The widow's might

I can continue to wrestle with the priority of prayer. The call to prayer in Scripture is clear. Prayer was a priority for Christ, but he didn't live in our fast paced world of noise, clutter and busyness. Poor excuses I know and I don't want to live in the world Christ did. Wesley went to bed early, got up early and prayed. He found power in the Gospel message we often don't see today, or should I say, I don't see today. Thousands came to faith in Christ through Wesley's influence. The reports of the power of God moving on hearts during his open air meetings, and church meetings makes me know we are missing someONE. At one point I thought maybe I was beginning to get a handle on it, but the last few years it seems to be out of my reach again. Oh yes I pray. Faithfully pray and yes more than at meals-in fact sometimes I miss the meal prayer. It's the intercessory, deep, extended, let God move on me type of praying that I know I need and the church needs. Sometimes I get there, or at least close, but all too often I get finished and sense God hasn't even started. In Luke 18 Jesus calls us to pray and not quit. Then he tells of the widow's might. She didn't quit pounding on the judge's door. She prevailed until the answer came. God is not deaf, He is not unwilling as the judge, He is not hard hearted, but He wants us to pray about His will being done. Too often we pray about our stuff. Let's begin to cry out to God to join him in what He is doing and see a great harvest. Wherever you are in the prayer journey don't quit. I am convinced with Wesley, "God does nothing except in answer to prayer." Rally behind your pastor in prayer. Start a prayer band in your home with some friends. Let's become destitute and desperate like the widow-for His sake. A little book that helped me years ago is Dick Eastman's, The Hour That Changes The World.

Presence

I recently read the blog of another individual calling the church to a revival of personal holiness (Lee Grady/Fire In My Bones). It almost seems a paradox, that we would have to call the church to personal holiness-this should be the norm, this should be our daily pursuit and desire, and practice. We have embraced a cheap grace and a sinning religion. The church in America knows nothing of paying a price for anything, and scoffs at paying a price for personal holiness. I was in a meeting of pastors in a city where I was holding a revival, and a pastor asked a solemn question of the group. "When was the last time any of us gutted it out and battled our way through a temptation." Too many simply give in and attempt to go on. The going on is most difficult when the wheels have come off the wagon. Let's not minimize the effect of sinning-it brings death one way or another. I'm re-reading Tozer's classic, The Pursuit of God. In it he states that God meant us to see Him and live with Him and draw our life from His smile. But we have fled from that presence as Adam fled and hid in the garden. It is the realization of that awesome Presence that should make us mindful that holiness is not an option, and that His Presence, His manifest Presence is the key to that holiness. His holiness consuming us becomes the path to our personal holiness. O God take me to the cross, Your holiness is my desire.