Good morning! This is the day that the Lord has made. Let us rejoice and be glad in it!
Jesus is a healer. The Gospel writer, Matthew, recorded that Jesus healed "every disease" and that people were brought to Him for healing.
Matthew 4:23-24
23Jesus went throughout Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the good news of the kingdom, and healing every disease and sickness among the people. 24News about him spread all over Syria, and people brought to him all who were ill with various diseases, those suffering severe pain, the demon-possessed, those having seizures, and the paralyzed, and he healed them.
Let's keep bringing Adam to Jesus!
It is my hope that your prayers will not stop with the ending of your fast, today. Keep on praying for Adam's healing and recovery. And, join us, again, next Wednesday for another day of united prayer and fasting.
Matthew 18:19-20
19"Again, I tell you that if two of you on earth agree about anything you ask for, it will be done for you by my Father in heaven. 20For where two or three come together in my name, there am I with them."
This week’s united day of fasting and prayer for Adam has been a totally different experience for me than last week. I feel like I have been more distracted. I took less time to meditate on the scriptures and thoughts posted on this blog. I did not shed a tear. Is there something wrong with me?
When I listened to Lord, Move Me, in Lunchtime Confessions, the lyrics seemed to describe some of my feelings.
Today, my daughters posted devotionals. How grateful I was for their contributions. They did a wonderful job responding to Amy’s blog post on Monday (Sow in Tears Reap With Songs of Joy).
As the day progressed, I began to wonder if too much focus had been placed on us (the “fasters”), and our relationships with God. After all, this is supposed to be about Adam, right? Then, I followed some my own advice and decided to be still and listen.
I heard statements from various individuals talking about many people’s lives being changed as a result of Adam’s accident. Then, the obvious hit me right between the eyes. Here is the answer to my “Why?” Or, at least an answer to part of the question.
People’s lives are being changed. God is using Adam (this is the part that is still a mystery to which only God knows the answer) to change lives. So, I begin to wonder “whose lives?” and “what changes?” God desires.
I began re-reading the posts, beginning with my own, last night. Words and phrases begin jumping out at me — unbelief; God deserves our worship and praise; schedule more time to meet with God; realign our priorities; ask God to examine your heart; you must be patient; passionate prayer; thanking God; waiting for God’s perfect timing.
Oh, my, I think to myself. These are all things that I need to get better at. Horror sets in. What if God is waiting on me?
Psalm 139:23,24
“Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.”
I am taking this opportunity to acknowledge the obvious: We are all in a season of waiting as we wait to witness Adam's recovery. Of course, you may be in a season of waiting on other things, as well. Whether you're waiting on a prodigal child to return home, your work situation to change, a move to be made, a child you're expecting, a check in the mail, or otherwise, God has not forgotten you in this season of waiting.
John Waller, in his song While I'm Waiting, paints a picture of an appropriate response during a season of waiting: Although it's painful and isn't easy, we are to remain hopeful and peaceful, waiting patiently and faithfully. And while "waiting" often comes with a passive connotation, as if we are idly sitting and waiting for something to happen to us or for us, the song inspires us to move ahead, taking every step in obedience, serving and worshiping God as we run the race marked out for us.
Make this song the cry of your heart.
but those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.
Isaiah 40:31
Wait for the LORD; be strong and take heart and wait for the LORD.
Psalm 27:14
Join with us in prayer that we would be waiting patiently for Adam's recovery and that as we wait, we would be using the season as an opportunity to move ahead, walk obediently, and worship God.
Well another day of prayer and fasting is winding down, and if you are like me, you may feel like your fervor and expectancy in prayer is winding down too. The distractions of all that has to be done in your own life-the stress of deadlines, finances, and even just daily chores, the worries of parenting decisions, your own health ailments that seem to be getting worse, etc-are all wearing you down. The worry over what tomorrow will bring and what needs to get done for tomorrow may be keeping you from true worship, true fellowship with the Lord, and heartfelt prayer.
I can't help but wonder if this is why God has allowed this tragic event to happen. To get all of us to WAKE UP! He wants us to live in faith, seeking Him whole-heartedly every day of our lives, not just when we experience a tragedy or when trouble that we can't handle on our own comes our way. He wants it every day! I urge you to recommit yourself this evening to devoting your time, energy, and your life to God. Leave your worries at Jesus' feet. Rest in His presence.
Meditate on this verse:
Matthew 6:34
God will take care of your tomorrow. Live one day at a time.
Think how different our lives would be if we truly held on to this scripture and only walked one step at a time in life, not giving thought to all the things tomorrow brings. I crave for this in my life right now. I want the peace that comes from a worry-free life, and I pray that all of you will find that today.
To Pray For:
Pray that Adam's family will be able to live one day at a time and not be overwhelmed by what this journey may bring tomorrow.
Pray for God's provision for all of the financial expenses that Adam and his family are incurring during this season (and that they would not worry about it, but trust God).
