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.

Blessedness

A while ago I got a new Zox Strap. (For those of you who don't know what a zox strap is, it is a special colored elastic bracelet made for matching with your shoes.) This one I got has been my favorite ever since I got it. The one side has a orange victorian carpet style on it, but the other side has what I really like because its says "Blessed".

When I got the strap I looked at the special card that comes with each strap that has a little message written on it. This one said:

"A sense of blessedness comes from a change of heart, not from more blessings." - Mason Cooley

This quote hit me hard because its so true. When we think of blessings we tend to think about material things. However, do materials change peoples mind? They can, but not towards a recognition of blessedness.

Until I read this quote and was able to understand how blessed I was I didn't really notice the small blessings. Now that I see how much God has blessed me I see all the things He does each day for me.

Blessedness isn't dependent on material wealth or anything else, but its dependent on the change of heart. If all the famous people out there really realised how blessed they were maybe they would realise that they have almost all they need. They don't need to get more money to get a bigger house, a nicer car, or get high on drugs because recognition of blessedness can bring a sense of contentment.

Now just about every time I look down at my wrist and see BLESSED written there it reminds me just how much God has blessed me. Profound realization of important mindsets can completely change you mood and outlook on life.

Focus

Over the past few weeks I think I have been losing focus. I think that lately I have been putting my focus on snowboarding instead on the one who gave me snow, cold weather, snowboarding, and the ability to snowboard.

I knew something was wrong because I felt like my relationship with God wasn't as strong as it used to be. However, I didn't know what the root of the problem was. I did notice though that when I was talking to God I would lose focus much more often than normal. Then, once I finally came to grips of what the problem was I knew I had to change. However, without a proper definition you can't know how to or to what extent to change.

Focus definition: A center of interest or activity.

Luke 4:8 Jesus answered, "It is written: 'Worship the Lord your God and serve him only.'"

If we take the definition of focus and put what the Bible says together we get; God should be at the center of interest or activity. My focus was on snowboarding and not on God as it should have been.

Physically speaking when our eyes are unable to focus on certain things because out eyes are messed up we normally get corrective glasses or contacts. That's what I need. I need corrective glasses or contacts so that I can Focus on God and no other thing.

To get that clear image of God we need to completely give ourselves up to Him. Only until we surrender completely can we have a deep relationship with Him.

We cannot allow our desire or passion to do something take the front stage as the focus of our everyday lives. When we focus on God our lives have a real purpose and meaning. I have a little phrase pertaining to this subject I made up a few weeks ago.

When you look up, things will look up.

Basically what that means is when you look towards (focus on) God your life will be the best life you will ever have. Take the route of a profound Focus on God.

What will be left when all is gone?

My favorite band for the past few years has been Switchfoot. Among their songs, "Gone" is one of my favorites. To me I guess when I think about the lyrics, what I take away from them is how at the end of our life all our money and possessions don't mean anything. How we handled our money and shared our possessions will matter, but all the money we stack and all the nice cars and houses we have has no importance.

If you look at what you buy as unimportant at the end of your life, how does that influence your buying choices? I think that we would be more focused on how what we buy can help others or be used for God's glory.

What are you going to do with that cash? Because possessions don't matter.

Gone - by Switchfoot
She told him she'd rather fix her makeup
Than try to fix what's going on
But the problem keeps on calling
Even with the cellphone gone
She told him that she believes in living
Bigger than she's living now
But her world keeps spinning backwards
And up side down
Don't say so long, and throw yourself wrong
Don't spend today away
Cuz today will soon be

Gone, like yesterday is gone,
Like history is
Gone, just trying to prove me wrong
And pretend like you're immortal

I think this verse shines a great light on how at the beginning of every year we think up a resolution that will drastically change ourselves and the world around us. We have the desire to do these things, but we all know its easier to say something than to do it. We either end up never starting our resolution or stop after a week.

Do your resolutions (not just at the beginning of the year) shout out to people around you that there is more than a promise behind your resolution? That there is someone much greater behind it all that has given you life after death.

What will be left when all is gone?

Do your actions and resolutions have true value that profoundly point to God?