Tag Archives: Steve Green

Devoted to Prayer

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Devote yourselves to prayer with an alert mind and a thankful heart.
Colossians 4:2, NLT*

If we devote ourselves to prayer, it will become an essential part of our daily lives. We’ll find a quiet time to be alone with the Lord to worship, to listen and to speak. We’ll also carry the attitude of prayer with us through the day.

With a mindset of prayer, trouble won’t be something to fight, to complain or fret about. We can lift every struggle to God, as often as needed. Good things won’t be sources of pride or security – or possessiveness. We can thank the Giver and listen for how He might want to use them for His greater good.

Thankfulness in everything doesn’t mean we’re happy about the bad things. It means we’re thankful for a God who invites us to bring Him every need, who has a good plan and the power to complete it, and who loves and never leaves us.

What do you think? Looking at this from a human perspective, I could dismiss it as impossible. Ridiculous. A fantasy.

But on the other hand, wouldn’t you love to be able to live that way? Think of the deep-down sense of peace and security, no matter what life might throw at us.

We can’t just say “yes, God, I’ll live like this, and be suddenly changed – although He may make a dramatic shift that gets us well on the way.

This is a lifetime’s learning, a maturing into life with Jesus. It will take practice, and there’ll be setbacks, but the Holy Spirit within us can change us – if we’ll cooperate.

Father God, You know how many times prayer is not my first response. Or when I give you a problem and then take it back to carry on my own. This isn’t the life of glad, dependent obedience that You want to grow in me. Please help me learn to bring everything to You and to listen to You. Teach me to devote myself to prayer – to communicate with You – and to be alert and thankful. Thank You that You never leave us alone.

∞

Steve Green‘s song, “Jesus, I am Resting, Resting,” captures this idea of prayerful devotion.

*New Living Translation (NLT) Holy Bible. New Living Translation copyright © 1996, 2004, 2007 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

Living Rest

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Those who live in the shelter of the Most High
will find rest in the shadow of the Almighty.
Psalm 91:1, NLT*

Rest. Soul-rest, rest from anxiety and striving. The kind of rest implied in “Be still and know that I am God.”

How do we get it?

Live. In God’s care.

This isn’t a pause or a passing-through. We need to consciously live… abide… dwell… in His shelter.

It requires gratitude, confidence in God, hope and trust in Him. It enables us to bring Him our needs as a child to a loving parent: with assurance that He listens, loves and knows best.

God who loves us and who is our Good Shepherd, help us live in Your shelter. Your power is great and You are all wise. Teach us who You are, so we can trust You more. Help us rest in Your care.

∞

Here’s Steve Green with “Jesus, I am Resting, Resting.”

*New Living Translation (NLT)Holy Bible. New Living Translation copyright © 1996, 2004, 2007 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

Righteousness

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My dear brothers, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry, for man’s anger does not bring about the righteous life that God desires. Therefore, get rid of all moral filth and the evil that is so prevalent and humbly accept the word planted in you, which can save you. Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says.
James 1:19-22, NIV*

This is good advice on how to coexist, but I think James has more in mind than treating one another well.

Listening, speaking, becoming angry: what struck me about these today is they’re all responses to people and situations. According to verse 20, our goal is to “bring about the righteous life that God desires,” and that’s not something we can impose on those around us or on the world as a whole.

Instead, James asks us to look inward, to work diligently on cleaning up our own lives. Take out the trash, whether it needs an industrial-sized garbage bag or a dustpan, and fill up with what’s good.

We can’t even do this on our own, but need to cooperate with and depend on the Holy Spirit. Why do we think we can force-clean someone else? But if we’re not careful, we’ll try.

It reminds me of Jesus’ words about taking the speck out of someone else’s eye when there’s a plank blocking our own sight.

Father, You designed us to live in community and to grow up spiritually together. Sometimes You let us see areas where another needs to grow. Help us to pray instead of judging, and to depend on Your Spirit’s clear leading about whether or not to speak. Please help us see the areas where You want to work in our own lives, and help us cooperate with You in the cleanup. We can’t thank You enough that You want to rescue us from the messes we’ve been in.

Let Steve Green‘s song, “Search Me, Oh God,” be our prayer today.

*New International Version (NIV) Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.