In Preparation - On Meditation

It has been an exciting week preparing our hearts for our prayer weekend: a time set aside to both speak to our Father and to hear from him. Before we begin tomorrow, here are a few thoughts to encourage you in the powerful spiritual practice of “Meditation”, a practice which God uses to speak deeply to His people through His word.

Scripture has the power to change us and to speak directly into our lives and situations, but first it must get deep inside us; it must get past all of our distractions. As Jesus said, we have ears to hear but yet most of us still do not hear what God is saying to us. We must quiet ourselves and get ourselves in a position for God’s words to abide in us, to become alive within us. David was very experienced in this. In Psalm 63 David wrote: O God I earnestly seek you: my soul thirsts for you; my flesh faints for you...I remember you upon my bed, and meditate on you in the watches of the night. (Psalm 63 vv 1, 6). And in Psalm 1 David explains that meditating upon the law day and night helps to make a man like a tree planted by a stream whose leaves do not wither. 

Meditation has been an important practice among Christians for centuries, yet the meaning of the word is sometimes misunderstood today and associated with strange religious practices. The Hebrew word “Hagah” that is translated in the English Bible as the word “meditate” is actually a word with amazing meaning. It is a strong action word. Eugene Peterson explains that the meaning of the word is actually close  to the English word “growl,” as in the way a dog growls over a bone, or the way a lion growls over its prey. A dog hunches over a bone, chews on it, turns it over and around in his mouth.  This is what we are to do with the words of scripture: chew on it, turn it around in our minds and in our heart, keep it alive in our hearts and minds, taste it and discover that the words are living and, through them, God is speaking to us. In Revelation, the angel tells John not just to read the book, but to “eat” the book!

Here are a few easy steps that can help us to “chew” on the scriptures:

  • Read through a passage of scripture
  • Identify a sentence or a phrase that really sticks out to you.
  • Underline the sentence. Memorize it. Repeat it to yourself.
  • Write in your journal about this scripture. What is God saying to you through this scripture? What application does it have to your life?
  • Write a prayer to God relating to what He has spoken to you.

I pray that this week God will take each of us deeper together into understanding the great hope, the great inheritance, the great strength we find in Him, and that He will open our ears to hear His words for individuals and for the Hands Family in a new, fresh way.

In Preparation - Doing It All in His Strength

With our weekend of prayer and fasting we can hold onto God’s promise for strength:

Summon your power, God;
 
   show us your strength, our God, as you have done before. 

—Psalm 68:28

This is what the Sovereign LORD, the Holy One of Israel, says:

   “In repentance and rest is your salvation,
 
   in quietness and trust is your strength.

 —Isaiah 30:15 

God proves to be good to the man who passionately waits,
 
   to the woman who diligently seeks.
It's a good thing to quietly hope,
 
   quietly hope for help from God.

—Lamentations 3:25-26 

Let us as a family of God humble ourselves before God in quietness and trust and know we do spiritual warfare in HIS STRENGTH.

In Preparation - A Word on Fasting (Isaiah 58)

First we see fasting is not about God being more available to answer our cries.  In a loud voice He is telling the prophet to yell at us because our prayers won’t be effective the way we are now. The condition of his people is all smoke and mirrors, He says. We are doing many things that look correct but the “walk” is not in step with the “talk.”

Then He tells us why. Dare we look?

He talks about “the bottom line.” It is easy to read His list and see that it doesn’t fit me. He is calling us to look at the similarities not the differences. He is asking us to answer for ourselves, judge ourselves, be honest with ourselves. He challenges our religiosity ... the things other people say are pious, the things that the world “thinks” are Christian, the plastic stuff, the mask, the deceit.

The serious element of a fast, in God’s view, is a heart issue. It is all about us recognising our sin and the repentance, OUR repentance ... His forgiveness and making the 180 degree turn-around after facing the Truth of who we are really and turning our back on the "factors of our being" that form a chasm between Him and me ... the sin in our lives.

When we make this commitment by taking action we become usable and teachable toward the goals of fasting acceptable to the Lord:

  •     To break the chains of injustice
  •     Get rid of exploitation in the work-place
  •     Free the oppressed
  •     Cancel debts

 

In Preparation - Take Up Your God-given Armor

Leading up to our 24-hour time of prayer and fasting this weekend we will be posting daily to help us prepare our hearts and minds for the weekend. Today we ask you to spend some time chewing on Ephesians 6:10-18. We’d like you to enter in to spiritual battle, arming yourselves with all of your God-given armor.

