Dinner- Stuffed grape leaves from local Greek festival - ate them too fast & didn't think of photos!
Sunday
Breakfast – 1 pancake, ½ slice ham,
Lunch – Sauerkraut and sausage and ½ slice cantelope
Sunday School surprise - discussing Job brought out how Job’s response to the disasters of his life revealed that his relationship with God was not based on the things/blessings that God had given him. His prayer following the disasters was relational.
Have you ever noticed that when your mind is focused on something you see more of that thing? For example if you are thinking of replacing an appliance, a car, or need new glasses, or a haircut, one begins to ‘notice’ those things more than before.
Similarly, I’m finding that focusing on a spiritual theme – like this 21-day focus on relational prayer – has brought my attention to many examples of prayer [which are relational and which are not] that I believe I’ve missed before. It makes the study more ‘fun’ as I’m observing examples in real life that augment the study.
Getting back to the book The PAPA Prayer, I reviewed the portion in chapter 7 that assures the book was not written as a ‘gimmick’ or formula that could/would/should manipulate God to do anything for us. Crabb confirms in multiple ways that “nothing we do makes Him do anything.”
As I continue into the book, I am more impressed with the author’s honest exposure, and immensely pleased that chapter 8 spends some time exploring John 15:5-7 “I am the Vine, you are the branches. When you’re joined with me, and I with you, the relation intimate and organic, the harvest is sure to be abundant. Separated, you can’t produce a thing. Anyone who separates from me is deadwood gathered up and thrown on the bonfire. But if you make yourselves at home with me and my words are at home in you, you can be sure that whatever you ask will be listened to and acted upon.” (from the paraphrase – The Message). This passage very effectively shows how the power of petitionary prayer is dependent on the priority of relational prayer.
If we don’t remain in Him – we remain in self. Self is more concerned with the satisfaction and fulfillment of experience or things than the giver. Crabb’s quote from Oswald Chambers shows how we can utilize God for the sake of getting peace and joy. Similarly, in people-to-people relationships we do not want to be ‘utilized’ for whatever we can ‘give’ the other person. We want to be valued for who we are. Chambers is saying that is how we need to relate to Jesus Christ. To know Him. To love Him. To relate to Him for who He is.
PAPA Prayer days 13 and 14
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