Sleepy Peter

The podcast at the end of the article is called: Lion Honey

I’m glad Peter is in the Bible. It’s like I have my own personal representative who did a lot of the same dumb stuff I do. He’s always getting his ears boxed verbally.

Take praying for instance.

Jesus wanted his close friends Peter, James, and John to stick with Him while He prayed before His final trial, but, alas,

“He came back and found them sound asleep. He said to Peter, ‘Simon, you went to sleep on me? Can’t you stick it out with me a single hour? Stay alert, be in prayer, so you don’t enter the danger zone without even knowing it. Don’t be naive. Part of you is eager, ready for anything in God; but another part is as lazy as an old dog sleeping by the fire.’” (Mark 14:37, 38 The Message)

Peter was good at sleeping when he should have been praying. Some time later, God’s enemies pitched Peter into prison for preaching. The next day they were going to kill him. That night the church was awake and calling on God. And Peter? When the angel came with a blaze of light to rescue him, he was putting up z’s, so the heavenly visitor had to strike him on the side to wake him up (kind of like my wife does when I snore too loudly).

Lucky for him the Church was interceding.

I wonder how many calamities I’ve been spared because people prayed for me?

Prayer doesn’t seem like such a big thing but it is horribly important. Jesus won the battle of the Cross in the Garden of Gethsemane the night before His ordeal as he agonized in prayer. He longed for his best friends to struggle alongside him but there they were, laid out, mouth open … “zzzzzzzsnarksnork!”

They simply didn’t realize how desperate the situation was. Jesus knew that His whole story was coming to a head. He saw the enemy at the gate. He knew that contact with His Father through prayer would give Him the strength to win the most important battle that history had ever known.

But his friends didn’t pray with Him. When the storm broke they were reduced to an ineffective sword swing (Peter was aiming for a fellow’s head and got his ear), and ran for their lives after they had pledged loudly shortly before that, “Me, Lord? Ain’t no way I’ll ever deny you! No, no. Not me!”

Notice here: prayer didn’t get Jesus out of the problem. It got Him through the problem. We have the idea that if we just pray enough we’ll be spared the hard things of life. That does work sometimes, but often God doesn’t change the situation. He changes us so that we are victorious in the situation. We don’t simply receive answers–we grow.

We receive strength to win when we pray.

So wake up Peter (and David) and get on those knees. Prayer really is making a difference.
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Think!

Dreams will never be realized without risks.
Love will never be experienced without exposure.
You can’t even help another person without risking being hurt yourself.
(Mountain Wings Devotional, www.mountainwings.com)

Rugby Teams and Prayer Meetings

The podcast at the end of this article is no longer a simple reading of the Coffee Stain, but a short message based on it.

When I first come back to Europe I suffer “withdrawal pains” from American sports. I don’t know why, but my wife never seems to have the shakes over missing a football game. I guess I’m not as spiritual as she is.

So, I content myself mostly with reading about my teams on internet and occasionally watching a European sports match. Some are a little lame. My friend Roger always laments the time he was reduced to watching women’s’ synchronized swimming on television. That’s when you really are desperate for any kind of sports.

But I’m mildly interested in soccer and once in a blue moon I’ll watch a rugby match because the French are among the best in the world at this rough sport. You can easily recognize a rugby player by his crooked nose and his cauliflower ears.

Scrums

One thing that intrigues me about rugby is the scrums. That’s when both sides lock up against each other and push. It’s looks slightly like two crabs in a wrestling match as the attacking side seeks to push forward and gain an advantage before the ball flys out and all the defenders dash to try to cream the runner.

I’m really impressed when these large fellows lock their arms around each others shoulders and plunge against the heavyweights from the other team who are plunging against them to start the scrum. I’ve wondered occasionally how they keep from conking their heads together. Maybe that’s why their noses all look broken.

Can you imagine, though, what would happen if they decided that working together against the other team wasn’t really that important? “Hey Pierre! How long has it been since you’ve used deodorant? I’m not locking shoulders with you!” Or maybe, “I don’t need you guys. I’m one mean scrummer (or whatever they call them). Just watch!” Whereupon he charges into the behemoths on the other side all by himself and soon finds himself with a broken nose and even larger ears as they work him over.

No, if a rugby team is going to win, they’re going to have to win together.