Pray for unification and peace among all the family members, as they are going through a very emotionally and physically exhausting journey.
Pray for unsaved family members and friends to come to Christ and worship Him.
Pray for Adam's complete healing.
As I put on one of my posts a couple of weeks ago, strive for a true meeting with God tonight. I am certain that not all of you followed my instructions last week to turn this up, raise your hands to God, and sing this as a sincere prayer offering, so I am giving you another chance.
We all experience pain at times throughout our life. There is physical pain and emotional pain, the pain of losing a loved one, the pain of rejection, the pain of broken relationships, the pain of chronic or severe injury, the pain of watching a child suffer, the pain of disappointments, etc.
This morning I woke up in severe physical pain to the point of feeling like I could not and did not want to move out of bed. I cried out to God to take my pain away, but then corrected myself. I offered up a new cry to God, "Lord be glorified in my pain. Help me to have joy in the midst of my pain. Help me to give thanks in my pain. Help me to remember that I am still in your Hands and you are still God-still in control."
After my cry out to God, I started thinking of all the people I know that are experiencing some kind of pain. (I have heard so many stories lately and received so many prayer requests.) Of course, Adam, Amy, Jack and Cookie, and the rest of Adam's friends and family were the first to come to mind. My prayer for them today is that they would be able to experience God's hands holding them in the midst of their pain.
When your world is shaking, take comfort in the knowledge that Heaven stands. When your heart is breaking, take comfort in the truth that God's hands are holding you.
Revelation 21:4 He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall their be mourning nor crying nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.
For
some of our "prayer warriors," a lunch break is part of the schedule.
If so, this is an extended period of time for prayer and meditation.
Again, some of you will easily be able to transition right into
meaningful communication with God. Some of us may need a little help. I
know that my mind can wander off topic so quickly that I need some
guidance. As a result, I am printing off this page, and will be taking
it and my Bible to a nearby park. If you don't have a Bible, no worries.
Printing this post will get you through.
Prayer of Thanks
Start
your midday break with a prayer of thanksgiving. We all have much to be
thankful for. If you're having a difficult time coming up with
something to be thankful about, here are a few thoughts I had:
•
God has blessed me with amazing wealth and opportunity compared with so
many in the world - I am so thankful that I don't have to be hungry
everyday
• God has provided me with people to love, and people to love me
• God has provided me with good health
• God sacrificed his Son, Jesus Christ, to save me from my sins
The list could go on, but you should pray about what you're thankful for, not what I'm thankful for. Devotional
My daugher, Hillary, emailed this to me last night. She wanted to share this meditation from Charles Spurgeon with all of you.
"And he requested for himself that he might die."—1 Kings 19:4.
It was a remarkable thing
that the man who was never to die, for whom God had ordained an
infinitely better lot, the man who should be carried to heaven in a
chariot of fire, and be translated, that he should not see death—should
thus pray, "Let me die, I am no better than my fathers." We
have here a memorable proof that God does not always answer prayer in
kind, though He always does in effect. He gave Elias something better
than that which he asked for, and thus really heard and answered him.
Strange was it that the lion-hearted Elijah should be so depressed by
Jezebel's threat as to ask to die, and blessedly kind was it on the part
of our heavenly Father that He did not take His desponding servant at
his word.
There
is a limit to the doctrine of the prayer of faith. We are not to expect
that God will give us everything we choose to ask for. We know that we
sometimes ask, and do not receive, because we ask amiss. If we
ask for that which is not promised—if we run counter to the spirit which
the Lord would have us cultivate—if we ask contrary to His will, or to
the decrees of His providence—if we ask merely for the gratification of
our own ease, and without an eye to His glory, we must not expect that
we shall receive.
Yet,
when we ask in faith, nothing doubting, if we receive not the precise
thing asked for, we shall receive an equivalent, and more than an
equivalent, for it. As one remarks, "If the Lord does not pay in
silver, He will in gold; and if He does not pay in gold, He will in
diamonds." If He does not give you precisely what you ask for, He will
give you that which is tantamount to it, and that which you will greatly
rejoice to receive in lieu thereof. Be then, dear reader, much in prayer, and make this evening a season of earnest intercession, but take heed what you ask.
I
read this a couple times, last night, and will read it again, today. I
will meditate on it for awhile. I do not want to "ask amiss" as I
continue praying throughout this day, and in the future. Scripture Reading
Matthew 15:29-38
29Jesus
left there and went along the Sea of Galilee. Then he went up on a
mountainside and sat down. 30Great crowds came to him, bringing the
lame, the blind, the crippled, the mute and many others, and laid them
at his feet; and he healed them. 31The people were amazed when they saw
the mute speaking, the crippled made well, the lame walking and the
blind seeing. And they praised the God of Israel.
