Day 11 | Borrowed Conversations

One day Moses said to the Lord, “You have been telling me, ‘Take these people up to the Promised Land.’ But you haven’t told me whom you will send with me.  You have told me, ‘I know you by name, and I look favorably on you.’  If it is true that you look favorably on me, let me know your ways so I may understand you more fully and continue to enjoy your favor.  And remember that this nation is your very own people.”

 

“Oh God, you have been telling us, ‘Teach my people how to pray and how to be loved by me as I reach out for them, my Bride.’ But you haven’t told us yet whom you will provide to come alongside us.  You have told us, ‘I know you by name, and I’m very fond of you.’  If it’s true that you’re really fond of us, then let us know you as you really are and let us understand your love in a deeper way and know that we’re truly treasured by you.  And remember that all of these people are your very own Bride.”

The Lord replied “I will personally go with you, Moses, and I will give you rest – everything will be fine for you.”

Then Moses said, “If you don’t personally go with us, don’t make us leave this place.  How will anyone know that you look favorably on me – on me and on your people – if you don’t go with us?  For your presence among us sets your people and me apart from all other people on the earth.”

“Lord, if you don’t personally lead us in this uprising of prayer, if you’re not filling us with the overwhelming guidance and presence of your Spirit in this movement, then keep us from taking one more step forward.  Don’t let us move if this isn’t completely Your doing.  How will anyone know that you treasure us if you don’t make your presence among us clearly visible?  For you are who defines us.  Your Spirit among us is what sets us apart from every other religion in the world.”

The Lord replied to Moses, “I will indeed do what you have asked, for I look favorably on you, and I know you by name.”

Moses responded, “Then show me your glorious presence.”

“If you really are as smitten for us as your scriptures seem to indicate that you are, then please rise up among us and show us your glorious presence.”

 

The Lord replied, “I will make all goodness pass before you, and I will call out my name, Yahweh, before you.  For I will show mercy to anyone I choose, and I will show compassion to anyone I choose.  But you may not look directly at my face, for no one may see me and live.”  The Lord continued, “Look, stand near me on this rock.  As my glorious presence passes by, I will hide you in the crevice of the rock and cover you with my hand until I have passed by.  Then I will remove my hand and let you see me from behind.  But my face will not be seen.”

“Father, we worship you today because you are a God who cares enough for us to deal with us in our uncertainties.  You love us enough to be there for us when we reach out in the darkness to feel for you to make sure that you’re still there.  You tenderly respond to us when our faith is small, and we feel unlovable.  Teach us your way of love.  Help us to recognize our true identity in Jesus Christ.  We belong to you.  We are treasured by you.  We are desperately loved by you."

*All scriptures from Exodus chapter 33 are from the NLT.  

 

-Doug Bishop                                         

Day 10 | The Giver and the Gift

A couple weeks ago I was hiking in Mid-range Mountains in Colorado. It was 54 degrees at the bottom of the mountain in White Ranch Park. With the city of Denver behind and far below, but clearly visible, and layers upon layers of mountains ahead, I marched up entranced, soaking in God’s created beauty, hungering for more each step.

White Ranch Park, Colorado

The few clouds in the sky served to provide dimension and softness to a fiercely bright sun. The contrast of puffy white on brilliant blue was beauty enough to keep my eyes upward. Yet, there was so much more to take in… Every shade of blue, purple, and smoky gray covered the mountains like costly drapery and drew my eyes from one spectacular scene to the next. The breeze mingled with rays of sun and swooped down with a tender kiss to my forehead.

 

God was showing off and he had invited me to the show. And he wasn’t finished.

 

To my right an eagle lifted from her perch and glided effortlessly, weaving a pattern of power and bold freedom across my view for what seemed like miles.

Thank you, God. This is really cool.

Marveling at God’s perfect artistry and unfathomable wisdom, I was reminded how small, powerless, and insignificant I am in all this cosmic wonder, yet amazed that God shares it with me.

 

“Don’t you know anything? Haven’t you been listening?

God doesn’t come and go. God Lasts.

He’s Creator of all you can see or imagine.

He doesn’t get tired out, doesn’t pause to catch his breath.

And he knows everything, inside and out.”

Isa. 40:28 (MSG)

 

God is not obligated to give us anything. But I’m glad he chose to give us the ability to interact with his splendid creation and to fellowship with him through that which his mighty hand has formed.  Not only is he the Giver. He is also the Gift.

 

Creator Father, thank you for giving us a glimpse of your beauty through the splendor of your creation. Help us treasure this gift and never take it for granted. Please melt hard hearts of those resistant to you with the attraction of your goodness.

-Sonia Sundberg 

 

Day 9 | Wanting what God Wants

If you have the time, start today by reading, praying through, and meditating on Isaiah 58.

 

My Grandfathers “life verse” was Isaiah 58:9-10. He would always write the reference out diligently under his name on anything he would “sign” from birthday cards to a personal note. As a kid, I never really took much notice. It was kinda just one of those things a Grandpa would do. When he died, I remember going back and reading these verses and then the whole chapter really in some ways with new eyes for the first time. My Grandfather led a great life following Jesus. I remember wondering if there was some “secret” wisdom to his understanding of faith, and thought his life verse might be a good place to start searching. What I found there has changed my walk with God.

