I think often of the divine admonition recorded in Matthew 18:3-4, where Jesus is quoted as saying, “Assuredly, I say to you, unless you are converted and become as little children, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven.”
 
Become as a little child again? How I would love to do that—to be able to rest fully in my parents’ love and strength. To feel no need (or ability) to contribute anything to our perfect lives together. To do things for them, even clumsy or useless things, just because I loved them so and wanted to make them happy.
 
I suppose this is especially hard for us female baby boomers, having been so thoroughly brainwashed by the likes of Betty Friedan and Gloria Steinem. They taught us that it’s my way or the highway, that anything less than total independence is tyranny, that we were fools if we let anyone influence our thinking or decision-making. It takes some doing to drive that sort of worldly wisdom out of a formerly feminist heart, and I’m not quite there yet. Maybe I won’t be this side of heaven.
 
Ah, but I once knew a woman who possessed something very close to childlike faith in the God of the Bible. Her name was Joan. After I was saved, she and I spent a great deal of time together at the nursing home where we both volunteered.
 
Joan prayed more frequently than anyone I’ve ever known. Much of the time, she kept up a running conversation with God in her head. She thanked Him for all she found good in life, which was just about everything. She told Him how beautiful this or that aspect of His creation was. She brought ailing friends to His attention, and was careful to lift up those who were in desperate need of salvation.
 
But most of all, Joan asked God for help with just about every decision she made. She invited Him to help her choose the clothing she’d put on that day, and to direct her driving, and to let her know which friend to phone first that night. She asked for guidance on which book of the Bible to study that day, or that week.
 
Joan even asked the Lord to tell her which type and brand of cereal to buy at the grocery store.
 
I went along with most of this, thinking it all just a little eccentric and a lot charming. But I drew the line in the cereal aisle. What possible difference did it make to God whether she purchased Cheerios or Shredded Wheat?
 
I hadn’t thought of this for ages. But today, checking out the cereals at Aldi’s, I remembered Joan and this humorous little habit of hers.
 
And then it struck me: The Lord probably didn’t care what cereal she bought. But I’ll bet He cared very much that she so valued His opinion. I’ll bet He loved the humility and submission that were inherent in her request. And I’ll bet He smiled every morning when she poured out a bowl of the cereal of the week, and thanked Him gratefully for meeting her every need.
 
I’m always looking in Scripture and biographies and amongst my brothers and sisters in Christ for models of godliness to emulate. And I see a great deal that is surely pleasing to Him.
 
But while standing there today in the cereal aisle, I had an epiphany: God had given me a dozen years of close fellowship with a woman who epitomized the kind of faith I want most desperately. And all I could do at the time was smile indulgently at her.
 
Talk about missing the forest for the trees.
 
Joan went to be with the Lord several years ago. I miss her, and she’s one of those I most look forward to seeing again, beyond the sunset.
 
In the meantime, I thank the Lord for bringing us together. And I ask Him to help me be a little more like her with every passing day.

A friend recently asked me why she should bother reading the Bible. After all, she said, she is "a lifelong member of the one true church" and has "followed its teachings" all of her days. What more does God expect? 

It's a great question, but as soon as she'd posed it, we were interrupted by a horde of helpers who would not be leaving soon. (Funny how often that sort of thing happens.) So I went home and typed up my thoughts on the subject.

You'll probably be able to refine this list in important ways. Be my guest, and please share your suggestions. At least it should provide a starting point for those of us who haven't yet been asked this critical question. 
​

1. Because it’s true.

• The scientific, historical, archeological and prophetic evidence for the Bible’s inerrancy is overwhelming.
• Even objective and honest unbelievers agree to this, when presented with this evidence.
• There is no other explanation for this accuracy than that it was inspired by God Himself.
• Anything that contradicts its teachings is therefore, by definition, not true.
• “Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.” (John 14:6)

 
2. Because our eternal destiny is at stake.

• Do we not want to know that we are trusting in the right thing to ensure a heavenly forever for ourselves?
• The Bible’s clear message, from Genesis through Revelation, is that we are saved solely by trusting in Jesus.
• If we trust in Him, we will obey Him; good works are the result of our salvation, not the cause of it.
• How can we know we are obeying Him apart from His commands, revealed fully in Scripture?

