Digging Deeper – Where Are You?

Avatar photo Chris Boggess on October 15, 2026

 

When the cool evening breezes were blowing, the man and his wife heard the Lord God walking about in the garden. So they hid from the Lord God among the trees.  Then the Lord God called to the man, “Where are you?”

Genesis 3:8-9 (NLT)


WHERE ARE YOU?

The first question God asks in the Bible is, “Where are you?”

This comes directly after the first couple, Adam and Eve, listened to the serpent and ate the fruit and, as far as they knew, changed everything in their relationship with God. When God shows up, they hide.
So why did God ask, “Where are you?” It wasn’t because he was unaware of Adam and Eve’s location. If that were the case, God would have used the Hebrew word “Eifo.” This is the word you would use if you were asking, “WHERE do you live?” or “WHERE is the restroom?” But that is not the word this passage uses to quote God.

Instead, God asks, “Ayekah?” The root “Ayeh” is not about location. The question God is asking is more like, “Why are you not here where I am?”

Adam and Eve thought that their sin meant that God no longer wanted to meet with them. They thought their best option was to hide since God wouldn’t want to be around them. But God’s response wants them to look at themselves and realize that God hasn’t changed and that He is still there to meet them.

I believe God asks me the same question. On days when things are hectic and time is short, or when my spiritual life feels shallow and my sins overwhelm me, God walks in the cool of the day and asks, “Ayekah?” Don’t let what you have done or how you feel about yourself or God come between you and your Creator. Go and meet Him now.

Chris Boggess is the Care + Family Pastor at NorthStar Church. He grew up in St. Albans, West Virginia, and still cheers for the Mountaineers. He and his wife, Heather, have two grown children and one granddaughter.

Too Busy Not to Pray

Kevin Burrell on October 14, 2026

 

7 “Keep on asking, and you will receive what you ask for. Keep on seeking, and you will find. Keep on knocking, and the door will be opened to you. 8 For everyone who asks, receives. Everyone who seeks, finds. And to everyone who knocks, the door will be opened. 9 “You parents—if your children ask for a loaf of bread, do you give them a stone instead? 10 Or if they ask for a fish, do you give them a snake? Of course not! 11 So if you sinful people know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give good gifts to those who ask him.

Matthew 7:7-11

 

TOO BUSY NOT TO PRAY

Coaches live by plans. Practice plans, game plans, travel plans. Your calendar is full, your phone rings nonstop, and someone always needs something from you. The reality is that prayer can start to feel like one more thing added to your plate.

Here’s the good news: prayer isn’t a performance, and it isn’t a formula. It’s a conversation with God. Here are three basics for building a lifestyle of prayer.

1. Get gut-level honest.

Jesus warned against praying to be seen or stacking up impressive words (Matthew 6:5–7). Intimacy with God begins where pretending ends. You spend your days projecting confidence to players, parents, administration, and staff. With God, you can drop it. Tell Him about the fear of losing, the frustration with a player, the weight of carrying a team. Hebrews 4:16 says, “We can come boldly to His throne, and we’ll find mercy and grace to help when we need it most.” God meets our honesty with mercy and help.

2. Get a plan and get started.

Luke 5:16 says, “Jesus often withdrew to lonely places and prayed.” Crowds were pressing in, yet He still made time to pray. He was too busy not to pray.

Try this 15-minute plan:

  • Pick a time and a place.

  • Set a timer for 15 minutes.

  • Spend 10 minutes reading the Bible slowly.

  • Start with Proverbs or Mark.

  • Spend 5 minutes talking to God.

  • Be honest, and use a prayer list.

You wouldn’t show up to a game without preparation. Don’t show up to your day without it either.

3. Get ready for His answer.

Jesus promised, “Keep on asking, and you will receive… Keep on seeking, and you will find… Keep on knocking, and the door will be opened” (Matthew 7:7). If an earthly father knows how to give good gifts, how much more will your heavenly Father? But His answers don’t always look like we expect.

