Are We There Yet?
Sunday, July 13
Psalm 82
I miss our family vacations. I miss watching my kids prepare for such trips with unbridled anticipation. Throughout a long day of travel, however, that excitement waned. After a few hours on the road they transitioned from wonder to agitation. What began as a relentless barrage of questions and exuberant declarations about how great their vacation would be inevitably became one repeated question: “Are we there yet?”
As I read the psalmist’s “How long…” in today’s passage, I have a new appreciation for the impatience of my kids. I see injustice and wonder when God will intervene. I witness a lack of compassion and concern for the downtrodden and look for God to provide. It is then that God reminds me that I am not only anticipating his work and his kingdom, I am also on this journey with him. As he drives me toward kingdom fulfillment, he calls me to kingdom work.
Father, help me not only to remember your promise of justice and compassion, but also to recall your invitation to join you in this journey. Amen.
Some Things Never Change
Monday, July 14
Luke 10:25-28
There may not be a more prolific example of our changing world than our access to data and information. We not only have endless facts and details at our fingertips—we also have access to content that does nothing but entertain, distract, and annoy us. As a result, I can find myself scrolling through endless online feeds.
I have also found content that is helpful. My wife and I purchased e-bikes for each other for Christmas, and we watched hours of videos to learn how to charge, ride, and care for them. I just received a battery powered espresso maker for when I camp or go diving, and I watched dozens of videos on how to use it.
Sometimes in the midst of our information deluge it’s difficult for me to imagine that the key to living the good life is the same as it was in the Torah: Love God, love others. It’s that simple.
Lord, help me not to be distracted by the ever-changing world around me. Give me the strength to dwell in the simplicity of love. Amen.
Neighborly (Or Not)
Tuesday, July 15
Luke 10:29-37
Recently our neighbors traveled to visit family over the holidays. They asked us to watch their house. The neighbor across the street I’ll call “Nancy” was caring for their cat. One day Nancy came over and introduced herself to us and explained how she was feeding the cat. The next day she came over and did the same. It continued day after day. Never mind that we had met Nancy when we first moved to the neighborhood and had had conversations with her since. It soon became obvious to us that Nancy was battling dementia.
I am not proud of this, but her constant interruptions every day annoyed me. I treasure my time at home with Kara, and Nancy’s constant interruptions were breaking my peace. I found myself beginning to pray to God to change Nancy. I wanted him to bring family around her so that she would get help. I wanted him to keep her from interrupting my time. The reality is that I wanted God to change my neighbor. God answered my prayer. He replied, “BE a neighbor.”
Lord, make me a neighbor. Amen.
Living Prayer
Wednesday, July 16
Luke 11:1-14
I can’t help but see how the Lord’s Prayer is a call to live a certain way. It’s not so much about the words we pray as it is about the life we live following Jesus.
We pray for God’s kingdom to come. That means in my life I pursue his will and his design over my own will and desires.
I pray for him to provide my daily needs. Do I allow my appetites to run wild, or do I respond contentedly to his provision?
The forgiveness I pray for is connected to the way in which I forgive others. Am I withholding forgiveness from those who hurt me?
I pray that God will lead me away from temptation. Too often my path is led by my own desires rather than the Word of the Lord.
Pray the Lord’s prayer, pausing after each line. As you pause, reflect on the ways in which default life is creating resistance to the life Jesus calls you to in prayer. Amen.
Shameless Audacity
Thursday, July 17
Luke 11:5-13
I sometimes wonder why God doesn’t answer my prayers quickly and affirmatively when I ask for something that’s obviously good. I think it must be his will that cancer be eradicated, or at least cured in a person’s life. I believe that he wants to deliver people from addiction, heal broken relationships, abolish violence against children, and stop persecution against his people.
It is even more difficult when I pray with someone else for healing, deliverance, or justice, and those prayers seemingly go unanswered. I may begin to pray with less fervor and less confidence. I wonder if the people I am praying over are questioning my sanity for believing in a God who answers prayer. In my mind, I assume they think I must be a fool to believe in a miraculous God.
Then I am reminded of the phrase “shameless audacity.” Shameless audacity tells me to never give up on the God to whom I pray. Shameless audacity instructs me not to worry about looking foolish in my prayers.
Lord, direct me toward a shameless audacity that encourages me to see you as good, loving, and powerful. Amen.
Praying Wide Open
Friday, July 18
Colossians 4:2-6
I am sometimes tempted to approach prayer as a task rather than a blessing. When I get busy, I start to run through prayer requests like I’m checking off items on a grocery list. In contrast, Paul calls the Colossians to pray watchfully and thankfully.
When I pray that way, I am able to open my eyes to God’s movement. He reveals how he is at work behind the prayer request in the life of the person asking for prayer. His Holy Spirit provides wisdom deeper than my requests. As I pray watchfully, I am able to invite God to be even more involved. When I approach God thankfully, prayer becomes less of a chore and more of a privilege. I am open to the blessing God provides in the midst of partnering with another person in prayer.
Father, may my eyes and ears not only hear requests; may they also be open to your Holy Spirit. May my heart be thankfully open to you. Amen.
Seeking Prayer
Saturday, July 19
Colossians 1:1-14
My family used to drag me to church every week, even though God was a purely trivial endeavor for me. One motherly woman would always walk by and simply say, “I’m praying for you.”
At first I dismissed this short sentence as a statement by a fanatic. Then I started to become a little freaked out by this woman who did not have a clue that I wanted nothing to do with her.
But as time went on, I started to think that she truly cared about my life. Finally I figured out that prayers were precious to her, and she was setting time aside to pray for me.
Years later I sat on the dirt floor in the back of a small church in a village outside of Mexicali and prayed that God would forgive me. I know that woman who had been praying for me consistently for years contributed to the transformation my life experienced. Her prayers strengthened my life through God’s glorious power.
Lord, may I pray with holy diligence. Amen.
