God Heal America

The Lord said to Moses, "I have seen this people, 
and behold, they are an obstinate people."
Exodus 32:9

Thousands of years ago God made this statement to Moses about the Israelites. Thousands of years later Abraham Lincoln made a similar statement about Americans: “Intoxicated with unbroken success, we have become too self sufficient to feel the necessity of redeeming and preserving grace, too proud to pray to the God that made us.” One hundred and forty-seven years later we are still obstinate, still too proud to pray to our Creator. In Ezekiel 22 God looked for one who would "stand in the gap before me for the land" (v. 30). We who are called by His name are told to humble ourselves and pray and seek God's face and turn from our wicked ways, then He will hear from heaven, will forgive our sin and will heal our land (2 Chronicles 7:14). Our land lies wounded and bleeding. Let's stand in the gap and call upon the name of the Lord to heal her. 

Steady Communication with God

"pray without ceasing;" 

1 Thessalonians 5:17

The Greeks used the words “without ceasing” to describe something that is persistent. Such as a hacking cough, or repeated military attacks. To "pray without ceasing" is to be persistent in our communication with God. He wants to have a conversation with us throughout the day.  "Continued prayer is a state of steady communion with God. We do not allow great gaps to intervene between episodes of prayers. He takes interest in the small areas of our lives. We do not brush off our children when they come to us with a little scratch. Neither does God brush us off when we come to Him with little things." (Dr. Grant C. Richison)

Spend Time with Jesus

But the Lord answered and said to her, 

“Martha, Martha, you are worried and bothered about so many things;"

Luke 10:41

When we are worried and concerned about the affairs of our lives, we may tend to think the Lord doesn't know or care. But that's not true. The Lord knows when we are worried and what we're worried about. Martha complained to the Lord that her sister was not helping her with the cooking and that He didn't seem to care, but the Lord pointed out to Martha that she was, in fact, fretting about so many things." It's as if He was saying, "Martha, Martha, it's not just the meal preparations that are troubling you. You have a lot of other things on your mind, too. And I know what every one of them is." And what was His solution to the problems Martha had? To come and rest at His feet and listen to Him (Luke 10: 39, 42). It's interesting, isn't it, that Jesus didn't jump up and help Martha or send someone to assist her. He basically told her she was choosing bother and worry over spending time with Him. This is rather subtle, but do you see the significance of His statement? Are you worried and bothered by a load of things today? Go spend time with Jesus. Listen to Him. You'll see things in a much better light.

        Are we weak and heavy laden, 

cumbered with a load of care? 

Precious Savior, still our refuge; 

take it to the Lord in prayer. 

From the Hymn "What A Friend We Have in Jesus" 

Text: Joseph M. Scriven, 1820-1886 

Music: Charles C. Converse, 1832-1918 

Call Home Frequently

"But the news about Him was spreading even farther, 

and large crowds were gathering to hear Him and to be healed of their sicknesses. 

But Jesus Himself would often slip away to the wilderness and pray."

Luke 5:16

Jesus' ministry was growing rapidly and so He called in a business consultant to help Him with the next steps. Wait! No, that's not right. Jesus didn't call in a consultant. He slipped away and prayed. Often. Too many times we fail to follow the Lord's example. We don't pray often. And prayer is the last thing we do when we need help, instead of the first thing. We only slip away to pray when we're not pressed for time. But wasn't Jesus pressed for time, too? You bet He was. However, Jesus had His priorities straight. He didn't let the demands on His time prohibit Him from keeping first things first. I don't know about you, but I need to remember this each and every day. I may not be able to close the shop and slip away to pray, but I can certainly turn my thoughts to the Lord and lift up simple prayers throughout the day. "The greater your responsibilities, the more often you need to check with God even when it seems like you have less time than ever to do it. The daily rush? Well, it can quickly push you right out of the mainstream of the will of God. But take it from a Dad who's traveled. You can't afford to be out of touch for long. So, make frequent calls home." (Ron Hutchcraft)

