Week 8 The Great Adventure

Today we talked about the five secrets to stepping up to the high places with God even in our deepest darkest times. From Psalm 130 we learn to:

1. Take your trials to God.
2. Walk and talk with God, no matter what.
3. Know and count on God’s grace to take you higher.
4. Waiting for the Lord is essential if you want to go where He is taking you.
5. Hope in God’s Word will take you up each step to the high places with your Lord.

We closed with The Road of Life - one of my favorite stories - enjoy!!

At first I saw God as my observer, my judge,
keeping track of the things I did wrong,
so as to know whether I merited heaven
or hell when I die.
He was out there sort of like a president.
I recognized His picture when I saw it,
but I really didn’t know Him.

But later on when I met Christ,
It seemed as though life were rather like a bike ride,
but it was a tandem bike,
and I noticed that Christ
was in the back helping me pedal.

I don’t know just when it was
that He suggested we change places,
but life has not been the same since.

When I had control,
I knew the way.
It was rather boring,
but predictable…
It was the shortest distance between two points.

But when He took the lead,
He knew delightful long cuts,
up mountains,
and through rocky places
at breakneck speeds,
it was all I could do to hang on!
Even though it looked like madness,
He said, Pedal!

I worried and was anxious and asked,
Where are you taking me?
He laughed and didn’t answer,
and I started to learn to trust.

I forgot my boring life
and entered into the adventure.
And when I’d say, I’m scared,
He’d lean back and touch my hand.

He took me to people with gifts that I needed,
gifts of healing,
acceptance
and joy.
They gave me gifts to take on my journey,
my Lord’s and mine.

And we were off again.
He said, Give the gifts away;
they’re extra baggage, too much weight.
So I did,
to the people we met,
and I found that in giving I received,
and still our burden was light.

I did not trust Him,
at first,
in control of my life.
I thought He’d wreck it;
but He knows bike secrets,
knows how to make it bend to take sharp corners,
knows how to jump to clear high rocks,
knows how to fly to shorten scary passages.

And I am learning to be quiet
and pedal in the strangest places,
and I’m beginning to enjoy the view
and the cool breeze on my face
with my delightful constant companion, Jesus Christ.

And when I’m sure I just can’t do anymore,
He just smiles and says…Pedal.

Week 7 Prayer In the Wilderness

I wonder how many of us are wandering in a wilderness right now? Are we being “laid low” in the wilderness? I loved the promise in Hosea 2:14 where God speaks to a those precious souls in the dry place of life. He says, “I will lead her into the desert and speak tenderly to her there.” Don’t those words just warm your heart! If ever there was a need for tender words, it’s in the wilderness. Psalm 63 written by David was our subject of study. The Lord really ministered to my heart this week with all the words of this psalm. In the wilderness, God provides for us and promises to lead us through every desert place. I loved Psalm 78:15-19, especially v.22 where God was displeased because the people did not believe Him or trust that He would care for them. Those are the two areas where I am challenged the most and the Lord just brought it to the surface for me this week. He wants me to believe Him and trust that He will care for me. I need to realize that the Lord is refining my focus and moving my gaze from earth to heaven. When I trust Him in the wilderness places, He answers my aching heart with Himself, and leads me into a broad place of peace and contentment. The answer for worry in the wilderness is always prayer.
Faint not nor fear, his arms are near,
He changeth not, and thou art dear;
Only believe and thou shalt see,
That Christ is all in all to thee.
(Spurgeon).

Week 6 Pleading the Promises When We Are In Trouble

What do you do when you’re in trouble? Asaph shows us what we need to do when we are so troubled that we cannot speak. “In the day of my trouble I sought the Lord; in the night my hand was stretched out without weariness” (Psalm 77:2). The psalmists knew what we may not know - our prayers are absolutely essential at all times, but especially when we are in trouble. There is only one real place of help and that is the Lord. He gives us an abundance of help in His promises. We read Spurgeon’s helpful words elaborating on the metaphor of the checking account of the promises of God. He speaks of how we are when we go to a bank with a check - we expect to receive the money and won’t leave until we’ve transacted business. We are not “triflers” when it comes to money. Then he says this and it truly cuts at the heart of any complacency: “Alas, a great many people play at praying. They do not expect God to give them an answer, and thus they are mere triflers. Our heavenly Father would have us do real business with Him in our praying.” I like those words. They encourage us to get real about prayer and seriously plead the promises of God with our Lord. May it be so in our lives todayh.

