Worship. Then Pray.

In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.  (Genesis 1:1 NIV)

Somehow, I think my prayers would be different if I took the time to "look" at God first.  I don't need to stop praying.  I need to learn how to Worship, then pray.

This morning, I was blessed with a sunrise that illuminated blue skies, white puffy clouds, and a blanket of snow across the yard.  Will I allow that picture to bring me into the presence of our Creator God?

"To whom will you compare me? Or who is my equal?" says the Holy One. Lift up your eyes and look to the heavens: Who created all these? He who brings out the starry host one by one and calls forth each of them by name. Because of his great power and mighty strength, not one of them is missing.  (Isaiah 40:25-26 NIV)

When I come home from ministry groups every evening, my children often have to remind me to stop and look up.  I've grown so accustomed to seeing the starry host spread out across the blanket of darkness that I would walk right past them, were I not reminded to stop.

It is I who made the earth and created mankind on it. My own hands stretched out the heavens; I marshaled their starry hosts.  (Isaiah 45:12 NIV)

Worship begins when I start to catch a glimpse of an Almighty, All-Powerful, Ever-living God.  His Creation cries out in worship, even when I do not.  When I allow Him to stop me from my "important" things of the day, I find myself entering the presence of our God.

"You are worthy, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for you created all things, and by your will they were created and have their being."  (Revelation 4:11 NIV)

Then...and only then...can I begin to pray.

Stop Praying. Experience.

Six days later Jesus took Peter and the two brothers, James and John, and led them up a high mountain to be alone. As the men watched, Jesus' appearance was transformed so that His face shone like the sun, and His clothes became as white as light. Suddenly, Moses and Elijah appeared and began talking with Jesus. Peter exclaimed, "Lord, it's wonderful for us to be here! If You want, I'll make three shelters as memorials—one for You, one for Moses, and one for Elijah." (Matthew 17:1-4 NLT)

I'm a talker.  There's no way to hide it.  I just like to talk.  I fill silence in a conversation by talking.  I explain, teach, and preach through talking.  I even process what I'm seeing by talking.  Something about me even learns better when I talk.

I'm guessing my namesake was the same.  Peter just had to say what was on his mind.  'I know how to build things,' he may have thought.  'Let's build a memorial for this moment.  That way we will never forget what happened and I can bring other people to the memorial and tell other people about it.'

But even as he spoke, a bright cloud overshadowed them, and a voice from the cloud said, "This is My dearly loved Son, who brings Me great joy. Listen to Him." The disciples were terrified and fell face down on the ground. Then Jesus came over and touched them. "Get up," He said. "Don't be afraid." And when they looked up, Moses and Elijah were gone, and they saw only Jesus. As they went back down the mountain, Jesus commanded them, "Don't tell anyone what you have seen until the Son of Man has been raised from the dead." (Matthew 17:5-9 NLT)

That last line would have killed me.  Don't tell anyone?  Are you kidding?  Why did you bring me here in the first place?  Why indeed.

Talking with God is good.  Prayer is awesome.  Sometimes, though, it's much better just to look, listen, and drink in what He is trying to communicate to us.  We don't always have to talk.  We can just experience.

Peter, James, and John were there for a reason.  Jesus brought them along to have a shared experience with Him, Moses, Elijah, and The Father.  They would need to recall and share this experience...later.  But for now, they simply need to drink it in, allow God to communicate through the moment, and experience the presence of God.

Stop Praying. Look.

Then the LORD said to Moses, "Look, I have specifically chosen Bezalel son of Uri, grandson of Hur, of the tribe of Judah. I have filled him with the Spirit of God, giving him great wisdom, ability, and expertise in all kinds of crafts. He is a master craftsman, expert in working with gold, silver, and bronze. He is skilled in engraving and mounting gemstones and in carving wood. He is a master at every craft! (Exodus 31:1-5 NLT)

When God wanted to have a tent (tabernacle) built,  He gave people the skills necessary to build it.  Not only that, He provided other people the financial resources (gold, jewelry  etc.) needed to build it.  They pulled their resources and skills and did what God was calling them to do.

