In step

[RiverOL]

Prayer Alone
Morning Encounter:
Read:
About that time Jesus went off to a mountain to pray, and he spent the whole night there. The next morning he called his disciples together and chose twelve of them to be his apostles. One was Simon, and Jesus named him Peter. Another was Andrew, Peter’s brother. There were also James, John, Philip, Bartholomew, Matthew, Thomas, and James the son of Alphaeus. The rest of the apostles were Simon, known as the Eager One, Jude, who was the son of James, and Judas Iscariot, who later betrayed Jesus.
(Luke 6.12-16)

Reflect:
Do you find you are never alone but often lonely? Jesus was often alone – but never lonely. There were many times when he went off to a quiet place to be with his Father. Silence and solitude are fundamental to the spiritual life. In silence and solitude we purposefully cut ourselves off from conversation, interaction and stimulation. We confront our soul and who we are before God.

Respond:
Try to create silent space to be with God today. Don’t stress about how much time you can give this, just make it your aim to be with God away from the constant distractions. Turn the radio off in the car, go for a walk, turn off the phone so you can be alone with God this day.

Midday Meditation:
‘Solitude well practiced will break the power of busyness, haste, isolation, and loneliness. You will see that the world is not on your shoulders after all. Your will find yourself, and God will find you in new ways. Silence also brings Sabbath to you. It completes solitude, for without it you cannot be alone. Far from being a mere absence, silence allows the reality of God to stand in the midst of your life. God does not ordinarily compete for our attention, in silence we come to attend.’
(Dallas Willard)

Evening Reflection:
'God of the day and of the night, in me there is darkness, but with you there is light. I am alone, but you will not leave me. I am weak, but you will come to my help. I am restless, but you are my peace. I am in haste, but you are the God of infinite patience. I am confused and lost, but you are eternal wisdom and you direct my path; now and forever. Amen.'

 

[RiverOL]

Our Lord's Two "Customs"
Luke 4:14-30
"... on the Sabbath day he went into the synagogue, as was his custom." (v. 16)


One reason there is a casual approach to personal devotions in the Christian church today is a reaction to the legalism of past days. Another reason is the rise of the charismatic movement. In the early days of the charismatic renewal, many of its leaders from the historic denominations who had been fed on a diet of legalism began to emphasize (quite rightly) the joy of knowing Christ's presence through the indwelling Spirit every hour of the day. People in charismatic services often said: "Now I don't have to have a daily quiet time in order to feel God's presence. Every waking minute is a quiet time." Dangerous stuff. The danger lies not in emphasizing that we are in Christ's presence every hour of the day but the de-emphasis on closeting oneself alone with Him in personal prayer and study of His Word.

Although most leaders of the charismatic renewal did not teach or encourage people to dispense with their personal times of devotion with the Lord, many came to believe they could get through the day simply by speaking in tongues. Nothing must become a substitute for those private and personal moments we spend in prayer and communion with Christ. Our Lord knew and sensed the presence of God with Him and in Him to a degree we will never fully experience here on this earth, but it is said of Him in Scripture that He had two "customs." One custom was to go regularly to the house of God; the other was to pray regularly. And these must be our customs too.

Prayer:
Lord Jesus, if You needed to spend time closeted with Your Father in personal prayer, then how much more do I need to also. Help me steer a middle course between legalism and casualness. For Your own dear Name's sake. Amen.

 

[RiverOL]

Answering God's Call
He [God] saw that there was no man, and wondered that there was no intercessor.—Isaiah 59:16 NKJV

Two of the saddest Scriptures in the Bible can be found in Ezekiel and Isaiah, the one above, and:
So I sought for a man among them who would make a wall, and stand in the gap before Me on behalf of the land, that I should not destroy it; but I found no one(Ezekiel 22:30 NKJV).

Today, God continues His search for that man, woman, young person, or child who will commit to stand in the breach and pray. I pray that you, like Isaiah, say, “Here am I! Send me.” (See Isaiah 6:8.)

The children of Israel sinned in the wilderness, fashioning a golden calf, dancing before it, and denying God’s sovereignty, and God threatened to destroy them. (See Exodus 32.) Moses fell on his face before Jehovah God to intercede.

God’s Word is rife with examples of intercessors who prevailed against the Enemy: the prayer warriors of Hebrews 11 who subdued kingdoms, shut the mouths of lions, set armies to flight, raised the dead, and secured the promises of God—all through faith in God and prayer!
Will you accept the challenge to become an intercessor?

