Prayer: as natural as breathing

Prayer: as natural as breathing

Prayer series

After a fall into a crevice Aron Ralston,  is pinned with his arm crushed between an 800 pound boulder and the canyon wall. No one knew where he was.  He hadn’t seen another soul since he left his car 3 hours before.  You have probably heard his story.  He is the hiker who ended up cutting off his own arm with a pocket knife in order to escape.  The movie 127 hours  depicts his story.  Even when he knew no one was within a 3 hour walk of him, what was the first thing he did?  Cried out for help.

In the dark hallways of hospitals, in the stillness of the night when no one else is watching a woman stands broken and desperate.  She says, God, you know I’ve never prayed before, but if you are out there, please help by baby girl or she may not make it through the night.

I remember a man telling me once that all he remembers about his car accident is the sound of crushing metal, breaking glass, the snap of a bone in his leg, and his voice crying “O God help me”

I suspect that, next to hospitals, job interviews probably elicit more prayers than anything else.  “God don’t let me stick my foot in my mouth.  You know how much we need this job.”

A couple stands watching the sunset.  The pinks get brighter, and the purples get deeper, and the yellows fade to orange as the huge burning orb sinks to the edge of the horizon.  All they can say is “WOW.”  I think they have just prayed.

Noah usually goes to bed pretty well, but occasionally he’ll get spooked.  I’ll hear thump, thump, thump coming up the stairs and hear his pleading “PAPA?”  Is that really any different from prayer

I think our first experience of prayer is as an infant.  We need something, but don’t have the words to ask.  We learn that if we cry out, someone will help us.  Isn’t that practice for prayer?

All kinds of people pray in all kinds of circumstances.

Awe // need

joy // fear

surprise // desperation

 thanksgiving // confusion

delight // powerlessness

shock // despair

In all these things, we are moved to prayer.  Drive any person to the edges of their emotions and they will cry out.  It is part of our makeup that when we get to the deepest places of life, or the highest places of life, we instinctively cry out.  We cry out to something beyond ourselves.  Christians know that the something is God. 

Crying out to God is one of the most fundamental human instincts.

Prayer is as natural as breathing.

So why do we make it so hard?

I have never heard of anyone refusing to breathe because they didn’t believe in the existence of air. 

I have never heard of anyone suffocating because they refused to believe in anything they couldn’t see (LIKE OXYGEN). 

I have never heard anyone say, “I’m just not very good at breathing.”

We are made to breathe, to eat, to digest, and … well as the children’s book says everything poops.  Why is it so hard?  The truth is that prayer is not hard.

I was watching you before the service today.  You didn’t seem to find it difficult to greet your friends.  It looked like everyone was talking pretty easily.  It is good to talk to friends we haven’t seen all week.

Friends . . .  prayer is nothing more than talking with our friend Jesus.  Prayer is conversation with God just like you have conversations with your friends.  In fact, it should be easier, because God knows everything about you, will not misunderstand you, will not twist your words, and will never violate a confidence.  It should be the easiest conversation you have all day.

I think there are three reasons prayer seems hard.

First, since God is God, and we can’t physically see him, we wonder if he really hears us.  I’ll admit it, would be awkward talking to an invisible friend. 

We have all looked over to the car sitting next to us at the stop light and seen the driver talking away- only then to notice that there is no one else in the car.  If you drive up next to me, you might at any given moment find me singing to the top of my lungs, talking back to talk radio, or preaching the sermon I am working on.  (It helps me to remember my ideas if I hear them out loud, and sometimes I’ll turn on my phone’s voice recorder so I can listen to it when I get ready to write on Friday.)

Those are, I’ll admit, awkward moments when I realize someone is watching me.  But that has never stopped me. The fact that we can’t see God sitting next to us shouldn’t stop us either.

SLIDES And besides God promises that he hears and listens.

"You will make your prayer to Him, and He will hear you..." (Job 22:27)

"He shall call upon Me, and I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble; I will deliver him and honor him" (Psalm 91:15)

"It shall come to pass that before they call, I will answer, and while they are speaking I will hear” (Isaiah 65:24)

"You will call upon Me and go and pray to Me, and I will listen to you” (Jeremiah 29:12)

Do you believe that?  Do you believe that God hears prayer?  Then why does prayer seem so hard?