So Aaron said, "Take the gold rings from the ears of your wives and sons and daughters, and bring them to me." All the people took the gold rings from their ears and brought them to Aaron. Then Aaron took the gold, melted it down, and molded it into the shape of a calf. When the people saw it, they exclaimed, "O Israel, these are the gods who brought you out of the land of Egypt!" (Exodus 32:2-4 NLT)

The same people used the same skills and the same resources available to them to turn against God.  There intentions may have been good, but their actions were bad.  They wanted to worship God, but instead they made a statue worshiped it instead.  They used their skills and resources in the wrong way.

Yes, just as you can identify a tree by its fruit, so you can identify people by their actions. "Not everyone who calls out to Me, 'Lord! Lord!' will enter the Kingdom of Heaven. Only those who actually do the will of My Father in heaven will enter. On judgment day many will say to Me, 'Lord! Lord! We prophesied in Your name and cast out demons in Your name and performed many miracles in Your name.' But I will reply, 'I never knew you. Get away from Me, you who break God's laws.' (Matthew 7:20-23 NLT)

Prayer is simply a conversation with God.  What kind of conversation do you think you will have when God is looking at you and your life?  God is Holy.  How about you?  Do we really think God is going to be interested in giving us what we want when we show by our lives that we're not interested in what He wants?

Maybe what we should to is stop before we pray and take a good look.  Look at God.  Look at yourself.  Look at your life.  Before we go to Him with our task lists of things for Him to accomplish, we should look at  His task list for us to accomplish...then do it.

"Anyone who listens to My teaching and follows it is wise, like a person who builds a house on solid rock. Though the rain comes in torrents and the floodwaters rise and the winds beat against that house, it won't collapse because it is built on bedrock. But anyone who hears My teaching and doesn't obey it is foolish, like a person who builds a house on sand. When the rains and floods come and the winds beat against that house, it will collapse with a mighty crash." (Matthew 7:24-27 NLT)

Stop Praying. Really?

Pray in the Spirit at all times and on every occasion.

Stay alert and be persistent in your prayers for all believers everywhere.

(Ephesians 6:18 NLT)

When I first opened Francis Chan's book, Crazy Love, I found myself intrigued by the Chapter Titles.  This first week, the title says "Stop Praying."  I was ready to jump into his book - ready to argue against his point, whatever it may be, because God has clearly directed us to pray.  Paul, an Apostle of Jesus, encouraged us to pray all the time!  How, then, could he have the gall to tell us to stop praying?

Then I started thinking about the reactions I had to that statement.  Part of me wanted to go start praying just cause he told me to stop.  Another part of me felt a little twinge of guilt because I started thinking about the things I hadn't brought before God in prayer...and maybe I should have.  Still another part couldn't even fathom the idea of going through a day without talking with my best friend.  How could I possibly stop praying?

My mind began to travel, then, to the prayers I have throughout the day.  I pray before meals, of course, asking God to bless what I'm about to eat.  (When I eat out, I pray for the people who prepare and serve the food as well.)  I talk to Him about the things I'm facing - my struggles and worries.  I pray for requests that people share with me.  In other words, I let Him know what I would like Him to do today.  Then I started thinking about the way Jesus taught His disciples to pray.

"Pray, then, in this way: 

'Our Father who is in heaven, Hallowed be Your name. 

'Your kingdom come. Your will be done, On earth as it is in heaven. 

'Give us this day our daily bread. 

'And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. '

And do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from evil. 

[For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.]' 

(Matthew 6:9-13 NASB)

Do I ask Him to...

...deliver me from evil?  Check.

...forgive me? Check.  

...forgive them? ...yeah...Check.

...provide for me?  Check.

...live out His kingdom through me?  Um...yeah...ok, yeah...Check.

...show His Glory through me?  ...

...show His Holiness through me?  ...

What does God's Glory look like?  What does it really mean to be Holy as He is Holy?  Do I really want that in my life?  Do I really want everything on my "to do" list for God to be a lower priority?  Am I even talking to God about the right things?

Maybe I should stop praying.  I'm not saying I should stop forever or for a year or a month or even a day.  I'm saying that maybe I should stop praying long enough to set my list aside and really try to see the Glory of God.  I should take the time to think about the grandeur of His Glory, His Holiness, His Name.  Maybe I should stop talking for just a little while and start looking, listening, and experiencing what it's like to simply be in the presence of an Almighty God.  Then, I can start praying again.