Phil’s Blog

Psalm 20 is a wonderful Psalm, which reflects a truly spiritual and open posture before God rather than religious self justification:

Firstly, may God answer you in the day of trouble! That is a wonderfully real prayer. Even if it is entirely your own fault that you have landed in trouble - the best thing you can do is bring your situation to God.

Secondly, may he send you help from His sanctuary and support from Zion. This is a prayer for God himself to help you by His power and His presence and for you to experience the support of the family of God - the church. Both are necessary for our spiritual journey.

Thirdly, may God credit to your account all the sowing that you have done. May he remember your faithfulness in times past and reward you for your service in the kingdom. This is the kind of prayer Nehemiah prayed (Neh 13: 14 and 31). It is legitimate and is an expression of your ongoing relationship with God.

Fourthly, may we shout for joy and celebrate the active work of God in our lives. May we not be a people that are just relieved that things have not got worse, but rather be a people full of praise and joy at the work our God has done and will continue to do in us and through us.

May God bless you and give you all the desires of your hearts as you come before him with real, transparent prayers and as you remain totally immersed in the family of God - the church.

This is the 3rd and final part of some thoughts on personal devotions.

In the last year or so, I have begun using a prayer list as a simple aid to prayer. RT Kendall once spoke of it when he was with us and I thought I would give it a try. On my list, I have a list of people that I am praying for - from family, to leaders, to church planters that have gone out from our local church. I also have a list of people that I am praying for that do not believe in Christ. Most of these are personal friends or family members. Lastly I have a list of personal requests - related to decisions that we have to make or opportunities that are opening up where we need the wisdom and the leading of God.

I pray through this list about once a week and have found it a very helpful tool to keep bringing things before God. It has also been wonderful to be able to add things to my list when I commit to pray for them because if I get it onto the list, it definitely will be regularly in my prayers.

Lastly, I often spend time listening to worship music during my devotions. I have found this also to be very helpful. I will often just sit and listen, sometimes joining in, sometimes praying, sometimes allowing my mind just to unwind and enjoying being in the presence of God without any agenda.

Personal devotions are a vital part of the expression of our relationship with God. Psalm 84 says that one day in the courts of God is better than a thousand elsewhere and we learn from Jesus in Luke 5 that it is good to withdraw and spend time in prayer.

May God bless you and fill your personal devotions with life.

In my last Blog posting I outlined the start to my personal devotions, and I want to continue on that theme particularly in the area of prayer.

Once I have completed my bible reading, the rest of my devotional time is devoted to prayer and / or worship. I have a deep desire to pray true and spiritual prayers as opposed to religious and self-important prayers. What I mean by that is that I try to express in plain and clear language to God who I am and what I desire in my relationship with Him. The parable of the “Pharisee and the Tax Collector” in Luke 18: 9-14 is a stark reminder to all believers that it is not the appearances that matter but the reality of our relationship with God. The Pharisee in his prayer justified himself before God, while the Tax Collector humbled himself. I seek to follow the Tax Collector’s example in my own prayer life, asking God to reveal my motives and attitudes rather than assume that I am in perfect spiritual health.

I ask God to search me and all my motives and attitudes and where I need to confess and repent of things - I do. I ask God to wash me and to cleanse my mind and my emotions. Sometimes it is just the things that happen in every day life that can weigh down on us and cause us to stumble in personal pride or jealousy or a hardness of heart towards someone.

In my devotional time, I also spend time asking God to fill me and anoint me with his Holy Spirit. There might be a particular area where I ask him for help. It could be in parenting, or husbanding or even in ministry. I am of the firm conviction that I can only be fruitful through what I receive from God. In my devotions I seek to be filled and to draw on my relationship with God for my life.

My devotional life of prayer is first an expression of my relationship with God, before it is a list of requests and desires. If I am struggling to express myself in prayer, I use the Psalms to remind me of the kind of real and intimate language that is typical of spiritual prayer and so far removed from religious appearances.

