The Will

“Now the God of peace, that brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus, that great shepherd of the sheep, through the blood of the everlasting covenant, make you perfect in every good work to do his will, working in you that which is well-pleasing in his sight, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen.” – Hebrews 13:20-21
 
At the center of this prayer is the focus of every prayer. Can you see it? The purpose of prayer is to perfect you. Prayer equips you and fits you “To do His will.”  Nothing else will do it. Search for nothing more. Settle for nothing less.
 
The prayer life of Jesus focused on nothing less than the will of His Father. A life intent on being equipped to do the will of God should not be focused on anything else than a life of prayer.
 
The Will is an ancient word, and refers to “What one wishes or has determined shall be done.” Blue Letter Bible
 
Being at peace with God joins you to His purpose, His plan, and His priorities for your life. The resurrection of Jesus Christ, and His shed blood for you, did not empower you to become a free agent. God chose you to play for His team. Stop negotiating for a better deal.
 
God’s grace makes you perfect, in the sense that His peace joins you to Him, and His Spirit equips you, and fits you for what He has called you to do. When you pray in The Spirit, The Father harmonizes your voice with His Word. Prayerless preachers may deliver a sermon, but they will never have an anointed message from God. But I digress.  
 
Recently I was having dinner with friends who were discussing their new “Fitbit” devices. This amazing little instrument tracks the number of steps taken during the day, and has the capacity to measure heart rates, altitude, and a host of other helpful bits of fitness data.
 
Prayer is The Father’s “Fitbit” measurement device. He has chosen, by His grace, to be at peace with His children and to join with them to do His will. Through prayer they receive His direction, protection and correction, not to fulfill their destiny, but to follow His will.
 
Prayerless children are not pleasing to The Father.  They are not joined with Him, fitted to Him, or in harmony with His Word and His will.  Prayerful children are made perfect in the sense that they are equipped for something beyond their own personal preferences. When they yield their will to The Father’s will, His wish becomes their command.
 
NOTE TO SELF: When you pray, you bring your wishes, desires, plans and priorities to The Father. His Spirit begins to soften your heart, until it is fitted and molded to The Father’s will.  Prayer brings you to The Father in the name of Jesus.  Expect your will to go through the same fitting process The Son experienced when He prayed, “Not My will but Thy will be done.” Prayer begins with you bringing your “Wish List” to God. It ends with you walking away with God’s “To Do List” for you. Don’t leave home without it. TALK LESS! PRAY MORE! 

The Zone

“Pray without ceasing.” 1 Thessalonians 5:17

When athletes play at the peak of their proficiency, or a speaker communicates with unusual power and clarity, they are often said to be in “The Zone.” Prayer warriors have a zone too. They must not visit it, but choose to live in it 24/7.

Prayer warriors live in “The War Zone” not “ The Comfort Zone.” Scripture challenges them to “Pray without ceasing.” This refers to an alert status that is never lulled into lowering their guard.

The relentless schemes of their ancient enemy and the tireless efforts of their fellow-soldiers call prayer warriors to ceaseless intercession. Prayer warriors can never allow themselves to be lulled into believing that prayer is over when the prayer meeting ends. Spiritual warfare is a running battle with a mobile enemy, and it requires a prayer warrior to move quickly to the voice of The Commander.

Ceaseless prayer is fed by a personal “Quiet Time,” or by entering a hidden prayer closet. It is sustained by gathering with prayer warriors at church prayer meetings, and great rallies. Still, ceaseless prayer is the breath of life of the prayer warrior. It keeps them alive to breathe new life into those who are gasping for air.

Recently I was being driven across the campus of LSU in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. It was Finals Week. As I looked at the students heading to class, I saw serious faces filled with a mixture of determination and intimidation. They were heading towards a confrontation between what they knew, and what would be on the test. Sometimes the two do not merge together. They turn out to be a train wreck. Can I get a witness?

My young Moroccan driver, Tayaa, dropped me off at the Pete Maravich Center, a 13,000-seat basketball arena. In one month, thousands of people will gather with Governor Jindal to pray for a nation in crisis. I had arrived with dear friends to Prayer Walk the arena, and to intercede for a prayer meeting that may have huge implications for the future of our nation.

