Daily Power Poles: How to Pray the Psalms

By Dr. Bill Gaultiere, Crystal Cathedral's Director of Spiritual Formation

Did you know that 90% of Americans pray every day? And most say they'd like to pray more often, but don't know if they are praying effectively. This is true of me. I bet it's true of you, too.

That is why God gave us the Psalms-all 150 of them! The Psalms teach us the spirit and language of prayer for whatever situation. Whether we're worried, sad, angry, blessed, oppressed, working, resting, complaining, or grateful—whatever our concerns are for the people we know or for ourselves—there is a Psalm to help us to pray with positive faith.

Jesus used the book of Psalms to help him pray. He sang them in times of celebration. He prayed them in times of trouble. He quoted from them often. Jesus taught us, along with his disciples, to pray the Psalms.

The great Christian leader Martin Luther said that the Lord's Prayer (Matthew 6:9-13) is actually the Psalms in miniature. Jesus, in his infinite wisdom, distilled the whole book of Psalms into one short, powerful prayer! Each line of Jesus' famous "model prayer" can be understood to represent five of the main types of prayer in the Psalms: thanksgiving and praise, submission, petition, confession and forgiveness, and overcoming trials.

I have learned to turn to the Psalms every day. Here's what I do that you may want to try:

• Pray the 150 Psalms sequentially, one or
two each day.

• Keep your favorite one(s) handy and pray
them as needed.

• Inspired by them, paraphrase them, write
"prayer poems," or draw pictures.

• Memorize a Psalm, and say it or sing it aloud.

I pray the Psalms morning, noon, and night and I use phrases from the Psalms to "re-center" myself in God's presence all day long. Most importantly, I pray the Psalms with Jesus Christ in mind, remembering how he lived, prayed, taught, and died.

I encourage you to make the Psalms your school of prayer, using them, one by one, to allow God to lead you in some fresh, new ways to pray in the midst of your daily life.

To learn more from Bill about the Psalms, prayer, and other ways of growing closer to Jesus, go to www.hourofpower.org ► "Ministries" ► "Come & Grow."

Be a "Power Pole," Sharing His Love With Others

By Dr. Sheila Schuller Coleman

One night years ago during high school youth group, we discussed the high price Christ paid for us through death so we could live forever. Surrounded by friends, I came to the full realization-and bittersweet majesty-that Jesus had died for ME! If you or I had been the only person to believe in him, he would still have made the sacrifice so that you or I could live abundantly on earth and eternally in heaven.

Today, as I remember what he did for me and for you, I envision the cross as his "power pole" from which he emits the loving promise of eternal life straight into hearts that are open to believe. Have you made that link with Jesus? Have you allowed that promise to bond his heart to yours? If so, you may want to help others connect with Jesus in the same way.

It really isn't hard to share about Jesus. You don't need to moralize or coerce, but simply share with others a personal story about how Jesus touched your heart or changed your life, something similar to the story I shared about my revelation during youth group.

As you do, in many cases their curiosity will open the door for you to take the next step-to invite them to church or Bible study, or to pray with them as they accept Jesus into their lives.

The Psalmist speaks of his excitement about sharing with others the truth about God when he said, "Since my youth, O God, you have taught me, and to this day I declare your marvelous deeds . . . I declare your power to the next generation, your might to all who are to come" (Psalm 71:17-18b, NIV).

Like the Psalmist, you can become a "power pole"-connected to the cross of Jesus on one end and to your friends and loved ones on the other end-as you share the stories of his "marvelous deeds," enabling them to accept a new and eternal life filled with his power through hope, grace and love . . . forever!

The PSALMS . . . timeless, affirming encouragement for ALL ages.

By Jim Coleman,
Crystal Cathedral Creative Director

I was sitting in church recently listening to Dr. Robert H. Schuller read the morning scripture. In the opening sentence from Psalm 18:2 he emphasized, as only Dr. Schuller can, "The Lord is my rock!" At that moment, a tiny girl sitting behind me on her mother's lap repeated aloud, "My rock!" She spoke in a childlike yet loud and firm tone. As I turned around to look at the toddler, her mother and I exchanged smiles. Then, towards the end of the reading, when Dr. Schuller said it once again, the little voice behind me repeated the words, "My rock!" I heard her say those words a couple more times during the hour-long service. It was amazing... and a marvelous illustration of how impressionable our minds are and how important it is to fill up our hearts and our heads with positive spiritual values.

Can you imagine the difference it might make in your life if you heard Dr. Robert H. Schuller reading the Psalms in your home, car, or office every day? Maybe you, like this little girl, would discover the positive value of repeating and embracing the timeless, affirming encouragement given to us by God through the Bible in the life-enhancing book of Psalms.

