PRAYING NAMES - A FEW MORE

Here are a few more names for your praying enjoyment. Please don't forget to email me or leave a comment with names of loved ones you would like to pray for. I'll research the meaning of the name, create a prayer and post the next batch within a week or two. After they're posted here, I'll move them and add them onto the permanent "PRAYING NAMES" page.

If you don't know what I'm talking about...go to my May POST that explains praying for loved ones by praying the meaning of their names.

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Ava: like a bird; voice

Heavenly Father, I pray that Ava will live her name. I pray that she will have such a strong faith in you that she will soar as if on the wings of eagles. I pray that she will run and not grow weary; that she will walk and not faint. I pray also that when she speaks, others will hear your words and the sound of your voice. I pray that she will be an example to others of her faith in you.

Christian: Of the Christian faith

Heavenly Father, I pray that Christian will live his name. I pray that throughout his life, people will hear Christian’s name and know by his life, his words and actions, that he is your son. I pray that he will be strong in his faith and an example to his family, friends, loved ones, co-workers and strangers of a godly man who trusts in Jesus.

Athena: goddess of wisdom and war

Heavenly Father, I pray that Athena will live her name. I pray that she will be known to others as a woman who lives a life of godly wisdom. I pray that her spirit will be that of a wise, righteous and thoughtful child of God. I pray also that she will be a Christian soldier in God’s army, putting on the full armor of God and excelling in obedience and strength of faith, as if a soldier, marching behind the banner of Jesus’ cross.

Lauren, Laura, Laurel, Lori: The Bay; Laurel Plant

Heavenly Father, I pray that Lauren will live her name. I pray that her faith will grow as strong as a laurel tree and that she will provide spiritual shade and rest for others beneath her flowering branches. I pray that like Jesus’ parable, she will know that Jesus is the true vine and she is a branch. I pray that she will cling to that understanding and grow strong in her faith, creating sweet smelling flowers and lush fruit for Him.

Sarah, Sara, Sally: Princess

Heavenly Father, I pray that Sarah will live her name. I pray that she will recognize that as a Christian she has been adopted by the King of the universe. I pray that she will understand her status as His princess and will live as that nobility requires.

Daniel, Dan, Danny, Dane: God is my judge

Heavenly Father, I pray that Daniel will live his name. I pray that throughout his life, he will understand that God is just and that God, rather than society, is his ultimate judge. I pray that Daniel will live his life making each decision with the understanding that God is watching; not to be found wanting but so that one day God will say to him, “Well done, good and faithful servant.”

FRESH AIR FROM THE SPIRIT

This blog post is part of the ChristianWriters.com blog chain. This month our theme is “fresh air.” See the links to the right and enjoy what my friends have to say about fresh air.

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This Sunday, June 12 marks the end of the Easter season on the Christian liturgical calendar.  Specifically, this Sunday, we celebrate Pentecost. Scripture tells us that Pentecost is the day Jesus’ disciples received the Holy Spirit. This supernatural event is recounted in Acts 2:

When the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place. Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting. They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them. All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them.

PENTECOST

The word Pentecost comes from the Greek word pentekoste meaning 50 days. Fifty comes from the root word “pent” for “five” as in pentagon, a geometric shape with five sides.

Easter Sunday marked Day One of the 40 days the risen Christ walked among us before taking his place in heaven. Fifty days after his resurrection, on Pentecost, he gifted his believers with the Holy Spirit.

The day we observe as Christian Pentecost was also celebrated before Jesus’ time by Jews as the Feast of the Harvest or Pentecost. For the 49 days after Passover, farmers set aside first fruits of their wheat harvest.

On the 50^th day, they would make a pilgrimage to the Temple in Jerusalem to present their offering  and to celebrate the receipt of the 10 Commandments and the Torah—the first five books of our Christian Old Testament, also known as the Pentateuch or Books of Moses. The Feast of the Harvest, the Jewish Pentecost, was one of the most important holy days in Judaism.  

Even after Paul’s conversion, return to Jerusalem for Pentecost was an important event in the lives of the Jewish people. Acts 20:16 tells us:

Paul had decided to sail past Ephesus to avoid spending time in the province of Asia, for he was in a hurry to reach Jerusalem, if possible, by the day of Pentecost.

COINCIDENCE?

Notice anything interesting about these two important Jewish holy days?

Jesus, the Lamb of God, was sacrificed during the celebration of Passover, when Jews sacrificed lambs to remember the preservation of the Hebrew people. Jesus’ sacrifice was for the eternal preservation of all mankind.