As I stepped from the van, I crossed paths with an African American student. His head was down, and his pace was quick. He had a chiseled, focused expression on his face, but I could also see a heart filled with the intimidation of his impending encounter. I asked, “Heading to a final?” He said, “I have five this week.” I responded, “Can I pray for you?” His face softened, and he said, “Please.” I put my arm around his shoulder, and outside the arena, in the presence of “Mike The Tiger” I prayed for him.

My prayer was a brief word of intercession for him to have total recall of all he had studied and God’s grace to remember some of the things he had not had time to go over. It took all of one minute. He thanked me. We shook hands, and we went our separate ways. My friend said, “You were in The Zone.” I had to admit, I had never done anything quite like that with a total stranger, but it seemed as simple and as seamless as taking a breath. Maybe I was in The Zone. If so, I want to live there.

I do not claim to fully grasp the meaning of this simple Scripture. I am only beginning to see the magnitude of it. Whenever I am full of myself, from breathing the ether of my own self-importance, I miss its meaning nine ways from Dallas. In Texas Speak, that is a long way. But I digress.
 
Being full of myself is a dangerous place to be, and it leads me to either end of a very wide pendulum swing. God sometimes allows me to play a part in some grand design, and when He invites me to the party, I become a man on a mission, rather than a man of submission.

At other times, I become consumed with the lint in my own navel. I pine over my “Whine List” with such intensity that the needs of others no longer hit my radar screen. It is not that I ignore them. To ignore them is to at least admit they exist. The greater sin is that I don’t even think of them at all.

“Pray without ceasing” is The Zone found between the mood swings of being obsessed with God’s grand design, and being depressed over my own “Whine List.” In the middle of these two points are many “Divine Appointments” that become lost opportunities.

God places people in my path every day in need of hope, and a word of encouragement. Passing them by, on a mission for God does not add to my importance.  Whining my way through life will never improve my significance.

 Praying without ceasing improves the vision, and heightens all the senses of a focused prayer warrior, intent on living in The Zone. Prayer provides night vision goggles. Prayer warriors use them to see in the dark, and to guide others to the light of Jesus. Don’t leave your vision or your goggles in the prayer room. Take them with you into battle.  Don’t run over a wounded soldier to prove your valor to God. Take them to Jesus. TALK LESS! PRAY MORE!

The Day

“Train up a child in the way he should go, even when he is old he will not depart from it.”  Proverbs 22:6

December 6, 1979 was a true turning point in our family. On that day, Ashley Dyan arrived. Life in the Miller family has never been the same since. Today Dana and I celebrate the birthday of our first-born child. We were so thrilled the day she came into our world on a cold, winter day in Tulsa, Oklahoma.

According to the doctor, Ashley arrived later than he expected. As then, and every day since, she has always exceeded our greatest expectations, and been an answer to our deepest prayers.

God brought Ashley to us right on time, we soon discovered twe were the ones who were not ready. God guided her safely through our first attempts at parenting. The first child always has to survive a great deal of well-intentioned parenting before  proud parents can take credit for the job the have done. Sorry Ashley. We didn’t know what we were doing.  Thank God, He did. You have His handprints all over you, not ours.

Ashley has grown from a beautiful baby into a great Christian lady, but God’s call on her life appeared at a very early age. Ashley fell in love with music and singing. Though she has a beautiful voice, music has always been an expression of her soul. As she sings, she and God commune and exchange hearts with one another. She has been doing this since she was a child.

Dana and I will never forget the many Saturday nights when we held family worship in our home. Ashley would stand on the fireplace hearth and sing to us. When she finished singing, we were ready for worship on Sunday. We also sensed she had taken a baby step forward to God’s call on her life.

When Ashley entered her Middle School talent show, she boldly took her testimony public by singing a praise song before a pretty tough public school audience. You could have heard a pin drop, as God used her to lift His name before her peers, and her teachers. Dana and I knew then that God was doing something very special in her heart. He still is.

From the time Ashley was six years old until she graduated from high school, she and I shared a Daddy / Daughter breakfast date one morning a week. It remains one of the highlights of my parenting journey. We still meet for lunch or to share a Starbucks together. I am always a better Dad for having spent time with my brown-eyed girl.