Praying in the Spirit

"With all prayer and petition pray at all times in the Spirit,"

Ephesians 6:18

When we walk with Jesus, we walk in the knowledge that His spirit lives within us and His spirit is constantly speaking to our spirit. If we are listening we will know how to pray. For He will bring to mind those things we ought to pray about. "In the Spirit; for true prayer is spiritual, and it is not true prayer unless by the Holy Spirit the heart is filled with heavenward longings and aspirations, changing our prayer from cold form to heartfelt realities. The ordinary habit of the soul should be prayerful, realizing the presence of God and looking for his grace and guidance. And watching thereunto; that is, 'towards' spirituality, against formality, as also against forgetfulness and neglect of prayer. Perhaps also the idea of watching for the answer is involved, as you wait for an answer when you have dispatched a letter." (The Pulpit Commentary: New Testament; Old Testament; Ages Software)

God's Word to Men on Prayer

"Therefore I want the men in every place to pray, lifting up holy hands, 

without wrath and dissension."

1 Timothy 2:8

God's word gives instructions for the role of men in leading prayer when Christians assemble.That they are to pray in every place with holy, blameless hearts. Humble hearts that are under submission to God. They are to pray without anger toward others and they are to pray in faith. 

"'I will that men pray everywhere.’ That is the same in spirit as the Apostle’s other command: ‘Pray without ceasing; in everything give thanks.’ A very high ideal, but a very reasonable one, for unless we can find some place where God is not, and where the telegraph between heaven and earth is beyond our reach, there is no place where we ‘should not pray. And unless we can find a place where we do not want God, nor need Him, there is no place where we should not pray. Because, then, ‘everywhere’ is equally near Him, and the straight road to His throne is of the same length from every hole and corner of the world; therefore, wherever men are, they ought to be clinging to His skirts, and reaching out their open hands for His benefits; and because, wherever a man is, there he utterly depends upon God, and needs the actual intervention of His love, and the energising of His power for everything, even for his physical life, so that he cannot wink his eyelashes without God’s help, therefore, ‘In every place I will that men pray.’" (Alexander MacLaren)

I

Our Wounded Culture

"For He rescued us from the domain of darkness, and transferred us to the kingdom of His beloved Son, in whom we have redemption, 

the forgiveness of sins."

Colossians 1:13-14

Our culture doesn't talk about sin and Satan. People would much rather stay in the darkness then enter into God's light. "This is the judgment, that the Light has come into the world, and men loved the darkness rather than the Light, for their deeds were evil." (John 3:19) This is just the way Satan our enemy likes it. He doesn't want people to realize their perilous state and their need for redemption. Christ sacrificed everything to rescue the world from Satan's grip -- the domain of darkness -- and transfer them into His glorious kingdom. Those of us who have received this Divine Transfer have a responsibility to pray for those who haven't. Ours is a wounded culture that needs God's healing, and He has promised to hear us from heaven and heal our land if we humble ourselves and pray (2 Chronicles 7:14). 

Go Forward

"Then the LORD said to Moses, 'Why are you crying out to Me? Tell the sons of Israel to go forward.'"

Exodus 14:15

The Israelites had come to the Red Sea with Pharoah's army in hot pursuit. God had already promised he would deliver them, but the people were afraid and doubted, preferring  to go back into Egyptian captivity rather than trust in the Lord's deliverance. This exhortation to Moses from the Lord comes on the heels of Moses' answer to the grumblings of the Israelites. Moses had told them. “Do not fear! Stand by and see the salvation of the LORD which He will accomplish for you today; for the Egyptians whom you have seen today, you will never see them again forever. The LORD will fight for you while you keep silent.” Moses' faith was intact, but his spirit it would seem was crying out to God. What he was praying, we're not told. (Perhaps, like other times, he was interceding with the Lord on behalf of the Israelites. Afraid that their contentious behavior would stay God's hand.) The Lord's response to Moses was to go forward. There is a time to pray and a time to act. The Lord didn't answer Moses in anger. Moses had been in communication with God and had been told the plan. He didn't need to pray about it any more. He needed to act on what God had told him. "There is a time to quit praying and start marching." -- Pastor Chuck Smith. If God has already told you what to do. . .go forward.

