Hello God, It's Me Again, by Pastor Ed Evans

Hello God, It's Me Again

by Pastor Ed Evans

Scripture: Psalm 130
130:1  Out of the depths I cry to You, O Lord.
130:2  Lord, hear my voice! Let your ears be attentive to the voice of my supplications!
130:3  If You, O Lord, should mark iniquities, Lord, who could stand?
130:4  But there is forgiveness with You, so that You may be revered.
130:5  I wait for the Lord, my soul waits, and in His word I hope;
130:6  my soul waits for the Lord more than those who watch for the morning, more than those who watch for the morning.
130:7  O Israel, hope in the Lord!  For with the Lord there is steadfast love, and with Him is great power to redeem.
130:8  It is He who will redeem Israel from all its iniquities.

          I have often repeated the old warning that those who will not talk to God don't have a prayer.  But even when we talk to God, we often treat it like the time we were sitting on Santa's lap at the department store reciting our list of "gimmes".  Gimme this, Lord, and gimme that.  And we're not prepared to realize that while God always answers prayer, sometimes the answer is "no," and acceptance of that reality requires a measure of trust on our part.

          The story is told of a man named Henry who was out hiking in the hills when he slipped and fell over a ledge, grabbing onto a small bush just below the ledge to stop his fall.  He cried out, "Help me!  Is there anyone up there who can help me?"

          A voice answered, "I can help you, Henry."

          The man said, "Who is that, and how do you know my name?"

          The voice said, "This is God, Henry.  I will help you."

          Henry said, "Okay, thank You, God."

          "Henry, let go of the bush."

          The man, not knowing he hung only a foot above the next ledge below, repeated, "Let go of the bush?"

          "Yes, Henry, let go of the bush."

          And the man said, "Is there anybody else up there?"

          As I said, sometimes God's answers require a measure of trust on our part.

          And while it's true God has said to ask for what we need, that's just one aspect of this important moment of spiritual communication God has allowed us.  For example, it is this life of prayer that builds that relationship to God allowing us to take others where they've never been before, into sharing the presence of the Almighty God. 

          But it must be noted that we cannot take others where we ourselves have never been before.  We cannot take others into a relationship with Jesus Christ any deeper than we have been ourselves; to no higher levels of prayer than we have ascended ourselves; to no deeper levels of trust in God unless we have a nature of faith ourselves.  Have we used prayer in our own lives only to ask for things, to meet our needs, to solve our problems?  God tells us to ask, but there is so much more to prayer.

          The form that Jesus gives us in Matthew 6:9-13 is always a good example, offering praise of God before there is any asking done; "Our Father which art in heaven, hallowed be Thy name.  Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven."

          In the same way that 2nd Timothy 4:2 tells us to "Preach the word; be diligent in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine," it is just as important, maybe even more so, that we be prepared "in season and out", at a moment's notice, to enter into a time of prayer with God.  It's only human nature that those who know of our relationship with God will want us to use our "influence" with Him for their needs and problems.  They will depend upon us to usher them into the presence of Almighty God and present their petitions to Him.

          But there is a second and even more important reason why an active prayer life must be a priority for those who follow Jesus Christ.  Our Savior told us plainly that nothing of eternal significance happens separate from God.  In John 15:15, Jesus said, "Apart from Me you can do nothing."  Nothing.  Not "okay but not as good."  Not "almost there."  Nothing.  How plain is that?

          Biblical prayer will lead us into those activities of life with lasting results.  At the same time, such prayer may well be the most challenging, exhaustive, and laboriously concentrated, yet rewarding experience we will ever have.  For we who follow Jesus Christ have need of the spirit-filled life, understanding we cannot fill ourselves with the Spirit of God.  In understanding Ephesians 5:18, "...be filled with the Spirit," we note only God can do that.  God has promised us, through Jeremiah 29:13, "You will seek Me and find Me when you search for Me with all your heart." 

          Filled then with God's purpose and God's spirit is like having a charged-up engine and a tank full of gas, ready to rumble.  But our spiritual vehicle needs a steering wheel and that's the third benefit of a dedicated prayer life -- God's wisdom.