 

[RiverOL]

Listening Prayer )
Morning Encounter:
Read:
Pay attention, my children! Follow my advice, and you will be happy. Listen carefully to my instructions, and you will be wise. Come to my home each day and listen to me. You will find happiness. By finding me, you find life, and the Lord will be pleased with you.
(Proverbs 8.32-35)

Reflect:
We are invited to live in an on-going, interactive relationship with God – speaking to God and being spoken to by him. Many times we read of God speaking to people like Abraham, Moses and Samuel. These are not meant to be exceptional stories, but rather they are examples of the normal human life that God intended for all of us. We should be open to the possibility that God may like to speak us personally today.

Respond:
Invite God to speak to you today. Actively listen and be open to God speaking to you today through Scripture, books, magazines you pick up, music you hear, circumstances or through conversations that take place today.

Midday Meditation
'A man prayed, and at first he thought that prayer was talking. But he became more and more quiet until in the end he realised that prayer is listening.' (S Kierkegaard)

Evening Reflection:
Our Father, we praise you for the day you gave us! Please guard us tonight and help us wake up ready to be transformed by you tomorrow. Holy Spirit, lead and guide us. We surrender our desire to be in control. Thank you for the joy you produce in us! Amen.

 

[RiverOL]

The Profit of Passion
Psalms 34
"I sought the Lord, and he answered me ..." (v. 4)

The more time we spend with our families and friends the better we get to know them. It is the same with God too. Often I am asked to give a plan on how to conduct a quiet time. Here is one I used to give people many years ago. Decide on the amount of time you can spend, preferably in the morning. The morning is best because it tunes your soul for the day. Having fixed the time, stick to it. Take your Bible and a notebook and read a portion slowly. Let it soak in. Make a note of anything that comes to you. Pray then, mentioning any requests or personal petitions you may have. Then relax and listen to see if God has something to say to you. It is far easier to talk than listen, so don?t worry if for some weeks or months nothing comes. Tuning in to God takes time and practice.

Nowadays I am reluctant to give people that plan without pointing out the danger of depending on a structure rather than the direction of the Holy Spirit. We would all prefer to go into a quiet time with a plan rather than to abandon ourselves to the Holy Spirit and wait upon Him. Mature Christians should be able to closet themselves alone with God and on occasions simply enjoy His company and presence without even saying a word. The quiet time becomes more effective when we approach it with passion instead of a plan. Good marriages thrive on spontaneity and passion. So does a relationship with the Lord.

Prayer
Father, help me come to my quiet time with expectancy -- expectancy that my weakness shall become strength, my doubt become faith, and my passion become stronger. In Jesus' Name. Amen.

 

[RiverOL]

Be That Guy

Humble yourselves . . . under the mighty hand of God
so that at the proper time he may exalt you—1 Peter 5:6

Building community in the social context—in the context of our friendships—means reworking existing friendships into authentic friendships. It means dismantling false images, the ones we’ve worked so hard to construct. It means humbling ourselves in front of our friends by showing them our undisguised, unguarded brokenness—our flaws and failures, our mistakes and fears. Hard stuff, no question. What’s even harder, though, is that doing this often requires that we go first. You see, authenticity is counterculture. Look around. Few people live in authentic friendship. And so, when and if we choose to, we’re likely to be out in front, all alone . . . for a time, at least.

So why then? Why would we do it? Well, it’s only through authenticity that transformation-to-Christlikeness happens. It certainly doesn’t happen when we’re hiding, impersonating, posturing. It just doesn’t. It’s the way we come into the character of Jesus Christ. And, it’s the way we help our friends to, as well. You see, while very few of us men are willing to go first, most of us will follow those who do: “If he can do it . . .” So, when one of us steels himself and humbles himself, others follow. Going first is, therefore, both holy and heroic. Going first puts us squarely at the front of God’s offensive: healing the brokenhearted and setting the captives free (Luke 4:18).



Someone must go first. Somebody always does. Be courageous. Pray boldly, brother: “If someone must, let it be me.” Among your group of friends, be that guy. It’ll be scary, sure. It might not go really well. But, that’s okay. We men are built for this kind of stuff. We’d wither without opposition. And it’s all worth it. This can be some of the most important work we’ll ever do.

