posted by Jesse on Monday, September 7, 2009 at 5:30 am
I’d like to ask you to pray for my trip to Lomé today. I’m taking the Huffs down so they can pick up their vehicle from the port, while Jim and I will do some shopping and other errands. Please pray for our safety there and back on Thursday or Friday.
Asking for prayer for safety on a trip sometimes seems like such a “catch phrase” kind of thing to say, but after taking a couple long distance trips here in Togo, I take it very seriously now! During the pastors’ conference, we were coming down a mountain around a curve when all of a sudden a guy on a motorcycle was in the middle of our lane coming straight at us. To make matters worse there was a large semi in the other lane, which gave the motorcycle guy no place to go. But, he was completely unaware of all this because he had his head turned almost completely backwards talking to somebody behind him! With only a split second to react, I honked and swerved as far off the steep road as I could, which gave him barely enough room to squeeze between me and the truck, just inches away from hitting our bumper.
This is just one of the many “incidences” we’ve had already in the short time we’ve been here. So, when I ask you to pray for our safety, it’s because we really do need it! Thanks very much!
posted by Jesse on Thursday, July 24, 2008 at 5:20 pm
There were many of you who were praying for my first sermon in French, which I preached on Sunday night. It actually went much better than I thought it would. Sections that were tripping me up in practicing (yes, because it was in a different language I did “practice.” Sounds weird, but it helped!) didn’t seem to be difficult at all once I was in the flow of the message. People said that it sounded very natural and easy to understand. I say all that not to brag, but to say GLORY TO GOD! All of the praise goes only to Him, because without His direct enabling I would be entirely incapable of preaching or learning a second language.
I had intended to record it on video to put on the blog, but unfortunately I miscalculated the remaining battery life in the video camera and it shut off right after the singing and announcements. Oops! Fortunately, they recorded it through the church’s sound system and I should be able to at least put the audio up in a few days once I receive it. Not that I expect non-French speakers to listen to the entire message, but I figured that maybe you’d like to at least hear what it sounded like. By the way, have you ever heard yourself speak on a recording? It’s really bizarre, right? It’s even more strange in a foreign language!
If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you.
Hmm, let’s see here, what do I really want? A professional Canon or Nikon SLR camera would be nice. Oh, and all the lenses too. An iPhone could really come in handy. A tennis racket that could make me play like Rafael Nadal would be awesome. Let’s see, what else? Oh yes, the biggest, fastest Mac computer on the market. All the best, super lightweight backpacking gear and a high clearance 4WD vehicle to get to all the best hiking spots. Well, I guess that’s enough for now. So alright, Lord, I ask for all of these things, in your name of course. Well, I’m waiting!
Do you ever feel like your prayers aren’t getting answered? God gives us the promise that He will answer our prayers, but sometimes we are just ignorant to the fact that His answer may be a definite and certain “NO!” Our problem most of the time is that we are praying for the wrong person, and I am just as guilty of this as anyone else, although not quite as bad as the exaggerated example above. We pray most often for the one who we are most concerned about pleasing - ourselves.
James 4:3 tells us about praying for our needs, for our desires, for our “things” that we think make us happy. It says, Ye ask, and receive not, because ye ask amiss, that ye may consume it upon your lusts.
The key to John 15:7 is the phrase and my words abide in you. I truly believe there is a great difference between knowing the Word of God, and the Word abiding in us. The words of Christ abiding in us produces a change of mentality, a change of focus, and a change of our desires. Instead of dwelling on what we need, want, and crave for, we begin to pray according to God’s plans, His purposes, and His desires. God never intended prayer to be a service bell for our every whim in the cushy mansion of luxury that we like to call our life. It is intended to be the line of communication between commander and soldier as He carries out His plans through you.
Perhaps you, like me, need to begin praying more biblically. As Jesus did, we ought to pray, “I don’t seek my will, Father, but let yours be done through me.” God desires to give us what we ask for, but are we asking for what God desires? I encourage you to know Jesus more through His Word. Let it abide and take root in you, that you might begin praying more for God and His desires and a lot less for ours.