Effective Prayers

"The effective prayer of a righteous man can accomplish much."

James 5:16b

As a new Christian I read this scripture, closed my Bible and walked away believing there was no hope that my prayers would ever reach God. James said a righteous person's prayers are effective and I was far from that. But as I grew in the Lord I came to understand that it is not my righteousness James is talking about. It's the righteousness of Jesus Christ. I've been justified before a holy God by faith, and now stand before Him with a righteousness that is not my own. This is true of all who have come to Christ through faith. The door to God's throne room is open. It's as if Jesus is standing there holding open the massive door Himself and beckoning us to come in and ask the Father for what we need. In our own righteousness, prayers are futile. But in the righteousness of Christ they can accomplish much.

Habakkuk's Petition

"And I will keep watch to see what He will speak to me"

Habakkuk 2:1

In the previous chapter of Habakkuk, the prophet had poured out to God his complaints of the Chaldean's violence and wickedness against God's people. After Habakkuk had said all he had to say, he stayed alert and waited for God's reply. We don't know how long Habakkuk had to wait, but we see in the next verse that God did answer him. The Lord always answers his servants when they humble themselves and seek His help. Not always in the way they would expect, but He does answer nevertheless. We can learn much from Habakkuk about petitioning God. Pray - Watch - Wait.

In the Name of Jesus

"Whatever you ask in My name, that will I do, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son."

John 14:13

When we pray in Jesus' name, we are identifying ourselves with Him; with who He is and what He has done. When we comprehend His purity and the undeserved suffering He endured to save us, then our prayers will reflect a desire to see Him glorified. The requests we make will be less about what will satisfy us and more about what will exalt Him. We will pray the way Christ prayed in Gethsemane, "Not my will Father, but Yours be done." 

Watch and Pray

"Devote yourselves to prayer, keeping alert in it with an attitude of thanksgiving;"

Colossians 4:2

Our God, who is forever watching the nations, wants us to be watchful, too. Watchful of the work that He is doing. And then to pray that His plan and purpose will be accomplished. We do this with an attitude of thanksgiving for what He has already done and what He will do. "Watchful praying takes effort. It is an aggressive sort of prayer life, recognizing that life is lived out in the midst of a battleground. Watching and praying is a lifestyle focusing on seeing the kingdom of Christ advance and knowing that our prayers are a vital part of what God is doing on planet earth." -- Dave Butts

God is Working 4 You!

"It will also come to pass that before they call, I will answer; and while they are still speaking, I will hear."

Isaiah 65:24

This morning I kissed my husband before he was wheeled off to surgery to remove a tumor. As I reached the waiting room, the message alert sounded on his cell phone. I looked at the screen and saw the words of Isaiah 65:24, along with the comment, "Take heart. God is working 4 you!" Isn't this just like our loving Heavenly Father? Before I even had a chance to call out to Him, He was already answering the prayer of my heart. Let atheists claim there is no God. Let skeptics say if there is a God, He doesn't care about our struggles. I know better. I've seen it again and again. Just like this morning. God is intimately involved in every detail of our lives. Take heart. God is working 4 you!

P.S. Dennis came through surgery like a champ. The cyst was benign. All praise to God!

Cherished Child

"O LORD, my heart is not proud, nor my eyes haughty;  Nor do I involve myself in great matters, Or in things too difficult for me. 

Surely I have composed and quieted my soul; 

Like a weaned child rests against his mother, My soul is like a weaned child within me." 

