Bringing Home the Faith: a Pastor writes to her teenage son about Christian belief is a series of ten letters I wrote for my son addressing his doubts about Christian faith and answering his questions about what Christians believe and why. Each letter is preceded by an Introduction which introduces its particular topic.
Please share these weekly installments of Bringing Home the Faith with someone in your life, whether young or old, who wants uncomplicated and honest answers to their questions and concerns about Christian faith.
Last week in Letter No. 2: How to pray, I wrote about the Lord’s Prayer and how it is a great model for our prayers. This week I describe in greater detail two of the four categories we find in the Lord’s Prayer: praise and confession.
Every morning, when I first wake up, I begin praying to God. I’m not even out of bed at this point. I’m not even thinking about what I’m supposed to be doing or accomplishing or hoping for in the day ahead. My first thoughts are directed to God, because I’ve learned that the way to start any day is to begin with prayer – to make hanging out with Him the first and most important part of every day.
I used to think that the first thing I needed to do when I awoke in the morning was to plan my day. Then I discovered (after years and years of making this mistake) that all my planning and worrying only kept me away from God. I was thinking about my problems and not about Him. One day it struck me that this was “idolatry.” My problems got way more of my time and attention than God. In a sense, I was “worshiping” my problems.
This was a big mistake on my part, especially since Continue reading
Luke writes in Chapter 6 of his gospel that before Jesus picked out his twelve apostles he spent the night praying to God (6:12-16). I bet he was asking God for advice about whom to pick and what to do next. Jesus never made a move without consulting with God. He wanted only to do God’s will in all things and he knew he could not do this unless he was in constant contact with his Father.
This structure was a revelation to me. Well, O.K., not at first. I do tend to resist when someone tells me I have to do something a certain way. But soon, the rhythm became liberating as I found myself in joyful communication with God. Prayer stopped being for me a “laundry list” of needs and concerns and a guilty effort. It became something I enjoyed because I felt like I was entering God’s heavenly sanctuary where I could stand in blissful communion with Him. This way of praying is what I want to pass on to Caleb.
Careful For Nothing 