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| Praying Hearts Sanctuary |
| Newsletter |
| September 2001 |
| Volume 1 Number 5 |
| It seems as if each month we announce changes to our "Praying Hearts Sanctuary". This month is no exception. Ang has been very busy building our new web site at a spot provided by "Geocities". We had been at "Homestead," but when they felt a need to charge for their excellent services, we felt that we should search for another place as we are a non profit, volunteer service. It's peaceful not to deal with money and we are grateful to Homestead and now Geocities for their willingness to grant us free internet space. Please be patient with us if you go to our new site and can't get in. Ang has just barely begun the transfer of the information. It will have the same pages, including profiles of the prayers team, copies of old newsletters, inspirational material, our anotated bibliography, links to other web sites and more. This is our new web site address: http://geocities.com/prayingheartssanctuary ******************************************************* Just a reminder that Ang also created a message board for people to go to and talk about various issues concerning spirituality and mental health. The address is http://pub39.ezboard.com/bprayingheartssanctuarychristiancommunity ****************************************************** This month's newsletter again features a beautiful article by Paul about "How to Pray" in which he carefully explains the prayer procedures outlined in Christ's prayer we know as "The Lord's Prayer." In the spirit of September, the month when many in the Western world and Northern Hemisphere focus on "learning," we have some words of wisdom credited to Andy Rooney of CBS's "60 Minutes" fame. Paul sent the little anonymous prayer that you see later in the newsletter. Thank Paul for giving us a little humor! As is another tradition, we have some scripture which we hope you will find inspirational. This month's scriptures are excerpted from Psalms written by King David. Our final tradition is our closing prayer. We hope each one of you can feel the love and sincerity with which we produce the newsletter as well as the prayer support we offer through our email address, [email protected]. Happy Reading! ****************************************************** HOW TO PRAY by Paul Francisco Countless books have been published and multitudes of devotionals have been written on the subject of prayer. This article may say nothing new but perhaps will help someone pray more meaningfully. As a young man I was once active in the evening Gospel services of a small Baptist church in Brooklyn, New York. The Pastor was a college teacher turned preacher, and the founder of that church. He made long, long rambling Pastoral Prayers during the morning worship hour. He could go on for ten or fifteen minutes if "allowed" to do so. His ever-loving wife supplied some brakes to his prayerful excursions by beginning to clear her throat after some three or four minutes. As the moments dragged by, her throat-clearing became louder and louder until he apparently took notice and closed with Amen. Now, there is nothing wrong with spending proper time in prayer, but there is something tiring about a minister's preaching two sermons during the same worship hour: one with eyes closed and one with them open. It is to many folks' disadvantage to sit with eyes closed for any length of time, for the tendency is to fall asleep. Jesus once "continued all night in prayer to God," we read Luke 6:12, yes, but he was active in that prayer time; not a passive listener as far as we know. One needs to spend as much time as necessary with God as fits the situation, without any meaningless excess of words or pointless requests. Jesus said the heathen think they will be heard in prayer "for their much speaking". So the first instruction in prayer from the Lord is NOT to be like them! He said that God already knows what we need before we ask Him. Do you believe that? You should, because Jesus said it. If we do not believe what He said, then there is no sense of our ever praying for anything whatever. Some people think that anyone anywhere can call upon God for safety or supplies, as if there were no rules. There are rules. The first one involves being a Christian before any real prayer ensues. In Matthew chapter six, just after Jesus uttered the above words about heathens, he continued to then teach His disciples how to pray. "After this manner" we are to pray: "Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name." A young boy was once heard saying "Harold be your name." A natural mistake considering the way what is called The Lord's Prayer is intoned in churches. It is not the LORD'S prayer: it is OUR way to pray; the outline of what thoughts we should pursue in our prayers. "Hallowed" means "May your name be sacred, venerated, considered holy." This is a severe slap on the wrist for many called Christian who constantly use "God" or "Lord" as ejaculations in their normal speech. Today in everyday speech, in every TV show, in every movie, "God" is bandied around with great thoughtlessness; as are "Christ!" and "Jesus!". None