All tagged prayer

In Prayer We Are Given the World

Richard Forbes
Christian , Daily Devotional, Given the World

On many Fridays at work someone will ask me what my plans are for the weekend, and more often than not I will respond with "I don't know, I will have to check with my social coordinator." Of course I am referring to my wife, Ann, who keeps my life in order. Well, when I was recovering from Cancer surgery in 2015 she assumed a new role; she became my healthcare coordinator. Speaking of which, if she knew how often I wasn’t in bed during my recovery, when I should have been, I would most certainly have be in trouble!

Of Prayer and Missions; Born In the Divine Mind

Richard Forbes
Christian , Daily Devotional, Divine Prayer

I have been thinking, and writing, a great deal recently about two subjects; prayer, and missions. This morning I was reading E. M. Bounds, and his devotional today was titled "Born in the Divine Mind". It dealt with these very same subjects, and as I read the words of Pastor Bounds I was captured by his thought as he ended his message in this way: "Both prayer and missions were born in the Divine Mind. Prayer creates and makes missions successful, while the success of missions lean heavily on prayer." - E. M. Bounds

“And he said to them, “The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few. Therefore pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest.”

Luke 10:2 ESV

Private Prayer and Public Worship

Richard Forbes
Christian , Daily Devotional, Prayer in Church

This morning let’s discuss experiencing private prayer during times of public worship. I have attended many churches during my life and have felt varying degrees of private prayer being welcomed during a service. On the one extreme I have prayed loudly and demonstratively beside Pentecostal brethren, prayed private prayers in a more subdued manner in my current church, and attended "high church" in Churches where very little private prayer is evident or encouraged. However, in each case private prayer does occur… it simply erupts from embattled souls across the sanctuary as believers adorn themselves in the armor of God and enter into personal states of worship, thankfulness, and distress.

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?

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 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?

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.

A Flourishing of Faith, and the Greatest Miracle

Richard Forbes
Christian , Daily Devotional, Greatest Miracle

Trust and obey... What a message regarding prayer! We have noticed certain themes throughout our study of praying... trust, obedience, compassion, persistence, and consecration, among them. We learned that these are the tools of prayer. Then, as we exercised them in praying, we witnessed divinity, and received its products which are a flourishing of faith, holiness, righteousness, relationship, power, wisdom, understanding but most of all... a dispensations of grace and mercy; all of which culminate in our salvation, and an eternal existence with God. We have found that as we were taught to use these tools in our prayers we received the Lord’s peace, and the other products of His divine nature.

Compassionate Prayer

Richard Forbes
Christian , Daily Devotional, Compassion and Prayer

This morning we study "Compassionate Prayer" as it was taught in Matthew 9:36. I thought to myself that this was a very appropriate topic, since this is Missions Month at many churches. Beyond delivering the gospel, there are situations at home, and around the world, where we can physically provide aid to others, or pray for them through a situation; but there are quite a few others that are beyond our ability to resolve, and we must depend on a miracle, and entering into "Compassionate Prayer", is our only course of action.

Prayer, Faith, and Their Symbiotic Relationship

Richard Forbes
Christian , Daily Devotional, Faith and Prayer

I was reading and contemplating the words of Pastor E. M. Bounds this morning, and as I read his devotional message regarding the close relationship between faith and prayer, I drifted into thought on the subject. I thought about all the times my faith had been strengthened as I prayed and slipped into deep conversation with Him as His Spirit gave me remembrance of His Word. I contemplated the scripture that He revealed to me on those occasions, I recalled how my faith was bolstered as I had prayed in it, and how my prayers fed on my faith, and my faith was nourished by my prayers. Asking in prayer prompts us to seek, and seeking prompts us all the more in our asking.

Prayer; a Call for Help and a Shofar of Praise

Richard Forbes
Christian , Daily Devotional, Paying in the Storm

I was reading and studying Psalm 107 this morning. It reminded me of the state of the world today. I have written on this subject before... Men not recognizing the miracles and mercies of God for what they are. We, as a people, failing to praise Him for His loving kindness, especially in the face of incredible devastation. Let’s look today at how we should praise God in all things, and without end. In this psalm the psalmist begins with a call to prayer by saying... “O give thanks unto the Lord, for he is good: for his mercy endureth for ever.” Then he goes on to give examples of God's provisions that occur every day and are worthy of our praising Him. Do we do this? Do we praise him in the storms?

Obedience, Righteousness, and Grace

Richard Forbes
Christian , Daily Devotional, Grace and Prayer

This morning I have been studying John 14 and reading a devotional that was based on John 14:14. I have always loved this verse and that Jesus says he will do anything for us... After all, who wouldn’t love a verse that promises us everything? And, all we have to do is keep his commandments… Whoops, wait a minute! How can we, with all our human frailty, be expected to do that? Is He asking the impossible of us? At first blush it appears that He is, but as Paul Harvey used to say… "Now for the rest of the story."

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