The Perfect Pearl

“…the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant looking for fine pearls.
When he found one of great value,
he went away and sold everything he had and bought it.”

Matthew 13:45-46 NIV

Today I am writing about shopping. If you are like me you love a sale! When I enter a store I head straight to the back to check out what is on the sale racks. Don’t you just love those “red dot” sales and what about those in store coupons? Not to mention the outlet malls! Why do I get so excited about getting a bargain? I think that it is because there is something so exhilarating about finding something of great value at a lesser price. I brag to my friends about my great find and I wear my purchase as a badge of honor! I am so happy that I dance the dance of joy in the dressing room!

Not only do I want a bargain when I go shopping but when it comes to clothes, I also want a perfect fit! In my case that is not easy. That dressing room experience is not always so pretty! I would like to know how in the world the same pair of petite pants can fit a person who is 5’1” and also a person who is 5’4”. And what about those of us who are not perfectly proportioned! We women are an assortment of fat arms, big butts, no necks, giraffe necks, midriff bulge, big thighs, wide shoulders, flat chests, big boobs, and the list goes on and on! Get real, I will go for a bargain but the bottom line is I will pay big bucks for the “perfect” fit!

I was reading in Matthew today about a merchant who was shopping for pearls. The only difference was that this merchant wasn’t looking for a bargain. He was willing to pay a very huge price for the perfect pearl. In this story we learn that the merchant did indeed, find such a pearl and he went away and sold everything he had and bought the priceless pearl. The pearl is symbolic of the kingdom of heaven. The truth found in this scripture tells us that heaven will be worth us selling everything that we own in order to purchase a seat in heaven.

Jesus is also the pearl of great value! When we find the One of great value we are blessed beyond all measure. The twist in this truth is that we do not have to sell all that we have to enter heaven. No, we simply accept the One who gives us access to heaven. Knowing this glorious news brings unspeakable joy to my heart!

Questions:

Do you see yourself being worth the sacrifice that Jesus made for you?

Do you see Jesus as being worth all you have?

Prayer:

Dear Jesus,

You are that perfect One! Thank you for finding me and giving your life, all that you had so that I might find you. Even though you do not ask me to sell all that I own, you do ask me to give up all of my selfish, sinful behavior. Lord, I pray that every day I will be willing to give more of myself to you.

In Your Name I pray. Amen.

Your Room

“But when you pray, go into your room, close the door
and pray to your Father, who is unseen.
Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.”

Matthew 6:6 NIV

I don’t know why Jesus had to tell those people to speak to him in private. Doesn’t it make perfect sense that if you are going to discuss private matters you would want to speak privately to God? Yet there are always those who take great delight in hearing their own voice! Public prayer is not the issue here because Jesus prayed publicly many times. The issue is the arrogance of praying loudly in front of others to bring attention and glory to you instead of God.

There is a time for public prayer and there is a time to pray in your room. For me I enjoy praying with other believers because I feel a sense of unity and support that is found in praying with other Christians. Even if I don’t pray a word out loud my heart can still connect with the hearts of others in the room and God is near. When a pastor or a leader is praying in church I too can silently affirm the words of the one who is speaking to God in behalf of all those present.

But if you really want to experience the “love connection” between you and God you need to get alone with God in your room. Now the room is just symbolic of any quiet place that is out of ear shot and eye shot of others. It can be in your room, in your car, on your porch, a place in nature where you are totally alone, or even in a church. It can be any place where you can be free of distractions and focus completely on God.

I find my attempt at this type of prayer solitude is often a challenge. You see, Satan often accompanies me to my prayer time no matter where I go. You may think that strange but really it is not. His sole intent is to keep our mind active in the affairs of our lives so that our prayer time is hindered. Satan understands that our power is found in our quiet moments of prayer, so he makes every effort to disrupt and interfere.

When I find that interference from Satan is present I simply say out loud, “Satan, in the name of Jesus Christ I command you to leave!” It works every time. The reason that I speak it out loud is because I don’t think Satan can know my thoughts. I believe that God guards our minds. When Satan confronted Jesus, Jesus always rebuked Satan audibly. So I choose to follow his example and do the same.

My time in solitude with Jesus is always special. The verse today says that God rewards what is done in secret, and he does.

Questions:

Have you learned the blessings of getting alone in “your room” to pray?

Have you come to realize that Satan wants to disrupt your prayer time?