Across the country in Pennsylvania another viewer wrote, "I don't know where
to begin to thank you for the Hour of Power. I often feel depressed, but when I listen to your program I am always strengthened and find the courage to press on. Your music and weekly speakers are wonderful!"

A viewer from Germany wrote, "Your program has helped me a lot when faced with difficult times in the past. I watch Hour of Power on TV and watched it on DVDs as well. While your ministry is facing difficult times, I'm praying for you. I would like to thank you and your staff for the good work."

Yet another viewer wrote, "The statement, 'You saved my life,' greatly applies to me. I can never thank you and God enough for your Hour of Power television ministry. I have been watching your program since I was 24 years old; I am now 54. I can't imagine my life without you."

As you can see from these comments, the Hour of Power is a powerful source of God-inspired hope and encouragement to persons everywhere . . . it's a power-line on a power-pole positively charged with spiritual energy for your soul and millions of others, as well.

Just as the Hour of Power positively charges your life, so too, your financial gifts recharge this ministry . . . making it possible for the Hour of Power to stay on the air. Without you, the power would be cut and the Hour of Power would not continue its 40-year+ commitment to being a power-line of positive faith.

Yes, you are important to this world-televised ministry. We know times are tough so, this month, we've put together a special hope-generating gift just for you. We have created, for the first time in our 40-year television history, an audio CD that features Dr. Robert H. Schuller reading the Psalms from the pulpit of the Crystal Cathedral. A graduate of Princeton Seminary once said that Dr. Schuller sets the model for the powerful presentation of scripture reading. So, we have taken 26 Psalms, all read by Dr. Schuller, and put them on a 74-minute CD just for you to listen to morning, noon and night . . . over and over and over again. Hear the true power, the true hope, the true timeless and encouraging gift of God as communicated in the cherished pages of the Bible in the Psalms.

Please write, call, or go online today to request and receive the inspiration of Dr. Robert H. Schuller reading the Psalms. Include as generous a gift as you possibly can so, together, we will keep the power of the Hour of Power positively charged and sending out to you God's spiritual energy, truth, and love!

A Hope-Filled Life is the Best Way to Live

This is an excerpt from a heartwarming story that recently appeared in a Tampa Bay, Florida newspaper.

SEMINOLE – For the Essenburgs, the news is sadly familiar: staggering unemployment, failing banks, and families struggling to keep food on the table and a roof over their heads.

John "Jack" and Ella Essenburg are contemporaries of the Great Depression. It's when they met, married, and started their family that now extends to five generations.

The Essenburgs—he's 97 and she's 96—recently celebrated their 76th wedding anniversary. What is the key to the longevity of their marriage? Among other things, the couple has developed a well-honed rhythm of long-time companionship.

Sunday mornings, for instance, they settle in front of the television to catch the "possibility thinking" philosophy espoused by Robert H. Schuller's Hour of Power.

Deeply anchored in Jesus Christ... the Hour of Power Provides an Ongoing Message of Hope

There is great power in hope. Hope opens doors where despair has closed them. Hope sees problems as opportunities. Hope is essential for life...so essential, in fact, that Scripture describes hope as "a strong and trustworthy anchor for our souls" (Hebrews 6:19).

One of the earliest symbols of the Christian faith, the anchor has at its center a cross. For Christians, the cross-shaped anchor reminds us of the hope we have in Christ. In the same way an anchor steadies and secures a ship during stormy weather, hope-anchored by faith in Jesus Christ-holds the wind-tossed, storm-torn, and weary believer during his or her most perilous times.

An untold number of persons have written to us over the years, saying, "I felt hopeless and alone. Then I found the Hour of Power and for the first time in a very long time, I felt hope again. You saved my life." For millions of persons around the world, the Hour of Power is their only spiritual anchor. Over the past forty years, God has called on countless loving and generous individuals like you to support this ministry financially.

You have been a link in the chain that has kept the weekly Hour of Power program securely anchored on television screens. In this unsettled economy, the Hour of Power is closer now than ever to being swept away from it's mooring and will only remain "anchored" on television if you continue to support this ministry with your financial gifts.

To thank you for your generous gift of $40 (if you can-$1 for every year we've been on the air), we will send you a very inspiring poster with the words of Dr. Schuller's "Possibility Thinkers Creed" printed on it. You can hang this poster on your wall or display it in your home or office. Its words will encourage you to never give up on your dreams, to seek God's amazing solution to your "impossible" situation, and to hold on to hope through the storms of life.

