Were you shocked by Mr. Chan’s 1st chapter title…. STOP PRAYING?
I think it is one majorly BOLD statement….. so you KNOW I love it! 😉
I pray with all my heart that it made you stop for a minute or two in order to fully understand why THAT would be the first thing he would ask you to do.
The Bible tells us to “pray without ceasing,” but Francis wants us to STOP praying. So what does he mean??? Well….
For some of us, our relationship with God has turned into only coming into His presence when we have a grocery list of demands from Him. Ouch. Now is a good time for a heart check and really understand the place we are in with our relationship with Him. Are we just wanting to take and take and take but not give Him our time and devotion in return?
I urge you to stay with this thought for a little while today and really dig deep into your heart and soul to see what your heart condition is like as we begin this journey to be OVERWHELMED by our relentless God.
Francis Chan asks us to view this video from his website. If you haven’t been able to view it yet, please do so now…
We are here to serve God…. He is not here to serve us. He loves us and truly wants us all to have the desires of our hearts, but we need to strive to want those desires to line up with His. The more we grow closer in our relationship WITH Him, the more our will and His will fall in line together. So awesome! What an incredible promise from our Lord and Savior!
Let’s Pray:
Dear Heavenly Father, we come to You this morning asking for forgiveness if we have come to You in any way at all except full or awe and adoration. Search our hearts today, Father, and help us to see where we need Your supernatural cleansing in our souls. Help bind any condemning thoughts but give us a strength in our spirit that can only come from You to know that we will be changed from this day forward. We love You, Lord, and we thank You for bringing us together for this study. In Jesus’ name we pray, amen <3
Your Assignment:
In the grand scheme of life, you ARE insignificant…… but to God, you are EVERYTHING and you are VITAL to fulfilling His purposes on this earth. Let’s begin today exploring in a deep way HOW we really are coming to God. Is it with humility or entitlement? Are we BOLD or timid? Is it with adoration and thanksgiving or pride? Please share your thoughts with us in a comment or two here on our blog…
Blessings,
Megan 🙂
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About Megan Smidt
how AWEsome, how great is our God! i look at that video and am reminded that that visualization is what God Almighty created and SPOKE into existence on the 4th day of His creation. He is SO big and i am so small…BUT to Him, i (we!) are so valued! we are just like the center of His eye; as it says in psalms 17, "Keep and guard me as the pupil of Your eye; hide me in the shadow of Your wings…." our Almighty, powerful, incredible God loves us SO much! <3
Isn't it amazing, Coleen? He can create a universe soooo vast but still know every hair on my head <3 Our God is AWESOME!!!!! ….and He does love us so much!
I prayed with my 15 year old son before he left for school this morning. What I prayed for him was a sense of God being there with him all day and in all situations, that his mind and heart would be aware of God. Then, I read this portion…it is great to know the One who created this all is loving enough to dwell with us throughout our mundane Monday!
Christine, that is wonderful! Such a tangile way to show your son how to have this overwhelming kind of relationship with God! I echo your prayer. God so yearns for us to take Him with us all day long and let His CRAZY LOVE shine through us in all we do! What a powerful way to further His Kingdom…… and it absolutely starts with acts like praying with our kids before school <3 Way to go, mama!!!!!!! 🙂
Thanks for the encouragement. It isn't always easy to get that time in.
What an AWESOME illustration of just how BIG our God is 🙂
Seriously!!!!!! You can't help but get better perspective after viewing that video!!! Don't you want to show everyone!?!?!? LOL!!! 🙂
The video is effective in illustrating just how omnipotent God is. Visual methods, at least for me, are the most effective. As to the 3 questions you posed: I come to the Father with humility, I am timid, I come with thanks and adoration but my adoration is expressed more in terms of speaking to the Lord that He knows my heart, sees in to me and clearly understands where I am coming from. Listening and reading Francis Chan, I feel that I should perhaps be more bold and speak my adoration instead of assuming or asking our Father to interpret what he sees. Thoughts welcome 🙂
Oh, I love this, Alesia!!!!! I think what is important in our intentional time with God is that we are careful not to put limits on it! Let the Holy Spirit guide you in the time and see where He leads <3 WHo knows… you might start singing His praises at the top of your lungs! 🙂
I think this is one area where I lack so much, I feel it, it is in there, but speaking it out loud is not natural for me. I often feel overwhelmed by the words of songs and borrow them. I need to make it my own though.
This morning's reading was really powerful. For us to "stop praying" seems so contradictory to what we know we should be doing~praying without ceasing. But when we are reminded that "fools rush" before God, I was convicted. How many times to I come to the Lord and repeat, multiple times a day for days on end, the a same concern. It is as if to say, "Lord, just in case you forgot, let me remind you". What a fool I can be. If I trust what the Lord says and truly know him, I need to let him be God. I need to quit making Him small and by problem big.
