Harpeth Hills Talks About Prayer

February 23, 2012

I was given a gift on Christmas of a perpetual calendar that has little sayings printed for each day of the year and came across this one for today and it struck me as very relevant to this sermon.  I wanted to share it because I feel it is so true!
 
"We can learn to speak to God as we would speak to a combination therapist/spouse/teacher/best friend/One-we-trust-more-than-anything/One-who-loves-us-no-matter-what/One-with-all-the-power-and-desire-to-help, for that is what God is."
 
-LS

February 22, 2012

I think a lot of the time the idea of “The Kingdom” as “The Church” is where our Restoration movement (that’s us– i.e. Churches of Christ, Disciples of Christ, Christian Churches) has gotten STUCK when it comes to MISSIONS.

The Church of Christ comes from a movement for Unity in Christ and if we as a body could every recover that passion for unity… Man! What an instrument we would be for the Lord! These beginnings of “back to the Bible” led to great things. It also transitioned us to an inward focus to draw others back to Jesus, back to each other without titles or creeds (nothing against those) getting in the way.

Transition times are not bad. There’s nothing wrong with a little redefining now and then as long as you leave room for mystery. Throughout Christian history you can see movements back and forth between a church that is regrouping or regaining strength and a church that is out sending and seeking after the lost. Some times are times to just “hang on” to our faith and each other (as the monks and nuns did during the dark ages to preserve Christianity).

As with all transition focuses, there is a time to come out of them. And right now more than ever we need our offense as well as our defense. No mature team plays without both.

In thinking we as a church are the kingdom of God, we fall into the same trap that the Israelites often did. The Israelites became content with themselves as “God’s people” or “the chosen ones.” And while they were, they did not always fulfill the purpose meant by God in these roles - to be an example to the other nations, representing God to the rest of the world, being His light to the darkness. Over and over again in the Old Testament God talks about Israel’s influence for better or worse on “the other nations.”
I cannot “knock” all of Israel for dragging their feet or missing the mark, however. I “not-so-gladly” take a look at the plank in my own eye. As a “former” missionary to Brazil, I worry now that I am a “has been” in God’s Kingdom. But even this fear gives ME too much credit. God is the true Has Been (in the good sense).  He Was, Is, and Will Be.  The Great I Am is guiding this incredible journey.

I do not believe Israel was plan A and Jesus plan B for God’s mission to the world. I do believe Israel was an integral part in teaching us about God’s Heart for us. No matter how many mistakes we make on our journey to become more like Jesus and seek after God’s own heart, God is gracious AND merciful with us. At the same time He encourages us and challenges us for better or more.

So there is hope for us after becoming stuck within ourselves, forgetting that God’s kingdom, His reign, His will, is so much bigger than we are. Yes, we are His church, His body, His people. We are a people called - by Him and for Him. We are “within” His Kingdom come (but not yet fully) and “among” His mysterious and far reaching Reign. We participate in His Will when we allow Him to mold us and work through us IN ORDER TO draw others into His Kingdom.

-MM

February 21, 2012

In response to how our praying the “Lord’s Prayer” is affecting us, I am having mixed feelings.

Having prayed the prayer many times as a young catholic boy, I believe I am intimately familiar with the prayer. However, as I reflect, I realize I am woefully inadequate to fully convey what this prayer can do. And, in truth, I too often say the prayer without the reverence our God deserves. I have caught myself reciting words, with no thought to their meaning or effect on my day (life). I think that may be in part to my upbringing and the fact that the prayer was often said as penance. Maybe subconsciously I am approaching the throne of God begrudgingly, as if I have to do this to get “right.”  Nevertheless, I will continue to pray. For if the millions upon millions who have offered these words for “us” then I too need to do my part.

For me, I believe the most important lines (at this time in my prayer life) are…”as we forgive our debtors.” I look forward to learning to forgive more.

