EmmDev 2020-02-28 [Coming to our Senses in Lent] He didn't come to his senses.

He didn't come to his senses.

(The pictures included are from Rembrandt's "Prodigal Son". The one above is the whole picture: the Father, the lost son, the disapproving brother, the servants and, in the top left corner, his mother. The picture below zooms in on the disapproving older brother.)

In Jesus' parable of the Lost Son, the initial focus is on the younger brother, the one who wasted his possessions and landed up far from his father and the privileges he'd taken for granted. This son "comes to his senses" and comes home to find himself unexpectedly received like royalty when he expected to be given the status of a slave.

But what does "came to his senses" mean?

The other (older) son in the story helps us.
He doesn't "come to his senses".
What was it that he didn't see?

The older brother was with the Father, but he never enjoyed the relationship. Look at his description:
- "I've been slaving!
- - I have never disobeyed.
- - - But you never gave me even a goat for a feast!"

Is the older son describing your take on religion?
- have you been slaving away at rituals and good works?
- have you been the goody goody who never puts a foot wrong?
- and yet it feels like God never sees what you do?

The Father tells the older son: "All you needed was to realise that while you were with me, you had and could have had anything. All I have is yours. I offered you privilege and all you saw was duty."

The danger with Lent is that we can be like the older brother: working hard and trying to impress God our Father, when all He wants for us is to bask in His love.

As you read the passage below:

• Do you know that you are loved?
• Do you know that Jesus already did everything for you on the cross?
• Do you know that your "subtracting" or your "adding" over Lent won't make Him love you more than he already does?

Coming to our senses means realising that when we are with the Father, we can enjoy His presence, love and amazing grace. We don't have to earn it - we receive it

Meanwhile, the older son was in the field. When he came near the house, he heard music and dancing. 26 So he called one of the servants and asked him what was going on. 27 'Your brother has come,' he replied, 'and your father has killed the fattened calf because he has him back safe and sound.' 28 The older brother became angry and refused to go in. So his father went out and pleaded with him. 29 But he answered his father, 'Look! All these years I've been slaving for you and never disobeyed your orders. Yet you never gave me even a young goat so I could celebrate with my friends. 30 But when this son of yours who has squandered your property with prostitutes comes home, you kill the fattened calf for him!' 31 'My son,' the father said, 'you are always with me, and everything I have is yours. 32 But we had to celebrate and be glad, because this brother of yours was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.' "       (Luke15:25-31)

EmmDev 2020-02-25 [Hungry Prayers] The Ultimate Hungry Prayer

The Ultimate Hungry Prayer

Very aptly we end our series of hungry prayers on the eve of Lent as we contemplate the journey towards remembering Jesus' Death on the Cross which is the greatest act of love the world has ever seen. This great act of love was preceded by the ultimate hungry prayer which was prayed in the Garden of Gethsemane by our Lord Jesus Himself.

It was a costly prayer.

Luke, who was a physician, describes the process of Jesus' prayer as follows: "And being in anguish, He prayed more earnestly, and His sweat was like drops of blood falling to the ground."

The scholars suggest that Luke is describing a phenomenon known as "hematidrosis." Wikipedia defines it as follows: "Hematidrosis is a condition in which capillary blood vessels that feed the sweat glands rupture, causing them to exude blood, occurring under conditions of extreme physical or emotional stress."

What was causing Jesus this kind of stress?
Jesus was contemplating the cross.

Obeying the Father would mean the pain and separation of the cross. Jesus, as the second Adam, could do what He wanted or He could do what the Father wanted. The difficultly of the decision caused so much stress that He sweated blood.

But the writer to the Hebrews gives us a hint of a hunger that was greater than the stress: "Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame." (Heb12:2) The joy that Jesus had before Him was that He would do the Father's will and obtain our salvation.

This is His hunger. His hunger to be pleasing to God and to obtain our forgiveness.


The battle for our salvation hinged on this blood-stained prayer prayed in Gethsemane.

And it was a hungry one. Hungry for God and hungry for us.

"Father, if you are willing, take this cup from me; yet not my will, but yours be done." 43 An angel from heaven appeared to him and strengthened him. 44 And being in anguish, he prayed more earnestly, and his sweat was like drops of blood falling to the ground.      (Luke22:42-44)

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This brings us to the end of the "Hungry Prayers" series.
I pray it has been meaningful to you.