32Jesus
called his disciples to him and said, "I have compassion for these
people; they have already been with me three days and have nothing to
eat. I do not want to send them away hungry, or they may collapse on the
way." 33His disciples answered, "Where could we get enough bread in this remote place to feed such a crowd?"34"How many loaves do you have?" Jesus asked."Seven," they replied, "and a few small fish."35He
told the crowd to sit down on the ground. 36Then he took the seven
loaves and the fish, and when he had given thanks, he broke them and
gave them to the disciples, and they in turn to the people. 37They all
ate and were satisfied. Afterward the disciples picked up seven
basketfuls of broken pieces that were left over. 38The number of those
who ate was four thousand, besides women and children. 39After Jesus had
sent the crowd away, he got into the boat and went to the vicinity of
Magadan. Observations about scripture reading
1. Jesus is the Great Physician. "Great crowds came bringing the lame,
blind, crippled, mute and many others, and Jesus healed them. Instantly.
Miraculously." Here we are, people thousands of miles from each other,
lifting up Adam to Jesus in prayer.
2. Jesus cares about our basic needs. After all those healing miracles, he was still worried about feeding the crowds.
3. Jesus is patient with us, even when we are clueless. In verse 33, His
disciples asked, "Where could we get enough bread in this remote place
to feed such a crowd?" Duh! In Chapter 14 (verses 13-18), just a short
time prior to this one, Jesus fed 5,000 people in a similar situation.
Even so, he did not call them out for their very short memories!
Pray for Adam
Before returning to work, I will pray again for Adam. Just as Jesus
healed the crowds, I will be asking Jesus to send the Holy Spirit to
North Carolina to heal Adam.
I have seen abounding evidence of His faithfulness as of late:
God has carried Adam through this season, and he continues to heal.
Amy continues to stand firm in her faith, demonstrating a life devoted to the pursuit of God
God continues to be with Kathleen and Cale Darling in their journey through brain injury recovery.
I have seen a positive priority shift in the lives of many family members...and in mine, as well.
Relatives have recently reconnected through the circumstances regarding the accident.
I will be making a cross-country move soon, and I am thrilled to know that I am doing so a changed person.
God demonstrated in His perfect timing for financial provision in my life this week.
God continues to be God of the past, God of the future, and God of the present.
Take a moment to ponder the evidence of God's faithfulness in your life and in Adam's. Praise God for His faithfulness. Thank Him that even when you are faithless, He remains faithful. Ask that he would increase your faith and make you a more and more faithful follower of Christ.
In praise and with thanksgiving, sing along with this hymn:
Over the next 24-36 hours, an unknown number of us will be fasting, and gathering together in prayer. We won't be gathering together in a physical sense. Rather, we will be uniting together in at least three other ways.
1. We will be united in our abstinence from food, or other forms of fasting.
2. We will be united in our desire for Adam Root to be miracuously healed.
3. We will be united in prayer — brothers and sisters in Christ, simultaneously asking the Great Physcian, Jesus Christ, to supernaturally heal Adam.
The first part is the easiest. Despite some pangs of hunger, it is easier for all of us to go without food for a day than it is for all of us be totally in sync on number two and three. You see, to believe in a miraculous healing, we all must believe that God is real, and that He can perform miracles. And, to be united in prayer requires that we all be communicating with the Christ that is alive and among us.
Matthew 18:19-20
19"Again, I tell you that if two of you on earth agree about anything you ask for, it will be done for you by my Father in heaven. 20For where two or three come together in my name, there am I with them."
I believe it is God's desire that 100 percent of us connect in all three forms of unification. I know that we are committed to fasting, but on the eve of our day of prayer and fasting, let's examine our hearts to make sure that we don't doubt God's presence among us.
Read these words of A.W. Tozer in his book, The Divine Conquest:
“We habitually stand in our now and look back by faith to see the past filled with God. We look forward and see Him inhabiting our future; but our now is uninhabited except for ourselves. Thus we are guilty of a kind of pro tem atheism which leaves us alone in the universe while, for the time, God is not. We talk of Him much and loudly, but we secretly think of Him as being absent, and we think of ourselves as inhabiting a parenthetic interval between the God who was and the God who will be.”
Have you ever felt that way, before? I must admit that I have. There have been times when it has been easy for me to look back and see God's handiwork, while looking forward to the prospect of a Heaven without pain and suffering. Yet, while doing so, feeling like it is all "up to me" to make it through the day.
Psalm 46:1
God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble.
I am sure that most of you are not suffering from the "pro tem atheism" of which Tozer wrote. Yet, let's all work on getting our hearts in the right place this evening. Pray for the Holy Spirit to provide us with the knowledge and confidence that God is with us. Pray for unwaivering faith.
Mark 9:23-24
23" 'If you can'?" said Jesus. "Everything is possible for him who believes."
24Immediately the boy's father exclaimed, "I do believe; help me overcome my unbelief!"
This evening, let's pray collectively for each other that we can all overcome our unbelief. As we enter our united day of fasting and prayer for Adam, let's ask the Holy Spirit to fill us with belief. Pray that He will draw us near to Him during our time of fasting and prayer.