-KH

February 20, 2012

In response to your e-mail about prayer basics, one thing I was taught by one of my HS teachers was “don’t limit God when you pray”.  As he asked us, why is it that we don’t pray for the really difficult things?  Is it because we don’t really believe that God will grant what we ask—or maybe, that He can’t?  That’s our limitation, not God’s.  If someone is diagnosed with inoperable cancer, why do we pray for “comfort and healing”?   Instead, we should be specific, & not limit God with our feeble requests: pray that God will remove the cancer!  If someone is facing a difficult operation, don’t just pray for the “doctor’s hands”— pray for healing—and expect it will be done.  That’s not arrogance; it’s faith.  We’ve witnessed the power of this type of prayer in the last year or so in the life of Jim Wilson.  He’s an elder @ Madison, & head football coach at East Literature (and previously, at Goodpasture), who in late 2010 was diagnosed with stage 4 cancer in lungs, liver, and bone, and was told he had only 6 months to live.  He’s now almost cancer-free. 

-DL

February 19, 2012

We know that God already knows our thoughts, but we're afraid that God will smite us for saying it. Once I understood God wants us to speak up, I got over this fear.

You're right, the Psalms were far from lovely; they are sometimes full of sarcasm and pain and questions. Jesus himself asked God to not be crucified. Why would I not have a hard question to ask?

-JH

February 18, 2012

I have enjoyed the challenge of saying the Lord’s Prayer. It seems to come to me when I am observing the happiness of living in seeing the beauty of nature around me and family and friends about me. I then just say the Prayer along with other thoughts I have at the time in Thanksgiving and request. I have mention this to several of my friends and recommended it to them as a step in growing a prayerful life.

Growing up in a family of a long traditional background in the Church of Christ, the normal prayer was a blending of acceptable traditional phrases that were molded into the model prayer. How many of these phrases you could remember and/or expand upon gave credence to your ability to lead a public prayer.

Attending the Central Church of Christ while at Rice University, there was a man who was an outstanding car salesman and owner of a dealership. He always seemed support the congregation, but never prominently involved in the leadership.

I will always remember the first time and subsequent times he lead a public prayer. It seemed as if he was just talking to a friend about his wants, desires and concerns. It was done with respect, but in a manner as if he knew to whom he was talking.

It brought to mind the scripture where Jesus said, “I have called you friends” (John 15:15) and his statement that “I chose you”. What an honor and a pleasure to just talk to a friend.

-DR

February 17, 2012

Prayer Time:  Every morning right after my older daughter goes to school, while my younger daughter is eating breakfast, I have about 20 minutes of peace and that’s pretty much it for the day.  So, I spend that time at my kitchen table in prayer & reading the Bible.  On the occasion that I miss that time – I feel it all day long.

-KS

February 16, 2012

•    I see the reminder of the example of the daily manna in this prayer, to constantly make me aware of His daily provision for me. That provision is not for happiness but for deep joy through the difficulty, questions and pain that point me to His plan for my life.  And that plan, is the gateway for the deep joy and satisfaction as I would receive with a full belly of food.
•    "...and forgive our debts as we would forgive our debtors." I think of the 'debt' as being my sin. That He calls me to remember that His sacrifice removed the debt of sin so that as he extended grace to me for what I have earned (the wages of sin) that I too might extend grace to those who deserve anything other than grace and acceptance and kindness from me. Oh if that would be my first thought when an insult, in whatever definition, came towards me. Lord, help me extend grace, however a small denomination compared to what You have given me!

-JS

February 15, 2012

•    You asked a couple of weeks ago, where is your prayer 'space'? Mine is in our study, next to the desk, on the floor looking out over the hills of Williamson County. Oh the Majesty of His Splendor that I see as I kneel there. What a gift to have this spot to pour out my heart and to receive His wisdom, blessing and love. I kneel there...with Him... knowing, assured that He joins me there. I have spent times of unexplainable praise and joy there as I pour out my heart in thanksgiving and praise. I have spent more times there in pain and tears as I lay a particular burden at His feet...unable to carry it and receiving no reasoning as to this journey other than "My ways are not your Ways...My timing is perfect...and I respond...I trust You Lord." At these times I end up with Thanksgiving and praise...through my tears. I have spent many hours here. Many, many times I have ended up falling asleep here with the comfort that there is no place better to feel His Presence and love and not having the strength to leave this spot with Him. Oh what a blessing for me.