Lent Letter

LENT LEAFLET 2020

Wednesday 25^th is Ash Wednesday and the start of the Season of Lent. As we have done in the past, we are trying to make this traditional season as meaningful as possible.

Below is an article about Lent and how to get the most out of the season. Please have a read through it. Last year we challenged you not merely to give something up for Lent, but to add acts of meaningful service. This year we're asking you to continue with the focus of service, but also to concentrate on some of your core-relationships.

Consider the following challenges in the relationships that are applicable to your life:

• Spouses: Are you doing all you can to be a Christ-like spouse for your wife/husband? Do you pray for them? How can you renew and deepen your relationship?

• Parents: Enjoy your children! Spend time with them. Pray for them, and while they're young, pray with them (and try and keep that up throughout life). How can you affirm them and encourage them? Are you setting a good example?

• Children: Take time to affirm your parents, show love, respect and gratitude. Listen to their wisdom and be forgiving of their mistakes.

• Friendships: How can you be a good friend and nurture friendships that are life-giving and fulfilling?

• Work: Do you work to live or live to work? It should always be more of the former. Pray for wisdom, courage and strength to keep a balance, be a witness and glorify God in the work place. Give God your stress and strain and pray for your colleagues.

• Your Neighbourhood: This isn't only your physical neighbourhood, but your circle of influence. Pray that God uses you to shine His light. This includes being of service to others (and therefore also to God).

• Your environment: Fasting is also about restraint and replenishment.
  How can you look after the environment? Waste less. Pollute less. Consume less. Aim for sustainability, re-use and clean and heal your environment.

• Other: Which other significant relationships can you take to "the next level" as you consider what Jesus did for us on the cross?

In conclusion:
Almost everyone I speak to is feeling the strain of over-full programmes and the frenetic pace at which almost everyone seems to be running. Some of us become cranky when we fast – this is counter-productive!

Let's let Lent be a gentle, thoughtful and blessed time where we draw near to God and are a blessing to others. We can make a difference by taking the time to encourage, compliment, thank and appreciate the people around us.

An anxious heart weighs a person down,
but a kind word cheers them up. (Proverbs 12:25)

Let your words, written and spoken, add this kind of value to others…

What is Lent?

It is based on the 40 days that Jesus fasted in the wilderness at the beginning of His public ministry. (Sundays are not counted, so Lent is actually 46 days long)

During the second century it became customary to baptise all converts on Easter Sunday. During those ages of persecution and martyrdom, they had to be thoroughly prepared for the confession of their faith and for their challenging walk with the Lord.

These preparations lasted 40 days – not counting Sundays. Fasting and Prayer played an important role alongside the teaching the converts would receive during this time.

After a while, other Church members felt the need to repeat the course. This season, always during the European Spring, became the Lenten Season of the Church as Lent is Latin for Spring. Lent reaches its climax on Good Friday and ends with the Celebration of Resurrection on Easter Sunday.

There are two important aspects to Lent:

• Penitence: We realise our own brokenness and our need for Christ.

• Preparation: We strive to open our hearts wider for the celebration of Easter.

During Lent there are three tasks: Pray, Fast and Give.

• Prayer is about Preparing our Hearts, becoming more aware of God's love and goodness. It's not just about rituals but relationship.

• Fasting doesn't only have to be about food. It's any kind of addition to or subtraction from our lives that sharpens our focus on God.

• Giving is about making a difference in the lives of others.

The idea around Lent is that we add to and subtract from our lives so that we don't just move forward but God-ward. Traditionally there are three directions for our "fasting" to take:

1. God (through prayer, reflection and action)

2. Ourselves (through the creation of good habits or breaking bad ones)

3. Others (through charity and kindness)
   
   
   

So, here are some examples:

• Give up sugar or coffee and use the "cravings" as a reminder to think about and devote yourself to God.

• Set your alarm clock 15 minutes earlier for devotions or exercise.

• Reduce your TV hours and use the time to read a good devotional book or to spend quality time with your family.

• Volunteer some time to help at a charitable organisation or do something to help the poor and needy.

• Come to church more regularly or join a fellowship group for the 6 weeks

Where does Shrove Tuesday fit in?