 

In this chapter of Isaiah, we find the Israelites in quite the predicament. They are desperately wanting God’s presence and wisdom in their lives, and they are doing all the “right” things to get it!  Fasting.  Praying.  Obeying all the laws and customs . . .  

 

 

God says, “For day after day they seek me out; they seem eager to know my ways”, and they said back, ‘Why have we fasted, and you have not seen it? Why have we humbled ourselves, and you have not noticed?”

 

This push pull is a common occurrence in my walk with God too. God says (my version here), “It’s all great and good that you are doing all the “right” things.  But you have totally forgotten what is near to my heart!  
 

 

You’re checking all the boxes… but I want your heart… and I want your heart to want what I want.” 
 

 “Is not this the kind of fasting I have chosen: to loose the chains of injustice and untie the cords of the yoke, to set the oppressed free and break every yoke? Is it not to share your food with the hungry and to provide the poor wanderer with shelter— when you see the naked, to clothe them, and not to turn away from your own flesh and blood? Then your light will break forth like the dawn, and your healing will quickly appear; then your righteousness[a] will go before you, and the glory of the Lord will be your rear guard. Then you will call, and the Lord will answer; you will cry for help, and he will say: Here am I. “If you do away with the yoke of oppression, with the pointing finger and malicious talk, and if you spend yourselves in behalf of the hungry and satisfy the needs of the oppressed, then your light will rise in the darkness, and your night will become like the noonday."Isaiah 58:9-10  

 

Knowing God’s heart is the path to truly wanting and desiring. Him. I love what God says He loves in this passage . . .  It’s challenging isn't it. I've heard it said, “If you want to find God, you have to go where He is.”

-Matt Stowell

Day 8 | The Prayer

Dear God . . .

                        

   What follows is a prayer from the broken whose hearts have wandered from Your ways . . .

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God, we ask You to turn our eyes from worthless things…

 

The Scriptures have a word for this, repentance. Unfortunately, this word has so many negative connotations in our culture. It is often put into the same category as judgment, self-righteousness, and arrogance. Historically, repentance has been misused, abused, and weaponized causing immense harm to our fellow humans…humans You created.

I am confident this has not been Your intent. Your Scriptures teach us that repentance is the seed of holiness which produces the fruit of love, generosity, selfless-servanthood, and obedience.

 

Your son Jesus taught us that repentance is the most important turn we will ever make in our lives. It is the turning of our hearts away from worthless things like pride, distrust, and disobedience. It is the Holy Spirit empowered process of becoming free to flourish, to love deeply, to forgive, to serve with immense joy, and to craft a life of generosity. Repentance is the life-giving turn of admitting we have turned to worthless idols to fill our souls, apologizing to You for this, and asking You to align our hearts with Yours. You have said this so powerfully through the writer of Hebrews…

Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God…Hebrews 12.1-2 [NIV].

God, as we traverse this forty day prayer journey please reveal to us the things that entangle us. Show us what is keeping us from flourishing in our relationship with You. Show us what needs to go. We invite You to untangle and heal our sin that we cannot overcome. You are invited to untangle the bitterness, resentment, and anger that resides in our hearts from a broken relationship. We plead with You to untangle our hearts from the many false idols that reside there and steal glory from you. Please replace our false idols with worship, honor, and adoration for you alone.

God, please make this a season of rebirth, transformation, and a renewed energy to follow your ways. God, we ask that your Spirit be poured out into our lives in a way that surprises us, fascinates us, and in a way that leads to profound obedience.  Amen.

-Dan Wright

Day 7 | What are You Hungry For?

“What are you hungry for?”

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That's the question the counselor would often ask . . .

Several years ago life came crashing down.  My perfect little world I had constructed was shattered into a million irreparable pieces.  What’s worse it was my own doing.

So it was that I entered into counseling and began the arduous task of unraveling the fabric of my life.  It was like deconstructing a house, gutting it out and tearing it down to the foundation.  It was hard, bloody, confusing, grueling, often filled with tears and raw emotion, and above all humbling.

Through the process the counselor would often ask, “What is it you’re hungry for?”

I had no answer.  I didn’t understand nor could I rationally grasp why I would engage in self-destructive behavior…behavior that would result in throwing away all that was meaningful and precious in my life.  It made absolutely no sense.

A day came when I was home alone.  Alone was not always a safe place for me.  Like a tsunami beginning to surge I felt the hunger rising up in me.  The selfish desires were welling up within me like floodwaters and I began to panic.  I began to cry out, “What am I hungry for?!  What am I looking for that is driving me to seek the very thing that destroys me?!”

And it came to me.

In that moment I suddenly realized I had an overwhelming desire to be desired.  I wanted to be wanted.  And I was trying to fill that need…that hunger…through ways God never intended.  It was consuming.  And now it scared the spit out of me.