May God bless you in your own devotional journey with Him. Next time I will continue with the theme of prayer and worship.

One of the areas that Christians often seem to struggle in is that of personal devotions. Many Christians seem to feel that they are either not doing enough or that their devotional times are ineffective or filled with distracted thoughts. This blog posting and maybe 1 or 2 more will be devoted to sharing something of my story of personal devotions in the hope that it will be helpful to others.

I normally start my day with devotions. When my alarm clock goes off in the morning, I often lie in bed for a few minutes looking out the window and wondering whether it is possible for my clock to have gained a couple of hours overnight. Although I love my devotional times with God, I seldom bound out of bed with enthusiasm, it normally takes me a few moments to get going.

First things first. I wander down to the kitchen and make myself some coffee. In our household I also make sure the dogs are fed, because if I don’t they become restless and noisy (barking), which has a direct impact on the quality of my devotions. It is hard to be spiritual while at the same time calling the dogs to order through the window. By the time I get to my study and have my bible open in front of me about 15 minutes have passed since my alarm went off.

I generally start my devotions by reading a passage of scripture. I have been reading according to a bible reading plan for about 5 years now, which for me has been a hugely valuable tool. Every day I read a portion of the Old Testament and the New Testament. My reading takes me between 15 and 20 minutes and I underline and highlight verses along the way that I feel are specifically significant for me or where God is speaking to me. This helps me to concentrate and remain focused while I read. Whether I feel like it or not, I always read the bible. I may change other aspects of my devotions if I find that I am becoming stale, but I never change the pattern of reading the Word. Next week I will spend time on the subjects of prayer and worship.

to be continued….

This week we have heard amazing news of answered prayer. A couple we know based in South East Asia are going to have a baby after 9 years of trying and a physician in South Africa giving them a zero percent chance of an unassisted pregnancy. I don’t know how many prayers have been prayed over the years either by the couple themselves or by friends or by corporate prayer meetings in local churches. But I do know that there is an overwhelming sense of gratitude to God and celebration in his faithfulness and goodness in answering these prayers.

As the news was announced on Sunday in our local church there was a spontaneous eruption of applause and praise. Praise because God has acted in his sovereign power and overturned an ‘impossible situation’. Praise because God has done it amongst us. This is not a story we have read in a book of an unknown people. This has happened in our family and God has visited us with his mighty power. Praise because God has looked upon their lives and shown his compassion by answering their cry.

As the psalmist says in Ps 20: 5 (ESV)

May we shout for joy over your salvation, and in the name of our God set up our banners! May the Lord fulfill all your petitions!

We give glory to God and celebrate with joy at the blessing that has come upon our friends!

One of my favourite portions of scripture is Psalm 23. It is a Psalm that I return to regularly to remind myself of the way God describes his relationship with his people. (Other references to God as a Shepherd are Ezekiel 34 and John 10).

The picture of a shepherd and his sheep is an intimate picture of dependance and trust. The sheep is totally dependant on the shepherd. There is never a dialogue between the sheep and the shepherd about where to go or about what would be an appropriate course of action in the circumstances. The shepherd leads and the sheep follows. The shepherd provides and protects and the sheep is well nourished and is secure.

In this Psalm we see God as our provider - I shall not want. We see God as our source of spiritual nourishment and sustenance - green pastures. We see God as the restorer of our soul - still waters. We see God as our guide into his ways - paths of righteousness. We see God as our defender and constant companion - he is with us through the valley of the shadow of death. God comforts and admonishes us with his rod and staff. God is able to laugh at the intimidation of the enemy and prepare a feast for us in the midst of great adversity. God is the one who anoints us with the Holy Spirit causing our lives to be full of grace and ease as well as full of his supernatural power to live and to do what he calls us to do. He lavishes us with goodness and mercy and enables us to live in his presence all the days of our lives.

The Lord is my Shepherd!