Throughout college Ashley traveled with a praise team leading worship all over America. After graduation she sang for years on the praise team of a local church, calling people week after week to the throne of God. She still does.

Ashley continues to grow in her expression of God’s call on her life, serving alongside her husband, Brent Warren, as they plant Restoration Church in Fort Worth, Texas.  It is a parent’s greatest joy to see their children growing in their personal faith and public walk with God. Dana and I couldn’t be happier.

Happy Birthday, Ashley! We love you. We are proud of you. We are praying for you. The best is yet to come! EX: Grandbabies.

Love,
Dad and Mom (Pops and GiGi)

The Concience

“Pray for us, for we are sure that we have a good conscience.” Hebrews 13:18
 
The first time I recall having a guilty conscience, I was in the first grade. Miss Hamm asked us to give a penny to the Red Cross, and in return we would receive a little white metal button with a red cross to where on our collar. I didn’t have a penny, so I “borrowed” one, gave it to a worthy cause, and wore the cross.
 
To say that I felt cheap would be an understatement. Believe me when I tell you I felt more than a penny’s worth of guilt. Nothing made up for it.  It simply would not go away. The more I tried to justify it, the worse I felt about what I had done. I knew the difference between right and wrong, but I had ignored what was right and did what was wrong.
 
There is a difference between being knocked unconscious and lacking a conscience.  The first is the result of a concussion to the head. The second is the repercussion of sin upon the heart. The unconscious man has had the sense knocked out of him. The man without a conscience ignores the sin in him. Both require a remedy.  One is physical, and restores clear consciousness. The other is spiritual, and restores a clean conscience.  
 
The author of Hebrews called for prayer from his friends, while living in friendship with God. He was at peace with himself and at peace with God, knowing that he and God breathed the same air. Though in need of prayer from his friends, he prayed and lived within the agreeable climate of a good conscience with God.
 
Conscience refers to a joint knowledge of something. In the case of the author of Hebrews he was on the same page with what he knew about right and wrong and with what God knew about him. He and God were in agreement, and though not a perfect man, he was at perfect peace with letting God give him direction, protection and correction.
 
The author of Hebrews was totally convinced, and clearly confident in his conviction of right and wrong. He had a good conscience because he was aligned with God’s view of right and wrong. He knew the difference between what was moral and immoral, and inclined himself to be aligned with God’s view of these matters.  He was free from guilt, reconciled with God, and humble enough before his fellow believers to call on them to pray for him. Prayer led him to a climate zone, where he lived in humility before others and in purity before God.
 
NOTE TO SELF: Asking for prayer is hard because it requires the humbling of your ego. Refusing to do so reveals your pride. Praying for your self leads to a good conscience, because you yield your will to God’s knowledge of right and wrong, and align yourself with Him. Ask for prayer, from your friends, but maintain your friendship with God. You need both. Asking for prayer from others without praying to God yourself, won’t  realign your will to His. TALK LESS! PRAY MORE!

The Desperate

“Pray for us, for we are sure that we have a good conscience, desiring to conduct ourselves honorably in all things. And I urge you all the more to do this, so that I may be restored to you the sooner.” Hebrews 13:18-19
 
Five years ago, this month, Dana faced vital surgery in her final fight against breast cancer. We traveled to Fayetteville, Arkansas for Dr. Cross to perform this delicate procedure. We were provided incredible hospitality in the home of our dear friends, Rev. Bob and Sharna Arthur. The success of the surgery and Dana’s five year cancer free status, we lay completely at the feet of answered prayer. As Paul Harvey used to say, “Now, for the rest of the story.”
 
Three weeks prior to this occasion, we had no surgeon, no hospital, and no place to stay. This fight with cancer had been going on since March of 2008.  We were running out of time, and the people we had counted on to pray for us were running out of patience and endurance with the length of the struggle.
 
At the end of our rope physically, emotionally, spiritually, and financially, we were impressed to go on Facebook and cry out for reinforcements. In very short order, thousands of “Friends” were praying for us. The results were staggering.
 
