‘The art of waiting’ – an important strategy

Part of being ‘battle-ready’* is to respond to the Spirit. Jesus started teaching about the Holy Spirit in the very beginning of the training of the disciples. Jesus said clearly that the Holy Spirit is the best gift his Father can give:

“If you then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!”
Luke 11:13

When I experienced the Holy Spirit as a real power in my life in 1972, this verse became one of my favourite verses. When I some years later became a father and wanted the best for my children, the verse made an even stronger impact on me. 

The challenge is that God never intrudes into the privacy of his children. We have to ask him to give us the Holy Spirit, just like Jesus taught his disciples. Therefore, it may seem strange that he just before he ascended to heaven, said:

“Do not leave Jerusalem, but wait for the gift my Father promised, which you have heard me speak about.”
Acts 1:4

However, this is only strange if I regard the ‘art of waiting’ as a passive strategy. I can hardly imagine anything more active than children who at Christmas are waiting for the moment when the presents are to be unwrapped. Waiting in the Bible is more related to expecting, simply because I am waiting for something to come true in my life. In the narrative about the Baptist, Luke wrote that “the people were waiting expectantly and were all wondering in their hearts if John might possibly be the Messiah” – Luke 3:15.

God has left it to my initiative to receive the Holy Spirit. The strategy is to pray and wait ‘expectantly’ – after all God has already done his part through the pouring out of his Spirit.

‘Manna’ for today:

I expect The holy spirit to speak and lead - now!

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* General Peddle’s call:

 'I believe we need to be ready for what God wants to do with us and through us. This is a call to prayer, a call to holiness and a call to be "battle-ready" now. There is an urgency to this call that cannot be ignored. Men, women and children need Jesus.'
NB - this reflection is linked to General Brian Peddle's "Call to Mission - NOW"

Prayer is more than 'just' asking

Last week I shared some thoughts about prayer and I included the message from General Brian Peddle with a call to prayer (1). If you read last week’s entry, you are likely to remember that I asked you to reflect on this verse during the week:

Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened.
Luke 11:9-10

Bible-readers will be familiar with these verses, but many think that they are three expressions of the same matter - a so-called 'pleonasm'. I think this presumption is a fallacy. Already in the first teaching about prayer, Jesus gave a clear message that prayer is much more than plain asking. Unfortunately, our prayers are very often limited to asking God for something. However, prayer is also about

Seeking

I really dislike seeking for things I cannot find, but I love to discover new things. Therefore, it becomes much more interesting to think that: Prayer is to be on a journey of discovery, and on this journey, I will all the time find discover new things that are important for my development. I learn more about God and more about myself. Moreover, prayer is about

Knocking

Jesus was very concerned about perseverance - also in prayer. The parable of the persistent widow is a typical example (2). I have often used the illustration of a game I sometimes played together with other kids when I was a boy – the name of the game was a rhyme in Norwegian, and I suppose the translation "knocking and mocking" will work in English. We simply knocked on a random door, ran, hid and imitated the look on the person's face when he understood that he had been tricked. Not very nice, but fun for kids…

Prayer is knocking on the God’s door and remaining by the door until it opens. In many ways, knocking takes place on both sides of the door (3). It is also part of praying that the Lord will enter the door of my heart. Fortunately, he too is persistent!

‘Manna’ for today:

I will keep knocking!

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(1) 'I believe we need to be ready for what God wants to do with us and through us. This is a call to prayer, a call to holiness and a call to be "battle-ready" now. There is an urgency to this call that cannot be ignored. Men, women and children need Jesus.'
(2) Luke 18:1-8
(3) Revelation 3:20 Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with that person, and they with me.
NB - this reflection is linked to General Brian Peddle's "Call to Mission - NOW"

Do you know what prayer is?

It may be that some will think: 

‘Doesn’t everyone know what prayer is’?

If you ask me if I know what prayer is, my answer is: ‘Yes, I know a little bit’. The reason why I only know a 'little bit' is because the subject of prayer is boundless. I have so much to learn about prayer and contemplation through living close to Jesus, and I also learn from other believers from the whole spectre of denominations.

For me the journey of prayer has been long and a journey of exploration and it is not finished yet. When Jesus walked together with his disciples towards Jerusalem, the disciples faced a situation they could not handle. So when they asked “Why couldn’t we?” – Jesus replied:

“…this kind does not go out except by prayer…”
Matthew 17:21

Jesus gave this as part of the reason why the disciples ‘could not drive out’ a demon. Earlier in their ministry the disciples had been with Jesus while he was praying. Afterwards one of the disciples said: “Lord, teach us to pray, just as John taught his disciples.” (1)

Jesus answered by teaching them the Lord's Prayer. I shared three reflections from this prayer in the Advent-season, and will return to elements from this prayer later. However, after teaching the disciples the prayer, Jesus continued:

Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened.
Luke 11:9-10

Please keep these verses in mind this week. I will return to them next week.

‘Manna’ for today:

I have always more to learn about prayer

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(1) Luke 11:1
NB - this reflection is linked to General Brian Peddle's "Call to Mission - NOW"

Now is the time

We are already a few days into 2019. A new year always makes me think about time. One of the Bible-passages I love to read again and again, is Jesus’ personal mission-statement, simply because His mission is my mission (1). In the statement, Jesus said:

In short, the Spirit is upon Me to proclaim that now is the time;
this is the jubilee season of the Eternal One’s grace.
Luke 4:19 (The Voice version)

Many translations say that Jesus came to proclaim ‘a year of God’s favour’ – a year of grace. However, time is neither past nor future; time is always ‘now’!

God is the great “I am” = God is the “Eternal Now”. 

Paul had discovered this, and wrote:

Behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation.
2 Corinthians 6:2b

For this reason, I can pray: “I am here, God, and I know that you are here too, and I know that 'now' is the accepted time of grace!”

‘Manna’ for today:

Grace is that ‘now’ is always the right moment!

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(1) It is the mission of all disciples, because as God sent Jesus into the world, Jesus is sending us into the world – See John 20:21.
* Source
NB - this reflection links in with General Brian Peddle's "Call to Mission - NOW"