When you need fresh inspiration for adoring God in prayer

Sometimes it’s hard to know what to say, how to adore God in a way that doesn’t sound trite or rehearsed, or like we’re simply going through the motions. Sometimes we need a little help. One great way is to read scripture, and pray out of our response to it. But there are other ways of creatively meeting God in prayer.

Recently I was leading prayer at church and I brought along a few objects to provide a little inspiration. Feathers, stones, gift tags, sprigs of rosemary and some crocheted hearts.

I invited people to come and take one or more of the objects and to spend a few minutes listening and reflecting on what God was showing them about himself or about what he has done. Then I invited people to pray their responses aloud.

It was wonderful to see how the Lord used those ordinary items to inspire fresh expressions of adoration to him.

For myself I chose a stone and a heart. As I held them in my hand I was reminded that God is my Rock, that Jesus is the precious cornerstone and a sure foundation. I was reminded of how much he loves me. The two items side by side reminded me of how God removes the heart of stone and replaces it with a heart of flesh.

Have you ever tried anything like this? If not, consider collecting one or two ordinary items from around your house or garden.

Spend a few minutes holding an item in your hands. Pay attention to what it feels like – smooth or rough, soft or hard – feel the weight of it in your hand. Notice the colours, patterns and the details. If it has a scent (like the rosemary we used) then smell it. You may want to rub it between your fingers or bruise it to draw out the fragrance. If your item is edible you might want to taste it.

Whatever you notice, whatever the Lord shows you, use that to reflect praise and adoration back to him.

If you try this out, or if it’s a normal practice for you, I’d love to hear about your experience. Please share in the Comments.

31 Days: It’s only the Beginning of Listening

Today brings us to the end of 31 Days to Listen, and I wanted to finish with the story of Samuel who was born as an answer to prayer and dedicated to serve God (1 Samuel 1, 2). He learned as a young boy to listen to the Lord.

1 Samuel 3:1-10, 19-21 (NIV)

The Lord Calls Samuel

The boy Samuel ministered before the Lord under Eli. In those days the word of the Lord was rare; there were not many visions.

One night Eli, whose eyes were becoming so weak that he could barely see, was lying down in his usual place. The lamp of God had not yet gone out, and Samuel was lying down in the house of the Lord, where the ark of God was. Then the Lord called Samuel.

Samuel answered, “Here I am.” And he ran to Eli and said, “Here I am; you called me.”

But Eli said, “I did not call; go back and lie down.” So he went and lay down.

Again the Lord called, “Samuel!” And Samuel got up and went to Eli and said, “Here I am; you called me.”

“My son,” Eli said, “I did not call; go back and lie down.”

Now Samuel did not yet know the Lord: The word of the Lord had not yet been revealed to him.

A third time the Lord called, “Samuel!” And Samuel got up and went to Eli and said, “Here I am; you called me.”

Then Eli realized that the Lord was calling the boy. So Eli told Samuel, “Go and lie down, and if he calls you, say, ‘Speak, Lord, for your servant is listening.’” So Samuel went and lay down in his place.

The Lord came and stood there, calling as at the other times, “Samuel! Samuel!”

Then Samuel said, “Speak, for your servant is listening.”

…

The Lord was with Samuel as he grew up, and he let none of Samuel’s words fall to the ground. And all Israel from Dan to Beersheba recognized that Samuel was attested as a prophet of the Lord. The Lord continued to appear at Shiloh, and there he revealed himself to Samuel through his word.

I love that Samuel is attentive and responsive. I love that the Lord was with Samuel as he grew up, and that the Lord revealed himself to Samuel. The Lord of the Universe revealing himself to a man – what an incredible privilege.

The Lord is always looking for someone who will listen to Him. May we continue learning to recognise the Lord when he is calling us, and may we also be the ones who listen and follow Him.

This is Day 31 of 31 Days to Listen. Thank you for joining me on this challenge. I’ll be taking a rest from posting for a few days, but I would love to hear from you if you’ve enjoyed this focussed attention on one subject. If you would like another series (perhaps 2-3 posts each week) please drop me a note in the Comments section below.

31 Days: Listening to Lessons from The Wrong Book

The thing about listening to God is that his methods are not always predictable. Sometimes he speaks in ways that are as unexpected as they are profound. One of those occasions for me came through The Wrong Book by Nick Bland.

Yes, The Wrong Book. It’s a children’s book. A children’s picture book.

It’s the story of a boy named Nicholas Ickle. At least it’s meant to be his story…

Here’s the interactive iPad version wonderfully narrated by Frank Woodley. Please take a few minutes to enjoy the book before you read on.

What I learnt from The Wrong Book

So here’s my grown-up take on this wonderful story. Nicholas Ickle has a plan. This book is about him. Except that all these page-crashers, these uninvited book guests, keep showing up to spoil his plan. And that makes him angry because his expectation of telling his story is not being met.