God provided the surgeon, the hospital, a place to stay, friends to care for Dana, and a surgical nurse we had both known since she was a teen-age girl. We look back on that crisis as a pivotal time in our lives. There are no more powerful words in the English language than the three little words, “PRAY FOR US!”
 
Three little words opened our hearts, and released our grip on our personal crisis. As we humbled ourselves to admit we were at the end of our rope, our hands opened to receive what only God can do. The result of believing prayer is answered prayer.  The Father hears, and answers the prayers of His children when they engage in intercession on behalf of others. When we are humble enough to admit our need, and call on others pray for us, the power of Heaven is unleashed.
 
“Pray for us.” – Three little words reveal an essential humble spirit in the heart. They precede all answered prayer. They build a bridge of interdependence between, and create a bond of unity with other believers. Prayer warriors use them often.
 
The author of Hebrews repeated the words spoken often by Paul to his friends. He had trusted friends that he was not too proud to call on to intercede for him. (I Thessalonians 3:25)
 
Prayer warriors not only pray for others, they remain humble enough to seek prayers from those they trust. When they come to the end of their rope, they cry out for help in desperation to their friends. God loves to answer the unselfish prayers of His children when they are lifted up to Him on behalf of others.
 
NOTE TO SELF: Ask for help, not only from God, but also from your friends. This is not an excuse for you to become dependent upon your friends for their provision, but upon their intercession. If you are not praying in water that is over your head, then you are playing in the shallow end of the pool. When you are faced with the impossible, surround yourself with people experienced in calling on God to do the HIMpossible. You don’t need the pity or panic of prayerless people. You need the intercession of prayerful people. Choose your friends carefully. TALK LESS! PRAY MORE!

The Slate

“Unto us a child is born…”  Luke 2:11 / Isaiah 9:6
 
This passage of Scripture adorned the birth announcements Dana and I sent out to family and friends after December 6, 1979. On that day, we received the greatest Christmas gift of our lives, the birth of our first child, Ashley Dyan. In our home, we begin December with, “HAPPY BIRTHDAY, Ashley!” 
 
While waiting for Ashley’s birth, Dana and I were serving on the ministry staff of the First Baptist Church of Broken Arrow, Oklahoma. We were a long way from both our families. My parents were calling every day from East Africa with one question, “Is ‘The Baby’ here yet?” Dana’s mother was in Beaumont, Texas awaiting the word on the arrival of “The Baby” before she jumped on a plane for Tulsa.
 
Ashley was scheduled to arrive around Thanksgiving, but she had not been notified of the doctor’s ETA. She would arrive when she was good and ready. Some things never change.
 
Dana was provided with great care by a member of our church, serving as a nurse on the maternity ward of Tulsa’s St. Francis Hospital. She was loved by a host of friends from the church, who had stepped up to the plate to assist her in the absence of her mother. To this day, every time we think of Broken Arrow, Oklahoma our minds are flooded with great memories of wonderful friends. There is nothing like a loving church family. 
 
We had experienced a false alarm earlier in the week, and forced to return home from the hospital without “The Baby,” and a little embarrassed. As we headed to the hospital for the second time, it appeared to be the real deal. On the way, Dana had a reality check only expectant mothers can understand. She said quietly, “I realize I have finally gotten myself into something that I can’t back out of.” I didn’t correct her about ending a sentence in a preposition. It didn’t seem wise. My own reality check would come later.
 
Dana suffered through a long night of labor. Again, Ashley was not cooperating, still reluctant to make her Oklahoma debut. She tells me now that she was waiting to be born in Texas.
 
Finally, the doctor said it was time to head to the Delivery Room. I shared Ashley’s reluctance about that event. I had attended the childbirth classes St. Francis required me to take in order to stand by Dana, during delivery. They might have helped me more if I hadn’t read The Tulsa Tribune during the films.  Dana had been furious with me for doing it, but I thought they were creepy.
 
The Delivery Room wasn’t a religious experience for me, filled with the wonder of childbirth. It was surreal, standing in a room, conversing with strangers through the whole process.  At least we all had on masks, except for Dana. Poor Dana.
 
The doctor was concerned about the delay of the delivery, and was forced to encourage Ashley to come out and play. I guess that is why they call them forceps. It was serious business.
 