Ask that the Holy Spirit will continue to draw Amy, Mckenzie and all of Adam's family closer to Him during this challenging time. Ask Him to help us with our unbelief. Now, with God close to all of us, tell Him that we are going to be bringing requests to Him for the healing of Adam Root, husband of Amy Root, son of Jack Root, Jr. and Margaret Root. Ask that He be merciful and hear our prayers.
With the Holy Spirit working to rid our unbelief, Wednesday is our day to, once again, unite as "Centurions" (view Week One Scripture reference)!
This week we will continue to unite in prayer and fasting. Yet, because of the schedules of our regular contributors, we will be re-posting some prior devotionals (a few will be new). Rest assured, we will be fasting and praying with you, even if you may recognize a post from a prior week.
Thank you for participating in our united day of fasting and prayer. As we break our fast, let's keep reminding ourselvs that it is not time to move on to more important things. There is nothing more important to move on to!
"Prayer does not fit us for the greater work, prayer is the greater work." Oswald Chambers
If Chambers is correct, and I believe that he is, we should be accomplising great work. But, are we? Are we holding back? Are we praying too small? Read this devotional message from Ron Hutchcraft Ministries, Inc.
We have finished this week's fast, but the praying continues. Let's expect something explosive to happen this week!
1 Thessalonians 5:16-18
Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus.
Psalm 54:2
Hear my prayer, O God;
listen to the words of my mouth.
"We have to pray with our eyes on God, not on the difficulties."
Oswald Chambers
One of the things I like about our united day of fasting and prayer is that it gets me to think about, and talk with God more often than other days. Some Wednesdays, like today, are a bit too hectic, and I don't get as much time in prayer and meditation as I would like. This has been a day with its challenges. Yet, I have found comfort in the time that I did spend with God. There were times when I felt His presence. My biggest dissapointment was that I did not feel like I heard Him speaking to me. However, I am pretty sure that I did not listen long enough, nor hard enough to hear Him. If you can relate, perhaps we can get into the mode of listening to God, by listening to what He hears.
I think that I need to keep listening. My simple prayer will be for the Holy Spirit to lead me; for the Holy Spirit to give me words to pray for, and about, Adam's healing — tonight and in the future. My stomach is growling a bit. Just enough to remind me to think of God, and of you. It is good to know that others have been praying with me. Thank you for your participation. Let's meet in the morning, as we return to a "regular day."For now, I know one simple fact: Jesus, I believe in You!
So far this week of fasting, we've touched on seeking God earnestly, experiencing God's presence, listening, and meditating. Now let us consider how we experience God through the work of the Holy Spirit, one of three persons of God, along with the Father and Son.
Chapters 14-16 of the Book of John teach us much about the Holy Spirit. These are just a few of the highlights:
To those who know Jesus and love Him, the Holy Spirit becomes our Counselor, who will be with us forever.
"If you love me, you will obey what I command. And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Counselor to be with you forever— the Spirit of truth." (14:15-17a)
He lives in believers.
The world cannot accept him, because it neither sees him nor knows him. But you know him, for he lives with you and will be in you. (14:17b)
He reminds us of Jesus' words.
But the Counselor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you. (14:26)
When the Counselor comes, whom I will send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth who goes out from the Father, he will testify about me. (15:26)
He convicts the world of sin and reveals the standard of God's righteousness to anyone who believes.
When he comes, he will convict the world of guilt in regard to sin and righteousness and judgment: in regard to sin, because men do not believe in me; in regard to righteousness, because I am going to the Father, where you can see me no longer; and in regard to judgment, because the prince of this world now stands condemned. (16:8-11)
He guides believers into truth.
But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all truth. He will not speak on his own; he will speak only what he hears, and he will tell you what is yet to come. (16:13)
He brings glory to Christ.
He will bring glory to me by taking from what is mine and making it known to you. (16:14)
This list is by no means an exhaustive list of the role and attributes of the Holy Spirit. Basically, the Holy Spirit is God's Spirit in the lives of those who know God through Jesus Christ. For Christians, the Holy Spirit makes us new creations, helps us pray, helps us worship, helps us understand the Bible, carries out God's work in us, produces fruit in us, gives us power to live the Christian life, and on and on.
The good news is that A) The Holy Spirit is available to everyone (See Acts 2:14-21.) and B) Our Father in heaven will give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him!
"Which of you fathers, if your son asks for a fish, will give him a snake instead? Or if he asks for an egg, will give him a scorpion? If you then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!"
Luke 11:11-13
With that in mind, let us ask God to be empowered by the Holy Spirit as we worship, pray, read the Bible, and live our lives for Him.
