Grains of Sand

Pixabay Considering how much traveling the apostle Paul did, and how many people he must have met on those travels, my guess is that his prayer list was a lengthy one. I would also guess that when he said that he was praying for someone, he really was praying for that person. I wonder where he found the time? It's convenient for us to say that Paul had more time that we do—after all, he lived in the age before all our time-saving devices. Wait a minute, we should actually have MORE time at our disposal than Paul, right? But that's a discussion for another moment—when I have time! Paul was a busy man. I suspect one of the reasons the Lord arranged for Paul to spend some time in prison was so that he could get some letters written, besides giving him the opportunity to witness to jailers, soldiers, prisoners, and high-ranking authorities to whom he was exposed under those circumstances. In any case, Paul remembered others. And he remembered others specifically in his pr...

Genesis 24 was a timely reminder this morning. Abraham sent a trusted servant out to find a wife for Isaac from among his own people—another one of the patriarch’s precautions in not having really close dealings with the pagan world that surrounded him (See Genesis 14:21-24; 23:7-16). He wanted a believing woman as wife to his son (24:1-4). The son of the covenant couldn’t have divided loyalties within his own household. The task wasn’t a simple one and the servant was justifiably nervous. But he was also a man of faith. Genesis 24:12 (NIV) tells us, “ Then he prayed, ‘O Lord, God of my master Abraham, give me success today, and show kindness to my master Abraham. ’” Then he asked for a specific sign that would tell him which woman was the one God had chosen for Isaac. There is some excellent counsel in this story for those looking for life partners. It is essential that a believer marry a believer. But not just any “warm and breathing” believer will do. God had a specific woma...

Reading: Luke 19, 20 “ ’It is written,’ he said to them, ‘My house will be a house of prayer’ ” –Luke 19:46, NIV Words from the famous preacher of a bygone century, Charles Haddon Spurgeon that remind us that prayer needs to be constant, as much in the good times as the bad times. “And, now, I said I would say a word as to why WE ought to pray especially, and that shall close the sermon. Beloved friends, this church ought to pray without ceasing…We have lacked nothing because we have not lacked prayer. I do not doubt we might have had much more if we had prayed more; still prayer has been mighty here. Now, brethren, suppose you had no pastor, suppose the preacher was gone from you…you would pray, would you not? Will you not pray for me then while I live? If you would pray for another to come, will you not pray for me while I am here? I desire to discharge my office before you in God’s sight with all earnestness, but I cannot without your prayers, and as being gone from you, yo...

Rain on me, Rain on me, Rain on me, Reign in me.

“ I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world ” –John 16:33, NIV. I am surrounded by people who seem to have constant trouble. It makes me almost ashamed to say that my life, though it has had its “black holes,” has been relatively trouble-free. As the Lord comes to His darkest hour, His “black hole” shaped into the form of a cross, He reminds His disciples that all He has said applies to those dark moments that await them at the cross and beyond. They will need the assurance that a better life is waiting for them (John 14:1-4), that He will return. They need to know that they can ask and He will deliver that which will bring glory to Him through them (John 14:11-14). The Spirit will come to live in them so that He, the Christ, will forever be in their lives (John 14:15-18, NIV). They are not to be afraid but to trust and count on the peace that He will give during all their difficult...

“ But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done is secret, will reward you ” –Matthew 6:6, NIV. A friend of mine used to lock herself in the bathroom to do her devotions–it was the only way she could get away from the rest of family for long enough to spend significant time with the Lord! I think it was Susanna Wesley who used to sit in the corner of her kitchen with her apron pulled up to cover her face when she was having her “quiet time.” Her numerous children knew not to disturb her during those moments. If there is one thing in my walk with the Lord (and there is more than one!) that causes me difficulty, that thing is prayer. I pray all the time, but carving out a time, a place, and then focusing exclusively on prayer as a routine matter, has been an elusive goal in my life. The verse for today doesn’t deal with all the “issues” I can think of that are associated with maintaining a regu...