WHO DO I TURN TO FOR PRAYER?

It’s a good question. We all periodically go through challenging times when our patience is tested, our faith is questioned or life just throws us a bluster of pain or disappointments!

First  -  PRAY!

At times like this, we know that we need help and we would prefer Divine Help!

For the Jesus-follower, crises and complications should drive us to prayer.

Annie Johnson Flint gave us a wonderful hymn back in 1930, that states clearly the reason for followers to pursue God in prayer:

When we have exhausted our store of endurance,
when our strength has failed ere the day is half done,
when we reach the end of our hoarded resources,
our Father’s full giving is only begun.

Therefore, believers should pray when they face obstacles or opposition. Doing so helps us to clear our hearts of clutter and remind ourselves of the proper order of things. For us, turning to God for answers or help is not our LAST RESORT, but our FIRST!

But there’s more to it than just the motivation or ability to remember to pray.

Second  -  Pray in Agreement With Others!

We must fully realize something that frequently seems to slip the minds of believers. Jesus clearly taught us that there is added influence when we pray together! I’ve always referred to it as ‘agreement prayer’. We learn about this from the Master in Matthew 18:19-20.

Also, I tell you that if two of you on earth agree about something and pray for it, it will be done for you by my Father in heaven. This is true because if two or three people come together in my name, I am there with them.  [NCV]

This is VITAL news for married couples! When it comes to the trials of raising a family and navigating the constant changes in our culture, we must capitalize on the benefits of praying together as a couple!  Twenty-eight years ago, when Debbie and I walked through our most desperate days, we learned to pray! We spent hours at the side of our bed or at the couch in our living room - on our knees before God!  Little did we know that it would be seven years before we would see the answer to our prayers, but we stayed faithful, and God honored our agreement prayers!

Therefore, praying with a few other believers strengthens our prayers! Somehow – mysteriously – it brings us into the very real presence of Christ! Jesus clearly recommends it to us as a more effective way of praying!

Third  -  There are Those Who Have Made a Deep Commitment to Prayer!

I can best introduce this idea to you through a story:

My first full-time appointment was to the Jeannette Free Methodist Church [actually relocated in Harrison City, PA]. The congregation was greatly reduced in size due to a split while building the new structure.

 

Immediately we met Goldie Nesbit. She was 78 years old and had been a faithful attender for many years. She was still an attractive woman who dressed immaculately and exuded a grace that drew you to her.

 

Debbie and I had a little 6-month year-old in our home [Travis] and we had no experience. Our parents each lived two hours away, and so Goldie became our ‘go-to’ person. When we called and told her that he had a fever, she told us to wrap him in a cool towel and kept calling to see how he was doing.

 

We turned to her repeatedly for advice and prayer. She was an old fashioned prayer warrior! She lived downtown with her cousin, Alice. I stopped one afternoon to visit them and Alice informed me that Goldie was in her prayer closet from Noon to 2:00 PM and that I should stop back later if I wanted to talk with her.

 

This was a first for me! Goldie had a more important appointment from noon to 2:00 PM. She was meeting with Jesus! She was interceding for family, friends and her community! No wonder she was so loved and respected!

All through the Old Testament the kings of Israel and Judah are sent to certain prophets to hear from God! These prophets were the spokesmen for the Almighty!

John the Baptist was a man who clearly enjoyed a close relationship with God through prayer. He had grown up with our Lord as a cousin and friend and together they integrated spiritual connection into their lives. John – like Jesus – lived an austere life, owning no home, and depending on God for all his needs. John – again like Jesus – drew disciples around himself to train for effective ministry! As a matter of fact, some of John’s disciples became Jesus’ disciples!  [Read John 1:35-51]

In Luke 2:25-35, we read of an elderly man – Simeon – who lived so close to God that he was told that he would not die until he had seen the Christ promised by the Lord.