Week 5 The School Of Prayer

I feel as though I am in the school of prayer. I found myself praying through all the Scripture in this week. The theme of this week’s studies was “Prayer When You Want To Ask God” and the psalm was Psalm 143 written by David. His life was crushed and he felt desperate. So he turned to the Lord. What a blessing to have David as our prayer partner in a time of need. I loved the beginning quote by McConkey: “The way to get a thing which is purchasable is to pray for it. The way to get a thing which is to be earned is to work for it. The way to get a thing which is to be given is to ask for it. The Christian in receiving from God has neither to pay nor to earn. What he gets from God comes by gift, and the way to receive it is simply to ask.” I loved the idea on page 131 of praying through. What an amazing story about Alexander who was standing at the bank counter waiting for the bank teller to help him. He wrote on a piece of scratch paper the words on his heart: pray through. He wrote them again and again filling every line on the paper. He transacted his business then left, leaving the paper behind. A businessman, discouraged from trouble in his company, came to the bank soon after Alexander left. He found the piece of scratch paper and read the words pray through. He couldn’t believe it. Those words were exactly the encouragement he needed. He said, “I have tried in my own strength to worry through, and have merely mentioned my troubles to God; now I am going to pray the situation through until I get light.” What a great story! May we all receive these encouraging words and pray through!

Week 4 Thankful With Extravagant Love

This week we focused on thanking the Lord. I loved the beginning quote by O. Hallesby “Having received something from God, it is self-evident that we ought to return thanks to Him for it.” I think what stood out to me this week was the fact that Jesus notices when we say thank you. Our heart of thanksgiving touches His heart. Jesus made a big deal out of the one leper who turned around to run back and say thank you. He asked him where the other 9 were. Then Jesus said, “Stand up and go; your faith has made you well.” Jesus called the leper’s thank-you and expression of faith. And then I cannot help but think about the woman with the alabaster jar of expensive perfume who anointed Jesus’ feet as an expression of extravagant love and devotion. Jesus loved her extravagance and made a sermon of her love to a house full of Pharisees. Finally, I learned that I need to look at each new day as a delightful surprise rather than a disappointment. Things may not go the way I expect, but they are going according to God’s plan. I thank the Lord for the promise that He “will accomplish what concerns me…” (Psalm 138:8). I rest on those words today.

Week 3 Surrender To The Spirit’s Work In You

Ocean, wide flowing Ocean, Thou,
Of uncreated Love;
I tremble as within my soul
I feel Thy waters move.
Thou art a sea without a shore;
Awful, immense Thou art;
A sea which can contract itself
Within my narrow heart.
Federick William Faber

Week 3 was all about confession, David’s sin, and Psalm 51. But somehow, the Lord took me to surrender this week. I was profoundly moved by Day 4, all about the Holy Spirit and His work in me. I have been thinking a lot about the presence of the Holy Spirit and His work in our lives. I loved what Tozer said - the Spirit-filled life is “the normal state for every redeemed man and woman the world over. It is ‘that mystery which hath been hid from ages and from generations, but now is made manifest to his saints: to whom God would make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles: which is Christ in you, the hope of glory’” (Colossians 1:26 KJV).

Christ in us IS a mystery, but oh, how His presence in us changes everything - our choices, our lifestyle, our purpose. I have been actively conscious and intentional, following the example of Brother Lawrence, and practicing the presence of the Lord. I’ll stop for a moment during my day and just speak with the Lord, thanking Him that I am not alone.

This study is so timely for my life. In fact, I prayed the prayer in Psalm 104:27 “They all wait for You to give them their food in due season. You give to them, they gather it up; you open Your hand, they are satisfied with good.” The reason for my prayer was a particular need and I just said “Thank You Lord that you give in due season. I’m waiting for You, Lord.” I saw the Lord meet my need specifically and exactly the same day - how cool is that!!!

I loved the practical application in the Adore God In Prayer section on Day 4 and listed out all my surrenders. One surrender in particular was from Proverbs 3:5 - I surrendered my desire to understand what’s going on and what God is doing. I said, “Lord I’m giving this desire to understand to You - You don’t have to explain what You’re doing - I am choosing to trust You whether I understand or not.

Well, friends, until we share again. God bless you.

In His Love,
Catherine

Week 2 Worship and Adore God

I couldn’t resist posting this video of The Revelation Song by Phillips, Craig, and Dean. I’ve also posted another version of this song by Kari Jobe showing worshippers in adoration of God. You’ll find it at the end of this post. Both are powerful. Let me know which one you like the best.

