Prayer like Incense

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year SEAC!!! I hope that the holidays has been filled with blessings, joy, quality time with family, friends, and the Lord.  And I am looking forward to 2013. I already can sense that God has big plans for the Bride, the church.  It is more evident these days that the end times are dawning.  Now that 12/21/12 has passed, we all see that the Mayan calendar really just ran out of space.  But its not quite funny that we experience heavy earthquakes in the northern parts of Japan, that icebergs are melting at faster rates that ever, that Newtown, CT experiencing a young man shooting innocent children and teachers who serve our children.  We also see great changes in political leadership that are occurring, more deceptive truths, and seeing the first woman president of Korea (not that I'm against women in leadership, but the history of oppression),  If you are the type of person to keep up with current events you would know that there is so much more.  If your not the type of person to look at current events I encourage you to keep updated with the news. Like Incense and Sometimes by Step, has become a worship song that leads me through prayer for my life, for the communities that I am involved in,  for the missionaries that I have committed to pray for and the persons that I desire to know the Lord of Love.

May my prayer like incense rise before you, the lifting of my hands a sacrifice,

O Lord Jesus turn your eyes upon me, for I know there is mercy in your sight,

Your statues are my heritage forever, my heart is set in keeping your decrees,

You still my anxious urge toward rebellion, Let love keep my will upon its knees

To all perfection, I can see a limit, But Your commands are boundless and have none

So Your Word is my joy and meditation, From the rising to the setting of the sun

All Your ways are loving and are faithful, Your road is narrow but Your burden light

Because You gladly lean to lead the humble, I shall gladly kneel to leave my pride

I will seek You in the morning, and

  I will look to walk in Your ways

And step by step You'll lead me

And I will follow You all of my days 

These poetic words compel the heart to pray more earnestly with faith, and with humility.  Incense, in a way isn't just a fragrance that rises, but the invisible fragrance that fills the entire place that it is contained by, and usually it is used in places of intimacy.  It expanse quick and has a strong fragrance though invisible to the eye.  So if our prayer is like incense we should know that it rises, and it is effective all around us. In the upcoming new year,as the word for the SEAC still stands  that we as Southeast Asian American leaders in the church, actually for all Christian, we need to daily hold up the shield of faith to continue to protect the heart, yet guard from the dangers of fighting the battle of worldly ways,  as well as continue to share the Gospel of Love through prayer.  I encourage a you to find yourself to know prayer that is like incense.

I've been praying for words that I could share in this prayer journal.  For a while I have been stuck.  And finally I recently opened one of my journals to find a tissue paper inlet that I wrote on.. These words helped me really grow deeper in my prayer life.  I hope they meet you well, and help you deepen in your prayer life.  Each phrase helps us identify what we need and generally help us to see the kind of God we serve.The pattern begins with a verb that comes from a noun. 

"Humility comes from renewal.

Forgiveness comes from grace.

Freedom comes from understanding.

Solitude comes from wisdom.

Justice comes from vision. 

Worship comes from balance."

Without renewal we cannot be humble.  Without  grace we cannot experience forgiveness an act of extending grace without any favor in return.  Without understanding we cannot be free from confusion, from lawlessness, from chaos.  Without wisdom, we cannot find solitude the act of stillness and peace in chaos.  Without vision we cannot act justly.  Without balance, a centered heart, we cannot be at our full potential of worship.  Of course we are all are far from perfect, but we can aim for the utmost for His highest.  I feel like we can strive for balance so we can worship him with all our soul, mind, and body.  If we continue to have visions and gain perspective we can be active in social justice.  I feel like If we continue to seek His wisdom, we are full of strength and peace during the storms that happen in the path of life.  I feel like if we understand the Word, we are more free than ever.  I feel like if we know grace, we can extend forgiveness more.  And I feel like if we daily renew ourselves in the Lord of Love, we can humbly live and serve in this crazy world.  (continually laying down your pride in prayer, the daily struggles are tough and draining.)  With these things we all can become stronger, intimate with God, and more effective with those that surround us. Our lives become a prayer that rises and spreads like incense. 

The world isn't forever and with the proper tools we can daily hold up the shield of faith with boldness.  Prayer is our most powerful tool.  And with the songs of worship we sing, and the words that we see, like the ones above, we can continue to gain in fruitfulness in our relationship with the Lord.   As we head into 2013, may our posture be with hands that lift in sacrifice, and knowing that the Gospel needs to be shared.  

Immeasurable possibilities are done by the Lord.  

Amen to Immanuel. 

Here is a short testimony. 

In a simple way, I was recently saw a little movement in my prayer like incense for a friend who I have known for about 13 years now.  I have been contending for her for a very long time, and results are very subtle and slow in movement,  she still isn't sure God is for her.  Our relationship as of this year.has been growing wider and deeper in ways that I can see that my prayers are rising, and I am seeing how my faith is spreading into her life through certain comments she makes.  But we rarely talk about her faith.  It was a brief moment this past 12/20/12, just 2 hours before the 21st, we had a 5 minute car conversation about 12/21/12. The topic of the world ending came up.  We both agreed that the 21st wouldn't be the day the world ends.  She asked me the question, "What IF the world does end, and you knew the exact date and time the world would end, what would you do the day before if you were 100% sure that it would end that day?"  She answered first and I was a bit hesitant.  As she shared I decided, well honesty would only be the best case, and I recognized that it was an opportunity for me to share genuinely the most important things to me, and to live them out without regret.  It was also a simple opportunity to share Jesus with her.  I said, “I would have a huge party for all my friends and family, I would spend all my money treating them with good food and drinks, I would also make sure that they would hear about Jesus, so that they could make a choice, I wouldn’t want to choose for them, BUT I honestly am selfish and I want them all in heaven with me...that would include you.”  I continued to say that I think that the world is coming to an end, we wouldn’t have occurrences like the current events listed above, if it were not true.  She nodded in acknowledgement.  Our conversation continued briefly.  And then I ended with well, “Why aren’t we doing these things now then?”  She smirked with a slight chuckle….we both knew that this was Truth.