The Spirit led Simeon to the Temple. When Mary and Joseph brought the baby Jesus to do what the law said they must do, Simeon took the baby in his arms and thanked God. (v.26)

 After praying over Jesus, Simeon blessed Joseph and said to Mary:

God has chosen this child to cause the rise and fall of many in Israel. He will be a sign from God that many people will not accept so that the thoughts of many will be made known. And the things that will happen will make your heart sad, too. (vs34-35)

 In the very next verses we find the following report:

There was a prophetess, Anna, from the family of Phanuel in the tribe of Asher. Anna was very old. She had once been married for seven years. Then her husband died, and she was a widow for eighty-four years. Anna never left the Temple but worshiped God, going without food and praying day and night. Standing there at that time, she thanked God and spoke about Jesus to all who were waiting for God to free Jerusalem.  (vs. 36-38)

Clearly, there are certain people who either have a special calling to prayer, or who are so in love with Jesus that they commit large portions of time to engaging with Him!  Some have referred to these individuals as saints or prayer warriors; whatever you call them, it is good to have them available!

I met one of these men while teaching in the People’s Republic of China!

The son of a Baptist minister, Samuel Lamb first began preaching in Eastern China at the age of 19. A little more than ten years later, Lamb was arrested under the Communist regime of Mao Tse-tung for “anti-revolutionary” activity before being sentenced in 1957 to 19 years of hard labor. Pastor Lamb spent the majority of his sentence working under extremely difficult conditions in a coal mine but continued to teach Christianity. Despite the death of his wife while in prison and harsh treatment by prison authorities, Pastor Lamb never lost faith and only a few years after his release restarted his house church in Guangzhou.

[https://persecution.org/2013/08/06/heroic-chinese-house-church-leader-samuel-lamb-dead-at-88/#content]

I was privileged to visit his church which was located on a back street and would never have been recognized as a church. It was a normal looking building with multiple floors and a small sanctuary on the top floor that opened to a rooftop garden area. The ‘pews’ were narrow benches set closely together. Possibly thirty Americans could be seated in this space, but the Chinese are far more comfortable with close contact. Every Sunday, this building would fill its multiple floors with Chinese Christians.

I had a friend at the time who had grown his church to nearly five thousand people. They had built a large mall-like structure surrounded by parking space and a rural setting that was simply beautiful. Samuel Lamb’s church packed the same number of people into this tiny structure five or more times every Sunday!

When we met him we were struck with his humility. He sent us away with gifts of books and pamphlets! He prayed over us after our half-hour conversation. His people were kind and gracious in the ways they treated us foreigners.

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I got some news yesterday that rattled me. I was tender and feeling very raw. I had already turned to God in prayer, but felt the need to have others praying with me. I’ve always told Debbie that if I’m in a situation where I need prayer – please find as many children as you can who will pray for me! I believe they have a simpler faith and I know they have access to God!

But my list of ‘prayer warriors’ has been shrinking!

o   My mom – who was the most committed person to prayer that I have ever known – was always my first ‘go-to’! But, to my dismay, she died in 1981.

o   My great-uncle, Rev. J. O. Archer, was my next ‘go-to’!  He told me repeatedly through the years that he prayed for me “every Sunday morning”! I believe he died during the 1980’s.

o   Of course, Debbie has been my faithful prayer partner through the years! She knows me best and is very familiar with my weaknesses, moods, and vulnerabilities. Most of the time, she’s already praying for me before I even ask! How can you express gratitude for that kind of gift?

o   My sister, Beverly, was a great deal like our mom! She was so committed to prayer and faithful in its practice in her daily life! After Debbie, for many years she was my first-and only other ‘go-to’ for prayer. But she died earlier this year!

o   I have one other. We became soul-friends with Randy and Jessica Facklar during our three years in China! Randy and I worked to encourage and support one another through those three years. He and Jessica are still there serving effectively for Christ! He and I texted this morning – though without spiritual references [you eventually get the hang of this]. I know that I’ll be lifted up daily by these precious friends in Christ!

Having people like I’ve been discussing as a part of your ‘contact list’ is of inestimable value!  There are those who have cultivated a connection with God that exceeds that of the average believer. Perhaps they have the gift of ‘faith’? They are always persistent! They have a deep relationship with God through His Holy Spirit!

Do you know someone like this? Do you call on them when you have a need?

Are YOU this kind of person? Do people trust you with their most personal requests and needs? Are you trustworthy?

I’ll close with a quote that hangs on my study carrel:

THE HARDEST THING I EVER HAD TO DO!

