Whale Belly Praying

And what on earth is “whale belly” praying? It is prayers we would not have had to pray if we had done the right thing in the first place. I have done my share of it. It is the right thing to do when you are in trouble. Our Heavenly Father is very familiar with this kind of praying. Like Jonah, who disobeyed, we too, go our own way. Like children, we too often shrug our hearts and do our own thing. There is a big difference with God if we do it the way Jonah did, deliberately, or if we just wonder off the spiritual road because we are not paying attention.

Every road of life brings with it consequences. We can pick the path, but we can’t choose the consequences. Although the consequences can be the same, God knows if we have a rebellious heart. In either case, praying is the right thing to do. “Whale belly” praying is asking God to get us out of the mess, just do something Lord, make this whale sick or have him decide swimming with a rebellious preacher on board is not a good thing. Or how about, “Oh Lord, I know I should have listened to you, and if you will get me out of this mess I will never do it again.” Does God hear these kinds of prayers? He must, we have all prayed them and we are still here.

Wouldn’t it be better if we all prefaced our lives with prayer? Asking our Lord to lead the way is the best way. He knows what is down the road, so letting Him go ahead is the safe thing to do. We all have needed His grace and mercy to pull us out of the ditch, but how about grace and mercy that goes ahead of us to keep us out of the ditch. I choose the latter. Prayer seeking the right thing to do is much better than “whale belly” praying. Jesus never did any “whale belly” praying because he was never out of place. He said, “ I do only what my Father tells me to do.” Maybe if we would take the time to listen and obey we wouldn’t have to deal with so much sea weed. It is worth thinking about. jfs

Jon 2:1 Then Jonah prayed to the LORD his God from the fish's belly.
1Sa 15:22 And Samuel said, Hath the LORD as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the LORD? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to hearken than the fat of rams.
(KJV)

Spiritual Tracks

Another way to say it is, Spiritual Footprints. Our lives do leave evidence that we have passed by. Recently in a worship service my pastor asked me to pray for a friend who will soon be going to Iraq. As I prayed for him, a new thought came into my mind, “Lord help him to leave spiritual tracks everywhere he goes.” Of course the first thing we prayed for was his protection. We asked that God’s grace and mercy would go before him. In thinking about the prayer, I realize that what we often think of is survival, just making it to the finish line, or in his case, finishing the tour of duty, but the truth is we are called to be salt and light in our world. The Lord uses our lives to touch other lives and that influence can linger long after we have gone home. I am thankful for all the spiritual tracks, or footprints if you prefer, that my father, mother and grandparents left for me. Spiritual tracks are important, they help us find our way. They are about the power of lingering influence. If you and I had to cross a desert that you had never crossed, it sure would be nice to find footprints of someone who had already made it successfully. We all leave spiritual footprints everywhere we go, and making sure they point in the right direction is very important. Jfs

Re 14:13 Then I heard a voice from heaven saying to me, "Write: 'Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord from now on.'" "Yes," says the Spirit, "that they may rest from their labors, and their works follow them."
(NKJV)

Holy Ground

Moses was in the wilderness, not exactly a place you would call holy. Baron land, scrubby trees, desert sand are far from what most of us think of as holy. Or we could look in another direction to large cathedrals, stain glass, painted murals. Maybe the places God considers holy is different from the places we designate as holy. I prefer to think of moments as holy rather than places. Moses moment was one of encounter with the God of the universe and he was told to take off his shoes because he was standing on holy ground. God’s presence can make any place holy. The Holy of Holies spoken of in the Old Testament was a place, but what made it Holy was the presence of God. Any place where we meet God becomes a holy moment and a special place to us. As I walked my path on a gray, cold, winter day I had one of those moments. I had been sick for several days and was looking a trip to Haiti in the face. Here I was sick, planning a trip to Haiti to care for the sick. I had been claiming the promise in Isaiah that “by His strips we are healed,” all the while blowing my nose and coughing up my toes. It was one of those moments when you wonder if there is anything to faith. As I prayed, I came to a place in the path where I sensed the presence of God. I didn’t hear any voices or see anything but trees and the path I walk almost every day, but it was such a powerful moment that I took off my shoes. It just seemed the right thing to do. As I walked away I had a new assurance that he was with me and would be with me. The coughing didn’t stop and I can’t say I felt any better physically, but it will forever be a Holy Ground moment for me.
I am reminded that Jesus said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you,” but that is not a promise he will blow our nose for us. I have never been to the holy ground places of the Christian faith, but I do have my own Holy Ground Moments. They don’t come as often as I would like, but when they do come they cannot be forgotten. “I am the vine and you are the branches,” says Jesus. He also says, “my father is the gardener.” This all says He is involved in our lives. Any time, any where He works in His Garden is a Holy Moment. jfs

Mud Puddles

I must admit, most of the time I think of myself as a child. At seventy-one the reality is I am a father and a grandfather with the prospects of being a great-grandfather. Scary stuff! A few years back my youngest son called me after I was in bed, he was in trouble, not with the law but with some mud puddles. He had just gotten his first four wheel drive truck and had decided to try it out at the local mud hole, a place near the river where all the locals enjoyed the challenge of who could survive the course of doom. The call began with an apology. An apology for doing such a stupid thing to an almost new truck. So happens I also had a four wheel drive truck and after gathering everything I could think of that we might possibly need, droopy eyed, I headed to the local mud hole to rescue an embarrassed son. At the time I was not happy about the prospects of slopping around in the mud, rescuing a son who had done such a dumb thing. Looking back on it all I remember the good feeling of being a father, helping my child in trouble. I remember that he just could not stop thanking me for coming to his rescue.  My Father has rescued me over and over again. Seems that every life has its mud holes. We get stuck and can’t get out of the mess so we call on Father.  He is in the rescuing business. Just call on Him, you won’t wake Him, He never sleeps. The truth is, He has been watching you spin your wheels all the time and has been waiting for your call. He will help you, He loves you. Your big problems are not big to Him. He has no problems and you have no problems He can’t solve. He may ask you to take your hands off, to let go, but He is waiting for your call. In the light of who He is and of eternity, we are all children. Your heart may be covered in mud, but He will wash you and make you clean. You were not made for mud puddles but for the river of life. He invites you to come and live in the flow of His Divine Purpose. Your Father is waiting for your call. jfs
Romans 11:36