This week in Passionate Prayer we studied “Prayer When You Want To Adore God.” We lived in Psalm 104 and what a joy it was for me to meditate on the words. I saw things I’d never seen. It’s amazing how just a very simple phrase paints such a huge picture. I LOVED “He makes the clouds His chariot.” Octavius Winslow devotes a whole chapter in his book, Help Heavenward, just to this one phrase. Here’s what Octavius Winslow says, “Oh, it is because we have such shallow views of God’s love that we have such defective views of God’s dealings! We blindly interpret the symbols of His providence because we so imperfectly read the engravings of his heart. Faith finds it’s difficult to spell the word ‘love’ as written in the shaded characters of its discipline; to believe that the cloud which looks so sombre and threatening is the love-chariot of him who for our ransom gave himself unto the death because he so loved us!…He makes the clouds his chariot; and soothed with this assurance, the beclouded, benighted traveller may be still and know that he is God.”

I love those words from Octavius Winslow - sometimes the clouds of life have seemed so threatening. Oh how strong we become in the Lord when we turn our eyes to His greatness and glory and then worship and adore Him! I loved Tozer’s words this week, “From the effort to understand, we must not turn back because the way is difficult and there are no mechanical aids for the ascent. The view is better farther up and the journey is not one for the feet but for the heart.” Didn’t you love those words in Day 2!! So we took the ascent in Psalm 104. I loved the fact that God sends forth “springs in the valleys” (verse 10). But I think my favorite insight this week was in Psalm 104:27-28. I saw how faithful the Lord is to feed His creation, from the trees who need water to the birds of the air, the lions, and finally, man. We can trust God to give us food in due season. What I saw is that God has perfect timing for all His good and perfect gifts (see James 1:17 also). We wait (watching always I trust), and when He gives, we gather (verse 28). Now I know where Amy Carmichael got the title of her wonderful book, Thou Givest, They Gather.

I hope you took the time to pray through Psalm 104 - powerful words to help us worship and adore God. If you haven’t stopped to talk with God and commune and worship Him using these words, then I encourage you to do so. And then, be encouraged with these videos of The Revelation Song - one is by Phillips, Craig, and Dean and the other is by Kari Jobe. I like them both for different reasons. I’ve been using them for worship and adoration this week. Enjoy. And I look forward to continuing on in this adventure, this quiet time experience of Passionate Prayer. Blessings and Love, Catherine

Meet Kari Jobe: After I watched this video of Kari Jobe leading worship through The Revelation Song, I thought, “I want to know more about Kari Jobe.” So I went to her website to find out more about her. She’s a worship pastor in Texas, leading others to worship God. I’ve included a video below of her sharing more about herself and her ministry. I love hearing her talk about worship and I thought since our whole focus is worship and adoration this week, that you would be encouraged by her words. Blessings to everyone and enjoy!!

Here’s another version of Kari Jobe doing the song - now you have all 3 of the best I could find online. Enjoy and delight in the Lord by worshipping Him. Bless the LORD, O my soul!!!

Week 1 Spiritual Breakthroughs With The Psalms

What a week of study we have had in Week 1 of Passionate Prayer - A Quiet Time Experience. The title of this week was Praying With The Psalmists. What I didn’t count on as I studied this week was that sometimes when you pray with another person you may experience an amazing spiritual breakthrough. That’s what happened with me this week. I’ve studied and lived in the Psalms for about a guzillion years! And my favorite writer of psalms is, hands down, David, the man after God’s own heart. This week the Lord showed me something incredible about David. I saw it while studying in Day 2 of Week 1. I read Psalm 19:14 where David called the Lord, “my Rock and my Redeemer,” then I stopped and thought, “How personal the Lord was to David. He wasn’t simply a Rock, but my Rock, my Redeemer.” And then, my eyes were opened to something new and powerful. David, the shepherd boy who became king, was extremely needy and dependent on God. He always carried with him a sense of helplessness and inadequacy. No wonder he often said, when he drew near to God, “But who am I?” I believe this is what made him such a man after God’s own heart. He was so utterly dependent on God that he could know Him intimately. He knew God as his Rock, for he knew his need for stability and security and found God to be the Rock, a sure foundation. He knew God as His Redeemer, for he knew his need of redemption and salvation, and found God to be the One who redeems and saves.

