My passion for prayer has been rather small these past few weeks, to say the least. I've been busy and tired and stressed, with so many other things on my mind that I've been trying to work out with God. I'm not entirely sure how that all made me think not praying was OK, but too late now. I haven't been praying much lately. I've probably gotten through three or four days' worth of species prayers in the past two weeks. I've been feeling lazy, complacent, unsure.
Today I picked up the book This Present Darkness, by Frank E. Peretti. I'm not nearly done with it, but I've definitely figured out that it's about spiritual warfare. There are demons and angels running around, along with normal people. Prayer is shown as the only defense we humans have against those demons, as vitally, vitally important in the fight against Satan. I just suddenly had this urge, this passion for prayer. If it's that important, I'm going to do it.
Monday, December 17, 2012
Monday, December 10, 2012
How the Earth Was
Do you ever think about what the earth was like before humans?
It sounds wonderful to me: the oceans were teeming with whales, North America was full of forests and unbroken plains and mammoths and giant sloths and so many other amazing creatures that we can only imagine, and it just sounds so wonderfully beautiful and pristine. Dangerous, too, but breath-takingly gorgeous, and a wonderful testament to God's creative powers.
All of these verses speak of God and His creative power. He created the earth, and He loved it ("And He saw that it was good" repeated over and over in Genesis 1). And His creation must have His fingerprints all over it--the creation always tells you so much about the artist.
Obviously, it's pointless to wonder what could have happened, and the past is behind us and can't be regained. But I still wonder sometimes.
Sources:
Whale and Dolphin Conservation Society blog
North America During the Last 150,000 Years
Science Daily article
It sounds wonderful to me: the oceans were teeming with whales, North America was full of forests and unbroken plains and mammoths and giant sloths and so many other amazing creatures that we can only imagine, and it just sounds so wonderfully beautiful and pristine. Dangerous, too, but breath-takingly gorgeous, and a wonderful testament to God's creative powers.
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| Photo source |
It's hinted at in Scripture, too:
How many are your works, Lord!
In wisdom you made them all;
the earth is full of your creatures.
25 There is the sea, vast and spacious,
teeming with creatures beyond number—
living things both large and small.
26 There the ships go to and fro,
and Leviathan, which you formed to frolic there.
In wisdom you made them all;
the earth is full of your creatures.
25 There is the sea, vast and spacious,
teeming with creatures beyond number—
living things both large and small.
26 There the ships go to and fro,
and Leviathan, which you formed to frolic there.
~Psalm 104:24-26 (NIV)
When I consider your heavens,
the work of your fingers,
the moon and the stars,
which you have set in place,
4 what is mankind that you are mindful of them,
human beings that you care for them?
the work of your fingers,
the moon and the stars,
which you have set in place,
4 what is mankind that you are mindful of them,
human beings that you care for them?
~Psalm 8:3-4 (NIV)
(see also Job 37-39, which was too long to put here)
All of these verses speak of God and His creative power. He created the earth, and He loved it ("And He saw that it was good" repeated over and over in Genesis 1). And His creation must have His fingerprints all over it--the creation always tells you so much about the artist.
Obviously, it's pointless to wonder what could have happened, and the past is behind us and can't be regained. But I still wonder sometimes.
Sources:
Whale and Dolphin Conservation Society blog
North America During the Last 150,000 Years
Science Daily article
Friday, November 30, 2012
Science and Religion
Scientists view religious people as stupid and gullible for believing in things that can't be seen or proven, and sometimes even rejecting scientific findings; religious people view scientists as mindless, supporting a corrupt, evil system and spreading lies about the reality of the world we live in to bring people away from God.
I hate it. Please keep in mind that I do not use the word 'hate' lightly, but this is one of the few things in this world that I absolutely hate and that makes me angry. Yes, science is sometimes wrong, and there are some problems with science and some prominent scientific theories that the scientific community in general refuses to see. But you know what? There are plenty of problems with organized religion, too. Pedophilia, abortion clinic bombings, jihad, hateful words to gays. Those are just the examples that immediately sprang to mind, and they are, perhaps, a bit extreme. There are plenty of other examples that are more pervasive and less widely condemned: the intolerance of the church (tattoos? skirt too short? piercing? think something (anything) that we don't? We'll just look at you sideways until you leave), the hypocrisy (I know there are starving children all over the world, and in our community, but our church really needs a new coat of paint). Religion and science are not two things that can't mix, not really. I hate the intolerance, on both sides. Both scientists and religious people are merely seeking after truth. In Romans, Paul wrote:
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*I am indebted to Hugh Ross for this idea, which I discovered in his book Fingerprint of God.
