Answered Prayer

Psalm 6:9 (New Living Translation) "The Lord has heard my plea; the Lord will answer my prayer."

Why is it that we wait until there is nothing else to do and then pray, knowing that God hears a prayer spoken in faith? Why is it that we think God is not listening when His answer is "no"?

Won't it be revealing in eternity to learn how many prayers God has answered on our behalf that we don't even know were prayed for us?

Joyful Praise

Psalm 5:7, 11 New Living Translation
7 Because of your unfailing love, I can enter your house; I will worship at your Temple with deepest awe.
11 But let all who take refuge in you rejoice; let them sing joyful praises forever.

My mother and her dad were a part of my family to whom the gift of singing was totally absent. My mother hardly ever sang and when she did, it was obvious that she was totally tone deaf. I certainly expect that she has been singing in the heavenly choir since her death in order to make up for the time she missed out here.

My two sweet daughters definitely have the gift of joyful praise. I remember telling them once that they could learn anything, if it were set to music. They both seem to have the ability to hear something once or twice and then remember the words and music forever. It was and still is a delight to hear them sing, and especially sing together. At the funeral of both my parents, the two of them and one of the sons-in-law lifted our spirits in praise to God through their gift of music.

Thank God for the gift of praise through music. In the Message by Eugene H. Peterson, Psalm 98: 4 reads: “Shout your praises to God, everybody! Let loose and sing! Strike up the band!”

When Does God Hear Me When I Pray?

I decided to use the Book of Psalms as a devotional focus to start out 2007. Each chapter seems to provide a particular insight for me. Today for example, I saw the statement in Psalm 4:3 that “the Lord hears when I call to Him.” But the truth of the matter is that sometimes I call on God and it seems that He is not listening.

Further research of the scriptures led me to a passage in Isaiah 59:2 which indicates that we can cause God not to hear us: “But your iniquities have made a separation between you and your God, And your sins have hidden His face from you so that He does not hear.”

So, the problem is me again. I’ve made choices that have separated me from God. On more than one occasion I have found that my failure to forgive someone who has wronged me or someone close to me has resulted in my loss of fellowship with my Heavenly Father. No matter how I rationalize why it is okay to continue to hold a grudge, this failure to forgive results in my loss of the ear of God.

The verse for me that seems to summarize what I have to do to regain God’s ear is 2 Chronicles 7:14: “and My people who are called by My name humble themselves and pray and seek My face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, will forgive their sin and will heal their land.”
- Step 1 – Humble myself. Deal with the issues at hand in the way God wants.
- Step 2 – Pray. Agree with God about my sins.
- Step 3 – Seek God’s face. This can reverse the process described in Isaiah 59:2.
- Step 4 – Turn from my wicked ways.

I then can claim the promise of Jeremiah 33:3 we read: “call to Me and I will answer you, and I will tell you great and mighty things, which you do not know.”

God hears my prayers when my relationship with Him is as He intended it to be. It is only then that I can learn what He wishes to share with me.

Peace and Justice - Can it Happen?

Before Christmas I began reflecting on the concept of peace that is contained in Isaiah 9:6-7 (New Living Translation): “6 For a child is born to us, a son is given to us. The government will rest on his shoulders. And he will be called: Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. 7 His government and its peace will never end. He will rule with fairness and justice from the throne of his ancestor David for all eternity. The passionate commitment of the Lord of Heaven’s Armies will make this happen!”

When we see the events that have unfolded over the years we call the 21st Century, where is that peace? It is certainly not in the typical current events reported in print or in the electronic media.

What is fair or just about the multitudes of children who spent this past Christmas in an orphanage somewhere in Russia, Latvia, China, Africa, or for that matter in some sort of foster care in these United States? Most, if not all of them, are there due to the mistakes of someone other than themselves.

What is fair about the prosperity of evil men at the expense of many who are impoverished?

What are my choices in dealing with the concept of God’s fairness and justice? I can continue to look at this from my human perspective, or I can attempt to fathom the concept from God’s perspective. Which is more likely to be the correct choice?

To quote one of the philosophers of our family (daughter Lori), “Regardless of faith, there is still that part of me that wonders at times like these why the pains of this life aren't divided equally among people, so everyone gets a fair share. Then it dawns on me that I don't want my fair share. Compared to most of the people in the world, I don't know what it is to suffer. Thank God for His grace and mercy, even in the hard times!”

Is it fair or just that the innocent pay the penalties due the guilty? Was it fair that the sinless Son of God be made sin so that evil men not have to suffer the ultimate penalty of sin, but have the opportunity to obtain the true peace that is available only from the Prince of Peace? Was it fair that the only perfect man to ever live on this earth died on a cruel cross for my sin?

