Tag Archives: Prayer and Meditation

Pray Plan Pray

by Lydia Floren

On my recent trip to India, one of the leaders of IBL had these three words at the top of his whiteboard: “Pray Plan Pray.”

I love this! Pray first, then plan, and then pray through your plans.

You know, the New Year is just getting underway. This is an excellent time to look back and forward, and “pray plan pray.”

Here is one way you can do this:

Praying GRACE for the New Year

Give thanks for…

Right now.
Your life: The past year. The coming one.
God’s presence and His goodness.
All God has been doing, and all He continues to do.

Release…

The past. Disappointments. Pain. Resentment. Regret. Sin. Shame. Guilt.
Expectations you have of others. And that others might have of you.
The future. Fear. Worry. Uncertainty.

Accept…

Where you are right now.
Yourself as you are: imperfect and in process.
God’s love and forgiveness.
God’s wisdom/direction for the coming year.
Responsibilities God has already given you.
Ownership of your life and your decisions.

Continue…

Praying about your priorities and goals.
Listening for God’s direction.
Outlining plans for the year.
Deciding which one or two habits to cultivate in the coming year.

Enjoy…

Each day, recognizing it for the gift that it is.
The process of prayerful planning.
God’s constant presence with you, within you – loving you, leading you, touching others through you.

Praying GRACE is a wonderful way to start the year. But however you choose to dive in to 2016, don’t forget to Pray Plan Pray.

What plans have you made for the coming year?

No Shadow of Turning

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by Lydia Floren

It is so easy to doubt God in a crisis.

Is God really going to provide?

Is He really going to take care of my current situation? Or is it all up to me?

In his song “Great is Thy Faithfulness,” Thomas Chisholm answers these questions with a remarkable image:

Great is your faithfulness, O God my Father, There is no shadow of turning with Thee.

There is no shadow of turning with Thee.

What is a “shadow of turning?” When you are walking in the sunshine, you have a shadow. Every little motion you make is reflected by your shadow. Any time you turn a little to the right or left, your shadow also turns. And if, as you are going along, you notice that your shadow has changed, you can be sure that your direction has also shifted.

When Thomas Chisholm says “there is no shadow of turning with Thee” he is pointing out God’s consistency. God is steadily walking toward the light, toward Truth, and He invites us to follow. As we do, we are, naturally, in His shadow. If God were to get off course—to turn to the right or left—we would no longer be directly in His shadow. The shadow would have turned.

In whatever crisis we face, we can count on God. He will lead. He will provide. He will see us through. 100% of the time. There is no shift—not even a slight one– in God’s faithfulness to us.

Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows. James 1:17 NIV

Related Posts: Great Is Thy Faithfulness

Recent Series: NOMB Part I, NOMB Part II, NOMB Part III

NOMB Part II: Curbing The Impulse To Fix Others

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by Lydia Floren

NOMB (None Of My Business) Part II: Curbing The Impulse To Fix Others

When I see someone else’s struggle and “feel their pain”, I want so much to make it better. WHAT’s a person to DO? Here are a few tips:

#1 Face yourself:

Check your motives. Be honest with yourself about why you want to make it right. Your urge to fix is probably not as altruistic as it seems. Our motives are often mixed: sure we want to help, but we may also want to avoid the discomfort of watching others suffer or the annoyance of their “imperfection.”
Accept your limits in understanding and skill, and the specific ways God has asked you to serve in this world.

#2 Remind yourself of truth:

Pain is important. We are programmed to avoid pain at any cost, but experiencing pain is necessary; the stove’s heat or the wind’s cold prompt us to practical action. Leprosy is a malady where the nerves that detect pain are destroyed. Much of the disfigurement of leprosy comes because of the lack of feeling, not from the disease itself: a burn goes undetected, or an infection untreated, which leads to irrevocable tissue damage. Pain notifies us of danger or a need to change, even if that is just taking better care of ourselves.
Suffering is a part of life on earth. “In the world,” Jesus said, “you will have tribulation. But take courage: I have overcome the world.” He understands that we will have suffering—He experienced it himself many times. But he also knows that accepting hardship is not admitting defeat: far from it. God works all things out for the good of those who love Him and are called according to His purposes.
God uses all the pain in our lives, and sometimes He allows us to suffer for a reason. If He does so, He can be trusted: He has a good purpose in it, either for us or for someone else.
Your fixing can actually do more harm than good. What you think is helpful for someone else can often be downright harmful; how could you possibly know?