PART ONE - BACKGROUND

In 1995, I made a change in our family's plans that had a massive impact. I initiated a move from a church that I had led for thirteen years. I was exhausted! It had - in many ways - been a wonderful appointment with many conversions, significant growth, and a fully transitioned church! But I had been ground up in the tension between an older, guardian group and a younger, passionate group. I was the buffer between these camps and had paid a dear price for a long time. Consequently, I created a change. My parents had died and I lost trust in the conference leadership, so I sent resume's out across the church – as far as (remarkably) the Pacific northwest! I ultimately accepted an appointment to a small congregation in Spencerville, Maryland. 

This was NOT the hardest thing I ever did! That is yet to come.

The move was a challenge for our family. Spencerville is just outside the Washington, D.C. beltway and was a fast-growing cosmopolitan area. We had to learn shortcuts to go anywhere because the traffic was thoroughly congested [Sometimes we waited 10 minutes just to get out of our driveway!]. Troy and Tracie were part of a small minority group in the public school with the general population being fairly equally split between Asian, Hispanic and Middle Eastern students.  .

Having moved from Appalachia, we were now living in one of the most affluent counties in the country! We felt the financial shock IMMEDIATELY!  Leaving Ohio, family and friends had been hard; Troy and I suffered significant depression throughout that first summer as a result of this relocation. The fact that it was a summer of record-breaking heat - with no air conditioning in our new home - added to our stress.

We lived in the parsonage - on the church property - which was several acres of flat land with a pavilion. Travis had just begun his four years at the Naval Academy in Annapolis - 26 miles away. Consequently, we got to see him during a lot of Saturdays after he qualified for 'leave'. 

The church received us with kindness after having just said "Good-bye" to a very long-term pastor and his wife! They were somewhat wounded as a result of this pastoral change, but their leadership was very gracious to us and we were well received. 

The congregation averaged about forty. This was quite a change from leaving a church that was running around two hundred! The pace was slower and I was given time for respite and healing. 

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It’s important to note that my ‘Call’ to ministry has never been easy for me. I found leading churches to be frustrating because of slow-adaptors and resistance to change! I had nearly left the ministry in 1984, during a time when I was vigorously pursuing my education and burning the candle at both ends!

 

I had become fascinated with the concept of planting a new church. I believed that this was one way to avoid the chronic resistance to change. I had spoken with our denominational leadership about this possibility and had read scores of books on the topic.

 

Making the leap into this venture usually required being bi-vocational. It takes a special kind of person with unique skills to start a new church. This became a dream of mine that grew largely out of my frustration with leading plateaued churches that had lost their sense of mission and vision. Most churches – it seemed to me – had come to a comfort zone of inefficiency and settled there. Any attempt to disrupt that homeostasis was met with resistance – sometimes stringent!

 

I had resolved that the challenges of church planting would be more favorable than those that I had faced in transitioning a church. Transitioning a church from complacency to passion is one of the hardest things to do! I’m grateful to God that He enabled me to lead through this process in East Liverpool and later in New Middletown. I also was part of this process in Akron, Ohio, - although not the key leader.

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The Spencerville church had a strong reputation and had been a solid church throughout its history. The building was a very traditional, colonial-style with adequate parking and room for expansion. The congregation was a mix of younger couples with children and a heavier balance of older members – including many shut-ins.

They had managed to maintain themselves by renting the facility to a Korean congregation every Sunday afternoon. I quickly became friends with the people of the Korean congregation who often came in colorful clothing for their festivals. They served a meal every Sunday and always left our building smelling like an Asian restaurant! 😊 I enjoyed eating ‘kimche’ with them many times and thoroughly enjoyed their fellowship!

The people of the Spencerville congregation were faithful! In spite of their pain in losing a long-term leader (and spouse), they embraced us generously. Having come from a transitioned church, I was not as patient as I should have been and immediately began to challenge their thinking through my preaching and teaching. Troy and I had been gifted with wonderful guitars by a friend from our East Liverpool church. We began using them to lead the Sunday evening service – teaching the congregation new choruses and trying to grow a more energetic approach to worship.

