Pray then like this: “Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name. Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. and forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. Matthew 6:9-10, 12-13 ESV
Forgive us our debts, give us our food and lead us not into temptation are things Jesus taught us to pray every day. I don’t know about you but for me having to constantly ask for God’s help in these areas makes me feel frustrated and weak. But God is not at all frustrated or angry when we sincerely pray. Instead He taught us to pray these things because He is a God who is ready to forgive us every morning, delights in providing for us every day and who knows we need His protection on our journey!
Then Jesus told his disciples, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. Matthew 16:24 NIV
Some people wear a cross around their neck while others have bracelets or earrings, using it as a fashion statement. But even though the cross has become a popular design for jewelry, its message remains difficult to receive.
In Jesus’ day, no one wore a cross for decoration or thought it would be nice to have one on the peak of their roof. That is because the cross to them was both the most horrible way to die and also a constant threat to anyone who would dare to challenge the Roman rule. In fact, the very thought of crucifixion was so horrible that no one even mentioned it. But Jesus was not afraid to talk about the cross. As His time on earth neared its end, He repeatedly told His disciples about it. But just as it is today, the followers of Jesus couldn’t understand and were not ready to receive the sacrifice that Jesus was about to make for them. But instead of turning back, Jesus went to Calvary, freely giving Himself because of God’s great love for us. So today whether or not you wear one around your neck, ask yourself whether you have received the gift of the cross, through the shed blood of Jesus Christ. True faith means loving the cross and giving our lives to Him, just as He has for us. Only in His cross will we will discover the wonderful joy and peace of knowing that our sins are forgiven and that we will be with Him forever!
And he said, “Go out and stand on the mount before the Lord.” And behold, the Lord passed by, and a great and strong wind tore the mountains and broke in pieces the rocks before the Lord, but the Lord was not in the wind. And after the wind an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake. And after the earthquake a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire. And after the fire the sound of a low whisper. 1 Kings 19:11-12
There are moments that God allows in our lives in which we are astonished to learn that God has been in control all along! Just like Elijah we have struggled because it has seemed as if our prayers have been denied. Then whether by some event or by a moment when a scripture verse leaps off the page as we are reading alone, God opens heaven’s window and whispers in our ear that He still has plans for us!
Our problem is that we have believed that some specific situation should work out a certain way or else all is lost. We cry and pray as thinking that things are completely out of control. In a way we are right. They are out of OUR control….but not God’s! Just as He did with Elijah there are times when God engineers strange situations in our lives like Elijah’s wind storm, earthquake and fire. After these pass, God certainly has our attention, and we fall silent and from that silence comes a still small voice. The Hebrew meaning reflects a calm such as when Jesus calmed the sea. “What are you doing here Elijah ?” God asked in that moment. What any of us are doing when God is finished is that finally we are listening. We’ve all got problems we want to talk about with God, but are we really listening to His voice? We will never hear the whispers of God until finally we listen, and in the calm after that storm, He has promised to show us way!
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