In many Christian traditions people would abstain from rich foods during this fast time. As Wednesday is the start of Lent, Tuesday would be used as a day to use up the "rich" foods (eggs, butter, oil, milk, etc) in the house. Pancakes serve this purpose very well! Also, Jesus reminded His disciples that they should not look mournful when they fasted and so the church found it fitting to start a fast with a feast!

Ash Wednesday

Job 42:5-6. Job says to God: "My ears had heard of you but now my eyes have seen you. Therefore I despise myself and repent in dust and ashes."

Ash Wednesday is primarily a day of repentance – of sorrow because of what our sins do to God, His work and those around us.

According to the Bible, repentance consists of:

• a true sense of one's own guilt and sinfulness;

• an expectation of God's grace and mercy in Christ

• an actual hatred of sin

• turning from sin to God

• seeking a holy life by persistent effort, obediently walking with God.

Godly sorrow brings repentance that leads to salvation but worldly sorrow brings death. (2Cor7:10)

In the very traditional observation of Ash Wednesday, worshippers come forward to confess and repent of their sin in silent prayer. They are marked with the sign of the cross, using a paste of ash and olive oil. The ash represents the sorrow and contriteness we feel over our sin. The olive oil represents joy, blessing and consecration which is the work of the Holy Spirit. We are marked with the sign of the cross to remind us that it is Christ who saves us.

Often as they are marked, the priest or elder will say "Your sins are forgiven – go and sin no more."

Ash Wednesday starts the "Fasting" of Lent on the right foot – we realise how badly we need God.

In Conclusion – Don't only Subtract...

This year our challenge to everyone is that we don't only subtract, but add. What do I mean? Many people give up things for Lent: Coffee, Facebook, Shaving, Media, Sugar, etc. This year we'd like to challenge you to add service! This Lent we'd love to see our members using Lent to make a difference in the world. For example:

• Set aside daily/weekly time to walk around your neighbourhood (or a greenbelt) picking up litter.

• Make a decision to write 1 or 2 encouraging letters to people around you each week.

• Think of a few lonely people to visit over Lent.

• Choose to work with a charity project or an outreach project, making a difference for the poor and needy.

• Help raise funds for a needy cause.

• Offer to help with admin at a charity

• Offer lifts to people without transport.

• When you make your or your kids' lunch sandwiches, make an extra set and hand them out to someone in need. (Or buy some tins of food (with ring pulls) to hand out)

• Go and scrub cages at an animal shelter

• Actively work on the relationships listed at the start of this leaflet...

This can be a powerful thing for families. Sit down together with your family and come up with a Lent Plan to do some things that will make a difference and remember that Jesus calls us to do this discreetly "not letting our left hand know what the right is doing."

Lent is a wonderful time to prepare for Easter, but sometimes I worry that we over-spiritualise it and are too self-centred. In these tough times let us actively choose "not to be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good" (Rom12:21).

We hope that your Lent experience will be a profound one.

EmmDev 2020-02-21 [Hungry Prayers] When things don't go our way

When things don't go our way

Hungry prayers are honest prayers.

Jeremiah's relationship with God was intimate, intense and, above all else, it was real. He was real about joy and also about pain. There is nothing that he hides from God. We're going to look a prayer that is not only "hungry" but "naked".

The prayer comes from Jeremiah chapter 20 where the priest Pashur has Jeremiah beaten (whipped) and then locked up overnight in the stocks. It was life-threatening, painful beyond description and utterly humiliating.
Jeremiah "spills his guts" to God:

• He tells God that he feels let down, abandoned and betrayed.
• He felt deceived because he wasn't experiencing the respect that prophets usually had from the people.
• He holds God responsible because he believes that God is ultimately in control and that evil can only do what God allows it to. 

In Hebrew the words deceived, overpowered and prevailed have a overtone of sexual assault. Jeremiah is, in effect, saying to God "I feel I have been violated." It is a very personal outpouring of frustration and pain and one has a clear sense that Jeremiah feels safe enough to "tell it like it is."
The beauty of this passage is that Jeremiah is so close to God that he is able to express his feelings and frustrations to God.

But if verses 7 & 8 were about nakedness, then v.9 is about hunger. In spite of all that has happened Jeremiah's love for and trust in God still surpasses the pain of a broken world.

In this broken world we are not always spared the pain that our brokenness unleashes. Jeremiah felt safe enough to be naked with God and he was so hungry that the fire in his bones burned hotter than the flames of brokenness. May this be true of us too.

