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LISTENING
"Prayer is listening and speaking from our inner heart, rather than from our senses and mind." Dr Trevor Griffiths -- Lost and Then Found, 1999.
Scripture reveals how the Lord speaks to His servants. Sometimes through direct contact -- "The LORD said to Abraham. . ." with no explanation as to whether God spoke in an audible voice or through conviction within the silence of the man's heart. On other occasions God spoke in a vision or by "appearing" to His servant. God initiates the contact within the circumstances of the individual and for His own purpose.
Hannah's silent prayer out of the bitterness of her soul was because the Lord had deprived her of a child and made her an object of contempt within the family. God used the family constellation to create a deep yearning in prayer and a devotion that would give up her precious son Samuel to God's service for the whole of his life. C. S. Lewis puts it this way -- "God whispers to us in our pleasures, speaks in our conscience, but shouts in our pain: it is His megaphone to rouse a deaf world." The question is -- what information and responsibility has God placed upon us for prayer at this time? James advises us to be "quick to listen and slow to speak." If this is necessary in our human relationships then it is vital in our communication with Almighty God regarding His mission in the world.
Let us, therefore, pray as we respond to God's Word:-
CHURCH PLANTING/LEADERSHIP
"Everything in the world is about to be wrapped up, so take nothing for granted. Stay wide-awake in prayer. Most of all, love each other as if your life depended on it. Love makes up for practically anything. Be quick to give a meal to the hungry, a bed to the homeless -- cheerfully. Be generous with the different things God gave you, passing them around so all get in on it: if words, let it be God's words; if help, let it be God's hearty help. That way, God's bright presence will be evident in everything through Jesus, and he'll get all the credit as the One mighty in everything -- encores to the end of time.
Oh, yes!" 1Peter 4:7-11 - The Message.
CHILDREN AND YOUTH
"Since my youth, O God, you have taught me, and to this day I declare your marvelous deeds. Even when I am old and grey, do not forsake me, O God, till I declare your power to the next generation, your might to all who are to come." Psalm 71:17-18 -- NIV.
WOMEN
"Women, listen closely to what I say. . . .Yes, weep and grieve until the Spirit is poured down on us from above and the badlands desert grows crops and the fertile fields become forests. Justice will move into the badlands desert. Right will build a home in the fertile field. And where there's Right, there will be Peace and the progeny of Right: quiet lives and endless trust. My people will live in a peaceful neighborhood – in safe houses, in quiet gardens. The forest of your pride will be clear-cut, the city showing off your power leveled. But you will enjoy a blessed life, planting well-watered fields and gardens, with your farm animals grazing freely." Isaiah 32:15-20 -- The Message.
THE SICK, THE POOR
"The poor and needy search for water, but there is none; their tongues are parched with thirst. But I the LORD will answer them; I, the God of Israel, will not forsake them. I will make rivers flow on barren heights, and springs within the valleys. I will turn the desert into pools of water, and the parched ground into springs. I will put in the desert the cedar and the acacia, the myrtle and the olive. I will set pines in the wasteland, the fir and the cypress together, so that people may see and know, consider and understand, that the LORD has done this, that the Holy One of Israel has created it." Isaiah 42:17-20 --NIV.
ORAL COMMUNICATORS
"Good friend, don't forget all I've taught you; take to heart my commands. They'll help you live a long, long time, a long life lived full and well. Don't lose your grip on Love and Loyalty. Tie them around your neck; carve their initials on your heart. Earn a reputation for living well in God's eyes and the eyes of the people. Trust God from the bottom of your heart; don't try to figure out everything on your own. Listen for God's voice in everything you do, everywhere you go; he's the one who will keep you on track. Don't assume that you know it all. Run to God! Run from evil! Your body will glow with health, your very bones will vibrate with life." Proverbs 3:1-8 -- The Message.
Alfred, Lord Tennyson wrote in 1869 "More things are wrought by prayer than this world dreams of."
For those who want to pray along with us, you can go to
http://www.twr.org/get_involved/pray
Deep message. And fully identify / agree with this sentence. Sometimes we're so involved in our own pursuits that he has to send us hard times so that we can hear loud and clear. But usually when He does that, what He wants to tell us is impt stuff.
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing.
no worries! ;D Hope your "bak chiu"s ish getting better~
ReplyDelete"bak chiu"s getting better though still itchy. tks for praying :)
ReplyDelete