The second reason I think prayer might seem hard, or unnatural, is because we are stubborn.  We are a stubborn, independent, pull yourself up by your bootstraps kind of people.  I know.  I am the same way.  To people like us, prayer might seem like an admission of weakness.

We don’t like to admit our need.  We don’t like to admit our weakness.

.  We think that prayer is a sign of weakness because we think prayer is asking for help.  We think prayer is talking to God.  We think that prayer is one way.

Remember, I said earlier that Prayer is CONVERSATION with God.  Conversation means talking and listening. Did you hear that? And listening?  Can you hear me now?  Are you listening?  We are not to pray like a spoiled child, “I want this and this and this and this and this.”  On and on.  God is not a vending machine.  God is God and wants more than anything to be in relationship with us- conversation with us.

Prayer that is one sided is not powerful.  Prayer that is always asking is payer that is paralyzed by selfishness.

Living, breathing active prayer is prayer that speaks and listens: and it is powerful!  The power comes in listening, receiving, and being filled by God. 

SLIDE In Psalm 46:10 God says be still and know that I am God.  You know what, I think that might be God’s polite way of saying “shut up and listen will ya?”

Let your lips BE STILL . . .   and listen for the sound of God’s voice.

Let your mind BE STILL… and let your mind be filled with the mind of God.

Let your heart BE STILL… and let God’s peace replace your worry.  Let God’s hope replace your despair.  Let God’s joy replace your flimsy happiness.

BE STILL…  BE STILL…  AND BE FILLED WITH GOD.

Far from being weakness prayer is plugging into the source of all power.  Far from being weak, prayer is stronger than any strength we can imagine.  Far from being feeble, prayer gives us access to power we have never known and can NEVER know, except in prayer.  

Finally, I think we don’t pray because we aren’t confident that God answers prayer.

This is where the passage we read this morning comes in to play.

If a friend comes to the door and asks for bread.  It is late and inconvenient.  You send him away.  But he doesn’t leave.  He asks again.  Who among us wouldn’t get up and give him the stupid bread, even if just to get him off your back?

Who among us if your child asks for a sandwich would give him a snake instead?

Who among us if our child asks for some fruit would give him an ugly bug?

If we who are sinful would give bread to our friend or good things to our children; how much more will God who is good answer our prayers?

SLIDES

"And whatever you ask in My name, that I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If you ask anything in my name, I will do it" (John 14:13-14)

Again I say to you that if two of you agree on earth concerning anything that they ask, it will be done for them by My Father in heaven" (Matthew 18: 19)

"The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much" (James 5:16)

"Now this is the confidence that we have in Him, that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us and if we know that He hears us, whatever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we have asked of Him” (1 John 5:14)

My friends, let me tell you in all honesty.  God ANSWERS PRAYER.  So “Ask, and it will be given to you; search, and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you.”

Pray and God will answer.

I hope we have started this series on prayer off right by dispelling a few concerns.

SLIDE—click to show each line

God hears prayer.

God speaks in prayer if we listen

God answers prayer

You see prayer really is not that hard.  It is as natural as breathing.

Your homework this week, then is very simple.  Pray while you are breathing.

NEXT POWER POINT PRESENTATION- IT RUNS AUTOMATICALLY

This is called a breath prayer.

You can use it any time that you are breathing.  It is quiet and calming and helps me to center on God.

As you breathe in say “Jesus”

As you breathe out say “Teach me to pray”

Breathe in say “Jesus”

Breathe out say “Teach me to pray”

Breathe in say “Jesus”

                   Breath Prayer

The Apostle Paul exhorts us to "pray without ceasing" (1 Thessalonians 5:17).  But how do we do that?  One ancient prayer practice allows us the opportunity to make prayer a part of our daily life - the breath prayer.  Developing a breath prayer is very easy.  Take 5-10 minutes to choose a breath prayer from scripture or compose one of your own.  Here are three different

·         Lord // increase my faith. ·         Not my will // but yours be done. ·         Thy kingdom come // Thy will be done. ·         Jesus // my light and my love. ·         May my being // praise you Lord. ·         Our help // is in the name of the Lord. ·         Holy Spirit // pray in me. ·         Lord // do with me what You will. ·         Speak Lord // your servant is listening. ·         or Turn to one of your favorite biblical passages to create one. Ideally, your breath prayer should be 6-12 syllables.

