“Prayer is the constant calibration of the soul.”

                                 Bob Sorge in Secrets of the Secret Place

So much about prayer is shrouded in mystery. While God makes it clear that prayer is a backbone of the Christian life,  how He uses our prayers remains a mystery to us. And perhaps He wants it that way. After all, the idea is to pray and let the Holy Spirit worry about the results.

But as soon as I read the above quote, I couldn’t get it out of my head and heart. I had to come back to it and reread it several times, letting it sink in. What was God trying to tell me?

The word calibration intrigued me. I have a vague sense of the meaning, but I looked it up to clarify. Wikipedia shares this definition of calibration:

•          Calibration is a comparison between measurements — one of known magnitude or correctness made or set with one device and another measurement made in as similar a way as possible with a second device. The device with the known or assigned correctness is called the standard. The second device is the unit under test, test instrument, or any of several other names for the device being calibrated.

Wow! When I look at this definition through a spiritual lens as an analogy to prayer, the implications are eye-opening.

1. God is our first “measurement” of correctness, the standard, and people are the second measurement, made in as similar a way as possible to Him. Indeed, Genesis 5:1 tells us that “when God created man, he made him in the likeness of God.”
2. We also see that people are “the unit under test.” Isn’t that interesting? Deuteronomy 8:2 and several other places in the Bible tell us that God does test us: “Remember how the LORD your God led you all the way in the wilderness these forty years, to humble and test you in order to know what was in your heart, whether or not you would keep his commands.”

God tests us to see if we are on the same page as He is, willing to obey Him. Because of sin, we know that often times our rebellious hearts are “doin’ their own thing.” I know that too many times I have made my own plans, and I don’t really want to know if God likes them — or not.

Here is where the calibration part becomes life-changing:

When I take the time each day to come before God and pray, He is able to calibrate my heart so that I start to align my plans with His. Through prayer and the power of the Holy Spirit, He is able to bring me, the unit under test, up to His standard. How amazing is that?

That’s one reason why prayer is so important to a Christ-follower. If we don’t daily sync our souls with Jesus, we run an increasing risk of getting off track and running out of power. We need that daily calibration to protect us.

How about you? Have you ever felt God calibrate your soul to His in an obvious way? I’d love to hear your story. Just share it below in the comment section.

Pray on!

Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Calibration

Imagine doing your Bible study with your small group without ever having to leave the comfort of  your home, dorm room — or back deck (if you live in a warm clime!). If this sounds like your kind of study, we would love for you to join our eight-week online Bible study, Wounded Lives. Healed Hearts  by Sue Edwards, which begins February 19th.

This Bible study will:

• help you realize your incredible value and worth in Christ;
• challenge you to seek and receive the healing Jesus longs to give you for your wounded life and injured heart;
• empower you to spend face-to-face time with Jesus;
• inspire you to do the work  that God wants to accomplish through everyday people like you and me.

Order Your Materials and Register

In order to participate in the study you must 1) order the book at CBD or Amazon, or purchase it at the Grace Church counter at Mary’s church and 2) sign up through the registration link below (registration is only $5).

Once you have signed up, you will receive an email link to confirm your registration. You must click on the link to be enrolled in the Bible study. Each week, for the duration of the study,  you will receive an email that contains the weekly Bible study page password and Community Call information. Look for your email every Tuesday night.

Thanks so much for your participation. Feel free to invite your friends! Please click on the link below to register and pay. You will be given the option to pay either with Pay Pal or with your credit card. If you don’t have a PayPal account, simply click the option that says “Check Out.” Clicking on that will then open another screen and one of your options will say: “Don’t have a PayPal account?” Click on this option, which will bring up a screen that will let you either pay with a regular credit card or open a PayPal account.Questions or problems with registration? Click on this contact button to email Jane. God bless you and thank you!

Register for the Bible Study on this Buy Now link:

We’ve included a link below to the CBD online bookstore if your prefer to purchase your materials this way.

Luke: Discover Together Bible Study By Sue Edwards / Kregel PublicationsHave you ever felt undervalued, unappreciated, or just “little”? We all have. The Gospel of Luke was written especially for us to show that God does his great work through people like us. Join Sue Edwards on this inductive study of Luke. As she focuses on particular encounters Jesus had with first-century women, you will have your own encounter with Jesus and learn how truly valuable you are to him. The video lessons are on YouTube and can be accessed through the website www.discovertogetherseries.com or by using the QR codes found in the study guide. Free leader’s guide also available on website, www.discovertogetherseries.com.