 

[RiverOL]

Persistent Prayer
Morning Encounter:
Read:
A Widow and a Judge
Jesus told his disciples a story about how they should keep on praying and never give up: In a town there was once a judge who didn’t fear God or care about people. In that same town there was a widow who kept going to the judge and saying, “Make sure that I get fair treatment in court.” For a while the judge refused to do anything. Finally, he said to himself, “Even though I don’t fear God or care about people, I will help this widow because she keeps on bothering me. If I don’t help her, she will wear me out.” The Lord said: Think about what that crooked judge said. Won’t God protect his chosen ones who pray to him day and night? Won’t he be concerned for them? He will surely hurry and help them. But when the Son of Man comes, will he find on this earth anyone with faith?
(Luke 18.1-8)

Reflect:
The Jews, wary of tiring God with their prayers, tended to limit their prayers to a maximum of three times a day (Daniel 6.10). Here Jesus encourages persistent and committed prayer, especially when we don’t see any sign of an answer. Jesus tells us that prayer is like a helpless widow who refuses to be helpless and stands up to injustice. Her persistence pays off. This kind of prayer is sometimes known as ‘supplication’ which means to ask with earnestness, intensity and perseverance. Prayer for others sometimes requires courageous staying power.

Respond:
Are there people or situations that you have been praying for with no sign of answer? Perhaps you have become so discouraged and disappointed you have given up. Is it time to pick up prayer again for this issue?

Midday Meditation:
‘We must repeat the same supplications not twice or three times only, but as often as we have need, a hundred and a thousand times….we must never become weary of asking for God’s help.’
(John Calvin)

Evening Reflection:
Watch, O Lord, with those who wake, or watch, or weep tonight, and give your angels and saints charge over those who sleep. Tend your sick ones, O Lord Christ. Rest your weary ones. Bless your dying ones. Soothe your suffering ones. Pity your afflicted ones. Shield your joyous ones, and all for Your love's sake. Amen.

 

[RiverOL]

A Father and a Friend
Luke 11
"Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find ..." (v. 9)


The great danger of a quiet time is that we will use it as an opportunity to petition God rather than to know Him and be known by Him. I thought back to a statement I remember reading in C. S. Lewis's book, Prayer: Letters to Malcolm, to the effect that the older he got the less involved he became in petitionary prayer. "The strange thing is," said Lewis (and I am paraphrasing now), "the more I pray for things the less my prayers seem to get answered. I think God is leading me on to ask less and less for things and more and more for Himself." Then he expressed this profound thought: "Prayer is taking part in the process of being known." I glanced up as I wrote those words and looked out at the trees in my garden.

God knows everything there is to know about those trees, but they are not persons so they cannot join in the process of being known. God knows all there is to know about me, but that objective knowledge is quite different from the process of drawing close to Him in prayer and letting Him know me through my opening up to Him. One is objective knowledge, the other experiential. And what is breathtakingly marvelous about all this is that in every spiritual t?te-?-t?te I hold with God, He seeks to draw my soul into such a relationship with Him that I know Him as a Father and a Friend. Such knowledge is almost too good to be true. But also too good not to be true.

Prayer:
My Father and my Friend, may my times of communion with You be more than just a petitioner talking to a Supplier. I know You are willing to open Yourself fully to me; help me open myself fully to You. In Christ's Name I ask it. Amen.

 

[RiverOL]

The Exploit that Touches Eternity
Hear my prayer, O God; give ear to the words of my mouth.
—Psalm 54:2 KJV

Today, the clarion call goes out to God-fearing people everywhere to man the battle stations and fight with prayer. We must not cower in fear inside the church walls; we must take the battle to the Enemy and defeat him through prayer, in the name of Jesus!
Prayer is the only exploit that takes hold of eternity. It is the action that touches heaven and moves earth. For a Christian, it is not the last resort; it must always be the first line of defense!

Through prayer, we strive to do everything possible to overthrow kingdoms of darkness, shut the mouths of the lions of terror, and quench the flames of hell by the power of almighty God! How you and I respond to God’s call will determine whether we succeed or fail. The people of God are still called to intercede for and to comfort the Jewish people.
Will you stand against the Enemy in prayer?

 

[RiverOL]

Humble Prayer
Morning Encounter:
Read:
A Pharisee and a Tax Collector
Jesus told a story to some people who thought they were better than others and who looked down on everyone else: Two men went into the temple to pray. One was a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. The Pharisee stood over by himself and prayed, “God, I thank you that I am not greedy, dishonest, and unfaithful in marriage like other people. And I am really glad that I am not like that tax collector over there. I go without eating for two days a week, and I give you one tenth of all I earn.”

