Video Bible Lesson - A Prayer to Wait on God Without Losing Faith by Lori Freeland

1/2 Hour of God’s Power with Scott Ralls

6/28/2020

A Prayer to Wait on God without Losing Faith

By Lori Freeland

“Take delight in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart.” (Psalm 37:4).
Have you ever prayed and prayed and prayed for God to move, to change a situation, to please help… and nothing happens? I have.
Sometimes it’s hard to understand God’s perspective. He sees our lives differently than we do. In general, we’re a fast-food, soft-on-suffering, high-on-anxiety society. We want what we want now and we want to avoid discomfort. We take on worries we don’t need.
Our relationship with Him is intensely personal. He’s our Father, and parenting is intensely personal. For those of you who have a child, this makes complete sense. We see beyond what our kids think they need in the moment. We have a bigger view of their lives. We think ahead and plan accordingly. So does God. Often when our faith is shaken, it’s because we’re looking at a 12-inch section of a 180-inch screen.
He knows what we need. Knows how He wants to grow our character. And like any parent of multiple children, what He allows for you might not be the same as what He allows for me. What He gives us won’t look the same. Neither will the timing of our answers when we pray. Or the way our faith is stretched and blessed.
So how do we deal? Here’s what helps me.
When I’m frustrated that I’m not hearing from God, I ask myself if my petition is a want or a need.
When I’m in panic mode, I step back and focus on whether what’s happening is really a crisis or just a major inconvenience.
When my petitions don’t get results, I ask God if I’m rushing after what He doesn’t want me to have or if I’m longing for what He wants to give.
When I’m drained and exhausted and tired of waiting, I remember the timing isn’t a choice. Whether I try to hurry God’s process along or not, the speed of His answer remains the same.
When the answer comes and it’s not what I want, I question if I’ve closed my eyes to what God’s really trying to do and ask Him to open my heart.
Please pray with me:
Lord, You are mighty and worthy and full of perfect love. Everything I’m not. When You said in your word to, “Take delight in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart” (Psalm 37:4 NIV), that passage doesn’t mean You’d give me everything I asked for when I asked for it. It means that if I take delight in You, You’ll fill my heart with the desires You want me to have. Next time I come to you in prayer, build my faith. Open my eyes to the way You see things whether my prayer is answered the way I want or not. Change the way I think. Make me more like You. And thank you for taking care of me in the very best way, even if sometimes I don’t understand your decisions. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

#Jesus, #Christian, #Bible, #Salvation, #Heaven, #God, #HolySpirit

Streams in the Desert

Streams in the Desert

A door opened in heaven (Rev. 4:1).

You must remember that John was in the Isle of Patmos, a lone, rocky, inhospitable prison, for the Word of God and the testimony of Jesus. And yet to him, under such circumstances, separated from all the loved ones of Ephesus; debarred from the worship of the Church; condemned to the companionship of uncongenial fellow-captives, were vouchsafed these visions. For him, also a door was opened.

We are reminded of Jacob, exiled from his father's house, who laid himself down in a desert place to sleep, and in his dreams beheld a ladder which united Heaven with earth, and at the top stood God.

Not to these only, but to many more, doors have been opened into Heaven, when, so far as the world was concerned, it seemed as though their circumstances were altogether unlikely for such revelations. To prisoners and captives; to constant sufferers, bound by iron chains of pain to sick couches; to lonely pilgrims and wanderers; to women detained from the Lord's house by the demands of home, how often has the door been opened to Heaven.

But there are conditions. You must know what it is to be in the Spirit; you must be pure in heart and obedient in faith; you must be willing to count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Jesus Christ; then when God is all in all to us, when we live, move and have our being in His favor, to us also will the door be opened.
--Daily Devotional Commentary

God hath His mountains bleak and bare,
Where He doth bid us rest awhile;
Crags where we breathe a purer air,
Lone peaks that catch the day's first smile.
God hath His deserts broad and brown--
A solitude--a sea of sand,
Where He doth let heaven's curtain down,
Unknit by His Almighty hand.

No Turning Back, No Turning Back

No Turning Back, No Turning Back
By Mike Pohlman

No one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is fit for the kingdom of God. -- Luke 9:62

I love the old spiritual, “I Have Decided to Follow Jesus.” I hear in it the echo of Luke 9:62. Listen, for example, to the third stanza: “The world behind me, the cross before me. No turning back, no turning back.”

