Wednesday Morning Devotional

Show me, O Lord, my life’s end and the number of my days; let me know how fleeting is my life.  – Psalm 39:4

I got up early this morning and was about to crank out another WMD.  All kinds of ideas were whirring through my head.  But the more I thought about it, I just wanted to pause and really seek and go after the Lord.  I went on a prayer walk and asked Him to cleanse my heart as much as possible.   I prayed through my notebook for all the people I’ve been trying to consistently lift up to the Lord.  Somewhere along the way, He has really filled my soul this morning.

Last night was my last day of being 50.  I got to play at the Garage on Main in Walhalla.  I couldn’t believe I was there lifting up the Name of the Lord and telling the stories of how God has spoken to me through the years.  There were even a few that I could tell were actually paying attention.  It was an unbelievable way to finish up the year.

This morning, I just drove to the church where I’ve recently become the co-pastor.  I knelt at the altar, I sang songs, I anointed the carpet, the doorframes, and everything inside.  I was just praying that all who came would hear and respond to the voice of the Lord as He spoke to hearts and minds.  I prayed that evil would be bound at the doors and be unable to penetrate and hinder all that goes on inside.  I drove home with a new sense of purpose.  

I was reading a devotional the author had dedicated to a guy named David.  It said he lived from 1949 to 2014 . . . 65 years.  If I only get 65 years, that gives me 14 more and takes me to the year 2040.  Maybe I get more . . . maybe I get less.  Either way, my life is fleeting.  I just know I want the Lord to have more and more of me.  I want to honor Him with all that I am and everything I have.

Lord, birthdays seem to come so fast these days.  I thank You that I was born, but I really thank You that I’ve been born again.  With all my heart, I want You to continue sanctifying me and filling me with the Holy Spirit.  Make it obvious to others that You are on my life.  I’m afraid that I’ve lived poorly in front of people I claim to love very much and have been trying to lead to You.  Unfortunately, I’ve been hypocritical and haven’t shown the true light of God.  Please show others, especially those that I just mentioned, that You are good even when Your followers are not.  Save people despite Your followers.  With the time I have left, help me truly be a light that so shines before men so when others see my good deeds and see me living for You, that they may desire to serve the same God I do.  Years are quickly passing.  Help all who read this learn to live for the right things . . . for eternal things.  All I ask for my birthday is more of You, Lord.  Amen.

If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face . . . 2 Chronicles 7:14

In Exodus 33:20 we are told that no man can see the face of God and live, yet 2 Chronicles 7:14 says that seeking His face is the third step in the process of healing our land.  We would do well to always remember that God is altogether different than us mere mortals.  I have eyes but can only see what is in front of me.   He can see every part of the entire Earth at the exact same time.  We are about to learn that God is actively doing something with those eyes of His.

God gives Solomon the 2 Chronicles 7:14 verse during a time of the greatest prosperity the world will ever know.  They were dedicating to Him a temple made of gold.  The Israelites lived in the most beautiful and most well-protected land in the world.  They couldn’t imagine needing to do the four requirements of 2 Chronicles 7:14.

Nine chapters later, Israel has already split into two parts.  We find the Judean king named Asa using the temple treasures to pay another king, Ben-Hadad of Aram, to protect them from the Israelite king, Baasha.  Before, Asa had only trusted the Lord in battle, but here he is using politics.  It works, but not without a stern rebuke from the Lord through a prophet named Hanani.  Hanani lets Asa know that he has done like you and I have done time and time again:  We have stopped doing things God’s way and started doing things our way, or equally as bad, the world’s way.  Asa gets angry and throws Hanani in prison, but not before he hears these words:

For the eyes of the Lord range throughout the earth to strengthen those whose hearts are fully committed to him.  You have done a foolish thing, and from now on you will be at war. – 2 Chronicles 16:9

Here is the best thing, I think, about part III:  When we do the first two things, humble ourselves and pray, we are showing our full commitment, our full surrender, and our full placement of our lives into His hands . . . we automatically get His eyes.  You know as well as I do; to see something, we must turn our face in that direction.

I’m praying for so many to deepen their walks with the Lord.  May we truly humble ourselves and pray, and may the Lord turn His face towards us.

Lord, I feel as close to You as I’ve ever been.  I feel so foolish for all the times I’ve just gone through the motions of following You.  I feel so foolish for behaving as if You are completely fine with my sin.  I definitely feel foolish for all the decisions I’ve made doing what I believe is the correct thing to do.  I had You there the whole time just waiting to show me the best way.  I humble myself and let You know right now that I want to cut all that out for my remaining time here on Earth.  I want to live in such a way that You see that I’m fully committed to You, and You therefore strengthen my heart.  Amen

If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land. – 2 Chronicles 7:14

I thought this would be an easy 4-part series to write for WMD. I have some thoughts on seeking God’s face, but I’m still stuck on the first two in my own personal life. I know the disciples of Jesus said their prayers every day. But when they saw Jesus go off by Himself to pray, when He came back, all they knew was that they wanted to learn how to do it the way He was doing it. “Teach us to pray,” they said (Luke 11).