1.  Choose a prayer sentence from the following examples¹:

·         O Lord // come to my assistance.

·         God // make haste to help me.

·         Lord Jesus // have mercy.

·         Abide in my love.

·         My God  // and my all.

·         My Jesus // mercy.

·         I belong to you // O Lord.

·         Bless the Lord // O my soul.

·         Open my heart //  to your love.

·         Lord // I give myself to you.

·         My Lord // and my God.

After you have chosen or created a breath prayer, make a goal to remain in God's abiding presence as you begin saying your prayer.  Ponder the meaning and beauty of the words you are saying.  Slowly say the first part of the prayer as you breathe in.  Then slowly say the last part (marked by //) of the prayer as you exhale.  There is no hurry or rush.

Say your breath prayer throughout the day whenever you remember. 

This form of prayer can also serve as a "tape" that can replace negative "tapes" or "commentaries" that often swirl around in our minds. (Think about the “Me and My Big Mouth” series.)  Whenever you observe that you are negatively reacting to a person, event, or thing, say your breath prayer.  God does not want you to embody negative thoughts and feelings and thus poison yourself.  Once you're aware of the negative thoughts and feelings, gently say your breath prayer.

1 Adapted from Thomas Keating, Open Mind, Open Heart (New York: Continuum, 1992), 134-5.
2 Adapted from The Way of Pilgrimage: An Adventure in Spiritual Formation for the Next Generation: Leader's Guide (Nashville: Upper Room Books), 100.

Me and My Big Mouth #3 "speak no evil" Rev. Terry Plocher 9/4

Speak no evil

9/4/11

“Sticks and stones may break my bones, but names will never harm me.”  Did any of you ever chant that as a child?  Maybe followed by a sticking out your tongue at your assailant?  Maybe followed by running like the dickens to the back door of your house before they get their hands on you?

Growing up a nerd, I remember those days well.

The sticks and stones saying is a reflection of the common law that words do not rise to the level of legal assault.  That is true.  I think it neglects to consider the impact that words can have on us. 

·       A word might not break a bone but it can sure feel like someone has kicked you in the stomach.

·       A word might not blacken an eye, but have you ever noticed the eyes of a child when they are belittled or blown off by an adult they love and respect?

·       Words will not put us in a cast, but they can certainly immobilize people emotionally and spiritually.

In the first sermon in this series “Me and my big mouth,” Robyn described the power of the word of God and our words.  In last week’s message, she lifted up three stories and the promise that God will equip us with the right words when we need them.

Today she has asked me to preach about “speak no evil” do you suppose her choice of topics is trying to tell me something?  If you don’t already know it, I have to admit my mouth has gotten me into more trouble in my life than I care to think about.

·       I think about the look on Amber or Richie’s face when I would snap at them.

·       I think about all the customer service representatives upon whom I have unloaded.

·       I think about the things I have said that have hurt or embarrassed my wife or my family.

·       I think of the struggle I had disciplining my mouth when one day I was working on a construction site and the next I was hired to be a youth minister.

·       How many times have I said something and then wished for all the world that I could rewind time and do it all over again?

Do any of you know what I am talking about?  I suspect most of you do.

The Scriptures take very seriously the power of our words to hurt.

James 3:7 is one of my favorites “All kinds of animals, birds, reptiles, and sea creatures are being tamed and have been tamed by mankind, but no human being can tame the tongue.  It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison.”

Just a verse before James writes, “Consider what a great forest is set on fire by a small spark.  The tongue also is a fire, a world of evil among the parts of the body.  It corrupts the whole body, sets the whole course of one’s life on fire, and is itself set on fire by hell.”

(Slide 2)Those are some powerful words for an organ that weighs only about 6/100s of 1% of our body weight.  

