prayer

This is the Way part four

~ ForCommonGround ~ Leave a comment

In this fourth part of the series, we look at the character of a believer when it’s tested by life’s pressures. That character is derived from the posture of one’s heart, which has been devoted to its Savior.

Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer.

Romans 12:12

Life doesn’t always unfold the way we envision it. Unexpected trials, long seasons of waiting, and moments of heartbreak can leave us disoriented. Yet in the middle of life’s unpredictability, Romans 12:12 offers a steadying reminder—a threefold call that aligns our hearts with God’s rhythm: hope, patience, and prayer.

Be Joyful in Hope

Hope is not mere wishful thinking. Biblical hope is rooted in the certainty of God’s promises. It’s not optimism based on circumstances but assurance anchored in who God is. Paul encourages us not just to have hope, but to rejoice in it.

Why joy? Because our hope is alive. It points beyond the temporary trials of today to the eternal glory that awaits. When we rejoice in hope, we’re acknowledging that God is still at work, even when we can’t see it. Our joy becomes an act of trust.

Be Patient in Affliction

Affliction tests our endurance like little else. Whether it’s grief, illness, anxiety, or injustice, suffering has a way of wearing us down. But patience in affliction doesn’t mean passive resignation—it means active endurance. It’s a quiet strength that says, “I will not give up, because I know God hasn’t given up on me.”

This patience is forged in the fire of faith. It’s a discipline that requires us to rely not on our own strength, but on God’s sustaining grace. In waiting patiently, we grow in character, empathy, and spiritual depth.

Be Faithful in Prayer

When the future is uncertain, prayer becomes our lifeline. Paul reminds us to be faithful in it—not just praying occasionally or when life gets hard, but making it a habit, a rhythm, a conversation that keeps us connected to the heart of God.

Prayer isn’t always about finding answers; it’s about finding God. It’s where we bring our fears, our doubts, our joys, and our confusion. And in return, we often find peace that transcends understanding.

Putting It All Together

Romans 12:12 isn’t just a single verse—it’s a spiritual posture. It teaches us how to live in the tension of “already, but not yet.” Already redeemed, but not yet restored. Already loved, but not yet home.

In a world full of chaos, this verse gives us a blueprint for peace: Hope anchors us. Patience steadies us. Prayer connects us. All of these helps us be a reflection of God’s light to a world in desperate need of hope.

Peace in Christ brothers and sisters.

Soul Satisfying Silence

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In our noisy, fast-paced world, silence can feel elusive. The constant hum of notifications, the demands of work, and the chatter of daily life often leave us longing for rest. Yet, throughout the Gospels, we see Jesus intentionally seeking moments of solitude and silence, carving out space to connect with God and focus His mission. This practice is more than a spiritual discipline; it’s an invitation to embrace the rhythm of grace and intimacy with the Father.

In Mark 1:35, we read, “Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house and went off to a solitary place, where he prayed.” After ministering to crowds and healing the sick, Jesus sought the quiet of the early morning. He must have been worn and exhausted and in need of refreshing.

Jesus’ example reminds us that seeking silence often requires intention and sacrifice. It’s easy to let the busyness of life crowd out quiet moments, but setting aside time for solitude aligns our hearts with God’s will and refreshes our souls.

Throughout the Gospels, Jesus withdrew to pray before major decisions or after significant events. For instance, before choosing His twelve disciples, He spent the night in prayer alone on a mountainside (Luke 6:12).

In these silent moments, Jesus demonstrated the importance of aligning His actions with the Father’s will. Silence provides the space to listen to God’s voice, reflect on His Word, and seek His guidance.

In Mark 6:31, Jesus invited His disciples to rest, saying, “Come with me by yourselves to a quiet place and get some rest.” Jesus understood that spiritual and physical renewal are intertwined. He balanced the demands of ministry with the necessity of rest, modeling a life that values both work and Sabbath rhythms.

Silence allows us to recover from the demands of our daily lives, offering peace to our restless hearts and clarity to our cluttered minds.

The life of Jesus calls us to seek silence—not as an escape but as a way to realign our hearts with God’s purpose. In the stillness, we find His presence. In the quiet, we hear His voice. As we follow Jesus’ example, we, too, can experience the profound peace and strength that comes from time spent with the Father.

