February 27, 2007
Keep Praying
Everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened. Luke 11:10
We prayed. Quietly sometimes. Aloud other times. For more than 17 years we prayed. We prayed for our daughter Melissas health and direction, for her salvation, and often for her protection. Just as we prayed for our other children, we asked God to have His hand of care on her.
As Melissa rolled into her teenage years, we prayed even more that He would keep her from harmthat He would keep His eyes on her as she and her friends began to drive. We prayed, "God, please protect Melissa."
So what happened? Didnt God understand how much it would hurt so many people to lose such a beautiful young woman with so much potential for service to Him and others? Didnt God see the other car coming on that warm spring night?
We prayed. But Melissa was killed.
Now what? Do we stop praying? Do we give up on God? Do we try to make it alone?
Absolutely not! Prayer is even more vital to us now. Godour inexplicable sovereign Lordis still in control. His commands to pray still stand. His desire to hear from us is still alive. Faith is not demanding what we want; it is trusting Gods goodness in spite of lifes tragedies.
We grieve. We pray. We keep on praying. Dave Branon
I question not Gods means or ways,
Or how He uses time or days,
To answer every call or prayer
I know He will, somehow, somewhere. Whitney
God may deny our request but will never disappoint our trust
So how about it?
How is your prayer life?
Do you pray through everything that happens in your life - good or bad?
Do you ask, seek, find and knock?
Do you pray and keep on praying?
Wonderful Topic WATW!!!!
How easy it is to continue to pray, continue to seek God, continue to trust in Him when things are going our way!!! How much faith I have when the world is perfect according to me!! Yet the instant God says no,( I'm not talking about the little things but that which I truly truly want, or things I feels I need) I'm no better than my three year old. I don't slam my head against the floor, I don't kick my legs and scream, yet in my own way, I throw a fit because my faith is shook, I question what any other time I would trust. The trust trembles underneath my desires my wants, and God's desires and His wants. Praise God, that through His Grace and through His Leading, I am growing each day, and more often I find myself saying, ' Alright Father, You know what is best' (though sometimes with clenched teeth
)
The first couple times my son Andrew went to the hospital, I felt like Jacob. It was my wants, my desires, my needs, my... my... my.... God, in His Patience, listened to my 'demands' rather than my pleas, yet, it was His Will that saved my son each time, in His time, in His way. Yet the last time we were at the hospital, it was different. I remember sitting in my car, and praying not for my will, but that His be done. I gave it to the Lord, completely, knowing that God knew what was best, and that in His Hand, whether through death or life, Andrew was safe. And the peace, and the strength that came from that prayer was amazing. Not once did my anxiety flare. Not once did my worry outweigh my trust. It was amazing, and Praise God, Andrew did pull through, after a few days, he was released, and the Glorious Lord has kept Andrew's asthma undercontrol for over a year!!! Not one visit to the emergency room, not one hospital stay. And I know deep down, that if it had been the other way around, and God had taken my son, I would continue to Praise Him, I would continue to Pray and Honor Him, for He is who He is. And though we do not understand why bad things happen, He does. His ways are not our ways. What we consider a tragedy from our prospective is not the 'end all' to Him. Death is not the end, but the beginning. There is mourning here when our loved ones pass, yet there is rejoicing in heaven! The things that determine our self worth here on earth, our looks, our success, our wealth, ect, are not important in heaven. And Praise God that one day all this suffering will gone, all the illness, the death, the pain we have here on earth will be gone.
Here's a wonderful story that reminds me to pray:
Pushing Against The Rock.....
There was a man who was asleep one night in his cabin when suddenly his room filled
with light and the Savior appeared.
The Lord told the man He had a work for him to do, and showed him a large rock in front of his cabin. The Lord explained that the man was to push against the rock with all his might.
This the man did, day after day. For many years he toiled from sun up to sun down, his shoulders set squarely against the cold, massive surface of the unmoving rock pushing with all his might.
Each night the man returned to his cabin sore and worn out, feeling that his whole day had been spent in vain.
Seeing that the man was showing signs of discouragement, Satan decided to enter the picture placing thoughts into the man's mind such as: "You have been pushing against that rock for a long time and it hasn't budged. Why kill yourself over this? You are never going to move it? etc." Thus, giving the man the impression that the task was impossible and that he was a failure.
These thoughts discouraged and disheartened the man even more. "Why kill myself over this?" he thought. "I'll just put in my time, giving just the minimum of effort and that will be good enough." And that he planned to do until one day he decided to make it a matter of Prayer and take his troubled thoughts to the Lord.
"Lord," he said, "I have labored long and hard in your service, putting all my strength to do that which you have asked. Yet, after all this time, I have not even budged that rock a half a millimeter. What is wrong? Why am I failing?"
To this the Lord responded compassionately, "My friend, when long ago I asked you to serve me and you accepted, I told you that your task was to push against the rock with all your strength, which you have done. Never once did I mention to you that I expected you to move it."
Your task was to push. And now you come to me, your strength spent, thinking that
you have failed. But, is that really so?
Look at yourself. Your arms are strong and muscled, your back brown, your hands are callused from constant pressure, and your legs have become massive and hard. Through opposition you have grown much and your abilities now surpass that which you used to have. Yet you haven't moved the rock."
"Your calling was to be obedient, to push and to exercise your faith and trust in my wisdom, this you have done."
"I, my son, I will now move the rock."
At times, when we hear a word from God, we tend to use our own intellect
to decipher what He wants, when actually what God wants is just
simple obedience and faith in Him.
By all means, exercise the faith that moves mountains,
but know that it is still God who moves the mountains.
When everything seems to go wrong ... just P.U.S.H.!
When the job gets you down ... just P.U.S.H.!
When people don't do as you think they should .. just P.U.S.H.!
When you can't find the right work just P.U.S.H.!
When your money is "gone" and the bills are due .. just P.U.S.H!
When people just don't understand you . just P.U.S.H.!
P= Pray
U= Until
S= Something
H= Happens
Keep pushing,
PS: Don't forget that God can move mountains, but we must bring our shovels.