I was forty-three when I arrived at Spencerville with a plan and hope to make this a long-term pastorate – possibly from which I would eventually retire. But, the best made plans of mice and men…

PART TWO – THE PAINFUL PART

Troy and Tracie were teenagers when we arrived in Spencerville. As they eventually made friends, these friends came from families considerably different than ours. Many of them came from broken homes and complex histories. The church property became a gathering point for them because of our four-wheelers and the wide open space. The quads rarely cooled down. Eventually, I put an above-ground pool in our backyard. At any given time, it looked like a youth group activity was going on in our yard!

Troy and Tracie invited these kids to come to Sunday School and church with them – AND MANY OF THEM CAME! Our youth leader was a young woman who embraced and accepted these kids. I constantly warned Troy and Tracie that they needed to be the influencers – not the influenced! Debbie and I became quite close with these kids. I had long conversations with one young man who had a brilliant mind. I later found out that ‘Bob’ wasn’t even his real name! 🙄 One of these young men – we discovered later – was living in a semi-trailer on a landscaping lot nearby.

We eventually removed the kids from the public school and placed them in a Christian school some distance away. That threw us into the fiasco of traffic and congestion every morning! It also stretched us financially to the breaking point!

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The church began to slowly respond to our leadership! Hope was born! Several new converts were made in new families! Those who had been dancing on the periphery began attending with regularity! Several new families became contributing participants in the congregation! Children’s and youth ministry numbers went up! Sunday worship attendance increased significantly! Although there was still some mild resistance [there always is in transitioning a church!], this congregation was beginning to experience new life!

It was the fall of 1997, when the wheels came off the Haire wagon. We faced a family crisis that rocked our boat like it had never been rocked before! We were thrown into a frenzy. The crisis had a backlash on us financially [big time], as well as emotionally! Our problems were of a nature that did not encourage transparency. A few parishoners became aware of the nature of our problem because of snippets they had read in the newspaper. A few spoke to us with reassurances of their prayers.

Between September 4 [the day our crisis presented itself] and mid-November, we had massive choices to make. I often refer to these days as the period when Debbie and I learned to pray! We spent hours on our knees at our bedside or at our living room couch! We poured our hearts out to God! We asked for His wisdom, guidance and provision! We asked Him to bless our kids! Every day-to-day activity became hard to perform! I was distracted from leading the church! Our family system was so far away, and my parents had already left for Heaven! We felt SO ALONE and DESPERATE!

Our crisis involved a lengthy hospitalization and regular counseling appointments; even psychiatry appointments – which were VERY expensive. We fell significantly behind in the Christian school bill [which was later paid by a leading layman]. We began selling whatever we could to try to stay solvent!

During these short months, we were so preoccupied with our family that everything else slipped into second place! I still feel badly about that!

Finally, we had to make a decision!

After saturation in prayer, we decided that if we wanted to save our family then we needed to return to Pennsylvania and surround our kids with our family system who would offer them unconditional support and love!

This was a horribly hard decision for us to make!  Because of our pain, shock and the privacy of our need, we chose not to be open with the Spencerville congregation. Our departure was very suddenly announced. We were given permission to pack all of our belongings in the parsonage two-car garage – and we left!

It was abrupt and without explanation! People were shocked and offended. Just yesterday – while going through old files in my garage – I read angry letters that I received from parishoners who didn’t understand our motivation for leaving. It was hard! They were certainly justified in writing them.

Instantaneously, we were homeless and without income – yet with significant debt.

We moved into the farmhouse with Deb’s parents for several weeks. We withdrew Troy and Tracie from school. Troy and I tackled jobs together on the farm to try to ‘pay our way’ a bit. Daily, we poured our hearts out to God for His provision and direction.

I sent out emails to all of our family and friends every week detailing what we were going through and desperately trying to recruit their prayers. After several weeks, some East Liverpool friends provided us with an apartment in Chester, West Virginia. We moved in with no furniture and only the supplies that we had left Spencerville with. We ate lots of Ramen Noodles because we could buy them for $.10/package.

I should note that the Spencerville Church extended our pay through the end of the year – which was an unmerited grace that we deeply appreciated!