About 25 years ago, I started a prayer journal for the first time. Nearly the entire thing is prayers for me and my . . . my job, my family, my church. There might be a scattered prayer in there for someone else. There is one last blank page in that notebook. I can’t wait for the Lord to prompt me to write that one last entry. In the meantime, I’ve started a new notebook. It is all for other people. I just wrote my 49th prayer for someone. I am only in there for one number, number 22 simply says, “Lord, teach me how to pray . . . like really pray.”

Before this past month, if you had asked me, “Adam, do you pray?” I would have said, “yes.” Yet I bet I’ve prayed more this last week than any full month before that. I say this to my shame, not my exaltation. I want to get to where I think of prayer like William Walford, he called it a “Sweet Hour of Prayer.” If we lined up a hundred random Americans who called themselves Christians, how many could honestly claim that they’ve ever prayed for an hour? I know people have their own ways of praying and people do what works for them. I’m sure people have wonderful prayer lives. I just don’t feel like I do. I also think we’d be embarrassed if we compared the average prayer life today with the average prayer life 180 years ago when “Sweet Hour of Prayer” was written. America has to be the hardest place on the planet to develop a prayer life because we gravitate towards consumerism, individualism, culturalism, materialism, and probably a lot more isms that I can’t think of right now. How do we really get away from it?

The world behind me

The cross before me

No turning back

No turning back

Lord, it is so easy to say that I’ve humbled myself. It is so easy to say that I pray. It is so easy to say that I follow You. You are going to come back for a pure and spotless church bride. Prepare me for that day. Will you help me? I know it is a lifelong sanctification process that involves trusting You until the day I draw my last breath. Help me keep moving forward, Lord. One day soon, allow me to look forward to my “sweet hour of prayer.” Amen

If my people, who are called by my name will humble themselves and pray . . . 2 Chronicles 7:14

Americans are less than satisfied with anything less than instant gratification.  Students brag now about using ChatGPT to do their work.  I wonder sometimes if I had gone through the school system we have now if I’d even be able to write these WMD’s.  I hated writing, but I learned how to do it.  I hated reading books, but there came a point where I began to enjoy it.  Looking back, I’m not sure I hated it, but was simply too lazy to make the time.  The instant gratification of fighting Mike Tyson on my Nintendo was always calling.  

I say that to humble myself.  I don’t know how I’d behave if I had everything that kids have now.  They’ve never not known a world with the internet.  The first time I remember hearing the word “internet” and that weird dial-up sound sequence was in 1995 when I was 20.  God knew when I needed to be born, to whom I needed to be born, and where I needed to be born to live out His calling in my life.  Where would I be, and what would I be like if He had never intervened in my life.  I’d be lost.  I’ve never quite gone down this road in my mind to realize just how vastly different my life would be without Him.  It makes me so appreciative, much more humble, and it makes me want to pray.

I know in the past that I said I’ve prayed.  But compared to what I’ve been doing lately through contemplating this verse and coming up with a strategy to pray . . . I might as well have said I didn’t pray at all.  Sure, I’d offer up a 5 second, “Help ‘em God,” type prayer here and there, say the Lord’s prayer, or offer up a few Thank You’s.  Probably the most powerful prayers were when I’d meet people out and about and we would pray out loud.  I would leave thinking, “I need to do that more!”   Still, as far as an individual prayer life, it was weak at best, and non-existent at worst.  

To take this seriously, I got a composition notebook and wrote “PRAYER” on the cover.  I write down a number and write down the person’s name and what I’m praying for specifically.  I also write Bible verses down that speak to me as I read.  I’m only up to 44 since April 18, but I’ve found myself long in prayer.  Don’t get me wrong, I’m not sure I’ve made it to a sweet full hour of prayer, but I’m getting there.  When it is time to say “Amen,” I’m finding myself not wanting to leave His presence.  I’m finding myself looking forward to the next time.  

I only say this because I want you to really evaluate when and how much you pray.  If we want to take 2 Chronicles 7:14 seriously, I think we must.  I don’t really like making my prayer efforts public, but if it helps one or two of you guys go from complacent to serious with me, then I think it is worth it.  Maybe y’all have this in the bag and praying is no problem for you.  I just know I was taking a lot of worldly things a lot more seriously than I was taking prayer.  

If you don’t mind, tell me your prayer strategy.  What does it look like in practice?  Help me refine my strategy.  Number 22 in that notebook simply says, “Lord, teach me to pray . . . like really pray.” 

In the morning, O Lord, You hear my voice.  In the morning, O Lord, I lay my requests before You and wait in expectation.  – Psalm 5:3