Day by Day

[Soldier4Christ]

"Let Go! Let God!"

When I am weak, then I am strong. 2 Corinthians 12:10
   

The kitten cried pitifully as it clung to a branch high in the tree. The climb up had seemed so simple; the way back down, impossible. Standing on a ladder, the man grabbed the cat with gloved hands. He brought it, yowling and clawing frantically, down to safety.

Sometimes we face situations that look impossible. Even though we do the best we can, sometimes our best isn't good enough. Problems get bigger. Troubles get worse.

With feeble faith we cry, "God, can You do anything to right what's wrong?" We may fail to recognize His answer. We may not like His solution. We protest, "Not Your will, O Lord, but mine!"

Our great God is a loving rescuer. Once He sent His Son to deliver us from our greatest dilemma, the eternal consequences of sin. Jesus suffered and died in our place. We have to trust in Jesus to be saved.

We can entrust Jesus with our other problems, too. We turn our cares over to Him. Prayer changes things. It changes us. We gain faith, wisdom, courage, power, and peace.

God is listening. He answers. He has not promised that we'll have no headaches or heartaches. He does promise to be with us. We know somehow that in all things He is working for our good.

[Soldier4Christ]

"He Hears the Feeble Cry"

Before they call I will answer; while they are still speaking I will hear. The wolf and the lamb will feed together, and the lion will eat straw like the ox. Isaiah 65:24-25
   

There is a distinct tonal quality in each voice. Friends call on the phone, and after only a word or two we recognize the speaker on the other end of the line. As blind Isaac identified Jacob, the younger of his twin sons, by his voice, so we know the familiar sound of a family member speaking with us.

Our recognition of voices, however, is very limited, especially when compared with the staggering ability of God. His ears detect the feeblest cry. The multitude of voices that rise up to Him never overtax the switchboard of either His omniscience or His grace.

It is not the pleasing tone of voice or the persuasive petition that causes God to listen. He hears the repentant sigh of the sinner, the sobs of the hurt spirit, the whisper of the soul in need, and the groan of the one in pain.

God hears even before the words are formed in the larynx and on the lips. He understands when the first impulse of faith in Jesus Christ, prompted by the Spirit, comes into being. And when His children gratefully respond to His goodness, the echo of their praise delights His heart.

[Soldier4Christ]

"Ask, Seek, Knock"

"Ask and it will be given you; seek and you shall find; knock and the door will be opened to you." Matthew 7:7
   

God has given to us the privilege of prayer. Because of Jesus' death on the cross, our sins are forgiven and our relationship with the Father is restored. We can talk with Him about our problems, praising Him for His mercy and abundant blessings.

Have we prayed often for a relative who doesn't know Christ, for healing, or for a new job? Whatever the prayer, we can be confident that God hears us. Our Savior desires that we talk with Him about all our concerns -- to ask, seek, and knock. He want us to be persistent. He speaks in a parable about a man who, during the night, went to a neighbor and got what he wanted -- bread for a visitor -- because he kept asking.

Praying diligently is hard. Satan likes to put obstacles in our way. Our sinful human nature causes us to forget to pray. We try to work out problems on our own. But God's Word reminds us that God is the One we must rely on. God has told us that without Him we can do nothing.

Let's continue praying! What a privilege to take all our cares to the God who has promised to answer!

[Soldier4Christ]

"Beauty While You Sleep"

In vain you rise early and stay up late, toiling for food to eat -- for He grants sleep to those He loves. Psalm 127:2
   

A marvelous truth is hidden in this sentence. The psalmist is really saying: "He gives to His beloved in sleep." God gives many things to His beloved in sleep: angels to guard their beds, vitality for waiting tasks, fields growing in the silent darkness into tomorrow's bread.

But the highest gift that God gives to His beloved in sleep is the beauty of Jesus. There is something remarkable about the last thought we think before we fall asleep. All through the night that thought continues to work in our subconscious mind. It permeates our inner self. It becomes a part of us.

And what is the last thought of a child of God? It is a thought of prayer, of Jesus who hears prayer. Then we enjoy sleep -- transforming sleep. Through the still hours of the night the Holy Spirit uses that last thought to keep us close to the Lord Jesus. Did we fall asleep last night with a prayer and with a thought of Jesus?

