Who Answers Prayer Anymore?

When I was at City Challenge in Ohio we did a lot of praying, and by a lot I mean a lot. Ever since then my mindset of praying greatly changed.

I know it makes me seem like a five year old saying this, but I pray for snow some days. If you think about it though, farmers need rain and therefore pray for rain for their crops, I need snow to snowboard and therefore I pray for snow to ride on.

Maybe God doesn't always answer my prayers for snow the way I want, but most of the time He seems to come though. God answers even the things people would say are petty. I can't think of an exact example, but lately I have prayed for some not so important things and God has answered my requests. This in and of itself is impressive and is at the same time not impressive because God says:

^{Matthew 21:22 "}If you believe, you will receive whatever you ask for in prayer."

However, the reason why God's answer surprised me was because I looked at how many people around me were affected by His answer. Why would God answer my prayers when my desires may greatly affect others lives?

A while back I was thinking about what notes I would play for a song I'm working on producing. I remembered a song base I had made up once and the notes sounded pretty cool, but I couldn't remember any of the notes. I was kinda desperate so I prayed that God would help me to remember the notes. I picked up my guitar again and remembered the song.

Just this past Thursday I was going snowboarding, but the night before I slept in a weird position and in the morning I had some neck pain. I really didn't want a painful neck to mess up my rotations when snowboarding, so again I prayed that my neck would no longer hurt. The thing is God answered my prayer, but also didn't answer it. What I mean is He didn't answer my prayer the way I had asked, but for pretty much the whole day I never thought about my neck hurting. So in a way He did answer my prayer.

I know you know that God answers prayer, but I must point out that sometimes you don't see God's hand at work in your own life because your eyes are blind to it. To see God at work in your life sometimes you have to step back and look at our life with profound eyesight.Then you will have a glimpse of how blessed you are and how much God deserves praise.

God in the Flesh

I have noticed in two different books how they both made an emphasis on how when you become a christian you meet a person, not have some mystical experience. God the father is the one who created us, but it is His son Jesus who saved us. The Christian faith is centered all around the death of Jesus because without His death we would be without a savior. Is our Christian faith really centered around Jesus though? Maybe that is the problem, that its a faith. Meeting a person isn't faith, its a relationship. Just like in a friendship we want to meet-up and talk to our friend, do we really deep inside want to talk and meet-up with our friend and lord, Jesus?

If a total stranger came up to you and said follow me, would you follow him? The fishermen who later became His disciples did. There is something extraordinary about Jesus that comes from inside of Himself and radiates from himself. The importance of Jesus in our lives cannot be expressed enough.

Jesus is God and He died on the cross for us. For me to think about how God actually died for His 
creation is a so hard to fathom.

Mother Teresa of Calcutta said, "To me Jesus is my God, Jesus is my Power, Jesus is my Life, Jesus is my Love, Jesus is my All in All, Jesus is my Everything."

A Bengali Hymn - by Nirod Kumar Biswas
O Christ, the light of the way of my life, abide with me.
When I go into a dense forest I cannot find the way,
O Christ, the guide of the way of my life, show me the way.
My fellow-travelers have deserted me and darkness is all around.
O compassionate Christ, come, or else I will lose my life.
O Christ, the only help of the way of my life, hold my hand.
When the wild storm comes in the river of my life,
my oar is broken and the rudder is torn,
O Christ the boatman!... Sit and hold the oar
or else the boat will sink.
O Christ, the oarsman of the boat of my life,
hold the oar.

Does Jesus direct you life, or is your boat tossed my every passing current in the world? God will always be the same, God will always keep you directed towards the same destination because He never changes. Are you going to profoundly change your mindset and give Jesus the oar to let Him take you to His destination? We must give up ourselves, our purpose, and our soul to Jesus, to gain our life.

I just want to go there

Over the past few weeks I have been deep in thought over things that aren't what they should be. I wish I could change these things instantly, but I can't. Then I happen to think about heaven. Heaven is where everything is perfect and right. Therefore, why do these trials on earth matter at all. Do they have any meaning that should impact my eternal purpose?

Here is a line from a song by Trip Lee about living on earth and heaven called, "Take Me There".
Tell me, have you ever seen her
She's sick with a disease and it's really tryna beat her
It's takin' all her strength, she know that it can't defeat her
'Cause she gon' be with Jesus, she's more than just a dreamer
Her peace and her joy, man they really ain't gone
It's all because she knows earth really ain't home
And even when she's by herself she's really not alone
Her Savior's there with her while she singin' this song
She know sickness might get her and death might grab her
But she ain't scared of death 'cause she's trusted in the Master
Was buried but He rose up a few days after
So death may attack her but death cannot have her
So she tells her family "Don't worry anymore"
When she's gone from the body she'll be present with the Lord
Her body will be raised, so much Glory is in store
He is her reward so she sings

These lines explain just how I feel when I'm worrying about something too much. This is earth, what petty things go on here don't matter anymore when you get to heaven. A good question to ask yourself is; What has real meaning that lasts?

Here is the chorus of the song.
I just wanna go where
I'm only breathing Your air
Father, hear my prayer, take me there
Take me there
I just wanna see You
Brighter than I'm used to
Finally see You clear, take me there
Take me there, take me there

Suppose you have talked to someone for a long time over the phone or internet, but there is a barrier that keeps you from meeting, there is a barrier between you and God that at the end of your life will be broken.

I think a lot of times we can become too worldly mindseted. I want to remember that earth is just a temporary home and I'm just waiting to get to paradise and take as many people with me as I can.

Hebrews 12:2 
fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.

To know that someday everything will be made right, today's little problems are nothing to get worried over, and God still reigns in heaven are all very reliveing truths. There is a  profound distinction that can be made between earths activities and the activities of God.

God in Honduras

I was reluctant to go to Honduras for our missions trip. I highly dislike hot weather because just about everything I don't like comes from hot weather. Everything about the trip I wasn't really that happy about. I sorta thought it might be a very good experience, but I wasn't completely closed to the thought of having any fun. I mean they at least play soccer down there.

For my family this trip was pretty much our vacation. Most would say that a missions trip isn't a vacation, but thats sorta just how my family is. However, in a true sense the trip seemed very much like a vacation. The day after we had arrived we did some touristy things and then the most of the morning and afternoons of the days after that were filled with work.

From day two onward my days were filled with laughter not work. The laughter was so good and the conversations so good I never really worked. Sometimes I would have laugh attacks where I would laugh so hard for so long I would be crying and out of breath. At these times I considered myself to be unintentionally not working because I was laughing too hard to work. Therefore, the week was pretty much non-stop fun.

One night of the week we went to a neighbors small church he had started. The worship was acapella except for a guitar and the sound of hands hitting each other. I really wanted to join in singing, but couldn't because I don't know Spanish. However, I had enough passion to worship that I somehow was content to worship without singing. My ears may have been tricking me, but what I heard was beautiful not only in sound, but in unity. A unity of worship to the King of Kings.

Our group leader and the church's pastor spoke for only a few minutes and the message was so elementary, but so meaningful. Bob's talk about how God is our light for our path when we walk was simple, but so deep. The Bible has an amazing ability to cross all generations. The Bible is so simple, but has so much depth that you can't see until you dive into the water and open your eyes.

The Bible has a profoundness that is able to appeal and relate to the young and old. Worship to the One True God  also has a profoundness that is the same whether you sing in Spanish or English.