The Road Ahead

2020 in the rearview mirror.

Yet racial tension, unsettled elections, a partisan populace, and a global pandemics leave us unsettled as we consider the road ahead.

We don’t know where 2021 will take us. We pray the elections will be decided fairly. We pray the vaccines will work, the virus stopped, and lives saved. We pray prejudices will be overcome and love will win. We pray reason will prevail in disagreements and folks will be considerate of one another. We pray that everyone would have someone to trust, someone who loves them for who they are. We pray our nation is peaceful and prosperous. We pray that we find joy and grow in hope. We pray the road ahead will be smoother than what is behind.

What can we do to best travel the road ahead?

Pray. Earnestly. Constantly. For any concern we have. God’s ear is attentive. We will draw us near as we seek Him.

Read. Daily. Thoughtfully. Though broad reading is encouraged, prioritize the Bible. God’s Word reveals His character, His purposes, and His ways.

Love. Fully. Freely. The world needs love in action. Otherish love that is God powered, other focused, and self sacrificing.

Serve. Sacrificially. Regularly. It’s not about you. Others make everything better. Make a difference today and for the days to come.

The road ahead will be better.

On we go.

Together. 

Praying for Ishmael

And Abraham said to God, “Oh that Ishmael might live before you!”—Genesis 17:18

A simple request. An earnest request. A faithless request?

At 75 years old, Abraham, then simply Abram, received God’s promise that he would become the father of a great nation. Genesis 12:1-7 tells the story.

At 86 years old, Abram had a son through his wife Sarai’s maidservant, Hagar. Genesis 16:1-16 tells of their conniving, despising, and mistreating of one another.

At 99 years old Abram and Sarai are renamed Abraham and Sarah by God has He reiterates even through their new names that they will be the parents of a great nation. Genesis 17 recounts this divine conversation. In 17:16 God says of Sarah, “I will bless her, and moreover, I will give you a son by her. I will bless her, and she shall become nations; kings of peoples shall come from her.”

Abraham laughs at God. Then he says, and I paraphrase 17:17 here, “I’m a geezer and she’s doggone old too. Sarah won’t be having babies, God.”

Then Abraham offers God his solution to the great nation promise, “Oh that Ishmael might live before you!”

Abraham was praying that Ishmael—through the foreign-born, stand-in mother Hagar—would be the child this great nation would come from. He’d lost hope that Sarah would ever bear a child. It was worth a shot, right? It seemed logical, don’t you think? Until you look deeper into what Abraham could have meant when he prayed, “Oh that Ishmael might live before you!”

• “God, let Ishmael be the child of promise and the Father of the nation you promised to bless all nations through. He’s a great kid!” Abraham is human. This is his firstborn, currently only born, son. We lean toward promoting our favorites to God.
• “God, I don’t need a son through Sarah. I’ve already got one through Hagar.” This second option is truly about control. We had a son our way without any supernatural blessing of elderly Sarah’s womb. We cap our requests to God to what we can control.
• “God, you’ve been great so far in blessing me and such, but I’m not sure you can pull this off with a barren, old lady like Sarah.” This third potential meaning of Abraham's prayer speaks to the frailties of faith. We tend to limit our trust in God to what we’ve already experienced.
• “God, it sounds like you want to give me something I can’t imagine. I really am content with what I already know. The bird in the hand, ya know, God.” This option speaks to what we are comfortable with. We seek to govern God’s will by our limited imaginations.

God had planned on giving Isaac to Abraham and Sarah as a son from their own union all along. Read Genesis 18:1-15 and 21:1-7.

Yet, how many times am I like Abraham with my own shortsighted Ishmael prayers? 

God has an incredibly amazing no-rational-human-would-ever-believe-it, totally miraculous only-God-could-ever-do-it Isaac in answer for me and I’m saying, “Thanks, God, but I’ll stick with the Ishmael I’ve got. You see God I know Ishmael. He’s already here. I like him a lot too. He’s a good kid. Really, God, I love him. I don’t need to wait for your answer that I can’t imagine. It’s cool, God. I got it. Thanks, but no.”

Praying for Ishmael is not bad. Praying for Ishmael is not wrong. In Genesis 16:10-12, God had promised Hagar he would bless Ishmael. In Genesis 17:19-21 after affirming a son, Isaac, would be born through Sarah, God promised Abraham too that He would bless Ishmael.

Note the difference between Ishmael and Isaac.

• Ishmael is the result of flesh. Isaac is the result of faith.
• Ishmael is the work of humanity. Isaac is the work of God.
• Ishmael is our way. Isaac is God’s way.
• We don’t need God to get Ishmael. We don’t get Isaac without God.

I do not know what your Ishmael is. I do know your Ishmael is what you can create through your own power. I do know God can and will bless your Ishmael. Do not stop praying for your Ishmael.

Your Isaac, however, is something that only God can do. God is most pleased to bring glory to Himself by doing what He alone can do. God delights in His Isaac answers

Pray for your Ishmael. Just do not give up your Isaac prayers of faith. Oh, what God will do.

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When You Don't Know What To Pray

When you don’t know what to pray…

When you feel like you can’t pray…

Be Still

Be still, and know that I am God. I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth! Psalm 46:10

Rest

Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. Matthew 11:28-29

Accept Peace

Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid. John 14:27

Trust

The Spirit helps us in our weakness. For we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words. Romans 8:26

Six Requests for Praying Dads

Jesus' prayer in John 17 is not your typical Father's Day Bible passage. It's a prayer of Jesus for himself, his disciples, and all believers as he approached his crucifixion. Following my last post about praying women, let's turn to men.

