What an astonding statement! John says, in so many words, that everything he asked for he got. How many of us can say this: "Whatsoever I ask I receive'? But John explains why this was so, "Because we keep His commandments, and do those thinigs that are pleasing in His sight."
In other words, the one who expects God to do as he asks Him, must on his part do whatever God bids him. If we give a listening ear to God's commands, He will give a listening ear to all our petitions to Him.
If, on the other hand, we turn a deaf ear to His precepts, He will be likely to turn a deaf ear to our prayers. Here we find the secret of much unanswered prayer. We are not listening to God's Word, and therefore He is not listening to our petitions.
I was once speaking to a woman who had been a professed Christian, but had given it all up. I asked her why she was not a Christian still. She replied, because she did not believe the Bible. I asked her why she did not believe the Bible.
"Because I have tried its promises and found them untrue."
"Which promises?"
"The promises about prayer."
"Which promises about prayer?"
"Does it not say in the Bible, 'Whatsoever ye ask believing ye shall receive'?"
"It says something nearly like that."
"Well, I asked fully expecting to get and did not receive, so the promise failed."
"Was the promise made to you?"
"Why, certainly, it is made to all Christians, is it not?"
"No, God carefully defines who the ye's are, whose believing prayers He agrees to answer." I then turned her to first John 3:22, and read the description of those whose prayers had power with God.
"Now, " I said, "were you keeping His commandments and doing those things which are pleasing in His sight?" She frankly confessed that she was not, and soon came to see that the real difficulty was not with God's promises, but with herself.
That is the difficulty with many an unanswered prayer today: the one who offers it is not obedient. One unconfessed act of disobedience on our part will shut the ear of God against many petitions.
If we would have power in prayer, we must be earnest students of His word to find out what His will regarding us is, and then having found it, do it." By R. W. Torrey (1856-1928)
- J. C. Ryle "Holiness is the habit of being of one mind with God, according as we find His mind described in Scripture. It is the habit of agreeing in God's judgment, hating what He hates, loving what He loves, and measuring eveything in His word by the standard of His Word."
- J. Wilbur Chapman "The rule that governs my life is this: anything that dims my vision of Christ, or takes away my taste for Bible study, or cramps my prayer life, or makes Christian work difficult, is wrong for me, and I must, as a Christian, turn away from it."
Father, John's statement seems astonising, that whatsoever we ask of You, You will grant it! But in further reading, we see that keeping Your commandments, doing what You've told us in Your Word, is what explains why some prayers are heard, and others are not.
You give a listening ear to those who obey Your Word, and do what is pleasing in Your sight. You carefully define who the ye's are: those who believe that You will hear their prayer because they are obeying Your Word.
Audrey's cont'd testimony of #26
"God answered my prayer for my older sister Heather’s liver transplant and for her daughter Aleena’s caregiver. I never imagined I would be able to care for her at Grandma's house, while she was away with Heather, and still be able to provide for my own finances. The amount of time it took, was the exact amount of time my job could provide me with extra allowances I had accrued over my time there. I even had one extra check I didn't expect, that got me by last week. They had called and told me it was there. Because I didn't expect any more, I hadn't stopped by.
Unexpectedly, I had the extra money for every single day of work I missed already earned! The whole thing still amazes me how perfectly God unfolded the whole plan. It was glorious. With every little detail, He was there. I will always cherish these memories.
There was a huge toy horse beside the road that morning on my way to get Aleena. It came with a bridle, bit, saddle, blanket, combs, and halter. It was so big it hardly fit in my car. It used to walk mechanically, and was able to carry a child. It must have been super expensive brand new. It no longer walked, but it was so well crafted it was beautiful and could hold a child. It just couldn't walk anymore.
It had fur and mane, forelock, tail, and complete with teeth. The thing had soft rubber for its nose. It was so realistic. I loaded that toy praising God the whole way to Grandma’s house. Aleena was only probably 4. She was beside herself to receive it. In every way God made it such a blessed time for us both.
The way he makes each thing unique to our own hearts is the biggest blessing. Aleena loves horses. It was her special treat while Grandma was away, something just for her little precious heart. I told her God did this for her. I was so excited. I knew He had. All the children still love that toy horse and it still has many visitors up to Grandma's house.
Our Father in heaven sends favor to the meek and lowly of heart and His presence is without comparison. He is the Best Giver of all things. No one can compare to Our God. I was very blessed in this season. It is good to reflect and share. It always makes me smile to remember all the big and little things of those days. Our God is mighty in power and perfect in timing. Thank you, Jesus. You are always with us!"
The information about this song, is taken from the book by Robert J. Morgan, THEN SINGS MY SOUL (pg. 152, 153)
- Robert Lowry was a cheerful man with a big beard and a quick mind. He could thrill an audience with his vivid descriptions, inspiring them with the same thoughts that inspired him. He was best remembered for his hymns. The doctor's best know hymn is "Shall we Gather at the River?"
1276-1280 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-
~ As Satan continually tries to chop up our self-confidence and slam the door on our potential by convincing us that we are nothing, he doesn't want us to rise above our family's status or go beyond where our neighborhood took us. As Jesus came to destroy those lies, He sets us free to accomplish everything that we are capable of being or doing!
Upcoming posts:
Jean's blog (Click to see snippets of the 7 recent posts)
The North Country Christian Fellowship Center Churches,
located in the St. Lawrence county of NY,
broadcast their Sunday services at 10 or 10:15
You can view past services too.
Sermon listing:https://www.
No comments:
Post a Comment