#3 Pray:

Thank God that
He is at work in this situation, and good will come of it.
His love for you and your loved ones is much greater than your own.
His ideas, His strategy, His perspective, His understanding are far beyond you’re own.
He will let you know if He wants you to do something in this situation.
He will give you the self-control to resist the urge to step in where you don’t belong, and the courage to step forward when He leads you to act.
Talk to God about the specifics. He already knows what is going on, but also knows that you need the listening ear of a loved one to hear your concerns. (It really helps. Trust me.)
Ask God what He wants you to do or not do.
Listen for His answers.

#4 Act: There are many ways God MAY ask you to help. You might be led to do one or a combination of the following:

Intercede. Often when I see difficulties in another’s life, I feel like God’s primary request is for me is to pray for that person. This is not a last resort. It is actually the most powerful action I can take because prayers invite the power of God’s spirit into the situation. Perfect power and perfect love, working on the problem! Who doesn’t want that?
Encourage. The most important thing a person can do–outside of praying–for someone in difficulty is to encourage them. Encouragement can be as simple as a smile, a hug, a note, or a shared laugh. It is easy to encourage via phone, text, Facebook, or email. A moment of thoughtfulness can make a world of difference in someone’s day, especially when they are going through a hard time.
Listen. God gave us two ears and one mouth, right? Listening is a powerful encouragement. Giving someone a safe place to articulate a problem or vent emotion is actually therapeutic. I have seen this over and over in the practice of medicine.
Serve. Practical acts of service, such as a gift, a visit, a meal, an offer to babysit are “cups of cold water” given in Jesus’ name. They help lighten another’s load in the most literal sense.

“It’s God’s problem. He should worry”
To be honest, it is a relief to acknowledge my limits, and accept my inability to fix others. When I do, I find I worry less. I pray more. My focus centers on God’s sufficiency rather than specific problems. And I am more likely to pay attention when God leads me to how and when I should act, or if it is best for me just to concentrate on prayer.

At most I might be a small part of a solution to someone’s problem. I am certainly not meant to be The Solution. Only God can be that; when I try, I just get in the way.

Accepting my limits frees me to do what God has already asked me to do—what we are all called to do in this world: love people. This love may take the form of prayer, encouragement, listening, and/or serving.

It’s our job to love folks. It’s God’s job to fix them.

Recent Series: NOMB Part I: Letting God Be The Fixer; Patience

Circling Back

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u turn arrow

Circling Back

by Lydia Floren

God loves me—personally, and intimately.

I feel like God has taught me a lot over the years, but it all seems to circle back to the fact that He loves me. Me, personally. Not me as a part of the universal blob known as Humanity, though He does love every person He created. He loves me–individually, personally, intimately.

I can feel like such a stranger to that love.

I am so frustrated that after all this time of reading and writing on God’s love, I can feel like such a stranger to that love. I don’t know what the barrier is, but I want to break through it and let that love stream into my heart and soul. It has before. What is hindering it now?

I have drifted.

I think it is what it always is. I have drifted. My focus has drifted away from God somehow. I get caught up in what I am doing, the project I am working on, the plans I have made. Or I get distracted by obstacles, or fears, or hurts. I don’t stay focused–in my mind and heart–on Him.

He knows this happens.

He knows this happens. Maybe even expects it. Yet He isn’t angry, or impatient, or annoyed. He is just waiting. He is waiting by the well of His living water—His love. He is waiting for me to come back and drink deeply, and resume our conversation. He is waiting for me to recognize my fear as the sign it is—a lack of focus on Him—and to return. And focus.

