2013-01-11
Hi There Dear Ones,
Last week we looked at the impact that RO 8: 1, 28 have on the body of believers in Christ, after having been reminded that we should be aware of God’s sovereignty, that we can call upon Him at any time, that He can relate to our temptations/trials, and that He works through the Holy Spirit. “Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus…And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love Him, who have been called according to His purpose.” All of these wonderful concepts have been made true by the Atonement of Christ on the cross and our faith in Him. We demonstrate our love for God by placing Him at the center of our lives and making Him a full-time Resident in our homes. His leadership is what allows our lives to fulfill both their immediate purposes and eventually, their cosmic purposes, when we seek Him out and are obedient to it. JER 19: 11-13 really matters to us. “For I know the plans I have for you, plans to prosper you not to bring disaster, plans to give you the future for which you hope. Then you will call upon Me and come and pray to Me, and I will listen to you. You will seek Me and find Me, because you will seek me with all your heart.”
Today, I’m led to write about what we learn from God about the discipline of daily study of His word and prayer. I can testify that God slowly and steadily changes one’s priorities concerning study and prayer. At first, they are a tough, learned behavior, a new habit to form. Later, God creates a hunger for study and prayer in a more mature believer that is only quenched when we engage in them. Yes, studying His word and praying often are wonderfully habit-forming. Let me begin with study, and if I may I will use the only person upon whom I’m an expert-myself- as an example. Why study at all? This question is answered in 2 TIM 3: 16-17, “All Scripture is God-breathed and useful in instruction, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every kind of good work.” The term “God-breathed” fascinates me, because breathing is so elemental to life itself. It means that God gave life to the words written on a page, so that the stories and concepts therein come to life in human experience. As a person gathers data [gains knowledge], puts it together in its relative ranks of importance [increases understanding], and then learns how it appropriately applies to his own life situations and interpersonal relationships [becomes wise]. The latter includes his covenant relationship with God too. I began studying the word as a little girl growing up in a Jewish synagogue, learning the OT. These stories and later-understood concepts helped to shape my thinking and my actions. But something was missing, something that was leaving me with an oppressive empty feeling. This led to my eventual departure from traditional Judaism but left me with that foundation that was already a part of me. In a very zigzagged path, God led me to read the NT as a part of the trouble I was having with the doctrine of another church I had joined. God was leading me to become a “completed” or Messianic Jew, who understood that her Lord Yeshua [Jesus] is the Messiah for whom herJewish relatives and friends were still searching. The empty chair for Elijah left at the Passover table means Jews await the day when Elijah will return to announce the coming of the Messiah. Instead, the Father brought the Messiah Yeshua directly to me! You can bet I feel blessed by that!
My history with becoming familiar with God’s word, both OT and NT didn’t happen right away. It was gradual, and it’s still in progress. I love to write about God, but anyone doing that has to spend plenty of time in His word, if such a task is to be accomplished with accuracy. PS 119: 24, 93, “ Your instructions give me pleasure; they are my advisors…I will never neglect your precepts, because by them, you have preserved my life.” God has renewed and refreshed our lives. COL 1: 13-14, “For He rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the Kingdom of the Son He loves, in Whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.”
Oddly, I was led by God to learn His word first. Then, came the time when He decided He wanted me to have a prayer life. So, He used others to teach me the discipline of daily prayer. My attitude had been that prayer worked for others but not for me. I didn’t really need prayer in my life. To God, that had to be wholly repugnant! So, after sufficient time for my husband, Peter, to teach me to be comfortable using the computer, God led our church to recognize its need for an e-mail prayer chain. I was invited to lead this, which is pretty ironic for a person with my then-attitude. I accepted the position without having a clue how to go about formatting these prayers or having a set list of folks willing to be our prayer servants receiving the requests and acting on them with me. I didn’t even know how to pray! Somehow against my foolish attitude, I asked for God’s help by praying, still worried that I was in way over my head. And God poured on the Holy Spirit big time! MK 11: 24, “So I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours.”
In those days we had an annual day during the Sunday school hour with booths for every ministry our church has. I set up a booth with the help of others to sign people up for the prayer chain. And God sent us over the first couple of times, well over 100 people with e-mail capability who wanted to pray with me! Later folks from other churches and Via de Cristo also signed up to receive the daily prayer pages I would send. God also introduced me to singing up to receive updates on people’s Caring Bridge websites, and today, we have 193 prayer servants. Christ surely values prayer. LK 18: 1, “Then Jesus told His disciples as a parable to teach them that they could always pray and never become discouraged.” Yes, we are told in RO 12:12, “Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction and faithful in prayer.” Later, the Holy Spirit prompted me to use the Scriptures along with each request, something I was prepared to do. God loves it when we study His word and pray, often rehearsing His attributes and deeds, and offering praise and thanks for His intervention and presence in our lives.
PRAYER: O Lord, there are so many ways that You come into our lives and gently lead us step by step into fulfilling the purposes for our lives You have. There are times when You test our faith by allowing us to go through some hefty challenges to it, that are designed perfectly to bring us Your precious lessons that forward our spiritual maturity. 1 COR 10: 13 tells us that You carefully measure the extent of this test, so that our resolve to remain faithful won’t be broken. You have told us, in HE 11: 1, “Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.” This is my experience, as you gradually continue to teach me Your word, first in the OT, then later, in the NT. When You felt my preparation had gone far enough, You placed me in a situation where I had to learn how to pray and the value of doing this. Even later, You made it clear to me that You are with a believer at all times, and that You welcome our prayerful interaction with You, reminding us in PR 9: 9-10 that the wise person is a reverent one. You want us to understand that being disciplined in daily study and prayer helps lead us to eternal life. You gave these words of advice to Paul for Timothy and us all: 1 TIM 2: 1-4, “I urge, then, first of all that requests, prayers, intercession, and thanksgiving be made for everyone—for kings and all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness. This is good, and pleases God our Savior, Who wants all men to be saved and come to a knowledge of the truth.” We offer Your our heartfelt thanks and praise in the holy/mighty name of Jesus Christ. Amen.
NEXT WEEK: I am led by the Holy Spirit to write a new segment of “Our Covenant” called “My Strong Tower.” This is yet another epithet for the Lord, and it speaks to our safety from the work of the devil in Him. If we examine what is in today’s message, we can see the two-way interaction between God in leadership and mankind in obedience to Him. This is what leads to blessings so much greater than any human can even imagine. The covenant is indeed a two-way relationship, and yet, there is still freedom to ask questions of our God, even vent frustration with Him at times. We don’t have to be abandoned, but there are times when we need to be alone with God. That is never loneliness, but can be productive times for us to learn from Him or receive guidance from Him. It is only in the absence of God, when sin has taken over our lives, when we feel genuine loneliness. Aloneness with God is warm and comfortable; loneliness from God (when sinning and giving in to human fleshly desire) is painful and uncomfortable.
Each of us who accept Christ and live with obedience to God’s word and have active two-way prayer lives with Him never need to feel miserable or abandoned. Praise be to the Lord Who loves us so very much!
Grace Be With You Always,
Lynn
JS 24: 15
© Lynn Johnson 2012. All Rights Reserved.
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