Believing the Bible to be true, I must look at the words, “His government and its peace will never end” from a perspective not my own. God’s rule of peace can only come to a person on an individual basis when that person accepts God’s terms for that peace. I cannot negotiate the terms for securing this peace; I must accept them as God has dictated.

This peace, one that passes all understanding of mankind, can’t be earned by anything I can accomplish in this life. This peace requires me to humble myself before an almighty God and accept this peace as a free gift, a gift that caused God to forsake his only Son as the price He paid for me. Peace of mind and heart is a gift that cannot be purchased in any manner, no matter how much we may spend from our earthly resources; it can come only as a gift of God. John 14:27 (New Living Translation) says, “I am leaving you with a gift—peace of mind and heart. And the peace I give is a gift the world cannot give. So don’t be troubled or afraid.”

Having received such a wonderful gift of peace, what am I supposed to do with it?
- Am I to hide the gift to keep others from stealing it?
- Am I to share the gift with my small circle of close friends?
- Or should I let as many people as possible know that the same gift is available to everyone?

The answer to seems to be rather obvious from the words of Jesus in Acts 1:8 “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you. And you will be my witnesses, telling people about me everywhere—in Jerusalem, throughout Judea, in Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”(New Living Translation)

So what’s the conclusion? God calls to share his peace with others. Ultimate justice is in God’s hands, not mine. Quoting again from Isaiah 9:7, “His government and its peace will never end. He will rule with fairness and justice from the throne of his ancestor David for all eternity. The passionate commitment of the Lord of Heaven’s Armies will make this happen!”

Reverent Worship

According to the dictionary, reverence is profound adoring awed respect. In 1992 I went to the airport to see President George H. W. Bush speak. When the President of the United States goes somewhere, the preparation for his arrival is a significant event, as evidenced by all of the security that is involved. I did not get to shake President Bush’s hand, but was close enough to see him and to sense much of the adoring respect that he was given at that event.

Seeing over the past few days, the many things done to honor the deceased former President Gerald Ford reminds me again of the respect we give people in authority.

Based on the way we honor mortal men, how then should I conduct myself in order to worship God with the reverence called for in Psalm 2:11 “Worship the LORD with reverence and rejoice with trembling.”? I can’t begin to give a complete list of what I should do, but here’s a few.

By recognizing God’s exalted position relative to my place – It’s a master-servant relationship. I need to understand my place in relation to Him.

By recognizing God’s limitless power as compared to my weakness. - God’s power is creative as well as redemptive. Whatever power I have in a spiritual sense is the power that God allows to flow through me as his ambassador.

By acknowledging that all that I am or have is a gift of God’s grace.

By trying to comprehend the greatness of God. - Paul was blinded by the glory of God. God told Moses that no man was able to see the face of God and live; and Moses face was visibly radiant as a result of being in God’s presence.

By living a life acceptable to God. - In Romans 12: 1, Paul defined worship as follows: “Therefore I urge you, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship.”

January 1, 2007 - Thoughts on Starting a New Year - How to Be Blessed

The Amplified version of the Bible states in Psalm 1:1 that a person who does not follow the advice or purposes of the ungodly is one who is “blessed (happy, fortunate, prosperous and enviable).” Also, this person does not stand “submissive and inactive” in the path where sinners walk; neither does he sit “down (to relax and rest) where the scornful (and the mockers) gather.” Psalm 1: 2 states “But his delight and desire are in the law of the Lord, and on His law (the precepts, the instructions, the teachings of God) he habitually meditates (ponders and studies) by day and by night.”
How can one avoid the advice and purposes of the ungodly? Psalm 1:2 instructs us to find ourselves in the study and meditation on God’s teachings, using the Bible as our guide and Psalm 119:105 (The Message) reads “By your words I can see where I'm going; they throw a beam of light on my dark path.”

The issue is the application of what I know to be true. Now that the Christmas and New Year celebrations are past, I am fully aware that I have over-indulged in all of the good food available over the holidays. I know better, but do it anyway. With regard to our spiritual food, it seems too easy to do the opposite of what we do with regard to our caloric intake. We fast on our spiritual diet when we should be doing the opposite.

How can one be guilty of being submissive and inactive while in the path where sinners walk? If my focus is on self and self-interests, I fail to recognize the needs of others. If I am not spiritually strong and nourished, I become spiritually lethargic, just as a starving person would be in a physical sense.

With regard to those who scorn and mock what is good, the psalmist states that we are not to sit down and relax with them. I believe he realizes that it is not possible to totally avoid them; however, we should not condone what they do by joining them. The boundary between realistic discussion of issues, and what is commonly called a “gripe session” or “gossip,” is easily crossed if we are not careful.

So, if I wish to be a blessed person, I need to be on a regularly involved in reading and meditating on God’s word rather than loitering in the spiritually unhealthy hallways of the world.