Moments With God

"I tell you the truth, if anyone says to this mountain, ‘Go throw yourself into the sea,’ and does not doubt in his heart but believes that what he says will happen, it will be done for him. Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours. And when you stand praying, if you hold anything against anyone, forgive him, so that your Father in heaven may forgive you your sins."

Mark 11:23-25

In our home hangs a small sign which says, "Let prayer be the KEY that opens and closes your day." I think this small sign is suggesting that prayer should permeate our entire day from beginning to end. It is suggesting that prayer is the key to living a joyful, abundant, and productive life. It is so tempting to rush into our day's activities without prayer. Prayer, however, is a powerful tool given to us by the Lord. Often we do not begin to tap into the full power prayer can have in our lives.

Mark 11:22-24 are powerful verses. They tell us that we need to approach the Lord in prayer with faith and trust. If we do this, the Lord will remove the "mountains" or what we deem the impossible circumstances and obstacles from our lives. The Lord will remove those difficult situations in our lives, or He will give us the grace and strength to walk through those difficult situations. He will do this through the power of prayer. In verse twenty-four of Mark chapter eleven Jesus says, "Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours." God can hear our prayers and do what we think is the impossible. Wonderful things have been accomplished through the power of prayer for those who are the children of God.

We do need to pray according to the Lord's will, however. God knows what is best for us. A parent would not give a knife to a toddler, if he or she asked for it. In the same way, our Lord will not give us things that are not good for us. He loves us that much! According to Mark 11:25 we also need to not have an unforgiving spirit towards others, if we want to be an effective prayer warrior. Further, if we want to be an effective prayer warrior; we need to show evidence of a relationship with the Lord and spiritual fruit in our lives. Jesus condemned the fig tree for not producing fruit in Mark 11:12-14. So we too must produce spiritual fruit in our lives, if we hope to be powerful prayer warriors.

Our trusting prayers to the Lord will open wide the storehouses of heaven! By our complete dependence on the Lord the door is open to the presence of the Lord and all His answers to prayer in our lives! Our helplessness united with faith in the Lord produces prayers that are pleasing to the Lord. If we approach the Lord in trustful prayers, it will also bring about wonderful answers to prayer! We prove the all-sufficiency of the Lord when we ask for what we think is the impossible, and the Lord honors those prayers!

Make a prayer list with items that you are praying about for yourself and for others. Date those prayer items. Then when those prayer items are answered have a thank you list for all the answers to prayer that the Lord has provided in His perfect timing. This will make you aware of the power of prayer and of the Lord's faithfulness!

"Take courage! It is I. Don't be afraid."

Perhaps you remember as a child being afraid of the thunder and lightning. Maybe you have experienced fear in the midst of a tornado or a hurricane. There are also other kinds of storms in life. When the circumstances in our lives are of such a nature that everything in our lives seems to be crashing down around us we are also experiencing a storm. Difficult trials or storms in our lives are never something we enjoy. God, however, often allows these trials or storms in our lives for our good.

Matthew 14:22a says, "Jesus made the disciples get into the boat and go on ahead of Him to the other side." Notice this verse says Jesus made the disciples do this. Because of their obedience to the Lord the disciples were soon going to find themselves in the midst of a storm. Storms and trials in our lives do not necessarily come, because we have been disobedient to the Lord. Often the Lord allows storms in our lives to teach us to rely on Him instead of our own resources. Often the Lord allows storms or trials in our lives to perfect and sanctify us. The Lord allows these things to help us grow spiritually.

After Jesus sent His disciples out into the boat to cross to the other side, a fierce storm arose on the lake. Even though they were in the midst of this storm and thought they were alone and without Jesus' help Jesus was still with them. The Gospel of Mark's account of this same event says the following, "He saw the disciples straining at the oars, because the wind was against them." (Mark 6:48a) Jesus was with the disciples even when they felt they were all alone. Jesus saw the difficulties they were experiencing. Jesus is also with us in the storms and trials of life. The Lord is with us even during the times when we feel all alone!

During the middle of the night Jesus came walking out on the lake to the disciples! When the disciples saw Jesus they were terrified, because they thought Jesus was a ghost. Jesus, however, said to the disciples, "Take courage! It is I. Don't be afraid." (Matthew 14:27) Jesus in effect said, "Cheer up! I am more than a match for any storm, so do not be afraid!" Then Peter, one of Jesus' disciples, said to Jesus, "Lord, if it's You,---tell me to come to You on the water." (Matthew 14:28) Jesus told Peter to come to Him on the water. When Peter stepped out in faith and kept his eyes focused on Jesus, Peter actually walked on water! However, then Peter took his eyes off the Lord Jesus and looked at the waves and storm around him. Peter became afraid and began to sink when he took his eyes off the Lord and focused them on the storm around him. Jesus stretched out His hand and caught Peter and said, "You of little faith,---why did you doubt?" (Matthew 14:31) As Peter and Jesus climbed into the boat, the wind died down. The disciples worshipped the Lord Jesus and said to Him, "Truly You are the Son of God." (Matthew 14:33b)

As we experience storms and trials in our lives, we also have a choice to make. We can either be overcome with doubt and fears, or we can keep our eyes focused on the Lord and trust Him to be with us in the storms. We can and must trust the Lord to be with us through the storms of life. We can and must trust the Lord to calm the storms in our lives. Then we will be able to walk triumphantly over the angry waves of the storms and trials in our lives! Our Lord is faithful, and He will be with us through every storm of life. We simply have to keep our eyes focused on the Lord. He alone can calm every storm and fear in our lives.