of this is praying: all of it is blasphemy and taking the Lord's Name in vain. The ancient Jews were so careful in this matter that they substituted vowel points (pronunciation marks) in writing the Holy Name, and refused to say it aloud. We should think of what we are saying when "Hallowed be your Name" crosses our lips. It is for our benefit that we pray and our attitude in prayer is very important, since it spills over into our "ordinary" lives to help sanctify them. It is just too easy to get frustrated or angry and let an oath or two slip from our old, sinful minds. We hear so much of it that we forget, unless we remind ourselves in prayer, that He is at all times to be considered and addressed as Holy, Holy, Holy, Lord God. Jesus' outline continues with, "Thy kingdom come" coupled with "Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven" Do we really long for the Kingdom or do we fear death so much we wish old age would just go away? Are we really interested in God's will being done in our lives? This is the only way it will "be done on earth". Let all Christians examine their desires and motives before the Lord and get on the same "wavelength" as His. Good prayer is framed within these two matters of Kingdom-consciousness and surrender to God's will. Again, remember; this is not the Lord's prayer, but an outline Jesus gave for OUR prayers, to fill in as we pray. It has no magical properties in itself and should be used intelligently. "Give us this day our daily bread" we plead. "Bread" in the Bible is simply food. What has bread got to do with the Kingdom and God's will? We should follow Jesus' example and thank God for the food we eat. It all ultimately comes from Him. Should He withhold the rain or cause disastrous storms and floods, the food chain would suffer, and so would we eventually. But there's more to "bread" than flour and water. We also need to feed on "every word of God" which the Scriptures give us. Jesus said His flesh was bread, and that He was the true bread from God; also the living bread giving life unto the world. Is not our "daily bread" the knowledge of Jesus and the assurance of the everlasting life our God-given faith [belief] gives us? Should we not really "feed on Him by faith" through prayer? " Forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors." What a phrase for this debt-ridden present age. My folks never owned a credit card and never bought anything with time payments. This was not true of their children and grandchildren. The "debt" spoken of here by Jesus is more than money owned. He was not suggesting that God rain down coins or bills to settle what we owe far and wide. No; we do not owe God mere money: it is our very lives here and hereafter. In this prayer- sentence we are asking God to do something for us in the same way we are promising to do it for others. This has nothing to do with salvation, but with our daily lives. What have people done for us? What good influence have they had on us? How have they hurt us? How have they helped and served us? As Christians what do we "owe" our friends, our society, our bosses, our spouses? Forgiving our debtors involves treating people all around us in a "Godly" way. Certainly something worth praying about. "Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil." We are asking that we be delivered from our evil natures as we live and work and worship in society. Some will translate it, "deliver us from the evil one." This is also the meaning, since it was Satan who tempted Eve and who introduced sin and disobedience into the world. Evil and unGodly thoughts are part of our continuing struggle in life. No one is free from them, but Christians have God's assistance in being delivered from them. "Lead us not" may be thought as "Cause us not to be tempted." The only way to be essentially free from evil thoughts is to pray directly for the Spirit's help in shunting away from our minds the fleshly thoughts we are subject to. Paul asked, "Who shall deliver me from this dead body?" The answer was, "I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord" (Romans 7:24,25). An old hymn is sung, "When evil thoughts molest, with this I shield my breast; may Jesus Christ be praised!" We close with "thine is the kingdom (rule), and the power and the glory." A reminder of the fact that God is sovereign, all powerful, all knowing and ever present. A great assurance for His children to grasp as we close this part of our prayers. " Be careful (anxious) for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.