The tax collector stood off at a distance and did not think he was good enough even to look up toward heaven. He was so sorry for what he had done that he pounded his chest and prayed, “God, have pity on me! I am such a sinner.” Jesus said, “When the two men went home, it was the tax collector and not the Pharisee who was pleasing to God. If you put yourself above others, you will be put down. But if you humble yourself, you will be honoured.”
(Luke 18.9-14)

Reflect:
In this second parable on prayer, Jesus highlights the spirit in which people should pray by contrasting a Pharisee who has all the right credentials but is full of pride and has no sense of his sin or humility, and a tax collector, who although in a dubious profession is very aware of his position before God. It is his prayer which is honoured. The ancient liturgical prayer Kyrie Eleison (Lord, have mercy) comes from this parable, as does the famous Jesus Prayer, ‘Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner.’

Respond:
Henri Nouwen used to say that when we go to pray, our thoughts jump around our minds like monkeys in banana trees. It may be helpful at the beginning of our prayer time to settle our thoughts by repeating the phrase ‘Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner’ a few times to help you bring your prayers to God.

Midday Meditation:
I pray because I can’t help myself. I pray because I’m helpless. I pray because the need flows out of me all the time - waking and sleeping. It doesn’t change God - it changes me.
(C.S. Lewis)

Evening Reflection:
I pray to you, Lord!
Please listen when I pray and hurry to help me.
Think of my prayer as sweet-smelling incense, and think of my lifted hands as an evening sacrifice.
(from Psalm 141)

 

[RiverOL]

Knowing God
Philippians 3
"I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection ..." (v. 10)

It is not my purpose at this moment to explore the philosophy of prayer, but I do feel it will be helpful to some if I point out that God delights also to be known. The Father is known by the other members of the Trinity (and of course they by Him), and that undoubtedly brings Him great pleasure. But He longs to be known by His children also. There is something in the heart of the Deity that enjoys being known. A lovely, though apocryphal, story told by a Jewish rabbi describes a conversation between Abraham and God.

It goes something like this. "God said to Abraham: 'Do you realize, Abraham, that without Me you would be nothing?' 'Ah yes, Lord,' said Abraham, 'I do realize that without You I would be nothing.' Then he thought for a moment, and bowing his head low to the ground said: 'Forgive me if I am being presumptuous, O Lord, but it occurs to me that without me You would not be known.'" This is only a story, of course, and is not intended to convey that God is dependent on His creatures. It simply illustrates the truth that in some mystical way we enrich the heart of God by knowing Him. I am not saying that by knowing God we add to Him or complete Him. That would be foolish. But we can by our deeper knowledge of Him bring Him pleasure. And if there is no greater reason than that for knowing God, then it ought to suffice.

Prayer
O Father, I am grateful for the way in which I have come to know You, but I long to know You still more. You open Yourself fully to me; may I open myself fully to You. In Christ's Name I pray. Amen.

 

[RiverOL]

Aching Arms

"As long as Moses held up his hands, the Israelites were winning, but whenever he lowered his hands, the Amalekites were winning. When Moses' hands grew tired, they took a stone and put it under him and he sat on it. Aaron and Hur held his hands up—one on one side, one on the other—so that his hands remained steady till sunset"1

I don't know why God required Moses to keep his hands raised when the ancient Israelites were in battle against the Amalekites—unless it was to acknowledge Israel's total dependence on God. Whatever the reason, it was a smart move to get a helping hand from Aaron and Hur, as Moses never could have made it by himself. It is also a good lesson for all of us because none of us can get through life without a helping hand from others.

I believe it was Paul Harvey who made the following comment: "We have always tended to revere the airplane pilot who did it alone and the country doctor who never left the bedside…. Such a spirit of independence served us well and caused us all to grow tall. But we'd never have made it to the moon without a spirit of interdependence. And we'd never have eradicated typhoid and smallpox and polio without cooperative effort. We've found that no person alone can fetch oil from beneath the ocean. We've found that we are becoming increasingly interdependent—not only in our country, but also all around the world…. On the steep slope ahead, holding hands is necessary."2

And in the quiet of our home and among friends holding hands is also necessary.

