Scripture
Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done.
~Philippians 4:6, NLT
Quote
Our Heavenly Father created us to need Him.
~Ya’akov
Jesus taught us to begin our prayers with praise and adoration for the Father but this is easier said than done. My temptation is to begin with my needs; either to confess some sin or asks for something. The word ‘wretched’ that John Newton used in Amazing Grace simply means needy, excessively needy. I will not lie, I feel very wretched. Paul also used this word, “O Wretched man that I am! Who will set me free from the body of this death?” John used it in reference to the Laodiceans in the Revelation, “You say, ‘I am rich, and have become wealthy, and have need of nothing‘ and you do not know that you are wretched and miserable and poor and blind and naked.” It is proper to begin our prayers with praise and adoration and the Psalms are a great help but there is no sin is asking the LORD to help us in our need. To my knowledge, the only people who came to Jesus sincerely was those in need or at least those who recognized their need.
Jesus Himself commanded us to ask, I tell you, keep on asking, and you will receive what you ask for. Keep on seeking, and you will find. Keep on knocking, and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks, receives. Everyone who seeks, finds. And to everyone who knocks, the door will be opened. So my personal practice is to keep on asking. I asks for 14 different things in my prayer yesterday and many of that number have been on my prayer list for months and some for years. In Luke 18 Jesus tells His disciples a strange story, one that no one can really figure out. “There was a judge in a certain city,” he said, “who neither feared God nor cared about people. A widow of that city came to him repeatedly, saying, ‘Give me justice in this dispute with my enemy.’ The judge ignored her for a while, but finally he said to himself, ‘I don’t fear God or care about people, but this woman is driving me crazy. I’m going to see that she gets justice, because she is wearing me out with her constant requests!’ Luke said that Jesus told the story so that the disciples would know to always ask in prayer and never give up. One of the sons of Korah prayed for revival and it didn’t come for another 50 years. LORD Cromwell stood before Parliament on September 16, 1656; he read Psalm 85 and then prayed for REVIVAL in England. Cromwell died on September 3, 1658; less than two years after he prayed the prayer. The great REVIVAL Cromwell prayed for came the next century, 1738; some 80 years after his death. There is no such thing as a wasted prayer so keep praying. God may not answer your prayer in your life time but it is not wasted and it will be answered.
EXTRA
I did share some bad info yesterday and I apologize. Paula Windsor was in Decatur and no Huntsville and she also got to go home. No blood clots PTL. John Newby did not have covid. We think he had a seizure due to low blood sugar. So the covid news was not as bad as it seemed. Wade had been battling covid for weeks and he went to be with the LORD about 2:00 am yesterday. Joe David and I plan to attend his COLS if it is not private or if they have a service at all. Wade’s passing sent shock waves throughout the DBC family. Some of the younger folks are going to get the vaccine. I don’t think it is a bad idea. Our first report was that John Newby had the vaccine and the antibodies and still got it but that report was false. Anywho, I look for our early service to grow this Sunday. We had four cars last week and I imagine we will have more this week. Pray for Wade’s family: wife Deborah and girls Eve and Trinity. I wasn’t prepared for this: wade was supposed to out live me.