[Soldier4Christ]

"When Trouble Comes"

Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour. 1 Peter 5:8
   

One thing we all have in common is trouble. Every person is a bundle of trouble. Put a few of those bundles together and trouble grows.

Our troubles usually send us into emotional wheelspinning on the worry road. This never helps. It offends God and hurts us, but it never solves the problem.

God's way is best. Instead of giving way to fear, worry, and anxiety, we are to assert an action of faith. The first step is to get God into our problem. Here is the way: Quietly, confidently, ask God to help you bear the trouble and live with it until you have learned the intended lesson and He Himself takes it away. Thus prayer becomes the place where burdens change shoulders.

We confidently go to God because we know His love for us in Christ Jesus. We know that He will help us in our troubles, through our troubles, out of our troubles. In this way they become steppingstones instead of stumbling blocks. Instead of getting us down, our troubles lift us up, for whatever drives us to God in trust and surrender always brings victory.

[Soldier4Christ]

"Letting God Know Our Requests"

In everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. Philippians 4:6
   

The heavenly storehouse is full of God's gifts and blessings. This overwhelming abundance would be ours if we would but storm the gates of heaven with our prayers.

All of us have our needs and wants. Our problems often seem like insurmountable obstacles on life's road; they are hindrances to our happiness. We may not be able to do anything about them, but God is almighty. He can move mountains. And He would do so if we but make our requests known to Him in prayer.

Solomon prayed for wisdom, and he received it. Hannah prayed for a child and became the mother of a great man of God, Samuel. Saint Paul's request for relief from his thorn in the flesh was denied. but instead he received strength to bear his burden. That was something even better for him than what he had desired. That is how God answers prayer. He is "able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine" (Ephesians 3:20). He has given us His Son to be our Savior. "Will He not also, along with Him, graciously give us all things?" (Romans 8:32). Indeed He will. In answer to prayer He will open the storehouse of His bounty.

[Soldier4Christ]

"Prayer Gives Strength"

Pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus. 1 Thessalonians 5:17-18
   

It is good to begin and end each day with prayer, thanking God for His love, guidance, and provision for all our needs. It is in keeping with God's will that we talk to Him also during the day for then we feel His power sustaining us. "Pray constantly," writes Saint Paul.

When we make prayer a thoughtful habit, we have the assurance of God's presence with us. He will enable us to carry on in the face of trial, to have adequate strength to lay aside our burdens and fears. God wants us to trust Him completely that He will help us meet the challenging circumstances and make them steppingstones to greater blessings in life.

As we become constant in prayer, we feel a continual flow of spiritual vitality and inspiration, for God supplies us with strength. In answer to our requests He will show us the right way to proceed. Regardless of appearances to the contrary, God answers prayer. In His love and wisdom He provides everything needful for today and the future. Having given us His Son as our Savior, He will grant also lesser gifts.

[Soldier4Christ]

"Claiming His Good Gifts"

"Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you." Matthew 7:7
   

God has great gifts for us. The best gift He has already given: His Son, who by His sacrifice on the cross earned our forgiveness and opened heaven for us. Then there are the gifts of food, clothing, and all that goes with living.

However, we may lack some of the things we need and would like to have. Why is that? Could it be that we don't have some good things simply because we don't ask for them? Saint James tells us: "You do not have, because you do not ask God" (James 4:2).

God has promised to hear our earnest prayers. The Bible makes this plain. The woman of Canaan asked the Lord to heal her daughter, and she was healed. Lepers who sought the Lord's help were cleansed. The disciples called on Jesus in the storm, and "He got up and rebuked the winds and the waves, and it was completely calm" (Matthew 8:26). The thief on the cross asked Christ to remember him when He came into His kingdom. His prayer was heard. Jesus took him into paradise that very day.

These and many more examples from the Bible are in accord with Jesus' promise: "Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you" (Matthew 7:7).