•    I love the fact that the prayer begins in relationship as we state "Our" Father. Community brings strength...and He begins this in community.

•    What peace and strength I get from "Your Kingdom come, Your will be done..." as it speaks to me of an active, moving present tense. Each day it is His plan to bring us closer to His Kingdom and thus to His will. Each of my steps, focused on His Sovereignty and His will and plan, involve me actively, not passively, in His heart and His dream for eternity experienced here on earth...a taste of heaven!

-JS

February 14, 2012

When I was a young preacher, I determined to set aside a time of devotion. The study time came easily but prayer was another matter. My will said yes but my feelings said no. Each morning I would trudge over to the church auditorium where I would do my best to pray. I did this almost entirely out of a sense of duty. Many mornings my feelings would shout, "We don't want to go pray. We want to read, make a phone call, anything but pray. "Face it," they mocked. "You are not the spiritual type." My will would tell my feelings to be quiet and eventually they would settle down when they saw continued protest was useless. This continued for several weeks. One morning as I walked over to the auditorium, I heard my feelings whisper, "We are looking forward to this." That morning my head and my heart, my will and the recalcitrant feelings all prayed together. It was joyous.

-Chris Smith

February 13, 2012

Thanks for encouraging us to pray the Lord's Prayer every day. It is amazing how quickly something can become a conistent part of your day. I have been finding myself repeating it over and over. I am also finding myself getting stuck on the line about "forgiving my debts" as I "forgive my debtors." I'm not 100% convinced that's how I want my debts forgiven, but I am working on it.  For us, it has been great to sit around the table and explain to our wild, blended family what each line means.
 
-BD

February 12, 2012

Our (Lord, thank You for giving me a family of believers who encourage me to walk with You) Father (God, I am so grateful that you adopted me. I was disfigured, covered in sin and self, beat up, destroying myself and others along the way. I would not have chosen someone so out of step with Your Son but You, for some odd reason, decided to adopt me. Thank You!), Who is in heaven (heaven is Your throne, yet You reign here as well..a concept I have trouble understanding), holy is Your name (Help me to honor Your name as holy in all that I say and do...I fail frequently here, Lord. Please forgive me.)

Your kingdom come (Come Lord Jesus! How I long for Your return, but I want You to delay until those I love accept You as their Lord and Savior. Then I also struggle with what You said about the kingdom of God being within us.  Does that mean the church or is Your kingdom in each believer?), Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven (Father, I pray that Your will is accomplished in me and through me.  That I don't argue with You about Your will, but instead I carry it out immediately and without question as it is done in heaven.  I confess I don't do this, but I want to. AND I want this to be the lifestyle of my children and grandchildren. Help us Father.).

Give us this day our daily bread (Lord, make me hungry for Your Word so that I feed on it daily.  Do this for my children and grandchildren so that none of us are satisfied by anything else. In our abundance that You have given us, remind us how much we are dependent upon You for everything in our lives.) and forgive us our sins as we forgive those who sin against us.  (Lord, make me quick to forgive, slow to anger, quick to listen and slow to speak. Help me to judge not so I won't be judged. Give me a heart of compassion like Yours.)

Lead us not into temptation (Father, please lead us in paths of righteousness for Your name's sake. Show us that way of escape from temptation. May the light of the way of escape be more enticing than the path of temptation.) but deliver us from evil (from Satan and his minions:  demons, evil angels, evil spirits, evil men and women including those who don't even know they are being used by Satan for his evil purposes, but most of all, deliver us from the evil intentions of our hearts). For Yours is the kingdom, the power and the glory forever, Amen.

