I was lifted up by the message and scripture of my devotional reading today. The scripture reading that blessed me so immensely was from 2nd Corinthians. And, as I read this scripture, the words of my devotional reading this morning echoed in them. They spoke to me of Jesus being the pattern of prayer, selfless, and the great intercessor who stands at the right hand of God... In this I could see a lesson in how we should all pray for others… it was a lesson in love, and in comforting others.
I was reading Pastor E. M. Bounds this morning and he was writing about a phenomenon that is hard to understand but is true none the less... Prayer Brings Heaven to Earth. There are certain times in worship when Heaven and Earth come into close proximity and can indeed touch one another... baptism, communion, marriage, and the burial of loved ones are a few, but in each case our prayers are the key that unlocks the door and makes this happen. We see this best when we read how Elijah saw the awesome power of God, but it wasn’t until God spoke with him in a low whisper and their conversation (prayer) began that Elijah truly came close to God and experienced Him.
I wrote much of this morning's devotional offering a few years ago, but after reading it again, I thought I would share it with all the readers of my morning devotional thoughts... it speaks of my journey, of prayer, and of God's hand in our lives, and it deals with something that is all but lost in the church today. So, this morning we will deal with praying from a broad base of experience, and with a heightened sense of compassion that years of living, and suffering, give us. This is our contemplation and was also the subject of my morning devotional reading
Prayer and the Word of God; they go hand in hand. In the Word we are taught so many things; things like how we were created, how to worship, how to live, how to pray, how to gain forgiveness through Jesus, and how to receive eternal life by believing. We are taught many lessons regarding physical life, and faith, but none is any more important than how to come before our Father God in prayer... It is His will for us.
Today my devotional reading was on a subject I am very familiar with... Praying for those in authority. From world leaders to leaders of our various countries, communities, churches, businesses, and families, we are instructed to pray for them. Whether they are good or bad, righteous or sinful, we are meant to pray for them all.
This morning we are contemplating God's desire for us to commit our lives to Him. We will revisit His desire for us to live and worship Him with zest. Pastor E. M. Bounds described the way we should pray in these words: "True prayer must be aflame." And he wrote that "The Christian life and character need to be on fire." Today we are returning once more to Revelation 3 for the principal scripture of our study.
Our devotional topic today is on the subject of praying everywhere, and the scripture verse we will begin with is from the second chapter of 1st Timothy. But, are we actually praying everywhere? Are we going into dangerous places, or praying with sinners in sin’s lairs or evil places where Satan has imprisoned them? Is this something we should even do? Ell, let’s explore this today.
Calling out to God in prayer is for all mankind. This is my contemplation for the morning, and the joy of my day... God loves us all and allows us audience with Him through our prayers. He is with us always, hears our prayers, and is merciful in the abundance of His forgiveness. If sinners were not able to pray we would all have been lost long ago.
In my devotional reading today, Pastor E. M. Bounds wrote of two prayers; the petition of faith and the prayer of submission. Praying in the Word and praying in the Spirit; both are incredibly important... praying in the Word is conveying our thoughts and needs using biblical constructs, while praying in the Spirit conveys the longings of our very souls. Pastor Bounds used Abraham's prayers for Sodom as an example of both petition, and submission, when he wrote these words:
My devotional reading this morning was on the subject of the universality of prayer. I have been reading Pastor E. M. Bounds this year, and today he was writing on the impact that our prayers have on not only us personally, but the world as a whole. This is a subject that is near to my heart, and so when he wrote on this subject it grabbed my attention instantly. Listen as he makes this statement, and then let’s delve into it.
This morning I revisited a devotional reading that I had enjoyed on this day several years ago. On that day I had already been operated on and had a cancerous tumor removed from my body, but later that afternoon, I was going to find out how my treatment would proceed... My devotional reading that particular day included these words:
Prayer, the Word of God, and creation, go hand in hand because all of creation is made holy by the Word of God and prayer. That is a thought worth contemplating. Have we ever considered that our prayers might be helping to bring goodness, and holiness, to creation?
This morning I am dwelling on a particular thought regarding prayer, and that is the reality that we are truly blessed when we are able to bless others by our prayers. I also realize that while God is blessing us, He is blessing others through us. God gives us the ability to touch those around us in prayer, and in so doing allows them to touch us too… it is a revolving door of prayer in which we are both coming and going… touching, and being touched when we lay hands on one another.
This morning let’s contemplate Isaiah 33 and specifically verse 16. In this chapter God's people are under attack and are praying for help, and in our target scripture verse Isaiah is reaffirming God's provision and defense. There is one core truth about being afraid, and it is this… when we remove the cause of our fear we find that our fear goes with it. So, are we trusting the Lord to take away our troubles, and our cares? Do we believe that He can, and will, honor His promises to us?
Today let’s examine the fact that the Word, and promises, of God serve as fuel for our prayers, and our life. I hope that as we study on this truth we will find that it couldn't be more encouraging. As we contemplate this subject I hope we are thrilled by this rather obvious thought, and that our spiritual lives are ignited by it!