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Have We Found a Better Way?

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Several years ago I had a guy speak a word of prophecy to me. He didn’t know me nor I him. I don’t even remember his name. He described me as being like a maverick horse running around and around a pen of tame horses. A rebellious and adventurous heart yet desiring to belong to a loving and caring master.

Sadly, that does describe me all too often. Like I blogged in We Have a Runner!, I tend to wander too easily from the God I love.

I look at my life and it’s no wonder that I don’t experience more of His power and peace. I lean on my own understanding, I rely on my own wisdom. I am self-reliant. If I seek counsel at all it is from others before Him. The paradox is that I want to be a godly man without submitting to the God who I want to be like. The result is not pretty. I am prideful, arrogant, covetous, lustful and quarrelsome. I am sinful.

Last week I met a dear friend for coffee. He too bemoaned about some of this in his own life. He asked a powerful rhetorical question—“Have we found a better way?” He was referring to how we don’t spend time praying and seeking God, especially corporately much anymore. In the old days we called this a prayer meeting.

Churches have abandoned calling people together to pray. I can understand why. I attended several “pray meetings” when I was younger. Only a fraction of the church attended and to be honest, it was boring. I think we spent more time talking to each other than we did to the God of the universe.

Have we/I replaced seeking this God with events, concerts, and mere discussions about God?

We spend hours meeting, planning, talking among ourselves yet hardly talk to Him much less include Him. We really do act as if we have a better way to live the Christian life. We have all we need to live a righteous life—so we don’t need to bother him.

My spirit groans at the reality and disillusion of that statement.

Ours is not the first generation to struggle with this, but maybe we can be a generation that presses into His way. I hope I can be that kind of man.

[quote cite=”Jim Cymbala”]Does anyone really think that America today is lacking preachers, books, Bible translations, and neat doctrinal statements? What we really lack is the passion to call upon the Lord until he opens the heavens and shows himself powerful. [/quote]

[quote cite=”Jim Cymbala”] What does it say about our churches today that God birthed the church in a prayer meeting, and prayer meetings today are almost extinct?[/quote] 

[quote cite=”Andrew Murray”]Time spent in prayer will yield more than that given to work. Prayer alone gives work its worth and its success. Prayer opens the way for God Himself to do His work in us and through us. Let our chief work as God’s messengers be intercession; in it we secure the presence and power of God to go with us.[/quote] 

[quote cite=”Andrew Murray”]The man who mobilizes the Christian church to pray will make the greatest contribution to world evangelization in history.[/quote]

[quote cite=”E. M. Bounds”]Talking to men for God is a great thing, but talking to God for men is greater still.[/quote]

[quote cite=”Oswald Chambers”]Prayer does not fit us for the greater work; prayer is the greater work.[/quote] 

[quote cite=”God”]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 I will forgive their sin and will heal their land.[/quote]

 

Humility, prayer and seeking, turning from my wicked ways—He lays it out for me. Will I keep running around like a wild maverick or will I humbly submit?

I want Him to hear and forgive and heal our land.

So—Have we found a better way?

About the Author

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I am a longtime Austinite. Married my beautiful wife over 35 years ago. Adopted our son September 2012.
As a small business and nonprofit coach/consultant, I have found my sweet spot. I lean on my varied background of corporate, small business ownership, writing, and pastoring as I work to help small business owners and nonprofit founders build the business they want to have.


  • Kenny, dagger! I am just like you and your friend. I have not felt very connected to God lately. Why? Because I have not connected with God much lately. Everything in life comes out of our relationship with Christ. I want it to flow from me. God help us!

  • I appreciate how you sound the warning, that something is not quite right. A friend tells of a conversation with a man in Africa who said he is praying for America. My friend asked what he prays for us. “That you will have persecution. Then maybe there will be a revival in America.”

    The Lord told us “the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life, and those who find it are few.” Thank you for reminder on prayer.

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