The Scripture from Ephesians that we saw in the video a minute ago and is printed in your bulletin is a great example of the scriptural teaching about not speaking evil

(Slide 3)The first thing I noticed is how serious Paul is about this.  He groups lying and evil talk, and slander along with Anger, Stealing, and Grieving the H.S.  Jesus says being angry is the same as murder.  Murder and stealing are on God’s top ten list.  And Jesus identifies grieving the HS as an unforgivable sin!  Now tell me. How important is what we say? (click Slide)

We who would never  break a commandment… do so with our tongues without even a thought. 

So what can we do? 

(Slide 4) Most simply and fundamentally, do not allow your tongue to get you in trouble.  Did your mom or dad ever tell you to think before you speak?  Probably, but that is because it is good advice.  Before you speak.  Before you even take a breath in preparation to speak….Ask yourself these questions from our Ephesians passage.

(Slide 5)Is this the truth? - or like so much speech today is it a half-truth?  Is it an exaggeration?  Is it a caricature?  Is it misleading or deceptive?  ?  If so you would do well to remember Ecclesiastes says, “There is a time to speak and a time to keep silent”

·       (Slide 6)Then ask yourself if what you are about to say is useful.  There is an awful lot of useless talk today.  The 24-hour news cycle fills our ears with useless talk.  We are so accustomed to noise that as soon as there is silence we want to fill it with talk, even if it is useless.

This is where we ask ourselves if what we are saying is important enough to say.  Is it going to help anybody?  Build a relationship?  Shed light on who you are?  Answer a pertinent question?  Warn someone?  Teach something?  Further the conversation?

Or is it just yammering?  Puffing yourself up?  Putting someone down? Bringing attention to yourself or to someone else’s flaws unnecessarily?  That is useless talk. 

Are your words useful?  If not you would do well to remember Ecclesiastes says, “There is a time to speak and a time to keep silent”

·       (Slide 7)Are your words going to Build up or tear down?  If your words build a relationship, if they build love, or hope, or someone’s self esteem, if your words build a vision for what God can do or what God is doing.  How can your speech be wrong? 

Or are you building something negative?  Is it going to build hatred, misunderstanding, worry, hopelessness, bitterness, or anger?  Those words cannot be right.

It might not always be clear whether what you are going to say builds up, but it is usually pretty clear if it is going to tear down.  Is it going to damage a relationship, a reputation, a hope, a dream?  Is it going to tear down someone’s self-esteem, even your self-esteem?  Is it going to tear down hard work that someone has offered?  Is it going to belittle someone?  Is it going to make someone feel unimportant, or unloved, or unwanted?  If so you would do well to remember Ecclesiastes says, “There is a time to speak and a time to keep silent”

·                (Slide 8)Are your words filled with grace or something else?  Are your words a gift or a stab in the back?  Are your words graceful or judgmental?  I think this has to do with the motivation for our words.  Are they coming from a place of love, generosity, caring, hope, joy, truthfulness and a desire to be the best that God has made you, and give the best God has given you?

This is where we examine our own motivations and reasons for speaking.  Truthfulness, usefulness, and building up are objective.  They are happening outside of you and you are examining the nature of or the effect of your words. 

Asking if your words are graceful is an internal, subjective question.  Why am I saying this?  What do I hope to do?  Is this for me or for God?  Is this to build myself up at their expense or is this useful?  In your heart of hearts, are you speaking from a position of grace or a position judgment?

(Slide 9)

v Truth or lie?

v Useful or empty blather?

v Building up or tearing down?

v Graceful or judgmental?

Those are the criteria Paul gives us to measure our speech.

(Slide 10)

Finally, very briefly, Along with speak no evil I want to address what we hear.  Is there lots of evil, idle, mean spirited, hurtful talk out there?  You know there is.  Is there a lot of sinful talk out there?  Absolutely. 

Most of us have trouble controlling our own big mouths let alone others.  The truth is we can’t control other’s big mouths.

But if we willingly soak in everything we hear, the bad along with the good.  It will destroy us.

Proverbs 4:24 says “Put away from you crooked speech, and put devious talk far from you.”

 This doesn’t mean we get to ignore the reality of the news around us.   

But it means that when someone starts speaking evil, we are to get out of the way.

When someone starts to speak in lies, we have to protect our hearts.