In this simple song we see a profound biblical truth: the Christian life is a constant movement forward to our heavenly home. We are not called to retreat in the face of the many spiritual battles that will crusade against us. We are called to advance in godliness—come what may.

I’ve been indulging lately in a wonderful biography of Ulysses S. Grant by Jean Edward Smith. One theme that persists in Grant’s career as a general was his constant movement forward. Grant, in other words, was always on the offensive. His battle strategy was not to “dig in” and fight a defensive war. He was on the march, pressing the Confederacy into submission. Grant’s persistence—his stubborn determination to move forward and not look back—was summed up succinctly by Abraham Lincoln when he said in response to calls for Grant’s removal in early 1862: “I cannot spare this man; he fights.”

As the sun was setting on the Apostle Paul’s ministry he wrote in 2 Timothy 4:7: “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.” Unlike Grant, Paul’s fight was not against flesh and blood, “but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places” (Ephesians 6:12). But like Grant, Paul left no room for retreat. His life was marked by a steady, determined, rugged movement forward. Consider this astounding example from Acts 14:

But Jews came from Antioch and Iconium, and having persuaded the crowds, they stoned Paul and dragged him out of the city, supposing that he was dead. But when the disciples gathered about him, he rose up and entered the city, and on the next day he went on with Barnabas to Derbe. When they had preached the gospel to that city and had made many disciples, they returned to Lystra and to Iconium and to Antioch, strengthening the souls of the disciples, encouraging them to continue in the faith, and saying that through many tribulations we must enter the kingdom of God. And when they had appointed elders for them in every church, with prayer and fasting they committed them to the Lord in whom they had believed (19-23).

Paul was “struck down, but not destroyed” (2 Corinthians 4:9). After being stoned and left for dead, he got up and moved forward. “But one thing I do,” Paul said, “forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 3:13-14).

I’m reminded of one of the most moving passages in Smith’s biography of Grant describing an episode after the first day of fighting at Shiloh leaving Grant’s army on the brink of defeat:

Later, sometime after midnight, raining harder now, Sherman went looking for Grant. He had worked five hours to prepare his division to attack, but it seemed hopeless. His men had been thoroughly beaten and Sherman—who would have been the last to say so—thought it important “to put the river between us and the enemy.” This is why he sought Grant, to see when and how the retreat could be arranged. The rain was coming down in buckets, punctuated by heavy thunder and lightning in the background. In this surreal setting Sherman found Grant standing alone under a large oak tree, dripping wet, hat slouched down over his face, coat collar up around his ears, a dimly glowing lantern in his hand, cigar clenched between his teeth. Sherman looked at him for a moment from a distance. Then, “moved” as he put it later, “by some wise and sudden instinct not to mention retreat,” Sherman approached and said, “Well, Grant, we’ve had the devil’s own day, haven’t we?”

“Yes,” answered Grant, puffing hard on his cigar. “Yes. Lick’em tomorrow though.”

Which of us has not experienced a crushing defeat in the Christian life? Against the constant bombardment of the world, the flesh, and the devil we battle everyday to believe the promises of God held out for us in the Gospel. And, if we’re honest, some days we don’t feel like we’re winning at all. In fact, some days defeat feels certain.

But arrayed in the full armor of God (Ephesians 6:10-20) we get up by grace ready to “lick’em tomorrow.” We remind ourselves that God in Christ “always leads us in triumphal procession” (2 Corinthians 2:14) “so that [we] may not grow weary or fainthearted” (Hebrews 12:3).

Intersecting Faith & Life: What promises of God can you cling to right now as you face particular challenges in your life?

The Swiftness of God’s Provision

The Swiftness of God’s Provision
By Meg Bucher

“Can I have more fish?” my daughters both looked at me with plates extended….

Second, third and fourth helpings of dinner that night had me thinking somebody had swapped my children.

“Are you even taking the time to chew this?” I asked, as barrels of laughter answered me back.

Today’s verse is a reminder of how God has provided for us in our lives. In the good times, and in the problems solved and health restored, we are quick to inhale and ask for more. But in the not so good times …in the hard places of life that are not so easy to chew and almost impossible to swallow, we rarely even finish the first helping.

In order to digest the nutrition God gives us properly, we must consider the following.