Remember: Y-B-N-G-S.

  • Yes: He gives what you asked.

  • Better: He gives something better than what you asked.

  • No: He protects you from what you couldn’t see.

  • Grow: He’s building something in you first.

  • Slow: The timing isn’t right [yet].

Every coach knows that a “no” or a “not yet” from the right voice can be a gift. Trust that your Heavenly Father is coaching you, too.

Listen Closely —

Where are you pretending with God right now?

What 15 minutes can you protect this week?

Which answer—Yes, Better, No, Grow, or Slow—are you waiting on today?

Whatever it is, trust God to handle it.

Love God. Love People. Live Sent.

Be Worth Being.

Kevin

Kevin Burrell has worked in professional baseball as both a player and MLB scout for the past 45 years, and currently serves as an area scouting supervisor. Kevin was drafted in the 1st round of the 1981 free agent amateur draft (25th selection overall), and played ten years of professional baseball with four different organizations. He and his wife, Valerie, live in Sharpsburg, Ga.

Digging Deeper – Tolkien’s Prayers

Avatar photo Chris Boggess on October 14, 2026

 

Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up in honor.

James 4:10 (NLT)

With all my heart I will praise you, O Lord my God.
            I will give glory to your name forever,
 for your love for me is very great.
            You have rescued me from the depths of death.

Psalm 86:12-13 (NLT)


TOLKIEN’S PRAYERS

J.R.R. Tolkien is my favorite author (outside of Scripture). I am surely not alone, because his Lord of the Rings series was voted on many lists as the best book of the twentieth century. Tolkien was also a devout Christian and, according to C.S. Lewis, was instrumental in Lewis’s conversion to Christianity.
Sometimes I forget that Tolkien was also a soldier who served on the Western Front in World War I. He endured brutal trench warfare. Years later, his sons both flew in the RAF during WW2, Christopher as a pilot and Michael as a gunner.

Tolkien sent letters to the boys to remind them to “make a habit of the praises.” He reminded them that there are prayers you can use when you don’t know how to pray, when you are at a loss because of your circumstances.

Tolkien drew on these common prayers from his Catholic faith:

The Gloria Patri
Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit. As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.

The Gloria in Excelsis
Glory to God in the highest, and peace on earth to men of good will. We praise you, we bless you, we glorify you, we give you thanks for your great glory. Lord God, heavenly King, God the Father Almighty. Lord Jesus Christ, only begotten Son, Lord God, Lamb of God, Son of the Father, who takes away the sin of the world, have mercy on us. Receive our prayer. You sit at the right hand of the Father; have mercy on us. For you alone are the Holy One, you alone are the Lord, you alone are the Most High, Jesus Christ, with the Holy Spirit, in the glory of God the Father. Amen.

The Laudate Dominum
Praise the Lord, all nations; praise him, all people. For he has bestowed his mercy upon us, and the truth of the Lord endures forever. Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit; as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.

What all these have in common is that they focus on God, not circumstances. When you are going through a tough place, sometimes it can be hard to know how to pray. You can always pray and remind yourself of who God is. Even in your darkest times, God is still God.

Chris Boggess is the Care + Family Pastor at NorthStar Church. He grew up in St. Albans, West Virginia, and still cheers for the Mountaineers. He and his wife, Heather, have two grown children and one granddaughter.

Digging Deeper – Truth Telling

Avatar photo Chris Boggess on October 13, 2026

 

“Two men went to the Temple to pray. One was a Pharisee, and the other was a despised tax collector.  The Pharisee stood by himself and prayed this prayer: ‘I thank you, God, that I am not like other people—cheaters, sinners, adulterers. I’m certainly not like that tax collector! I fast twice a week, and I give you a tenth of my income.’