(Phil 4:6,7) Paul Francisco ([email protected]) ****************************************************** Dear Lord, I want to thank you for Being so close to me so far. This day, with your help, I haven't been impatient, lost my temper, been grumpy, judgemental or envious of anyone !! But I will be getting out Of bed in a minute, and Then I think I will really Need your help ! Amen. (Anonymous) ******************************************************* Enlightened Words by Andy Rooney I've learned.... That the best classroom in the world is at the feet of an elderly person. I've learned.... That everyone wants to live on top of the mountain, but all the happiness and growth occurs while you're climbing. I've learned.... That the easiest way for me to grow as a person is to surround myself with people smarter than me. I've learned.... That just one person saying to me, "You've made my day!" makes my day. I've learned.... That being kind is more important than being right. I've learned.... That I can always pray for someone when I don't have the strength to help him in some other way. I've learned.... That no matter how serious your life requires you to be, everyone needs a friend to act goofy with. I've learned.... That sometimes all a person needs is a hand to hold and a heart to understand. I've learned.... That we should be glad God doesn't give us everything we ask for. I've learned.... That it's those small daily happenings that make life so spectacular. I've learned... That under everyone's hard shell is someone who wants to be appreciated and loved. I've learned.... That the Lord didn't do it all in one day. What makes me think I can? I've learned.... That to ignore the facts does not change the facts. I've learned.... That opportunities are never lost; someone will take the ones you miss. I've learned.... That when you harbor bitterness, happiness will dock elsewhere. I've learned.... That one should keep his words both soft and tender, because tomorrow he may have to eat hem. I've learned.... That I can't choose how I feel, but I can choose what I do about it. I've learned ... That it is best to give advice in only two circumstances; when it is requested and when it is a life threatening situation. I've learned.... That when you plan to get even with someone, you are only letting that person continue to hurt you. ***************************************************** DAVID'S FEELINGS AS RECORDED IN PSALMS Did you ever wonder if you are the only person whose feelings for God change according to the circumstances of life? Please don't think you are the only one to experience the range of emotions regarding God. Back centuries ago, the great King David also had similar experiences. Here are some verses from Psalms that illustrate that fact. *** When David felt the Lord had abandoned him, he wrote: "I say to God my rock, �Why have you forgotten me? Why must I go about mourning, oppressed by the enemy?'" Psalm 42: 9 - 10 *** When David was very angry with others he expressed that anger to God by writing: "Break the teeth in their mouths, O God; tear out, O Lord, the fangs of the lions! Let them vanish like water that flows away; when they draw the bow, let their arrows be blunted. Like a slug melting away as it moves along, like a stillborn child, may they not see the sun. Before your pots can feel the heat of the thorns - whether they be green or dry - the wicked will be swept away." Psalm 58: 6 - 9 *** David used the Psalms to communicate the depth of his love for the Lord in these verses: "As the deer pants for streams of water, so my soul pants for you, O God. My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. When can I go and meet with God?" Psalm 42: 1 - 2 *** David also wrote about his trust of the Lord: "The Lord is my light and my salvation - whom shall I fear? The Lord is the stronghold of my life - of whom shall I be afraid? When evil men advance against me to devour my flesh, when my enemies and my foes attack me, they will stumble and fall Though an army besiege me, my heart will not fear; through war break out against me, even then I will be confident." Psalm 27: 1 - 3 *** Sometimes David was confused. He wrote: "How long, O Lord? Will you forget me forever? How long will you hide your face from me? How long must I wrestle with my thoughts and every day have sorrow in my heart?" Psalm 13: 1 -2 *** At times David was filled with praise for God: "I will exalt you, my god the King; I will praise your name for ever and ever. Every day I will praise you and extol your name for ever and ever. Great is the Lord and most worthy of praise; his greatness no one can fathom." Psalm 145: 1 - 3 ****************************************************** CLOSING PRAYER Our precious Lord and Heavenly King, we love You and acknowledge Your love for us. You so loved us that You sent Your one and only Son Jesus to suffer death on a cross that our sins might be forgiven. You saw us as sinners and when we confessed our sins to You and accepted Your free gift of salvation, You made us Your children. We thank You and praise You for a depth of love that we will never be able to begin to understand. We thank You for Your free gift of salvation that has been generously given to anyone who has sought it. We thank You for the peace that came with Your Holy presence. We pray for our brothers and sisters who are struggling with mental health issues. We know that many feel the pain of their illnesses and yet we also know that You understand the pain and want to give strength to endure. We pray for strength and wisdom as they deal with their treatments as well as their day to day lives. Might they know Your peace and presence today and always. I pray in Your Matchless and Holy Name, Jesus, Amen. Newsletter edited by Pat [email protected] |
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