“God is strong, and he wants you strong. So take everything the Master has set out for you, well-made weapons of the best materials. And put them to use so you will be able to stand up to everything the Devil throws your way. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against mighty powers in this dark world, and against evil spirits in the heavenly places. Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand.

Stand therefore,
having fastened on the belt of truth,
and having put on the breastplate of righteousness
and as shoes for your feet, having put on the readiness given by the gospel of peace.
In all circumstances take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish al the flaming darts of the evil one
and take the helmet of salvation,
and the sword of the Spirit which is the word of God,

praying in the Spirit at all times and on every occasion. Stay alert and be persistent in your prayers for all believers everywhere.”

— Ephesians 6:10-18

God gives us this armor, but He asks us to pick it up, put it on. Take some time and reflect on each gift, what they are and what they mean. Every tool God has given us to fight this spiritual battle against evil.

“Truth, righteousness, peace, faith, and salvation are more than words. Learn how to apply them. You'll need them throughout your life. God's Word is an indispensable weapon. In the same way, prayer is essential in this ongoing warfare. Pray hard and long. Pray for your brothers and sisters. Keep your eyes open. Keep each other's spirits up so that no one falls behind or drops out.” — The Message: Ephesians 6:15-18

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Prayer for our work as God's servants

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This week in our Monday morning prayer meeting we reflected on the following scripture: 2 Corinthians 6:1-13 (The Message) 

Companions as we are in this work with you, we beg you, please don't squander one bit of this marvelous life God has given us… Our work as God's servants gets validated—or not—in the details. People are watching us as we stay at our post, alertly, unswervingly . . . in hard times, tough times, bad times; when we're beaten up, jailed, and mobbed; working hard, working late, working without eating; with pure heart, clear head, steady hand; in gentleness, holiness, and honest love; when we're telling the truth, and when God's showing his power; when we're doing our best setting things right; when we're praised, and when we're blamed; slandered, and honored; true to our word, though distrusted; ignored by the world, but recognized by God; terrifically alive, though rumored to be dead; beaten within an inch of our lives, but refusing to die; immersed in tears, yet always filled with deep joy; living on handouts, yet enriching many; having nothing, having it all…

I can't tell you how much I long for you to enter this wide-open, spacious life. … The smallness you feel comes from within you. Your lives aren't small, but you're living them in a small way.... Open up your lives. Live openly and expansively!

This week let us pray that we are all able to enter in to the wide-open spacious life God is calling us to; to receive this blessing of life by not giving up, by continuing through hard times, tough times, bad times, when we’re praised and when we’re blamed. Let us remember that God desires so much more for us then we could even imagine but we must trust Him through the circumstances before us, not giving up because in due time our perseverance in these maters will reap a harvest of freedom in our lives.

Let us continue because our work is validated in the details. God loves that we have chosen to serve Him in this way—choosing to see those who are vulnerable, to speak and care and pray on their behalf—but we’ve only fought half the battle by showing up to do this work. Let us pray that we can go all the way and choose to do it through His power and strength, never giving up, working hard, working late, working without eating; with pure heart, clear head, steady hand; in gentleness, holiness, and honest love, in sunshine and in shadow.

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Prayer for George

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Hello prayer advocates!

Thank you again for your continued prayers for us. If you've been following along in our newsroom you've seen that George Snyman has been traveling the last couple of weeks in the UK and has just landed in North America for another month of visiting, encouraging, and challenging individuals, churches and groups with the message God has laid on his heart.

Please stand with us in prayer:

  • for those that George has already met and spoke with, especially in the United Kingdom, that the words he spoke will fall on fertile hearts, ready to receive, and that the message won't be choked out by the cares and troubles of this world (Luke 8:4-15)
  • for his health and continued stamina; for a fresh wind of your spirit to blow over him each day giving him strength and enthusiasm during these days of back to back meetings and speaking events.
  • for words that will break down the walls of apathy built around hearts
  • for fresh words to drop in to his spirit for specific people that he's ministering to
  • for favor with those that he is meeting with, that they will know his heart's desire to do the will of God, to care for and love strangers and those in need as Jesus did, and to encourage others to do the same (1 John 3:16-18)