Suggested prayer: "Dear God, please help me never to be slow to offer a helping hand to a friend in need, and never too proud to ask for help when I need a helping hand. Thank you for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully, in Jesus' name, amen."

 

[RiverOL]

What to Pray?
Morning Encounter:
Introduction
One of the great benefits about being a Christian is the fact we can do something for others even when we feel utterly helpless: we can pray for them. We can talk to a loving, powerful and present God and he hears and responds to what we say. Praying for others is wonderful, but it can also be hard work, it can be difficult to know what to ask for, it can be demoralising when our requests seem unheeded. This week we will be thinking about the task of praying for others and raising some of our questions about it in the light of what the Bible has to say.

Read:
So I never stop being grateful for you, as I mention you in my prayers. I ask the glorious Father and God of our Lord Jesus Christ to give you his Spirit. The Spirit will make you wise and let you understand what it means to know God. My prayer is that light will flood your hearts and that you will understand the hope that was given to you when God chose you. Then you will discover the glorious blessings that will be yours together with all of God’s people.
I want you to know about the great and mighty power that God has for us followers.
Ephesians 1: 16-19a

Reflect:
What do we want for our nearest and dearest? Happiness, health and wealth? Paul prays for none of these things for the church in Ephesus. He doesn’t pray for their physical safety or their emotional well- being, although these are good things to pray for and I’m sure were genuine needs.
What does he pray? He gives thanks for them, and he asks that the Spirit would enable them to know God better. He prays their hope will be based on being chosen, and that they will experience all the blessings and power available to God’s people.
When we pray for others, what do we pray? Perhaps this prayer of Paul’s can spur us on to ask for what is needed above all else- a deeper relationship with God.

Respond:
Think of three people to pray for, and lift them to God using Paul’s prayer as a model.

Midday Meditation:
“Encountering Jesus is even more desirable than miracles and explanations. It was an encounter with God that silenced Job’s questions (Job 40-41). It is an encounter with God that we all need most.”
(Pete Greig, God on Mute)

Evening Reflection:
You are the peace of all things calm
You are the place to hide from harm

You are the light that shines in dark
You are the heart's eternal spark

You are the door that's open wide
You are the guest who waits inside

You are the stranger at the door
You are the calling of the poor

You are my Lord and with me still
You are my love, keep me from ill

You are the light, the truth, the way
You are my Saviour this very day.

 

[RiverOL]

Times
Matthew 6
"But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen." (v. 6)


In order to go deeper with God we must sit quietly in His presence, talk with Him, and let Him talk with us. Those who say they can develop their relationship with God without stated times of prayer and the reading of His Word are fooling themselves. Jesus (as we saw) is our best example. He knew God's presence better than anyone, yet He made time to get alone with Him and talk to Him in private prayer. To say that we can develop a rich relationship with God by recognizing we are always in His presence but without taking time to have a spiritual focus is as senseless as saying that we can live in a state of physical nourishment without having regular meals.


As I travel I often ask Christians I meet if they have a daily or regular quiet time, and sometimes the answers I receive astonish me. One man told me: "Yes, I get up early, sit quietly in my garden and watch the birds feeding or the goldfish swimming in the pond ... and I feel rejuvenated in my spirit and ready to start the day." The modern idea of a quiet time! The whole purpose of the quiet time is to take in the spiritual resources of God. Nature is wonderful and restorative, but for the intake of spiritual resources we need the blessing that comes from the Word of God and prayer. The quiet time is where the soul grows receptive, where prayer becomes powerful. In turn we gain the quiet heart, that becomes quiet confidence, and that becomes quiet power.

Prayer
O Father, deepen the conviction within me that I cannot develop my relationship with You without taking the time to commune with You. Help me make my meeting times with You one of life's great priorities. In Jesus' Name. Amen.

 

[RiverOL]

Digging Up the Past

"Don't sin by letting anger gain control over you. Don't let the sun go down while you are still angry, for anger gives a mighty foothold to the Devil."1

"In 1642 England was caught up in the Civil War with Cromwell and the roundheads. Five years later King Charles the First was captured, tried and sentenced to death. He was executed on January 30, 1649. Fifty-nine men put their signatures to the death warrant.

"When Charles II was restored to the throne some eleven years later, he wanted to avenge his father's death. However, by that time, some had died and others were living abroad. They were arrested, taken back to England, and ordered to stand trial.

