Category Archives: Be Specific when You Ask

November 29, 2018

21 Day Experiment-Day 15

By marilynnchadwick

I often go to God with big prayer requests. My big ask. For family, friends, people who need help. I believe God answers prayer.  The Bible encourages us to ask God for what we need—to go boldly with our heartfelt desires.

But in John 15, Jesus calls us to a relationship with Him as the starting point for prayer. He calls Himself the “true vine.” He reminds us that we’re His “branches.” Branches can’t bear fruit apart from the vine.

I’m likely to blow right past that relationship with Jesus in my quest for answered prayer. But Jesus stops me dead in my tracks with these words:  If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you (John 15:7 NIV).

Remain is from the Greek word meno, which means “to abide, or dwell.”  I’m to make my home with Jesus.  To plant myself in Him. To plant His words in me. When I remain in Him and His words remain in me, I’m more likely to be praying His will—a prerequisite to answered prayer.

Powerful words. Powerful reminder. Do I really get that? I’m struck by the fact that Jesus uses the word remain eleven times in the first ten verses of John Chapter 15.  If I tell my kids something eleven times, you can sure as heck bet I mean it!

Here are the same words from Jesus in a different version—my watchword for today: If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you (John 15:7 ESV).

What does abiding look like for me practically?

  1. I carve out time with the Lord each morning.  I like to plant the seeds of His Word first thing.
  2. I try to pace myself throughout the day to keep in step with His leading.
  3. I remain alert to the voice of the Holy Spirit.
  4. I’m fierce with my “Sabbath.” Humans need to come apart or we “come apart.”  Rest is vital if we want to remain in Christ.
  5. I seek wise counsel from those who have learned the secret of resting, reflection, and abiding in Christ.

Prayer: Lord, it’s all about the relationship with You—answered prayer is just a by-product. And like any habit, the pay-off of abiding is long term. Help me to be faithful in the “dailyness.”

 

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November 24, 2018

21 Day Experiment-Day 10

By marilynnchadwick

Consider the miracle of speech.  Our voice sets us apart from the animals. It allows us to communicate with each other.  A voice is a powerful tool for good or for evil.

We’re about half-way through our 21 Day Experiment. I’m so glad you’re hanging in there! In John 10, Jesus encourages us to listen to His voice. “I am the good shepherd,” He tells us.  A good shepherd proves his love by laying down his life for the sheep. He’s willing to defend those in his care, even if it means dying for them. Like any loving parent, I’d give up my life in a heartbeat to defend my kids! Not like the hired hand, who cuts and runs when danger hits (John 10:10-13).

Think of the people whose voice is familiar to you.  When my husband calls, he doesn’t have to identify himself.  I know his voice because I know him so well.

So it is with God. The better we get to know Him, the more easily we recognize His voice. “Tune your ears to my voice” (Proverbs 4:20 MSG), says the Lord. One way we “tune” our hearts is by spending time reading and meditating on His Word.

Training our heart to hear God’s voice is one of our most important tasks as believers. Quite a challenge in our busy, noisy world! Daily, we’re bombarded by so many voices. Some speak truth, but others lead us astray.

God’s Word promises us that listening to His voice will bring blessings and protection.  “I have set before you life and death, blessings and curses. Now choose life, so that you and your children may live and that you may love the Lord your God, listen to his voice, and hold fast to him” (Deuteronomy 30:19, 20).

When we make a decision to follow Jesus, we begin to recognize His voice.  My watchword today encourages me to listen:

My sheep listen to my voice; I know them and they follow Me (John 10:27).

A few simple tips that help me sharpen my hearing:

  1. I carve out time first thing for God’s Word and prayer. I call this my “morning launch.”
  2. I have a special chair in my bedroom. I shut my door—and unplug from technology.
  3. I don’t evaluate my day ‘til I run, have my coffee, and pray—not always in that order.
  4. I have a plan and a few tools: My Bible, a journal, and my Chubby Book.
  5. I slowly prayerfully read my Bible selection. I take my Chubby Book (with my verse and prayer list) while folding clothes, driving across town, going for an afternoon walk.
  6. I sometimes text a prayer partner to “agree” with me about a specific prayer.
  7. I am watchful for little “God winks” throughout the day that remind me He’s “got this.”