Prayer:

Dear Lord,

Help me to be more intentional about the amount of time that I spend alone in “the room” praying. That place of total seclusion that is free from the distraction of people and my responsibilities. When I find that seclusion and pray I am truly at home in the garden of my heart. Thank you Lord that you reward those secluded times of prayer.

In Your Name I pray. Amen.

Why is Prayer Necessary?

“Ask and it will be given to you,” Matthew 7:7a NIV

I have in the past wondered why an all powerful God would need me to pray. If God is all knowing, doesn’t he already know what I need? If God is all present then why do I need to tell God about my personal needs or the needs of others? Isn’t he already aware?

The first reason that we should pray is because Jesus taught us by example to pray. Jesus was a billboard for prayer. He prayed in temptation, he prayed before he healed, he prayed before he ate, and he prayed before he performed a miracle. Jesus prayed for himself, his disciples, and he also prayed for you and me. Jesus prayed for little children. In the garden he prayed to be spared the cross. On the cross Jesus prayed for his enemies. Jesus is still praying for us. “Christ Jesus, who died – more than that, who was raised to life – is at the right hand of God and is also interceding for us.” Romans 8:34 NIV

The second reason that we should pray is that God loves to answer prayer. When the desire of my heart matches God’s desire for me then answered prayer is a done deal. The Bible says that our prayers are pleasing to God. “…the prayer of the upright pleases Him.” Proverbs 15:8b NIV When we ask, we must also believe that God is able to answer our prayer. In Matthew 7:7 Jesus makes it clear that if we don’t ask we will not receive. James 4:3 NIV tells us what can hinder us receiving an answer to our prayer. “When you ask you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures.”

The third reason we should pray is because prayer changes us. There are examples in the Bible that prayer does change circumstances. Sometimes people were healed, other times their lives were protected and spared from God’s wrath. Many times God extended his mercy because someone prayed. Even when the disciples cried out to Jesus to calm the storm he did.

Other times our prayers are heard but circumstances do not change. Jesus is a prime example of this. God’s perfect will was for Jesus to become the sacrificial lamb for the sins of the world. Jesus prayed that if possible God would provide another way. I have experienced many answered prayers and many unanswered prayers. It is in my unanswered prayers that God changes me! One time I needed to come to the point of trusting God. Another time I needed to learn that I did not need to be vindicated. Another time God took my anger. On another occasion God taught me humility. It seems I always have a lesson to learn and God used my acceptance of unanswered prayer as a tool in changing my character.

The fourth reason to pray is that prayer provides opportunity for God to minister to us. It is during prayer that God strengthens our faith and comforts us. Even in unanswered prayer God gives us his peace during prayer. It is in prayer that confession of sin is made. During prayer God administers spiritual healing. Prayer is necessary because without prayer none of the above mentioned things could happen. Unless someone prays God does not work. He wants us to need him enough to ask.

The fifth reason we should pray is because Jesus commanded us to pray. We are to pray that our faith will not fail. We are to pray without ceasing. We are to ask God according to his will and it will be given. We are to pray with and for others. We are to give thanks to God in prayer. Jesus knew that prayer would be our communication with him. Prayer is the vehicle that allows us to have a personal relationship with God. Prayer allows us to call upon the Holy Spirit in our time of need. Prayer is always available to us and more dependable than any cell phone ever could be. Prayer is our direct line to heaven!

Questions:

Do you feel that prayer is important?

When has God answered a prayer of yours?

Has God ever changed you and not your circumstance?

Prayer:

Dear God,

I pray that you continue to provide for me exactly what my spirit needs during prayer time. I also want to remember that you desire for me to ask you for what I need and petition you for the needs of others. I pray that you will continue to change me during the times of unanswered prayer.

In Your Son’s Name I pray. Amen.

Simple Prayer

“And when you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans,

for they think they will be heard because of their many words.

Do not be like them,

for your Father knows what you need before you ask him.”

Matthew 6:7-8 NIV

I am so thankful for the model of The Lord’s Prayer because it is so simple. There are those who are eloquent in their prayers, but most of us aren’t. Most of us are just plain simple folks! In the above scripture Jesus suggests that less is more! In light of all of the prayers that God has to hear every moment, I can see why he would prefer simplicity.

As a child I learned very simple and to the point memorized prayers. Even though they were repeated day after day, they are sill in my memory bank. One example of this type of prayer is:

Thank you for the world so sweet,
Thank you for the food we eat,
Thank you for the birds that sing,
Thank you God for everything!