Lord,
Thank you for leaving us with your Holy Spirit so that your presence would be with us, leading us, guiding us, transforming us, and interceding for us. Thank you that I am not left alone to figure out this life. I acknowledge that I have sinned against You by directing my own life. I thank You that You have forgiven my sins through Christ's death on the cross for me. I now invite Christ to again take His place on the throne of my life. Fill me with the Holy Spirit as you commanded me to be filled, and as You promised in Your Word that You would do if I asked in faith. Please intercede in my prayers when I don't know what to pray for Adam and his family. Help me be attentive to your leading in how I can minister to them. Direct each of my steps so that I can live a life holy and pleasing to you, Lord. In Jesus' name I pray these things.
It is said that laughter is the best medicine, and I believe that this is often so true. And just how do we get ourselves to laugh? It all starts with a smile as we dwell on whatever is true, noble, right, pure, lovely, admirable, excellent, or praiseworthy. (Philippians 4:8)
Think about God's love and all of the ways he demonstrates that love to you. Just smile.
Our mouths were filled with laughter,
our tongues with songs of joy.
Then it was said among the nations,
"The LORD has done great things for them."
The LORD has done great things for us, and we are filled with joy.
Psalm 126:2 & 3
-----
[God] will yet fill your mouth with laughter and your lips with shouts of joy.
I have to keep reminding myself that "meeting with God" is more than me talking — more than me reciting a list of requests. It's true that we want to offer up our prayers and petitions for Adam's healing. But, to get in the presence of God, and to have a relationship with Him, requires more than talking. We must listen, too.
The last thing I need
is to be heard
But to hear
What you would say
Meditate...
Let's all take some tme during our "lunch hour" to simply meditate on God, and listen for Him. You might begin your time of meditation with one request — that God would speak to you during your time of meditation.
Rick Warren, in The Purpose Driven Life, describes meditation this way:
"Meditation is focused thinking. It takes serious effort. You select a verse and reflect on it over and over in your mind...if you know how to worry, you already know how to meditate." Warren goes on to say, "No other habit can do more to transform your life and make you more like Jesus than daily reflection on Scripture…If you look up all the times God speaks about meditation in the Bible, you will amazed at the benefits He has promised to those who take the time to reflect on His Word throughout the day."
Philippians 4:8
Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.
Hillary will be posting in mid afternoon. Check back at 3:00 p.m. (EDT).
I am looking forward to spending time with God, today. I want to see Him. I want to hear Him. I want to feel His presence (see last night's post). I trust that you want the same.
A Prayer
Dear Father,
We want to meet with You, today.
We want to hear You.
We want to see You.
We ask that the Holy Spirit would lead us into your presence.
Lord,
Forgive us of our sins.
Make us blameless in Your sight.
Today, we are united in earnest prayer.
Together, we will petition you to heal Adam.
It is our prayer that you will delight in our unity.
Jesus,
We cling to Your words that say,
"If two of you shall agree on earth as touching anything that they shall ask,
it shall be done for them of My Father which is in Heaven."
We ask that our prayers would have irresistable power.
And, that You would answer them.
God,
We lift up Adam Root to you, today.
Adam, husband of Amy Root; son of Jack and Cookie Root; child of God.
Together and united, we ask that You would heal him.
We humbly come before You to ask that:
• You would drive any and all infections out of his body.
• Adam's fevers would subside and his body would return to normal temperature
• You would restore Adam's brain so that he can hear, talk, think, and act as he did prior to his accident.
Lord, hear our prayers.
Amen.
Lamentations 3:22-25
22 Because of the LORD's great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail.
23 They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.
24 I say to myself, "The LORD is my portion; therefore I will wait for him."
25 The LORD is good to those whose hope is in him, to the one who seeks him;
As we approach our united day of prayer and fasting, tomorrow, we should be preparing to meet God face-to-face.
"If, then, we would pray aright, the first thing that we should do is to see to it that we really get an audience with God, that we really get into His very presence. Before a word of petition is offered, we should have the definite and vivid consciousness that we are talking to God, and should believe that He is listening to our petition and is going to grant the thing that we ask of Him. This is only possible by the Holy Spirit's power, so we should look to the Holy Spirit to really lead us into the presence of God, and should not be hasty in words until He has actually brought us there."
Not only should we be prepared for a personal meeting with God, we should be prepared to pray earnestly. According to Torrey, in the Revised Version, "without ceasing" is rendered "earnestly." We need to look no further than Jesus to learn about earnest prayer.
Luke 22:44
And being in anguish, he prayed more earnestly, and his sweat was like drops of blood falling to the ground.
Hebrews 5:7
During the days of Jesus' life on earth, he offered up prayers and petitions with loud cries and tears to the one who could save him from death, and he was heard because of his reverent submission.
Sweat like drops of blood. Loud cries and tears. I fall short of Jesus' earnestness.
United Prayer
Torrey also provides us with this insight:
"There is power in UNITED PRAYER. Of course there is power in the prayer of an individual, but there is vastly increased power in united prayer. God delights in the unity of His people, and seeks to emphasize it in every way, and so He pronounces a special blessing upon united prayer.
We read in Matthew 18:19
"If two of you shall agree on earth as touching anything that they shall ask, it shall be done for them of My Father which is in heaven."