When the Church Prays

I have this image of a rugby team when I think of the Church praying—shoulders locked together, lunging against the works of the devil, feet churning forward, taking ground from the devil.

When the enemy pushes, the Church pushes back in prayer, each one animated by the same thought of victory.
That’s the way the first Church did it. Jesus told them to stay in Jerusalem until they were clothed with power from on high. And they did, digging forward together in prayer,

“They agreed they were in this for good, completely together in prayer, the women included. Also Jesus’ mother, Mary, and his brothers.” (Acts 1:14, The Message).

We find them doing the same thing ten days later when the Spirit fell on them at Pentecost and they rose from the place of prayer to convince thousands to believe on the Lord Jesus Christ.

Later powerful politicians tried to intimidate them, promising dire consequences if they didn’t quit talking about Jesus. These were tough characters, well able to carry out their threats. But the Church pushed back in prayer.

“As soon as Peter and John were let go, they went to their friends and told them what the high priests and religious leaders had said. Hearing the report, they lifted their voices in a wonderful harmony in prayer…” (Acts 4:24, Message)

Their prayer shook the heavens and the Spirit shook the place of their prayer meeting as He refilled them with boldness and power to keep on preaching Jesus.

United Prayers Are Powerful

It’s important for each of us to pray individually daily but I fear we’ve forgotten how powerful the prayers of the Church are, when its member are all gathered together calling on Jesus. We’ve got plenty of time in our services for singing, preaching, and fellowshipping. But how often do we lock shoulders in prayer and push against the enemy?

Now be careful. Sometimes the super spiritual want to criticize and feel they are so much better. That solves nothing. We need to pray.

As a young pastor in the States, I preached hard work in order to win the lost. You would have found us all over the town trying to get people to church and win them to the Lord. That was good, but one of the most powerful weeks we ever had in that church, we did nothing but come and pray together.

There was such a spirit of faith in those nightly prayer meetings as people told of what they felt in their heart that God was going to do. The following Sunday there was nothing special but we had more people in Sunday School than we ever had had in the history of that church. We broke the record each of the next two weeks.

That first Sunday morning after the prayer meeting there was a powerful presence of the Lord in the services and a lady was healed.

Our work is important but no more important that our prayers together. Let’s lock our shoulders together and push against the works of the devil. The Church desperately needs to pray.

Weirdly special

If someone from France says to you, “You are very special,” don’t smile. He’s probably not complimenting you.

“Special” is one of those French/English words which look the same but don’t necessarily have the same meaning. If I tell my wife in English that she’s special (and she is), I mean that she’s got a place that no other has in my life.

But if I said to her in French, “Tu es très spéciale,” (“You are very special.”) she might bop me. The primary meaning in French, when you speak of people, is someone that’s apart, different, maybe a little strange. A special case.

This idea gets expressed differently in different cultures. “He’s about two fries short of a Happy Meal,” we might say of a very “spéciale” person. A German friend says, “The light is on but there’s nobody at home.” Another way to say it is, “His elevator doesn’t go all the way to the top floor.”

The French might say, “He had a baby-buggy accident,” or (and this is my personal favorite), “His mama rocked him too close to the wall.” (You know, “Rock, bump, rock, bump, rock, bump. Makes strange kids).

All these expressions try to describe someone who is just a little off center in his personality. Now, hang on to that thought for just a minute and we’ll come back to it.

I used to wonder about God’s command for us to worship Him.
Is He a narcissist, absorbed with Himself?? I mean if I say to my wife and kids, “Worship me!” I’m probably a little “spéciale,” (I’ll leave it to you to guess in which sense of the word).

God seeks worshippers. So what’s up? Fact is, there’s nothing self-centered about it. Worshipping God brings order into our universe.

Prideful man craves worship to inflate his value, but that throws things out of order. Behind this desire is Satan, hankering for what belongs to another. Lucifer tried to seize that esteemed Place and that incomparable Name (Phil 2:9) which belong to Jesus. They are the Lord’s by nature (Phil 2:6) and also because He won them at the Cross. (Phil. 2:9).

“For great is the LORD and most worthy of praise…Ascribe to the LORD the glory due his name; bring an offering and come into his courts.” (Ps. 96:4, 8, NIV)

A. W. Tozer says, “It is a truism to say that order in nature depends upon right relationships; to achieve harmony each thing must be in its proper position relative to each other thing.” (The Pursuit of God).

