Friday Morning Prayer:)… November 3, 2016

November 3, 2016 - 5 minutes read

All to Jesus I surrender,
All to Him I freely give;
I will ever love and trust Him,
In His presence daily live.

I surrender all,
I surrender all;
All to Thee, my blessed Savior,
I surrender all.

All to Jesus I surrender,
Humbly at His feet I bow;
Worldly pleasures all forsaken,
Take me, Jesus, take me now.[1]

“And the God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will himself restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast. To him be the power for ever and ever. Amen.”[2]

Pain, the gift no one wants. For you, me, believers In Christ, we have peace with our God, hence a supernatural reconciliation in which we stand justified, yet we are called to progressively grow and mature in our faith relationship. I am thankful for the longing, however inconsistent, God is faithful.

Beloved, you know this life has struggles, grief, disappointments, and sometimes overwhelming circumstances that challenge our faith. Pain destroys the feeling that everything is okay, especially as I tend to be self-reliant as though I have the ability to overcome, fix-this, solve that problem, direct the heart of my boys, etc., “I” can’t! We are called to surrender all, to bring our cares, burdens, worries to Jesus. I read somewhere that pain shatters the illusion that what we have is our own and is enough for us.

Without Jesus pain may be a natural consequence, or maybe the shout of God to repent and believe. With Jesus we can rejoice in our sufferings because we know God is sovereign and uses pain to develop “qualities of constancy, sterling character… and convinced hope.”[3] Moreover, what we read in James is only realized through transformation in Jesus. “Consider it pure joy…whenever you face trials of many kinds…” because through testing perseverance develops and must finish its work so we may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.[4]

Yes Indeed pain and suffering are part of the fabric of our existence, but the consummation of this maturing through suffering process, is yet to come. Therefore, be encouraged! One day, with convinced hope we will enjoy the fullness of God’s presence, His Shekinah-glory.

My struggles, suffering, emotional pain and observing this in those I love prompted prayer. Maybe you realize too and agree that circumstances many times serve as a reminder that I could not do anymore or change anything. I must humbly surrender and recognize God is calling to greater intimacy and constant dependence on Him for everything.

All to Jesus I surrender,
Make me, Savior, wholly Thine;
Let me feel the Holy Spirit,
Truly know that Thou art mine.

All to Jesus I surrender,
Lord, I give myself to Thee;
Fill me with Thy love and power,
Let Thy blessing fall on me.

All to Jesus I surrender,
Now I feel the sacred flame;
Oh, the joy of full salvation!
Glory, glory, to His Name!

______________________

Band of Brothers! Tonight at Bethel Assembly! 1929 Arnold Way. Alpine. 6pm dinner. 7pm worship and gospel!

Join faithful men from Alpine and surrounding areas for fellowship and worship. Invite a friend. An encouraging evening with brothers, once a month.

Sisters are meeting to pray! First Baptist. 1912 Arnold Way. Alpine. 0900.

Nurturing the joy through fellowship and prayer! Gals from various fellowship joining to faithfully encourage one another and intentionally pray. A blessing! Thank you! You are invited. A sweet hour of prayer, crying out on behalf of many. Check it out!

Brothers are meeting too! Bethel Assembly. 1929 Arnold way. Alpine. 0730.

If you can’t join, pray with us. Your help through prayer is valued and necessary. Our Alpine Youth Center is going through transition and changes. Thank you for your prayers. The body of Christ represented through various local churches, we constantly pray for God’s power and abundant grace.

Your brother In Christ,

Randall:)…

[1]http://library.timelesstruths.org/music/I_Surrender_All/
[2] 1 Peter 5:10-11
[3] Zondervan Bible Commentary. 2008. FF Bruce (ed.)
[4] James 1:2-4