7 O LORD, you deceived me, and I was deceived; you overpowered me and prevailed. I am ridiculed all day long; everyone mocks me. 8 Whenever I speak, I cry out proclaiming violence and destruction. So the word of the LORD has brought me insult and reproach all day long. 9 But if I say, "I will not mention him or speak any more in his name," his word is in my heart like a fire, a fire shut up in my bones. I am weary of holding it in; indeed, I cannot.      (Jeremiah20:7-9)

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EmmDev 2020-02-19 [Hungry Prayers] This'll change your life

This'll change your life

"This will change your life!"
This is a promise often made by advertisers, friends applying peer-pressure and those who just want us to go with them.

While Paul doesn't use these words, the sentiment or, more accurately, the conviction is present in his hungry prayer for the Ephesian Christians.

And what does he pray for?

• He prays for inner strength (resilience, character, integrity & perseverance)
• He prays for the indwelling presence of Christ
• He prays for the power to grasp God's love.

The third prayer is significant.
God's love is so great that we need help to understand it!
He uses four dimensions in his attempt to alert us to the magnificence of God's love. I love his image: How do you grasp length, breadth, height and depth?

Is there any better prayer we can pray for people?

Read the prayer slowly and thoughtfully.

Dwell on the enormity of a love that we need power just to help us get a handle on it....!

I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, 17 so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, 18 may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, 19 and to know this love that surpasses knowledge--that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God. 20 Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, 21 to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen.      (Ephesians3:16-21)

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EmmDev 2020-02-18 [Hungry Prayers] To know Him

To know Him

When the congregation in Philippi was established by Paul, the first three members were Lydia (a wealthy businesswoman), a slave-girl who'd lost her (demonic) ability to foretell the future and a civil-servant jailer and his family. So there was already a vast disparity in the social status positions of the members.

In addition Philippi had become a place where retired military officers would settle. This strong military presence (although retired) strengthened this border town, but also permeated the community with all the aspects that go with the military: discipline, medals(achievements), rank, order and structure.
Then came along some Judaizers (Jewish Christians who insisted that you needed to be circumcised to be a real Christian.) They used their status as teachers of the law to "pull rank" on the Philippian believers and to bolster their arguments.

Paul deals with this kind of snobbery decisively. He puts out his own CV of academic and societal achievements and then, after comparing the very best of his achievements to the privilege of knowing Jesus, says: "I consider them rubbish!" (The word for rubbish means "dung" or "offal".)
If you could imagine Paul's life as a balance scale then one end of the scale is so heavy that the ground underneath it is dented and cracked, while the stuff on the other side (which is up in the air) is wobbling and bouncing around uselessly. There's just no comparison.

Then Paul prays an incredibly hungry prayer which you can read below. He is so enthralled by the love of Christ that he's not only longing for the benefits of that relationship (resurrection) but he'll gladly walk the road of suffering and even death so long as he can know Christ.
(By the way, the phrase "somehow attain to the resurrection" isn't about effort, it's about the fact that he doesn't even understand how God raises the dead, but he's willing to walk through the door of death into the unknown.)

Do you long for Jesus, your Lord and Saviour, as much as Paul does? Or are you a fair-weather Christian? Gospel singer Wayne Watson sang "I'd rather walk in the dark with Jesus than walk in the light on my own." (I think he and Paul will be good buddies.)

What is more, I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them rubbish, that I may gain Christ 9 and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ--the righteousness that comes from God and is by faith. 10 I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of sharing in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, 11 and so, somehow, to attain to the resurrection from the dead.      (Philippians3:8-11)

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EmmDev 2020-02-14 [Treasure Cupboard] Real Love

[Apologies for the missed EmmDev yesterday...
today I want to divert from "Hungry Prayers"...]

Real Love

Today is Valentine's day.

While for some it is an opportunity to celebrate romantic love, for many it is a painful day.

It's painful:

• for teens when the "popular" kids get celebrated and many feel overlooked
• for the lonely who have not found the "soulmate" so often romantically idealised on this day
• for those who have experienced or are experiencing the breakup and failure of a romantic relationship or marriage.
• for those whose "valentine" has passed away

While we really do celebrate happy and healthy romances and don't want to impose any guilt on the fun and sparkle of these relationships, I think there is a bigger truth that applies...

