Hello up there!

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Theologian Ronald W. Scates said prayer was not about trying to get God to do something for us, it was not about trying to impress him, it was not about ritual, it was about relationship.

Writer Ravi Zacharias puts it this way “Prayer has wings. It can lift you beyond the dark clouds of the human struggle so that you are able to soar above. At the same time, prayer is a reminder that we are not God.”

18 thoughts on “Hello up there!”

    • I’ve been reading about spiritual dryness. It happens to just about everyone, so I’ve got to stop beating myself up about it. It’s okay because there are times and seasons for everything.

      Spiritual dryness could mean that there is sin in our lives that stops us from hearing God or feeling His presence, which must be dealt with if we want our broken fellowship restored. Simple remedy—let go of the sin that so easily besets us. It’s easier to do than we think, so long as we do it in God’s strength and not ours.

      Or perhaps our spiritual dryness is a time of testing and preparation. God is always looking to refine our faith. Just look at our Bible heros. It seems that most of them had to go through a desert time. Moses had to, so did Elijah, Jesus did too, and Paul as well. Matt Slick from CARM Apologetics says,

      “Being in a place where we are dry, waiting, wanting, praying, examining, etc., is often the proving ground of strength and refinement. Then, after this time is completed, the thing that we have been prepared for comes upon us. Sometimes this preparation is for hardship, sorrow, and pain. Other times it is for blessing, reward, and ministry. We are instruments in the Lord’s hands to be used in the world. This usage requires that we be able to be used, able to be sent, able to trust the Lord in spite of what we see and feel! Hence, the time of spiritual dryness that is a time of preparation.”

      So don’t despair about being spiritually dry, because all we need is just a little spark and a little breeze from the Holy Spirit to set our hearts on fire again…..”Blaze Spirit blaze, set our hearts on fire…….”

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      • Hi Mon! 🙂
        One good remedy for spiritual dryness is slivovitz.

        ….also good for arthritis, stopping viruses,starting cranky cars (and/or cranky girlfriends!) and lotsa other things.

        So stop wasting your time on a god who can’t do better than a piddlin’ (sic) homemade plonk!
        ……which quickly turns to water. 😉

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      • Monica,
        If you read the story of Elijah the prophet, he went from a spiritual high to a spiritual low, within the space of a night. And this was the man whom God regarded so highly that he was not permitted to die! Where does this leave us, mere mortals who are not in the spiritual league of Elijah and Enoch?

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      • “slivovitz”

        That’s a wonderful sounding word Dabs,

        I love it. Is sounds Yiddish….but I’ve never tasted it. I bet it’s sweet. But that’s not what I need.

        And a question for my Christian brothers and sisters—Can you ever envisage a time when we (the Church) will stop wounding each other? There are so many Christians out of fellowship because of the abuse (judgmental) they’ve received in our churches, and I am not just speaking about a minority group here.

        The sheep are scattered. What are we going to do?

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      • I felt the Lord say that there is only one remedy for the wounds inflicted on one another in His Church, and that is to have our wounds, all the pus, cleansed and that without repentance; a change of heart, we’ll just keep on hurting each other.

        His Word says that we can offer Him all kinds of religious rituals and ceremonies, all kinds of religious service, but He may hate it and consider it an abomination! Church attendance and a few dollars in the offering is not going to make a difference if our hearts aren’t changed, and humbled, and surrendered to the Lord. Without the right heart, God hates our religious ceremony and service.
        How many of us run to our devotions instead of forsaking our sins and reforming our lives? God’s Word says that without the right heart-attitude, “I will hide my eyes from you . . . I will not hear,” even in the midst of all this religious ceremony where many eloquent, stirring, and emotional prayers are said. But surely God may consider them empty, hollow and useless if said by hypocrites?

        (Isaiah 1:16-20) The LORD offers a cure.

        “Wash yourselves, make yourselves clean; put away the evil of your doings from before My eyes. Cease to do evil, learn to do good; seek justice, rebuke the oppressor; defend the fatherless, plead for the widow.” “Come now, and let us reason together,” says the LORD, “Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red like crimson, they shall be as wool. If you are willing and obedient, you shall eat the good of the land; but if you refuse and rebel, you shall be devoured by the sword”; for the mouth of the LORD has spoken.

        Many centuries later, the apostle John would repeat Isaiah’s message: If someone says, “I love God,” and hates his brother, he is a liar; for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen, how can he love God whom he has not seen? (1 John 4:20)

        How can we express our love for God through our religious ceremonies if we cannot even show love towards each other, our brethren in God’s Church? I think the LORD cares more about how we treat other people, especially the weak (the fatherless . . . the widow), don’t you?

        Through the Holy Spirit’s leading, much of this explanation was extracted from David Guzik’s Commentary on the Bible @ Studylight org.

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      • Monica that reminds me of a dream I had many years ago, that ended up having a strange co-incidence the following day.

        I dreamt of a co-worker who had a cut on his finger that had developed into a lump and I wanted to pour water over it (with Lavender oil) to stop it from infecting but he wouldn’t allow me to as he feared it would hurt. The following morning I was telling him about my strange dream and he told me that two weeks prior he had been driving a wooden stake into the ground and got a splinter in one of his fingers. He said his wife wanted to take the splinter out for him but he didn’t want to because he was worried it was going to hurt, she was taking too long in trying. It had developed a bit of a lump.

        I had this dream around Easter time and it actually reminded me of the symbols of Easter. Jesus’ sacrifice and love being the water that is poured over our self inflicted wounds to heal us from the sickness inside our souls that just ferments unless we have the courage and faith to allow ourselves to be open to being healed. The wooden stake in the ground being the cross that Jesus died on as a sacrifice for us. The patience/faith we need to have when we feel our hurts aren’t being dealt with fast enough.

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      • That is awesome Kathleen!

        What a beautiful word from the Lord for us to take notice and act upon.

        Yep, He certainly speaks to us in our dreams. Keep on having them Kathleen; keep on listening to God.

        Yeah, when I felt the Lord say all the wounds have to be scraped out and cleansed I thought it’s going to hurt and was repelled by the suggestion. I don’t do pain very well; emotional and or physical. I’d rather bury my head in the sand and hope it goes away without my having to deal with it, hence no healing comes. Then the Lord said repentance is the healing.

        Have you ever had God turn your life inside-out and upside-down, the secrets of your heart laid bare to the light of the day and for all to see? It’s bloody awful! Nothing is more painful. But then He’s our Great Physician, isn’t He? He’s in the business of healing, thank God! We just have to say YES LORD, have your way that I may be whiter than snow. Whatever it takes to make me whole Lord, I’ll do it.

        You’re a blessing Kathleen and thanks so much for sharing.

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      • Yes, it’s frightening. We are frightened because we know He is real. I’m also a coward lol I keep saying, tomorrow, tomorrow God.

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  2. Prayer is listening to hear what God has to say. He is always speaking but we are not always listening. Sometimes it helps to sit in silence and ask him what he wants to say, then listen.

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  3. Yeah yeah year:- “….it was about relationship.”
    We hear that a lot.
    …….but what, exactly, does it mean??
    (leaving out any selfish connotations)

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  6. Because God has used laws of physics in creating this world, (or shou I say he has created laws of physics), I believe prayer is something that will one day be proven to have a scientific explanation.

    If you can find the book ‘The Healing Light’ by Agnes Sandford, (Sanford?), discusses how wholehearted prayer is more effective than other, etc. The healing Light she speaks of can address spiritual dryness

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