Jane and I welcome you to “Wounded Lives. Healed Hearts.” We are very excited to join you during this journey into encouragement  and healing. In the weeks leading up to this study, we have been praying for you. Thank you for answering God’s call; it is not an accident that you have joined this study. We all have wounds, and God alone holds our healing.

Weekly Homework.
Each week we will add your assignments to a password-protected post. Look for the password every Tuesday evening in your email. Below you will find homework for each level of study. Feel free to change from Level 1, Level 2, or Level 3  as your schedule allows! Remember, there is no pressure to complete every activity. These are just options for your spiritual growth. They can be accessed at any time, even after the study ends.

Introductory Community Call

Here is the February 19 Introductory Community Call from Talk Shoe:

Level 1, Study: Weekly Goals 

• For Week 1, watch the video: Learning to Trust
• Complete pages 11-26 in Luke: Discovering Healing in Jesus’ Words to Women.
• Feel free to do any of the other activities from Levels 2 and 3 as your time allows.

Level 2, Community: Weekly Goals

• For Week 1, watch the video: Learning to Trust
• Complete pages 11-26 in Luke: Discovering Healing in Jesus’ Words to Women.
• Answer the question on the Speak Your Mind comment section at the bottom of this post.
• Don’t forget to check out our private Facebook page. Leave your comments about this week’s study, post your prayer requests, or share any insights/questions you may have. Only members of our Bible study group will see these posts.
• Join the Community Call, Wednesday night at 7:00 p.m. EST on TalkShoe (Information on TalkShoe is in your weekly email.)

 Level 3, Opportunity: Weekly Goals 

• For Week 1, watch  the video: Learning to Trust
• Complete pages 11-26 in Luke: Discovering Healing in Jesus’ Words to Women.
• Answer the question on the Speak Your Mind comment section at the bottom of this post, and join the Community Call on Wednesday night on TalkShoe.
• Complete the Digging Deeper questions in the margins of each lesson.
• Don’t forget to check out our private Facebook page. Leave your comments about this week’s study, post your prayer requests, or share any insights/questions you may have. Only members of our Bible study group will see these posts.
• Take advantage of the Help for Healing resources by clicking on the links below:

Hope and Trust Take 5! Bible Study

Rock My World Bible Study

Times of Trouble Blog

Please take a few moments to worship and express your gratitude to God through music for His many blessing and gifts.

Questions of the Week (Please respond in the Speak Your Mind section at the very bottom of this page).

With what area of life do you struggle to trust God? What step can you take this week to begin to trust God with this area?

If you missed the Community Call from Lesson 1 Control to Trust, here is the recording.

Recently I was at one of my favorite places in the Midwest, Fernwood. It’s a gem of a nature park in Niles, Mich., where I grew up. My dad and mom, and my sisters Laura, Mary, Carol, and I all met there for lunch. It happened to be snowing that day, and the setting couldn’t have been more beautiful. The lure of the snow was too powerful, and I dashed outside with my camera to snap a few pictures while we waited for our lunch to arrive.

Somehow the world just seems quieter when insulated by a blanket of snow. The only thing I could hear was the twittering of birds as they flitted from tree to bird feeder to tree again, the cardinals a cheerful, scarlet blur against the snow.

I followed the path under my feet as it wound through the trees, opening up beautiful vistas around each corner.

I couldn’t help but feel that I was in my own Sacred Everyday living out Psalm 16:11:

“You will show me the path of life. In Your presence is fullness of joy. At Your right hand are pleasures for evermore.”

God painted a masterpiece that afternoon and let me wander through it. And I am thankful.

We end the joyous, contemplative season of Advent today as we prepare for our Savior’s birth. Thank you for joining us for this journey. Whatever your circumstances are today, I pray you realize how much God loves you — enough to send His Son Jesus for you.

Merry Christmas!

Advent Devotional Christmas Eve

In today’s Advent Devotional, we look at the story of the shepherds and how God revealed the good news to them first. What can we learn from them in the Christmas story?

If you’d like a bit of background about Advent, please read Day One’s entry. Tomorrow is the last day of Advent. I pray you have been drawing closer to God during this time.

To read today’s entry, simply click on the link below.

Advent Devotional Monday, December 23, 2013