 “But the tax collector stood at a distance and dared not even lift his eyes to heaven as he prayed. Instead, he beat his chest in sorrow, saying, ‘O God, be merciful to me, for I am a sinner.’  I tell you, this sinner, not the Pharisee, returned home justified before God. For those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.”

Luke 18:10-14 (NLT)


TRUTH TELLING

Prayer is our line of communication with God. But it differs from every other type of communication we use. So much of our communication is filled with hidden motives and subtleties. We want people to see the best in us, and if we can help make that happen, we will. We post things on social media to show how wonderful we are. We use AI to make our creations look better, and we accuse anyone who makes something that we think is better than our creation of using AI because belittling someone else makes us look better.

The extreme of this is “catfishing.” It is when someone creates a false persona to lure people, or even a specific person, into doing what the “catfisher” wants them to do. Sometimes they want money, sometimes attention, or sometimes just to cause chaos in someone else’s life.

You can’t catfish God.

Psalm 139 says it like this:

O Lord, you have examined my heart
    and know everything about me.
2 You know when I sit down or stand up.
    You know my thoughts even when I’m far away.
3 You see me when I travel
    and when I rest at home.
    You know everything I do.
4 You know what I am going to say
    even before I say it, Lord.

So when you come to Him in prayer, you don’t need to put up a front or waste time on humble brags or manipulative statements. A false persona will not stand up to the presence of God. You must come humbly before the God of the universe and realize that the best thing about you is that you can come into God’s presence and commune with Him. God wants our true, honest selves.

Chris Boggess is the Care + Family Pastor at NorthStar Church. He grew up in St. Albans, West Virginia, and still cheers for the Mountaineers. He and his wife, Heather, have two grown children and one granddaughter.

Digging Deeper – I’m Praying for You as I Pray

Avatar photo Chris Boggess on October 12, 2026

 

 “Keep on asking, and you will receive what you ask for. Keep on seeking, and you will find. Keep on knocking, and the door will be opened to you.  For everyone who asks, receives. Everyone who seeks, finds. And to everyone who knocks, the door will be opened.

Matthew 7:7-8 (NLT)


I’M PRAYING FOR YOU AS I PRAY

You are reading Digging Deeper, so I am going to take a wild guess and say that you are not new to the idea of prayer. Many of you have a rich prayer life that I would envy. Your intimacy with God is a solid part of your faith. If you’re in that stage of your faith, keep going! I pray you find something useful for yourself or someone you know this week.
But maybe you are reading Digging Deeper for the first time (or first time in a while). WELCOME! I pray we can give you some direction for your prayer life, not a formula, but a direction.
I think the third group of readers today are those of you who would say that you have had an intimate, growing prayer life in the past, but it has drifted into a stagnant place. You need some renewal. I pray that you will find your way back to that place of intimacy where God is waiting.

FIND A PLACE – Someplace quiet is usually best, but if you are in that stagnant place in your prayer life, then maybe a change of venue would help. Even if your prayer life is rock solid, going somewhere else can still make a big difference.

SET A TIME – Set an alarm and label it “PRAY,” then take a set amount of time and focus. If you can handle fifteen minutes, then start there. Writing prayers down is a sure way to make the time go by quickly. If fifteen minutes go by too quickly, then add more time, or set a second or third alarm; who says you can only pray once a day?

BE HONEST WITH GOD AND YOURSELF – Prayer matters. It’s most impactful when you take it seriously, draw close to God, and stay humble.

So humble yourselves before God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. 8 Come close to God, and God will come close to you. Wash your hands, you sinners; purify your hearts, for your loyalty is divided between God and the world. 9 Let there be tears for what you have done. Let there be sorrow and deep grief. Let there be sadness instead of laughter, and gloom instead of joy. 10 Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up in honor. .James 4:7-10 (NLT)

Start today. I will be praying for you.

Chris Boggess is the Care + Family Pastor at NorthStar Church. He grew up in St. Albans, West Virginia, and still cheers for the Mountaineers. He and his wife, Heather, have two grown children and one granddaughter.

