Praying Persistently, and Knocking as Jesus Does

Richard Forbes
Christian , Daily Devotional, Persistence in Prayer

Persistence in prayer is our topic for this morning and at first glance it almost appears that in doing so we are attempting to force our desires on God, but there is more to this practice. God hears every word we utter in prayer and His memory is perfect, so why should we approach Him repeatedly with the same request until it is either granted, or denied? Because Jesus tells us to do so. Pastor E.M. Bounds gave some insight into this practice when he wrote: "it is praying with courage until our cries are [realized]." He went on to describe persistent prayer as "prayer on fire... Not having a feeble, flickering flame or momentary spark, but shines with a vigorous, steady glow." in other words it is a reflection of our faith which stands behind it.

Our Journey to the Never Ending Day

Richard Forbes
Christian , Daily Devotional, Journey through Hardship

This morning let’s study another purpose for trouble in this world. The author of my morning devotional reading put it this way, "Trouble makes the earth undesirable and creates a desire for heaven within us... It is the path of tribulation that leads to that world." Our problems really do turn us towards God for help. They do this by taking our self-assuredness away and humbling us before Him. You see, we aren't meant to be satisfied with our current world, faith, and surroundings, we should see paradise and eternity before us, and a perfection of spirit and soul just beyond where we struggle. Our opening passage from Revelation encourages us with a description of heaven...

Walking the Prayerful Way

Richard Forbes
Christian , Daily Devotional, Prayer and Praying

Prayer is indeed central to our lives as Christians, and should be included in every breath we take. It is the essence of our relationship with the Lord, and the vehicle by which we touch Him, and he touches us as well. The apostle Paul tells us in his letter to the Thessalonians just how often we should pray, and a bit about what should and shouldn’t be included in our prayers.

Pressing the Wine of Faith

Richard Forbes
Christian , Daily Devotional, Tribulation and Fine Wine

Today we continue to live in a world of tribulation, suffering, and affliction, and it surrounds us at almost every turn. However, scripture tells us that we have been delivered from all of that suffering by Jesus Christ who has overcome the world. Given today’s world are we at peace, and of good cheer, or have we resolved ourselves to be anxious and worried over the state of things? Perhaps we have missed the fact that our troubles bring us closer to Jesus, and press us together with Him in a way that transforms the grapes of our faith into a fine wine for our Father’s table.

Persistently at His Door

Richard Forbes
Christian , Daily Devotional, Persistent Prayer

How persistent are we in prayer? Today our message is in regard to praying persistently and not neglecting our desires and those of others as we pray. In my morning reading Pastor E.M. Bounds referred to this as "a mighty move of the soul toward God." Jesus taught persistence in a parable to demonstrate the importance of being dogged in our prayers, and we either call it “The Parable of the Persistent Widow”, or, because it is so basic to praying, we refer to it as “the Parable on Prayer”.

Our Compassion to Forgive

Richard Forbes
Christian , Daily Devotional, Compassion

Today our devotional study has to do with compassion. I was reading E.M. Bounds' thoughts and had to read these words several times "It is no sin to feel the pain and realize the darkness on the path into which God leads us. It is only human to cry out against the pain and desolation of the hour." Compassion is a gift to those who pray; it helps us feel the pains and remorse of those who we pray for, and it makes us aware of the basic nature of human kind as we pray for the return of Christ. It is encouraging to know that Jesus is not without compassion. He felt all of the emotion that we feel and yet He was without sin.

God Hears and Answers Our Prayers

Richard Forbes
Christian , Daily Devotional, God Answers

Specific answers to prayer was the topic of the devotional message I read this morning. Pastor E.M. Bounds said this regarding the subject: "God the Father and Jesus Christ, His Son, are both strongly committed by the truth of the Word and by the integrity of their character to answer prayer." In both the Old and New Testaments we are assured and reassured that our prayers will be heard and answered, and in Psalms we have more prayers than in any other book in the bible. Specifically there are 72 prayers included in it; and there are also instructions regarding how we should pray them, and reassurance that they will be answered.

Does God Give Himself by Halves? Do we?

Richard Forbes
Christian , Daily Devotional, What God Gives

"God Gives Nothing by Halves" was the title of my devotional reading this morning yet among Christians there are many who feel confident that while giving Him half of themselves they still deserve all of Him. There is a scripture we quote all of the time and when we do, we rejoice, but few actually carry through with what Jesus actually asks of us as he quotes the first commandment, and repeats one word three times... that word is “ALL”.

Making God’s Promise Real through Prayer

Richard Forbes
Christian, Daily Devotional, God’s Promises

It is true that people do pray more when they are in trouble, and they are also inclined to criticize God in the midst of great trouble, but in God's eyes our lives here are just a portion of the journey... When many are lost to calamity we have a tendency to think they are gone because this life is all we know, but in God it is not the end... Evil never triumphs, the journey is not complete. We already know the end of the story, and God is victorious and dries the tears of the martyred saints. Jesus has already risen and the promise of His return is real… He will return to claim His bride, and the dead in Christ will rise to meet Him. Are we ready?

Miracles, and Praying for the Impossible

Richard Forbes
Christian , Daily Devotional, Impossible Answers?

05/24/2024

What do we do when the impossible prayer is answered? How do we react when we pray for a miracle and we actually get it? This is the subject of our devotional this morning, and my example has to do with the coming Christ... The promised Messiah. Jesus Christ was promised, but before he could arrive another would have to be born and prepare the world for his coming... That forerunner would be John the Baptist, and his birth would be miraculous, but even after his parents had prayed continuously for a child, and when faced with this miracle, his father doubted the coming miracle because the answer was outside the natural norm.

Man, the Desert, and a Choice

Richard Forbes
Christian , Daily Devotional, Choosing God

I have been thinking about some thoughts presented by Pastor E.M. Bounds' in his devotional message this morning. I have been contemplating a couple of statements he made that I found quite thought provoking and revealing; the first is "The end of trouble is always good to God." And the second was "Trouble proves a blessing or a curse, depending on how it is received and treated by us." These fit nicely with a conclusion I reached a long time ago. I came to the realization that man is the source of trouble in creation. Let me explain my thoughts...

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