Hello
my dear friends! Have you ever faced a time in your life where your
prayers seemed to rise no further than the ceiling and bounce right back
at you? Have you ever prayed so much and after praying you actually
felt worse than better? Chances are, we have all experienced these kind
of feelings on our journey. Here is today's comfort: the Psalmist did
too. After all of his praying, he confessed in a most transparent way:
"My soul refused to be comforted."
As you continue to celebrate Advent this year, may this be a season of comfort for your soul.
Joy to the world, the Lord is come!
Denny
Psalms of Discipleship—Principle #45
Life Principles For Those Who Choose To Follow Jesus And Live The Discipled Life
Key Scripture: 1 My voice rises to God, and I will cry aloud; My voice
rises to God, and He will hear me. 2 In the day of my trouble I sought
the Lord; In the night my hand was stretched out without weariness; My
soul refused to be comforted. Psalm 77:1-2
Core Value: Prayer
How long do you pray before it’s time to give up and do something
different? Great question. Seldom, an easy answer. Do you pray until you
get the answer you want or do you pray until the Lord leads you to pray
in another direction? Do you pray in faith or are your prayers measured
by “success?”
Again, great questions and challenging answers.
Perhaps, prayer is not about getting what you want from God but it
serves as a vehicle in which God gets from you what He wants.
Maybe its about surrender and submission. Maybe what He wants from you
is patience and faith. Maybe the trouble you are facing is nothing more
than God’s way of getting your attention.
Maybe the practice
of prayer is the bridge to connecting to a God who cannot be seen but
desires to be trusted, even when prayer does not seem to be “working.”
Principle #45 & Personal Application: Quality disciples cry out to
the Lord during times of trouble, even when it seems that God is not
listening.
Note: the Psalmist speaks for many of us as he
experiences the feelings of discouragement to disappointment to
deliverance. In this portion of the Psalm, he shares about his concern
that in spite of his prayers, he still is without comfort. Faith in God
(in His character and in His Word), not faith in our circumstances or
even in our prayers is the key to trusting in the Lord.
• In times of crisis we raise our voice to the Lord
• In times of crisis we expect God to hear us
• In times of crisis we seek the Lord, even during the darkest of times and even if we do not receive instant relief
Reflect & Respond: Some Really Good Questions To Ponder…
Have I ever prayed to the Lord where I felt no different inside my heart?
What reasons come to mind on why God delays in answering some of my prayers?
Prayer:
Lord Jesus, may I always trust You, even when I do not see a change in my circumstances.
The Essential Core Values Of The Quality Disciple Are…
Grace—Worship—Bible Study—Prayer—Community—Service
Denny Bates & Something New Christian Publishers © 2012 All rights reserved.
www.dennybates.com
http://
As you continue to celebrate Advent this year, may this be a season of comfort for your soul.
Joy to the world, the Lord is come!
Denny
Psalms of Discipleship—Principle #45
Life Principles For Those Who Choose To Follow Jesus And Live The Discipled Life
Key Scripture: 1 My voice rises to God, and I will cry aloud; My voice rises to God, and He will hear me. 2 In the day of my trouble I sought the Lord; In the night my hand was stretched out without weariness; My soul refused to be comforted. Psalm 77:1-2
Core Value: Prayer
How long do you pray before it’s time to give up and do something different? Great question. Seldom, an easy answer. Do you pray until you get the answer you want or do you pray until the Lord leads you to pray in another direction? Do you pray in faith or are your prayers measured by “success?”
Again, great questions and challenging answers. Perhaps, prayer is not about getting what you want from God but it serves as a vehicle in which God gets from you what He wants.
Maybe its about surrender and submission. Maybe what He wants from you is patience and faith. Maybe the trouble you are facing is nothing more than God’s way of getting your attention.
Maybe the practice of prayer is the bridge to connecting to a God who cannot be seen but desires to be trusted, even when prayer does not seem to be “working.”
Principle #45 & Personal Application: Quality disciples cry out to the Lord during times of trouble, even when it seems that God is not listening.
Note: the Psalmist speaks for many of us as he experiences the feelings of discouragement to disappointment to deliverance. In this portion of the Psalm, he shares about his concern that in spite of his prayers, he still is without comfort. Faith in God (in His character and in His Word), not faith in our circumstances or even in our prayers is the key to trusting in the Lord.
• In times of crisis we raise our voice to the Lord
• In times of crisis we expect God to hear us
• In times of crisis we seek the Lord, even during the darkest of times and even if we do not receive instant relief
Reflect & Respond: Some Really Good Questions To Ponder…
Have I ever prayed to the Lord where I felt no different inside my heart?
What reasons come to mind on why God delays in answering some of my prayers?
Prayer:
Lord Jesus, may I always trust You, even when I do not see a change in my circumstances.
The Essential Core Values Of The Quality Disciple Are…
Grace—Worship—Bible Study—Prayer—Community—Service
Denny Bates & Something New Christian Publishers © 2012 All rights reserved.
www.dennybates.com
http://
No comments:
Post a Comment