Digging Deeper: Prayer is Depending on My Father’s Power When I Am Weak

Avatar photo Larry Grays on October 9, 2026

 

“And don’t let us yield to temptation, but rescue us from the evil one.”

Matthew 6:13 (NLT)


PRAYER IS DEPENDING ON MY FATHER’S POWER WHEN I AM WEAK

 

During the construction of the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco, safety nets were stretched underneath the workers for the first time on a major engineering project. That safety net saved the lives of nineteen men who fell during construction, earning them membership in the “Halfway to Hell Club.” The workers knew they were engaged in a dangerous, high-stakes project high above the water, and the net gave them the confidence to do their jobs without constant, paralyzing terror.

In a similar way, Jesus closes the model prayer by acknowledging the spiritual danger we face every day. We live in a world filled with temptation, and we are inherently too weak to stand against the schemes of the enemy in our own strength. Asking God to “not let us yield to temptation” and to “rescue us from the evil one” is an admission of our human limitations.

James 5:16 reminds us that the earnest prayer of a righteous person has great power and produces wonderful results because God has chosen to work through the prayers of His people. When we lean on His strength instead of our own, we find supernatural rescue.

Reflection Questions

● What specific temptation or spiritual battle are you facing right now that you need God to rescue you from?

● How does knowing that your prayers “have great power and produce wonderful results” change your confidence in spiritual warfare?

Suggested Prayer

Father, I am weak, but You are strong. Do not let me yield to temptation today, but rescue me from the traps of the evil one, and let Your power work through my prayers. Amen.

Dr. Larry Grays is passionate about helping churches grow and reaching people in fresh, creative ways. He launched a church in a Midtown Atlanta movie theater and later served as an Urban Church Planting Strategist with the North American Mission Board. Today, he speaks, writes, and coaches pastors and leaders. Larry has degrees from UCF, Southeastern Seminary, and Southern Seminary—but more importantly, he loves Jesus, good coffee, and seeing the next generation step into their calling. He and his wife Lori love raising their incredible kids and love doing life and ministry together.

Digging Deeper: Prayer is Asking My Father What I Need

Avatar photo Larry Grays on October 8, 2026

 

“Give us today the food we need, and forgive us our sins, as we have forgiven those who sin against us.”

Matthew 6:11-12 (NLT)


PRAYER IS ASKING MY FATHER WHAT I NEED

 

In 1930, during the height of the Great Depression, thousands of children lined up outside charitable food kitchens in major cities, holding out small paper bags or empty plates. They didn’t come to negotiate contracts or impress the workers with eloquent speeches; they came simply because they were hungry and trusted that the providers would give them what they needed for that day.

Jesus captures this exact posture of humble dependence when He teaches us to pray for daily bread and daily forgiveness. Prayer is coming to a Father who knows what we need, not a cosmic genie who gives us everything we want.

We often hesitate to bring our daily, practical struggles to God because they feel too mundane, or we feel too guilty about our shortcomings to ask for grace. Yet Jesus invites both: provision for our physical needs and cleansing for our spiritual wrongs. This daily rhythm reminds us that we are completely reliant on His grace for both our survival and our standing before Him.

Reflection Questions

  • What daily provision or physical need do you need to surrender to God and ask Him for today?

  • Is there anyone who has sinned against you whom you need to forgive, just as God has forgiven you?

Suggested Prayer

Lord, thank You for providing for my daily needs. Give me a forgiving heart toward others, just as You have graciously forgiven me through Christ. Amen.

Dr. Larry Grays is passionate about helping churches grow and reaching people in fresh, creative ways. He launched a church in a Midtown Atlanta movie theater and later served as an Urban Church Planting Strategist with the North American Mission Board. Today, he speaks, writes, and coaches pastors and leaders. Larry has degrees from UCF, Southeastern Seminary, and Southern Seminary—but more importantly, he loves Jesus, good coffee, and seeing the next generation step into their calling. He and his wife Lori love raising their incredible kids and love doing life and ministry together.