As Christmas approached, we managed to buy one gift for each of our three T’s. Upon Travis’ arrival from the Naval Academy, he took Troy and Tracie out to buy a ‘Charlie Brown’ Christmas tree and a few ornaments.

I scoured the newspaper daily looking for job opportunities! With a college degree and two master’s degrees, I was ‘over-qualified’ for every position I inquired about. We were constantly with Troy and Tracie! We tried to envelop them with our love, encouragement and support.

Remarkably, during this time I received letters from people that I had counseled over the years.  Repeatedly, they included a financial gift expressing appreciation for the way I had helped them redirect their lives. I was asked to preach one Sunday by a church that had been founded by a layman who had been under my influence at Oakland. They gifted us that morning with $700!!!!!!!!!!  We were overwhelmed with God’s grace and goodness as well as their generosity!

In short: God provided for our needs! We spent nearly four months in this condition of dependence on God!

To end this story, I eventually turned up a classified ad from a social serving agency in Akron, Ohio. They were looking for parents to operate a licensed ‘Shelter Home’ under their supervision. I called and made an appointment with a representative. He agreed to meet us at a ‘Spaghetti Warehouse’ in Akron. We were SO EXCITED about this interview because we hadn’t eaten out in nearly five months! 😁

We were hired a week later and moved into one of their homes in Cuyahoga Falls three weeks later. Within several weeks we retrieved all of our belongings from Maryland. We worked for Shelter Care for six years. I also eventually joined the staff of Cornerstone Church which was a pivotal period of growth and development for our family!

AN APOLOGY

Five years later, a true friend [Chip Poole] passed away. Chip and Debby had felt like lifelong friends upon our arrival in Spencerville.  Despite an age difference, their kids and ours connected. Chip and I encouraged and cultivated one another. In recent days I have come across numerous letters from Chip encouraging and thanking me for my ministry! I was invited to speak at his funeral. This was my opportunity to finally address the real reasons for our abrupt departure in late 1997. For many, this was the first realization of what we had actually been going through when we made our ‘hard decision’. One family took us out for dinner and thanked us for filling in the blanks.

I want to use this opportunity to thank the Spencerville congregation for their grace and support through this STRESSFUL period of our lives! Your loving support left a deep imprint on our lives!

I really did intend to retire after leading your church for a season! God was at work and you all were adapting to my radically different style of leadership! Although we had a fast-growing, contemporary church one mile to our east and a massive mega-church four miles to our west, we were beginning to carve out a unique, loving, caring, creative ministry that was preparing us to enfold many who were searching for a Savior and a Christian home!

I’m sorry! It’s only now – so many years later – that I am comfortable speaking about this period! I simply want you to know that leaving you was truly THE HARDEST THING I EVER HAD TO DO!  Our love was genuine and our commitment sincere!

Thank you for your love, prayers and support! Our two-and-a-half years together fostered many fond and loving memories for us!

By the way:

·         You probably know that we lost Travis in October, 2015. Our hearts were permanently damaged by his sudden death and we miss him daily!

·         Troy is a healthy, happy man today with a lovely and capable wife, Missy. He is a fire-fighter in Boardman, Ohio, and is active in one of the last churches I served: Free Methodist Community Church, New Middletown, Ohio.

·         Tracie eventually moved back to your area when she turned nineteen and lived with her friend, Allison.  During this period, she met Jon Kerstetter, and they were married in 2005. Jon had a twenty-three year career in the U.S. Navy, retiring in March 2024. They have given us two grandchildren: Rylie (17) and Coltin (16). They are all living out their faith in significant ways in Rockledge, Florida.

If you care to correspond, you may write to us at 190 Rusty Trail, Enon Valley, PA 16120. Our combined email address is halinasia@psmail.net. I am also on Facebook every day at Facebook.com/HalHaire. 

WHY DIDN'T YOU STOP THIS, GOD?

Like many this morning, I'm in utter shock at the assassination of Charlie Kirk yesterday. Such a brilliant mind, capable leader, confident Christian and competent apologist!  Clearly he was already a major influencer through his Turning Point USA organization! This husband and father of two's voice was going to be heard and his impact was sure to make a difference - until yesterday afternoon.

