by George | Aug 13, 2020 | Community News, Devotional, Newsletter
“Morning, Noon and Night “
“Evening and morning and at noon I utter my complaint and moan, and he hears my voice.”
Psalm 55:17
I talked to a man recently who is going through cancer treatments. This is not the first time he has gone through it. The subject of prayer came up, and he told me that he prays so much that God gets tired of hearing from him.
Do you feel that way sometimes? We keep bringing up the same requests to God day after day. It seems that nothing is happening, that God hasn’t answered our prayer yet.
Jesus said: “Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you.”
Matthew 7:7
I’ve been told that it literally means keep on asking, keep on seeking, keep on knocking. Not asking once, or a few times.
In the parable of the unjust judge, in Luke 18, Jesus talks about a judge who “neither feared God or man.” A widow kept coming day after day, seeking justice. He kept putting her off. Finally, the judge granted her request because she was wearing him out. Jesus said: “And will not God give justice to his elect, who cry to him day and night? Will he delay long over them?”
Luke 18:7
Rest assured that God is going to answer in His own time and way. In the delay, we can say with the Psalmist in Psalm 55:17, “He hears my voice.”
When God answers prayer, it’s better than anything we can think of.
“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,”
Ephesians 3:20
Don’t give up. Keep praying!
by George | Aug 6, 2020 | Community News, Devotional, Newsletter
“Not Finishing Well”
“For it was so, when was old, that his wives turned his heart after other gods; and his heart was not loyal to the LORD his God, as was the heart of his father David.”
I Kings 11:4
Every year, I dread reading this passage.
God gave Solomon more wisdom than any man in history. And, made him very very wealthy. But, Solomon didn’t finish well. Why?
The simple, Biblical reason was that his many wives and concubines turned him away from the Lord, and he worshipped many gods.
What else contributed to his failure?
I think Solomon had a restless heart.
“All the labor of man is for his mouth, And yet the soul is not satisfied.”
Ecclesiastes 6:7
He wanted more. He tried many things to make himself happy.
He worked hard, played hard and acquired great riches. Solomon recalls all this in the book of Ecclesiastes and said that it was all “vanity.”
In all this he lost sight of the main thing. If only he had remembered what he wrote…
“Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God and keep His commandments, For this is man’s all.”
Ecclesiastes 12:13
Let’s not lose sight of the simplicity of faith and trust in God, and let us never be distracted by things that take our mind off of God.
“…If riches increase, Do not set your heart on them.”
Psalms 62:10
Be blessed, and finish well
by George | Aug 3, 2020 | Community News, Devotional, Newsletter
I Don’t Know What to Do
“O our God, will You not judge them? For we have no power against this great multitude that is coming against us; nor do we know what to do, but our eyes are upon You.”
II Chronicles 20:12
Have you ever shrugged your shoulders, lifted up your hands and said, “I don’t know what to do!”
Jehoshaphat was at that point. He was in trouble, and afraid. At least 3 nations were invading. Things looked grim.
Jehoshaphat was a good, godly king. II Chronicles 17:3 says, “Now the LORD was with Jehoshaphat, because he walked in the former ways of his father David; he did not seek the Baals.” He restored worship, strengthened Judah, and made several reforms. Jehoshaphat went out among the people and “brought them back to the Lord.” II Chronicles 19:4
Trouble comes upon the good and the bad. God allows trouble to come in our lives, and in the midst of that, He wants us to turn to Him and acknowledge our dependence on Him.
2 Chronicles 20:5-12 records Jehosophat’s prayer. Study it when you can. It has several elements of effective prayer.
At the end of his prayer, Jehoshaphat cries out to God, and says “we don’t know what to do!” Acknowledging his helplessness. Then he says, “but our eyes are on You.”
If you are in a troubling, seemingly impossible situation, pray. Be honest with God. “I’m weak.I don’t know what to do, but my eyes are on You. Please make your will clear to me, and show me what to do.”
God will answer in His time and way, just like He answered Jehoshaphat. God brought a miraculous victory over his enemies.