Digging Deeper: Prayer is Aligning My Heart with My Father’s Heart

Avatar photo Larry Grays on October 7, 2026

 

“Pray like this: Our Father in heaven, may your name be kept holy. May your Kingdom come soon. May your will be done on earth, as it is in heaven.”

Matthew 6:9-10 (NLT)


PRAYER IS ALIGNING MY HEART WITH MY FATHER’S HEART

 

In orchestral music, every musician tunes their instrument to a single standard pitch, usually an A played by the oboe before the performance begins. No matter how talented the individual players are, the beauty of the symphony depends entirely on everyone tuning themselves to the exact same reference point.

When Jesus gave His disciples the Lord’s Prayer, He was handing them the ultimate tuning fork for their souls. Prayer is not primarily about bending God’s will to fit our earthly desires; it is about realigning our human hearts with the perfect, holy will of our heavenly Father. By beginning with “May your name be kept holy” and “May your Kingdom come,” Jesus reorients our perspective away from our immediate stress and up toward God’s majesty.

When we pray this way, our priorities begin to shift. We stop treating God like an errand runner and start treating Him like the sovereign King whose purposes are good. Aligning our hearts with His brings peace to our anxieties and clarity to our chaos, ensuring that our deepest desires match His heavenly design.

Reflection Questions

● In what areas of your life are you currently trying to bend God’s will to match yours instead of aligning yours with His?

● How does starting your prayer time by focusing on God’s holiness change the way you bring Him your requests?

Suggested Prayer

Father in heaven, let Your name be honored above all else in my life. Align my heart with Your kingdom purposes so that Your will is done in me today. Amen.

 

Dr. Larry Grays is passionate about helping churches grow and reaching people in fresh, creative ways. He launched a church in a Midtown Atlanta movie theater and later served as an Urban Church Planting Strategist with the North American Mission Board. Today, he speaks, writes, and coaches pastors and leaders. Larry has degrees from UCF, Southeastern Seminary, and Southern Seminary—but more importantly, he loves Jesus, good coffee, and seeing the next generation step into their calling. He and his wife Lori love raising their incredible kids and love doing life and ministry together.

Doubt: The Foundation of Faith

Jeff Swarr on October 7, 2026

 

5 “When you pray, don’t be like the hypocrites who love to pray publicly on street corners and in the synagogues where everyone can see them. I tell you the truth, that is all the reward they will ever get. 6 But when you pray, go away by yourself, shut the door behind you, and pray to your Father in private. Then your Father, who sees everything, will reward you. 7 “When you pray, don’t babble on and on as the Gentiles do. They think their prayers are answered merely by repeating their words again and again. 8 Don’t be like them, for your Father knows exactly what you need even before you ask him! 9 Pray like this: Our Father in heaven, may your name be kept holy. 10 May your Kingdom come soon. May your will be done on earth, as it is in heaven. 11 Give us today the food we need, 12 and forgive us our sins, as we have forgiven those who sin against us. 13 And don’t let us yield to temptation, but rescue us from the evil one.

Matthew 6:5-13

 

PRAY FREELY

Play freely. Play fearlessly. These are all attributes of the teams that make the winning plays. These are also the characteristics of people who live for God.

We live this way when we bring our life to God in prayer. In my life, I’ve experienced barriers to praying. God knows what we need and is waiting for us to just bring it to Him in prayer. He tells us this in Matthew 6:8: “Don’t be like them, for your Father knows exactly what you need even before you ask Him!”

The barriers I have experienced are wanting to find the right words or thinking that my needs are too small for God. As we see, He already knows our needs, so stop worrying about having the right words. How can I say He knows our needs? I can say this because He’s answered prayers before.