          Our God can see around corners and across the ages of time.  We cannot.  He is far better informed and infinitely wiser than we are even at our very best moment, and God is willing to share.  In Jeremiah 33:3, knowing what He intends to do and how, God says to us, "Call to Me and I will answer you, and i will tell you great and mighty things which you do not know." 

          After all, with whom did we think we were dealing?  God is all-powerful, all-knowing, and always there.  Why wouldn't we want to turn to Him Who is willing to make use of our best resources?  In Matthew 7:7, God gives us a fourth reason for prayer, "Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find, knock, and it will be opened to you."  Do you want answers?  Can you handle answers?  God has them.

          There are times when even the most powerful among us, the smartest, the best-positioned, has to realize that we are nothing, and God is all.  He is everything.  Even if we attempt to bring all our resources to bear on a problem, we may still be without the solution we need because we have left God out of the equation.  We need to lay that problem at His feet, ask, seek, knock, and wait upon God for the answer.  Whether at the impossible level or the miracle level, with God all things become possible. 

          Whether coming to God for answers, or quietly recognizing that He is God in praise and prayer, we know that just dealing with everyday life can be a heavy load to bear, filled with anxiety and stress.  That's why we need to set it all aside for a brief time of prayer, laying it all at His feet, knowing we are nothing, He is all, with the admission, "I need your help, Father.  I'm asking Your intervention here, Your assistance with this difficult problem." 

          In those moments when the difficulties are such that you can't share them with anyone else, when the entire weight rests on your shoulders, that's when the Father waits for our admission that He is our problem-solver.  He can do all, when we are up against it and can do nothing in our own power.

          Lastly, as we struggle to make far-reaching decisions about the agendas that lie before us, a prayerful encounter with the God who is never surprised can provide us with, if not the details of His plan for us, at least the confidence to know that He who is in charge of our future is focused on our best interests.  As we read in Jeremiah 29:11, God assures us, "For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope." 

          When we come to the end of our own resources, there we will find Him.  Someone has said that when you come to the end of your rope, you should tie a knot in it and hang on.  For there we find the God of the universe, waiting for us to come to the realization that we are not successful in our own power, but in His as we give our lives over to perfect submission in Him.

          This knowledge, gained through a life of prayer and faith, represents the riches available to us in Christ Jesus.  These are the jewels of the kingdom to be shared with those about us, seeking for answers, seeking for truth, seeking the secret of faith.

          But there is no secret beyond a life of prayer, that rich relationship with the God of all time and space and wisdom.  To those who seek His presence in prayer, there is in life such a depth of living and love as the prayerless never know.  As we read in verses 5-7 of today's scripture, "I wait for the Lord, my soul waits, and in His word I hope; my soul waits for the Lord more than those who watch for the morning, more than those who watch for the morning.  O Israel, hope in the Lord!  For with the Lord there is steadfast love, and with Him is great power to redeem."

          This is the legacy our God offers to those who will join Him in the garden of prayer, spending time quietly knowing that He is God, turning over to Him all authority for their life, depending upon Him for solace and rest, for tomorrow, for the answers to which God alone is privy.  He is ours and we are His in those precious moments of submission and total dependence upon Him who loved us first, Him who has already given us the gift of life everlasting.  Amen.

August 12, 2012

Invocation:  Almighty God, who always moves with clarity of will and singleness of purpose, help me to live and work with certainty in an uncertain world.  Light a lamp before me so that my feet do not stumble.  Make my path clear so I may never wander from Your chosen way.  I pray in the name of Jesus who comes to make Your way clear before our eyes.  Amen.

Read: Psalm 127

Daily Scripture Readings

Monday                Isaiah 54: 9-17

Tuesday               Hebrews 10:1-10

Wednesday          2nd Peter 1:1-11
Thursday              1st Peter 3:13-22

Friday                   1st Peter 4;12-19

Saturday               John 17:1-19

Sunday                 2nd Samuel 18:1, 5, 9-15; Ephesians 4:25-5:2; Psalm 143:1-8;

                             John 6:35, 41-51 

Reflection: (silent and written)

Prayers for the church, for others, for yourself.

Hymn: "O God, Our Help in Ages Past"

Benediction:  Send me, Lord, as an evangel of hope and security to those whose paths will cross with mine this day.  Amen.