Be still, and know that I am God

Psalm 46:10

Peace in Christ brothers and sisters.

Convicted

~ ForCommonGround ~ Leave a comment

I have a confession to make.

Coming up next week, I will be speaking at a men’s ministry event, and later that week, at our church. Several days ago, I came to the conclusion that I devote so much more time and energy to prayer, study, journaling, and meditation, when I am preparing for something than I do normally. This time around, that realization brought with it a conviction. I tried to shrug it off by telling myself that it makes perfect sense to devote more time during a preparation period. However, I knew deep down that this wasn’t true.

In the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who will judge the living and the dead, and in view of his appearing and his kingdom, I give you this charge: Preach the word; be prepared in season and out of season; correct, rebuke and encourage—with great patience and careful instruction. 

2 TImothy 4:1-2 NIV

Paul’s words to Timothy can be applied to every believer. Whether we are speaking in front of an audience, or living our everyday life, we are a kingdom of priests called to witness Christ. To do that, our hearts and minds need to be intuned and prepared. Delivering a message at a church or leading a bible study are important, but not more so than the message our lives speak to our loved ones, friends, neighbors, and coworkers. As I was doing my mental gymnastics a few days ago, I felt the Lord opening me up to this idea. I need to carve out the same kind of time in my day-to-day that I do in preparation for speaking.

The Bible speaks so much on the topics of prayer. More than that, it says how prayer should be a constant. The connection with Christ shouldn’t be seasonal or circumstantial. I had to confess to my wife also that I spend more time in prayer when things aren’t going smoothly. How sad is that? Prayer and contemplating God’s word, are supposed to be ingrained in our lifestyle. Check out these passages.

  • Pray without ceasing (1 Thessalonians 5:17)
  • Be constant in prayer (Romans 12:12)
  • Pray about everything (Philippians 4:6)
  • Meditate on the Word day and night (Joshua 1:8)
  • Fix our eyes and meditate on God’s words (Psalm 119:15)
  • Delight in God’s words and meditate on it day and night (Psalm 1:2)

I owe Christ more. I owe Him everything. I owe Him all of me. How could I be so inconsistent? How could I be so misguided? Conviction can produce one of two outcomes. I will either learn and grow. Or I will retreat due to guilt. May the latter not be so. If any of you reading this are convicted as I am, join me in trying to draw nearer. Let us pursue a more consistent connection to the Vine. Thank you Jesus for your patience and grace.

Peace in Christ brothers and sisters.

Prayer is a glimpse into the soul

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*image from Faithgateway

Of all the things Jesus’ disciples could have asked of Him, it was prayer that they wanted to know how to do the most. And there was no greater teacher. Jesus’ life was a display of what it meant to be in tuned with God. It was intentional. It was humble. Jesus often sought solitude in order to be alone with God. He used prayer to regain strength and resolve. If prayer was so essential in the life of the Messiah, so to it must be in His followers. If we are to walk as He walked, it all starts with prayer.

Have you ever stopped to study the prayer that are in the Bible? There are so many great examples from the patriarchs, the prophets, king David, Jesus, and His disciples. I truly believe that they are in the Bible for us to learn from. They show us a heart devoted to a calling. They show us people in love with God. They show us desperate need for the One who saves. They are anything but a rudimentary activity worked in as part of the Christian’s day.

When we pray, our soul connects with our Maker. When we pray, spiritual forces are put into motion that we struggle to comprehend. When we pray the depth of who we are and what we stand for is laid bare before God. When we pray our love for others is proved genuine or superficial. Take a look at this prayer from a Christian woman who was confined to a labor camp in Siberia:

O God, accept all my sufferings, my tiredness, my humiliations, my tears, my nostalgia, my being hungry, my suffering of cold, all the bitterness accumulated in my soul. Dear Lord, have pity also on those who persecute and torture us day and night. Grant them, too, the divine grace of knowing the sweetness and happiness of your love.

Let’s pray with more passion and power brothers and sisters!

Nothing Trivial

~ ForCommonGround ~ 2 Comments

As a parent, there is absolutely nothing I wouldn’t want my children to feel like they could come to me about. I’m not just thinking about all of the big things they will face in life. I also want them to be comfortable sharing the little things. There is nothing trivial about a parent-child relationship. The same can be said about our relationship with God.