I hate it. Please keep in mind that I do not use the word 'hate' lightly, but this is one of the few things in this world that I absolutely hate and that makes me angry. Yes, science is sometimes wrong, and there are some problems with science and some prominent scientific theories that the scientific community in general refuses to see. But you know what? There are plenty of problems with organized religion, too. Pedophilia, abortion clinic bombings, jihad, hateful words to gays. Those are just the examples that immediately sprang to mind, and they are, perhaps, a bit extreme. There are plenty of other examples that are more pervasive and less widely condemned: the intolerance of the church (tattoos? skirt too short? piercing? think something (anything) that we don't? We'll just look at you sideways until you leave), the hypocrisy (I know there are starving children all over the world, and in our community, but our church really needs a new coat of paint). Religion and science are not two things that can't mix, not really. I hate the intolerance, on both sides. Both scientists and religious people are merely seeking after truth. In Romans, Paul wrote:
For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that people are without excuse. (Romans 1:20, NIV)It is perfectly valid to look for truth in nature and the universe--God did create it, after all, and some of His nature will show through--but it is an incomplete picture without also having a knowledge of God and His sacrifice for us.* However, I think it is also true that a knowledge of God without also having a knowledge of His creation also gives an incomplete picture.
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*I am indebted to Hugh Ross for this idea, which I discovered in his book Fingerprint of God.
Saturday, November 10, 2012
"Saving Species"
The episode also raised some really, really good points about conservation and nature. What gives us (rich white people) the right to tell them (extremely poor inhabitants of any third world country) what they should be doing with their wildlife and natural areas? Is conservation so important that we should give money to protect some butterfly, mouse, whatever instead of helping to feed hungry people worldwide? Is our concern for tigers more important than the people in India that tiger may kill? Why should we try to preserve every single species?
Why should we try to preserve every single species? I think this question is especially hard to answer with science; studies about the benefits of diversity have had mixed results. As a Christian, however, I find that the answer is relatively simple: God created this earth with species on it, and destroying any part of it means destroying God's creation. God created it that way for a reason, so we shouldn't mess with it.
What I took away from this episode, more than anything else, was that nature is awe-inspiringly, stunningly, fantastically beautiful, and we should be doing so much more to protect it.
Monday, November 5, 2012
Peace
Yesterday I was very stressed out in the morning. I had so much to do, I just wanted to wake up and charge right in. But God really wanted me to pray, so I did (rather unwillingly). And as I did so, I was overcome with an amazing sense of peace. I knew that God was in control and that He could handle my homework, just like He can handle everything else in my life. Awesome God!!
Thursday, October 25, 2012
Click!
This is the first post in a series that I'm going to run, on simple, easy ways you can make a difference for the environment.
One of my favorite ways to do that is to go to Care2.com. They have a section called Click to Donate, where you just click once a day, and they donate money to causes like rainforest and ocean preservation (the money comes from ad sponsors).
http://www.care2.com/click-to-donate/
One of my favorite ways to do that is to go to Care2.com. They have a section called Click to Donate, where you just click once a day, and they donate money to causes like rainforest and ocean preservation (the money comes from ad sponsors).
http://www.care2.com/click-to-donate/
Thursday, October 18, 2012
Refreshment
Like I mentioned in my last post, I haven't been praying that much lately. I've been really busy, and praying felt more and more like a chore, something to cross off my to-do list, rather than a wonderful time to spend time with my God and to try to make a difference in the world. I did miss praying, and I wished that I could do it more, but nothing changed for a bit.
This past week, though, God has really been working in me, and telling me that my schoolwork has become too important to me. Yesterday I forced myself to sit down and pray through a list of species. Today I thought of this quote from Martin Luther:
This past week, though, God has really been working in me, and telling me that my schoolwork has become too important to me. Yesterday I forced myself to sit down and pray through a list of species. Today I thought of this quote from Martin Luther:
I've got so much work to do today, I'd better spend two hours in prayer instead of one.
What would it be like if I lived that out in my own life?
This morning was very stressful; I was up late the night before, I went back to sleep twice and then had to hurry through some work for class that morning. I felt a bit lost and frustrated, and my thoughts were out of control and sinful. When I got back from class, I heard God whisper, "Pray." So I sat down and prayed for a list of species.
And it was amazing. I felt peaceful and refreshed. Taking the time to spend with God was totally worth it.