Do not let this Book of the Law depart from your mouth; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful."

Moses had been God's Old Testament people's leader for over forty years. Moses had now died, and Joshua was to be the new leader of God's people. God's people were finally ready to cross the Jordan River and to enter the new land that God had promised them.

At this point in time God made a promise to Joshua. God said, "No one will be able to stand up against you all the days of your life. As I was with Moses, so I will be with you; I will never leave you nor forsake you." (Joshua 1:5) God promised Joshua that he would always be with him each step of his life. God promised Joshua that he would always be with him to guide and sustain him. With God on His side Joshua would experience success in his life. This might not necessarily be success in the way the world would define success, but Joshua would experience the bountiful blessings of the Lord's presence in his life. Everything in Joshua's future wasn't perfectly laid out and made clear to him, but Joshua was assured that he simply had to trust and follow the Lord. The Lord would always be with Joshua, and the Lord would always give Joshua His protection and love.

The Lord promises to always be with His children today also. The Lord promises to never forsake His children. He will always be there to guide and direct His children. We simply need to follow Him in trust and obedience. We need to fear nothing in this life, because the great and powerful God of the universe is our God! God said to Joshua and He says to us today, "Be strong and courageous." (Joshua 1:6a)

As children of God we have the assurance of the Lord's blessing on our lives, if we stay in the center of His will. The best way that we can stay in the center of God's will is by immersing ourselves in God's Word. We need to read God's Word, study God's Word, and meditate on God's Word. Then we need to apply God's Word to the specific areas of our lives. When we read and meditate on God's Word we need to individually ask ourselves three questions: What does this Scripture passage teach concerning God's perfect will for my life? Where and how do I not measure up to God's standard for holiness in specific areas of my life? What are the definite steps of action I need to undertake to be a more obedient and holy child of God?

God told Joshua and He tells His children today that we must be very careful to heed and obey God's Word. In Joshua 1:7b-8 God says, "Do not turn from it to the right or to the left, that you may be successful wherever you go. Do not let this Book of the Law depart from your mouth; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful."

God's success and blessings in our lives does not include the lack of obstacles in our lives. God has promised that His children will face some trials and difficulties, but God will bring good things out of even the deep trials of life. Through these times we grow in our love and dependence on the Lord. Hence, God's children are commanded to walk unafraid through life, because the Lord is on their side. God said to Joshua and He says to His children today, "Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go." (Joshua 1:9)

"Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light."

The world today speaks of freedom and of "doing your own thing." The truth of the matter is that we are all servants of someone or something. We are a servant of what or whom is most important to us in our lives. Being a servant to anyone or anything other than the Lord is a heavy burden to bear. Chasing after the things of the world is exhausting and lacking in fulfillment. Those who love the Lord have learned the secret of freedom in the Lord. They have learned that true freedom comes from being "yoked" to the Lord! They have learned that true freedom comes from being a servant of the Lord! They have also learned that true wisdom is found only in the Lord. Verse twenty-five of Matthew eleven tells us that the Lord has chosen to hide His wisdom from those of the world who reject Him. Such people may be "wise" according to the world's standards, but they do not have God's wisdom. God chooses to reveal His wisdom to us, if we approach Him in humility as little children. We can know the Father and be His child only through Jesus Christ's sacrifice on the cross. It is all of His grace!

Only a child of God is invited to come to the Lord with all his or her burdens. The Lord says to His children, however; "Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest." (Matthew 11:28) We can come to Him with our burdens of sin, and He will forgive us. He gives us rest from the guilt and penalty of our sins. The Lord also gives us rest from the worries and concerns of our lives. He wants us to give those worries and concerns to Him and leave them with Him. The Lord wants us to rest in Him. Jesus goes on to say in Matthew 11:29, "Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls." Just as oxen in Biblical times were often yoked together to plow the fields so we need to be yoked with the Lord. Jesus is saying to us that He wants us to come to Him and be united in a personal relationship with Him. We need to be yoked to the Lord. The Lord then will be right beside us, and He will walk the field of life with us. Being yoked with the Lord involves becoming His child and servant and not doing our own thing. It involves being submissive to the Lord's will. This is the secret, however, to joy and peace. Our Lord is "gentle and humble in heart," and He will provide for all our needs even when it seems that our world is falling apart. This is true even when we can not understand the Lord's working in our lives at the moment. The Lord wants to deliver us from the unrest of self-will and self-effort. He wants us to find rest and peace for our souls by being yoked to Him.

Jesus says, "For my yoke is easy and my burden is light." (Matthew 11:30) There is total commitment and servanthood involved in being a child of God, but the Lord's yoke on us is easy and light. This is because even though our lives are filled with service for the Lord, this service involves lives of restful activity. He is carrying the heavy end of our load. The Lord is carrying us through this life. He is directing and guiding us every step of the way. He carries our burdens. He teaches us what we need to know about living for Him. In spite of problems in our lives we need to keep our eyes focused on the Lord and stay yoked to Him. He is in control! Praise His name!