While an uncertain economy continues to pose a serious threat to the Hour of Power, our hope is anchored in Jesus Christ and your faithfulness. Thank you for allowing God to use you as a vital and necessary link in the chain that will keep our faith-filled, hope-full Hour of Power on the air. Time is of the essence! Please respond today.

Jesus - Our Anchor of Hope for the Storms of Life

By Dr. Sheila Schuller Coleman

An experienced sailor never leaves port without at least one anchor on board. He knows that storms may come while at sea and that the anchor will help secure and steady the ship during those storms. Our lives are like long-distance sailing journeys. Storms will hit when we least expect them. So it's foolhardy to set sail in life without an "anchor" on board.

When buffeted by a life-storm such as foreclosure, abandonment, or a life-threatening disease-without an "anchor," we will be tossed from discouragement to desperation to depression and even defeat. Hopeless, we may stop trying and cease believing we will survive the storm-much less reach our final destination.

Jesus is the only "anchor" strong enough to hold us steady during the stormy times of life, giving us enough faith to keep us from sliding aimlessly or sinking hopelessly.

There is no such thing as false hope-especially if our hope is anchored in Jesus. Hope always prevails. Hope never fails! Even if the doctor tells you there is no hope for a cure-hope anyway. Even when your family tells you there is no hope for reconciliation-hope anyway.

Hope changes everything! Hope changes our attitude-from being negative and defeated to being optimistic, looking for possibilities. If we are anchored in Christ, he will give us the faith we need to ride out the storm. And when the storm clouds clear-and they will-no matter in what port we find ourselves, we will be right where we should be and we won't be alone! We'll be surrounded by those who love us. And we will know the Captain of our soul more intimately than we ever dreamed.

So, go ahead and hope. Hope in Jesus Christ. He is the anchor you and I need to weather the storms of life, bringing us through to live the glorious life God has in store for each one of us.

Finding Hope to Face His Tomorrows

By Robert H. Schuller

Some years ago I received a phone call from a man who lived in Monte Carlo.

"Dr. Schuller," he said, "we have never met, but you saved my life. I want to come see you and thank you in person."

A few days later, this man flew to Los Angeles and arrived in my office. A tall, handsome, broad shouldered man, probably in his early fifties, he limped toward me, a white cane in his right hand, one leg conspicuously shorter than the other one. A black patch covered his left eye, while his right eye stared upward, unfocused. His companion spoke first, saying, "As you can see, Juan is blind. But he's alive-thanks to you. Juan and I were business partners and friends before his accident. He wanted to tell you his story himself."

Juan shared that he was an only child, the sole inheritor of his wealthy Cuban family's fortune. Fearing he might lose it all under Fidel Castro's regime, Juan sold everything except his large private yacht, which he sailed to Monte Carlo to dock in front of his new, luxurious, waterfront home.

One rainy weekend, Juan and his girlfriend headed to Switzerland in his Rolls Royce. Driving too fast, he lost control on the slick road and wrapped the car around a tree. Seven months after, he awakened from a coma to find that the accident had killed his girlfriend, caused him to go blind, and badly deformed his left leg.

Juan went to bed every night hoping he would die in his sleep. Eventually he planned to kill himself with a revolver on a Sunday morning after dismissing his staff. Once alone, he would turn up the TV's volume as loud as possible. With one hand holding a gun to his temple, he would use his other hand to press the TV "on," filling the room with sound, drowning out the gunshot. Sunday morning came, Juan followed his plan, but before he could pull the trigger, he heard the bellowing voice of a TV preacher: "This is the day the Lord has made! Let us rejoice and be glad in it!"

"Dr. Schuller," Juan said, "those words exploded through my mind and soul. It was like divine shock therapy. I couldn't pull the trigger. I dropped the gun, falling on my knees beside it, and listened to your every word. I could hardly wait for the next Sunday to arrive. I wondered if you'd be back. You were! And you were there the next Sunday...and the next...and the next. In time, I invited Jesus Christ into my life." Just then, Juan reached into his coat pocket, drew out a flat, slender package, and handed it to me, saying, "Thank you, Dr. Schuller. You saved my life!"

I opened the package to find a beautiful gold anchor, my initials inscribed on one side, on an exquisite chain. It was like nothing I'd ever seen. I wear it often, and every time I do, it silently whispers to me the words of Hebrews 6:19: "...hope is an anchor for the soul."

Before Juan found God, he was shipwrecked in the sea of life. However, once he anchored himself to a mighty force-faith-Juan left behind his shipwrecked life to live a buoyant life anchored in hope.