-KC

February 11, 2012

First, I continue to be amazed at how the Lord orchestrates thoughts, actions and conversations!  Saturday night I was talking to younger son about prayer as we drove along.  He commented, "I don't really like to pray out loud; I mean, the Bible talks about going into your room and shutting the door to pray in secret. That's where I pray--see, Mom, I do read my Bible!"  I acknowledged and praised him, and then was quick to throw in, "There's also power in praying with someone else.... The Bible also says 'Where two or three are gathered in My name, there I am in the midst.' "We lingered on those sweet, passing thoughts about very personal actions for a total of about 3 minutes. 
 
And yet the amazement that we serve a God who hears and longs to show Himself REAL!... When you preached this morning on that same scripture, it not only confirmed my son'ss actions, and bonded our conversation, but personalized it for the both of us that God is so very omniscient to know our thoughts even before we speak them, but personal enough to touch our hearts with His perfect message delivery.    

How to pray...  what kept coming to mind this morning during worship was two things:  We trust and hope.  Jeremiah 29:11 is a verse we all cling to, that our Lord knows us and has good plans for hope and a future.... and I especially love the few verses that follow... focusing on the word seek.  When we seek Him we will find Him when we search for Him with all our heart.  It's the relationship stuff all over again... rather than our focus on His decision for the outcome (be it as simple as lifting up a prayer for a green traffic light... or major prayers, like healing from cancer), I tend to believe there are many times when He is more concerned about trusting HIM through the journey--i.e. really getting to KNOW Him--than the destination (except that eternal one, of course).
 
Lastly, "pray without ceasing".... hmmm, I like to think it's going through the day with eyes looking to Him, a heart of trust, lips speaking gratitude and willingness to stay submitted to His will throughout the day.   Yep, some days are easier than others. 

-JF

February 10, 2012

I have on average a 30 min commute-60 if it rains. I find that in my car during the morning commute centers my mind and is the best opportunity to ask for divine wisdom in an appropriate measure for the day. In contrast I find that the drive home can be a time for counting my blessings and expressing thanksgiving for the day's events. 

Since I am by myself the car is quiet and private- a sanctuary of sorts.

Also a side note is that in the mornings you can pray for the lady in the car next to you talking on the phone, putting on eyeliner, and driving in the HOV Lane--kind of a joke but not really.

-HB

February 9, 2012

If I have a "prayer closet", it's my truck.  I can't say I set aside a time to be alone and pray.  I can say, on my way to and from work, I am alone and that's when I find it easiest to pray.  I love my job and my I love my family.  But, I love my time alone in my truck.  So, I guess, if I have a prayer closet, that's it.  Hope that was what you were looking for.  As far as why pray when He already knows what we need... I find praying to be more of a dialogue with someone who will not judge me (though He is the one and only who could), I don't receive a smart, smirky answer.  I just have a dialogue with God.  A conversation with a friend.  Sure I ask for things.
But, I also seek understanding.  I thank.  I praise.  I just don't know that I do any of this enough. 

-BH

February 8, 2012

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k9ZcN_6wzp8&feature=youtube_gdata_player

Enjoy this video from our brother Scott.  Thank you brother.

February 7, 2012

Here is a photo of Hank's grandmother's personal kneeling/praying bench. The photo does not reflect the vibrant blue color of the needlepoint. I go in and use it from time to time.  There is something special about kneeling in prayer; as if you are bowing before the LORD.
   
Thank you for asking us to recite the LORD's prayer.  I think I have remembered to say it most days, several times a day.  At first, I was keying in on "thy will be done"; then I shifted to "forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us", now, today, we can focus on "our Father" and "hallowed be Thy name".   When I recite it by myself, I many times say "deliver us from the evil one", reminding me that Satan is out to get me. 
   
-RD

February 6, 2012

Here are a few thoughts about what has helped me to pray.
1.  Just do it - whether I feel like it or not.  God will keep up his side of the conversation if I will just listen.
2.  Like Moses at the tent of meeting, I can talk with God like I talk to a friend.
3.  God knows me so he knows I am not given to lengthy conversations.  It is okay if I can't think of much to talk about.

