He Speaks to Us

Do you ever stop to truly contemplate the wonder of the Lord God Almighty - His great love for us?  I've been doing just that this past week or so. 

I got out of bed an hour ago because I'm in pain . . . I will be calling the doctor later.  A habit I've tried to cultivate is that whenever I can't sleep, I pray. This morning was no exception.  After praying for a while, I started listening to worship music on my iPod.  One song that I've been playing a lot is When You Speak To Me by Twila Paris.  As it played a bit ago, the tears just started running down my cheeks as I thought about my God who loves me so much that He will speak to me.  But am I still enough to hear?  We live such hurried lives, don't we?  Even when we sit down, we're never still.  At least I'm not - I always find some reason to get up.  But I'm realizing that I must take the time to sit still and be quiet, listening for the voice of God.  "Be still, and know that I am God."  (Psalm 46:10, ESV)  How we need that reminder!  

Take time to be still and listen to the Lord today.  You might be surprised at what you hear, and how it affects your life.

When You speak to me

When I take the time to listen
There is more than what I think I feel
When You speak to me
When I sit and still the motion
There is nothing left but what is real
There is an answer to every question
The answer is You

CHORUS:
And the heavens open when You speak to me
Pouring light into my waiting heart
And the music fills an ocean silently, quietly
When you speak to me

When You speak to me
When You call me and surround me
There is peace to cover any pain
When You speak to me
When You place Your word inside me
I am filled and I am strong again
There is a reason for every longing
The reason is You

Holding Faith,

And the four living creatures, each of them with six wings, are full of eyes all around and within, and day and night they never cease to say, 

 "Holy, holy, holy, is the Lord God Almighty,

who was and is and is to come!"

And whenever the living creatures give glory and honor and thanks to him who is seated on the throne, who lives forever and ever, the twenty-four elders fall down before him who is seated on the throne and worship him who lives forever and ever. They cast their crowns before the throne, saying, 

"Worthy are you, our Lord and God, 

to receive glory and honor and power, 

for you created all things, 

and by your will they existed and were created."

Then I looked, and I heard around the throne and the living creatures and the elders the voice of many angels, numbering myriads of myriads and thousands of thousands, saying with a loud voice, 

"Worthy is the Lamb who was slain, 

to receive power and wealth and 

wisdom and might and honor 

and glory and blessing!"  

And I heard every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth and in the sea, and all that is in them, saying, 

 "To him who sits on the throne 

and to the Lamb 

be blessing and honor and 

glory and might forever and ever!" 

And the four living creatures said, "Amen!" 

and the elders fell down and worshiped."

~ Revelation 4: 8 - 11, 5: 11 - 14 (ESV)

Do you long for the day when you join with the heavenly host to praise and worship God continually?  Our worship here on earth can be wonderful and exciting, but it comes from our sinful hearts.  What a day it will be when we see God's face and worship Him in heaven!

 

"No longer will there be anything accursed, 

but the throne of God and of the Lamb will be in it, 

and his servants will worship him. 

They will see his face, 

and his name will be on their foreheads. 

And night will be no more. 

They will need no light of lamp or sun, 

for the Lord God will be their light, 

and they will reign forever and ever."

~ Revelation 22: 3 - 5 (ESV)

Holding Faith,

What Jesus Taught About Prayer

Several weeks ago, the Sunday evening sermon was entitled "What Jesus Taught About Prayer." (You can listen to it here, or see the video here.) Here are some of the important points that Pastor Tom made:

• Prayer is our greatest privilege.
• Do not pray to be heard of men. "Public prayer without private prayer is a sham." (Source unknown.) We need to pray in private, in a quiet place. "And when you pray, you must not be like the hypocrites. For they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and at the street corners, that they may be seen by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward." (Matthew 6: 5)
  
• To grow, we must spend time in God's presence, regularly and privately. "But when you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you." (Matthew 6:6)
  
• Matthew 6:7 - "And when you pray, do not heap up empty phrases as the Gentiles do, for they think that they will be heard for their many words." Don't pray with meaningless repetition. Make your prayers your own; God wants to hear from our hearts.
• God knows what we need before we ask. But we must ask!! And sometimes, we need to ask what we need to be asking. "Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him." (Matthew 6:8)
• "Pray then like this: "Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name" (Matthew 6:9) The Jews didn't pray "Our Father" - they prayed "Lord." "Father" is an intimate term. God is in heaven, and we are invited to enter His throne room. Prayer does not change God's mind, but it changes us. God's name is above every name.
• God is preparing His kingdom: "Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven." (Matthew 6:10) God has a plan that encompasses eternity. He will tell us what to do when we listen to Him.
• We need to realize where our bread comes from: " Give us this day our daily bread," (Matthew 6:11) The example of George Mueller was given. Read Chapter 14: God Will Supply here.
• "and forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors." (Matthew 6: 12) Real prayer acknowledges our debt/our sin and makes it right with the person we've sinned against. Meeting with God daily helps keep us from sin and bitterness.
• "And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil." (Matthew 6: 13) It is important to turn your back on situations where temptation is rampant. We need to pray this verse!
• The passage begins and ends with the kingdom.
• Do not be weary about praying. Pray that whatever it takes to bring us closer to God, He would do it.

I know I need to spend a lot more time in prayer. Because of my fibromyalgia, I have trouble sleeping, and during those hours that I lay in bed awake, I try to pray. I'm thankful that God understands my wandering mind! Romans 8:26 is a verse that I cling to: "Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness. For we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words." Thank God for the privilege of prayer!

Holding Faith,

A Lesson From Jane

Early in 2008, PBS aired adaptations of Jane Austen's novels. I thoroughly enjoyed watching these movies, and since they aired, we have bought a number of them. Who could tire of Elizabeth Bennett, Elinor Dashwood, Mr. Knightley, or Fanny Price?

One of the lines that always stands out to me from Pride and Prejudice is one that is uttered by Mr. Darcy when he, Elizabeth Bennett, Miss Bingley, and Mr. and Mrs. Hurst are in the drawing-room after dinner. (This is chapter 11.) Mr. Darcy says:

"I cannot forget the follies and vices of others

so soon as I ought, nor their offences against

myself. My feelings are not puffed about with

every attempt to move them. My temper

would perhaps be called resentful. --

My good opinion once lost is lost for ever.''

(emphasis mine)

By contrast, God speaks to this many times in His Word. (All verses are from the ESV.)

"Good sense makes one slow to anger,

and it is his glory to overlook an offense."

(Proverbs 19:11)

"Be kind to one another, tenderhearted,

forgiving one another, as God in Christ

forgave you."

(Ephesians 4:32)

"... bearing with one another and, if one

has a complaint against another, forgiving

each other as the Lord has forgiven you, so

you must also forgive."

(Colossians 3:13)

"For I will be merciful toward their iniquities,

and I will remember their sins no more."

(Hebrews 8:12)

Aren't you glad that, as that last verse says, God no longer remembers our sins? He does not hold them against those who have trusted His Son for their salvation.

What about you and me? Do you forgive those who have offended you? Are you resentful? Or are you like Mr. Darcy? Examine your heart. If you are holding anything against anyone, make it right today.

So if you are offering your gift at the altar and

there remember that your brother has some-

thing against you, leave your gift there before

the altar and go. First be reconciled to your

brother, and then come and offer your gift.
(Matthew 5: 23 - 24)

Holding Faith,