Living on a Prayer

 Each morning you listen to my prayer, as I bring my requests to you and wait for your reply.

– Psalm 5:3

One day after Jesus had finished praying to his Father, one of his disciples made a simple — yet profound — request that Christ-followers remember to this day.

"Lord," the follower said. "Teach us to pray, just as John (the Baptist) taught his disciples."

Jesus' famous response is what we know today as The Lord's Prayer:

"When you pray, say: ‘Father, help us to honor your name. Come and set up your kingdom. Give us each day the food we need. Forgive our sins, as we forgive everyone who has done wrong to us. And keep us from being tempted.’"

Jesus wasn't teaching his followers to recite a magic formula to compel God to grant their most heartfelt wishes. Instead, he was modeling his intimate, ongoing conversation with his Father. And the religious leaders of the time were highly offended by the notion. "After all," they said, "Who dares go before God but our High Priest?"

The answer was much closer than they thought.

Jesus also taught his 1st century disciples that he could do only what he saw his Father doing. That's also a reminder to 21st century Christ-followers that to do God's will in our communities — and the entire world for that matter — we must be in constant conversation with him. It’s through ongoing prayer that our heart, will, and mind become closer to the Father's. And the result is that his ways become our ways.

If you grew up attending a traditional church, you might think of prayer as kneeling on pews (with eyes closed and heads bowed) during the choir's rendition of How Great Thou Art. To others, prayer is something done aloud with hands outstretched and eyes looking skyward. But Jesus' lesson to us is that prayer boils down to the simple act of conversing with God. And that’s a remarkable concept. The Creator of the Universe — the One who counts the number of hairs on our heads — wants to hear from us! 

In these uncertain days marked by political unrest, economic uncertainty, and natural disasters, it's reassuring to know that every Christ-follower has a direct line to the Father. 

"I was in terrible trouble when I called out to you," wrote the Psalmist. "But from your temple you heard me and answered my prayer."

Snooze Bar

How long will you lie there, you sluggard? When will you get up from your sleep?

– Proverbs 6:9

If you’ve ever overslept and been late to work or church, maybe someone has called you a Rip Van Winkle. 

That name comes from Washington Irving’s famous short story about a man who fell fast asleep one day in the mountains. When Rip finally woke up, years had passed and his world had changed completely. His wife had died, his friends had either moved away or had been killed in a war against the British (the Revolutionary War) — and he now sported a foot-long beard. Then came one more great shock: There was another man in town who answered to his name. It turned out to be Rip’s son, who had grown into manhood while his father slumbered unaware on the hillside.

Washington Irving’s story was fictional, but there are several documented cases of real-life Rip Van Winkles. In 1984, a young man named Terry Wallis fell into a coma following an automobile accident. When he finally awoke 19 years later, he thought that Ronald Reagan was still president. He knew nothing about the Persian Gulf War or the 9-11 terrorist attacks. What’s more, his six-week-old daughter had turned into an adult!

Much can change after we close our eyes — and not only to our surroundings — but also to our spiritual condition. The transition can be imperceptible if we’re not on guard for it. And sleepwalking through life can lead us to some startling revelations once we finally come to our senses. 

For example, what will it take before we wake up to the fact that we’ve pushed God away from certain areas of our life? Losing a job because of alcohol or drug use could be an alarm signaling the need for immediate change to prevent further damage. Another spiritual red alert might be a spouse’s or child’s growing alienation or withdrawal. Whatever it is, the signs and symptoms are there all along. The question is whether or not we’ll wake up in time and do something about them.

Of course, an alarm’s effectiveness is in direct proportion to how much we don’t want to hear it. In Old Testament times, God often sent prophets to tell the people to stop sinning against him and start living their lives his way. Sometimes they did respond to his call with repentance. But too often — just like we do today — they made excuses for their behavior, denied there was a problem, or convinced themselves that everyone was doing it. Centuries later, the problem remains. And the siren is still sounding.

“Come now, let us settle the matter,” says the Lord through Isaiah 1:18. “Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red as crimson, they shall be like wool.”

If that’s your situation — or if it’s facing someone you know — there’s no time to waste. Ask God to open your eyes and ears to clearly perceive his message. And whatever the issue might be, you need to make God’s prescribed life-changes as soon as possible … no matter how unpleasant the process might be. 

Is the alarm clock blaring in your ear this morning? It’s no time to hit the snooze bar.

Transformed

Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is — his good, pleasing and perfect will.

