Lay Down My Pride and Pray

PASSAGE FOR THE DAY:
Colossians 1 (click the link)


KEY VERSES:
For this reason, since the day we heard about you, we have not stopped praying for you. (Colossians 1:9, NIV)


REFLECTIONS:
It’s interesting to read through Colossians 1.  At first glance, I see:  Prayer—check… Christ reigns supreme—check… Saved by grace—check.  OK, now what?  Prayer is good, prayer is awesome, lesson done.  Well, I was reading this passage over and over when it hit me, prayer is more than just here and now and shockingly, it’s not about me!  What?... Yeah, true story!  

I met my great Aunt Ruby (my grandmother’s sister) for the one and only time many years ago (she has since passed).  It had less than an hour with her, but she realized I was a believer and told me she had been praying for me and my mom for over 30+ years…WOW!  I wish I had known my Aunt Ruby, I bet she was a prayer warrior!  If I have inherited anything spiritual, it would probably be from her!  The rest of my family does not know Jesus.  My grandmother and aunt have both passed away and were not believers and my mom and my siblings are not and neither are my aunt’s children… yet.  

But what if?  What if I spent as much time praying for my brother and his wife and her 3 kids and their spouses/significant others and their kids, as I do for my friend’s kids?  I have no contact with them, so I will never know if they ever become believers or not, so would it be worth it?  What would it cost me to pray for people whom I have no desire to see or meet?  And by the way, does that speak to my hardness of heart?  (That’s another devotional—not enough time here).  There is an entire generation of children that I have never been invited to know, never been invited to their birthdays or over for Christmas, etc.  When my brother met his wife, she already had a 14 year old pregnant daughter. His stepdaughter's baby just recently turned 18 and he will be having children of his own soon, because that cycle has not been broken.  The three children belonging to my brother and his wife have more than six kids between them.  Because of one broken relationship (me and my brother) I have lost relationship with 10+ people (and growing)—there are already 3 generations in their family (almost 4).  It’s sobering when you sit down and really ponder it, because those are all souls that don’t know Jesus and they are in my sphere of influence.

But wait!  Verses 21-23:  “Once you were alienated from God and were enemies in your minds because of your evil behavior.  But now he has reconciled you by Christ’s physical body through death to present you holy in his sight, without blemish, and free from accusation if you continue in your faith, established and firm not moved from the hope held out in the gospel.  This is the gospel that you heard and that has been proclaimed to every creature under heaven, and of which, I Paul, have become a servant.”  (Insert my name for Paul’s.) 

And verses 26-27:  “the mystery that has been kept hidden for ages and generations, but is now disclosed to the saints.  To them God has chosen to make known among the Gentiles the glorious riches of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.”

I believe in prayer, don’t I?  And I believe in the hope our Creator has offered to us through Jesus, don’t I?  And I can see how one person in my family who I had never met prayed for me and changed my life, right?  God is supernatural, isn’t He?  What if I were to challenge myself to pray every week for this family of mine that I will never know?  What will their lives be like in 30+ years?  Am I willing to pray unceasingly for them, knowing there will never be a reward on earth for me?  Am I willing to set aside my own self righteousness and pride and lay down my life for the sake of my brother?  (Because of things in our past, I do not have a relationship with him, and probably never will again). HOWEVER, there is NOTHING holding me back from praying for him and his family.  Nothing but my pride and rebellion!  Ouch!  Say that isn’t true!  I can’t, I really can’t…God is gracious and kind and slow to anger and compassionate!  He knows when I need to hear things and when I will be ready to receive His teachings.  I don’t feel condemnation or shame (or any of those lovely things the enemy likes to hold over my head) because I haven’t prayed consistently for them thus far.  That’s how I know this lesson to me is straight from the heart of God.  And since I get to learn this lesson, I’m passing it along to you!  No thanks required, really! J

I enjoy praying for my friends and church family, but often times we are called to pray for those we don’t know and will never know.  Can we be faithful in those times?  Will we be faithful in those times?  Well, we’ll see!  I give you all permission to check in on me to see how I’m doing. 


POINT OF ACTION:
Spend some time in prayer asking God who He has placed in your life that you can commit to pray for them on a regular basis, maybe it’s someone you don’t even know.  It can be a friend, family member, co-worker, boss, homeless person, teen-ager, or maybe an industry like sex-trafficking, the pregnancy center, retirement homes, etc.  God has placed you in a unique position to be able to break the chains of the enemy in someone’s life.  There is a real war (spiritual) that we often forget about, I know I do!  But the battle is real and Satan wants to wreak havoc in the lives of believers to distract us from our call to prayer, because he knows that one person’s prayer can be felt for generations, the outcome of which we may never know.  When my aunt Ruby prayed for me for 30+ years, she had no idea she would ever meet me or see the answer to her sacrificial prayers.  I am a life that was most likely saved by the prompting of God’s Spirit in the life of a woman who obeyed God.  How can I not do anything else?


PRAYER:
Oh God, you are so faithful to me!  Thank you for the hope I have in you and for the friendship you offered me even when I was your enemy.  I’m so unworthy of you on my own, but I’m so thankful you see me with Your eyes.  Thank you for loving me and adopting me as Your Own.  I love you!  And I sing this song for you because You know how often I tend to walk in the wilderness instead of devouring the life You offer.

"Springs of Life” by Ginny Owens:

How many days Lord, have I walked in this wilderness?
A thirsty pilgrim with no water to drink.
And this barren place is making me crazy,
But as I wander on, I am forced to think.
Seems like I have spent so much time searchin'
In a dry and weary land where there's no truth.
But I think I'm finally realizin',
That my only hope of water is the well that comes from you, so...

Chorus:
Rain down your love upon me
Pour out your mercy on me
Please won't you take me to your springs of life
'cause I'm dying for deliverance, only you can save me,
I'm waitin', won't you take me,
To your springs of life.

Oh God, you are my God, And my spirit seeks you.
But my flesh has failed you time and time again.
And now I've chosen this desert when your love was waitin',
But your stubborn child longs to understand-
So I'll not waste another minute searchin'
In a dry and weary land where there's not truth,
Oh, I think I'm finally realizin'
That my only hope of water is the well that comes from you, so...

Chorus:
Rain down your love upon me
Pour out your mercy on me
Please won't you take me to your springs of life
'cause I'm dying for deliverance, only you can save me,
I'm waitin', won't you take me,
To your springs of life.

WHO AM I?

My name is Dorene and I’m a goofball!  I have an odd sense of humor that most people don’t understand and I have since tried to stop explaining.  I bring out the most interesting parts of the people around me (not always in a good way, but that’s not 100% my fault either)! LOL.  I am a work in progress, but I love Jesus!  To me, that’s all that matters!  This photo was taken when I visited Austin a year ago, and y’all should have banned me back then!  I’m thankful to be in Austin, at the same time torn with homesickeness for my home back in Bellingham.  I’m incredibly thankful for my PRF family and consider myself truly blessed to be in this fellowship of believers!  I do love my PRF family, that’s for sure!