The big truth is that romantic love, the love of a parent for a child, the love of a devoted friend, the beautiful warmth of family and community and even the love we have for our pets are the overflow a Much Greater Love - The Love God has for us. The Love demonstrated in the giving of His Son.

Take a moment to bask in that love...
...because it is the Love from which all other love must flow.


If you found yourself in one of the painful categories I mentioned above, then remember this: You are totally and beautifully loved by the Majestic King of the Universe! Take time to celebrate the other loves that also flow from this love and recognise that family, friendship and community are also outflows of this Great Love.

If you are blessed to enjoy the romantic love of another person, take a moment to give thanks and then re-commit to love them, not only romantically but with the Love of God.

If you know someone who is in one of those painful places today, why not reach out? You don't have to talk about Valentine's day or do anything "cheesy" - just express God's beautiful love to them.

After all, we are much loved indeed!

For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.      (John3:16)

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EmmDev 2020-02-12 [Hungry Prayers] Home or Here?

Home or Here?

Today's hungry prayer is prayed by Paul in Prison. He's under house-arrest in Rome and although we know that this isn't the imprisonment that leads to his martyrdom, Paul doesn't know this. In fact, after his release it is only 5 or 6 years before he will be arrested again and executed by Nero.

Paul is talking to the Philippians about his own personal circumstances - and because Philippi is a Roman Colony (a sort of "mini-me" of Rome) I think he is anticipating that the same pressures and stresses that he is feeling in Rome will ultimately manifest in Philippi too.

Paul has had a good "innings" of ministry. I would guess that he's somewhere in his sixties (a good age for those times and his "mileage") and he's been a Christian for about 26 years. He's completed three missionary journeys, planted numerous congregations and mentored numerous young pastors. He's stood firmly for the gospel, clarified theology and written most of the 13 letters we have from him in the New Testament. (It's probably only the letters to Timothy and Titus and possibly Colossians and Ephesians that haven't been written yet.)
Paul's dilemma is this: Does he hope to be released or does he hope to go Home to be with the Lord?

What is so beautiful is the tug-of-war that Paul describes:

• He realises that he will need courage to go through the doorway of death but he is confident that eternal life is the ultimate prize and he longs for that.
• But he cares more about the church than his own comfort and so he is willing to stay (even if it's in prison and facing martyrdom)

And while our passage isn't a prayer, it is obviously the result of prayer. His conclusion in the "Home or Here debate" is that he is convinced that he will remain...

So there are two beautiful "hungers" inside of Paul. The hunger to be home with the Lord and the hunger to be of service to the Lord and His People. Balancing these hungers is important: If we long for heaven too much it could become selfish denial of the needs around us. If we cling to this life too much then it means that we are too consumed with ourselves and what we are doing. (The Old Testament king Hezekiah clung to life and, in the extra fifteen years God gave him after he pleaded, it led to the birth of one of Israel's worst kings, extreme and consuming materialism in the monarchy and the first steps of the Babylonian invasion.)

In Paul these two desires are balanced - it's the honest tug of war that makes him the man that he is.

I eagerly expect and hope that I will in no way be ashamed, but will have sufficient courage so that now as always Christ will be exalted in my body, whether by life or by death. 21 For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain. 22 If I am to go on living in the body, this will mean fruitful labour for me. Yet what shall I choose? I do not know! 23 I am torn between the two: I desire to depart and be with Christ, which is better by far; 24 but it is more necessary for you that I remain in the body. 25 Convinced of this, I know that I will remain, and I will continue with all of you for your progress and joy in the faith, 26 so that through my being with you again your joy in Christ Jesus will overflow on account of me.       (Philippians1:20-26)

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EmmDev 2020-02-11 [Hungry Prayers] Watchmen

Watchmen

Today's beautiful hungry prayer comes from Psalm 130 which Martin Luther called a "Pauline Psalm" because it's an Old Testament expression of the Gospel in typical Paul-terms.

The Hebrew Poetry is beautiful too:

• there are clever word plays - the word for "kept record of my sins" is the same as the word for "watchman"
• the word for wait is "qavah" - which means to wait, to hope, while God weaves the tangled ends together.
• The poet changes standard word order around, where the convention in Hebrew is to put the verbs first, he puts God's Name or "My Soul" first.
• In some cases he even leaves the verb out - leaving us to insert it. You see this in vs.6 where the word "wait" doesn't occur in the Hebrew text, but you automatically want to insert it and it makes the passage more poignant, more passionate and more hungry.

