Interior of the Pantheon, Rome, Italy, 2011, taken by Martha Wiggins
“You expected much, but see, it turned out to be little. What you brought home, I blew away. Why?” declares the LORD Almighty. “Because of my house, which remains a ruin, while each of you is busy with your own house.” Haggai 1:9
Occasionally I share some of my favorite spiritual prayers, routines, and tools. I call them Celestial Habits. Today I am sharing something which had a huge impact on my life many years ago.
Most of us are very busy people, with big responsibilities in the way of jobs and caring for our families and loved ones. Too often we have no choice but to put ourselves on the back burner. When it comes to our spiritual self it is an entirely different matter. While our hopes, dreams, and even out physical and monetary needs sometimes suffer because of immediate, serious responsibilities, our faith cannot be neglected if we hope to truly fulfill those responsibilities.
In the verse from Haggai, we see how we can become so focused on our own busy life, our own house, that His house sits in ruin. His house can mean our body, which is His temple, or our Faith, which through His grace is our lifeline to Him. We also see in Haggai that if we neglect His house, our house will become in ruins; it will be blown away! He says we expect much, but are so busy with ourselves and our responsibilities that we actually get little as a result. In Haggai, the Lord warns us about being too busy!
“Now this is what the LORD Almighty says: “Give careful thought to your ways. You have planted much, but harvested little. You eat, but never have enough. You drink, but never have your fill. You put on clothes, but are not warm. You earn wages, only to put them in a purse with holes in it.” (Haggai 1:5-6)
Such was my life years ago, when raising three wonderful children, (a daughter who danced, and two sons who played baseball), teaching Art part-time at their school, and helping my husband start and grow his accounting firm. We also had four cats, two dogs, and at times a few goldfish. Actually, not much has changed today, except the kids are grown. We are still very much involved with them, and now have wonderful, aging parents to help care for. I don’t teach Art any more, but I do work part-time at our office. And, our pets are now two beagles, two cats, and two turtles! I share this only to make the point, like you, I am busy. Too busy not to pray!
The something which made a huge impact on my life was an inspiring book by Bill Hybels, entitled, “Too Busy Not to Pray.” Hybels explains, “Prayerless people are cut off from God’s prevailing power, and the frequent result is the familiar feeling of being overwhelmed, overrun, beat down, pushed around, defeated. Surprising numbers of people are willing to settle for lives like that. Don’t be one of them. Nobody has to live like that. Prayer is the key to unlocking God’s prevailing power in your life.”
I had a rich, full prayer life, but this book gave me, in simple terms, a way of maintaining that prayer life even in the very busy times. For those who need it, and I did, he gives a method which is quite easy to follow. It is how I learned the art of prayer journaling. I now have more than ten years worth of journals that I affectionately call my “Books of Answered Prayer.” I have proof that God hears, and answers all of my prayers. I didn’t say He answered them all in the way I wanted them answered, but over the years all my prayers have been answered.
Time was the biggest issue for me back then. To make prayer journaling a priority in my prayer routine, I began to get up an extra fifteen minutes earlier than the rest of my household. I went in the bathroom, closed the door, and sat on the edge of the tub, to gain the time and privacy I wanted. I followed the journaling plan in the book: ACTS, A for Adoration, C for Confession, T for Thanksgiving, and S for Supplications. Simple, yet effective, when followed. I have prayed my children and husband through every day of their lives. I always prayed that God would help my husband and I raise our children in the way He would have them raised, to be who He wanted them to be. Every single day, I also write in my journal, “Lord, bless Turner and I. Bless our Faith, our marriage, health, parenting, and finances.”
I begin each day’s entry with a single word of praise, such as, “Lord you are Hope.” (Eternal, Sovereign, Creator, Almighty, Steadfast, etc.) I confess simply, such as, “Lord, forgive me for judging others.” (for pride, gossip, anger, doubt, etc.) Then I thank Him for something current, “Safety on the roads over the weekend.” (Time spent with one of the kids, a special prayer answered, etc.) Then, and only then do I ask for those blessings and answers that I am in need of, my supplications. And, I always sign off, “Bless our home and our pets. Love, Martha.”
I know you are all as busy as I am, so I know you are all too busy not to pray! Prayer journaling is a great way to start a prayer routine or to rejuvenate one. Dedicating a specific time to prayer and writing it down is a beautiful way of seeing His Hand at work in your life. “Prayer is the key to unlocking God’s prevailing power in your life.”
The Pantheon in Rome was built around 27-25 BC and still stands today in beautifully preserved condition. It has withstood the tests of time. Let the houses we build for the Lord also withstand the tests of time.
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