Prayer

Quiet Sunday Thoughts

/ pastorpete51 / 4 Comments

For thus said the Lord God, the Holy One of Israel, “In returning and rest you shall be saved; in quietness and in trust shall be your strength.” But you were unwilling, Isaiah 30:15 ESV

Why is it that we have such a difficult time being quiet? Even when we have nothing to do, we fill our time with loud activities, that easily drown out the still small voice of Jesus. But God’s promise is that in quietness and rest we will be saved. We need to be in church on Sunday, but we also need time to rest. Why not set aside even half an hour to close the door and listen to music, or worship and pray alone? Unless we plan times of quietness, before we know it our day will pass in a busyness and miss the most precious moments of all – our time alone with God. I do hope you enjoy this new rendition of the classic Hymn, I Need Thee Every Hour. Sometimes we get too busy trying to fix things and forget to simply cry out to God for help.

Humility is perfect quietness of heart. It is to expect nothing, to wonder at nothing that is done to me, to feel nothing done against me. It is to be at rest when nobody praises me, and when I am blamed or despised. It is to have a blessed home in the Lord, where I can go in and shut the door, and kneel to my Father in secret, and am at peace as in a deep sea of calmness, when all around and above is trouble. Andrew Murray

Asking Dad

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If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask him. Matthew 7:11 ESV

Today’s verse reminded me of how our sons would ask for things when they were children. Every request began the same way, “Daddy (or Mommy if I already said no!), can I have…?” As they grew, the scale of their requests grew. At two, they would ask for a cookie, at twelve, they needed five dollars for something at the store and by twenty, we were helping them buy (or repair) a car. My response was usually either a straight up yes or no, while their mom had a wiser method. She would hold the cookie firmly in her hand and as they grabbed for it, then would look them in the eye and ask, “What do you say?” Usually, they would tug at that treat for a few seconds before the light went on and they would smile and say, “Thank you mom!” Then Nancy would give them a big hug, release the cookie and they would delightedly run off to play, while swallowing the cookie in two bites! Now, that may sound cute, but it is exactly how Jesus teaches us to come. Receiving an answer to our request is not based on our deserving it, or whether it is “important” but on the fact that we are God’s child. He is our Father, and a far better one than we are. So, if we, imperfect parents know how to give good gifts to our children, imagine how much better gifts God loves to give, when we come.

But if we use this verse as a formula for getting what we want, then we may receive our gift and yet go away missing out on God’s best gift. We miss learning the gratefulness of simply being His children. We lose the chance to run off with His words, “Go in peace child!” ringing in our ears and the delight of pausing long enough to receive His hug. Why not come to our Heavenly Father, who loves us more than we can ever understand? Why not start with the confidence of a child asking, “Daddy may I have…?” and then receive the joy of God Himself bending down to give us a hug and His words of “Go in peace! ringing in our hearts!

Prayer for Armenia – Part Two

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 Remember those who are in prison, as though in prison with them, and those who are mistreated, since you also are in the body. Hebrews 13:3 ESV

This morning we go into day two of Jacob Pursley’s appeal for prayers for Armenia in this off and on war with Turkey and Azerbaijan. As I watched and listened, I remembered this verse and how it is so easy for us, here in the Western world, to complain about small things. A leaky toilet, a termite problem or a higher tax bill can prevent us from seeing the suffering of others. The Bible reminds us that we are a part of the world of our brothers and sisters. When we enter into that spiritual connection with them, we will both be enriched: they by our prayers and we by the richness of their faith. I love how Jacob ends his second video by saying that the only true solution to the hatred and spiritual evil behind this war, is the good news of Jesus Christ. So let us pray for not only Armenia, but also for the Christians in Turkey and Azerbaijan, that God will open a door for them to share the gospel, and that hearts may be changed, and nations won for Jesus Christ.