When Ashley finally arrived on the scene, the doctor’s first words were, “It’s a girl.” Dana’s first words to me were, “Is she pretty?” I was speechless. She was a blue mess. The forceps left a mark across her face, and her little cone head gave me pause to think, “If she had been born a boy, we could have put a football helmet on her head.”  When Dana saw her, she was beaming. I just kept quiet, thinking, “Bless her heart.”
 
My reality check hit about 20 minutes after Ashley was born. Standing out in the viewing area of the maternity ward, I saw Ashley brought in wrapped in a little blanket. She looked completely different. Ashley was beautiful! She still is, inside and out. 
 
While proudly peering through the glass, at my little girl, I heard the gentle voice of a dear friend behind me. Sharon Ross softly said, “She is a little blank slate, and you can write on her anything that you want.” My knees buckled, and my heart skipped a beat. Ashley’s safe arrival meant I was going to have to step up as a Dad, and guide her safely through a dangerous world. I felt totally unprepared for the task. Maybe I should have watched the films. They might have helped. But I digress.
 
Simultaneously, parenting can be humbling and humiliating. I have experienced my share of both. There are many times I have given full expression to every failure of parenting I swore I would avoid. I can’t be the only parent who has broken the sacred promise to never blurt out the words, “Because I said so, that’s why.”
 
For the record, Dana has taught me more about parenting than any one I have ever known. She has a gift for being sensitive to the needs of her daughters without encouraging them become self-absorbed, thin-skinned divas. She listens to them, but doesn’t always agree with them. Her listening ear has earned her the right to be heard when they come to her for counsel. I want to be like Dana when I grow up.  As for Ashley, she was so patient with me. She was the first to experience my rough attempts at parenting and over the years has taught me so much about God’s grace. She still does. Thank you, Ashley.
 
NOTE TO SELF: Listen to your children more than you talk to them. Rules without relationship always breed rebellion. Pray with your children before you offer advice to them, or make rules for them. Your mission in life is to unplug them from your rules, and plug them into The Father’s rule. WARNING: Don’t write your book about parenting until you see what kind of parents your children become. They learned most of what they know about parenting from you. Your children need to hear you pray for them. They already know what you say to them. Write your prayers on The Slate of your child’s heart today. They need it, and you need the practice. TALK LESS! PRAY MORE!

The Intercessor

“Therefore He is able to save forever those who draw near to God through Him, since He always lives to make intercession for them.” Hebrews 7:25
 
Discovering the prayer life of Jesus has become one of my greatest insights into the depth of His character.  Observing how intensely The Son prayed to His Father, while He was on earth, may improve my education, but it won’t improve my character until I pray. Knowing about prayer, and praying are not the same things. Can I get a witness?
 
“In the days of His flesh, He offered up both prayers and supplications with loud crying and tears to the One who is able to save Him from death…”(Hebrews 5:7,8)
 
Knowledge about how Jesus prayed, and gratitude for His prayers are two early signs of education and appreciation. By themselves, they do not turn prayer enthusiasts into prayer warriors. There is a difference between gaining an education and being trained for war. The enemy knows the difference.
 
My father, Don Miller, has a small, wooden yoke he obtained from a farmer in Vermont, once used it to train calves for their calling. The calves existed to pull together, side by side, and carry whatever burden the farmer placed on them, and to take it wherever he wanted it to go. The earlier the calves learned the lesson of leaning into the yoke, the more productive their lives would be, for the farmer. The calves were not self-employed, or free agents. They lived to serve the farmer.
 
The farmer explained to my Dad that there was always a captain in any team of oxen. A younger, smaller calf would be trained by being placed side by side with a seasoned, stronger calf that had already developed the farmer’s sense of direction. The captain had learned to respond swiftly to the touch of the farmer’s hand, and to listen intently to the sound of his voice. This had been done, by learning to lean into the yoke when pulled by a former teammate that had once been the captain. The process was not easily learned, but it was not punitive. It was productive. It was also relentless.
 
Informing myself about The Savior’s character never transformed my character. Prayer, for me has not been a matter of learning how Jesus prayed, but learning to lean into His yoke. When I pray, I find myself yielding to His sense of direction.  Prayer draws me nearer to His side, and He draws me into The Presence of The Father. His process conforms me to His Father’s will, as I begin to see more clearly in the light of His Presence, the futility of my struggle and the inferiority of my character.
 