One of Jesus’ first instructions to his 12 disciples reported in Matthew 9: 37-38: “The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field.”

This was followed immediately by Jesus’ instructions to the disciples to drive out spirits and heal in His name. To harvest people for salvation.

The Jewish harvest celebration of Pentecost coincided with the arrival of the Holy Spirit to the early Christians, which promised empowerment of all believers for God’s spiritual harvest.

Does God do coincidences?

FRESH AIR

Take a look at Acts 2 again:

Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting.

The followers of Jesus were inside a house and yet the house was filled up with sound from heaven. It got everyone’s attention. After that, they were filled with the Holy Spirit.

The gift of the Holy Spirit is given to all of us when we receive Christ into our hearts. I’ve not seen a flame over anyone’s heads when they marched down the aisle during altar call, though. Nor have I heard the sound of a mighty wind within a closed room.

But when I am still, I can almost hear the sound of God; sometimes as a gentle whisper; sometimes as a mighty storm. I am reminded that He is in control, and that He is working in and through me, by the Holy Spirit.

Just as He did more than 2000 years ago with the new Christians shut inside a house.

To the early Christians, holding on to a fragile new faith, the Holy Spirit flowing through the house and settling upon them, must have been the very breath of fresh air they needed. Whisking away doubts and literally filling them with the power of God.

The Holy Spirit in us is fresh air to the soul. When we are open to its presence, it can flow as a gentle whisper or a mighty wind. Let us open the windows of our heart and let it flow.

PRAYER: Heavenly Father, thank you for your power. Jesus, thank you for the gift of the Holy Spirit and for the power you instill in us. Remind us that you, Holy Spirit, as spirit, are fresh air to our souls, to our minds and to our faith. Use us, dear Lord, for your purpose. Amen.

WHAT ABOUT YOU? Do you think it was a coincidence that the Holy Spirit was given to early Christians first on the day Jewish people celebrated both the harvest and the giving of the law? Do you even believe in coincidences when it comes to God?

HEAVEN IS OPENED

My hope is built on nothing less
Than Jesus’ blood and righteousness.
I dare not trust the sweetest frame,
But wholly trust in Jesus’ Name.

On Christ the solid Rock I stand,
All other ground is sinking sand;
All other ground is sinking sand.

Words: Edward Mote; music: William B. Bradley

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Yes, that’s me singing hymns again. Did you read my POST last week about praying hymns?

This great hymn was running through my head as I was thinking about what to share with you on this glorious Monday. It set me thinking about hope.

The world often refers to hope as wishful thinking. As we gaze at the dark clouds roaming above our heads we say, “I sure hope it doesn’t rain.” 

Or we eye the gas tank needle hovering well below zero and say, “I hope I make it to the gas station.” 

Or we purchase a lottery ticket and say, “I hope I win.”

 I like to think of Christian H.O.P.E. as an acronym:

Heaven is

Opened by the

Promise of

Eternity

In Christianity, hope is not wishful thinking. It is not just something we “want.” It is confident expectation. It is a solid assurance about things that are unknown to us in the physical world. Based on God’s character and His promises.

We say, “Our hope is in Christ.”

But when you say that, is part of your brain still translating it as “I sure hope I end up in heaven”? As if there might be a question mark floating around inside your brain? Is part of you wondering if that hope is only wishful thinking?

Christianity isn’t a “wish”-y washy faith. It is based on truth backed by historical evidence and by a rational, common-sense understanding that doesn’t come from someone’s active imagination. So let’s look closely at the word hope.

GRAMMAR 101: VERBS

An intransitive verb is an action verb that has with no direct object. In other words, the action is not done to anything or anyone else.

Let’s head to Webster’s dictionary for the intransitive verb hope:

1.      To cherish a desire with anticipation

2.      To trust

In Christian-ese, that would be like saying “I hope to see my family again in heaven.” It’s not wishful thinking; it’s based on trust. But this definition still doesn’t fully encapsulate the sense of absolute certainty that we’d like.

There’s also a transitive verb form of hope. A transitive verb is also an action verb but requires someone or something to receive the action. The transitive verb hope means:

1.      To desire with expectation of obtainment

2.      To expect with confidence

Do you notice the difference between the intransitive and transitive forms of hope? We’ve moved from “anticipation” to “expectation of obtainment.” An example of the transitive verb hope would be: “I hope for an eternity with Christ.” We expect it with confidence.