Sunday, October 7, 2012
Monday, October 1, 2012
Green Christian prayer guide
If you'd like to pray for the earth and God's creation without doing something as overwhelming as what I've chosen to do, absolutely the best resource I've found so far is the Green Christian prayer guide. Published monthly by Christian Ecology Link, their prayer guides have news/suggestions for prayer for each day of the month.
Here's the website: http://www.greenchristian.org.uk/faith/prayer-guide
Here's the website: http://www.greenchristian.org.uk/faith/prayer-guide
Thursday, September 27, 2012
The Power of Prayer
Today once I was finished with classes, I suddenly felt very depressed and tired. Walking back home, everything seemed gloomy. "Pray," God said to me. So when I got here, the first thing I did was pray for 55 endangered species. And I do feel better now. Still a bit tired and sad, but so much more able to face the rest of my day now.
Monday, September 24, 2012
The Universe
I was thinking about the universe today, and how awesome it is! The universe is so large--and yet God is larger. He created the whole universe and knows it intimately. He knows every time a star is formed, and yet He also knows every time two atoms come together. How awesome is that!! God is infinitely large and infinitely small--bigger and smaller even than the universe.
(A really cool interactive illustration of the size of the universe can be found here--and God is bigger!)
(A really cool interactive illustration of the size of the universe can be found here--and God is bigger!)
Sunday, September 23, 2012
Exhaustion
My life has been crazy busy lately, and I'm feeling exhausted. That exhaustion is also affecting my prayer life. Lately I've been more reluctant to spend time praying, and feeling like it's a waste of time. I know that's not true, but the feeling is still there. I pray that God will give me the strength to keep going, even when I feel like I can't.
"Pray hard, work hard, and leave the rest to God." ~Florence Griffith Joyner
"Pray hard, work hard, and leave the rest to God." ~Florence Griffith Joyner
Saturday, September 8, 2012
Routine
This past week, praying has been a struggle. I've been so busy that I put pressure on myself to finish praying earlier so I can go do "productive" things, with the result that my prayer time has of course been less God-driven and more me-driven. I've also gotten super behind on my schedule, which isn't that set in stone, but still, being like six days behind 'schedule' stresses me out, makes me feel guilty, and makes me want to pray less.
I guess this sort of problem is pretty inherent in what I'm trying to do, i.e. praying through a list of names. The temptation to just read the name, briefly send them 'happy thoughts' or whatever, and move on to the next name has been really strong lately. I pray that this week I'll be able to slow down, focus, and give my full attention to God and my prayers.
I guess this sort of problem is pretty inherent in what I'm trying to do, i.e. praying through a list of names. The temptation to just read the name, briefly send them 'happy thoughts' or whatever, and move on to the next name has been really strong lately. I pray that this week I'll be able to slow down, focus, and give my full attention to God and my prayers.
Tuesday, September 4, 2012
Individual vs. Community Prayer
I recently volunteered to lead a weekly prayer meeting, so I've been reading up on how to do that, what the goal of such meetings is/could be, and so on.
One of the things I read that really caught my attention was the idea that all or most prayer in the Bible was actually done communally. Many of the psalms were meant to be sung by a congregation, Jesus said "When two or more come together in my name" (Matthew 28:20) and not 'one', and many of the prayers of Old Testament leaders were said aloud, to the whole nation of Israel. Honestly, when I first read this, I couldn't think of a single example of anyone praying alone! (I have since thought of several: Jesus going off alone to pray, Moses speaking to God "face to face" (Exodus 33:11) (and alone) on Mount Sinai, Jonah praying to God while he's sitting above Ninevah).
It also made me think about my own prayer life. I've been praying a lot more lately, much more than I ever used to, but I hardly ever pray with a group. But praying together, as a group, and coming together for a common purpose, is obviously very important to God.
One of the things I read that really caught my attention was the idea that all or most prayer in the Bible was actually done communally. Many of the psalms were meant to be sung by a congregation, Jesus said "When two or more come together in my name" (Matthew 28:20) and not 'one', and many of the prayers of Old Testament leaders were said aloud, to the whole nation of Israel. Honestly, when I first read this, I couldn't think of a single example of anyone praying alone! (I have since thought of several: Jesus going off alone to pray, Moses speaking to God "face to face" (Exodus 33:11) (and alone) on Mount Sinai, Jonah praying to God while he's sitting above Ninevah).
It also made me think about my own prayer life. I've been praying a lot more lately, much more than I ever used to, but I hardly ever pray with a group. But praying together, as a group, and coming together for a common purpose, is obviously very important to God.
Sunday, August 26, 2012
My outlook on prayer
I had a really amazing experience this morning.
