I can still remember the little plaque in my Grandmother’s house that read, “Prayer Changes Things”. And I believe with every fiber within me that prayer does make a difference. But when my mind is overwhelmed and I struggle to even put together words…my prayers seem weak and ineffective. When this happens, the Scripture here in Psalms shines bright in my mind. God will never spurn my prayers, however clumsy they may seem…and He will never stop loving me because of my awkwardness of words. For if you think about it, the real power of prayer is found in the Listener of our prayers, not in the one uttering the words.
Month: January 2020
Numbers 20: 7-8 ” The Lord said to Moses, ‘Take the staff, and you and your brother Aaron gather the assembly together. Speak to that rock before their eyes and it will pour out its water. You will bring water out of the rock for the community so they and their livestock can drink.’ “
Three times in the past the Lord had instructed Moses to strike something with the rod of God…the Nile River that turned into blood, the dust that turned into gnats, and the Rock at Horeb that sent forth water. But this time in the Desert of Zin as the people were again grumbling for lack of water, God told Moses to speak to the rock in the presence of the people. But instead of obeying, Moses allowed his anger and frustration of the crowd to get the best of him, and he struck the rock…not once, but twice. God kept His promise and water flowed out from the rock, but He said to Moses, “Because you did not trust in Me enough to honor Me as holy in the sight of the Israelites, you will not bring this community into the land I give them.”(Numbers 20:12) Moses had broken faith, allowing his emotions to rule over God’s Word…all with unfortunate results.
John 1:14 ” The Word became flesh and made His dwelling among us. We have seen His glory, the glory of the one and only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.”
If we read through the first chapter of John we’ll discover it’s the only Gospel that speaks of Jesus Christ’s eternal existence rather than just the time He spent on earth. This verse especially can be difficult to comprehend…for it tells us that the majesty and power behind all things came to earth… willingly becoming a man of flesh and blood … taking on human nature…thus subject to all human feelings, emotions, suffering and mortality. God the Father sent His only Son, Jesus Christ, to redeem mankind from the bondage of sin and death…to take our place and thus bridge the gap between a holy God and a sinful world. And it is only through Him that we can have eternal life, for Jesus said in John 14:6, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.”
Psalm 35: 9-10 ” Then my soul will rejoice in the Lord and delight in His salvation. My whole being will exclaim, ‘Who is like You, O Lord? You rescue the poor from those too strong for them, the poor and needy from those who rob them.’ “
Here’s a thought I heard yesterday that you may be guilty of…I sure am. You’re praying for someone and you ask the Lord to “be with them during this difficult time.” Do you realize just how wrong that statement is? God hasn’t gone anywhere, and He will never forsake the poor or needy. (Isaiah 41:17) Now it may seem like He’s far away to us, but He’s not…and in our mind it may appear that things are getting worse instead of better…but it could simply be that we aren’t seeing what we think should be happening. God promises deliverance from our enemies as we focus on Him and not our circumstances. Psalm 18:17 says, “He rescued me from my powerful enemy, from my foes, who were too strong for me.” Our hope then must come from God alone…for He promises He will never leave us nor forsake us.
Luke 21:17 ” All men will hate you because of Me.”
In Luke 6:22 Jesus faced His disciples and said, “Blessed are you when men hate you, when they exclude you and insult you and reject your name as evil, because of the Son of Man.” It’s called suffering disgrace for the Name. (Acts 5:41) But why? John 15:21 gives us insight into this when Jesus said, “They will treat you this way because of My Name, for they do not know the One who sent Me.” Worldly ignorance of God breeds fear, fear leads to distrust, and distrust transforms into hatred towards His people. But we shouldn’t look at this persecution negatively…for I Peter 4:16 says, “If you suffer as a Christian, don’t be ashamed, but praise God that you bear that Name.” For in the end we will be blessed for standing in His Name.
Philippians 4:6-7 ” Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”
I’m writing today’s Devotional for me and no one else, but you get to read it! The new year looms ahead with endless possibilities…all good things I could be doing. And as with most of you, I have more than enough opportunities to do good works for the Lord… to the point I’d spread myself so thin I would be ineffective in them all. The verses here in Philippians tell me that I need to let God know what it is I want. For me it’s clarification, direction, and purpose of all the things I could be doing…for I don’t want to be running down a road that’s not of God, simply for the sake of running. I Timothy 2:1-2 tells me the purpose for prayer is that I may lead a peaceful and quiet life…and for me, that comes from calmly resting in the very center of God’s Will.
Ezekiel 14:1-3 ” Some of the elders of Israel came to me and sat down in front of me. Then the Word of the Lord came to me: Son of man, these men have set up idols in their hearts and put wicked stumbling blocks before their faces. Should I let them inquire of Me at all? “
Throughout the book, Ezekiel did not mince words when denouncing the rampant idolatry around him…comparing it to infidelity and prostitution. He also didn’t curb his words, accusing the Jews of being stubborn, self-righteous, and rebellious. It got to the point of alienation that God Himself said, “No, I won’t listen to you anymore.” The people were putting their trust in created things like gold and silver… but God warned all that, “Gold and silver will not be able to save them in the day of the Lord’s wrath.” (Ezekiel 7:19)
Acts 5:1-2 “Now a man named Ananias, together with his wife Sapphira, also sold a piece of property. With his wife’s full knowledge he kept back part of the money for himself, but brought the rest and put it at the apostle’s feet.”
Ananias and Sapphira wanted to have their cake and eat it too. The Believers of the early Church shared their possessions readily and it tells us in Acts 4:34 that “there was no needy persons among them.” That’s because from time to time owners of property or homes would sell them and give the money to the apostles to benefit everyone. So Ananias decided he would do the same…but secretly held back a portion. He wanted the honor and accolades for giving a large gift, but he also wanted the money. So in a way he and his wife were stealing from God and were dumb enough to think they could get by with it. Needless to say it didn’t turn out well for them. You can read the entire story in Acts 5:1-11.
Proverbs 20:9 ” Who can say, ‘I have kept my heart pure; I am clean and without sin?’ “
As King Solomon so wisely observed in Ecclesiastes 7:20, ” There isn’t a righteous man on earth who does what is right and never sins.” So to be naive enough to claim we are without sin is only deceiving ourselves and no one else. (I John 1:8) It all boils down to our will vs God’s will in our life…and the decisions we make everyday to either do what He commands or exert our rebellious free will in pride and disobedience.
Safetypinlove 