We can break the psalm into 4 parts.
v1-2: Despair over our brokenness.
v3-4: Good News because God doesn't guard our sins: He forgives them
v5-6: Hunger for Intimacy with God
v7-8: Message of love and rescue for the world

In the first two parts the Psalm briefly and eloquently expresses our brokenness and the beautiful truth that God forgives us instead of auditing us.
But it's the beautiful part three that grabs me today...
When we have truly been forgiven, we come to that place of being able to sing "I was there when they crucified my Lord, I was there when they crucified my Lord, ooooh sometimes, it causes me to tremble, tremble tremble, for I was there when they crucified my Lord"

The fear-reverence that the Psalmist expresses in v4 leads him to the longing expressed in v5. "I wait for the LORD, my soul waits, and in his word I put my hope."

And then comes v.6 with the verbs left out but implied:
"My Soul ... for the Lord, like watchmen ... for the morning, like watchmen ... for the morning."

Can you feel the hunger? The longing? He knows that He needs God more than anything! He's a watchman longing for the dawn - He's a soul longing for God.

This hunger (satisfied) then leads him from first person singular to third person plural - O Israel hope in the Lord for with Him is unfailing love and full redemption.

Read this Old Testament Gospel Presentation and let its aroma make you hungry too...

1 Out of the depths I cry to you, O LORD; 2 O Lord, hear my voice. Let your ears be attentive to my cry for mercy. 3 If you, O LORD, kept a record of sins, O Lord, who could stand? 4 But with you there is forgiveness; therefore you are feared. 5 I wait for the LORD, my soul waits, and in his word I put my hope. 6 My soul [waits] for the Lord more than watchmen [wait] for the morning, more than watchmen [wait] for the morning. 7 O Israel, put your hope in the LORD, for with the LORD is unfailing love and with him is full redemption. 8 He himself will redeem Israel from all their sins.      (Psalms130:1-8)

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EmmDev 2020-02-07 [Hungry Prayers] Searchlight

Searchlight

Today's "hungry prayer" is found in a beautiful psalm that has an awkward ending...

Our passage comes from Ps.139 and it's a much loved Psalm.
The two thirds are comforting and inspiring
- Lord you have searched me and know me
- You know my words before I speak them
- You're behind me and before me
- There's nowhere I can go that You can't find me
- Even the darkness can't hide me - You change darkness to light
- You created and knit me together in the womb
- You've written up all my days in Your book
- Your amazing thoughts outnumber the grains of sand
- You're with me when I sleep and when I'm awake

But then David takes a sharp turn: He speaks out angrily against the wicked and those who misuse God's name and act wrongly. It's a strong and harsh denunciation and hatred of evil in the light of the comforting thoughts we've had thus far.

Commentators suggest that this is a "loyalty declaration". We find examples of this in contemporary literature: "With my friend you shall be friend, and with my enemy you shall be enemy..."

BUT having contemplated the extremes of evil, David takes his loyalty even further when he invites God to shine a searchlight into his life. "Search me, know me, test me." David knows that the path to wickedness can have small beginnings. He doesn't want to become one of God's enemies. So he prays: "Search me!"

This is a hungry prayer - knowing that God already knows all of him, he asks God to intensify the search. He wants a life fully committed to God.

If only you would slay the wicked, O God! Away from me, you bloodthirsty men! 20 They speak of you with evil intent; your adversaries misuse your name. 21 Do I not hate those who hate you, O LORD, and abhor those who rise up against you? 22 I have nothing but hatred for them; I count them my enemies. 23 Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. 24 See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.      (Psalms139:19-24)

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EmmDev 2020-02-06 [Hungry Prayers] In this life and the next

In this life and the next

Most people relate to Psalm 23 as a comfort prayer - they wouldn't easily call it a hungry prayer.

Today I am conducting a funeral for a young man who passed away too soon (he was 46). His name is Adriaan ("Addi") and he was a relative, a friend and much loved. Tributes have poured in about his enthusiastic love for life and others. Throughout his illness and after his passing psalm 23 popped up all over the place.

But the more I've reflected on the Psalm, the more I'm convinced of its hunger. The Psalm explores the length, depth and breadth of life and then creeps across the horizon.