Ugh…… so true, Cindy! He always knows our heart and I love that we can repent and make it right… right away! "I need to let Him be God" I love that! 🙂 <3
Megan and Coleen: Your comments are exactly my thoughts. It does amaze me when I think of the universe He created, and then how He would, indeed, know the number of hairs on my head. How could anyone doubt there is a God. I am hungry for more of Him.
Amen, Martha! Doesn't it make you want to run off to the woods to be still all day long today? He is so good!!!
Such a beautiful reminder of just how BIG our God is. This totally reminds of the scripture in Ephesians 3:20 … He is able to do abundantly BEYOND all that we can think or ask! If He is able to create a Universe like this, He is able to do anything in our lives, including love us beyond anything that we have ever known before!
YES YES YES!!!!! NOTHING is too big (or small) for our God! <3
I loved this chapter, I think I practically highighted the whole chapter on my kindle! Yes I kept thinking "wow how much God does love me, us"! The whole chapter just got to me, I am going to ask hubby to read it, hoping and praying he does!
Praying along side you with this, Patricia <3 God loves you both more than you could ever dream 🙂
When I remember that I am one of all the people on earth and that God knows me personally, it boggles my mind. And add to that that He knows each of us personally, really pushes my mind. I pray thanking Him for all He gives me. I ask for His help with my problems. Of course there are times I wonder when or what the answer is. I think this study will help me with the love for God.
It IS mind-blowing…. because , as humans, we could never ever attain that. Such an awesome reminder of His ginormous and infinite power <3
WOW!! We serve a BIG GOD!!! I feel very small in comparison, but not insignificant!! God loved us SO much, He sent His Only Son Jesus!! That makes me feel special. But His majesty and power is something I can't ever comprehend!!! This small portion of what we've read has already changed my vision and perception of how big, powerful, and AWEsome our Father is…. I am amazed and in awe!!!!
This hit home for me. Sometimes I talk too much to God and forget to stop, think, listen and admire all He is. With all the beauty He surrounds me with, how could I ever forget how much He loves me? Yet sometimes I do, I let it slip from the forefront of my mind. What a powerful reminder.
we ALL need this reminder every now and then <3 WHat I find is that the more time I spend with God….. the more I need and crave even MORE time with Him <3 The more I want to just sit at His feet and listen… so powerful.
I was really convicted by the reading today and the video as well! As Cindy said as too, it struck me that I bring the same concern to God over and over in my prayers instead of trusting him with it the first time and letting it be. I was convicted today that I need to work on trusting him the 1st time and ME letting it go- if he can create the vast awesome world he can deal with my itsy bitsy issues! =)
I can tell I'm really going to like this book. I love the no nonsense- to the point – way it's written. I need some good common sense guidance to get me back on track!
Michelle, I do this a lot, too. I think it is just part of our growing. As we mature in our faith, we will learn to trust more and more. I love the book, too!!
When I have my quiet time in the morning, I often talk out loud to the Lord. Things just spill forth in that time when I'm not worried about anything (who might hear!). Oftentimes, things just pour out of me and I don't even know where they came from! I want my prayer time to be like that all the time!!!
Oh Cindy, you have so convicted my heart. Yikes! I do this a lot. I'm sorry, Lord. Please forgive me. And you are right, whatever we dwell on becomes bigger, so the more we think on our problem, the bigger it gets…and God gets smaller… Ouch 🙁
AMEN!!!!
It really is, Pamela. It defies my comprehension sometimes. But, how utterly incredible and amazing at the same time?! Glad to know I'm not the only one with these mind-boggling feelings! <3
Wonderful, Rae Ann! This is going to be one incredible ride 🙂
Stop Praying … stop giving God the laundry list. God knows the laundry list.
But Paul says to pray without ceasing? Yep. But remember … prayer is LISTENING and talking. Not just talking.
Believe that God will do what you ask. Believe that God will take care of your needs. Believe that even though God created the awesomeness that is viewable from 100M light years away (or was it more???), God still knows the number of hairs on our heads. He still knows what our needs are every minute. And He still cares enough to listen to our cries for help. And He absolutely still cares enough to answer those cries.
(does anyone have a brain drill so I can tattoo these words in my head?)
brain dril…. bwahahahahahahaha!!!!!!! let me take a look and see what i have…. 😀
Love the "brain drill" comment!!!! LOL 🙂
I need to let that soak in as well!!
WOW! God will NOT be tolerated! He instructs us to worship and fear Him! This is something I have known but today it struck a nerve in my very being. Thank you Father for keeping my mind and my eyes and my heart fixed on you! Amen! Holy Holy Holy is the Lord God Almighty worthy to receive glory and honor and praise!
He is so worthy!!!!!! Its time to put God back in the position He so rightly deserves <3
I am always amazed by what He has made. Now I realize how lucky we all are – there is so much out there and He brought Jesus to earth; no where else!
Yes, Beth… he loves us THAT much!!!!!! It is indescribable <3
Watching this video after I don't know how many times, it never ceases to amaze me just how small we really are, and just how BIG He is!! When I think of heaven, I have always thought of the sky….above the sky. But then when you see this video, it makes you realize that heaven is so much higher than what we can imagine! WOW!!!