• “You will have plenty to eat…”If we’re still standing on this earth, God is assuredly providing a way for us to be here another day. And if He’s provided another day, He’ll get us through it.
• …”and you will praise the name of the Lord your God.”Good entrees in life call for a side or two of praise.
• …”who has worked wonders for you…”By recognizing the miracles God has woven into our everyday lives, we acknowledge the fact that He’ll do it again! The Israelites had to be reminded constantly of the way God brought them out of Egypt and provided for them. If they were privy to forget the massive miracles that God had bestowed upon them …then we are surly prone to forget what He’s done in our lives. We must choose to remember.
• “…never again will my people be shamed.”When Christ died on the cross, the guilt and shame and wrath we deserve for our sin was wiped out. In one last breath, He sealed those that believe in Him for good. Though our lives remain imperfect, grace forgives us over and over as we grow in holiness all the way to heaven.

When we get a good Word from God, let’s vow to write it on our hearts …to turn back and look at the way those Words have already marked our lives, and take them forward with us as the sharp sword they are …to cut through the calamity and follow Christ.

Father, Praise You for remembrance. Thank You that we can search our memories and see the tracks and traces of Your love marked on our lives. Forgive us for falling short and turning back …for delaying and doubting, and strengthen our hearts to believe in You more and more each and every day. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

A Prayer in the Presence of a Loving Father

A Prayer in the Presence of a Loving Father
By Michele Cushatt

“The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit,” the Bible says.” (Psalm 34:18).

Friend to Friend

The second the bus stopped at the corner, my little girl climbed off and ran as fast as she could toward where I stood.
 Something wasn’t right. She was crying.
Immediately my mind jumped to worst-case scenarios.

Not quite so dramatic, someone told her they didn’t like her anymore. In typical grade-school fashion, the mood of the relationship had turned sour on the playground. As a result, my girl fell out of the other girl’s affection.

There on the street corner, I held her close while she cried. I was glad she told me. But what made me most proud is what she said next: “When we get home, can we cuddle?”

For years I’ve been working with my girl to learn how to ask for what she needs. It’s hard for her, tough girl that she is. Typically she either guts it out or reverts to theatrics. Instead, we’ve discussed how to use words to communicate needs.

That day, on the street corner, she did just that.

If only I could learn to do the same.

Most days I’m glad to be an adult. I mean, really. Who wants to travel back to the days of diapers or pimples?

When I’m hurt or discouraged or afraid, however, my adult skin wears thin.

When bills demand paying and parenting proves impossible. When marriage is hard, friendships struggle, and doctor’s appointments fill a calendar.

Then I wish to travel back in time, when a girl’s greatest fears could be soothed in a mama’s arms. Held close, all was well. To a child, there’s nothing greater than a parent’s ability to comfort.

But comfort doesn’t come so easily to us grownups.

Where do you and I go when relationships wound and the injustice of life stings?

We adults carry such responsibility, don’t we? Such blunt knowledge of the unfairness and volatility of this life. Even if we avoid news and media, fear and pain still have a way of finding us. We can’t escape them.

Ourselves, more often than not. We either erect a false front of strength or cave in to a pattern of complaining. But neither brings much relief.

There’s a better way.

The Bible is rich with examples of men who voiced their needs and asked God for His comfort.

Even better, the Bible nearly explodes with examples of God’s corresponding tireless affection.

At times He comforted those He loved through their circumstances, and other times He comforted them in their circumstances:

To the leader Joshua, overwhelmed by his new task: “Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged” (Josh. 1:9). 


To the Israelites enslaved by ruthless Egyptians: “I am concerned about their suffering” (Ex. 3:7). 


To the widow who’d lost her only son: “Don’t cry” (Luke 7:13). 


To the adulteress caught in her shameful sin: “Neither do I 
condemn you” (John 8:11).

To the blind man longing to see: “Receive your sight; your faith has healed you” (Luke 18:42). 


To the disciples, who ached because their friend would be leaving them, Jesus said: “And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age” (Matt. 28:20). 


And to those of us who wade through the deep waters of this modern life, longing for a world we’ve heard about but have not yet seen, Jesus promises: “I am going there to prepare a place for you” (John 14:2).

Regardless of your pain—whether physical, emotional, or spiritual— you don’t have to pretend to be strong, nor do you need to succumb to your tears. Become a child in the presence of a comforting Father.

Don’t be afraid to expose your need and ask God for comfort.

Then, count on Him to deliver.

Dear Lord, I come into Your presence with my broken heart. Instead of building walls and lashing out, I give my hurts and fears to You and seek Your comfort. As I read the scriptures, let me hear Your words through the ages, as words meant for me in my struggles.

In Jesus’ Name,

Amen.