I was just getting going. Second mowing of the season. Outside round.
Lori and the kids were going to take the Ranger and run some errands. I gassed it up, checked the tires, and parked it out front for them. Dad was going to have an hour to his thoughts, his music, and his grass. I'm not the guy that just loves to mow grass. I don't weed and feed. I don't water. I just mow it. I was more looking forward to the dull, revved engine sound for the next hour and the time alone that comes with the task. Silence doesn't happen much in my life, and probably the reason I find so much solace in a tree stand. Or on a mower. Old Blue (the pet name for our mower) was humming along. I was just going around the bottom of the hill on the outside round when I saw my oldest coming down the hill with tears in his eyes. I slowed down and idled the mower. I figured he was having a simple argument with his mother and she sent him outside. It's just something that happens with kids and I was getting a little testy about being stopped. That's when I heard him say, "It's Lily Dad, Mom needs you. She's choking."
In high school I was actually a pretty fast runner. Not so much these days. The old glory days showed up very quickly as soon as I heard those words. I think I made it to the house as quick as ever - but time was standing still for our family. We got to the house and I remember Russell coming in behind me screaming at me - "What do I do? Is Lily going to die?" I stopped dead in my tracks and put my hands on both sides of his face. "Go sit in the car and pray." I didn't have any other plan.
As we rushed everyone to the car and loaded up, I came to the understanding that Lily had been messing around with a handful of change and she had somehow managed to swallow a quarter.
Close to a year has went by since this frantic event and when I think about it - I let out a small chuckle. Yet in the moment on that day - as my daughter sat in the backseat foaming at the mouth and dry heaving - it was anything but amusing. I sped down the interstate shifting from prayer to contemplating what our family and lives would look like without our middle child. My only daughter. Praise God that her ill-gotten symptoms had mostly subsided by the time we rolled up to the ER doors. A short wait in the lobby and we were on our way back to see the doctor. They took an x-ray for good measure, and sure enough, they found the culprit. The perfectly round disc had made it all the way down her esophagus and was settled nicely in her tummy. No problem. No surgery. Just wait for nature to run its course. We could head home with our humbled 5-year old. It took her a full 3.5 hours and a nap to return to her normal self. By that evening she was proudly telling those she encountered of her monetary gain. Me on the other hand - I'm not sure a Dad goes back to their normal selves after a day like that.
Isn't it awesome and amazing that in the midst of our trials - in every situation, we have the ability to pray to the one who created us. I remember telling Russell to pray. Lori and I prayed on the way to the hospital. Praying helped calm me as I watched the events of this day unfold. It gave me peace. As I write that out, it comes across as if I'm a great prayer warrior, but truth be told - I'm not very good at it somedays. On this sunny spring day I was quicker to pray - because I didn't have another option, yet writing this blog post is more of a challenge to myself than it is to you. Cultivating a habitual prayer life is one area that I want to see myself grow in and I hope you want to see that in your life. Connecting with the Father via prayer is vital to the Christian walk. We're going to soon look at a passage in Philippians 4. This prayer and petition is the only way to have the peace of God - the inner tranquility - the peaceful state of those whose sins are forgiven.
But how do I pray? What does that mean, and how do I "talk to God"? These are legitimate questions, and they are questions I've had to ask myself. In a world where we can either "search it up" or find a YouTube video about it, I've also had some great biblical mentors teach on these specific questions. One thing that I've found to help from good prayer habits is an acronym: ACTS. If you can remember the word ACTS and use it in your prayers, I think it will help you put some order in your prayer time, and help build better habits. Here they are:
A - Adoration - Start your prayer in adoration of God. His might and glory. His mercy and grace. His perfect sacrifice, Jesus. His death and resurrection. Holy Spirit being with us. Our Advocate and our Comforter. Who God is and what he's done for us should always be in the
forefront or our minds, and our prayer life. He is the reason we have life!
C - Confession - The bible calls each of us into repentance as Christians. Beyond the confession of sin at the time of our salvation, this should be a daily examination and confession of the sin in our own lives. 1 John 1:9 says, "If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness." Being a Christian, or Christ-follower is a process the each of us should strive to improve in daily, and confessing our sins to God is part of that process.
T - Thanksgiving - I have so much to be thankful for. Naming these off and telling God specifically about each one is a great way to keep track of all God is doing in my life. The verse below says in all circumstances give thanks. When is the last time we thanked God for the adverse situations in our lives? I thanked God last night for my kids and their health, but I didn't do so good thanking God for the difficult person in my life this week.
16 Rejoice always,
17 pray continually,
18a give thanks in all circumstances;
1 Thessalonians 5:16-18a NIV
S - Supplication - This is a fancy word for the type of prayer many are familiar with. In Philippians 4 it says - Present your requests to God. What burdens you? What do you want God to supply you? What situation do you want to specifically see God move in? Make it known to him. Ask him to move. When he does though - don't forget to give him praise!
ACTS - there you have it. Adoration, Confession, Thanksgiving and Supplication. Great guidelines for an improved prayer life. While not exhaustive nor comprehensive, this acronym is merely a useful tool that I hope you can remember and put to use in your prayer life. I know for sure it's helped me grow in this area of discipleship, and I hope it is helpful and has the same effect for you.
6 Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. 7 And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
Philippians 4:6-7 NIV
The bible is alive, God-breathed and timeless. Going back to the passage in Philippians 4, there are a few lines that Paul wrote to the church in Philippi that are amazing and I want to elaborate on an idea. It unlocks a supreme truth that is so fitting for believers and unbelievers alike today. At the beginning of verse 6, he says, Do not be anxious about anything. Anxiety is something that is an ongoing plague in our country. My guess is that you know someone who really battles with anxiety - if it isn't you yourself. It's widely talked about and when you start googling the statistics, you can see how rampant it is. 1 in 5 people in the country this year will battle it and as many as 30% of the population will battle it in their lifetime. 10 words. 10 words after Paul says Do not be anxious about anything he gives us the key. Thanksgiving. Did you know that our brains cannot respond to anxiety and gratitude at the same time? I heard this during a worship performance on YouTube a friend had shared. While I had heard this passage in Philippians Chapter 4 - I hadn't heard that statement before. I did some research and reading and I was blown away. It's science. Science proving the bible true. The key to living anxiety free is having a heart posture of thankfulness. The key to a successful prayer life is to bring our requests to God - with an attitude of gratitude. The key to a Dad having peace when his daughter decides to eat a quarter, is to pray - being thankful for her in the first place. After all she's priceless, well priceless plus 25-cents.
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