Then came the Voice.  The voice of God.

“Who wants you more than I want you?  Who desires you more than I desire you?  I gave my Son for you.  Is that not enough?  What more can I give to show you how much I love you?”

I collapsed on the kitchen floor and began to sob uncontrollably.  For the first time I “got it.”  For the first time I began to understand who I was, where my worth was, where my identity was.

For the first time I realized I mattered because I was His.

For the first time I began to grasp how much God desires me.  So much so that He gave His one and only Son.

I say “began to grasp” because I have yet to fully understand this kind of desire…desire that required such an unimaginable sacrifice for a sinner like me.

And for one like you.

What are you hungry for?

For God loved the world so much that he gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life.  John 3.16 (NLT)

-Kevin Baker

Day 6 | And You Smile

Last spring I was blessed with the opportunity to spend a weekend at a prayer retreat center.  It was in a time in my life where I was desperately seeking a deeper relationship with Jesus, and I eagerly anticipated these moments to spend with Him. 

The weekend arrived and I was giddy with the delight of spending several hours alone with Him.  Saturday morning came, and we had a group session time in which a speaker shared his thoughts on the importance of prayer and seeking solitude and quiet to hear Him speak.  I grew more and more restless as the session wore on and the clocked ticked towards the time we were scheduled to have quiet time.  The speaker had wonderful things to say, yet I struggled with impatience as I wanted to practice what we were discussing.  My heart was pounding and I was short of breath, I felt like a young girl in love waiting for the knock on the door from her beloved waiting to take her out on a date.  My knuckles gripped the edge of my seat and as soon as he dismissed us, I shot up and nearly ran out of the room.  I was so wildly focused on spending time with Him, I didn’t think at the time about how “rude” I must have looked, to so quickly leave the room.

During my moments with Him that weekend, He whispered to my soul, ”You know how much you desired to spend this time with Me?  I long for you like that, but even more so, infinity so; it is never ending.”

And You Smile 

I bury my face in the apple blossoms,

Eyes closed, slowly inhaling the sweet scent again and again.

Silly sight to see - me simply standing there, breathing deep. 

And You smile . . .

I run out of a room filled with people to be alone with You

Wanting every precious second given to count,

You chuckle with amusement at my child-like impetuousness. 

And You smile . . .

I dance for joy with wind- blown hair,

Each blade of grass and leaf on tree joining in…

Arms in air, as I twirl. 

And You smile . . .

I sit on sand and cry from pain of life,

“Come here”, You say and hold me in Your arms

Of  fresh warm sunlight, and I sigh. 

And You smile . . .

And as I rest my head upon Your shoulder,

I quietly speak my words of hurt

Sharing my intimate thoughts.

And You smile…

Lord, Thank you for loving us with sweet abandon.  It mystifies us that You love us so wildly, jealously and passionately.  We can only grasp a glimpse of how severely You love us.  May we love You in return with our meager human attempts, and as we do so, may we envision the smile upon Your sweet face as we reach for You. 

-Sue Parrott

Day 5 | Pizza or Jesus?

What does it mean to love God? What does it mean that God loves us? Have you ever thought about that? I think about King David in the Old Testament of our Bible, who penned the phrase:

 

“What is man that You take thought of him, and the son of man that You care for him?” (Ps. 8:4, NASB)

 

Wow. What an incredible verse! The God of the universe takes mind of you and I, even though we are so small and finite. But what does that phrase really mean? What does it truly mean for God to take mind, or to love man?

 

 

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I had a professor in college that used to talk about the variety of implications a word can have. He always used the example, “I love pizza, I love my cat, I love my wife.” Obviously when he says he loves pizza (though that relationship can be deep), he probably means something a little different than how he loves his cat. The same goes when you compare the love of his cat to the love for his wife. Though the same word is used, the meaning can be so different. I think this explains the disconnect we can sometimes feel when we think about the love of God. We tend to think about His love for us much like my professor when talking about his cat, or about pizza. It’s a love that strongly likes, not deeply desires. It’s a love that puts up with, and maybe even enjoys sometimes. But that is not the love of God. Hear this prayer of Jesus from the Gospel of John:

 

“The glory which You have given Me I have given to them, that they may be one, just as We are one; I in them and You in Me, that they may be perfected in unity, so that the world may know that You sent Me, and loved them, even as You have loved Me.”    (Jn. 17:22-23, NASB)

 

How incredible is that? Jesus not only prays for the unity of the believers, but he establishes our oneness with God the Father! More than that, Jesus says that God has loved us even as He loved his own son! God deeply desires us, He loves us. Not with a passive or slightly amused kind of love, but with the same intense love that He showed His very own son. The author Brennan Manning in his book The Furious Longing of God puts it this way, that God’s love for us is directly proportional to His love for Christ. Now that is love. That is desire.

 

Father, we need you and we love you.  Help us understand how deeply You long to be with us, and how deeply you desire your children. That you would delight in us despite our failures and shortcomings, and always be willing to scoop us back into your intensely loving arms.  Through Christ our Lord, amen.

 

 

-Jake Houf