The longer I walk in The Yoke with Jesus, as The Captain, the nearer He leads me to His side, in order to draw me to The Father. I am grateful for His recorded prayers on earth, but I find myself taking greater comfort in His prayers He says for me each day in Heaven. He is The Intercessor, and I am grateful he never tires of the effort or falls asleep while on duty.
 
“He always lives to make intercession…”
 
“Prayer is central in Heaven.” Dr. Herbert Lockyer
 
NOTE TO SELF: Through prayer, Jesus intends to draw you closer to Himself. Prayer does not bring you to your destiny, your dreams, or some earthly version of what you think is best for you. He has not given you a new life in Christ, in order for you to go it alone.  Prayer draws you to His side, and Jesus brings you to The Father.
 
When Jesus intercedes for you at the right hand of The Father, He does not take every good idea you bring to Him, and make it look better to The Father. He brings you to closer to God, until you are saturated, and satisfied with The Presence of The Father. He lives to make intercession for you, until your will is transformed and aligned with His Father’s Will. This could take a while. TALK LESS! PRAY MORE!

The Key

“In the days of His flesh, He offered up both prayers and supplications with loud crying and tears to the One able to save Him from death, and He was heard because of his piety. Although He was a Son He learned obedience from the things which He suffered.” Hebrews 5:7-8
 
My youngest daughter and I were on our way to her elementary school on a beautiful Texas morning in September 1991. Our rides to school were always memorable. As we approached every traffic light, she would begin the chant, “GREEN! GREEN! GREEN! GREEN! GREEEEEEN!” She tried to will the lights to change to green in time for us to pass through them without stopping. That morning we were sailing through a green light, when a young lady, late for school, turned directly in front of our small Honda. In a split second, our cars collided, and smashed together, leaving the engine of my automobile crushed up under my legs. I sustained a brain concussion, leaving me stunned and semi-conscious.
 
While struggling to pry myself loose from the entangled remains of my car, I heard a little voice cry out, “Daddy! I’m bleeding!” I don’t recall the next few seconds, but in a flash of adrenalin, only a parent can experience, I pried my way out of the wreckage. Putting my arms around my little girl, I held her bleeding face close to my shoulder, and tried to comfort her until help arrived. Her cry moved me to remove whatever was in my way, to meet her need. Since that day, I don’t know how The Father resisted the moving cries of His Son to be saved from death for my sin, but I am so glad He did.  Can I get a witness?
 
It is one thing to pray. It is quite another thing to have prayers heard and answered. Jesus was heard because of His piety. This much-maligned word refers to His godly fear. Throughout Scripture those who have a fear of God are deemed to be wise. Those who are driven by a fear of man are called fools. There are only two choices. Choose wisely.
 
Jesus was no fool. He prayed, not out of a fear of death or a fear of man. Brave men had been crucified long before Jesus went to the cross. Some had endured it with great courage, and others had faced it in fear.  What Jesus feared was not the loss of His life, but His loss of intimacy with The Father. Sin separates the sinner from God, and when Jesus went to the cross, He would not only face death, He would carry the sins of the world on His back. Thank you, Jesus, indeed.
 
While Jesus was on earth, He was in constant communication with His Father, and maintained a consistent companionship with Him through prayer. It was intimate communication between the Heavenly Father and His Child, but make no mistake about it. It was intense.
 
“He offered up both prayers and supplications with loud crying, and tears…”
 
The prayers of Jesus were heard. What moved The Father to answer His Son’s requests was His piety. Pious praying moved The Father to release His power and authority through The Son.  Without the fear of God, prayers may be heard, but they won’t be answered with a release of God’s power. Fools wouldn’t know what to do with it.
 
Perhaps, the most moving prayer of all was expressed by Jesus in The Garden of Gethsemane the night before He went to the cross. It was heard, and answered, by The Father, but not in the way in which The Son initially prayed that it might be. 
 
Jesus prayed what was honestly on His heart, but when He was finished, He had prayed His way to The Father’s will. This is the grand purpose of prayer. Prayer is marked by a child yielding to The Father, not by a child rebelling against Him.
 