The moment we start making things off limits to bring before the LORD, our closeness with Him begins to shrink. Why is it that kids don’t come to their parents about certain things? They either don’t trust them with the information, don’t think that their parents will care, or they want to hide it. The same is true to how we relate to Yahweh.

If there is something that we aren’t bringing to God, I would like to suggest it’s perhaps it’s born out of some sort of mistrust, deception, or apathy. Maybe God could care less about whatever it is. Maybe I’m not proud of something therefore I’ll just avoid the whole prayer thing. Maybe the love of God really isn’t so big to forgive me of what I’ve just done. Maybe I can just handle this on my own. I’ll get God involved as a last measure if I can’t iron it out. Maybe God really won’t help me out here. Those are all lies that, no doubt, everyone reading this post has told themselves at one time or another. I’ve told myself every single one of them.

When I look at your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have set in place, what is man that you are mindful of him, and the son of man that you care for him? Psalms‬ ‭8:3-4‬ ‭ESV‬‬

God is infinite, and that can scare us. After all, how do you approach someone who is absolutely perfect in every way? Why would the creator of existence itself care one bit about my issues? Love, that’s how. A love far greater than any human is capable of demonstrating. It’s a perfect love, therefore it’s unfamiliar to us. We read about it. We were shown it through the life of Jesus. And yet, we doubt it. Even the most ardent believer battles with it at times. We have never been shown perfect love by another person, nor have we ever given perfect love ourselves. Therefore we translate our failures and the failures of others into our views of God. We retreat from Him time and time again because thats how we’ve related to those in our lives. We keep bits of ourselves back. We disclose what we want and work through everything else.

Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice. Let your reasonableness be known to everyone. The Lord is at hand; do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. Philippians‬ ‭4:4-6‬ ‭ESV‬‬

What will it take for you, for me, to become an open book before the LORD? Do yourself a favor first off and admit that you’re not. Every one of us are holding back somehow, in some way. He’s not too busy for us. He’s not above our needs and worries. His love is not limited. We can trust Him, far more than any of us do.

Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need. Hebrews‬ ‭4:16‬ ‭ESV‬‬

Prayer Warriors

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“Then Jesus went with them to a place called Gethsemane, and he said to his disciples, “Sit here, while I go over there and pray.”And taking with him Peter and the two sons of Zebedee, he began to be sorrowful and troubled.Then he said to them, “My soul is very sorrowful, even to death; remain here, and watch with me.”And going a little farther he fell on his face and prayed, saying, “My Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as you will.”And he came to the disciples and found them sleeping. And he said to Peter, “So, could you not watch with me one hour?Watch and pray that you may not enter into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.”

Matthew 26:36-41 (ESV)

When my wife and I started dating we used to stay up all hours of the night watching movies or just talking. There were several occasions I can recall driving her home and knowing that I only had a few hours before I had to be ready to head to work that morning. But it was worth it. The sleep was not that important compared to spending the time with her. From the day we had started talking to one another, we never wanted to spend much time apart. From that point on, we’ve been pretty much inseparable. When I have had to be gone we would text all day long and talk for well over an hour when possible. Even after all these years and multiple children, the bond is every bit as strong.  I’m not telling you my sappy love story to try to impress or brag but because this is what love can look like. That’s what our love for Jesus is supposed to look like.

For our seven-plus years of being together, my wife and I have been the best of friends. Our relationship with Jesus is really meant to be the same way. I mean, think about it. In the Bible, Jesus is referred to as both our friend and as being married to His church. Followers of Christ have several names: child of God, co-heir, saint, disciple, and much more. This chapter is more about the labels of friend and bride (which I know may sound weird to some guys, but it’s actually awesome). As a bride and friend, the followers of Jesus should want, perhaps more than anything, to be connected to Him. That’s what prayer life is all about.  It’s not morning or evening prayers, it’s daylong prayer. It’s not simply seeking God for help in times of trouble, it’s speaking with Him in the good and hard times. It’s not putting Him on the shelf until you need Him, it’s wanting to be in His presence constantly. That’s what the story of the Bible has been about since the very beginning. God walked with Adam and Eve in the garden in Genesis, He tabernacled with the Nation of Israel, He embodied humanity in Jesus, and one day the new heaven and new earth will exist in the glory of His eternal presence.

