A good friend of mine recently learned he has cancer. Needless to say, it has shaken his world and
that of his family. So we pray. Since he has never accepted Christ as his
Savior, we pray harder, not only for healing, but salvation.
Do you ever wonder if people who say
they will pray for you, remember to do so?
Or, is it a lot like asking a person “How are you today?” but not really
wanting an answer? Has it become a
phrase we say without meaning it at all?
After all, we all have issues. We
all have lives filled with day to day drama that anyone could easily see
distracts us and takes away from what we’d really like to do: pray!
So where does this really leave “prayer?” I suggest it often leaves prayer on the same
shelf many Bibles remain from Monday morning until the following Sunday morning
when we dust it off to carry it to church again.
God keeps his promises and never, ever
fails us even when we have to “wait” on an answer. I ask again, do we really mean it when we
say, “I’ll pray for you?” Do we carry
through with the implied promise of going to the Father on another person's behalf or
are we just being polite?
Long before Jesus was born, people
prayed for a Messiah. Their prayer was answered
yet many missed it when He arrived. Is
it possible some people stopped praying because their prayer wasn’t answered when
they expected or how they planned? Do
you think they began praying out of rote rather than from the heart?
The following is from Week 2 Day 2 in
my book, “The Christmas Countdown” which I hope you find encouraging. Consider your prayer life and your promises;
especially your promise of prayer during this next week.
God
Keeps His Promises
Read Galatians 3:13-25
Key
verse: He redeemed us in order that the
blessing given to Abraham might come to the Gentiles through Christ Jesus, so
that by faith we might receive the promise of the Spirit. Brothers, let me take an example from
everyday life. Just as no one can set
aside or add to a human covenant that has been duly established, so it is in
this case. Galatians 3:14-15
People make promises every day. Some are simple statements between adults
without any formality, but the promise is accepted and counted on. Some are made in frustration to a child in an
effort to placate a given situation.
Some promises are made with a single signature which would prove
ownership if needed. In human existence
the most binding promises are those before a court. To change anything within them is tedious,
time consuming and often expensive.
God’s promises aren’t like any of
the above. God made a promise to Abraham
that he, an old man and a woman well beyond child bearing years, would have a
son. It wasn’t written on paper, there
wasn’t a handshake and it wasn’t heard before a court. Yet, as unlikely as such
a situation seemed, God followed through in the birth of Isaac.
A Messiah was also promised many
years ago. God didn’t give many details
of how he would come or when he would come; but he said a deliverer would
come. Through the prophets God described the Messiah’s earthly lineage and even
where he would be born. For many years
the people waited. The prophets
continued to give notice that the Messiah was coming. Many believed and many did not.
God kept that promise, as he has all
others. He sent our Deliverer in the
form of a baby. Those that believed
recognized Him. Others had expectations
beyond what God promised. They thought
surely the Messiah would come as a great king who would govern politically. But Jesus came as our King to rule our
hearts, our minds and our souls. To
“behold” him is to focus on Him and occupy our minds with him so that all
decisions and efforts in our daily life reflect Him. This is a demonstration of faith. When we live for Jesus we are like Abraham
who believed that God’s promises were real.
QUESTIONS TO
CONSIDER:
1) Can you remember your last promise? Was it spoken or implied? Did you keep it?
2) Have you ever promised God something; perhaps
in fear, frustration or desperation? Did
you keep your promise?
No comments:
Post a Comment