A visitor to that quiet garden today is unable to see the tears and the sweat that flowed from The Son so long ago, but the struggle was real. The ground was soaked with them, nonetheless.
 
The Father heard The Son. The key to His powerful praying was not a result of The Son’s eloquence, but His obedience. The words of Hebrews are a stunning reminder to me to keep my obedience up to date, when I pray.
 
“He learned obedience from the things that He suffered.”
 
NOTE TO SELF: The Father may not answer your prayer the way you first present it to Him. It may be because He has something greater in mind for you, than you have in mind for yourself. Jesus prayed to the One who could save Him from death. He prayed to be saved, but The Father transformed Him into a Savior. Through prayer, you are invited to yield to God’s idea. Don’t settle for your good idea. Giving up a good idea can be a struggle, and may involve suffering. You can’t skip the class on suffering, and stay in The School of Prayer. TALK LESS! PRAY MORE!

The Throne

“Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.” Hebrews 4:16
 
For the first four years of my educational experience at O.M. Roberts Elementary School, Mr. Glazener was my principal. In spite of its humble furnishings, even a child entering his Spartan office could not miss the unmistakable air of authority. To me he looked like a force of nature seated behind his desk, in his freshly pressed suit, no nonsense tie, and starched shirt. Entering the principal’s presence could be either humbling or humiliating. The choice was mine to make. Standing in front of him was never my choice. I was sent there for judgment. His decision would be final. I still carry fond memories of this fine man’s amazing grace. Thanks Mr. Glazener for turning boys into men, long before it was cool.
 
“Come boldly…”  - There is a difference between arrogance and boldness. Being impressed with the sound of your own voice, when speaking eloquently for God, is not the same thing as praying boldly to Him, in the name of Jesus. Prayer is an invitation to get over yourself and to get with God.
 
The prideful don’t pray because they are afraid it will cost them something. The bold come to the throne of grace and pray with a spirit of abandonment, not arrogance. They know they have nothing to lose, and nowhere else to go. Prayer is not their last hope, but their first response. They understand their helpless condition, and they know prayer leads them to The Source of their only remedy. Praying, they race boldly to grace.
 
“ Unto the throne…” - When you come to The Father in prayer, in the name of Jesus, you have access to Him through obedience to His word, not by the eloquence of your words. The Father’s Son is seated at His right hand, and lives to make intercession for you. Fix your eyes on Jesus, and come boldly before The Father, but kneel humbly in His Presence.
 
“Fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith, who…has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.” Hebrews 12:2
 
“…Of grace…” - The throne of grace is not a place for the privileged to make their claim for a seat on the throne. It is a place of privileged communion with God, The Father, before the throne. Access to God is not granted based upon merit. Prayer is the fundamental expression of The Father’s unmerited favor, poured out upon His children, through His Son, Jesus. Without grace, no matter how eloquent a prayer may be, it grants no access to The Father. Only Jesus can do this. Pray in the name of Jesus, and take a knee before the throne. Don’t strive or connive for a seat on it.
 
“That we may obtain mercy…”  - Criminals deserve judgment because they have broken the law. Mercy requires a rebel to admit he is wrong, and in need of something the law does not provide, grace. Coming under judgment often brings a condemned man to his knees, driving him to throw himself on the mercy of the court. Law-breakers are healed by mercy.
 
Judgment can harden the untamed rebel’s heart, enraging him to thumb his nose in the face of the judge. Regardless of the decision of the jury, or the pain brought to the victims of his crimes, the rebel refuses to yield to the verdict of the court.
 
The man in need of grace throws himself on the mercy of the court. Healing mercy is obtained by the humble in heart. When they pray for forgiveness, they embrace The Father’s judgment of their sin, but receive His mercy for it.
 
“…And find grace to help in time of need…” - Prayer is the junction between man’s need and God’s unmerited favor. There is little motivation to pray until there is an admission of your need for God’s help. Grace is available, and may be found in prayer, but as long as you keep failing the same course over and over again in The School of Self Help, you will never enroll in the School of Prayer. Class is in session, and your lessons begin the moment you admit to yourself that God doesn’t need your advice, and you admit to God you are in need of His help.
 