We start with the length which is expressed as green pastures, quiet waters, soul restoration and right paths. This speaks of our longings in the hurly-burly busy-ness of life. David realises that, in the midst of complexity, peace can only be found with God. But he also recognises the beauty of life that can so often be missed unless we take a moment to count our blessings and thank the Blesser.
But life can get deep: The valley of the shadow of death is a place where our bullies are frailty, doubt and death. Whether we face our own mortality or that of others, we are not alone or unprotected. David knows that He needs the presence of the One who walks with us and protects us.

Along with depth, life can get broad. There are a vast number of enemies who would try to convince us that we don't have enough and that we aren't "broad" enough. But our loving Father provides all we need and our cups overflow.
Then comes the horizon - the realisation that this life is not our final destination - that we were made for more than this.

David, the shepherd-king (and we have no idea of how old he was when he wrote this Psalm) reflected on life's length, depth and breadth and the horizon of life. He realised that all of this only makes sense if we would let the Lord be our Shepherd, Protector, Provider, Host and Father.

Read this prayer not only for its comfort, but also its hunger.

The LORD is my shepherd, I shall not be in want. 2 He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside quiet waters, 3 he restores my soul. He guides me in paths of righteousness for his name's sake. 4 Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me. 5 You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows. 6 Surely goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the LORD forever.      (Psalms23:1-6)

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EmmDev 2020-02-05 [Hungry Prayers] A Prayer for a Nation

A Prayer for a Nation

"How do do I pray for my nation?"
 
The prayer of Nehemiah, who was a cup-bearer to a foreign king and who became the leader who rebuilt Jerusalem's walls and "re-booted" Israel, is a great starting point for passionate and hungry prayers for one's nation.
Nehemiah, who is in servitude and exile, gets a report about the sad state of affairs in his nation's capital. The account of dereliction, disgrace and despondency hits him hard - he cries, he fasts, he grieves and he prays. His prayers are not a glib "Please bless the world" but a sharp and targeted arrow that has been released with all the force the archer can muster. He builds a prayer wall.


If his care and concern for Jerusalem is the mortar in Nehemiah's prayer wall, let's look at the stones he builds with:

• A big view of God's power and love: Nehemiah calls Him the "Awesome God of Heaven", the "loving Covenant Keeper" and the One who "hears" and "sees". Nehemiah really believes that God is able!
• A clear understanding of our responsibility: While we can't earn God's love, we can hinder the way God's love unfolds in our lives. We do this by breaking covenant and by sinning. Someone once said: "We don't break God's law as much as we break ourselves on God's law." So Nehemiah confesses and recommits...
• Remembering God's Promises: Nehemiah remembered God's promises and this gave him the courage to pray boldly. He's not twisting God's arm with God's promises, he's remembering that this is what God wants anyway and so he prays with renewed boldness.
• Come up with a plan: We often read this prayer quickly and forget that this has been the culmination of a couple of days of fasting and praying. Nehemiah's had some time to think, to listen and to plan. He realises that he has a role to play. (We should never underplay the importance of listening.)
• Being willing to be the answer to one's prayer: Nehemiah was willing to be courageous and available to be used by God and to be part of the answered prayer.

Read the prayer below as the "Prayer Building" that Nehemiah built out of his hunger and thirst for his nation.

When I heard these things, I sat down and wept. For some days I mourned and fasted and prayed before the God of heaven. 5 Then I said: "O LORD, God of heaven, the great and awesome God, who keeps his covenant of love with those who love him and obey his commands, 6 let your ear be attentive and your eyes open to hear the prayer your servant is praying before you day and night for your servants, the people of Israel. I confess the sins we Israelites, including myself and my father's house, have committed against you. 7 We have acted very wickedly toward you. We have not obeyed the commands, decrees and laws you gave your servant Moses. 8 "Remember the instruction you gave your servant Moses, saying, 'If you are unfaithful, I will scatter you among the nations, 9 but if you return to me and obey my commands, then even if your exiled people are at the farthest horizon, I will gather them from there and bring them to the place I have chosen as a dwelling for my Name.' 10 "They are your servants and your people, whom you redeemed by your great strength and your mighty hand. 11 O Lord, let your ear be attentive to the prayer of this your servant and to the prayer of your servants who delight in revering your name. Give your servant success today by granting him favor in the presence of this man."      (Nehemiah1:4-11)

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