- Author unknown

As I grew older of course, my prayers changed. I learned that simple conversation with God throughout the day is very important. I would imagine that there are people who talk to their cats and dogs more than they talk to God. Candid conversation with God can still be respectful of God and casual at the same time. There is merit in that comfortable pattern of speaking free and easy to God. Tevye, in “Fiddler on the Roof” often spoke to God in that casual manner. Many of his prayers were questions. Living in an attitude of prayer is simply going about my day with an awareness of God’s presence in my life.

God is so approachable; there is nothing that I can’t say to God. There isn’t a question that I can’t ask. I can confess my sin; I can ask for anything, I can express my anger and frustrations. I can cry. I can tell him when I am afraid. I can tell God my good news; I can thank him for my blessings. I can tell him of my need. I can express my love for him. Yes, the privilege of simple prayer is indeed a blessing.

I am so glad that God is accessible. Unlike the president or the queen of England, I can have God’s full attention and I am welcome to come into his presence any time, any place, and for any reason.

Eloquent words, long prayers, and loud delivery of those prayers are not what we need to get God’s attention nor is it what will causes him to decide to answer prayers in our favor. God wants us to come to him as little children. Simple and to the point, private, personal prayer is the best way to approach God. What God loves the most is not what we ask or how we ask but that we come. God wants a relationship with us and that relationship is formed in prayer.

Questions:

What do you like the best about simple prayer?

Do you feel comfortable praying simple prayer?

How often do you find yourself praying?


Prayer:

Dear God,

Thank you for the privilege that I have of coming to you in prayer. Help me not to complicate my prayer life, but instead practice the habit of simple prayer throughout the day. Help me to know that you are both the Almighty God and my personal friend. This is a hard concept for me to understand, yet you are a being of multiple facets and that is exactly what makes you God! You are big enough to rule the universe, yet small enough to reside inside of me and relate to me in a very personal way. You are an amazing God!

In your Son’s Name I pray. Amen

Lord, Teach Us to Pray

“One day Jesus was praying
in a certain place.
When he finished,
one of his disciples said to him,
Lord, teach us to pray,”
Luke 11:1 NIV

Have you ever been baffled by prayer? I have. Evidently the disciples were as well. One day they asked Jesus to teach them to pray and he did. In the familiar Lord’s Prayer, Jesus taught the disciples and us some very basic components of prayer.

Jesus indicates that we should enter the presence of the Father with respect. “Hallowed be your name.” I know there have been times when my children have entered my presence and began spouting out requests and demands without even so much as a hello. Were they clueless to the fact that I might like a friendly smile, a compliment, or a thank you for what had already been done for them? I’m sure that often that is exactly how I approach God. My own self centeredness allows me to completely rush into God's presence often skipping the offering of respect that is due the Almighty God when I enter his presence.

Jesus also seemed to think that His kingdom and His will were important and that we should acknowledge that as well. “Your kingdom, come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.” When I pray those words I am in fact asking God to handle my affairs here on earth in the same manner that he would use in heaven. I have come to realize that there is a very good chance that my all knowing God will handle my request in a different way than I would and his ways are always better than my way.

In the Lord’s Prayer, Jesus also invites us to ask God for what we need. “Give us this day our daily bread.” After thinking about this I began to notice that Jesus doesn’t say anything about weekly bread, monthly bread, or yearly bread. No, Jesus is specific, indicating that we should ask for our bread one day at a time. God uses this method as a tool to teach us to trust him for our daily needs. In all of the years that God has provided for his children, that approach of asking for God’s provision has not changed. “Then the Lord said to Moses, ‘I will rain down bread from heaven for you. The people are to go out each day and gather enough for that day. …’” Exodus 16:4

Jesus then says something I don’t much like. “Forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors.” We are to be forgiven by Jesus in the same manner that we have forgiven others. This part is bothersome because it leaves me without option. The fact is if I want Jesus’ forgiveness in my life I must forgive others.

Jesus encourages us to ask something very necessary, it is protection from Satan. “Deliver us from the evil one.” Jesus knows that Satan is no one to fool around with and that we will absolutely need God’s protection when Satan is around.

Jesus tells us that we are also to end our prayer with respect. “For thine is the kingdom, the power and the glory forever,” a phrase that puts our prayer in perspective. We are a part of God’s kingdom but he is the one with the power, therefore all that he does in our behalf is to bring glory to him not us.

Lastly, a word that finalizes our spirit of humility before God, a word that means “so be it,” thy perfect will be done. "Amen."