This unity, however, must be real. The passage just quoted does not say that if two shall agree in asking, but if two shall agree AS TOUCHING anything they shall ask. Two persons might agree to ask for the same thing, and yet there be no real agreement as touching the thing they asked. One might ask it because he really desired it, the other might ask it simply to please his friend. But where there is real agreement, where the Spirit of God brings two believers into perfect harmony as concerning that which they may ask of God, where the Spirit lays the same burden on two hearts; in all such prayer there is absolutely irresistible power."
Friends, this is the main reason why we unite each week in fasting and prayer. This evening, I will pray that we will be in perfect harmony with regard to what we ask of God. I am confident that we all want our prayers to contain irresistible power!
To be in harmony, we should all be praying for Adam's healing — a complete recovery. For those new to our united day of prayer and fasting, we want to pray with the faith of the centurion.
I invite you to re-read this post in the morning, prior to reading the "breakfast" devotional. I will. It is my prayer that we all have a "close encounter" with God, tomorrow.
Lord,
You're all I want.
You're all I've ever needed.
You're all I want.
Help me know You are near.
Good morning! As we "scatter" for another week, let's keep in mind that God does, indeed, reign over heaven and earth. He reigns over our lives, including Adam's.
Psalm 97:1
The LORD reigns, let the earth be glad;
let the distant shores rejoice.
1 Chronicles 16:31
Let the heavens rejoice, let the earth be glad;
let them say among the nations, "The LORD reigns!"
Hallelujah!
Amy wrote three praises on her blog, yesterday (Believing God and His Promises). Today, praise God in your prayers for His work on Wednesday!
As Amy requested in her blog, continue to pray:
• That Adam's neurological storms will be manageable.
• For the left side of Adam's brain to absorb the fluid that his last CT showed was building up.
Our united day of fasting and prayer is nearing an end. I am hungry, and I had one major headache, today. Because of work, I fell behind on devotional time. I had to play a little catch-up on reading the blog posts. Despite some of the setbacks, it has been a good day with the Lord.
Throughout the day, I kept on talking with God. Today, more than usual, I questioned Him. I asked God why the Centurion got what he wanted (servant healed). There are many, faithful believers asking for Adam's healing. What do we have to do to obtain the same result?
I am trying to be still and listen for answers. I must remember that when we fast, it is a form of obedience to God. It is an act of surrender.
We need to surrender all to Jesus, including Adam. We cannot heal Adam. We cannot make him recover more quickly. His health is out of our hands. The timing of Adam's healing is in God's hands.
We need to keep praying. We can, and I believe, should keep asking for Adam's healing. As we pray, we need to lift Adam up to God, and turn over his recovery to God. We need to surrender Adam to God.
In the good times and bad, when disaster comes, when we are in pain, when we lose hope, and even when we walk away from God, He never let's go of us. He is always there to hold us. We can cry, we can talk to Him, we can sing praise to Him, we can listen to His voice, or we can just rest in the comfort of His arms.
Psalm 91:14-15 Because he holds fast to me in love, I will deliver him; I will protect him, because he knows my name. When he calls to me, I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble; I will rescue him and honor him.
To Pray For:
Thank the Lord for not letting go of Adam
Thank the Lord for not letting go of Amy
Thank the Lord for not letting go of Jack, Cookie, Ben, Brad, Tristan and the rest of Adam's family
Ask that Adam, Amy, and family would be able to take comfort in the fact that God is not going to let go of them in their pain
Pray against Adam's infection and the fluid build up on his brain
The same God who formed you also gave you will and volition. He gave you the ability to choose to love Him. Being the personal, relational God that He is, He blessed you with the ability to know and be known by Him. He didn't create you and then leave you to figure out life on your own. He is still concerned with every detail of your life.
Consider how the design, intricacy, and orderliness of the human body point to a personally involved Creator. Praise God for His beauty and the truth it reveals about His character. Thank God for knowing and taking care of every detail of your life, of Adam's life. Seek God that you may know the One who knows you so well and loves you anyway. He will never let you go.
For since the creation of the world God's invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse. For although they knew God, they neither glorified him as God nor gave thanks to him, but their thinking became futile and their foolish hearts were darkened.
Romans 1:20-21
Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart; I appointed you as a prophet to the nations
Jeremiah 1:5
I know your deeds, your hard work and your perseverance. I know that you cannot tolerate wicked men, that you have tested those who claim to be apostles but are not, and have found them false. You have persevered and have endured hardships for my name, and have not grown weary.
Revelation 2:2-3
For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother's womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well.
Psalm 139:13-14
Ponder these facts about the human body, as compiled by Listverse:
1. The stomach’s digestive acids are strong enough to dissolve zinc. Fortunately for us, the cells in the stomach lining renew so quickly that the acids don’t have time to dissolve it.
2. The lungs contain over 300,000 million capillaries (tiny blood vessels). If they were laid end to end, they would stretch 2400km (1500 miles).