When we’re worshipping Him, the universe is in place.
We rest in His strength, so it doesn’t matter if we’re not strong enough in ourselves. Faith flows. We rest in His glory (which He accords us—Rom. 8:30), so it doesn’t matter if Satan tries to make us feel worthless.

We derive our worth from Him. When we do that, things are as they should be, when frail men demand the worship that belongs only to God, things are out of order—très spéciale!

Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honour and power: for Thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure they are and were created. (Rev 4:11, NIV)

Praise grates on man’s self-image. We don’t want to acknowledge Someone higher than us, or that we need Someone else.

The truth is, we need to praise God more than God needs our praise. Do you think Someone as powerful, perfect, glorious, wise, good, loving, and compassionate as He is needs my squeaking words of praise to feel important? If you believe that, your mama probably rocked you too close to the wall.

But I desperately need to praise Him!

C.S. Lewis said, “In commanding us to glorify Him, God is inviting us to enjoy Him.” (The Joyful Christian)

So praise helps us put things in perspective. We realize He’s in the center of the universe, not us. We see that every good gift comes from above, from the Father of Lights and we begin to thank Him for all His goodness to us.

“While we take to ourselves the place that is His, the whole course of our lives is out of joint. Nothing will or can restore order till our hearts make the great decision: God shall be exalted above.” (Tozer)
And when we do that, the light goes on and there is someone at home; mama scoots her rocker away from the wall; and the little girl at McDonalds throws in a bunch of extra fries for good measure.

Praise puts everything in place.

Peter Puddlehead

Our friend Peter Puddlehead nods off at the end of the television movie. It’s late. Then he starts awake. “I’ve got to go to bed,” he murmurs, yawning and smacking his lips. “Big day tomorrow.”

He puts on his pj’s, brushes his teeth and just as he’s anticipating crawling between the beckoning sheets of his bed, he remembers that he hasn’t prayed today. The bed draws him like drugs fascinate a heroine addict but Pete is convinced that spiritual disciplines are necessary for a solid Christian life. Plus he doesn’t want God mad at him so he kneels by his bed for a long period of prayer—five minutes at least.

“Father, I come in the Name of Jesus…” he pillows his head on his arms as he prays, “…and I praise you and I ask you to …” Here his voice trails off as he slips into la, la land. A steady chorus of “snxxyrx, snarf, snooooore!” provides background music.

There’s nothing unusual here because this is what usually happens when old Petey prays. Sometime in the night, he gets a bit cold and slips between the covers, never to think another conscious thought until the alarm shakes him back into this world at 6:30 a.m.

Tonight isn’t a usual night though. At 2:30 a.m. a bellowing voice finds him in his dreamworld and startles him awake. “Peter!”

“Wha..what? Who?” He rubs the sand out of his eyes and there before him is an … “no, it can’t be!” A seven foot angel stands beside his kneeling figure. “I didn’t do it! Let’s me alone,” he stammered. What would you say if you woke up staring in the face of a seven foot angel? (I know you men are going to say, “I wake up to an angel each morning.” You were going to say that weren’t you? )

But this one was real. The room filled with his radiance, the light that seemed to come from God’s throne. “Peter, I want to show you something,” the angel boomed. He didn’t mean to be that loud but you can’t squeak or croon with a voice like his.

“You know that situation at work that’s been causing you so many problems? Let me show you what’s going on.” Suddenly the wall looked like a movie projection screen. Peter saw his workplace, his colleagues, and himself. Lately there had been a lot of conflict and frankly Peter was getting sick of it.

But on the screen it was as if he saw vague outlines of unseen forces, striving to ruin the unity of the work team. “If you had time to read you Bible, Peter, you would know that you are in a spiritual struggle as well as a natural one. The Lord told you through Paul,

“For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. 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.”

“He said one of your greatest spiritual weapons was prayer.” Peter shook his head dumbly. What could he do but agree? Would you disagree with a seven-foot angel?

“God told you,

“pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints.’

“Are you praying, Peter?” “Well, I, yeah, uh … you know I’m so busy with important stuff.”

“Like the late movie that was on until 12:15?” Ouch!