Circling Back

When I do return—and I do, because once I have tasted the joy of being loved, I don’t want to be without it–He doesn’t want me to fill up my canteen and take off again. He wants me to wait: to wait with Him, and to wait for Him. To wait with Him as He heals a wound or rectifies a false belief or misunderstanding. To wait for Him to signal when it is time to move ahead once again.

Hopefully in my journey, as I learn to wait with Him, and to wait for Him, I will find myself circling back less and less,. Because I know God’s desire for me is to travel in tandem with Him every day, enjoying His loving presence as I go.

How do you circle back? Please bless us with your insights!

Sharing a sunset. Enjoying the presence of God.

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by Lydia Floren

“Solitude is not withdrawal in order to get away. It is withdrawal in order to be with Someone who normally gets crowded out of our lives…. it is the place of love and trust. It therefore puts presence before action and seeks companionship before help.” (Charles Rigma)

So many times when I am alone with God, I have an agenda. I might want perspective, or wisdom, or direction, or healing of some sort. But I think much of that time with HIm would be better spent not seeking anything, except to just hang out with Him. No agenda. No words, really. Just two friends relishing a companionable silence—aware of each other, but not expecting from each other. We have an understanding: I enjoy His presence, and He enjoys mine.

I liken it to sitting with a close friend at the beach watching a sunset. Though no words are exchanged, the connectedness is almost palpable. And the silence between us seems to magnify the beauty surrounding us.

In Heaven, I expect God and I will share many such quiet moments, enjoying the sweep of a mountain vista, the trill of a child’s laugh. Or the velvet touch of a horse’s nuzzle, or the fragrance of a rose in bloom. But those experiences will pale compared to the stunning beauty of God Himself. His integrity. His wisdom. His vitality. His strength. His gentleness.

heaven is a ways off, thought, and there is much yet to do in this life. People to help. Commitments to keep. Plans to make, and then to follow.

There is a journey. And I am on it.

However, I must remember: part of that journey includes tasting a bit of heaven from time to time. It is dangling my legs over a seawall with a Good Friend, watching the horizon together in companionable silence. It is enjoying My Creator’s presence, not for what I can learn from Him, or for what He can do for me—but simply because He is there, and I love Him, and He loves me.

And because it is just nice to share a sunset together.

Share with us: How do you find the time to enjoy God’s company?

Recent posts – Time Management Series: Taking Aim: Goal Series – Part I, Beginning With The End In Mi nd: Goal Series – Part II, The Right Things For The Right Reasons: Goal Series – Part III

To Be

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by Lydia Floren

In my last post, I talked about TO-DO lists, and the importance of BE-ing restored every day. That got me thinking: What are some great things to have on a TO BE list?

TO BE:

Be Restored. (see last week’s post for more on this)

“He [The Lord] makes me lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside quiet waters. He restores my soul.” Psalm 23:2-3
Restore to me the joy of Your salvation And sustain me with a willing spirit. Psalm 51:12
I have spoken to you, that my joy may be in you, and your joy may be filled. John 15:11

Be Cherished. You are fully known and completely loved. Not because of what you do, but because of who you are: a precious creation of God’s.

“I have loved you with an everlasting love; I have drawn you with loving-kindness.” Jeremiah 31:3
You have enclosed me behind and before, and laid Your hand upon me. Psalm 139:5
I have called you by name; you are mine. Isaiah 43:1

Be Forgiven. There is no reason at all to keep carrying around regret and guilt and shame. Choose to receive God’s forgiveness, and forgive yourself.

All of us, like sheep, have strayed away. We have left God’s paths to follow our own. Yet the LORD laid on him the sins of us all. Isaiah 53:6
He has removed our sins as far from us as the east is from the west. Psalm 103:12
Blessed are those whose transgressions are forgiven, whose sins are covered. Romans 4:7

Be Free. Let go of worry, resentment, unforgiveness, expectations for yourself and others, old habits.