When someone starts to gossip, we are to run the other direction.

When someone starts to speak uselessly and destructively, we have permission to turn our back and walk away.  In fact, it is stronger than that-- we are commanded to put all that talk far from us.

Don’t participate.  Don’t let it get inside of you.  Because whatever you put in is what will eventually come out.  And then we are right back to the first part of the sermon.  The lies you listen to will work on you and will eventually come out.  The useless things you listen to will eventually come out.  Listen to things that tear down and you will be torn down.  Listen to things that build ugly walls and you will find yourself on the wrong side of the wall.  Listen to things that hurt you and you will be hurt.  Just put them off.  I know easier said than done.  But Don’t let it in you.  Just don’t.  

Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words that come out of my mouth, and the words that go into my heart via my ears, can hurt me where no one else will ever know.  Speak no evil and hear no evil speaking.

AMEN

Me and My Big Mouth #2 Rev. Robyn Plocher

Me and My Big Mouth :  Is Your Mouth Saved

Isaiah 6:1-9

INTRO

How many of you went digging into your Bibles in search of golden promises of God to speak over your life and encourage your faith? 

Can you tell us what you found that encouraged you and made your faith firm?

Those are wonderful promises indeed.  I encourage you to keep looking and keep speaking aloud the promises of God.  In case you weren’t here last week, we are doing this to put into practice what it means to learn to speak God’s language.  First, we work to become aware of and censor our own negativity and ungodly talk. Second, we must begin to speak those things that affirm life, hope, faith and peace.  This two fold process is something that will likely continue, if you are willing to engage it, for the rest of your life.  But there is good news---

Today we turn our attention to the stories of three men of God, each called by God for a special mission and ministry and each had a problem with his mouth.   First, let’s turn our attention to Moses.  Moses had a real problem.  He was just out minding his own business, tending to his father-in-laws sheep one day when God appeared to him in the form of a burning bush and gave him the job of convincing the King of Egypt to set the Hebrew people free – t o release them from slavery.  Moses’s problem was his mouth.  Moses’s speech was “slow” and his tongue was “heavy and awkward”.  Moses, who did not believe himself fit to convince the King of anything, began to argue with God!   We read his story in

 Exodus 4:10-12

God says, “I will be with you.” I will give you the words you need.  Incredibly, Moses continued arguing with him. 

God then says, Exodus 4: 13-16a

Then before Moses can come up with any other arguments, God says “Take this staff.  This is what you will use to work the signs and miracles I have already told you about.” 

Moses’s objections can come across as cowardice, laziness and lack of faith.  Why would God choose someone like that for such an important mission?  Sometimes the Lord chooses the least likely person to be his messenger so that his grace them may appear all the more glorious. 

When Calls us, whether our name is Moses, Al, Frank, Tom, Ruth, Robyn, Rhonda or Rita; whatever your disposition or abilities, When God calls us God equips us, giving us all we need to fulfill our mission for him.  If God speaks to you and you are afraid or feel unworthy or unable to respond, remember:  If he has sent you, He will be with your mouth and will teach you what to say.

Jeremiah had a similar problem.    Jeremiah, called by God to be a prophet about 70 years BEFORE Isaiah, was a young priest from the tribe of Benjamin.  Jeremiah felt wholly inadequate for the job.  Like Moses, Jeremiah says, “Ah, Lord God.  I do not know how to speak.” 

God’s response is both powerful and precious.  Jeremiah 1: 7-10 

God strengthens Jeremiah for the task he has called him to.  God offers encouragement, for more than any other prophet, Jeremiah will need that encouragement.  He is to speak God’s word not only to the Jews but to many other nations as well.  God’s message will be a dual message of both judgment and hope.  Jeremiah’s life from this point out will not be easy. 

God calls us to higher things than we would have ever imagined.  God challenges us to speak his language and his word.  But God does not leave us without hope.  The Lord has been at work in your life in some general ways since the day of your baptism.  Now, the Lord wants to fine tune your life and spirit.  Think about how you fine tune your television.  You pull up the menu and you can make the picture brighter or darker.  You can change the color tones and tints.  You can adjust the quality of the sound.  You can make the picture fit your screen properly.  That’s fine tuning.  That is what God wants to do in your life.    Disciplining your mouth is part of that process. 

