Learning From The Model Prayer... Part I

MPUSH- Mothers Praying Until Something Happens.  Praying for our children is a passion for me, one which I hope most of you have caught or is catching.  Over these many weeks I have discussed the importance of praying consistently for our children, I have also discussed a number of the promises in the bible concerning our children and some of the conditions that are associated with these promises. 

Each of us has a certain way in which we pray, some are afraid of praying when other people are around, some are more comfortable kneeling, others stand, some try to use words that we hear other people use when they pray, some say very lengthy prayers while others will say a sentence or two.  But is there a particular way in which we need to pray?

Today I would like to bring our attention to a passage of scripture that will hopefully shed some light on the way in which we should pray and will conclude my discussion on the topic next week.  

Mathew 6:9-13: After this manner therefore pray ye: Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name.  Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as [it is] in heaven.  Give us this day our daily bread.  And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.  And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever.  Amen.

Most of us grew up knowing this passage as the Lord’s prayer, and this was probably one of the first passage we committed to memory.  This passage, however is an example or model given to us by Jesus of how we should pray, so it is really our prayer not His prayer.

Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name.  What does this mean?  The first thing we need to know is that we need to have a relationship with God in order to address Him as “Our father” If He is our father that means we are His children this is a privileged position to have.  Access to God is denied without a relationship with Him.  Not only does this show relationship but it also show who we are addressing our prayer to.  We do not want anyone else to mistake that we are talking to them.  Some people pray to Allah, some to Buddha, others to Krishna so we need to identify who we are praying to.  John 14:13 And whatsoever things you ask the Father in My name, that will I do that the Father might be glorified in the Son.

Jesus is telling us that we need to approach God as a loving Father, who wants to bless us and give us only the things that are good for us. We should Fear Him but not be fearful of Him.  

He is the kind of Father Luke 11:11 talks about- If a son shall ask bread of any of you that is a father, will he give him a stone? or if [he ask] a fish, will he for a fish give him a serpent?

After the address the prayer then moves into worship.  When we are in God’s presence we should be in awe of Him, although He is our Loving father His name is Sacred and is worthy of honor.  It is a name that is above every other name.

Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as [it is] in heaven.  This model prayer then moves to ask for God’s Kingdom or rule on earth, unlike our present human rule, motivated by things like power rather than a love and concern for the wellbeing of others.  We want God’s will to take precedence over our will, His agenda above ours.  Stay tuned for the continuation next week.

In His Service,

Vilma

WHAT IT MEANS TO GLORIFY GOD

For this post I would like to speak on “what it means to Glorify God”   The Merriam Webster dictionary defines the word Glorify as to make glorious by bestowing honor, praise, or admiration b: to elevate to celestial glory.

The Strong’s concordance defines Glorify as to ascribe weight by recognizing real substance (value).  It continues to say that "Glorifying God" means valuing Him for who He really is.  
As a Christian we do not have much of a choice as we are commanded to Glorify God.
Psalm 29:1–2 - Give unto the Lord, O you mighty ones, Give unto the Lord Glory and strength.  Give unto the Lord the glory due to His name; Worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness.”

We were created not for ourselves, but instead we were created by God for God.  In Proverbs 16:4 we read- The LORD hath made all [things] for himself: yea, even the wicked for the day of evil.

When we are called to Glorify God that means we should recognize and value Him for who He really is.  As the heavens declare the Glory of God (Ps. 19:1) so should we.

I read a blog by John Piper, where he talks about a telescopic magnification of God versus a microscopic magnification.  Mr. Piper in explaining the difference between the two says that a microscope makes a small thing look bigger than it is, while a telescope makes a big thing to look as big as it really is.  In other words we are not trying to make God bigger that He really is, instead we want Him to look as big as He really is.

How can we Glorify God?- the bible says in everything we do, in our role as a mother, when we walk, talk, eat, play, or drive.  We should Glorify Him whether we are being seen or not.  We should Glorify Him when things are going good or when things are not going good.  We should Glorify Him whether we are happy or sad. We also Glorify God when we give Him Praise.  Psalm 50:23 says-Whoso offereth praise glorifieth me: and to him that ordereth [his] conversation [aright] will I shew the salvation of God.

Some other ways in which we are told to Glorify God- are In our body and spirit (I Cor. 6:20), through our daily life (Mt. 5:16) and in our suffering (1 Peter 4:16).

When we glorify God we are merely reflecting or displaying what He already is. We are not adding to Him, His glory is complete.  As mothers we tend to see our role as mundane or maybe not very important, but remember that the way in which we execute your duties is a reflection of God.  From my experience of God, He does all things well and so should you and I. From my experience God is faithful, so should you and I be with what we are called to do.  Think of all His other attributes and see if you are correctly reflecting them.

