
to be patient, to persevere, we will learn important things.

75
00:07:02,000 --> 00:07:07,000
I don't think I've ever asked for the gift of perseverance.

76
00:07:07,000 --> 00:07:13,000
I might desire persistence, fortitude, even patience or endurance.

77
00:07:13,000 --> 00:07:18,000
But not perseverance. It sounds painful.

78
00:07:18,000 --> 00:07:25,000
But that's a gift I have received often, especially during this prodigal journey.

79
00:07:25,000 --> 00:07:32,000
I wrote this sort of poetry in the midst of a very hard time.

80
00:07:32,000 --> 00:07:34,000
Never give up.

81
00:07:34,000 --> 00:07:37,000
Sometimes it seems to no avail.

82
00:07:37,000 --> 00:07:41,000
You love unconditionally as best you can.

83
00:07:41,000 --> 00:07:45,000
You encourage, affirm, look for the good.

84
00:07:45,000 --> 00:07:48,000
You set boundaries and enforce consequences.

85
00:07:48,000 --> 00:07:53,000
You forgive and forgive and forgive again.

86
00:07:53,000 --> 00:07:59,000
You pour out mercy and grace and they keep going their wayward way.

87
00:07:59,000 --> 00:08:03,000
They reject you, disappear from your life,

88
00:08:03,000 --> 00:08:07,000
or even when they make better choices, they take you for granted.

89
00:08:07,000 --> 00:08:12,000
The casual thanks they give hardly conveys gratitude.

90
00:08:12,000 --> 00:08:16,000
The offhand apology seems barely sincere.

91
00:08:16,000 --> 00:08:21,000
Coming around again with an outstretched hand,

92
00:08:21,000 --> 00:08:24,000
then gone again until their next neediness.

93
00:08:24,000 --> 00:08:32,000
You cry. You pray. You reach out. You let go. You wait.

94
00:08:32,000 --> 00:08:34,000
Does this sound familiar?

95
00:08:34,000 --> 00:08:38,000
I bet many of you could have written those same words.

96
00:08:38,000 --> 00:08:44,000
I've had those thoughts and those questions wondering how will it end?

97
00:08:44,000 --> 00:08:47,000
When will it end?

98
00:08:47,000 --> 00:08:52,000
When will the asked for change happen?

99
00:08:52,000 --> 00:08:58,000
Perhaps our God, our loving Father, could write something similar about us.

100
00:08:58,000 --> 00:09:06,000
Surely occasionally we have the same attitudes, responses, words, actions toward him

101
00:09:06,000 --> 00:09:10,000
that our beloved Prodigals have toward us.

102
00:09:10,000 --> 00:09:17,000
Yet he keeps loving, correcting, encouraging, embracing.

103
00:09:17,000 --> 00:09:21,000
God gives out extravagant mercy and grace.

104
00:09:21,000 --> 00:09:24,000
He waits. He perseveres.

105
00:09:24,000 --> 00:09:28,000
And so can we in his spirit.

106
00:09:28,000 --> 00:09:31,000
So we have looked here at two gifts.

107
00:09:31,000 --> 00:09:37,000
One is just prayer in itself, that we can talk to God.

108
00:09:37,000 --> 00:09:41,000
That's just so amazing that he says,

109
00:09:41,000 --> 00:09:44,000
come on up, come join me here at the throne.

110
00:09:44,000 --> 00:09:49,000
Let's talk about anything. We can pour out our hearts.

111
00:09:49,000 --> 00:09:54,000
But then he does usually let us have to persevere.

112
00:09:54,000 --> 00:09:56,000
We don't always get what we want.

113
00:09:56,000 --> 00:09:59,000
Well, we don't always get what we want.

114
00:09:59,000 --> 00:10:02,000
But when we do even, it's rarely when we want it.

115
00:10:02,000 --> 00:10:08,000
And so one of our gifts is prayer, conversation with God himself.

116
00:10:08,000 --> 00:10:15,000
But another one is learning to persevere, learning to wait, learning to not give up.

117
00:10:15,000 --> 00:10:25,000
Because God is just as committed to doing the work in us as he is to answering our prayers about our loved one.

118
00:10:25,000 --> 00:10:31,000
Because he wants them to grow, but he also wants us to grow.

119
00:10:31,000 --> 00:10:34,000
So I have a few questions for you.

120
00:10:34,000 --> 00:10:40,000
What are some ways that you pray that you especially like?

121
00:10:40,000 --> 00:10:47,000
What are the ways of praying or one or two that are very meaningful to you?

122
00:10:47,000 --> 00:10:52,000
And when have you found unexpected treasures in your praying?

123
00:10:52,000 --> 00:10:55,000
When has God revealed something to you?

124
00:10:55,000 --> 00:11:01,000
When have you understood or when have you seen an answer that you really wanted?

125
00:11:01,000 --> 00:11:05,000
And how have you been able to persevere?

126
00:11:05,000 --> 00:11:09,000
How would you explain it to someone else?

127
00:11:09,000 --> 00:11:20,000
What's it like to keep hanging on, to not give up, to wait on God who is acting in his perfect timing?

128
00:11:20,000 --> 00:11:28,000
Next week we will wrap up Searching for Treasure in the Wilderness with two more valuable gifts.

129
00:11:28,000 --> 00:11:33,000
I think you're going to love what we're going to talk about next week.

130
00:11:33,000 --> 00:11:36,000
And I would be really grateful if you would tell a friend.

131
00:11:36,000 --> 00:11:44,000
Probably if you have a product or you know someone else who does, maybe they would like to listen to this podcast as well.

132
00:11:44,000 --> 00:11:53,000
And while you're doing that, take a minute to rate it and even comment if you're listening on Apple.

133
00:11:53,000 --> 00:11:56,000
I will be praying for you.

134
00:11:56,000 --> 00:12:15,000
God bless you.