Discovering this amazing basic truth about David shows me that I need to cultivate a sense of need, dependence, and even helplessness, for then I will run to God and rely on Him. And when I do, I will find Him to be utterly reliable, a help and refuge in time of need, and a strong and mighty deliverer. This truth is so diametrically opposed to what we learn in the world. You’ve got to get stronger and stronger, not weaker and weaker, at least in the world. But in God’s economy, the weaker you are the stronger you become in the Lord. That’s why Paul said, “Most gladly therefore, I will rather boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may dwell in me. Therefore I am well content with weaknesses, with insults, with distresses, with persecutions, with difficulties, for Christ’s sake; for when I am weak, then I am strong” (2 Corinthians 12:9-10). So take heart, if you feel inadequate for the task, and in need of help. Your need drives you to a new dependence on your God. He loves those who trust in Him. And remember, TRUST is total reliance under stress and trial.

Oh what discoveries David made about God. I loved these words in Psalm 18:1-2 in The Message:
I love you, God–you make me strong.
God is bedrock under my feet,
the castle in which I live,
my rescuing knight.
My God–the high crag where I run for dear life,
hiding behind the boulders,
safe in the granite hideout.

What did God teach you this week in the study? Did you have one of those amazing spiritual breakthroughs? Was there a verse that just touched your heart? Or a favorite quote? Feel free to share your insights in the Comments here on this blog and also at the Passionate Prayer - Quiet Time Experience section at the Quiet Time Cafe.

Enjoy your study in Week 2, Prayer When You Want To Adore God.

Blessings to everyone as you draw near to God in His Word. And God bless you as you continue on in the great adventure of knowing Him.

Ready, Set, Go!!

Welcome everyone! We officially began our study, Passionate Prayer, today. What a day we had as we first met for worship with almost 400 women, and then shared in our small groups for Passionate Prayer. I loved seeing everyone’s smiling faces. As I was standing on stage at the beginning after sharing about our study this year, I couldn’t help but get excited to see everyone. I believe the Lord has something amazing and incredible in store for us as we open the pages of His Word and live there each day. I can’t wait to see what He is going to teach us all in the Psalms about prayer.

This week we are going to live in a number of psalms and think about how the psalmists can help us in our prayers. I believe you are going to love the devotional reading this week - it includes such greats as Oswald Chambers, S.D. Gordon, O. Hallesby, and Andrew Murray. What can I say - their books are amazing and they were prayer warriors!! I’m looking forward to writing my letter to the Lord. Then, at the end of the study I’ll have the opportunity to see all that God has taught me.

I’m going to be writing weekly here at the Passionate Prayer blog I’ve set up so that we can connect together online. I might even write more than weekly - you just never know, so keep checking back here. Also, feel free to look around - you can see that my regular blog, Cath’s Blog, is here also, and there are links to other Quiet Time Ministries websites. And I mentioned that the online videos are available (m4v’s) for all my Passionate Prayer messages. The Intro message is online available to watch free of charge here in the QTM Online Bookstore.

And now, as we begin, I encourage you to write a comment (click on the “leave a comment” link to write), share your name, maybe whose group you’re in, or where you’re from if you’re joining us from somewhere else outside of Indian Wells, CA. Also, you can share anything else - maybe your desire to learn more about prayer or whatever else may have brought you to this study. The great thing about being online is that you can even invite friends and family from other parts of the country and world to join us. The videos are available online and the books are available from our online bookstore, local Christian bookstore or places like amazon etc. And now, I just want to pray for our week of study. God bless you!!

Lord, thank You for the privilege of being Your child and have the incredible opportunity to study Your Word. I pray that You would bless every person who is studying Passionate Prayer and enrich their life of prayer in ways they could have never before imagined. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Welcome to Passionate Prayer - A Quiet Time Experience!

I want to welcome you to the new study I’ll be leading this year beginning the week of October 29. No matter where you live in the world, you can join in. All you need is the book Passionate Prayer - A Quiet Time Experience. We will take 8 weeks to journey through this study in the psalms, learning from the psalmists as our prayer partners, teaching us how to pray. The psalmists are champions of prayer and will teach us how to adore God better, worship Him more, and draw near, believing Him for big things. I’ll be writing weekly on this blog and you can connect with others who are also doing the study. In addition, if you are joining from another area of the country or world, all my messages for Passionate Prayer - A Quiet Time Experience are available for download and viewing online at the Quiet Time Ministries Online Store. I want to encourage you to join me in this amazing experience of prayer. I look forward to learning together with you. God bless you and I’ll be back in late October. In the meantime, if you decide to join the study, why not introduce yourself in the Comments area of this post and share why you’re looking forward to learning more about prayer.