Forsaken But Praying

Mark 15:34 (ESV)

And at the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, “Eloi, Eloi, lema sabachthani?” which means, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”

“My God, My God, why have you forsaken me?” Have you ever felt forsaken by the Lord? Abandoned? It is a lonely feeling to find yourself in the middle of a crisis or situation you can’t explain or do anything about. Can you trust Him with all the challenging events of life and live in faith? Even in the midst of suffering and pain? We must come to the conclusion and understanding that the Lord uses all things to accomplish His purposes in our lives. The Lord even uses evil things that come from the evil one (Proverbs 16:4).

Jesus claimed God as His Father, yet He lamented that the Father was withdrawing His love and care for Him. The Father abandoned Christ while Christ bore our sins on the cross. It was the greatest price that could be paid for our sin, Christ’s suffering. Though forsaken, Christ remained faithful to His mission—redemption for those who would choose salvation through Him.

There will be times in life when you feel abandoned. The burden may seem more than is humanly possible to bear. We want to ask why these events happen, but why? isn’t the right question. The right question is, will you worship and follow God even if He does not meet your expectations? Will you follow Him even when you feel forsaken? Will you still pray?

Dear Lord, when we feel forsaken and abandoned help us to know that You are always there. Help us to never stop praying. In the Name of Jesus, Amen.

Praying Like a Little Child

Matthew 19:13-15 (ESV)

13 Then children were brought to him that he might lay his hands on them and pray. The disciples rebuked the people, 14 but Jesus said, “Let the little children come to me and do not hinder them, for to such belongs the kingdom of heaven.” 15 And he laid his hands on them and went away.

There is no second-guessing about what we must be like to enter the kingdom of heaven. There is no test to pass to see if we have reached the right score on the righteousness scale. There is no spiritual timepiece to measure the minimum requirement for prayer and Bible study. There is only one required standard to enter the kingdom of heaven: childlike faith in Christ as Savior.

Little children are harmless and inoffensive. They are meek, free from malice, and without pride. Little children do not have ambitious ideas or desires for superiority. Where do you go to school? How much money does your parent make? These are questions that wouldn’t cross a child’s mind.

The question you must ask yourself is: Do I really trust my heavenly Father the way a little child trusts? Your prayers will reveal your belief system when it comes to trust in the Father. You see, I really do believe my heavenly Father is loving and faithful and has my best interests at heart. I believe He hears my prayers (John 14:13). I believe God the Father looks at me as one of His little children. He calls me up close to Him and says, “Tell Me what is on your heart, son.” He says, “Get quiet and listen to what I say to you.” So simple, so conversational, so unprofessional, so real. That’s the way He teaches us to pray. He desires the honest simplicity of praying like a little child, not praying to be heard by others or attempting to impress God. Can you imagine trying to impress God with your prayers? What a waste of time.

In coming to our Lord in prayer with the spirit of childlikeness, we will realize the Fatherhood of God in our lives.

Dear Lord, we pray that we would have a child like faith. We pray that we would trust You fully like a child trust his parents. In the Name of Jesus, Amen.

Loving friends

Proverbs 17:17a (NIV)

A friend loves at all times.

   

This week as I kept up on Facebook I found so many of my friends are hurting in one way or another. Some are fighting the flu or other sickness. Some have financial problems. I even have a friend who was in a major accident and is unable to work. I am able as their friend to pray for them and send encouraging words.

 

Friends are so important. Not just because they are fun and enjoyable to be with but because they help you in times of need. God wants us to make good choices and pick good friends because friends are going to be there your whole life. If it’s one thing that will last, it is a really good friend.   Good friends have your back and are there for you. They are there to make you smile when you are sad. A true friend is a friend no matter what is going on around you. God wants us to remember that to have good friends we need to be a good friend too.

Are you being a good friend to someone today?

Dear God, thank you for this day. Thank You for the friends You have given us. We pray that we would treat them with love so they will see they are important. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

God's Timing is Perfect

Matthew 18:20 (NIV)

For where two or three gather in my name, there am I with them.

