Thursday, March 2, 2017

#94 Persevere Till You "Pray Through"



Dr. Wesley L. Duewel:  During my college years one of my fellow students was out witnessing in a slum area one cold night. As he witnessed to a drunk outside a tavern door, the derelict said,

   "Oh, yes! It is all right for you to stand there in your warm coat and talk about  Jesus. What has Jesus ever done for me?"

   Instantly the student took off his worm overcoat and put it around the shoulders of the shivering, coatless drunk. (College student, Google image)
  
   When he came back to college, he prayed until he prayed through for another coat. He testified to the rest of us students that God had given him a new coat.

   For several days, however, he was without an overcoat but was always cheerful. Then God gave him a new coat, and he praised God for it before us all.

   But he added,

   "I was already wearing this coat (by faith) for several days 
     before I actually received it."

   Parents have prayed through for the salvation of a wayward child and rejoiced in God's answer to prayer for some time before their son or daughter actually submitted their life to the Lord.

   They were able to rejoice in the assurance of answered prayer before they had any visible evidence of it. In fact, sometimes the child seemed more rebellious and wayward just before the visible answer to prayer came.

   Charles Blanchard, who was president of Wheaton College for forty-three years, shares this testimony, which he heard in person and later verified:

       Friends, about two a half or three years ago I was in the
    hospital in Philadelphia. I was an engineer on the Pennsylvania
    Lines, and although I had a praying wife, I had all my life been
    a sinful man. At this time I was very ill. I became greatly
    wasted. I weighed less than one hundred pounds.
       Finally the doctor who was attending me said to my wife
    that I was dead, but she said: "No, he is not dead. He cannot
    be dead. I have prayed for him for twenty-seven years and
    God has promised me that he would be saved. Do you think
    God would let him die now after I have prayed twenty-seven
     years and God has promised, and he is not saved?"
        "Well," the doctor replied, "I do not know anything about 
    that, but I know that he is dead." And the screen was drawn 
    around the cot, which in the hospital separates between the
    living and the dead. 

[To satisfy his wife, another 7 physicians were brought in, and one after another made the examination and confirmed that I was indeed, dead.]

   Meanwhile my wife was kneeling by the cotside, and when people remonstrated and wished her to go away she said, 

    "No, he as to be saved. God will bring him back if he is 
     dead, He is not dead. He cannot die until he is saved."

   At the end of 13 hours I opened my eyes, and she said, "What do you wish, my dear/" And I said: "I wish to go home," and she said: "You shall go home."

   [But when the doctors heard that, they raised their hands in horror, claiming it would kill him. It would be suicide! She calmly said that they'd had their turn with him, now he was going home.]

   I weigh now 246 pounds. I still run a fast train on the Pennsylvania Lines. I have been out to Minneapolis on a little vacation, telling men what Jesus can do, and I am glad to tell you what Jesus can do. (Charles Blanchard, Getting Things from God, 71.)

Used by permission of the author and Duewel Literature Trust, Inc., Greenwood, Indiana (With Jean's impressions added)



Mighty Prevailing Prayer
#94 Persevere Till You "Pray Through"
by Dr. Wesley L. Duewel

(p. 161) Zondervan






Let's pray-

    Father, we have at times prayed for someone to be converted, and to begin to love the Lord as we do.
   Help us be steadfast in our praying, and when we sense You've given us Your affirmative answer in our requests, may we believe with rejoicing.
   To see the answer come into reality, and the person submitting their lives to Jesus, will cause much celebrating, for sure.
   This testimony given today, will remind us that persevering for someone is necessary, and we're not to give up when we're sure You'll work in their lives for their good, and for Your glory.
   In Jesus' name, we ask for Your help to do all You ask of us . Amen.

Today's Bible verses-

(Jeremiah 7:23 KJV) "But this thing commanded I them, saying, Obey my voice, and I will be your God, and ye shall be my people: and walk ye in all the ways that I have commanded you, that it may be well unto you."

(Hebrews 11: 1, 6 KJV) "Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. (6) But without faith it is impossible to please him; for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him."

Today's quotes-

J. Oswald Sanders- (concerning a double-minded man) "The psalmist, confident in the trustworthiness of his God, has a satisfying prescription for such a person: "Commit [and leave committed] your way to the Lord; trust [and keep on trusting] in him and he will do this.... Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for him" (Ps. 37:5, 7). (p. 98 in Prayer Power Unlimited, Achieving intimacy with God through prayer by Sanders)


Samuel Chadwick- "The prayer of intercession calls for intelligence, understanding, watchfulness, as well as for sympathy, intensity and sacrifice. There is often a severe discipline of patience and faith. Sometimes the answer comes immediately and sometimes it tarries. The one truth in which faith rests is that it comes." (p.114 in THE PATH OF PRAYER, by Chadwick)


Upcoming posts-
Growing in the Wind
4th- Saturday's post by Mark DeHann
#95 God's Will and Prevailing Prayer
7th- Tuesday's post by Dr. Wesley L. Duewel
#96 Make God's Priorities Your Priorities
9th- Thursday's post by Dr. Wesley L. Duewel
Why It's Too Soon to Give Up
11th- Saturday's post by Ron Hutchcraft


Today's popular post: 


Jean Oathout seems to think that there is a real need to understand there is a difference between worry and concern, and we need to know what it is.

Let's take Worry first.

It's the opposite of faith that things will work out okay...


                    Jean's blog (Click to see snippets of recent posts)          



31-day Devotional 
Jean's testimony

[Maybe just choose a title each
day that interests you]

Sample verses from p. 32, 33-

The Road Gets Rough
When Two Wills Meet


"God's promises we are to find
Are true and what will last.
We are to learn that He is kind
But waits for us to ask.

As you pour out your heart to Him
And read His Holy Word,
Allow His Spirit to come in
So His voice can be heard."

(Published by Lighthouse Publishing 
                   of the Carolinas. Used by permission).

 A great gift for someone who may need help 
to prepare for marriage, and for those in a
marriage, wanting some helpful advice.





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