Prayer: Lord, you’re the Good Shepherd. It’s worth my first and best energy to spend time listening to Your voice. Open my eyes to catch glimpses of how You’re at work all around me today!

 

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November 19, 2018

21 Day Experiment-Day 5

By marilynnchadwick

Make a wish. Wish upon a star. I grant you three wishes. All are lines from my favorite fairy tales.  A wish is exciting. Magical. But there’s something about a wish that seems out of reach. Webster defines a wish as a “a strong desire to have or do something—usually unattainable.”

It’s day five of our 21 Day Experiment. Today, we read about a crippled man with a wish that looked unattainable. He had been an invalid for thirty-eight long years. Life had passed him by.

Jesus noticed the man lying by the pool called Bethesda (which means “site of mercy”). The disabled would often gather around this pool. Rumor had it that people sometimes got healed when they bathed in the water.

“Do you want to get well?”  Jesus asked the man (John 5:6). Seems like an insensitive question to ask a crippled guy at a healing pool who had been desperately trying to get well for thirty-eight years.  Or had he? Continue reading

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November 17, 2018

21 Day Experiment-Day 3

By marilynnchadwick

“Are you saved?” I used to hear that question a lot growing up in the deep South.  We were a family of church-goers. But the message of the Gospel never really made its way into my heart.  Saved from what?  I’d wonder. Life was good. I didn’t need to get saved—or so I thought. Maybe you can relate.

Welcome to the 21 Day Experiment in Prayer. In our reading of John 3, we meet a religious leader named Nicodemus who came to visit Jesus. Jesus rocked the boat of this respectable Pharisee when He told him he needed to be saved. Jesus said no one could even see the kingdom of God unless he was “born again” (John 3:4). Continue reading

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November 15, 2016

Worry Robs Our Rest

By marilynnchadwick

Don’t worry about anything.  Instead, pray about everything…(Philippians 4:6 NLT).

Do you have a problem with worry? Maybe you’re exhausted from worrying about everything from your family to the elections, to the economy, to the condition of the world.  But here’s some good news:  The Lord has given us a secret weapon to use against anxiety. He tells us we can overcome worry through prayer.

Now, I happen to be a world class worrier. I didn’t have to learn how to worry. It just came naturally as a by-product of an overactive imagination, a curious mind, and a relentless memory. Marriage and a family only brought more responsibility, and therefore more things to worry about.  I agree with my friend who defines worry with the acronym: W.O.R.R.Y:  Worry-Only-Robs-Rest-from-You. It’s true. Worry is exhausting.

 So as one who is prone to worry, I’m inspired by Paul’s letter to some persecuted Christians in the town of Philippi. They were always in danger of getting killed, and therefore had lots to worry about. “Don’t worry about anything,” he encouraged them. “Instead, pray about everything.”

I’m struck by that word instead. Paul didn’t just say to stop worrying. He said, instead of worrying, to pray.  He tells us to redirect all that furious, anxious energy into prayer.  To make worry work for us instead of against us!

I get that concept.  It sounds a little like a trick I learned back in high school when I took karate in between sports seasons. I was taught to use the enemy’s energy against him. A violent attack could be redirected to incapacitate my attacker.  The Bible reminds us that daily, we are in a spiritual battle.  So, in a similar way, prayer is one way to use the devil’s energy against him.

When we use all the energy (that we are not using for worry) on prayer,  we can begin to experience gratitude and peace, instead of anxiety.  Paul puts it this way: “Tell God what you need and thank Him for all He has done.” Then, “If you do this, you will experience God’s peace, which is far more wonderful than the human mind can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:6, 7 NLT).

Reminder: When you are tempted to worry, try redirecting all that energy into prayer!

(Adapted from Sometimes He Whispers, Sometimes He Roars: Learning How to Hear the Voice of God,  By Marilynn Chadwick, Howard Books, 2012).

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