[Soldier4Christ]

"Water For Life"

“This is what the LORD says: ‘I have healed this water. Never again will it cause death or make the land unproductive.’” And the water has remained wholesome to this day, according to the word Elisha had spoken. 2 Kings 2:21b-22 (NIV)
   

In Egypt, I had some lettuce that had been washed with the local water. Within hours, I knew that I had made a mistake. Forget Mexico’s "Montezuma’s Revenge". The "Pharaoh’s Curse" is worse!

Today, approximately 6,000 people will die of waterborne diseases like typhoid, cholera, and dysentery. Most of you will not be personally acquainted with any of those 6,000. That you, your children, and grandchildren are not among those 6,000 who will die today should be cause for having a thankful heart. We should also be appreciative that we won’t be part of the 6,000 who will die tomorrow or the day after that. Those of us who have safe water from the sink should be glad we are not part of the 1 billion people around the world who have no access to safe drinking water.

We should also be most grateful for a new invention called the LifeStraw. Produced by a Danish company, the $3 LifeStraw has the ability to change the future of many of those thousands who once were destined to die. LifeStraw, which uses no electricity; needs no spare parts, and calls for no maintenance, has the ability to filter 185 gallons, or a year’s worth of water for parched souls.

Can any of us truly understand what this invention might mean to a mother who has watched some of her children die because they drank unsafe water? Can any of us comprehend the peace that will come to those people for whom a drink of water has been like betting your life on the spin of a roulette wheel?

Of course, we can’t understand. But the people of Jericho in the days of the Old Testament prophet, Elisha, could. The only water they had was unfit. When they shared their plight with the prophet, he threw some salt in the spring and gave God’s free promise: “I have healed this water. Never again will it cause death or make the land unproductive.” Today, the spring still flows, and the city is an oasis in the desert.

In a similar way, God’s grace for sinful humanity is free. Unable to change our conditions, we were doomed. But God, in His love, sent Jesus to make things better. Through His life, death and resurrection, He has become the Fount of water that gives forgiveness, life and salvation. What does it say in the last chapter of Revelation? It says, “let the one who hears say, “Come.” And let the one who is thirsty come; let the one who desires take the water of life without price.” That is what Jesus is. He is water for life in this world and the next.

[Soldier4Christ]

"The Spirit is With us When Prayers Come Hard"

In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit Himself intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express. Romans 8:26
   

The flame of faith does not always burn with the same intensity. The great London preacher, Charles Spurgeon, preached for over 30 years to an average of five thousand people every Sunday morning, and five thousand people every Sunday evening. Yet this man of God frequently had to fight great moods of depression.

God does not abandon His children when the soul is disquieted and cast down. When the question arises, "Where is your God?" the believer can answer, "His Spirit is with me, even now interceding for me with 'groans that words cannot express.'"

The work of the Holy Spirit is not limited to bringing about a state of repentance. When He comes creating faith in Jesus as Savior, He stays to intercede. This does not mean that He substitutes prayers on behalf of those who refuse to pray or pray indifferently. But one of the most glorious aspects of His presence as the promised Comforter is that He is with us speaking unutterable words as we pray to the Father.

All thanks to God that our ability to express the depths of our conflicts as well as the breadth of our love is always refined and enlarged by the Spirit within us.

[Soldier4Christ]

"Big Prayers"

"Open wide your mouth and I will fill it." Psalm 81:10
   

There's a story of a little fish in the Mississippi River who was afraid to take a drink lest he use up all the water and suffocate.

Sometimes we pray like that -- afraid we may be asking God for too much. God's power is limitless; His resources are inexhaustible; His promises are all-embracing. Jesus said that if we believe we will receive whatever we ask for in prayer.

This "whatever" is as all-embracing as the "whoever" in John 3:16 "God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life."

We can come to the throne of grace with our smallest trifles and our biggest problems. This is Jesus' promise: "If you remain in Me and My words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be given you" (John 15:7).

Nothing is too hard for the Lord. He can grant all our prayers, the big ones as well as the little ones. He who gave us His Son as the greatest gift is able to do immeasurably more than all that we ask or imagine.

[Soldier4Christ]

"The Answer is en Route"

"Before they call I will answer; while they are still speaking I will hear." Isaiah 65:24
   

A widow, her young son, and her invalid daughter moved to a poor part of London. They had formerly lived in comfort, but because of the death of her husband, they had to move.