Do not say, “Lord, I can’t.  I’m too young, too old, not educated.  I’m afraid.  I don’t know how to talk like a preacher. 

God will meet your need, just as he touched Jeremiah’s mouth and said, “Behold, I have put my words in your mouth” what God calls you to God will equip you for.

The call of Isaiah, which _____________ read for us this morning, is an excellent example of God needing to cleanse the mouth before using the man. Isaiah’s story reminds us that when we come into the presence of God, He is going to deal with us.  Let’s look at it again:

Isaiah was at the temple.  The throne of God was believed to be above the Ark of the Covenant.  This area is sometimes called the Holy of Holies and was not open to the general public. Here at the temple, Isaiah had a vision of God seated on his throne, and surround by six heavenly beings called seraphim or literally “fiery ones”.  These beings burn with the love and praise of the Lord and sing his praise continually around his throne.  Standing in the glory of the Lord, Isaiah is overcome with a sense of his own unworthiness and guilt.  Mere human lips are unclean to speak on behalf of God.  Isaiah is a sinner.  In addition to humbly acknowledging his personal sin, he confesses that he has participated in the corporate sin of his community and nation. 

But neither personal sin nor corporate sin can stop the Lord from seeing his will fulfilled.  Here’s what happens:  Isaiah 6:6-8a 

The burning coal is an instrument of purification touched to Isaiah’s lips he experiences pardon and freedom from his sin.    He is then free to accept God’s call upon his life, responding confidently “here am I. Send me.”

Isaiah’s heart longed to serve the Lord.  God knew this.  When your heart belongs to God, God, in Christ, can always change your behavior. 

Your heart belongs to the Lord.  But like Moses, Jeremiah and Isaiah, you may be learning that there are things you still need to change in order to be the person that God has called you to be.  You have some bad habits you need to break-habits related to the things you do on your computer, or the way you talk to your spouse and children.  Maybe you need to discipline your speech so you are not negative so much of the time.  Maybe you need to keep working on learning to speak God’s way.

You have a mission.  Your first and greatest mission is articulated in the baptismal vows that were taken for you and later confirmed by you or which you took yourself.  Those vows say that you:

Reject the spiritual forces of wickedness and evil powers of the world and repent of your sin

You have taken vows to: 

Resist evil, injustice and oppression in whatever form you may discover it

You have vowed to:

Serve Christ as Lord, profess the faith openly and lead a Christian life.

Yes, you have a mission, a general mission of discipleship and Christian living that is the mission of all baptized persons.   But God has more for you!    If you are to grow into the fullness of God’s will for you – If you are to become all that he wants you to be, all he created you to be,  you must allow him to fine tune your life and your spirit.  Only in this way will you discover what new challenges, opportunities and missions He has for you. You don’t need to be afraid of this.  What he calls you to he will equip you for.   He will give you the words, the courage, the hope, the protection… Give  yourself wholly to him. Give God your mouth, as once you gave Him your heart.  And you will be amazed what the two of you can do together.  Amen?

What God did for Moses through Aaron; what God did with a touch and a hot coal for Jeremiah and Isaiah God has done for all humanity by the blood of Jesus Christ. Our sin is washed away because of Jesus.  Our lives are made pure because of Jesus cross.  We have hope and encouragement because of Jesus’s empty tomb.  Amen?

LUP

Lord Jesus Christ, we love you, but we confess we have not loved you with our whole heart and life.  We have given you bits and pieces of ourselves.  Most of us have not given your control of our mouths.  We have not even really tried to change the way we speak and use our mouths.  Lord, our mouths need to be saved. (Pause- repeat after me “Lord my mouth needs to be saved.”  )  Lord Jesus, wash away the sin of profane words.  Wash away our habit of taking the Lord’s name in vain.  Take away forever our habit of negative speech.  Purge us of the desire to gossip and lie.  Lord Jesus, we give you our mouths, our tongues, our lips and our minds.  Purify us that all we say might be pleasing to the Father, glorifying his name in heaven and contribute to the building of his kingdom on earth.  Amen.