What a blessed privilege to gather for an overnighter at THE WILDS to develop greater community and heart among our leaders and their wives. We searched the Scriptures, prayed, shared testimonies, prayed, laughed, prayed, searched the Scriptures, prayed and prayed some more as pursued the Lord and the weekend theme of “Continue in Prayer” (Acts 2:42, 46).
PASTOR APPRECIATION
How graced to be serving alongside my son-in-law and daughter in the ministry at BCBC! Last Sunday, our church recognized them for their labor among us. They also shared their announcement of following the Lord’s leading into fostering parenting.
Prayer should be the number one priority of our life. That’s your life-line to the Throne of Grace. That’s how you seek God first (Matthew 6:33). “You can do more than pray after you have prayed, but you cannot do more than pray until you have prayed. Pray often, for prayer is a shield to the soul, a sacrifice to God, and a scourge to Satan” (John Bunyan).
A shield to the soul
Blessed be the Lord, because He has heard the voice of my supplications! The Lord is my strength and my shield; my heart trusted in Him, and I am helped; therefore my heart greatly rejoices, and with my song I will praise Him. (Psalm 28:6-7)
A sacrifice to God
Lord, I cry out to You; make haste to me! Give ear to my voice when I cry out to You. Let my prayer be set before You as incense, the lifting up of my hands as the evening sacrifice (Psalm 144:1-2)
A scourge to Satan
Resist the devil and he will flee from you. (James 4:7).
Seeing then that we have a great High Priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. For we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin. Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need. (Hebrews 4:14-16).
Often I hear my wife say, “No decision before prayer.” If you seek Christ first, I think you will be engaged throughout your day in much silent and vocal communication with your Heavenly Father Who loves you and always has His ear open to your cry!
Does your daily planner resemble this one? Look through your personal planner for a moment (whether you have one or not). What does it reveal about you? You have planned work, meetings, school, fitness, entertainment, grocery shopping, ballgames, school events, eating out, visits to family, church, etc. When do you pray? I know you can pray throughout the day, and you should, but when do you really pray? When do you meet with God? Is it scheduled in your planner? Is it every day? Why or why not? Do you really think you can get through your day without an appointment with God Who gives you all that you need for life today? If you alone have the ability to make yourself breathe, think, see, remember, feel, touch, walk, talk, plan, play, drive, eat, lead, wash, put your make up on, make decisions, worship, sing, listen, understand Scripture, run, put on your clothes, all the stuff of life. . . . YOU DO NOT NEED GOD.
But, if you fully understand the truths of Acts 17:24-31 (see below), you will most certainly make a daily appointment with God through His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, Who is our Advocate and High Priest (1 John 2:1; Hebrews 4:14-16). You are desperate for Him. You know you really, really need Him every moment of the day and night. You know you need the grace of God, the wisdom of God, the power of God, the comfort of God, the direction of God, the love of God, the mercy of God, the Word of God, the forgiveness of God, the mercy of God, the kindness of God, the faithfulness of God, . . . the absolute fullness of God which is found only in a personal relationship with the Lord Christ Jesus (John 1:1-4; Hebrews 1:1-4).
“God, who made the world and everything in it, since He is Lord of heaven and earth, does not dwell in temples made with hands. 25 Nor is He worshiped with men’s hands, as though He needed anything, since He gives to all life, breath, and all things. 26 And He has made from one blood every nation of men to dwell on all the face of the earth, and has determined their preappointed times and the boundaries of their dwellings, 27 so that they should seek the Lord, in the hope that they might grope for Him and find Him, though He is not far from each one of us; 28 for in Him we live and move and have our being, as also some of your own poets have said, ‘For we are also His offspring.’ 29 Therefore, since we are the offspring of God, we ought not to think that the Divine Nature is like gold or silver or stone, something shaped by art and man’s devising. 30 Truly, these times of ignorance God overlooked, but now commands all men everywhere to repent, 31 because He has appointed a day on which He will judge the world in righteousness by the Man whom He has ordained. He has given assurance of this to all by raising Him from the dead.”
Andrew Bonar said it so well: “Why is there so little forethought in the laying out of time and employment, so as to secure a large portion of each day for prayer? Why is there so much speaking, yet so little prayer? Why is there so much running to and fro to meetings, conventions, fellowship gatherings and yet so little time for prayer? Brethren, why so many meetings with our fellow men and so few meetings with God? (Deep Fire, ChristLife Publications, p. 305)
What does your daily planner reveal about your prayer life?
Why is it that when you call for a prayer meeting, born again believers run the other way? Why is it that if you schedule, let’s say, a fall leaf trip excursion, folks are willing to gather at 7:00 a.m., but if you call for a prayer meeting on Sunday mornings at 8:30 a.m., a handful show up? Why are believers afraid of entering the secret place of the Most High God (Psalm 91:1)?
To run from prayer is to run from God. Oh, how He longs to hear the cries of His people! How He longs for us to commune and listen to Him! Oh, how He longs for us to look to Him for His powerful, life-altering, God-glorifying answers to our supplications! How He longs to enjoy fellowship with us; that’s why Christ died for every one of us.
Is your soul really thirsty and crying out for God? Matthew Henry said, “God is more willing to be prayed to, and more ready to hear prayer, than we are to pray.”
The eyes of the Lord are on the righteous, and His ears are open to their cry. The righteous cry out, and the Lord hears, and delivers them out of all their troubles (Psalm 34:15, 17).
As the deer pants for the water brooks, so pants my soul for You, O God (Psalm 42:1).
O God, You are my God; early will I seek You; my soul thirsts for You; my flesh longs for You in a dry and thirsty land where there is no water (Psalm 63:1).
And they continued steadfastly (to give constant attention to) . . .in prayers (Acts 2:42).
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