In the spring of 2025, during our baseball season, there were two times that I got to our locker room before our players and took the time to just walk through our locker room and pray for each player. I did this because it came up in our Monday morning Scouts and Coaches Bible study when one of the coaches talked about it. I actually don’t remember who, and that’s not the point, but I learned it from others. The key piece in this was that nobody else knew that I was doing it—well, not at least another human being—but God knew.

The Monday after Easter of the 2025 season, I needed to have a conversation with one of our seniors about his life and some of the decisions he was making that impacted our team. I knew this conversation would be difficult, and it ended up taking two hours, with a lot of discussion back and forth covering many aspects of life and even faith. During this chat, I shared with our player that I had walked around the locker room and prayed for each player, including him. At that moment, the chat we were having shifted from confrontational to cooperative, and God’s presence was felt; God showed up. Or maybe I should say God was always there—we just recognized His presence. Looking back, as I walked around the locker room praying, God already knew our needs. He already knew that the players and I would need those prayers two weeks later.

Taking the time to pray allowed our players and me to align our lives with God’s plan for us. Take the time to pray. Take the time to share your needs freely. Take the time to pray and share your needs fearlessly.

If we want to live freely and live fearlessly, we are called to pray freely and pray fearlessly.

Lead well. Love better.

Jeff

Jeffrey Swarr is a baseball coach, author, and educator dedicated to helping others unlock their potential through mindset, resilience, leadership, and positive self-talk. A seasoned high school head baseball coach and author of works such as A Competitor’s Heart and The Daily Competitor, he shares daily insights on personal growth and purposeful living. Jeffrey strives to share his Christian faith with the students and athletes he is blessed to coach. He is married to Emily and the proud father of Simon, Spencer, and Shepherd.

Digging Deeper: Why People Don’t Pray More

Avatar photo Larry Grays on October 6, 2026

 

“When you pray, don’t babble on and on as the Gentiles do. They think their prayers are answered merely by repeating their words again and again. Don’t be like them, for your Father knows exactly what you need even before you ask him!”

Matthew 6:7-8 (NLT)


WHY PEOPLE DON’T PRAY MORE

 

During the early days of radio communication, operators often flooded the airwaves with repetitive distress signals, worrying that a single message wouldn’t be heard across the static. They thought that volume and repetition were the keys to catching someone’s attention. Yet, experienced operators knew that a single clear transmission to a receiver who was already listening was far more effective than mindless noise.

Many believers approach prayer with that same anxious mindset, falling into common traps that keep us from praying more often. We get bored or distracted; we falsely believe our requests are too small for a busy God; we wonder if our words actually make a difference; or we simply feel like we don’t know the right “formula” to use.

Jesus addresses this directly in Matthew 6:7–8, cautioning against mindless repetition and religious babble. He reminds us that we are not trying to twist the arm of a reluctant deity or wake up a distant king. Instead, we are coming to a Father who already knows our needs before we even speak. Understanding His attentiveness cures our hesitation, turning prayer from a confusing chore into a comforting relief.

Reflection Questions

● Which of the common barriers—boredom, feeling too small, doubting impact, or not knowing how—creates the most struggles in your prayer life?

● How does the truth that God “knows what you need even before you ask” shift your perspective on approaching Him?

Suggested Prayer

Lord, forgive me for overcomplicating prayer or doubting that You care. Help me to trust that You already know my needs, and free me from anxiety as I bring them to You. Amen.

 

Dr. Larry Grays is passionate about helping churches grow and reaching people in fresh, creative ways. He launched a church in a Midtown Atlanta movie theater and later served as an Urban Church Planting Strategist with the North American Mission Board. Today, he speaks, writes, and coaches pastors and leaders. Larry has degrees from UCF, Southeastern Seminary, and Southern Seminary—but more importantly, he loves Jesus, good coffee, and seeing the next generation step into their calling. He and his wife Lori love raising their incredible kids and love doing life and ministry together.