Now by “the Lord” is meant the Spirit; and where the Spirit of the Lord is, freedom is enjoyed. 2 Cor. 3:17
For freedom did Christ set us free: stand fast therefore, and be not entangled again in a yoke of bondage. Galatians 5:1
Don’t judge, and you won’t be judged. Don’t condemn, and you won’t be condemned. Set free, and you will be set free. Luke 6:37
I run in the path of your commandments, for you have set my heart free. Psalm 119:32

Share with us: What’s on your TO Be list?

To-Do, To Be

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by Lydia Floren

I am a big list person, always have been. I have little scraps of “to-do’s” on sticky notes stuck around the kitchen, my office, in my purse, the car…I have learned a thing or two about myself in my years of list making.

One thing, I have learned, is that for me, the act of writing something down on a list helps me remember it, even if I never look at it again.
Another thing, I have discovered about myself, is that I am not a very good judge of time. (I know that shocks those of you that know me.) I tend to cram my to-do list with more tasks than I can reasonably accomplish, which means I am more likely to be frustrated and hurried as the day goes on.
A third thing, I have learned about myself, is that if I really want to remember to do stuff, I have to put the list somewhere obvious. My favorite location is the refrigerator, since I seem to love to go open the door every hour or so when I am home. (Why do I do that BTW? Do I think a magic fairy is going to deposit delicious calorie free food in there when I’m not looking?] If it is really, really, important that I remember something: I write a reminder on my hand. I learned from my kids.

I have also learned a few great habits in list making:

Have 3 to-do lists.
- General overall list, so you don’t forget stuff. This might have sub-categories like shopping, online, work, home, meal prep, etc., it could be written, or on your computer or phone.
- Weekly to-do list.
- Daily to-do list.
Schedule tasks from your to-do lists’ into your calendar. Once a week, look at your calendar, and your overall tasks, and jot down things that must be accomplished in the coming week. As much as possible, set aside time in the week to accomplish these tasks, and actually write them in your calendar.
Limit your daily TO-DO list to 5 or 6 items. This little habit has a great impact. It forces you to narrow down what is most important to accomplish in your day, and reigns in the temptation to expect yourself to do more than can reasonably be accomplished. And that reduces stress, worry, hurry, and frustration, and increases a sense of accomplishment.

My daily to-do list always begins with this:

1. Be Restored

Be Restored: It is kind of ironic that my daily TO-DO list begins with something TO BE. As I choose to be quiet, to be available, to meditate on God’s word, and be attuned to what He is saying to me, I am connecting my heart and spirit with the one Person in the universe who knows me completely and loves me more than I can imagine. In this process, He restores my mind, emotions, spirit, and even my body. He forgives, He gives perspective, He reminds me that I am fearfully and wonderfully made, and that He is taking care of me. He encourages me to release the past, move forward, and to enjoy the day.

No, I haven’t (and likely won’t) give up my TO-DO lists, but I have learned this: the most important thing, I can DO in my day, is TO BE restored. I can really tell if I miss it.

The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want. He makes me lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside quiet waters. He restores my soul. Psalm 23:1-3

Read my meditation on Psalm 23:1-3 or check out the Belovedlove Psalm 23 Bracelet.

Share with us: What tips do you have for list making? How do you keep things in perspective?

Be Still and Know that I am God, by Lydia Floren

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Be still and know that I am God. Psalm 46:10

In the swirl and stress of the holidays, or just daily living, God often uses these 8 words to restore my soul.

“Be still and know that I am God.”

The simple acts of being and knowing, free us from the Twilight Zone of Anxiety, the Abyss of Never Enough.

“Be still and know that I am God.”

Be.

Just be.
Be aware of being alive. Appreciate that you have a beating heart, and air to breathe.
Settle into the truth that
- You are fearfully and wonderfully made.
- You are wanted. Treasured. Valued. Loved.
- You are known and you are loved.

Be still.

Just stop. Rest. Take a breath. Or two. Be still.
Be still on the inside, as well as the outside.
Release all those thoughts swirling around in your head.
Take your mind off your responsibilities, your concerns, those things in your head that are nagging you.
Let go right now, and just be still.

And know.

Let truth sink in.
Be aware of what is real, and what is not.
What is beyond seeing and understanding—and is in the realm of just knowing.

