Patricia Raybon- When Pastor Timothy wears his preacher collar while traveling, he often gets stopped by stangers. "Pray for me, please," people in the airport say when they see the clerical band atop his simple dark suit.
On a recent flight, a woman knelt by his seat when she noticed him, pleading: "Are you a pastor? Would you pray for me?" And Pastor Timothy prayed. (A man with a clerical band)
A passage in Jeremiah sheds light on why we preceive that God hears and answers prayer: God cares! He assured His beloved but sinful, exiled people, "For I know the plans I have for you,' declares the LORD, 'plans to prosper you and not to harm you'" (29:11).
God anticipated a time when they would return to Him. "Then you will call on me and come and pray to me," He said, "and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart" (vv. 12-13).
The prophet learned this and more about prayer while confined to prison. God assured him, "Call to me and I will answer you and tell you great and unsearchable things you do not know" (33:3).
Jesus also urges us to pray. "Your Father knows what you need before you ask him," He said (Matt. 6:8). So "ask," "seek," and "knock" in prayer 7:7. Every petition we make draws us closer to the One who answers.
We don't have to be a stranger to God in prayer. He knows us and wants to hear from us. We can take our concerns to Him right now.
Father, pastors with clarical bands atop their suits are stopped to have folks pray for them. People believe that You care and hear, as Jeremiah states in his book, (Jer. 29:11), and they want to be prayed for, for their particular situation.
You anticipate the times when we'll call on You, and that when we seek You, we'll find You when we seek You with all our heart. (Jer. 29: 12,13).
You already know what we need before we ask (Matt. 6:8), so as we ask, seek and knock in prayer (7:7), we'll be drawn closer to You. We're not strangers to You if we're a believer in Jesus. We can petition through Him with what concerns us right now.
It's in His name we pray. Amen.
# 76 Words from an Unknown arthor-
"Choose to do the next thing."
From an old English parsonage, down by the sea
There came in the twilight a message to me;
Its quaint Saxon legend, deeply engraven,
Hath, as it seems to me, teaching from Heaven.
And on through the hours the quiet words ring
Like a low inspiration—
"DO THE NEXT THING."
Time, opportunity, guidance, are given.
Fear not tomorrows, Child of the King,
Trust them with Jesus.
"DO THE NEXT THING."
Do it immediately; do it with prayer;
Do it reliantly, casting all care;
Do it with reverence, tracing His Hand
Who placed it before thee with earnest command.
Stayed on Omnipotence, safe 'neath His wing,
Leave all resultings,
"DO THE NEXT THING."
Looking to Jesus, ever serener,
(Working or suffering) be thy demeanor,
In His dear presence, the rest of His calm,
The light of His coutenance be thy psalm,
Strong in His faithfulness, praise and sing
Then, as He beckons thee
'DO THE NEXT THING."
From an old English parsonage, down by the sea, given by
Elisabeth Elliot in her book BE STILL, MY SOUL, (pp.38, 39)
1406-1410 One-line Scriptures for those of you who want to learn some more verses this week- or to review them from when they were first posted-
1406- Is. 19:1 "Behold, the LORD rideth upon a swift cloud, and shall come."
1407- Pro. 3:3 " Let not mercy and truth forsake thee: bind them about thy neck;
write them upon the table of thine heart."
1408- Ez. 9:11b "I have done as thou hast commanded me."
1409- Job 34:4 "Let us choose to use judgment: let us know among ourselves
what is good."
1410- Ez. 33:29a "Then shall they know that I am the LORD."
#76 Hymn- Be Not Dismayed, God Will take Care of You
On a sunday in 1904, Cabilla Martin was in Lestershire, New York, where her husband, Walter, was compiling a collection of hymns for the Practical Bible Training School. They were planning to travel to another town that day, for Martin had a preaching assignment. Cabilla woke up sick, and Martin was about to cancel his plans, when their young child piped up and said:"O Daddy, you don't have to stay home because of mother— God will take care of us."
Martin proceeded to the train station and fulfilled his appointment. When he returned, Cabilla handed him the words of "God Will Take Care of You," which she had written in his absence. Going to his little organ, Martin composed the music, and it was first published in the songbook he was compiling for the school.
Church Notes:
Zeal for the Lord
How we receive the Word of God, makes all the difference! Will we resist it or receive it with joy? Folks may be agitated when hearing it, as they don't want to know what God thinks about what they're doing! Their emotions kick in and cause them to react in a negative way.
Noble reactions are reflective of the character of the person. There's a readiness to receive God's Word. We're to keep the main thing, the main thing in our lives= studying the Word, praying the Word, memorizing and sharing the Word.
All Scripture is God-breathed! (2 Timothy 3:16).
Some encouraging words-
"Sometimes, singing praises to God is a sacrifice when we’re going through difficulties. When I don’t feel like doing it, but do it anyway, I lay my emotions, desires, and wants on the altar before Him. As my lips form the words and breath passes my vocal cords, God reminds me of the most important thing: He has saved me. When I acknowledge His salvation, the assurance comes that He delights in my praise, and I am comforted." Anita van der Elst
Upcoming posts:
15th- WHEN IS IT UNLIKELY that YOU'LL MISS GOD'S WILL?- Wesley L. Duewel
22nd- AMAZING GRACE- Mary Southerland
29th- NEW YEAR, NEW YOU- Lika Puphael
Jean's blog (Click to see snippets of the 7 recent posts)
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