In this amazing prayer of our Lord Jesus, I see a model. Following the verbs and Jesus' direct requests of the Heavenly Father, here are six requests every Christ following father can pray for his family.

Request #1: May my family Glorify God

Jesus spoke these things, looked up to heaven, and said: Father, the hour has come. Glorify Your Son so that the Son may glorify You.—John 17:1 

Start at the very beginning. It's a very good place to start. Start with God. Every one of your prayers should begin with an acknowledgement of God such as, "Father in Heaven" or "Dear God," and even the content of your prayer for your family starts with God. "God, would you grant that I and my family could bring you glory in everything we do." And name some ways. Offer specifics.

Request #2: May my family Grow in Knowledge

This is eternal life: that they may know You, the only true God, and the One You have sent — Jesus Christ.—John 17:3

This idea of knowing God is constant and continuous. You are praying your children and family members will establish and continually grow in a personal relationship with God through Jesus Christ. Your prayer is that they would abound more and more in the love of Jesus that transforms them. Talk to them Model for them. Teach them.

Request #3: May my family Guard the Faith

I am no longer in the world, but they are in the world, and I am coming to You. Holy Father, protect them by Your name that You have given Me, so that they may be one as We are one.—John 17:11

This a prayer of protection. What kind of protection? Our clue is in the end of the veres where Jesus prays "so that they may be one." In my experience it not so much the offense of others—we're all sinners and people will hurt me—but my own attitudes in reaction to others that brings division. My unforgiveness, if unconfessed, will grow into bitterness and worse. Pray humility and grace for your family; protection from their own attitudes that may divide and hinder their faith and others. Be humble. Be forgiving.

Request #4: May my family Get Set Apart 

Sanctify them by the truth; Your word is truth.—John 17:17

Be holy as I am holy, God calls. This is a request that our families would be sanctified, holy, set apart. This is a tough one in the media rich, time crunched, privacy invasive world we live in, but it is totally possible. Turn off the TV. Put down the electronic device or magazine. And read your Bible. Pray that your family members, especially your kids, will learn a life-long habit of Bible engagement. And model it. It will change their life. And yours.

Request #5: May my family Gather Together 

I am in them and You are in Me. May they be made completely one, so the world may know You have sent Me and have loved them as You have loved Me.—John 17:23

This is a prayer that we would be closer to God and closer to one another. It's about unity. It's rooted in the requests that precede it. Being completely one with folks so different than us seems like such an impossibility until you have felt it in worship, in service, and in fellowship with one another. And there is a bonus: The world will know Jesus through our love for one another. Spend the time. Give your life. Gather together. Love one another.

Request #6: May my family Gain Eternity

Father, I desire those You have given Me to be with Me where I am. Then they will see My glory, which You have given Me because You loved Me before the world’s foundation.—John 17:24

To be where Jesus is—that's Heaven. Jesus has gone to prepare a place there for all who have committed their lives to him to be with him forever. That's our hope. That's our goal. But we've got work to do in serving him and loving others while we are here. As he prays above—and you know his words are faithful and true—the love of our families and Christ followers for one another will lead others to trust him too.

So, Dad, I know you got tons to pray about. Don't mean to add too much. I pray these requests serve as inspiration for you to pray like Jesus. Glorify, grow, guard, get, gather, and gain. For your family. For the Lord.

Be a Praying Dad!

The Power of Praying Women

Having a vision of a Macedonian begging him to come over and help us, Paul and his missionary band set out across the sea. Notice the powerful influence of women in prayer and one woman’s response.

11 Then, setting sail from Troas, we ran a straight course to Samothrace, the next day to Neapolis, 12 and from there to Philippi, a Roman colony, which is a leading city of that district of Macedonia. We stayed in that city for a number of days. 13 On the Sabbath day we went outside the city gate by the river, where we thought there was a place of prayer. We sat down and spoke to the women gathered there. 14 A woman named Lydia, a dealer in purple cloth from the city of Thyatira, who worshiped God, was listening. The Lord opened her heart to pay attention to what was spoken by Paul. 15 After she and her household were baptized, she urged us, “If you consider me a believer in the Lord, come and stay at my house.” And she persuaded us.—Acts 16:11-15

Many women in prayer opened the way for the Gospel. These ladies were meeting before Paula and Company even had the vision. God was at work within them, before he even called Paul. We can learn from both parties. From Paul: Be responsive to the Holy Spirit’s leading even if it comes in an unconventional way. From the women of Philippi: Be faithful in prayer; God will answer.  

How is my faith?

How is my prayer life?

One women in worship responded to the Gospel. Lydia is described as worshipper of God, yet she did not yet have saving faith through Jesus Christ. In her faithful worship, God revealed Himself to her. We learn God calls all people to Himself. We learn to persist in prayer. 

How consistently do I pray?

How am I open to God through worship?

That woman of influence shared the Gospel. Lydia, apparently, when straight home and shared her new, saving faith in Jesus with her whole household. The Greek word is oikos, that means family, friends, employees—her sphere of influence. 

Who is my oikos?

How am I sharing Jesus with them? 

That woman of hospitality cared for the Gospel messengers. Not only did Lydia share her faith with her entire household, she shared all that she had in her household with Paul’s missionary band. She exercised hospitality.  As a brand new Christian, she extended Christian love. 

Where can I be more gracious?

Who can I show hospitality to?

Women change the world. Prayerful, worshipful, influential, hospitable. Powerful. These Philippian women in general and Lydia in specific loved God and others. Powerful.