Interestingly, yesterday I wrote a Facebook post titled: "Can Good Come Out of Bad?" And yet this morning I find myself asking God: "Why didn't You stop this?" 

I doubt that I'm alone in the query.

As a pastor, I've spent an adult lifetime answering questions about God and His action or inaction.  I've studied the Bible for answers and been trained by my counseling degree how to guide people in the throes of pain and loss. But this morning, I feel the pain of the loss of a good, good man in the prime of his life who was clearly destined for a great role in our country. His senseless death leaves me sad, angry, and feeling hopeless. The condition of our country feels irreparable!

Over the years, I have prayed regularly that the Lord would help me to never be responsible for taking the life of another person. I have also prayed this prayer over my wife and children!  

Obviously, I've known people who have faced this peril. I've prayed with them and ministered to them. Some were veterans who carried horrible burdens in their memory-banks. Early in my  ministry I made a friend of a younger man who had an accident with a friend in his car who was killed on impact. This young man's life was indelibly affected! I'm thankful that there is grace for situations like this, and I have always been comforted to be able to extend that grace on God's behalf!

However, we now have people filled with anger and mental instability who are eager to act out their violence by taking the life of another because of disagreements or differing opinions! How did our world become so evil and hateful? It certainly didn't happen overnight!

I feel paralyzed by Charlie's death! I can't get motivated to move on with my day. Discouragement and disillusionment hover over me! I need to think. I need to pray. I need God's gracious restoration. I desire to hope again.

American culture is disintegrating. Riding metros and light rails is no longer a safe activity. Remarkably, cities resist the help of the federal government's resources to restore peace in their streets - all because of political alliances. The recent murder of a young woman on a light rail was witnessed by many others who failed to assist her against her attacker and then walked around her lifeless body to exit the train!  

And in the midst of these horrific reports the church continues to divide itself and shrink its influence on our culture. The population has lost confidence in the church as an arbitrator for justice and equity!  Although vibrant and effective churches remain, the church is shrinking in size as well as influence! The denomination I've served in my entire life has shrunk by 34% over the last twenty years!

The facts are real and we all know them! But what about the question raised above: "Why didn't God stop this senseless death?

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There are just a few things that I'm certain of.

ONE is that God is also mourning with us today!

I refuse to believe that Charlie's death was God's plan or desire! God gives life! Life is sacred to God! 

SECOND is the assurance we can have that God will - in some way - bring good out of this horrible act of violence! It may take time for us to see it. Now is a time for shock, grieving and sorrow; but in time, we may be able to see evidence of God using it for good!

THIRD is the reminder that this world is just the warm-up or testing ground for an ultimate world where justice, peace, and a common love for God and one another will reign for all eternity - unhindered by violence or fear!

[I have a strong expectation that Charlie Kirk is there.]

FOURTH, God's interventions in this world are rare and beyond our understanding. We pray regularly for Him to intervene. When He does, we express our gratitude with thanksgiving. However, His sovereignty is beyond our scope of understanding and His purposes beyond our knowledge or expectations. Our walk is a walk of trust in Him!

I ENVY MOSES!

In the last verses of Numbers 7, we find these words:

When Moses went into the Meeting Tent to speak with the LORD, he heard the LORD speaking to him. The voice was coming from between the two gold creatures with wings that were above the lid of the Ark of the Agreement. In this way the LORD spoke with him.

What a blessing! To be able to actually carry on a dialogue with God! Wow! What wouldn’t we give to have such a privilege?

Hearing God’s voice is a finely developed ability that is honed by a long practice of spending time with Him in an intimate way. It is not something that typically comes quickly to new believers. Speaking with unseen others is not normal behavior for most of us! It’s a honed skill that emerges as we explore a deeper and more intimate relationship with God!

I believe there are some factors that will usually be present when we desire to hear His voice [by this I mean receive messages from Him].

The environment where you approach God is important!

Now, if it’s an emergency need that you’re presenting, then any environment is acceptable!

Psalm 18:6 ESV

“In my distress I called upon the Lord; to my God I cried for help. From his temple he heard my voice, and my cry to him reached his ears.”

However, God desires more from us than urgent pleas for help! God wants us to develop intimacy with Him!

A Special Place

It’s a good idea to designate a special place for communicating with God!