– Romans 12:2

Early followers of Jesus were called Little Christs because their new-found faith had changed their lives for all to see. This odd group of people from all walks of life — rich and poor, male and female, and slave and free — was utterly different from the rest of society. They had somehow grown more generous and caring to both neighbors and strangers alike. And they willingly sacrificed their time and resources for others to ease sorrow and correct injustice.

In a word, they were transformed.

This says much for the effectiveness of their leader, Jesus. He was an obscure rabbi from a distant corner of the Roman Empire, who just happened to be God's own Son. Few recognized it at the time. But because some did follow him in faith, millions in future generations would help change the world for the better.

Modern-day Christ-followers are likewise transformed to live out Christ's words and deeds through their dealings with society. And they recognize that Jesus the leader was also Jesus the follower. That’s because Christ spoke constantly with his Father (God) in prayer and always sought his guidance. 

"I tell you the truth, the Son can do nothing by himself; he can do only what he sees his Father doing," explained Jesus, "because whatever the Father does the Son also does."

Jesus also knew that he had just a few years to save mankind. And it was in this brief period that he preached God's word, healed the sick, raised the dead, and forgave sins. He even asked his Father to forgive his own executioners because they didn't realize what they were doing.

Jesus changed the world 2,000 years ago. But can his Church — that's everyone who claims him as their Lord and Savior — still make a difference in the 21st century? It can if the past is any indication. In fact, it's because of the Church that the world has benefited from science, hospitals, universities, and agriculture. The Church also led the call to abolish slavery. And as modern-day Christ-followers, we're still to follow his admonition to be salt and light to a dying world in need of guidance, truth, and character.

The skeptics and naysayers are watching us. So, may the Church continue to show them its transformational love in action.

Freed and Forgiven

Forgive us for our sins, just as we have forgiven those who sinned against us.

– Matthew 6:12

“I never thought I’d be wearing this striped suit,” admitted the young man as he addressed the crowded high school gymnasium. “I was 10 feet tall and bulletproof.” 

The speaker was Eric Smallridge. And for the previous 10 years, he had been known as Inmate P22679.

In 2002, Eric drove drunk, lost control of his vehicle, and collided with another vehicle driven by 20-year-old Meagan Napier. Meagan and her passenger, Lisa Dickson, were killed instantly. Eric was eventually convicted of DUI manslaughter and sentenced to 22 years in prison.

Renee Napier — Meagan’s mother — was devastated by the tragedy that so radically changed her entire existence and outlook on life. She described her tortured emotional state as “the wailing and crying that comes from the depths of your soul.” So, to render good from such a seemingly senseless incident, Renee founded The Meagan Napier Foundation, through which she has educated more than 100,000 people about the dangers of drunk driving. Her audiences include high-schoolers, church groups, college students, military personnel … and DUI offenders. 

Her presentations were riveting. But Renee still felt that something — or perhaps someone — was missing. And that someone was Inmate Eric Smallridge.

“I knew from the beginning that if I could have Eric with me, that would be very powerful,” she told ABC News. And in 2010, he was permitted to accompany Renee during her lectures. But a stipulation was that Eric had to wear his prison shackles and jumpsuit.

More than 10 years after the accident, Renee couldn’t forget the moment she heard the awful news about her child’s death. But she was able to forgive. In fact, she grew to love Eric and his family. And she even lobbied to cut Eric’s prison sentence to help prevent him from leaving his incarceration with a hardened soul and a criminal mind.

“I could be very angry, hateful, and bitter,” Renee explained. “But I didn’t want to live my life that way. There was no way I could move on and live a happy life without forgiving Eric.”

Eric, however, doubted that he could ever forgive himself. Likewise, it’s easy for you and me to find ourselves in chains when we need to pardon those who’ve offended us. So, let’s consider Jesus’ parable about a man who had once been forgiven of a large debt. Although he was free from that massive financial obligation, he was still stuck in a prison of anger. His wounded soul could not heal. And as a result, he was unable to release a much smaller debt that was owed to him. The consequences were devastating.

As Christ-followers, let’s never forget that we’ve been forgiven for a lifetime’s-worth of sin and shortcomings. So, when we’re hurt by others, let’s seek Him for the power to move us toward the freedom found only through a forgiven — and forgiving — heart.

“Make it a point not to be this guy,” said Inmate P22679, referring to himself. “Don’t reduce your life to shackles and chains.”