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!
This morning my devotional reading took me to Psalms 131, and it spoke to me. This psalm is only three verses long, but what wonderful verses they are. The message delivered here is one of contentment; a humbling that allows us to be with The Lord without feeling the need to perform in our faith, but rather, to find contentment in just being with Him.
I really enjoyed the devotional message that I read this morning. Pastor E .M. Bounds wrote about praying for one another. He spoke of how the power of our prayers will draw us close to God in a holy, reverent, and magnificent way. So often we view Jesus as a stoic man, and not as someone who pleaded loudly with God, and cried crocodile tears as He prayed, but this is indeed the man Jesus was.
My devotional reading today was titled "God's Will be Done" by Pastor E. M. Bounds. As I pray each day I lift up my desires, needs, and those of others, before God, but I also wrap those requests in a plea that His will be done in regards to them. Our unending prayers are the very substance of our spiritual lives, earthly lives, and indeed our humanity. They encapsulate all those things we seek and long for in holiness and lift them before our Heavenly Father, but sometimes we fall short in the godliness of our desires, or remain blind to the consequences of our petition. It is for this reason that Jesus has taught us to pray "Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven". God's will is perfect.
When we read Psalm 37 as a young person we might see images of life through our parent’s eyes, but it is quite different once we get older and experience age, and aging, ourselves. This is a Psalm written by David when he was an old man, and maybe because of that I listen to it all the more attentively these days... having become older myself, and wiser through the years. For the elderly I say have faith, and for the young I say honor your elders.
This morning I read Psalm 127 and contemplated God's provision for us and His hand in all we are, have, and do. This is a short Psalm that is comprised of five verses, but it speaks volumes about God's involvement in all aspects of our lives, and the goodness He brings to them. It also reveals the deception of Satan as he works through our pride in self to steal God’s glory. Pride led to Satan’s downfall, and our pride remains his ultimate deception as he attempts to separate us from God.
Today we are celebrating Thanksgiving Day in the United States, and we do so as families, a country, and a people of God. As we thank Him for His many blessings we are reminded of the first Thanksgiving celebration in 1621 when the pilgrims of Plymouth gave thanks to the Lord for their year of survival, and His merciful provision.
I was reading Charles H. Spurgeon this morning and he was writing about our being called away from our homes and comfort, but that God still gives us rest... and how He continued to do this, even in our uncertainty. He used God's Word to Moses to make this point:
“And he said, "My presence will go with you, and I will give you rest."”
Exodus 33:14 ESV
I was thrilled by the devotional message I read this morning. In this time of roll your own religion, and with some, an outright disdain for church and assembling with other believers... we are reminded of the importance of togetherness in Hebrews 10, and the impact that our faiths have on each other. Crosby, Stills, Nash, and Young wrote a song in the 70s called ‘Teach Your Children Well’, and it speaks of a truth about having a code that we pass on to our children… our code as Christians is our Faith, and our belief in God and Jesus Christ. How do we teach it, and are our religious holidays, like Thanksgiving, a perfect times to do so?
Please join me today as I contemplate God's ability to do those things we ask of Him, and the faith it requires for us to trust that He not only can but will do them.
“Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen.”
Ephesians 3:20-21 ESV