In His Service,

Vilma

EVIDENCED-BASED PRACTICE (Part II)

As a reminder our supporting text for last and this blog is I Cor. 10:13: No temptation has seized you except what is common to man.  And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear.  But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it.I would like us to look more closely at the first sentence in this verse: “No temptation has seized you except what is common to man”.  This in itself is telling you that whatever you are going through is something that is natural or likely or expected to happen to us.  What you are going through is not unusual, neither is it something reserved for a super human or an angel.  As this verse continues to say: - And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear.  Yes the most important thing to remember is that -God is faithful- - “an evidence of his nature comes into play- “faithfulness.”  What is He faithful about?  He will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear.  So even if it looks like you are going under, you won’t.  God will step in and uphold you so you keep standing. This is what Paul meant when he continued to say: But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it.Let us listen to Paul as he recounted his own story - II Cor. 12:8-9: For this thing I besought the Lord thrice, that it might depart from me.  And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness.  Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.  Do you understand?  God’s Grace is sufficient!  In other words, God has already given to you what you need to be successful in life.
There are multiple individuals who have been through what you are perhaps dealing with and we see the evidence that they have overcome.  There was a mother just like you, who also had to raise her children with no father and minimal resources, today she is standing triumphant a recipient of God’s grace.
There is another mother who somewhere along the way- lost her job-had to be on public assistant, she survived, because she was a recipient of God’s grace today she has a job and children are grown and doing well
There is a mother: who felt left out and inadequate in her skills of motherhood, who lived from hand to mouth, many days having barely enough to make a decent meal and was not qualified for any help, but she made it by God’s grace.  Yes there is a mother who dealt with a child who was bullied and laughed at in school.  There is a mother whose child was incarcerated- whether for drugs, assault, robbery or murder or from being framed.  There is a mother whose child or children dropped out of school, refused to go to college, strung out on drugs; there is a mother whose child disrespected her, who went around getting girls pregnant and not assuming responsibility for these children and as the grandmother was left to pick up the pieces, but today she is still standing by God’s Grace.
Yes there is a mother somewhere whose child has turned to an alternative lifestyle, yes there is a mother who has had the experience of their child battling with a serious illness, in and out of the hospital and does not know what it is to have a normal life.  Oh yes there is a mother who has a child who she cares for daily and He is unable to communicate with her, have normal conversations with her.  Oh yes somewhere out there is another mother who have suffered the sudden loss of a child or two and with it her hopes and dreams for them, but she overcame, somewhat battered but is still standing.  These individuals survived by the Grace of God.  So will you, so will I.
So as I tell you I also tell myself God‘s grace is sufficient and His strength is made perfect in yours and my weakness.  I want us to remember that He is a faithful, Immutable and loving God who wants to see you and I prosper. 
My charge to you and I today- is be encouraged, keep on PUSHING and rely on the evidence that we know works- God is Faithful.

In His Service,

Vilma

EVIDENCE-BASED PRACTICE (part I)

In the medical field we often talk about evidence based-practice which means that we utilize findings from research to enhance our practice.  In essence if research shows that a particular method works better, then we go with that particular finding and if it shows it no longer works then we no longer practice in that manner.

There is a whole process that needs to take place when research is conducted.  Usually a person or group has a theory (Concept, Notion, philosophy, Model, belief) about something and sets out to prove or disprove their theory.  The researcher first presents their research proposal or intention to a special board, with details of how they will recruit participants, what will be done with participants and how participants will benefit from the research.  In other words the researcher has to show that the participants will not be harmed by them participating in the research in order to get permission to do their research.  At the end of the research, the results obtained are looked at to see if they are significant according what researchers call the confidence interval.  If significant, the results are disseminated for use.  Sometimes the results cannot be universally applied depending on limitations with the sample.  One example could be that all the participants in the sample were female and from one area, then the argument could be that the results cannot be utilized with males on a whole or for that matter to females outside of that particular area.  There are other times when another researcher comes along and will try to conduct a similar research to see if they will come up with similar results.  The bottom line is that most time research findings are accepted as valid and put into practice. 

    In the Christian arena we tend not to pursue evidence-based practice.  It would appear that we prefer to guess and try to find the answer to situations we face the hard way.  However we serve a God who did not have to do the research to prove that a particular thing works, He knows it does and has placed the evidence in a manual called the Bible.  First we believe what He says because there is evidence concerning His character/nature.  Phrases and words such as “not a man that He should lie” Immutable- unchanging; Omniscient: All knowing: Omnipresent- everywhere; and Omnipotent: All powerful. We find other evidence -based words like “our father”, friend, heir, son, grace and Mercy.  We believe the evidence because of “who He is”

 We find other words and phrases like “gave His only begotten son, sacrificial love, ‘never leave or forsake” and call and I will answer, healer, provider, and comforter.  We believe the evidence based not only on “who He is” but also on “What He has done” and “will do”.
We find numerous accounts in the bible of individuals who have been recipients of God’s grace and mercy.  Individuals like Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, Joseph, David, Daniel, Mary Magdalene, the woman at the well, the woman caught in adultery, and the woman with the issue of blood to name a few.  From these accounts we get the evidence of his faithfulness, kindness, and his ability to forgive and to heal.  From this we are reminded of words like Faith, Trust, and Hope, methods that we need, so we can utilize the evidence we have before us.

One outstanding evidence can be found in I Corinthians 10:13 tell us -No temptation has seized you except what is common to man.  And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear.  But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it.I want you to understand that whatever you may be going through with your children or just in your own personal state that may be affecting your ability to parent, that it is not new nor is it an uncommon occurrence.  Someone else has been at the position that you are in and have survived by the Grace of God and if you doubt me look at the evidence in I Cor. 10:13

We need to stop operating on a whim or a feeling and instead we need to go back to the evidence of God’s word and utilize it.  As we look at our role as a mother and as we PUSH for our children remember He will not give you more that you can bear.

Stay tuned for my conclusion of this on next week-Part II
In His Service,

Vilma