I woke up this morning from a really compelling dream. I should perhaps add that I often struggle with to stay in reality, mentally; I often have to resist the urge to think obsessively about fantasy or book worlds. So I woke up from this dream, and it was literally all I wanted to think about. I actually lay in bed for a while, doing just that. I finally forced myself to get up, but I still couldn't think about anything else. Making breakfast didn't help, reading a book didn't help, even reading the Bible didn't help much. Then I started working my way through my prayer list. For the first time ever, I think, I wasn't trying to will the prayers true, and I wasn't bored and just trying to get through it. I was just talking to God, asking for His help--both with my own problems and for His protection of the species I was praying for. My experiences that morning had made it abundantly clear that I couldn't handle anything on my own. I was just talking to God, and basking in His presence. I was just with Him. The desire to think about fantasy worlds receded. Praying was a joyful, easy thing to do. It was, honestly, just completely amazing.
It made me think of the following C. S. Lewis quote: "I pray because I can't help myself. I pray because I'm helpless. I pray because the need flows out of me all the time--waking and sleeping. It doesn't change God--it changes me." For the first time, I felt like I understood what people mean when they say that praying changes them--because praying today did change me. It centered me in God, and God gave me His peace and strength.
I woke up this morning from a really compelling dream. I should perhaps add that I often struggle with to stay in reality, mentally; I often have to resist the urge to think obsessively about fantasy or book worlds. So I woke up from this dream, and it was literally all I wanted to think about. I actually lay in bed for a while, doing just that. I finally forced myself to get up, but I still couldn't think about anything else. Making breakfast didn't help, reading a book didn't help, even reading the Bible didn't help much. Then I started working my way through my prayer list. For the first time ever, I think, I wasn't trying to will the prayers true, and I wasn't bored and just trying to get through it. I was just talking to God, asking for His help--both with my own problems and for His protection of the species I was praying for. My experiences that morning had made it abundantly clear that I couldn't handle anything on my own. I was just talking to God, and basking in His presence. I was just with Him. The desire to think about fantasy worlds receded. Praying was a joyful, easy thing to do. It was, honestly, just completely amazing.
It made me think of the following C. S. Lewis quote: "I pray because I can't help myself. I pray because I'm helpless. I pray because the need flows out of me all the time--waking and sleeping. It doesn't change God--it changes me." For the first time, I felt like I understood what people mean when they say that praying changes them--because praying today did change me. It centered me in God, and God gave me His peace and strength.
Friday, August 24, 2012
Behind!!
I am so behind in my "schedule" for prayer for endangered species--about five days behind. I have had a hard time carving out time for prayer now that I'm back at school, of course made only worse by the knowledge that I have twice as much or three times as much to "do" as I would on a normal day.
There are so many problems with that thinking! Firstly, prayer isn't something to do, something to check off your to-do list each day. Prayer is joyful time, unscheduled time, time spent with God learning about Him and talking to Him and asking Him about what's most important to me. Secondly, when I do allow myself to get behind, prayer becomes that much more of a chore, because there's so much more to do, and I know that I should take even more time to completely finish. Did that make sense?
There are so many problems with that thinking! Firstly, prayer isn't something to do, something to check off your to-do list each day. Prayer is joyful time, unscheduled time, time spent with God learning about Him and talking to Him and asking Him about what's most important to me. Secondly, when I do allow myself to get behind, prayer becomes that much more of a chore, because there's so much more to do, and I know that I should take even more time to completely finish. Did that make sense?
Sunday, August 12, 2012
Boredom
Lately, as I've been praying for endangered species, I've really been struggling with a sense of... honestly, boredom. Let's face it, praying for 50+ species a day can be boring if approached the wrong way. I know perfectly well that it shouldn't be boring, but it is. Or maybe it's more that this task that I've set myself seems incredibly overwhelming (20,000+ species??!), and I've been wondering if what I'm doing is actually making a difference. As to the second half--well, there's no way for me to know for sure, at least not in this life. I'll just have to trust to God's promises, that He listens to our prayers and acts on them (Jesus said once, "I tell you the truth, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, 'Move from here to there' and it will move. Nothing will be impossibly for you." Matthew 17:20, NIV). I have found myself wondering if I'm praying "correctly." By that I don't mean that I've been wondering if I've been using the "right" words or anything like that. I've been wondering whether I've been praying with the right attitude--with a desire for God's will and faith that what I ask for will be granted to me.
Sunday, August 5, 2012
Pride
A few days ago, as I was going through and praying for my list of species for the day, I saw someone sweeping and cleaning. I couldn't help thinking about how much better what I was doing was, how much more helpful it would be in the long run, and so on.