-RH

February 5, 2012

There is a bonus room over my garage that is used only when we have over-night company. I have recently re-claimed it as my prayer closet. I used to go there  but had gotten out of the habit. It is kept closed off during the winter and is cooler than the rest of the house. So I put on a coat or jacket  about 30 minutes before going to bed and go there to an easy chair to pray.

I pray the Lord's prayer to begin, then I pray through my prayer list for people. Then I read several pages from Richard Foster's book "Prayer- Finding the Heart's True Home" and pray again with its guidance. I usually pray a prayer from Michel Quoist's book "Prayer". My favorite (and most
challenging) is his prayer "Help me to say Yes".

-MM

February 4, 2012

I took on the challenge to pray the Lord's Prayer daily without much forethought except that I needed to place post-it notes around as reminders. I was wrong. I have not needed reminders. I find myself contemplating a certain phrase in the prayer as an event or thought  serves as a trigger. I have prayed the prayer at unexpected times, both as a stand-alone and as a part of a longer prayer.
Thank you for making that challenge.  I think it is one that I will take with me for a long time.  Perhaps I will branch out into another in a few weeks.

(I am still trying to sort out "debts" and "transgressions".)

-CS

February 3, 2012

Praying scripture over my kids (with other moms) has brought so much peace. Scripture has provided the words for me when I don’t have them.  Also, with a prayer partner it is so sweet, especially to hear a friend bring your own child's needs before the Father.

-LJ

February 2, 2012

Thank you for asking us to daily pray the LORD’s Prayer.   I had not prayed it in years.  It is interesting that each time I pray it, GOD has me to pray the 23rd Psalm first.  I haven’t figured out completely why GOD is having me pray these together, but it is very sweet and encouraging and humbling.

-JB

February 1, 2012

My mind wonders more than anyone's could!  What helps me pray more effectively is to write my prayers in my journal. I started journaling when my daughter was a toddler.  It began more as a diary to show how God was working in our family's life. It has evolved into an ongoing conversation with the Father.  I keep an ongoing list of people whom I need to be praying for and a short note about why. I am later able to write a date, comment, or happy face as the prayers are answered. Then I offer a prayer of praise!

-LD

January 31, 2012

I pray early. I pray in the car on the way to work.

As I was giving a child his lunch and medicine through a feeding tube last week, I was thinking about how he is blind, he can't walk, he can't talk, he can't move any part of his body except his mouth and his eyes on his own, I started to pray the Lords prayer.
An overwhelming sense of love washed over me as, all of a sudden, I realized that we are like the child I was feeding. We need our daily bread from our Father. We need him to feed us daily to keep us sustained. We are nothing without him.  As an added bonus, a "God thing", when I finished, this child, whose name is Christian, opened his eyes and smiled and cooed at me.

It was absolutely wonderful!

-BC

January 30, 2012

I just happened to pick up the Bible this week and turned to 1 John 5:14-15.

"this is the confidence we have in approaching God: 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 what we asked of him"

As you know there's another verse that says do not doubt when asking God, but I thought this verse from John was a good variation.

I think what has helped me in my prayer life, and I'm not sure if I can put it into words, but the knowing and believing part, the CONFIDENCE that God will hear my prayer.  Believe that God is alive in our life, know that he is HERE with us. If you truly believe in him and what you ask then he will hear you.

-CJ

January 29, 2012

The nights I'm in bed and can go to sleep or wake-up in the middle of the night and can't go make to sleep, I now see as God wanting to have a conversation with me. I've started praying a version of Samuels prayer "Yes Lord, I'm listening "  Most of the time I can't go to sleep (turn off my brain) I'm worried or trying to plan my next day or thinking of how I could have done something better.   All of these things God can help with and HE knows that most days that is my only time that I take to be still with Him.

Sometime HE gives me an insight or clarity but most of the time He gives me peace.

-TG