Psalm 131:1-2

Can you see the wisdom in the psalmist's words? When things happen we don't understand, the last thing we should do is harden our hearts toward God and snub Him, thinking we can figure things out on our own. Instead, we should remember that each of us is the Father's cherished child. He wants us to come to Him. To allow Him to take our burden and give us a composed and quieted soul. This phrase from the old hymn "What a Friend We Have In Jesus" says it so well:

Oh, what peace we often forfeit

Oh, what needless pain we bear

All because we do not carry

Everything to God in prayer.

Job Descriptions

"Then the men turned away from there and went toward Sodom, while Abraham was still standing before the LORD. Abraham came near and said, 'Will You indeed sweep away the righteous with the wicked?'"

Genesis 18:22:23 

Here we find Abraham's great intercessory prayer on behalf of Lot and his family. He didn't go down to Sodom and try to save them himself, He asked God to do it. Compassion drove Abraham to ask God for his loved ones' salvation.  God listened to and granted Abraham's request. The Lord is still hearing and answering intercessory prayer for the unsaved today. It is our job to pray. It is God's job to save.

Begin with Prayer

"In the early morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house, and went away to a secluded place, and was praying there."

Mark 1:35

If anyone had a reason to sleep in and skip prayer time, it was Jesus. Days filled with healing and casting out demons, teaching in the synagogue and preaching to the crowds, feeding the thousands and calming storms. His schedule would put any of ours to shame. But Jesus understood the importance of getting up early to spend time alone with God the Father before starting His day. "Look no man in the face till thou hast seen the face of God. Speak thou with none till thou hast had speech with the Most High" (Spurgeon). Take your cue from Jesus. Begin with prayer.

Talk to God

"Is anyone among you suffering? Then he must pray. Is anyone cheerful? He is to sing praises."

James 5:13

Here is the instruction we need for each day. Go to God first. If we are having a bad day, He will help us. There's no shame in being dependent upon Him. It's what He wants. If we are having a good day, then give the credit to the Lord. He deserves the glory. Whether in good times or bad, God wants to hear from us. Have you talked to Him today?

Don't Lose Heart

"Now He was telling them a parable to show that at all times they ought to pray and not to lose heart"

Luke 18:1

In one of His teachings on prayer, Jesus told the parable of the "unrighteous judge" and the widow who persistently begged him for justice (Luke 18:1-8). The widow had no social standing, nor money to bribe the evil judge, and so he ignored her request. But the widow didn't give up, and finally under the weight of her badgering and for fear she would never stop, the judge gave in. Unlike the heartless judge, God our Father is not irritated by our needs. He is anxious to hear from us and to grant us our requests, as long as they conform to His will. If you are in the midst of a struggle today, don't lose heart. Your loving, heavenly Father is ready and willing to help you. Just trust Him and count on Him to answer you in His timing. He will not fail you.

Jonah's Prayer

"But You have brought up my life from the pit, O LORD my God.
While I was fainting away,
I remembered the LORD,
And my prayer came to You,
Into Your holy temple." 

Jonah 2:6-7

In the  belly of the whale, Jonah cried out to the Lord. He was there because of his disobedience; because of his sin against God. Yet out of His love and grace, God delivered Jonah "from the pit." He didn't hold Jonah's sin against him, but regarded his sad state and gave him another chance. Jonah's humility moved God's heart. "Though we bring our afflictions upon ourselves by our sins, yet, if we pray in humility and godly sincerity, we shall be welcome to the throne of grace, as Jonah was." -- Matthew Henry 

Don't Forget to Pray

David inquired of God, saying, "Shall I go up against the Philistines? And will You give them into my hand?" Then the LORD said to him, "Go up, for I will give them into your hand."

1 Chronicles 14:10

Four simple words: David inquired of God. It's easy to take those words for granted, to even overlook them as we study the life of the king called "a man after God's own heart." Yet that phrase speaks of David's humility and dependence upon the Lord. Before moving forward in battle, he prayed and waited for God's response. What a great example David is for us. Before facing the spiritual battles in front of us, we first must pray. And then wait for God's direction. So simple, yet so easy to forget.