The question of Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane can be a striking conviction for most people. But it doesn’t have to be. I’m not talking about setting aside prayer time, I’m talking about living a prayer life. Remember, Jesus didn’t need His disciple in the garden, He invited them because He wanted to be with them. It’s no different for you and me. We’re invited into prayer, with the God of all creation, because He wants to be with us. He wants us to enjoy His presence because we need it to make it through life. We all suffer loss and difficulty that wages war on our hearts. So do those we love. A praying life is the only way to effectively wage war on the things that seek our downfall.

Prayer is the greatest weapon we have to fight for our families, friends, and even strangers. Prayer is so powerful that it can help set people free from addictions, oppression, depression, pride, and in some cases, disease and death. Prayer redirects lives. Chapter nine explores more of the spiritual realities around us and why it’s so important to live a life Amazon or Barnes and Noble.

“For the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh but have divine power to destroy strongholds. We destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to obey Christ…”

2 Corinthians 10:4-5 (ESV)

Prayer Warriors

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“Then Jesus went with them to a place called Gethsemane, and he said to his disciples, “Sit here, while I go over there and pray.” And taking with him Peter and the two sons of Zebedee, he began to be sorrowful and troubled. Then he said to them, “My soul is very sorrowful, even to death; remain here, and watch with me.” And going a little farther he fell on his face and prayed, saying, “My Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as you will.” And he came to the disciples and found them sleeping. And he said to Peter, “So, could you not watch with me one hour? Watch and pray that you may not enter into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.”

                                                                        Matthew 26:36-41 (ESV)

When my wife and I started dating we used to stay up all hours of the night watching movies or just talking. There were several occasions I can recall driving her home and knowing that I only had a few hours before I had to be ready to head to work that morning. But it was worth it. The sleep was not that important compared to spending the time with her. From the day we had started talking to one another, we never wanted to spend much time apart. The first time we hung out, a lunch date turned into nine hours of talking, reading silly books at a local bookstore, running to the pet store, and going to see what turned out to be a pretty lame movie. I’m not telling you my sappy love story to try to impress or brag but because this is what love can look like. I’m not for a moment pretending that we have it all figured out. We have our ‘stuff’. But what we do have, and really always have had, is connectivity.

I don’t know about you, but much of my life in pursuit of Christ has been a long shot from a good friendship and marriage. I have been a lousy friend to Him. In fact, if I were to treat my wife or any of my friends the way I have shown friendship to Jesus, they all would have dropped me long ago. Praise God that His friendship and devotion more than makes up for my failures. But that doesn’t allow me any excuse to not do my part. The connection I have with my wife should mirror the one that I have with Jesus. The connectivity and intimacy that I’m talking about can only be established through prayer.

The life of Jesus shows us what it’s like to want to be with God, even in seclusion. Never once does it say that Jesus prayed when He had a chance or when something came up. It doesn’t say that He set aside 10-15 minutes of morning and evenings to say His prayers. It doesn’t talk about having a little bit of quiet time with the Lord. Jesus’ life was a life of connectivity and intimacy. Jesus had a life of prayer, and He wants the same for us.

“And he (Jesus) came to the disciples and found them sleeping. And he said to Peter, “So, could you not watch with me one hour?”

Matthew 26:40 (ESV) [my emphasis]

My flesh says, “Give them a break Jesus.” They didn’t know what was about to happen plus they’ve been up all night already. But that’s just it. Our life in prayer, and in the Spirit, isn’t about our convenience, doing it when we feel like it, or knowing what lies ahead. If anything, prayer is not convenient, but just like spending time with my wife, I do it because I want to regardless of convenience. It was never convenient to stay up till 3 am and then go to work at 6:30 am. But I did it because I wanted to be with her. The same is true with prayer. We do it as often as we can no matter the time of day or what is going on because we want to be with God. More than that, we know we need to be with God.

What does it look like to live a life of prayer? We are at war for our entire life, but what does that exactly mean? What is at stake in this war? Can we really be so connected to Jesus? These questions and more are discussed in chapter nine of my book Questioned by Christ. You can check it out on Amazon or Barnes and Nobles.

God bless brothers and sisters!