Grace Point 60/60 Experiment

Prayer -- it is the work to which we are called!

2009-10-17T08:08:00.000-07:00

So often we begin to think that our Christian life is about the things that we 'do.' However, as we spend more time in prayer, we learn more and more that it's about what God 'does' -- and not about what I 'do.' Oswald Chambers in his devotional book, "My Utmost for His Highest" really spoke to me today about the importance of praying. So, when the timer goes off every hour, what a privilege it becomes to turn our hearts and minds to the Father. This is what we as followers of Christ are called to do. And yet, it seems to be the hardest thing to do. Life seems to be calling us and distracting us. "Oh Lord, help us to take time to focus on You!"

Here's what Oswald had to say to us today....

Prayer does not equip us for greater works— prayer is the greater work. Yet we think of prayer as some commonsense exercise of our higher powers that simply prepares us for God’s work. In the teachings of Jesus Christ, prayer is the working of the miracle of redemption in me, which produces the miracle of redemption in others, through the power of God. The way fruit remains firm is through prayer, but remember that it is prayer based on the agony of Christ in redemption, not on my own agony. We must go to God as His child, because only a child gets his prayers answered; a "wise" man does not (see Matthew 11:25 ).

Prayer is the battle, and it makes no difference where you are. However God may engineer your circumstances, your duty is to pray. Never allow yourself this thought, "I am of no use where I am," because you certainly cannot be used where you have not yet been placed. Wherever God has placed you and whatever your circumstances, you should pray, continually offering up prayers to Him. And He promises, "Whatever you ask in My name, that I will do . . ." (John 14:13 ). Yet we refuse to pray unless it thrills or excites us, which is the most intense form of spiritual selfishness. We must learn to work according to God’s direction, and He says to pray. "Pray the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into His harvest" ( Matthew 9:38 ).

There is nothing thrilling about a laboring person’s work, but it is the laboring person who makes the ideas of the genius possible. And it is the laboring saint who makes the ideas of his Master possible. When you labor at prayer, from God’s perspective there are always results. What an astonishment it will be to see, once the veil is finally lifted, all the souls that have been reaped by you, simply because you have been in the habit of taking your orders from Jesus Christ.

Continuing On

2009-10-10T14:16:00.000-07:00

It has now been a number of weeks that we have been experimenting with 60/60. Is it becoming a normal part of our lives? God keeps reminding me about my constant need for dependence upon Him. I'm grateful for this experiment as God brings us to a closer walk with Him. I trust you are learning more about praying continually, and about God's sweet presence!

Pavlov's Dog

2009-09-25T08:06:00.000-07:00

Did you know that there are timers everywhere? The french-fry timer at McDonald's! The coffee timer at Starbucks. Just enter a hospital and suddenly you hear alarms going off everywhere. Wait for the elevator and it beeps or rings as it arrives at your floor! As the 60/60 experiment has continued I am suddenly acutely aware of timers going off everywhere and it's becoming a natural response to pray for every bell or beep I hear. This is not a bad thing. The goal of 60/60 is to learn how to pray continually. What better way to pray continually than to get into the habit of turning your heart toward God -- over and over and over again!

As we pray that God will help us to love Him and love others more, He has been speaking to me and to my heart. It is through this practice of prayer that God continues to point out the weaknesses in me and in my life. He stops me in my tracks, and reminds me that all of life is about Him and service to Him. The Creator of the universe loves me, and wants to mold me into the holy woman of God I was created to be. The only problem is that often I get in the way. As the timers go off, I pray that I will decrease, and He will increase. It is becoming a constant reminder.

Starting the Second Week!

2009-09-15T07:40:00.000-07:00

Those crazy timers! Is that timer frustrating you? Is it going off at the wrong times? Are you bumping it and turning it off? Have you ever thought that God can work through those crazy timers? Those timers that may not be beeping at the right moment! But, maybe it is the right moment. Maybe God is reminding you to be in prayer in His timing.

As Pastor Chuck and I were walking through Walmart on Monday we were having a rather serious talk. At that moment our timer went off. We went around the corner, down an aisle and took a moment to bring it to the Lord! "Lord, help me to love You more! Lord, how can I love my neighbor." Suddenly the calm and sweetness of the Lord washed over us.

Keep up the experiment -- and let's see what happens.

The First Week

2009-09-10T05:05:00.000-07:00

Well, for some of us, we've been at this for several days now. I've finally gotten the hang of using my timer. It does seem to go off at the most inopportune moments. However, I think God is just laughing/smiling at us as this happens. Every hour, God is reminding me that He is there and He is leading and guiding. It's actually a great interruption, as we are busy with our business and with our day. I think that we can begin to see that maybe we haven't been "praying continually." Let's keep it up and see what God wants to do!

The 60/60 Experiment

2009-09-02T08:50:00.000-07:00

What in the world is the 60/60 experiment? It's the challenge for everyone at Grace Point to get involved and take a moment, once every sixty minutes, for sixty days, to pray, listen and/or focus on God. Can you do it? It will be a challenge. We are beginning on Monday, September 7th. That's a tough day, because it's Labor Day, and we'll be busy doing other things. However, let's see if we're up to the challenge of this experiment. Why is it an experiment? Because we want to try this out -- and see what God might do. In 1 Thessalonians 5:17 we are encouraged to "pray continually." For most of us, we can't imagine how that could happen. So, let's experiment together!