Friday Morning Prayer:). July 30, 2015
July 30, 2015 - 8 minutes readWhat a friend we have in Jesus,
All our sins and griefs to bear!
What a privilege to carry
Everything to God in prayer!
Oh, what peace we often forfeit,
Oh, what needless pain we bear,
All because we do not carry
Everything to God in prayer![1]
“O Lord, you have searched me and you know me. You know when I sit and when I rise; you perceive my thoughts from afar. You discern my going out and my lying down; you are familiar with all my ways. Before a word is on my tongue you know it completely, O Lord.”[2]
Beloved In Christ,
Whatever our life circumstances, struggles, difficulties, heartaches, even times of rejoicing, gladness, and peace our infinite God eternal knows everything about us. You and I were created to relate with God! He knows me and I long to know, rely, depend, and pursue our gracious God more and more every day in everything! “O God, you are my God, earnestly I seek you; my soul thirsts for you, my body longs for you…”[3] Like King David, we too experience this insatiable need to have greater intimacy with our gracious God. Why? “Because your love is better than life, my lips will glorify you.”[4]
Through prayer and believing what I read in Scripture… there’s a supernatural comfort in knowing that our gracious God is delighted when we intentionally talk with Him in prayer. Moreover, prayer expresses our faith, dependence…. God doesn’t need my fellowship or yours, yet He created us for this purpose! How cool! God almighty, omnipotent, holy, holy, holy, loves and cares about YOU, even pursues our fellowship with Him! Does God miss our fellowship when we neglect intimate time with Him? I think so.
In Christ, through the power of the Holy Spirit we pursue fellowship… to choose not to, even pursuing this life in our own strength, busyness, no time allocated for prayer and intimacy certainly grieves our loving God. In fact, I’d say it causes grief in us too, especially as we echo the words of David, “My salvation and my honor depend on God; he is my mighty rock, my refuge.”[5]
Therefore, “Trust in him at all times, O people; pour out your hearts to him, for God is our refuge.”[6] Lord, help me to express my love to You by my actions. It has been said that elect angels delight to watch our obedience, even rejoice when we walk faithfully with our God.[7] We certainly experience greater peace as we walk in obedience.
My twin brother has been excelling in his role as foreman on a fairly big pile-driver job. Monday he called and said, “Everything is going so well at work, I have been praying all the time, being humble, trusting God, and God is blessing!” Yes, he was excited! That was Tuesday. I embraced his words as God’s encouragement to me. I see a direct correlation with my brother’s obedience and supernatural blessing in his work context, at home, etc., Thankful!
If our lives were as good as our prayers
(J. R. Miller, “Living up to our Prayers” 1905)
If we only tried seriously to live up to our praying—it would have a powerful effect upon our character and conduct!
There is no prayer that most Christians make oftener—than that they may be made like Christ. It is a most fitting prayer, and one that we should never cease to make. But if we very earnestly wish to be transformed into Christ’s likeness—we will find the desire growing into great intensity in our daily lives, and transforming them. It will affect every phase of our behavior and conduct. It will hold before us continually, the image of our Lord, and will keep ever in our vision—a new standard . . .
of thought,
of feeling,
of desire,
of act,
of speech.
It will keep us asking all the while, such questions as these, “How would Jesus feel about this—if He were personally in my circumstances? What would Jesus do—if He were here today where I am?”
There is always danger of mockeries and insincerities in our praying for spiritual blessings. The desires are to be commended. God approves of them and will gladly bestow upon us the more grace we ask for:
the increase in love,
the greater faith,
the purer heart,
the new advance in holiness.
But these are attainments which are not bestowed upon us directly, as gifts from heaven. We have much to do in securing them. When we ask for spiritual blessings or favors, the Master asks, “Are you able to pay the price, to make the self-denial, to give up the things you love—in order to reach these attainments in holiness, in grace, in spiritual beauty?”
If our lives were as good as our prayers, we would be saint-like in character.
If we find that our prayers are beyond our living, our duty is not to lower them to suit the tenor of our living—but to bring our lives up to the higher standard of our praying![8]
Have we trials and temptations?
Is there trouble anywhere?
We should never be discouraged—
Take it to the Lord in prayer.
Can we find a friend so faithful,
Who will all our sorrows share?
Jesus knows our every weakness;
Take it to the Lord in prayer.
Are we weak and heavy-laden,
Cumbered with a load of care?
Precious Savior, still our refuge—
Take it to the Lord in prayer.
Do thy friends despise, forsake thee?
Take it to the Lord in prayer!
In His arms He’ll take and shield thee,
Thou wilt find a solace there.
Blessed Savior, Thou hast promised
Thou wilt all our burdens bear;
May we ever, Lord, be bringing
All to Thee in earnest prayer.
Soon in glory bright, unclouded,
There will be no need for prayer—
Rapture, praise, and endless worship
Will be our sweet portion there.
Sisters are meeting at First Baptist to pray! 1912 Arnold Way, Alpine. 0900. You are invited! Go encourage and be encouraged!
Brothers are meeting too, we join to pray! First Baptist, Alpine. 0730. It is always a time of encouragement to join faithful brothers in humble prayer. You are invited!
LoVe Others! MUCH!
Your brother,
Randall:).
[1] http://library.timelesstruths.org/music/What_a_Friend_We_Have_in_Jesus/
[2] Psalm 139:1-4
[3] Psalm 63:1a
[4] Ibid. 63:3
[5] Ibid. 62;7
[6] Ibid. 62:8
[7] 1 Timothy 5:21
[8] http://gracegems.org/2010/01/prayers.html
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