I know, how prideful, right? Luckily God informed me of that right away. Yes, prayer is important, but someone must also work in the world, talking to people, working in habitats, whatever it takes to create change in this world, the world that we're in now. And then I was reminded of this verse: "There are different kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit distributes them. There are different kinds of service, but the same Lord. There are different kinds of working, but in all of them and in everything is the same God at work." (1 Corinthians 12:4-6, NIV).
I know, how prideful, right? Luckily God informed me of that right away. Yes, prayer is important, but someone must also work in the world, talking to people, working in habitats, whatever it takes to create change in this world, the world that we're in now. And then I was reminded of this verse: "There are different kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit distributes them. There are different kinds of service, but the same Lord. There are different kinds of working, but in all of them and in everything is the same God at work." (1 Corinthians 12:4-6, NIV).
Friday, August 3, 2012
Quote
I ran across this quote a few days ago, and again today:
It is the greatest of all mistakes to do nothing because you can only do little - do what you can. ~Sydney Smith
It really resonated with me--I feel like it describes very well both what I'm trying to accomplish through my prayer quest and through my life.
It is the greatest of all mistakes to do nothing because you can only do little - do what you can. ~Sydney Smith
It really resonated with me--I feel like it describes very well both what I'm trying to accomplish through my prayer quest and through my life.
Saturday, July 28, 2012
Opportunity
This morning I was going through my list of endangered species, praying for them one by one. For whatever reason, this morning the whole process was feeling very mechanical. So I stopped and prayed, "Lord, please help me to see this not as a chore but as a gift, a wonderful opportunity to make a difference." And I was filled with a wonderful joy and desire to keep praying. It was awesome!
Monday, July 23, 2012
Unexpected Joy
This morning I was running late. I was determined to pray my way through my list of species before I left--maybe more out of stubbornness than anything else--but I was so worried about being late that I couldn't focus. I was saying the words, but my heart and mind weren't focused on what I was saying. I finally had to just stop for a minute and say another, entirely different prayer: about trusting things to God, about not worrying about things that weren't worth worrying about, that I would really mean the prayers that I prayed this morning and that I would believe that God could fulfill them.
As I kept reading, the species names that I read filled me with an inexplicable joy and seemed incredibly funny to me. Here's the funniest:
Mavomavo Giant Treefrog
Mawblang Toad
Maxwell's Girdlepod
Maya Knobtail
Genus Maydelliathelphusa
May you find God's joy today!
As I kept reading, the species names that I read filled me with an inexplicable joy and seemed incredibly funny to me. Here's the funniest:
Mavomavo Giant Treefrog
Mawblang Toad
Maxwell's Girdlepod
Maya Knobtail
Genus Maydelliathelphusa
May you find God's joy today!
Sunday, July 22, 2012
Marbled Freshwater Stingray
The marbled freshwater stingray (Himantura oxyrhyncha) is found in three or four rivers in Cambodia and Thailand. It is extremely rare, and known to science from only five museum specimens. Nothing is known about its habits in the wild. It is known, however, that this ray is in danger because of heavy fishing and pollution in its rivers, as well as because of the pet trade. A Thai conservation scheme was put on hold in the late 1990s.
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| Image from eol.org |
Thursday, July 12, 2012
The Beginning
This blog is about my prayers for the earth. The earth needs prayers, and I believe that prayer can make a difference. I have therefore made a commitment to pray for every single endangered species on the earth, starting today.
I know, it seems impossible. Even I'm a bit wary of starting something so huge (the list of endangered species that I'm using has over 20,000 species on it). But I think it's something that's worth doing. So this blog will be about my journey to pray for every single endangered species on the planet, what I learn. I created this blog, not to glorify myself, but because several internet searches about prayers for or prayer chains about specific environmental problems returned very very little. So I just started my own blog about it! I hope and pray that this blog will encourage you, the reader, help you learn about God's creation and the problems it faces, and most of all, that you will meet God here.
I know, it seems impossible. Even I'm a bit wary of starting something so huge (the list of endangered species that I'm using has over 20,000 species on it). But I think it's something that's worth doing. So this blog will be about my journey to pray for every single endangered species on the planet, what I learn. I created this blog, not to glorify myself, but because several internet searches about prayers for or prayer chains about specific environmental problems returned very very little. So I just started my own blog about it! I hope and pray that this blog will encourage you, the reader, help you learn about God's creation and the problems it faces, and most of all, that you will meet God here.
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