My New Altar

I have discovered at least one 'warrior' in almost every church I have been in. These individuals, often seasoned in their faith, embrace God's call on their life to impact the younger generation. Some of these warriors commit to praying over the group, interceding for their spiritual growth and well-being. Others take a more direct role, teaching the younger generation about the love of Jesus and the importance of a personal relationship with Him. They all seem to understand the value of young people and their need to be loved and led toward a personal relationship with Jesus.

Growing up, there was one such lady who made an impact on the youth. She, long since retired from full-time ministry, found a way to keep alive an unquenchable desire to share the love of Jesus. Outside of her direct teaching of the younger people, her calling card was to purchase bibles for the young people she disciplined and write a personal note inside its cover. To this day, I can still recall what she wrote. She would scribble a personal note and add the quote from D.L. Moody: "This Bible will keep you from sin, and sin will keep you from this Bible."

That was and still is a profound statement that carries a weight that anchors young Christians in the discipline of reading and valuing God's words in their lives. Personally, it has served me well and was a catalyst for a prayer where I asked God to give me a hunger for His word that would never leave me feeling like it was a chore. That prayer has been answered, and consistently over the years, I have not wavered in my reading of God's word; without a doubt, that discipline has changed my life. God granting me that desire and answering my prayer proves that being in God's word is necessary and a source of joy and fulfillment He designed.

To be fully transparent, that quote written in the front of the Bible has not always proven true. I read God's word every morning, and I study it often. I have discovered a reading plan that works for me and helps me to read from Genesis to the maps every six months. Nevertheless, there have been days and seasons where there was sin and rebellion in my life, yet I didn't waver in my reading. Reading God's word shows me who God is and how to live a life that honors Him, but it doesn't always keep me from sin, and that sin doesn't always keep me from picking it up and reading where I left off yesterday.

In my walk with Christ, I have discovered that reading God's word and allowing it to read me is only half of the equation. The other half is prayer. I'm not talking about the prayer that some of us utter over a meal to give thanks for His provisions. The prayer I am pointing to is the heart-felt surrender prayers that expose your life to a very present God. I can fake being present while reading God's word, but I have discovered the impossibility of faking times of genuine prayer. These types of prayer seem immune to being a task or discipline a follower can commit to doing on a regular. Time of prayer requires something deeper from us.

My wife has the gift of gift-giving. She once "stole" one of my old Bibles and had it restored. She took a $24 worn-out Bible off my shelf and paid over $200 to bring it back to life. She did it because she knew that the Bible could never be replaced, as it was the one I used throughout my time in seminary. Well, recently, she was at it again. She gifted me a prayer bench - a personal altar for my prayer times. It's an overwhelming gift I will treasure for the rest of my life.

Earlier last week, as I sat in my chair in our sitting room reading my Bible, I looked over at the prayer bench, and the difference hit me. As I considered the bench, I realized the weight of D.L Moody's words and how they apply more to the discipline of prayer than Bible reading.

When I know I am not living the way God desires, I can still read His word, but I find it impossible to pray when my life is out of alignment with God. Prayer is more intimate for me. Those moments are transparent, and hiding where I am in my relationship with the Father is impossible. It's reassuring that God understands us, even in our most vulnerable and honest moments.

When Adam and Eve sinned against God, they hid, and it seems little has changed. When God came into the Garden, He asked, "Where are you?" God knew where the couple was, but His question was a question of relationship - "Where are you in relationship to me" God asks.

Prayer exposes my relationship with God. Those sweet times force me to answer the question of where I am in my relationship with Him. When I find myself running from Him, I, too, hide and avoid conversation with Him.

Time in God's Word remains essential. God reveals Himself in Scripture. I suspect that God would have his children read His words even in times of sin and rebellion, for in those timeless truths, we first discovered a Father who loves us even in those seasons, and the Holy Spirit uses that living word to bring us back to Him.

Prayer is a barometer for my relationship with God. Attending prayer times and not addressing where you are in your relationship with God will be challenging. These 'prayer times' are about reciting words and engaging in a deep, personal conversation with God, where we share our joys, fears, and struggles. As I sat in my sitting room the other morning and looked at my new prayer bench, I felt in my spirit the question, 'Are you ready?' I knew what was being asked of me, so I knelt and prayed. I surrendered to God and admitted feeling helpless in several areas. In that surrender, there was a fresh, unmistakable assurance of God's ability and His willingness to be what I needed.

It was and continues to be my prayer that a love for God's word continues. I pray that everyone enjoys that answered prayer. However, as I ask God to grant me an unquenchable desire to pray, I sense that my heart fears Him answering my request. Being real before God and dealing with our relationship is far more fearful than sledding through a few chapters of the Bible. Sometimes it feels as though the enemy doesn't care if we read the Bible, but is adamant that there be obstacles to a believer leading a life marked by prayer. 

Nothing is more precious in my life than prayer with the Father. My time of prayer has proven to keep me from a life of pursuing sin, and sin has proven to keep me from time with God. Knowing this, I must determine to press through and answer His fatherly question of "Where are you, Dennis?" for in that question, I discover a Father who refuses to give up on me. He is a God who pursues and invites me to come to Him no matter where I am. He knows what I need, and He alone can help me navigate this life. May God grant me an unquenchable desire to pray.