For prayer to characterize everything that is done in the new administration
Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer.
�Romans 12:12
Exalted and holy God, we thank You for the gift of prayer, because we may speak with You at any time and at all times! Since You are timeless, You hear all our prayers no matter when we offer them. This is an incredible truth, Lord, and we are grateful for the privilege You give us to come to You in intercession.
God, there is no way for us to see the triumphs and the tribulations this new administration will face in the coming months and years. But incredibly, God, You see these things, and You can prepare us in advance for their arrival�but only when we seek You in prayer. Encourage our new President, his cabinet and all who serve under him to develop and embrace a lifestyle of faithful, persistent, patient prayer to You. Draw them to You, O God, with a desire to seek You and hear Your voice, from the White House to Capitol Hill. We boldly ask this in the name of Jesus, amen.
Forever, O LORD, your word is firmly fixed in the heavens.
I have seen a limit to all perfections, but your commandment is exceedingly broad. Verses 89,96
We will never appreciate Jesus' agonizing prayer in Gethsemane; we will never appreciate His sweating, as it were, great drops of blood, until we grasp in the depths of our beings that Jesus was staring at the wrath of God we deserve.
Jesus "drank the cup of God's wrath to its last bitter drop. So for us who believe, the cup of God's wrath is empty."
Did you get that?? EMPTY! There is no wrath left for the children of God.
2 Corinthians 1:17-22
Whatever God has promised gets stamped with the Yes of Jesus. Verse 20
What does it mean to hear yes from God?
To me, it means his promises are sure. It means I can trust in God with firm confidence. It means I don't have to worry about anything. No matter what happens in my life, I need not worry, because of God's "YES!"
These are tough times. People are losing jobs right and left. My wife works for a company whose stock has dropped below 20 cents a share. The company I work for is totally tied in with retail revenues. It's not going to be a good Christmas for retailers. We need to remember God's "Yes!" It doesn't mean that we will never have troubles. But it means he will bring us through those troubles if we trust in him. So, even though I might exhibit a little bit of nervousness on the outside, on the inside, I'm pretty calm. I know God is in control. I will trust him.
Paul also says, in the same passage, "In him, this is what we preach and pray, the great Amen, God's Yes and our Yes together, gloriously evident."
What would my life look like if I allowed God's Yes and my Yes to work together, "gloriously evident?" What does that even mean?
Heh...I'm reminded of the closing scene of a couple of tv shows that we watch. I can't remember the production company, but there's a kid pointing at the name in the sky over a tree, and he says, "What's that mean?"
What it means to me is that I need to agree with God 100%. I might as well, because he's always right, and I'm not. But if I would agree with him 100%, I would always be right, too, wouldn't I? If my "Yes" partnered with God's "Yes," what kind of life would I have? My struggles with sin would all but disappear. They would be more like mild inconveniences instead of struggles. I would have a life of victory. I would have the power of the Holy Spirit evident in my life all the time. Would I perform miracles? I don't know. Probably not. I don't think that's God's "work" for me (remember that devotion a couple days ago, about throwing ourselves into the work of the Master?). But you never know, do you? There's no telling what God might accomplish through me on this earth if I would throw my "Yes" in with his!
Philippians 4:6-7 ...do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.
Romans 8:28 And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.
I could go on, but find a few for yourself. I'll be working on that this coming week, as well. Perhaps I'll put a new one in each day (not that there are any new promises...I mean one that I haven't written in here, yet).
God is faithful. Eternally faithful. Even when we are not, he is faithful. He cannot be any other way; it is his nature.
YES!!!
Grace and peace, friends!