The day came when their resources were exhausted and their meager income would no longer stretch. That evening, while mother and son knelt beside the bed of the invalid daughter, they committed their need to God. The next morning the mailman delivered a letter. In the envelope was the equivalent of a week's wages. It had come from New Zealand. The benefactor had heard of the husband's death and had been moved to help the woman and her children. The letter went first to the village where they had lived, then finally reached London. Five months after leaving New Zealand, it arrived in London the morning after the family prayer.

Although God is fully aware of our need, He still delights to hear our voice. His answer often predates our call, and help is on the way before our prayer ascends. God supplies all our needs, including forgiveness in Christ, our Savior.

[Soldier4Christ]

"Pray On"

The eyes of the Lord are on the righteous and His ears are attentive to their prayer. 1 Peter 3:12
   

In an age as skeptical as ours quite a few people question the relevance of prayer. In a time so full of pressing needs -- worldwide hunger, ongoing wars, the threat of overpopulation, pollution, energy shortages, and the like -- prayer can seem rather innocuous. To some it appears harmless, but hardly meaningful.

Perhaps we as Christians do not feel quite so negative about prayer. But it appears that on many occasions even Christians will spend a great deal more time worrying about things than they will praying about things. It might be necessary for us to take a moment to rediscover prayer.

Our test tells us quite plainly that God's ears are open to our prayers. We need not pray in a stiff, formal fashion, for prayer is conversation with God. He will hear prayers that are spoken in the name of Christ, and He will answer them. Sometimes He has to say no. Even earthly fathers have to weigh and consider the requests of their children. But when God says no, He gives us something better than what we prayed for. That's why we pray: "Your will be done," for God always hears and answers our prayers in a way that is best for us.

What a privilege prayer is! Therefore let's bring all our requests, both small and large to our Lord in prayer.

[Soldier4Christ]

"The Shepherds Love"

He tends His flock like a shepherd; He gathers the lambs in His arms and carries them close to His heart; He gently leads those that have young. Isaiah 40:11
   

When a frisky young lamb continuously strays from the flock and the shepherd's guiding, the shepherd may have to resort to disciplinary measures to correct bad habits. But when the lamb is ailing or lost, he drapes it over his shoulder and carries it home. The lamb becomes very attached to the shepherd and depends on him for all its needs. When the lamb recovers and the shepherd releases it, usually it no longer wanders, but follows the shepherd closely.

Because Jesus, our Good Shepherd, loves us, He may permit us to experience pain and suffering in order to keep us from straying from Him. When the sinful world injures us, He gathers us up in His arms, holds us tenderly, and teaches us our dependence on Him, so that when He puts us on our feet again, we will follow Him more closely.

We are precious indeed to our Good Shepherd. He gave His life to save us from the devouring wolf, then took up His life again. In love He cares for us, leads us in God's paths of righteousness, and guides us to heaven's eternal shelter.

[Soldier4Christ]

"More Than Power Unlimited"

"When you pray, say: "Father, hallowed be Your name.'" Luke 11:2
   

God not only cares for us with a concern that far surpasses that of any earthly father, but more -- He is a father with unlimited power. He holds all the might of heaven in His hands. With God all things are possible! We bring our needs before Him confidently. There is no problem too great for Him. He can turn evil to good ends. He can untangle the crossed lines of our lives.

We have a friend who possesses "power unlimited." Let's tell Him just what needs to be done!

But wait. Ponder these words in all their fullness before proceeding. "Father, hallowed be Your name" is more than power unlimited. He is also perfect wisdom. His thoughts are not our thoughts. His wisdom is so superior to ours that His ways are to us often a puzzle past finding out.

In the presence of His perfect wisdom, our knowledge, our notions, our solutions to life's problems are often childishly wide of the mark. It would be a disastrous day if God would let our limited knowledge direct and control His unlimited power.

Faith in our Father is more than faith in His concern and power. It is also faith in His infinite wisdom. One of the joys of faith is that we do not have to rely on our wisdom when we pray. We can rest easy in the knowledge that He knows best.