Reacting to a Rude Awakening

Matthew 6: 5-8

“And when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full. But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you. And when you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words. Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him."

This morning I got a phone call before I was fully awake. I had been "coasting" for about five minutes but suddenly I had this urgent call that required that I spring out of bed and deal with something with a clear head.

It didn't help that the caller was already anxious! It took a little while for me to get to a point where I could get involved with his need, and come back down gently. The best I could do was fulfill his request, and hope for the best.

Unfortunately, from his viewpoint, resolution didn't happen immediately! Again he urged me to make some programming changes undoing what I had just done. But I could already see that things were settling down in the software, and I finally had to just tell him to let it go for now... give it some time for the changes to take effect. Once I did, he backed off. Perhaps he was a little uncomfortable that my sense of urgency did not match his, but if I had let the situation continue to escalate and make repeated change requests, we might have really harmed the program. Hopefully by now he can see things are working out.

Let me be clear. My caller was never rude. The anxiety of the situation just jarred my resting spirit. While the caller is always very courteous with me, the sense of urgency made it more difficult to transition into a calm morning. Even this afternoon, my nerves are still a little rattled!

Most of us has had that "rude awakening" feeling where we've felt suddenly jarred into taking action before our thoughts are prepared. All too often we hang on to those feelings, because we sense we need to act immediately, but we just are not quite sure which way to go.

Whenever that happens, it is good to find time to talk to God. Like meditation and other spiritual pursuits, prayer has the ability for us to seek out that quiet essence inside. But prayer has an added plus, because it enables you to think beyond yourself, and focus on a higher power. Prayer, unlike meditation, is open-ended on two sides; Meditation guides you to find peace within, whereas prayer helps you connect beyond yourself with God.

Some meditative methods seek to free your mind, and empty your mind of negative and challenging thoughts. Prayer, on the other hand, gives you the opportunity to get down to the essence of your need. It helps you discover the source of your trouble, and then helps you seek and find solutions.

Now, it might be a little hard at first to train yourself to not react in your usual manner, and instead recognize a shift might be needed. But try to be ready. Pray continually for the wisdom to seek out God's guidance in everything.

If you do, then when those panic moments arrive, you'll be better equipped to seek out God's solution.

Like A Bolt Out of the Blue

Philippians 4:6

"Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God."

A while back one of our readers told me a lesson he learned while out riding motorcycles one day with his brother.

They rode across desert hills, and wound up miles from anywhere. Topping a rise, they stopped for a moment to appreciate the vistas before them. But trouble was noticed almost immediately. A strange sound was coming from his cycle, and upon investigation he found it was the sound of air being sucked into the crankcase. He had lost a bolt out of the engine, and if it were to be turned off, all the oil would drain out immediately.

He had no options but to turn around then and there and go back, canceling the plans for the day... unless they could find that bolt. In desperation they left the cycle idling on its kickstand and started to walk back along the desert trail. How hopeless it seemed. Who knew where it might have fallen out?

Then his brother suggested that One DID know where the bolt was, and they should stop and ask Him for a little help. So they did, and bowing their heads they sent off a simple prayer. He felt a little silly: he basically believed that God helps those who help themselves and stopping to pray they were we wasting time. Then he realized that with his head bowed, he was looking down at the trail at his feet -- and there was the missing bolt!

God knows your troubles. Yes, pausing to pray about them takes time. But the hardest thing we have to learn is that when we take the time to include God in our plans, we give him the opportunity to reveal himself. In everything, present your requests.