We’re getting closer.

GRAMMAR 101: NOUNS

But Christians more typically use the word hope as a noun. Hope becomes a thing; something real and true. The definition of the noun hope is:

1.      Trust, reliance

2.      Desire accompanied by expectation of or belief in fulfillment

3.      Someone or something on which hopes are centered

These definitions explain that hope is not mere wishful thinking. When it comes to our faith, our hope is a result of God’s promise.

1.      We rely on God’s promise.

2.      Our desire comes with expectation of fulfillment.

3.      Our desire is centered on God himself.

In fact, our Christian hope is based not on only one of these definitions, but on all three. Like the Trinity.

If the Creator of the universe promises something, when it happens it’s not wish fulfillment. It’s fulfillment of what we have expected, based on our hope in Christ. Not sinking sand, but solid rock.

BUILDING HOPE

Our hope is also built. Jesus, the carpenter was a builder in life. And He is a builder of our faith.

Hope is built stronger as our faith becomes stronger. And our faith is built stronger as our recognition grows of the fulfillment of promises made.

My hope is not built on wishful thinking.

My hope is not built on something I simply want.

My hope is not built on what I can accomplish in this life.

My hope is not built on crossing my fingers and holding my breath.

My hope is not built on a quick wish as a comet streaks across the sky.

My hope is not built on a coin tossed in a fountain.

My hope is the full assurance of what God has promised; based on the evidence I see around me of His goodness and love. Of His promises made. And based especially on the promises He has fulfilled already through Jesus, the Christ.

My hope is built. It is built on nothing less than Jesus’ blood and righteousness.

PRAYER: Heavenly Father, thank you for your promises and your faithfulness in fulfilling them. Thank you for giving us a solid foundation upon which to build our full assurance in you. Amen.

WHAT ABOUT YOU? Have you wondered about the idea of “hope” and whether it is only wishful thinking? What does “hope in Christ” mean to you?

LIKE A ROSE

“A rose, by any other name, would smell as sweet. So Romeo would, were he not Romeo called.” (Romeo and Juliet, balcony scene by William Shakespeare)

I was twelve the first time I read Romeo and Juliet. And I only read it because our seventh grade English teacher made me. I remember reading that line and giggling, as I thought about the 12-year old boys sitting around me in class. None of them smelled anything like a rose. Sweet was definitely not the word I would have picked to describe my classmates.

But, 12-year old pre-pubescent boys aside, roses do smell sweet. And they are beautiful, elegant and graceful. They are also delicate, thorny and prone to dying much too soon.

Did you know? Just as the month you are born in has a corresponding “birth stone,” so do you have a birth flower. The birth flower for the month of June is the rose.

Roses come in a variety of colors. Each color represents a unique emotion.

• Red symbolizes love
• Pink symbolizes grace and sympathy
• White symbolizes innocence and humility
• Yellow symbolizes friendship

• Orange symbolizes passion  

We even have a very specific color of pink called “rose.”

 As a young adult, my favorite flower was the carnation. I loved the cinnamon-y fragrance and—ever the thrifty bargain hunter—I loved that a bouquet of carnations could last me two weeks; whereas my roses began to droop their little heads after two days. And let’s not even discuss their cost.

Over the years, however, my love of roses has blossomed. My husband found that Costco sells roses. Two dozen of the glorious little delights for a price I could live with. And having learned a trick or two about snipping off the ends and changing the water every two days, I can make my glorious roses keep their heads held high and looking fresh nearly as long as carnations.

When I think about roses, I am reminded of Jesus. Have you heard the contemporary Christian song by Michael W. Smith, Above All? Click here for a video of his song. He compares Jesus to a rose:

You lived to die, rejected alone

Like a rose trampled on the ground

You took the fall

And thought of me above all.

When I think of the characteristics of Jesus and the characteristics of a rose, I see:

The rose is beautiful. Of all flowers, the elegance and beauty of the rose cannot be compared. Roses are simply in a class by themselves. Neither can the beauty that was Jesus’ life be compared to any other human who ever lived or who ever will live. Jesus is beautiful beyond compare.

The rose is graceful. The rose is one of God’s most elegant flowers. Its velvety petals open slowly with an eternal grace that reminds us that it is only through Jesus that God’s grace is poured onto us.