But Nicholas Ickle is still telling his story, because surely he is a little boy who dreams of elephants and monsters, pirates and puppets. That’s why they came. They may be in the Wrong Book but they show us something of Nicholas Ickle anyway. The book is still about Nicholas, just not in the way he imagined.

Isn’t that what life can be like for us? Our perfect plans for our lives never seem to quite work out that way. All the interruptions, the unexpected people and events that show up in our lives, mess up our schedules and feed our plans through the shredder. We don’t see that they are still part of our story; we only see that things aren’t the way we planned them.

We have a choice though, to embrace the book-crashers in our lives. To forgive the intrusion, to allow them to enrich our story, to teach us new things, to make new friends, to grow, to love. To even be grateful for their presence. Our story is still our story.

And something else…

I noticed how much my thought life, my prayer life, can look like Nicholas Ickle and The Wrong Book. Uninvited thoughts; things I call distractions come in unwanted. Resented even. They detour me away from where I thought I was going. They’re messy or ugly, self-seeking, petulant or just plain off the point.

I don’t want to embrace them; they’re off the plan. I’m angry that my thoughts and prayers have been hijacked. But what if they too are really part of my story? What if they are telling the bigger truth of my story, not just the small, edited, clean version I had planned for myself?

The more I thought about this book, the more I saw the invitation in it. Would I be like Nicholas Ickle, angry and upset? Or would I embrace my story-crashers and tell a bigger story than I’d originally planned?

And later, came the God-whisper:

Listen.

Grace.
Receive grace.
Receive my presence.

I already love you. Stop trying to please me. Stop trying to earn my approval.

Know that you are loved.
Receive the gift of my presence.

Be open to to all the ways I speak to you.
Look for me.
Make time for me.
Wait for me.
Listen.
Be willing to let go of the old ways.

Embrace life.
Embrace love.
Embrace the messy, the unexpected, the story-crashers.

In what unexpected ways is God speaking to you?

This is Day 26 of the series 31 Days to Listen. Visit Write 31 Days to see what hundreds of other writers are posting for this challenge.

31 Days: Listening to the still small voice

Here’s part of a journal entry I came across the other day. Although it was nearly 20 years ago, I still remember this as a significant moment in my spiritual journey. In need of some rest and refreshment, I had taken a week off to get away by myself. This entry came towards the end of that week. It was good to read it again, fresh on the page. Even back then God was speaking to me about listening.

10 August 1995

I lay under a huge old gum tree today, finally willing and quiet enough to hear that still small voice. As I stared up at the huge branches I heard God speaking to me, reminding me gently of some fundamental truths that I’d lost sight of.

It’s not about becoming more spiritual or doing the right thing but about developing a relationship with God, coming to know God as Father, Jesus as brother and friend (as well as Saviour and Lord), and the Holy Spirit as Comforter and Guide (I know that’s a very limited description).

It takes time to get to know someone really well – and so it is with God. I need to make opportunities to spend time with Him; especially to stop and listen.

 And behold, the Lord passed by, and a great and strong wind tore into the mountains and broke the rocks in pieces before the Lord, but the Lord was not in the wind; and after the wind an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake; and after the earthquake a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire; and after the fire a still small voice.
(I Kings 19:11-12)

This is Day 24 of the series 31 Days to Listen.

31 Days: The Gift of Listening

 A number of years ago, I asked God a question. A question followed by a declaration. A challenge even.

Lord is this all there is? Is this all I’m ever going to experience of you? Because if this is all there is, it’s not enough.

I was hungry. I didn’t fully realise it at the time, but I was hungry for more of God.

I’d been a Christian all my life, but I felt that there had to be more than what I’d experienced. That was a particular turning point for me, because it opened a way for God to show me that there was so much more to having a relationship with him than I could possibly imagine. He’s been continually answering that question with more of himself. And I’m still just beginning to discover the depth and richness of relationship that He offers.

Knowing that if I’m willing to listen, He’s willing to speak, has been one of those precious discoveries.

One of the ways I do that is to write my questions in a journal and wait for his answers. It’s not a ‘prayer list’ so much as a conversation. I write because it’s helps me to concentrate, and so I can come back and see what God was doing, what he was saying in particular seasons of my life. It’s good to see what I was learning, and to see what I’m still learning. It helps to see the threads he’s weaving together into the fabric of my life.

A simple question I often ask is, “Lord, what do you want me to know right now?”

That’s the kind of question that allows Him to set the agenda, to steer the direction of our conversation. There have been times (many, many times over the years) when I’ve been afraid to make room to listen. I’ve been afraid of what I might hear, what he might say, what he might ask of me. But I’ve discovered that most often he wants to tell me how I’m loved, to encourage me, to lead me forward.

I’m discovering what a precious gift it is to listen to God, to know him and to be known.

This is Day 22 of the series 31 Days to Listen.