"As for those who had died, the bodies of fifteen signatories, many of whom had been dead for years, were exhumed and then hung on the gallows."2

That's exactly what resentment does. It digs up the past. It is caused by nursing grudges and failing to forgive—a practice that God's Words warns us not to do. This is because buried and/or unresolved anger, hurt, grief, bitterness, etc., work like emotional cancer that "rots the bones," destroys relationships, and keeps one bound by the past.

As I've quoted before, "Failing to forgive is like drinking poison and waiting for the other person to die." No wonder that God's Word also says, "So get rid of your feelings of hatred [unresolved anger and resentment]. Don't just pretend to be good."3

For further help read, "Forgiveness: The Power that Heals" athttp://tinyurI.com/btwy7.

Suggested prayer: "Dear God, please deliver me from the sin of nursing grudges and holding on to all negative emotions so that I can become a happier, healthier person and a clear channel of your love. Thank you for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully, in Jesus' name, amen."

 

[RiverOL]

The Work of Intercession
Morning Encounter:
Read:
When the Israelites were at Rephidim, they were attacked by the Amalekites. So Moses told Joshua, “Have some men ready to attack the Amalekites tomorrow. I will stand on a hilltop, holding this walking stick that has the power of God.”
Joshua led the attack as Moses had commanded, while Moses, Aaron, and Hur stood on the hilltop. The Israelites out-fought the Amalekites as long as Moses held up his arms, but they started losing whenever he had to lower them. Finally, Moses was so tired that Aaron and Hur got a rock for him to sit on. Then they stood beside him and supported his arms in the same position until sunset. That’s how Joshua defeated the Amalekites.

Exodus 17: 8-13
Reflect:
The story of how the Israelite defeated the Amalekites is a vivid picture of the work of prayer; in this situation it literally involved the hard physical work of keeping arms in the air. Moses prayed hard and long on behalf of the Israelites and his prayers made all the difference to the way their history unfolded.
We will rarely be given insight into the full impact of our prayers, but time and time again we see in Scripture that “the prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective” (from James 5:16). Praying for others can be costly, but we must persevere and as we do, our ‘muscles’ will get stronger.

Respond:
Lord God, forgive me for my lethargy and laziness in prayer. Give me the willingness and determination to pray, however hard it feels.

Midday Meditation:
“When we move from petition to intercession we are shifting our centre of gravity from our own needs to the needs and concerns of others. Intercessory Prayer is selfless prayer, even self-giving prayer…As priests, appointed and anointed by God, we have the honour of going before the Most High on behalf of others. This is not optional; it is a sacred obligation- and a precious privilege- of all who take up the yoke of Christ.”
(Richard Foster, Prayer)

Evening Reflection:
“There is nothing thrilling about a labouring person’s work, but it is the labouring person who makes the ideas of the genius possible. And it is the labouring saint who makes the ideas of his Master possible. When you labour at prayer, from God’s perspective there are always results.”

 

[RiverOL]

Ah, What Then?
Psalms 46
"Be still, and know that I am God ..." (v. 10)

In the quiet time the soul is stilled so that it concentrates on God, and it is through this concentration that the spiritual life is deepened. The great French Christian Blaise Pascal once declared that "nearly all the ills of life spring from this simple source, that we are unable to sit still for long in a quiet room." In this modern age people seem to find it difficult to sit quietly for long. They must have a radio blaring or something else to drown the silence. Sitting still can be therapeutic, but what if in the stillness we meet with God? We then receive spiritual therapy.

God waits to offer us infinite resources -- for the asking and the taking. The quiet time is where the soul grows receptive, where prayer becomes, as a poet put it, "the organ of spiritual touch," where the touch becomes, as effective and as healing as the touch of the woman on the hem of Jesus' garment, where peace flows into our turbulence, where love absorbs our resentments, where joy heals our griefs, and where we enter into the process of being known. The quiet time shuts us in with God, the door closes upon us, and then infinite resources flood into our soul. The door opens and we move out, with an increased awareness of God, ready to face a world that knows so little about Him. There is, as we have said, great benefit in stillness, but when we meet with God in the stillness -- ah, what then?

Prayer: My Father and my God, I see that I need to think more seriously about the whole nature of my quiet times. In avoiding legalism, help me not to go in the other direction either -- the direction of casualness. In Your Son's precious Name I pray. Amen.