The rose is strong. The rose stands tall. It does not trail or wind, like a sweet pea. It does not bend like a tulip. It is not short like a violet or fragile like lilies of the valley. The rose blossom stands on a strong stem, nearly wood-like in its strength. Its bush can even be trained to grow as a tree. Jesus, too, stood tall while on this earth. We gain strength through Him; we can rely on His strength when we have none of our own. We can stand tall for Him.

The rose has thorns. Symbolic thorns are part of our lives. In fact, thorns are part of who we are—those character flaws that God is working on; those “thorns in our sides” that Paul referred to. Although perfect and without symbolic thorns, Jesus wore real thorns, shaped into a crown by his persecutors as he carried his cross and our sins to Calvary. The rose reminds us of our thorns and that Christ died for them, by taking them on himself.

Roses are a beautiful reflection of God’s beauty. But He gave them a short life. Two weeks if you take special care of them. Jesus’ life was short in human terms. But what He accomplished was powerful and eternal. Doesn't God want us to live our short lives in a powerful way, too? In a way that will have eternal consequences?

Roses reflect God’s desire for us: to live with recognition of His beauty; with grace for others; and with strength in our faith as He works to remove our thorns.  He wants us to live our short lives in a glorious manner. For Him.

Happy birthday to everyone born in the month of June. Remember the rose and think of Jesus.

PRAYER: Heavenly Father, thank you for the beauty you created when you created this earth. Thank you, Jesus, for the beautiful gift of salvation; for letting yourself be trampled in order to grant us your grace. Remind us of your glory every time we look at a rose. Remind us that you rose from the grave—for us. Amen.

WHAT ABOUT YOU?  What do you think of when you think of a rose? What do roses represent to you?

FRESH AIR: SOARING WITH THE EAGLES

This month, we at ChristianWriters.com are blogging on the theme of "fresh air." (See the links to the right.) I love this theme so much that I will post a different blog about "fresh air" every Wednesday this month.

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Do you not know? Have you not heard? The LORD is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He will not grow tired or weary, and his understanding no one can fathom. He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak. Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall; but those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint. (Isaiah 40:28-31 NIV)

I loved Peter Jackson’s fabulous film recreation of J.R.R. Tolkien’s epic trilogy, Lord of the Rings. In The Fellowship of the Rings, we first meet the giant eagles. Gandalf the Gray has gone to his mentor, Saruman to coordinate their effort to fight evil. But Saruman has “turned to the dark side” and places Gandalf atop the tower, with no possible escape.



Or so we think. Gandalf summons the eagles and in a dramatic scene, he leaps from atop the tower. His mane of tangled hair flies across his face as he falls, until he is caught by a giant eagle. As the camera angle changes, we see Gandalf facing directly into the fierce storm as he soars effortlessly into freedom on the wings of the eagle.

We see the giant eagles again in The Return of the King. Frodo and Samwise have destroyed the Ring of Power only to find themselves stranded on a rock surrounded by molten lava. Frodo can no longer even imagine the taste of strawberries, so worn out are our two heroes. But as they begin to lose consciousness, Gandalf arrives with three eagles who whisk Frodo and Samwise to safety.

Tolkien wrote the epic to tell a specifically Christian message: at the end of time, God will triumph over evil. In our non-epic lives, we too have battles; some large; some small; some internal and some with the world. We may have no escape from our prison and no place to go if we could, but like Gandalf, we too can take a leap of faith. We can fall safely into the arms of Jesus. If, like Frodo and Samwise, we are surrounded by fires in life, God can lift us out and show us how to soar.

When I read Isaiah, I picture these scenes from Lord of the Rings. When I am weak and weary, with no strength of my own; when I have come to the end of a journey and cannot take one step further; when I can no longer even recall the taste of strawberries, God is still there. He can carry me. He will help me soar, as I trust in His strength and power.

In fact, every single moment of every single day as I focus on God, I can be revived by the fresh air that surrounds me as I soar with Him. The fresh air of God breathing new life into us.

PRAYER: Heavenly Father, thank you for symbolism in great literature that helps us glimpse your character, your power and your glory. Remind us that when we feel like we are imprisoned in a stale, lifeless jail, you are there, ready to set us free. Help us to soar with you. Renew our strength for whatever you have planned for us to accomplish in your name. Amen.

WHAT ABOUT YOU? How does Isaiah speak to you? What image does it call up to you? What symbolism in Lord of the Rings spoke most to you?





Do you not know? Have you not heard? The LORD is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He will not grow tired or weary, and his understanding no one can fathom. He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak. Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall; but those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint. (Isaiah 40:28-31 NIV)