NOTE TO SELF. Don’t be a prayerless rebel blasting through life politely ignoring God’s direction, or aggressively resisting His correction.  Your prayerless words and deeds make you look like a rebellious child yanking away from the protection of a parent’s guiding hand, screaming, “I do it myself.” This never ends well.  Race to grace on your knees. TALK LESS! PRAY MORE!

The Substance

“YOU, LORD, IN THE BEGINNING LAID THE FOUNDATION OF THE EARTH, AND THE HEAVENS ARE THE WORKS OF YOUR HANDS; THEY WILL PERISH, BUT YOU REMAIN; AND THEY ALL WILL BECOME OLD LIKE A GARMENT, AND LIKE A MANTLE YOU WILL ROLL THEM UP; LIKE A GARMENT THEY WILL ALSO BE CHANGED.” Hebrews 1:10-12
 
When I was a child growing up in the church parsonage in Dallas, Texas, the Mary Martin version of Peter Pan was one of the highlights of our TV watching experience. It may have been the Golden Age of television, but TV was always in black and white at my house. But I digress.
 
Act One, Peter Pan became separated from his shadow, and Wendy sewed it back on, so it wouldn’t get away. The funny thing about shadows is that they seem to slip away when we wander away from an unbroken relationship with the light. Light is The Substance of a shadow, in the same way that prayer is The Substance of praise. They are related to each other.
 
The Book of Hebrews reads like a letter from Paul. If it didn’t come directly from his hand, it definitely reveals his mind. This passage of Scripture provides The Substance of faith, shedding light on the shadow of truth provided in Leviticus.
 
The preface of the first chapter of Hebrews launches a majestic passage about God’s Son, but the author couldn’t stop himself from breaking into unbridled prayer and praise to God, The Father. It should be a pattern for us all.
 
Talking about God without offering praise to Him, robs you of the power of His Presence. Talking to God without knowing Him personally, limits your faith in believing prayer. Prayer and praise both speak to God, but from a unique perspective.
 
Believing prayer initiates asking for His provision based on a confidence in His unlimited resources. Continuous praise involves basking in the content of His holy character long after His provision has been received.
 
Talking about God without praying to Him can express truth concerning His character. Talking about God falls short of The Substance of God, when you exchange expressing truth about Him for daily life-changing encounters and continuous soul-cleansing conversations with Him.
 
Prayer and praise without ceasing. Like breathing in and out, you need to do both.
 
This capitalized passage of Hebrews is a direct quote from Psalm 102:25-26.  It begins as the prayer of an afflicted man seeking mercy for himself and his nation. Both were in need of the life-changing Presence of God. His prayer for help ends with his shout of praise, and The Substance for all believing prayer, “You are the same.”
 
The Psalms are filled with passages of praise, extolling the virtues and the manifest Presence of God. Read them often, and pray to The Father. Acknowledge Him in the midst of your daily grind or any contemporary crisis, and you will sense His Presence. The Presence of The Father is The Substance of prayer, and leads you to praise Him for His priceless companionship and His unchanging character. 
 
King David discovered a new perspective of God when he walked through his own private, shadow of death experience. His crisis resulted in a powerful awareness of God, and a sense of His Presence. As a shepherd boy, David had sung and talked about an intimacy with God, but he had not yet grasped The Substance of The Shepherd. His breakthrough out of the shadow and into The Substance came when he no longer talked about God in the third person. Through prayer He came face to face with God and gasped out, “You are with me.” Psalm 23
 
NOTE TO SELF: The Psalms provide 150 powerful packages of prayer and praise. The writer of Hebrews was deeply rooted in them. You should be too. Praying to God, for any reason, should lead you to praising Him, on every occasion.  Read five Psalms a day, and you will read through the Book of Psalms every month. You will find a pattern of prayer and praise develops in your life. Your perspective on God’s power will increase, and your companionship with His Presence will intensify. You need both.
 
You discover The Substance of God through prayer and praise. Don’t miss Him through life’s shadow of death experiences. He will meet you in them, and walk you through them. When you find yourself in the shadow, pray to God believing, “You are the same.” Praise God, experiencing, “You are with me.” TALK LESS! PRAY MORE!