When Dr. Paul White was serving in a bush hospital in East Africa, a schoolteacher named Yamusi Cikata came to him, carried on a stretcher from a nearby village. Parasites and disease had attacked his feet, swelling them to twice their normal size. He was no longer able to walk or even stand.

"The disease is very bad indeed," Dr. White told him, following an examination. "The only way to save your life will be to cut both your legs off above the knee."

The man's face fell. "But there's no place for a man in our tribe who has no feet. How can I cultivate? How can I look after my garden and my cattle?"

Pulling a worn Testament from his scant clothing, Yamusi turned to James 5:16 and said, "Read this." Dr. White, unable to read the tribal language, asked his assistant to translate it. The very strong prayer of a man who is right with God is most effective.

"Do you believe that?" asked the patient. "Yes, Yamusi, I do."

"Do you believe it enough to stake my life on it?"

The doctor pondered the question. "That depends on you as well," he finally replied. "It says in the Book, `If two of you shall agree in anything that you ask, it will be done."' Together the two men made a covenant, the doctor kneeling by the man's bedside. The prayers were accompa­nied by months of hot foot baths, injections, therapy, and treatment. After seven months, a slight improvement was seen, and the two men knelt together thanking God and asking for more progress.

One morning, Dr. White found Yamusi hobbling around the ward, beaming; and before the year was out he was able to walk without pain.'

God doesn't always say yes to all our requests, but He listens with unusual attentiveness when two or three gather in united prayer-and He responds in His own way and time with power and wisdom.

Dear Lord, we thank You that You are always listening to us. Thanks that You will always  answer. Help us to accept the answers and the timing that You give us. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

The Prayer of a Child.

Mark 10:14 (New International Version)
When Jesus saw this, he was indignant. He said to them, “Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these.


When the public schools of New Orleans were integrated under court order in 1960, four six-year-old black girls were selected to break the immoral barrier that had been built over generations to keep white and black children apart. Three were assigned to one school, and Ruby Bridges was sent alone to Frantz Elementary School. How was a little girl supposed to deal with such tension?


She was escorted to and from school each day by federal marshals for her protection. She had to run the gauntlet of taunts, curses, and threats from adults as she arrived and left each day. White parents took their children out of Frantz, and Ruby was the only child in Miss Hurley's first-grade class.

Dr. Robert Coles is a child psychiatrist who studied Ruby's experience. He visited with Ruby and her family twice every week. He interviewed Miss Hurley about her pupil. To his amazement, Ruby was sleeping soundly every night, eating well, and playing with neighborhood children as before. "You know, I don't understand this child," said her teacher. "She seems so happy. She comes here so cheerfully."


One morning Miss Hurley was watching Ruby walk toward the school. Suddenly the little girl stopped right in the middle of the screaming, jeering crowd. Facing all those angry people, her lips started moving. Miss Hurley thought she was talking to them. She wondered what Ruby might be saying to people who seemed ready to kill her. The marshals tried to move her into the building. But she wouldn't budge until she finished what she was saying.


Miss Hurley asked her later what had happened, and Ruby explained. "I wasn't talking to those people," she said. "I was praying. I was praying for them." You see, every morning Ruby had stopped a few blocks from her school to pray for the people who hated her. That morning she had forgotten until she was already on the sidewalk in the middle of the angry adults.


Here is what she prayed twice a day, before and after school. "Please, God, try to forgive those people. Because even if they say those bad things, they don't know what they're doing. So you could forgive them, just like you did those folks a long time ago when they said terrible things about you."


Think you have some tough situations to face this week? Have to deal with some unpleasant people? Have to confront people who are unkind or unfair? I recommend you try Ruby's method and remember that Jesus said of little children, "Of such is the kingdom of heaven."




Dear Lord we pray that we would have the hearts of a child. Help us to pray as a child would. In Jesus’ name, Amen.