Prayers of the Children

Richard Forbes
Christian , Daily Devotional, Blessed Children

Nine years ago in the year 2015, during a lesson that I was teaching on Psalm 29 I shared with the class that my spiritual mentor, Jack Hughes, had once told me that if he was ever sick he would like to have little children pray for him. He had brought tears to my eyes when he originally shared this with me, and the thought of him saying it still brings tears to me today. Isaiah told us that God takes a special interest in teaching our children, and Jesus told his disciples not to keep the children from coming to Him, and that heaven was their inheritance. They are indeed a special gift, and a blessing to us. Don’t the prayers of children warm our hearts and cause us to give thanks to the Lord?

The One Room Schoolhouse

Richard Forbes
Christian , Daily Devotional, Growing Together

As a younger man I was an avid fisherman. Most weekends, and often after work, I would either take my boat to the lake or stand on the bank of one of my favorite fishing holes casting a line. On the way to one such place, I would pass by an abandoned school house. This school was an old one room school that once held students of multiple grades and ages all together where they were taught by a single teacher. That one-room schoolhouse was eventually renovated and converted into a home. The children who once attended there can now drive by and read the roadside marker which has been erected to commemorate the building and the impact it had on this rural community. But as I think back on this method of teaching I marvel at its benefits, and how it resembled a church gathering.

God Called Men

Richard Forbes
Christian , Daily Devotional, Jesus and Life

My devotional reading in “The Power of Prayer” this morning was titled "God Called Men", and it was wonderful. Pastor E. M. Bounds wrote that all things are truly possible through God. Which I believe firmly, and that prayer leads us there. He was profound when he wrote these words:

"If God's people would pray as they ought to pray, the great things that happened in the past would happen again and again." E. M. Bounds

Prayers from Near and Far

Richard Forbes
Christian , Daily Devotional, Joined Prayer

Last night, in the year 2015, a friend phoned. I just missed his call because I was getting some clothes out of the dryer when my cell phone rang. He was calling from Georgia to wish me well during my pre-admission testing the next day and to tell me that his reverend father had prayed earlier in the day for me with a prayer group at his church. I was facing surgery to remove a cancerous tumor. I texted him: "Please thank your Dad for me! Prayer is incredibly important to me, and us as Christians."

The First and Greatest Missionary?

Richard Forbes
Christian , Daily Devotional, Jesus Missionary

We consider Jesus to be many things; we call him the Son of God, our Lord, Savior, Redeemer, the Dove of Peace, Lion of Judah, Prince of Peace, Bread of Life, and so many other things, but who was Jesus if not a missionary to the world? That is the thought I would like for us to consider this morning, and bring to the forefront of our attention. This is something He was proclaimed to be in ancient prophesy, and at the moment of His conception.

A Sacred Place

Richard Forbes
Christian , Daily Devotional, Sacred Places with God

I read a short devotional message nine years ago, on this very day, that thrilled me. It was called "A Sacred Place" and it couldn't have been more relevant to my life at that time, and continues even now. The scripture verse used was from 1 Thessalonians. I gave this verse, a prayer of intercession and blessing, much thought, and I found that it went hand in hand with the prayer, consecration, holiness, and sacredness of my own life. I hope it does this for you too, and opens your awareness of the sacred places in your prayer life where God’s love sanctifies you through, and through. Today I reprint what I wrote that morning…

The Compassion and Intercession of Jesus

Richard Forbes
Christian , Daily Devotional, Compassionate Intercession

One morning in 2015 I was reading a devotional and preparing for prayer. The subject was the absolute perfection of Christ and the compassion which leads Him to intercede for us. The accompanying verse was Hebrews 4:15, and it was so encouraging to me. Jesus understands us and what tempts us as men, and this gives Him the ability to intercede for us in prayer from a place of experience and a knowledge of our circumstances. Do we completely grasp the degree to which He is like us? Do we pray for others as Jesus prays for us; with empathy that is born of understanding and experience?

Our Sovereign God

Richard Forbes
Christian , Daily Devotional, God’s Sovereignty

Living in a country where each man and woman has a vote, makes it hard for us to understand the true concept of sovereignty. We tend to think that each of us has the ultimate say in most everything we do, but that is not true. We might cast a vote on Election Day, but beyond that one vote all else is God’s will. He is truly sovereign, and we can see this very clearly in His selection of those He calls, as opposed to those we elect. Let’s explore His Sovereignty today.

Not All Faithful Workers Live On the Farm

Richard Forbes
Christian , Daily Devotional, Spiritual Harvest

This morning we are reading, and considering, the words that Jesus spoke regarding praying for more people to work in God's fields, and the great commission of taking the gospel abroad. I believe that the church would do well to take this seriously, but as individuals we should pray for these things as well; especially as we are called to them ourselves… Perhaps we will find that we are praying “Lord send me.”

A Lament for the Invisible Sinners

Richard Forbes
Christian , Daily Devotional, Invisible Sinners

I was reading Lamentations 3 today, and there was one verse, Lamentations 3:22, that captured me; it reads: "Because of the Lord's great love we are not consumed, for His compassions never fail." This verse made me take pause, and to think about God’s great love for each of us and how, despite our unworthiness, He found it worthwhile to send His Son Jesus to die for us. I thought of all the sinners I pass each day and how their worthiness of forgiveness, prayer, and salvation is no different than mine was when I too was lost in sin, and walked each day in their shoes.

Praying within God’s Will

Richard Forbes
Christian , Daily Devotional, Prayer and Will

Our scripture reading this morning is from Matthew 7 and leads us into our study. It speaks of judging others; seeking God's Word and will; then doing the things that He has asked of us. Praying within God’s will is more than simply speaking words, because it is not just giving lip service through speech and fancy oration, and calling it a prayer. If we pray from our heart, and within the will of God then He will recognize what we say as prayer, reward them, make our prophecy true, and before Him on judgement day, Jesus will acknowledge us, and not say "I never knew you, depart from me". Are we prepared to yield ourselves to the will of God? Let’s begin our journey towards true prayer.

Compassion and the Eyes of the Soul

Richard Forbes
Christian , Daily Devotional, Compassion of Christ

As I read my devotional this morning and concluded by reading James 2, it became clear to me that the compassion of Jesus plays a major part in translating our faith into action, or as it states in the bible… works. It leads us to not only ask God to come to someone's aid in prayer, but softens our hearts, prompting us to exhibit that selfsame mercy by helping them as well. Do we demonstrate the compassion off Christ in our everyday lives?

In the Breath of God

Richard Forbes
Christian , Daily Devotional, Breath and Will

Have you ever been on a flight and after takeoff the pilot came on the intercom to say something like "welcome to flight 1974 to Boston. We should have a smooth flight and our trip will be 30 minutes shorter than planned due to having the jet stream at our backs. So relax and enjoy the flight"? Traveling in God's will is much like that; we are carried along with little to no effort because we are walking within the very breath of His will for us.

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