2020-02-14
Good Morning Dear Ones,
As I continue to supply supporting Scriptures to the book of Colossians, we examine some definitions, ways to approach prayer, and continue our examination of mankind’s relationships with God and each other. As a reminder, Paul was in prison (house arrest) in Rome, for having preached the Gospel. That is why he wrote the epistle to Colossae, Hierapolis, and Laodicea that is now known as the book of Colossians. COL 4: 2-5, and 12, “Be persistent in prayer, and keep alert as you pray, giving thanks to God. Pray also for us (Paul had other leaders with him), so that God will give us good opportunities to preach His message about the secret of Christ. Pray that I may speak as I should, in a way that is clear, for that is the reason I am now in prison. Be wise in the way you act toward those who are not believers, making good use of every opportunity you have. Your speech should always be pleasant and interesting, and you should know how to give the right answer to everyone…Greetings to Epaphras, who is one of you and a servant of Jesus Christ. He always prays fervently for you, asking God to make you stand firm as mature and fully convinced Christians, in complete obedience to God’s will.”
My definition of prayer is two-way communication with God, where He is always allowed to speak first. This direction to pray involves approaching God with confidence and freedom [EPH 3: 12], always being reverent, and the four elements of prayer in an appropriate order. There is one pattern of prayer, the ACTS system, which reveals these elements in order: A- Acknowledgement of God’s superiority and adoration, C-Confession, T-Thanksgiving, and S-Supplication, i.e. our asking for needs already separated from wants. Obviously, one must listen carefully for everything God says with always being on your toes about the many ways God speaks to us. For example, if two or more people, not necessarily connected each other, tell us the same thing, we should seek God in prayer to know if the message they give us is from Him. Acknowledgement and adoration may well involve our mention of our history with God. Certainly, our genuine love for Him should be visible to Him. It also means we have acknowledged the blessings He gives us. Genuine confession of sins (no matter how subtle they are) should follow. Then offering of thanks and praise for our blessings is important. And, only last in line, should come our requests to God, with the understanding that His perspective is so much greater than ours, that He can decide His reply and choose the time and way He blesses us. As I wrote above, we must separate needs from wants in this process. That’s just one of many prayer systems that seems to please the Lord, because He is always put first. Another is remembering when one is at a crossroads, he should call on God first, for His wisdom and help. One such example is going on now. Alex Trebec (79) has been diagnosed with stage 4 cancer of his pancreas. He has hosted the “Jeopardy” game show on TV for most of his career. A nation of fans should turn to God and join me in prayer for Alex’s life to be lengthened, but only if that is God’s will. This bright man has done a lot of charity work for others behind the scenes, and it will be hard to imagine “Jeopardy” without him. The underpinning of this or any prayer we offer should be trust in God. A careful examination of mankind’s history with God demonstrates His loving willingness to bring to the truth of Jesus Christ and His loving generosity toward us. It’s a good reason to place our trust in Him!
PRAYER: O Lord, we approach You, as You have invited us to do-with reverence, awe, and thanksgiving. We acknowledge Your superiority in all things, Your remarkable power to do good, and Your generosity in blessing us. If it is Your will that Alex Trebec is called home to You, we ask that You will reduce his suffering to a minimum. You have the power to carry out Your will. If it is Your will that Alec should have more time with us, then grant that blessing to him. Your love for us is unmatched by anyone else, and Your wisdom for choosing the right time and way to carry out Your will is something we must respect. IS 46: 9-10, “I am God, and there is no other; I am God and there is none like Me. I make known the end from the beginning. From ancient times, what is still to come. I say, ‘My purpose will stand, and I will do all that I please.’” We hear You, Lord, and will be strong enough in our faith to accept Your will. And now, Lord, we must turn to our sins. We are in the habit of only turning to You when we come to the end of ourselves. There is no intent to usurp Your rightful power here, just human imperfection. Please keep our faith in the Lord Jesus strong and a center post in our lives. We stand in offering You praise and thanks for the many blessings in our lives. This writer was blessed by You in my marriage, the kindness of so many in our community and congregation. Help me to be strong and wise in dealing with the upcoming visit by my son. Help him, Lord, to gain eternity with You through kindness, faithfulness, and the good rearing of our grandson. You alone have the power to change people’s attitudes and mindsets. It was You, who called two serious enemies in our lives home to where they belong. Thank you for that and all the many blessings You have given us. And now, I have a supplication for close friends and family that are suffering right now. One of my closest friends from church is dying of pancreatic cancer. She has suffered from dementia brought on by complications with her liver and gall bladder. She has finally now received medical care and will be released from the hospital today. She will have hospice care until You call her home. I thank you for that and ask You to reduce her suffering too. My last request in this prayer is that You bring my first cousin to faith in the Messiah and that You call him home gently. He suffers from stage 4, lung cancer. In Your wisdom, You know the names of the people I mention. I ask for Your loving hand to be on them. Your will be done. The Lord Jesus gave us the Lord’s Prayer [MT 6: 9-14]. We have thankful hearts and are paying rapt attention to its teaching. It is in His name that we offer up this prayer. Amen.
NEXT WEEK: I am in awe that the Holy Spirit has given me so much to say about prayer and our vertical relationships with God and with other humans. This writer is very thankful for that and hopes my expressions of faith in Jesus Christ will reach many people. At the orders of the Holy Spirit, I’m asked to write about trusting God next week. This is getting down to the nitty-gritty of our relationship with Him, which has consequences and impacts our relationships with other people. I encourage each of you readers to be devoted to God’s teaching, to read the Bible daily, and to have strong faith in God. With the prayers that are in the word of God, things like David’s confession in PS 51: 1-19, the prayers of Moses for himself [EX 2: 12-16] and the Jewish people he led out of Egypt [EX 33: 12-23; EX 34: 1-9], the reaction of King Jehoshaphat upon hear that war against Israel is being carried out by Edom, Moab, and Ammon [2 CH 20: 1-30], the call to Jeremiah by God [JER 1: 4-10] and many more. We can learn a lot about what pleases God from these stories and others. I can’t think of anything more important than approaching our lives, making pleasing Him as the most important thing we do. Reading His word helps us to know how to please Him, what kinds of thought processes are most likely to do this, what attitudes and priorities should we have. God will answer these questions from individuals who are in reverential prayer. His word is a great help too. I am awed by the consistency of God’s love for us and remember RO 8: 38-39, which essentially tells us that nothing can separate us from the love of God. I bow to Him in awe and will always be thankful for the blessings He bestows. Praise and thanks be to Him!
Grace Be With You Always,
Lynn
JS 24: 15
© Lynn Johnson 2020. All Rights Reserved.
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