Thoughts, Challenges, and Musings from Curtis

Friday, November 19, 2010

The Elusive Nature of Prayer

Elusive…that one word succinctly describes, for many, their experience regarding the attainment of an effective prayer life

Many legitimate theories explain the root cause behind weak prayer habits. They run the gamut from spiritual warfare, with Satan throwing various roadblocks up, thus foiling the effects of prayer, to un-repented sin, to overly busy lifestyles…and on it goes. All of these represent valid explanations concerning ineffective prayer. However, I believe the answer to this problem can be refined down to one fundamental concept; RELATIONSHIP.

When relationship is the foundation of our prayer life, something that once seemed so elusive is suddenly within our grasp. In a very real sense, prayer is more about being than about doing. It is more about embracing Jesus than attempting to obtain the answers that we desire.

In balance, a Biblical discussion of prayer must include the concept of believers bringing their petitions before Christ. But the Biblical pattern of gaining access to the voice of God always points back to relationship…it always favors those who humbly embrace their God and, in the act of embracing, bring their heart’s cry before Him.

The book of Habakkuk begins with the prophet screaming out to God, “God, How long do I have to cry out for help before you listen (1:2)?” The reason Habakkuk could speak to God with such abandon, such emotion, is simple: RELATIONSHIP. Interestingly, Habakkuk’s name means “strong embrace”. The text makes it clear that he is less than pleased with the answer that God provides, yet he acknowledges God as his Rock, who is “from everlasting” (1:12). In the process of questioning God, he worships God. Why? RELATIONSHIP! A vital pointer we gain from Habakkuk is the importance of hanging in there. Although he accepted God’s harsh answer in chapter 1, the prophet still wanted to hear more from his God. In Chapter 2 Habakkuk makes it clear that he is willing to climb the tower, to watch and wait on God. He was willing to do whatever it took to hear from God. He watched, he waited, he continued to embrace, and God spoke.

You and I can do the same thing in our prayer life. Cultivate your relationship with God…embrace Him…and be willing to go to the tower.

Curtis Pryor lives in Wickenburg, AZ with his wife Linda. He is the Associate Pastor at Mount Hope Assembly of God in Wickenburg, and adjunct professor at Western Bible College in Phoenix

Tuesday, November 16, 2010

Primal Review

Book review: “Primal: A Quest for the Lost Soul of Christianity”

A common phenomenon within the ranks of church folks lies in the fact that we often miss the forest for the trees. We get caught up in a great deal of peripheral issues…to the point of losing sight of what true faith in Christ should produce in our lives

Mark Batterson’s latest offering, Primal: A Quest for the Lost Soul of Christianity, adeptly identifies and quantifies the “lost Soul” of the Christian faith. One extremely effective aspect of his foray into this topic revolves around the simplicity of his message. After all, what could prove more clearly stated than “The Greatest Commandment?” You know the one… Jesus responds to some teachers of the law who ask Him to reveal the greatest commandment:
²⁹“The most important one,” answered Jesus, “is this: ‘Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one.^[e] ³⁰Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’^[f] ³¹The second is this: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’^[g]There is no commandment greater than these.” Mark 12:29-31
In Primal, Batterson creatively leads his readers through the “prime” focus of true Christianity…loving God. Obviously, loving God should be a way of life for all true believers. However, sometimes the most obvious, simple truths elude us in our real, everyday struggles to know God better.
The author creatively helps his readers by drilling down into the primal elements of The Greatest Command, defining and illustrating each method of loving God: heart, soul, mind, and strength.
One of the most powerful points this reviewer gleaned from Primal was Batterson’s focus upon the order of these ways we are commanded to love God. It all begins with the heart…loving God with all one’s heart and internalizing the same passion and compassion that motivates the Father. Next comes loving God with your soul…primal wonder at the works of God and His nature. Loving God with all one’s mind is an amazing thing to consider and the author truly challenges his readers in the areas of holy curiosity and the importance of taking “God ideas” seriously, to the point of acting upon them. Finally, primal energy deals with loving God with all your strength. This refers to the blood, sweat, and tears aspect of loving God.
Mark Batterson feels that if followers of Christ can powerfully grasp and begin living out these primal elements of loving God, a new reformation will occur in the Body of Christ.
I highly recommend this book. More importantly, I encourage each of us to purposefully dive into our own quest for the lost soul of our walk with Christ