Questions:

Have you discovered something new in Jesus’ teaching on prayer?

How will this change the way you pray?

What part of the Lord’s Prayer is frequently overlooked when you pray?

On whom does this prayer focus, God or you?


Prayer:

Dear Heavenly Father,

I just want to tell you that I love you and thank you for being in my life. I am dependent upon you for my daily needs. Thank you for all of the many ways that you provide for me every day. God, you are holy and I humbly admit my need for you to help me to forgive others as you have forgiven me. Father, I know that I need to be submissive to your will because you alone are God and know what is best for me. I pray that your perfect will to be done in my life this day and every day. Father, please protect me from Satan and his deception in my life. God I pray that through my obedience, my life will bring glory to you.

In your Son’s Name I pray. Amen.

The Garden of Prayer

“My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place.
When I was woven together in the depths of the earth, your eyes saw my unformed body.
All of the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be.”

Psalm 139:15-16 NIV

This morning I am remembering how precious I am to my creator. Psalm 139 reminds me that even before I was born, even while my unformed body was being formed God had a plan for my life. Even before my body was formed my soul was there. My body simply became the shell for my precious soul. From the day I was conceived my soul began its eternal journey. This was the first day of my life, even before I was born. The truth is that my outer shell will die and return to dust, but my eternal soul will live on forever.

God’s message to me this morning is Paula, be careful! Take care of the precious cargo that lives inside of you. Nurture and protect your soul because it is everlasting. The choice you make regarding your soul is the most important choice you will ever make. That choice is more important than your career choice, and it is more important than choosing a spouse. It is more important than how much money you have or if you should continue your education. What you do with your soul is the most important choice you will ever make. What I do to nourish my soul is also important.

There are two choices regarding your soul. You will either choose to accept Jesus Christ or you will reject him. Acceptance will lead to eternal joy and rejection will lead to eternal punishment.

I’m going to assume that if you have continued to read my blogs that you are investigating Jesus Christ and Christianity, or that you are already a believer. Either way you have major responsibility. If you are not a believer your first responsibility is to choose to discover the wonderful plan that God has ordained for your soul before you were born. If you are a believer, your responsibility is to nourish your soul.

The garden of prayer is that place deep within your shell of a body where you will connect and communicate with God. Prayer is how you enter that garden and it is where your soul is nourished and cared for. Just as we care for a beautiful garden we must care for our soul. Meeting God in the garden is our part; his part is to care for the garden.

I have had amazing things transpire when I have been in the garden of prayer. This is an opportunity that you will never experience unless you are a believer who is seeking to know God more. God has promised us that if we will seek him we will find him. First of all we will find him as our personal Savior. In addition, we will find him and all of the gifts that he carries with him.

In the garden of prayer God has given me many sweet gifts. When I am discouraged God has given me the gifts of assurance and hope. God has also poured out his amazing gifts of grace and love when I have felt unloved and unlovable. Through prayer God has dried my tears and given me his gift of joy in times of great sadness. God has taken my disappointments and filled me with the gift of his peace even when I have experienced seeing my dreams fall apart. Many times God has taken my fear and replaced it with the gift of trust. In my prayer time God has called me to obedience and given me the power to obey. During prayer God has taken my anger and filled me with his mercy and compassion. When I have sought God in the garden of prayer I have found him. God has taken my broken heart and beautifully healed it and has used the brokenness to shape my character. In the garden of prayer God restores my soul! Every day when I pray God gives to me the exact gift that I need for that precise moment and situation.

Tonight when I close my eyes in sleep I will rest well knowing that tomorrow when I wake up, I can run straight to the garden, where Jesus is waiting for me. As I run to my prayer time I will be like a child on Christmas morning, wild with anticipation to unwrap the marvelous gift God has chosen for me today. One thing is certain, it will be exactly what I need. I don’t want to disappoint Him by not showing up!

Questions:

Are you taking care of and nurturing your heart?

What keeps you from taking care of your inner spirit?

Why is the garden of prayer necessary?

In the past, when you have been in prayer what gifts has God given you?


Prayer:

Dear God,

I am amazed that you have had a plan for my life even before one single earthly day began. Forgive my near sightedness! Why do I have so much trouble seeing the big picture? Your eternal plan for my soul is amazing. God, today I realize that my soul is a precious cargo inside of me. Help me to be responsible for what you are showing me this day regarding my eternal soul.

In Your Son’s Name I pray. Amen.