Grains of Sand

TRANSFORMING PRAYER Daniel Henderson Bethany House 2011 The traditional impression of prayer meeting is that of a quick Bible study, endless discussion about the people and circumstances surrounding the prayer requests and then a guilty: “Oh, we’re almost out of time, we’d better pray!” Although he is quick to reassure us that our requests are important to God, Daniel Henderson is equally quick to point out that prayer begins long before the requests are mentioned and that it needs to start with a recognition of who God has revealed Himself to be. He writes: “Worship-based prayer seeks the face of God before the hand of God…I have learned that if all we ever do is seek God’s hand, we may miss His face; but if we seek His face, He will be glad to open His hand and satisfy the deepest desires of our hearts…Worship-based prayer ignites a desire for spiritual intimacy and personal transformation” (pg. 27). The bottom line, says Henderson, is that we can never expect to see revival...

The clay jar from Venezuela arrived in Canada slightly the worse for wear. A chunk of the spout didn't survive the trip. As I read this morning's reading from 2 Corinthians, I remembered the jug. As what we know as 2 Corinthians 3 closes, the Apostle Paul writes: " And we, who with unveiled faces all reflect the Lord's glory, are being transformed into his likeness with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit " (3:18, NIV) Paul is adamant throughout his writings that we, as believers must cooperate with the Holy Spirit in the renovation process that began at the moment we came to faith in Christ. Being declared holy because of Christ's redemptive work in us, now demands that old habits be laid aside to make room for the characteristics of Christ. However, in 2 Corinthians 4, Paul acknowledges that believers are very much like my clay pot and that being so is not entirely a bad thing. He writes: " But we have this treasure...

They say that there is always a family resemblance. The nose, the eyes, the chin, something always gets carried over from one generation to another. According to Paul, family resemblances are carried through beyond the context of moms, dads and grandparents. He writes in 1 Corinthians 15:49: " …just as we have borne the likeness of the earthly man, so shall we bear the likeness of the man from heaven. " Oh boy, can I relate to the first part of the phrase! I'm really earthly. The good part is, that because of the grace of God, the seeds of that " man from heaven " are firmly planted. Day by day, bit by bit, victory by victory, his likeness replaces the earthly one. And one day, the rest of the promise will come about: " …we will all be changed—in a flash, in the twinkling of nan eye…For the perishable must clothe itself in the imperishable, and the mortal with the immortal…thanks be to God. He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ " —1 Cor...