Friday Coffee with PJ

After missing my weekly coffee with you last week, I am more than ready to share some random type thoughts with any of you with time to stop and listen.

1. So many of us struggle with our prayer lives. By that I mean that most of us, if really honest, would have to admit we don't pray nearly enough. I admit that's definitely true of my life. And there are many reasons for this lack of prayer: life's busy routines, the distraction of the world, the influence of our enemy who certainly does not want to see God's people on their knees before God . . . . and the list could go on and on and on. So to help me "pray better and pray more," I am always looking for any helpful tool which will help me do so. One such resource is a book by Ken Boa titled, Handbook to Prayer: Praying the Scripture Back to God. This handbook has helped me to become more consistent ... AND ... more God-centered in my praying. I highly recommend any of Boa's books on prayer. It's really, really good stuff!


2. When it comes to the practice of meditating on Scripture, I believe the Puritans had a huge leg up in this arena over what most Christians today call meditating on the Word.

"Puritan meditation engages the mind with God’s revealed truth in order to inflame the heart with affections towards God and transform the life unto obedience. Thomas Hooker defined it like this: 'Meditation is a serious intention of the mind whereby we come to search out the truth, and settle it effectually upon the heart.' The direction of our minds reveals the truest love of our hearts, and so, Hooker said, he who loves God’s Word meditates on it regularly (Psalm 119:97). Therefore, Puritan meditation is not repeating a sound, emptying the mind, or imagining physical sights and sensations, but a focused exercise of thought and faith upon the Word of God" (Dr. Joel Beeke, author of the acclaimed book, Puritan Theology: Doctrine for Life).

Wow! That first sentence says it all. Oh that I would meditate on God's Word to inflame my heart and transform my life!


3. The rain that is falling from the clouds as I write this post brings to mind what God has to say about His word. In Isaiah 55:10-12 God likens the His word to rain or snow. These forms of precipitation water the soil so that crops and trees and grass can grow. And so with the Bible. It WILL do the same, bringing forth growth as it waters our souls and hearts. In fact, God makes the incredible promise that His word will not return to him EMPTY or UNPRODUCTIVE. Rather the Scripture will accomplish God's will in our lives. Given this truth ... what's keeping YOU from the Bible?

Thanks for stopping by . . .
pj