 
3. Because our eternal rewards are at stake.

• Do we not want to know how to earn rewards that will benefit us for all eternity?
• The Bible spells it out throughout the New Testament.
• Just one example: the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, long-suffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness (Galatians 5).
• But the Bible also tells us that we cannot have these qualities apart from the indwelling Holy Spirit – and He only indwells our hearts when we repent and trust in Christ.
• The Bible also tells us that our rewards will depend on whether or not our good works—i.e., works performed here in this life after salvation—have eternal implications.
• Those works will be judged by fire, and if they are destroyed by the flames, then we have nothing to offer Him of eternal value. We may still be saved, but we won’t hear “Well done, My good and faithful servant.” (1 Corinthians 3:9-15).

 
4. Because we cannot even be sure our prayers will be heard if we are trusting in "another Jesus" or "another gospel."

• Is there unconfessed sin in our lives? “If I regard iniquity in my heart, The Lord will not hear.” (Psalm 66:18)
• How can we be sure about that if we are not studying scripture; there are well over 1000 commands in the Bible!
• Do we have any doubts about God, His character, His attributes, His promises? “[T]he one who doubts is like a wave of the sea that is driven and tossed by the wind. For that person must not suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord.” (See James 1:5-7)
• Are we asking for the wrong reasons? “You ask and do not receive, because you ask amiss, that you may spend it on your pleasures.” (James 4:3).
• Apart from the Bible, how can we know for sure what reasons are right and what ones are wrong? 

 
5. Because we cannot genuinely love and obey our Creator, or know His will for our lives, unless we know Him via His self-revelation—the Bible.

• To ostensibly worship Him without knowing Him is by definition idolatry – making up a God to suit ourselves.
• The second of the 10 Commandments forbids idolatry.
• “And this is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent.” (John 17:3)

 
6. Because in order to be comforted by the Comforter—the Holy Spirit—we must be able to trust in His omniscience, omnipotence, love, mercy and justice.

• These are all recurrent themes in the Bible, which provides complete comfort for every sort of sorrow and pain.
• For example: “Therefore we do not lose heart. Even though our outward man is perishing, yet the inward man is being renewed day by day.  For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, is working for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory, while we do not look at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen. For the things which are seen are temporary, but the things which are not seen are eternal.” (2 Corinthians 4:16-18)
• For example: “Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 4:6-7)
• For example: “And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose.” (Romans 8:28) 

 
7. Because it’s the only way to make sense of what is happening in this crazy world.

• History repeats itself. And, as George Santayana famously said, “Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.”
• But just as important, the Bible explains why these things happen.
• For example, ever wonder why there is continuing unrest and violence in the Middle East?
• The Bible tells us repeatedly. Consider, for instance,this prediction of Jesus': "And you will hear of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not troubled; for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet. For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. And there will be famines, pestilences, and earthquakes in various places. All these are the beginning of sorrows. (Matthew 24:6-8)
• Do you feel like hatred is escalating while civility is vanishing? 
• The Bible said it would be so: "But know this, that in the last days perilous times will come: For men will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, unloving, unforgiving, slanderers, without self-control, brutal, despisers of good,  traitors, headstrong, haughty, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, having a form of godliness but denying its power. And from such people turn away! For of this sort are those who creep into households and make captives of gullible women loaded down with sins, led away by various lusts, always learning and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth." (2 Timothy 3:1-7)
• Ever wonder why the institution of marriage seems to be collapsing?
• The Bible explains this, too. For instance: “Wives, submit to your own husbands, as to the Lord.  For the husband is head of the wife, as also Christ is head of the church; and He is the Savior of the body.  Therefore, just as the church is subject to Christ, so let the wives be to their own husbands in every-thing. Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself for her, (Ephesians 5:22-25)

Have any additions? Deletions? Suggestions? Better ways to say these things? Please comment below, or contact me here. 