3. A man’s testicles manufacture 10 million new sperm cells each day – enough that he could repopulate the entire planet in only 6 months!
4. Human bone is as strong as granite in supporting weight. A block of bone the size of a matchbox can support 9 tonnes – that is four times as much as concrete can support.
5. Each finger and toenail takes six months to grow from base to tip.
6. The largest organ in the body is the skin. In an adult man it covers about 1.9m2 (20sq ft). The skin constantly flakes away – in a lifetime each person sheds around 18kg (40 lb) of skin.
7. When you sleep, you grow by about 8mm (0.3in). The next day you shrink back to your former height. The reason is that your cartilage discs are squeezed like sponges by the force of gravity when you stand or sit.
8. The average person in the west eats 50 tonnes of food and drinks 50,000 litres (11,000 gallons) of liquid during his life.
9. Each kidney contains 1 million individual filters. They filter an average of around 1.3 litres (2.2 pints) of blood per minute and expel up to 1.4 litres (2.5 pints) a day of urine.
10. The focusing muscles of the eyes move around 100,000 times a day. To give your leg muscles the same workout, you would need to walk 80km (50 miles) every day.
11. In 30 minutes, the average body gives off enough heat (combined) to bring a half gallon of water to boil.
12. A single human blood cell takes only 60 seconds to make a complete circuit of the body.
13. A foreskin, the size of a postage stamp, from circumcised babies take only 21 days to grow skin that can cover three (3) basketball courts. Amazing isn’t it. Thanks to science. The laboratory-grown skin is used in treating burn patients.
14. The eyes receive approximately 90 percent of all our information, making us basically visual creatures.
15. The female ovaries contain nearly half-a-million egg cells, yet only 400 or so will ever get the opportunity to create a new life.
Furthermore, as professor of exercise physiology Dr. Phillip Bishop points out, "If you're in average physical condition, [your heart] beats between 60 and 70 times per minute, 93,000 times per day, 655,000 times per week, 34 million times per year, and 2.4 billion beats in the average lifetime. What's so amazing is that, most of the time, it fuels itself, paces itself, repairs itself, and alters itself in response to lifestyle changes, with no conscious effort on your part."
In short, our bodies are AMAZING...and yes, that even includes those of you who suffer from illness, chronic pain, or real or perceived (you know who you are) old age. The complexity of the human body, therefore, points to an intelligent designer (the arguments for which are many and include those from modern times and those dating back many years).
God, our Creator, our Designer, made our bodies, each cell, each nerve, each muscle, each bone. And He, our Wonderful Maker, who formed Adam's inward parts and wove him together while he was still in the womb, knows exactly what is needed to "piece back together" Adam's body, in order that he would be healed. We may not know, even the doctors may not know, but God knows. Right now, praise God for His beauty and complexity, as demonstrated by the human body. Thank God for forming us carefully and for knowing how to restore Adam's body and being powerful enough to do so. Ask God to fight off infection in Adam's body, to allow his body to rest, for the neurological storms to diminish, and for his brain to return to full functioning.
I am taking this opportunity to acknowledge the obvious: We are all in a season of waiting as we wait to witness Adam's recovery. Of course, you may be in a season of waiting on other things, as well. Whether you're waiting on a prodigal child to return home, your work situation to change, a move to be made, a child you're expecting, a check in the mail, or otherwise, God has not forgotten you in this season of waiting.
John Waller, in his song While I'm Waiting, paints a picture of an appropriate response during a season of waiting: Although it's painful and isn't easy, we are to remain hopeful and peaceful, waiting patiently and faithfully. And while "waiting" often comes with a passive connotation, as if we are idly sitting and waiting for something to happen to us or for us, the song inspires us to move ahead, taking every step in obedience, serving and worshiping God as we run the race marked out for us.
Make this song the cry of your heart.
but those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.
Isaiah 40:31
Wait for the LORD; be strong and take heart and wait for the LORD.
Psalm 27:14
Join with us in prayer that we would be waiting patiently for Adam's recovery and that as we wait, we would be using the season as an opportunity to move ahead, walk obediently, and worship God.
Is any one of you in trouble? He should pray. Is anyone happy? Let him sing songs of praise. Is any one of you sick? He should call the elders of the church to pray over him and anoint him with oil in the name of the Lord. And the prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well; the Lord will raise him up. If he has sinned, he will be forgiven. Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective.
This evening, I want to get right with God. I will confess my sins. I will ask God for forgiveness. As a forgiven sinner, I will ask God to hear my prayers, tonight, and throughout the day on Wednesday. I will also ask Him to hear all of your prayers. I will ask Him to answer our prayers. I invite you to join me.
Tonight, after getting right with God, let's ask Him to provide Adam with a restful night of sleep. Let's ask God to provide Adam with the strength to fight off infections and fevers. Let's ask that the Holy Spirit would calm Adam, and restore his vital signs to normal levels. Let's pray that the Holy Spirit would protect Adam from neurological storms.