“Peter, when you start your day reading God’s Word and praying, you’re not just doing your duty, you’re winning battles. You can change the world through prayer. Don’t you know that? Even the Lord Jesus, the Son of God, had to pray in Gethsemane in order to win the battle of the Cross. If He needed to pray, what about you?”

The weary fellow said nothing. What could he say? He just shook his head slowly and prayed, “Father, forgive me. Give me the heart of a prayer warrior.

“Briiiiiiiiiiiinnng!” Peter awoke again and looked around. “Boy, I need to tell them to leave those onions off my hamburgers if I eat after 10 pm,” he thought. Then he recalled his dream. But was it a dream?

Peter decided that by God’s help he was going to use this powerful weapon that God had given him. “Lord, teach me to pray and give me the strength and will to do it!

Telephone Terrorist

I once had a friend who was a terrorist with a telephone. Don’t get me wrong, he didn’t bomb me or threaten me but he sure impacted the quality of my life.

Stan had fought a long battle with alcoholism and at that time was free and coming to our church in Luxembourg. I’ve found , though, that when you take alcohol away from the alcoholic the underlying problems often bubble to the surface. My talkative friend used to call two or three times a day, jabbering like a Boeing 747 roaring down the runway for takeoff.

And all this was in French. I would inject a “oui” from time to time, but most of the time I gritted my teeth and bore it, until I finally had to limit him to ten minutes a call. The cumulative effect of so many high-energy calls began to get to me.

He wasn’t the only caller either. Add to Stan a strange woman who came to the church at the time. I think her mother must have rocked her too close to the wall because something didn’t work right in her head. Her calls wore me out.

Then add Dan to the mix. Ah, Dan…the sound of his voice could tilt me toward depression, even on a happy morning while the birds sang.

It reminds me of what another pastor observed about a lady in his church, “I always know it’s her calling because of the way the phone whines when it rings!”

Can you imagine that sometimes I didn’t want to answer the phone? “It’s for you, I can tell,” I would inform my wife when the torture device rattled.

Have you ever felt like God refused to answer the phone when you called?

God always responds but there are a few things that cause communication problems. If we don’t seem to be getting a response or we find ourselves talking ninety to nothing but not doing a lot of good, we need to ask some questions. Why aren’t we getting any answers?

>>>Am I really trusting Him?

“But when Peter saw how strong the wind was, he was afraid and started sinking. “Save me, Lord!” he shouted. Right away, Jesus reached out his hand. He helped Peter up and said, “You surely don’t have much faith. Why do you doubt?” (Matt. 14:30, 31, CEV. Actually the little faith he had was in the shout for help. And it worked).

>>> Am I asking unwisely, out of God’s will?

“Now this is the confidence that we have in Him, that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us.” (1 John 5:14, KJV).

As that great “theologian” Garth Brooks wailed in his song, “Unanswered Prayers,” “Just the other night at a hometown football game. My wife and I ran into my old high school flame … She was the one that I’d wanted for all times. And each night I’d spend prayin’ that God would make her mine … Sometimes I thank God for unanswered prayers…Some of God’s greatest gifts are unanswered prayers.”

>>>Are there areas of my life where I’m in flagrant disobedience to God?

“If I had been cozy with evil, the Lord would never have listened.” (Psalms 66:18, The Message)

>>>Might God be building something in me as I wait? He’s sorting through things in me, or maybe it’s me sorting through them. In the fire of trials things spring up that I didn’t even dream lived in me. The perseverance that He accomplishes in us as we wait, serves us well even after the trial is gone. Often what He does in you counts for much more than what He achieves for you.

“ … let us exult and triumph in our troubles and rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that pressure and affliction and hardship produce patient and unswerving endurance. And endurance (fortitude) develops maturity of character (approved faith and tried integrity). And character [of this sort] produces [the habit of] joyful and confident hope of eternal salvation. Such hope never disappoints or deludes or shames us, for God’s love has been poured out in our hearts through the Holy Spirit Who has been given to us.” (Romans 5:3, Amplified)

>>>I know this thing is God’s will but is it God’s time to do it? God’s time is as important as God’s will. When we get ahead of Him in doing what He’s called us to do, that can cause nearly as many problems as disobedience.

“But when the time arrived that was set by God the Father, God sent his Son …” (Gal. 4:4, The Message).

If God doesn’t seem to be answering the phone, we need to consider why.