Over the years, I’ve read a number of guides to effective praying, always hoping to be transformed into a real prayer warrior—and quickly falling back into my old patterns of presenting Almighty God with hasty praise and thanks followed by a terse To Do list covering the issues of the day.
 
But I’ve now read a new book that shows great promise for actually changing my prayer life: REFLECT the Glory of God in Prayer by John David Fallahee.
 
REFLECT is an acronym for these imperatives:

• Remember the glories of God
• Examine your motives and manner
• Face life through scriptures
• Love God and love people
• Expect suffering and persecution
• Concern yourself with God’s kingdom
• Take every opportunity

 
The goal of embracing these principles, the author says, is to draw closer to the Lord. “It is about engaging,” he writes, “in an incredible adventure of a wonderful spiritual journal that literally can change lives and impact this world.”
 
Having worked through the book once already, and preparing to take my friends at the nursing home through it in our weekly Bible Discussion, I’m feeling very optimistic about this prospect. Here’s why.
 
First, Fallahee immerses readers in Scripture throughout the book, using different techniques to help us examine how the heroes of our faith addressed the Lord at critical junctures in their lives. Although I’d read all these passages multiple times in the past, this book encouraged me to look at each one with fresh eyes, and so gave me new insights into some of the most important events in human history, and the impact prayer had on each.
 
Second, the narrative is enriched with questions designed to get us to think about what might be hindering our prayers—including, foundationally, having a flawed view of God, as well as problems from sin to sorrow. Other questions invite us to consider and capitalize on the opportunities that abound in all our lives–opportunities for which the Lord can be asked, for example, to open doors and soften hearts for gospel presentations.
 
Third, the author addresses some of the toughest obstacles to effective praying. For instance, he responds to a question that I’ll bet every believer has asked himself at some point: “How can I love and pray for those who hate me, hate the truth of the Bible, and hate my Savior?” And he goes straight to the Bible to answer to such questions, rather than relying on his own opinions.
 
Fourth, the book offers sample prayers to illustrate each point, while providing detailed suggestions on when, where and why to pray.   
                                                                                              
I think my favorite chapter in REFLECT is number 5, Expect Suffering and Persecution. Here, the author presents Bible passages focusing on the horrific circumstances and prayerful responses of nine important men. He makes no comments, simply asking the reader to consider the context and content of their prayers, and to make special note (in the space provided) of anything that appears especially “remarkable, shocking, challenging, wonderful or applicable for your life.” Just a few examples:

• In Acts 7:54-60, we learn about the final moments of the life of Stephen, the first Christian martyr. He knew that he was dying, was in fact being painfully murdered, and yet he had the perseverance and presence of mind to echo his Savior’s radical forgiveness.
• In Job 1:13-2:10, we become acquainted with Job’s awful trials, and are amazed at his refusal to curse God as his wife ordered him to do—even though he had not a clue about why he was suffering and didn’t even have Romans 8:28 to lean on.  
• In Daniel 3:12-30, we see how Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego survived the flames of pagan Nebuchadnezzar’s fiery furnace because of their fearless and faithful trust in the Lord. It was their willingness to die to self and rest prayerfully in Him that led to Nebuchadnezzar personally exalting their God—a critical lesson for all believers.

 
Again, although I’d read all these passages repeatedly, I had never examined them from this perspective. It was an eye-opening exercise, and I hope it will also turn out to be habit- and heart-changing as I apply it to my personal Bible study.  
 
At just 146 pages, this volume is indeed a very concise discussion of a monumental subject. You could no doubt breeze through it in an evening or two. But far better to linger over each paragraph, to think deeply about the questions Fallahee raises, to investigate the passages he presents in search of life-changing wisdom and understanding.
 
If your prayers could stand improvement, REFLECT the Glory of God in Prayer may be the solution, ultimately making a difference in your life and the lives of those for whom you intercede. Highly recommended!