I had a fellow student who beat the Pittsburgh traffic by driving in very early and then he spent an hour reading his Bible and talking with God in the confines of his car.

Find a place and time in your home where you will be less likely to be interrupted. It could be a spare bedroom, or a breakfast nook, or in the corner of a basement, or even in your car while parked in the garage. In nice weather it might be a porch swing or picnic table or a walk through a nearby park!

Make this place your sanctuary! It is where you privately commune with God! Even when you find yourself passing this spot at other times of the day, you may reflect on the blessings that have been yours in this sacred spot!

Adequate Time

Ah, here’s the real challenge!

There is a tendency to want to hurry this devotional/prayer time due to the obvious busyness of our lives. Most of us have to work at carving out enough time for it to be impactful. Psalm 46:10 tells us to “Be still; and know that I am God.”

The bottom line here is simple: we have time for the things we really want to do! 

Making time for God is the result of two factors: desire and planning.

First and foremost, we must really LOVE having time for intimacy with God! He has to be real to us! We have to believe down deep in our hearts that time with Him changes us and makes life better! His guidance and peace alone are of inestimable value! Proverbs 18:24 clearly refers to God by reminding us that “…there is a friend that sticks closer than a brother.”

Only when we’ve learned this truth in the deepest and most meaningful ways will we prioritize significant time for God!  It doesn’t naturally come with a new birth! For most it has to be cultivated. It’s part of maturing in our faith!

Some Unstructured Time

New believers often use devotional materials or Bible-reading-plans to guide them in their private time with God. This is good and necessary for the novice.

However, these disciplines can become regimented and easy ‘check-off-points’ that fail to really engage us with God!

Essentially, spending time with God involves an exchange! We speak as we pour out our praises, concerns and requests. But this is only part of the divine equation! We must also discipline ourselves to LISTEN! This inevitably involves WAITING. Developing silence and solitude is a challenge for us in the 21^st century where most things are immediately available.

A friend told me of overhearing his two sons talking in the kitchen while warming something in the microwave. One said: “Somebody needs to invent an oven that warms things up more quickly!”  😂

Sitting still to listen to God has its hazards. It may feel awkward.

o   “How will I know when He speaks to me?”

o   “What does His voice sound like?”

o   “I sometimes fall asleep while I’m listening for God!”

On mornings when I am easily distracted, I often type my prayer to God. I am painfully honest! I confess my sins and shortcomings. I tell Him exactly how I feel with no attempt to sugar-coat it! My candidness often evokes a spiritual response. In the process – I hear Him speaking to me – usually words of comfort; but sometimes words of confrontation. When the process is over, I usually delete these letters.

Some Written Record

Journaling is the official word for this practice. It is not a requirement, but it can be a helpful investment. There’s something about the process of writing that integrates what we’ve learned into our memory and locks it in place! It seems to engage our emotions more to write these things down for later reflection.

Be careful not to let this become an obsession! Doing so can drain the joy from the experience. Record high moments, insights into scripture, messages received from God and other impactful responses.

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Spending time with God shouldn’t be a drudgery, nor should it be merely a discipline. We want to grow this time to be a TREASURE!

This is a time for us to get to know God and invite His guidance into the choices of our lives.

Remember, God initiated this type of daily relationship clear back in the very beginning when He came and spent time in the Garden of Eden with Adam and Eve [Genesis 3:8]. In that environment of perfection, one day God came to walk with them, but He couldn’t find them. He had to call out, “Where are you?”  It turns out that they had sinned!

How many times has God called out: “Hal, where are you?”

“________________ [put your name in the blank], where are you?

BROTHERS FROM DIFFERENT MOTHERS

Back in 1987, I finally received my Master of Divinity degree [which I began in 1973]. I had discerned some giftings in the area of counseling and wanted to pursue a further degree to qualify me for this work. 

After applying for the Master of Social Work at the University of Pittsburgh, I was told that due to an unusually large number of applicants, I was not accepted. They strongly encouraged me to apply the next year with assurances that I would be accepted. 

However, waiting a year seemed inordinate to me, so I applied - and was accepted - for studying toward the Master of Arts in Counseling at the Franciscan University of Steubenville. If you don't know, Franciscan University is a charismatic Catholic university.