Know that I

Know the Person who made you,
Who knows you better than you know yourself.
Who loves you with an everlasting love, which is in no way dependent on what you do or don’t do.
Who lives within you.
Who has your back.
Who has shown, and will show you how to live.
Who will never steer you wrong.
Who goes after you when you stray—deliberately or unintentionally–and brings you back to the path of life and joy.
Who restores your soul, leads you into the light and away from the darkness.
Who will never leave you or reject you.
Who keeps you safe—protects your identity, value, belonging and calling—for all eternity.

Know that I am God.

Know that this person–your heavenly father, your friend, your one and only guide in life, your creator—is God.

He is God.

He is

100% good.
The most powerful being in the universe.
Wise
Trustworthy
Present
Compassionate
Understanding
Forgiving
Non condemning
Full of life and joy
Available
Ready to show you a better way to live
Committed to walking with you on that way.

“Be Still and Know that I AM GOD.” Psalm 46:10

How has this truth changed your life? Please share with us!

“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” Matthew 11:28-30

Escaping the Twilight Zone of Anxiety

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by Lydia Floren

In the holiday season, it is easy to get stressed. Anxiety can slip up on you–or just slam you– but it always keeps you from enjoying life. When we are anxious, we are fretful, not fruitful. We frown. We are easily annoyed. With all the activity and stress this time of year, it’s doubly important to recognize the signs that you may be entering the Twilight Zone of Anxiety.

It starts with The Coulds.

I think we all have a little ADD; it’s hard not to get distracted, given the world we live in. And any tendency our minds might have to wander, will kick into overdrive at the holidays. We think about The Coulds.

There are so many things we COULD do. We COULD entertain like Southern Living, decorate our homes like Architectural Digest, create gifts like Martha Stewart, dress like Vogue, bake cookies like Good Housekeeping. We COULD attend the office party, the theatre production, the carol sing, the sleigh ride. We COULD do all the things we didn’t do last year, that we promised ourselves we would do “next year, for sure.” These “coulds” don’t order themselves into a neat list; they swirl around in our heads like a thick fog on a stormy night.

Then come The Shoulds

Once The Coulds are established, The Shoulds creep in. We SHOULD make this gift. We SHOULD call so-and-so. We SHOULD attend that event, buy this present, send that special card, call that person, volunteer for this cause. SHOULDS go very deep in our psychy. Beneath the layer of things we SHOULD DO, is the even more corrosive layer of the things we SHOULD BE. We SHOULD BE more loving, and patient, and thoughtful, and organized, and disciplined. Between the Coulds and the Shoulds, everything in our heads becomes a muddled mess.

The Abyss of Never Enough

Eventually, we are forced to face the fact that we don’t have enough—of anything. We don’t have enough time, or energy, or resources, or even compassion–to do what we think we SHOULD do, much less what we COULD do. At first we might complain (whine) “if I just had more _______.” Or we might try whipping those around us into action (usually less-than-enthusiastic family members), to help us get some of those Shoulds off our backs. Finally we admit to ourselves: “There is never enough, and there is never going to be enough, of me to do all these Shoulds, no matter how hard I try.”

While this truth should be freeing, it is not. Not yet. We aren’t finished sliding down into the pit, and we do this by saying to ourselves, “Somehow this is all my fault. I SHOULD have done this, I SHOULD have planned that.” We get frustrated, depressed, and twice as stressed, beating ourselves up for every missed opportunity, every less-than-perfect outcome. When we reach the SHOULDS of REGRET, we have tumbled headlong into the Abyss of NEVER ENOUGH. Here, we are truly at a standstill.

Escaping the Twilight Zone of Anxiety

The way to freedom from all this anxiety and stress is 180 dgrees opposite the busy road we have been traveling. Our freedom comes when we decide to quit focusing on ourselves, and our little corner of the universe, and turn our eyes to Jesus. Jesus said “I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life. No one comes to the Father but through me.” When we spend our efforts connecting with the Maker of the Universe we get to know Truth—in Person. That Person also said “You shall know the Truth, and the Truth shall make you free.”