WOW is certainly the best word to describe it!!!! It literally brings me to tears, Christi <3 He is sooooo worth my adoration and awe <3
I am amazed, again, at how big God is. He is more than I can fully comprehend, yet He cares about ME! There are days when I feel His care, and there are days I have shut it out. I know God is changing my heart and my life and is making me beautiful in HIS way and HIS time. 🙂
Becky, I understand so much 🙂 It's hard to believe that God can be so perfect and above all the human junk we deal with on a day to day basis and REALLY love each one of us so much and so unconditionally! It blows my mind!!! He has big plans for you, dear heart 🙂
Nothing like the awesomeness of our God to remind me that I am just a vapor. Im humbled and speechless by God. 🙂
I am awed by His intense love for me. I know He would have sent Jesus if I were the only person on planet Earth. As it says in Psalm 8 …but what is man that You are mindful of him… I am humbled by His majesty and delighted that He is mindful of me.
I often find myself praying a list of things for God to do in my life and I stop and think about what I'm doing. There are times I don't know how to pray and I tell God that. I think that prayer is very personal and often times people pray in a way that seems more rehearsed than from the heart. I want my prayers to be genuine, but I also want them to bring me closer to God rather than keep Him at arm's length. I feel this will take a life time of practice. But knowing that God knows my heart and my desire to please Him with my prayers, I feel confident coming into His presence on bended knee.
Thank you, Megan.
I LOVE this video that went along with this devotion…..I keep watching it over and over because I am AMAZED at how BIG and what ALL God created and HE CHOSE to include little ol' me in His plans…..I am totally speechless!!!
I had to ponder on this a bit and watch the video again. God is so beyond my comprehension and yet he loves me faults and all. I am truly guilty of coming to God with my requests and i don't take the time to truly glorify Him as I should. It is always about my needs, my worries… When Mr. Chan said "stop praying" It got my attention. I have a long way to go, but I am excited about the journey. 🙂 I remember the joy I felt when I was a child singing the songs at church. That is the joy of worship I need to recapture in my prayer life today so that I can be the example I need to be to my son and my husband.
I love this book! The first time I did this study I was in an awful place in my life. I was barely hanging on by a thread. I noticed myself only talking to God when I was desperate and needed Him not thinking He would ever answer those deep cries for help. The second time I read this book I was overwhelmed with thankfulness to the Lord for doing a complete miracle in my life. I have learned that I want to always come to my God with a heart of thanksgiving and love. It was cool to read this book the second time around and thank God for how far I have come. I have to constantly GIVE PRAISE AND HONOR TO GOD FOR THIS AND NOT MYSELF. It wasnt me…it was all HIM. I so look forward to the blogs for this study. It is one of my faves. Love ya Megan!
It is amazing to fathom all that God has created including us in our own unique ways. The video is amazing and think and believe God created what was shown in the video is even more Amazing.
Right now I feel insignificant I feel like not only I have let God down but everyone around me including my family.
I am very timid and quiet due to my low self-esteem and not having a job at the moment and the financial strain that is happening doesn't help my self-esteem and self-confidence.
I needed a couple days to marinate with this assignment. My knee jerk reaction was I'm "everything" to God…I'm "vital" to His purpose? I know I'm insignificant so the two seems to contradict one another How do I approach God? I don't know, I never thought about it.
Here is what I have discovered about myself…
I rarely come to God with adoration or awe-inspired….I'm too busy, too busy to really open my eyes and see, too busy to really take it all in, to "Stop & Think" to LIVE.
I often come to God with a laundry list of requests and worries and doubts…..to fix the things I have broken or change the things that I want changed. Wow! Even I am astonished by my pride – because naturally I thought I wasn't a prideful person.
I often come to God doubting, wondering if He really hears my prayers, wondering if He really cares, wondering if the trials in life are my consequences for all the choices that I have made and I just have to suffer them because that's what I deserve…and frankly, it's cause and effect, right?
I occasionally go to God with thanksgiving…because most of the time I have my eyes on where I'd rather be or what I'd rather have then living in the blessings of today. Until recently, that is, I've started giving Him thanks at the END of my prayer….kinda like a closing statement…because I heard it was good to do so & hey, don't we all like to feel appreciated?
It is truly a gift to have these questions pressed to me for I have uncovered that my heart is not as pure as I would like to think it is. With sincere gratitude I humbly thank the Lord for truly opening my eyes.
I am perplexed by being "everything to God when that wasn't reflected in my childhood; parents are suppose to be like God; their love for us mirroring His love for His children. Half the time I don't even feel like I am helping His Kingdom; I certainly don't feel "vital" to His purpose. Maybe I'm stuck in the works and the law. My head has begun to know of His promises, still wrapping my head around the concept of His grace.
It's wonderful that God has given me this bible study to know who He is and cast down the lies of my former existence. This has become one of the many gifts He has given. I am utterly grateful and awe struck by His truths, how He knows exactly what I need at exactly the right time. <3