I was placed in a small class of about twenty students for this two-year course of study. I travelled from East Liverpool, OH, where I was leading a growing church. Our family was young - all three T's under the age of 12 when I started at Franciscan.

Of course, all of my classmates and professors were Roman Catholic. 

Since I was attending full-time, it was an immersion in my studies and the campus culture. I quickly made friends from my class - one of whom became a very close friend - Ed Andrade. He invited me to attend the noon mass with him and assured me that I would be welcome. I was eager to do so.

The daily mass was less than an hour and the sanctuary was packed every day! It was awkward because at the Eucharist, people had to squeeze past me to participate. [I later learned to go forward and simply ask for a blessing instead of receiving the Eucharist.] The worship experience was quite different from what I led or had participated in thus far in my life. However, the singing was WONDERFUL!

One day, when the priest lifted up the cup during communion, the entire congregation leapt to their feet and began praying or singing out loud! I was shocked! This had never happened before! I was rapt with attention as I listened. My friend, Ed, was praying out loud! My friend, Deanna, was singing beautifully in the Spirit! This whole experience lasted about a minute or two and then everyone sat down and the mass continued. I was full of questions!

To my surprise, when I began asking about it after the mass, no one seemed to think much of it. It was clearly directed by the Holy Spirit as everyone stood without being directed to. Each person seemed focused on praising God in the way that seemed most natural to them! I was mesmerized!

The students were very pro-life and I participated in several protest events with the students to try to save the lives of preborn children!  I've always had an activist attitude and it was allowed to flourish in this environment!

During the summer they put up huge tents and had evangelistic services on campus. They were filled to capacity. The music was remarkable and the singing was enthusiastic. The preaching was less formal and the people were very responsive! Many - including me - stayed for nearly an hour afterward listening as the worship team continued to play and worship!

Our class included a Hispanic priest and me - a protestant pastor. Many of our learning experiences were small-group oriented, so we became very close very quickly. I still communicate with some of my class members. I always felt respected in spite of my protestant orientation! 

I was wrestling at this stage with whether to launch into the work of counseling - which had become more than a possibility. Ed and I actually made an arrangement with one of our professors to use her office in Toronto, Ohio to take on some clients. We talked a great deal about opening a counseling office together upon our graduation.

Obviously, I continued in ministry and found ways to use my newly acquired training and experience to support the ministry and serve the community!

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This opportunity to be part of a Roman Catholic community showed me a depth of commitment and zeal for the Lord that was deeply satisfying, encouraging and affirming. I never felt denigrated - only accepted! I value this time and experience.

Throughout my forty-three years of ministry I always participated in ecumenical efforts in the communities where I served. While in East Liverpool [for thirteen years] I became very close friends with the priest at St. Aloysius. We enjoyed a warm, friendly and affirming relationship. This was unusual because quite often priests don't feel comfortable or welcome in these groups!

Again, while serving [nine years] in New Middletown, OH, I became very friendly with the priest of the parish cattycorner from the Free Methodist Church. I occasionally attended their Saturday evening mass to simply be in an environment where I had no responsibility and could just worship freely!

I find the drama of the catholic service to be very meaningful. Although I don't always know when to stand and sit or know the words to all of their responses, I see God at work in their worship and welcome them as brothers and sisters in Christ.

My friend, Ed, and I had to quietly agree to simply not discuss certain topics because we were each deeply invested in our respective views. However, we forged a deep friendship that focused on our common love for Christ and deep appreciation for all that He had done for each of us! 

One Sunday night he and Holly [his wife] visited on a Sunday afternoon and we invited them to attend our evening service. In that service - due to my comfort with Ed and knowledge of his deep faith in Christ - I spontaneously invited him to lead us in prayer! He gave a wonderful prayer, but later informed me that it had shocked and stressed him to do so! 😊 We had a good laugh about it!

Ed and I gradually drifted apart, largely because of distance; he lived in Florida. He went to Heaven this past year and I deeply regret that we didn't sustain our friendship after leaving Franciscan! Losing him as a close friend was clearly to my detriment! But, I have the assurance that we will resume that friendship in the future! 😉