 

[RiverOL]

Saved by His Sacrifice
For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God. —2 Corinthians 5:21 ESV

The Son of Man was so overcome in the Garden by the magnitude of what He was about to face that He prayed in desperation; yet, He so desperately wanted to do the Father’s will. He desired that more than He valued His own life.
Jesus was about to be crushed by the weight of sin, just as the fruit of the olive tree was crushed by the stone press. Pressed from our Savior was not oil, but rather a perfect plan for our salvation fueled by a love that will not let us go.

The answer to Jesus’ prayer of despair was the salvation of mankind. Jesus offered one sacrifice: Himself. He established the plan of forgiveness and reconciliation one time for all time! He had laid aside His robes of glory and donned a robe of flesh so that we might have access to God, the Father. Blood-bought, forgiven, redeemed, and delivered!
You and I are not saved by the character of the sacrifice; salvation only comes through the shed blood of Christ—the faultless and final price of atonement.

 

[RiverOL]

Praying for our Enemies
Morning Encounter:
Read:
You have heard people say, “Love your neighbours and hate your enemies.” But I tell you to love your enemies and pray for anyone who mistreats you. Then you will be acting like your Father in heaven. He makes the sun rise on both good and bad people. And he sends rain for the ones who do right and for the ones who do wrong.
(Matthew 5: 43-48)

Reflect:
Some of Jesus’ teaching is shocking and counter-intuitive. But he is “the image of the invisible God” (Colossians 1:15) and so we can trust what he says is wise, true, and good. Here he instructs his followers to pray for those who mistreat them. Later he will practice what he preaches in the most incredible way and pray for those who are nailing him onto the cross.
Praying for our enemies often has the effect of changing our heart towards them and the situation. It strips bitterness and resentment of their power over us. And it brings God into a relationship only he can change.

Respond:
It is far more natural to pray as the Psalmist did, “show how much you love me by destroying my enemies.” (Psalm 143:12) Ask God to give you strength to pray blessing on those who have hurt you.

Midday Meditation:
“I must, through appropriate courses of action, become inwardly transformed by grace to become the kind of person—in my inmost thoughts, feelings, attitudes and directions of will—who will routinely do the kinds of things he said to do. I will then not be governed by anger, contempt or lust. And I will be able to bless those who curse me, love my enemies, and so forth, because I am one in whom the character and power of Christ has come to dwell through the processes of discipleship to Christ.”
(Dallas Willard, Radix Magazine 34:3)

Evening Reflection:
“Bless my enemies, O Lord. Even I bless them and do not curse them
Enemies have driven me into Thy embrace more than friends have.
Friends have bound me to earth, enemies have loosed me from earth and have demolished all my aspirations in the world.
Just as a hunted animal finds safer shelter than an unhunted animal does, so have I, persecuted by enemies, found the safest sanctuary, having ensconsed myself beneath Thy tabernacle, where neither friends nor enemies can slay my soul.
Bless my enemies, O Lord. Even I bless them and do not curse them.”

 

[RiverOL]

Can God Be Trusted?
Psalms 20
"Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we trust in the name of the Lord our God." (v. 7)

We consider now another matter that is essential if we are to go deeper with God -- confidence in His character. Is God good and can He be trusted? The manner in which we answer this question is crucial to our ongoing relationship with Him. If we have doubts about His character -- His justice for example -- it will most certainly affect the way we view Him and approach Him. You may have heard the story of the farmer whose one and only tractor failed.

So he decided to walk across the fields to a neighboring farmer whom he knew had three. As he strode to the neighbor's farmhouse, he reflected on what he knew about his fellow farmer. He remembered that he never appeared at any of the village's social events, and he had heard somewhere that he had a reputation as a skinflint. More negative thoughts about the farmer entered his head, but by this time he found himself at the door of the farmhouse. The farmer, who had seen him coming across the fields, appeared at the doorway and asked: "What's the problem?" "I've come to tell you," said the man, "that you can keep your jolly old tractor!"

Many do not realize how profoundly the way we think about God and His, character influences the way we worship Him, the way we work for Him, and the way we witness to Him. Any doubts about the goodness of God will result in our souls keeping their distance from Him. If we do not have complete confidence in Him, we will not desire a close relationship with Him.

Prayer:
Father, I see how crucial is this issue. Help me deal with any doubts that may be circulating in my mind. I don?t want any distance between You and me; I want closeness. I am listening, dear Father. Continue leading me on. Amen.