I look forward to spending time with God and praying with you over the next 36 hours.
For I command you today to love the LORD your God, to walk in his ways, and to keep his commands, decrees and laws; then you will live and increase, and the LORD your God will bless you in the land you are entering to possess.
Hillary's "Eve of Fasting" post (Delighted in a Delightful God) stuck with me throughout yesterday's fast. She spoke about praying for all those fasting — that Wednesdays would not be a day that we dreaded. Rather, that it would be one full of excited anticipation.
I prayed, too, and tried to keep reminding myself to delight in the time spent with the Lord. I cannot say that I was 100-percent successful. And, I probably never will be. However, I can keep working at it. I want to walk in His ways and keep His commands. And, selfishly, I want to live and increase. That may or may not be part of God's plan for me.
During a time of meditation, I thought about living each day as if it were my last. What would I say to God? What would I say to those I love? What would I do? Surely, I would not spend as much time at work as I did, yesterday! Rather than fret, worry, and wrap myself up in the cares of the world, I would want to very simply, live and love.
Until next Wedneday, I will praying for God to show me how to do more living and loving.
Today, I will be thanking God for Adam's good day, Wednesday (see God is Compassionate on Amy's blog). I encourage you to join me in this prayer of thanksgiving. God heard our prayers and answered them wiith a "Yes," yesterday!
Keep praying for the specific items listed in last night's post (Keep Praying). Let's be lifting our voices to God with these requests that were sent to us from Adam's mom, Cookie.
Until we unite together next week, keep praying, and keep living and loving.
We all experience pain at times throughout our life. There is physical pain and emotional pain, the pain of losing a loved one, the pain of rejection, the pain of broken relationships, the pain of chronic or severe injury, the pain of watching a child suffer, the pain of disappointments, etc.
This morning I woke up in severe physical pain to the point of feeling like I could not and did not want to move out of bed. I cried out to God to take my pain away, but then corrected myself. I offered up a new cry to God, "Lord be glorified in my pain. Help me to have joy in the midst of my pain. Help me to give thanks in my pain. Help me to remember that I am still in your Hands and you are still God-still in control."
After my cry out to God, I started thinking of all the people I know that are experiencing some kind of pain. (I have heard so many stories lately and received so many prayer requests.) Of course, Adam, Amy, Jack and Cookie, and the rest of Adam's friends and family were the first to come to mind. My prayer for them today is that they would be able to experience God's hands holding them in the midst of their pain.
When your world is shaking, take comfort in the knowledge that Heaven stands. When your heart is breaking, take comfort in the truth that God's hands are holding you.
Revelation 21:4 He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall their be mourning nor crying nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.
by Hillary Mortensen, adapted from footnotes of the Life Application Study Bible
In my earlier post More Than Enough, I wrote about God satisfying our every need. Food, while great (and we remember that while fasting!), costs money and lasts for only a short time. Fortunately, God offers us free nourishment that feeds our souls. Read Isaiah 55:1-6, looking for the instruction on how to get it:
1 "Come, all you who are thirsty, come to the waters; and you who have no money, come, buy and eat! Come, buy wine and milk without money and without cost.
2 Why spend money on what is not bread, and your labor on what does not satisfy? Listen, listen to me, and eat what is good, and your soul will delight in the richest of fare.
3 Give ear and come to me; hear me, that your soul may live. I will make an everlasting covenant with you, my faithful love promised to David.
4 See, I have made him a witness to the peoples, a leader and commander of the peoples.
5 Surely you will summon nations you know not, and nations that do not know you will hasten to you, because of the LORD your God, the Holy One of Israel, for he has endowed you with splendor."
6 Seek the LORD while he may be found; call on him while he is near.
We come (verse 1), listen (verse 2), seek and call on God (verse 6). While God's gift of salvation is freely offered to us, we must receive it for it to nourish our souls. Jesus speaks of Himself as the Bread of Life in the Gospel of John, Chapter 6:
47I tell you the truth, he who believes has everlasting life. 48I am the bread of life. 49Your forefathers ate the manna in the desert, yet they died. 50But here is the bread that comes down from heaven, which a man may eat and not die. 51I am the living bread that came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever. This bread is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world.
Referring to water in a well, Jesus also said this in John 4:13-14:
Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks the water I give him will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life.
So, while bread and water may meet our physical needs, Jesus meets our spiritual needs. Believe in Jesus for everlasting life, trusting that it is the Father's will that "...everyone who looks to the Son and believes in Him shall have eternal life, and that [Jesus] will raise him up at the last day." (John 6:40)
Say a prayer of thanks that Jesus is more than enough to meet your needs and Adam's needs eternally, and, if you haven't already accepted His gift of salvation for yourself, please consider doing so. (Read my earlier post Costly Grace for more information on accepting God's gift of grace.)
Pray also that you, Adam, and Adam's family would turn to Jesus to satisfy every hunger and every thirst.
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