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ALWAYS - 1 Thessalonians 5:16-19

Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances, for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.  Do not quench the Spirit. - 1 Thessalonians 5:16-19 Summary: Three absolute imperatives (do this and always this) followed by a why (because this is the will) and a series of prepositions of the Trinity around us (of God, in Christ, by the Spirit, for you). In our seemingly impossible quest to be always joyful, thankful and prayerful, we are surrounded by the Trinity!  This is why we pray: because it is God's will for us, because we have the salvation of  Jesus, and because the Spirit surrounds us. But we are given another lesson here, teaching us how we can pray joyfully and thankfully about everything.  There is another interconnected trinity in these verses.  How can we be joyful? Through prayer and thanksgiving.  How do we pray?  By appreciating what we have and being joyful about it.  And how do we appreciate?  By praying about everything and turn
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ANSWER - Exodus 3:13-14

But Moses said to God, "If I come to the Israelites and say to them, "The God of your ancestors has sent me to you," and they ask me "What is his name?" what shall I say to them? God said to Moses, "I am who I am." - Exodus 3:13-14 An answer to everything: what to call God, but also, to questions being asked, how to pray constantly, rejoice always and be grateful for all that we are given. Here again is the challenge, from  1 Thessalonians 5:16-18: "Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances."   To this, and to everything, God says "I am." This, I believe, is how we learn to rejoice always, by letting God be the open ended story, the rest of the sentence and the unspoken truth of "I am." This is also how we learn to pray constantly, by staying in the presence, the present tense of God, the timeless and always "I am." And this is how we learn to thank God at every turn, appr
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PEACE - Philippians 4:4-7

Rejoice in the Lord always, again I will say rejoice.  Let your gentleness be known to everyone. The Lord is near.  Do not worry about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be known to God.  And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guide your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. - Philippians 4:4-7 A three step program, leading us once again to the Trinity. First, here is what you should not do:  Don't worry.  Don't worry about anything. Second, what you should do: Give it to God.  Everything. Third, what the Father, Son and Holy Spirit will do for you: The Trinity - God's peace in Christ! - will guard your hearts from worry and change your  misunderstanding minds. How can we be so changed?  As before, with persistent prayer, thanksgiving and joy.  "Rejoice in the Lord always, and again I will say rejoice."  Paul repeats to the Philippians what he told the Thessalonians, but he a
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BOLDNESS - 1 John 5:14

And this is the boldness we have in him, that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us. - 1 John 5:14. An amazing assurance (if we ask, he hears us) and an invitation to boldness (ask anything), qualified by a necessary awareness (ask according to his will). It may seem like a dichotomy to pray boldly yet with an awareness of what God wants of us, but perhaps it will become easier to understand if we look at some related verses. First, we can rejoice in  Matthew 7:7: "Ask, and it will be given to you; search and you will find; knock and the door will be opened for you."   We truly can give it all to God and find God wherever we look. But we should also remember how Jesus prayed, at  Luke 22:42: "Father, if you are willing, remove this cup form me; yet not my will but yours be done."   We truly can ask boldly for anything, but we have to keep it an "ask," not a tell. And we can, and should, turn to Jesus in the same way; see  John 14:
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DEVOTION - Colossians 4:2

Devote yourselves to prayer, keeping alert in it with thanksgiving. - Colossians 4:2. A call to devotional, vigilant prayer.  And once again, keep it thankful! There are two parts to this verse, the devotion and the vigil.  Both have become recognizable rituals in many faith communities in which prayer is central, but we tend to think of devotions as a daily routine while the prayer vigil is typically reserved for an extreme instance, when someone is missing or sick or at death's door.  But why not combine the two? I will be the first to admit that my set-aside time for devotions is not as daily as it should be, but maybe more vigilance, more awareness of the daily presence of God, is what I need to make it so. We are encouraged by no less than the Lord's prayer.  In teaching us to pray, Jesus intended our prayer to be daily, at  Matthew 6:11: "Give us this day our daily bread." The early Christians made it routine, too, and with a decidedly thankful spirit.
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FAITH - Mark 11:22-24

Jesus answered them, "Have faith in God.  Truly I tell you, if you say to this mountain, 'Be taken up and thrown into the sea' and if you do not doubt in your heart, but believe that what you say will come to pass, it will be done for you.  So I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours." - Mark 11:22-24 That amazing assurance again, ask and you will receive, with another important qualifier: Believe! Here is the power of prayer, and we can see three big parts to this power: it revolves around faith, it shows God at work and it changes everything. First, faith is at the heart of this power.  See Hebrews 11:1: "Faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen."  Faith in God is the opposite of doubt in our hearts. Second, God is at work.  As we are taught further, at Hebrews 11:3: "By faith we understand that the worlds were prepared by the word of God."  
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HOPE - Jeremiah 29:11-13

For surely I know the plans I have for you, says the Lord, plans for your welfare and not for harm, to give you a future with hope.  Then when you call upon me and come and pray to me, I will hear you.  When you search for me, you will find me, if you seek me with all your heart. - Jeremiah 29:11-13. A reminder that God has plans for us, and that even as we ask and search, God is himself the answer. How timely to find this passage right after considering the Hebrews narrative of the long journey of faith of our forefathers.  Through this old testament prophet we are reminded, even in the midst of our journeys, that God has great plans for us, not for harm but for our well being, a future of not uncertainty but of hope. Notice too how this passage expands profoundly on the simple truth of what Jesus said at  Matthew 7:7: "Ask and you shall receive, search and you will find."   Here, as if finishing the "I am" sentence, the prophet Jeremiah adds God to the praye
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