I find when I choose to make time with God my top priority, everything changes. The fog clears. I start to see the world more from His perspective. The things I was worried about don’t seem as important. And other things—things that weren’t even on my radar before—take precedence. The hymnist Helen H. Lemmel expressed it this way:

Turn your eyes upon Jesus. Look full in His wonderful face, and the things of earth will grow strangely dim, in the light of His glory and grace.

The psalmist David said it another way:

…I waited patiently for the LORD; And He inclined to me and heard my cry. He brought me up out of the pit of destruction, out of the miry clay, And He set my feet upon a rock making my footsteps firm. He put a new song in my mouth, a song of praise to our God… Isaiah 40:1-3

What ways has God freed you? We’d love to hear from you!

For more reflections about the holidays, check out Perfect Holidays, Shine your Heart, or Crunch Time.

Living Grace

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by Lydia Floren

Do you ever feel bogged down? Not by anything external, but by what goes on inside your head? I know I do. Regrets and hurts sap my strength. Worries and frustrations drain away my joy.

Lately I’ve been figuring out a cool way to get back on track every day, so that I can go forward refreshed and energized: I’ve been learning to pray GRACE.

Pray GRACE:

Give thanks

Release

Continue

Enjoy

For example, in the morning I might pray something like this:

Give thanks

Thank You Father, for life that is in me and in the world around me. Thank You for air to breathe, a beating heart, five senses and four limbs. Thank You for the past, present, and future. Thank You for You: Your goodness, Your commitment to be with me and within me, Your love and care. Thank You for the particular situations that are on my mind, that You work all things to good, that You understand and will lead me in the right way to look at things, and how best to proceed.

Release

Father, I know I have been carrying around all kinds of baggage, and right now I just want to leave everything right here at Your feet. I release

My self-reliance: when I go my own way instead of Your way
Regret for what I have done that may have hurt myself or others, and
Any hurt that I am experiencing as a consequence of someone’s else’s actions
My habit of beating myself up over stuff. Thank you that you do not want me to live under condemnation, a slave of shame or guilt. That is precisely what you gave your life for.
Grudges I am holding against others: resentment and/or unforgiveness
Things dragging me down that I’m not consciously aware of: You know even more than I do what those things might be.

Accept

Thank you for my life

Where I am in time and space,
My unique gifts and talents, my incredible value, and belonging to you and the family of God
The privilege of joining with You to love those around me, and that you use me just as I am, “imperfect” by my own false standards.

Thank You for You

You being with me and within me, and never leaving me.
That You are committed to me: You have my back.
That you are Truth, and You have freed me.

Thank you for the freedom

Of your forgiveness
From hanging on to hurt, condemnation, and the expectations of others.
From fear, as I leave my worries with you.

Thank you that everyday is a new day, that I can embrace with anticipation.

Continue

Help me to continue moving forward in the direction You’ve already led me.

According to the plans carefully – and prayerfully – formulated.
Utilizing the habit(s) you have led me to establish
Keeping the commitments you have asked me to keep.

Thank you that You fill in the blanks of my imperfect efforts with Your perfect sufficiency.

And as I go, thank you that You will show me what changes you might want to make in those plans, habits and commitments.

Enjoy today

Thank you for the constants in my day: your love, your presence, your commitment to provide and protect and lead me, your working in this world.

Thank You for the unexpected:

The gifts You give me throughout the day: a beautiful sky, a smile, a connection, a new friend.
The surprising ways You work sometimes. ways I don’t anticipate or understand.
Opportunities to love and bless those around me.
Unique ways You communicate with me through your still small voice, your word, circumstances, your creation, and other people

Praying GRACE – it’s a great way to live!

p.s. I am really excited about this GRACE model! I am finding all kinds of applications for it. Expect to hear more about Living Grace in the near future! Below is a tool that can be printed on a 4×6 card so you can try Praying Grace, filling in your own blanks. (You can also find this on our Pinterest page)

Take a moment and share with us: How are you living GRACE in your days?