Notes of Faith October 11, 2022
Gathering Firewood
I urge, then, first of all, that petitions, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for all people. — 1 Timothy 2:1
Gathering firewood is a chore most campers are familiar with. One wise scoutmaster, when asked by a young scout how much wood he should collect, replied, “Get as much as you think you will need and put it in a pile. Then go gather the same amount and put it on the pile. Finally, go get half again the amount you have collected and add it to the wood pile. Now you have about half the amount you will need, but at least you will know where to go look for more.”
Does prayer ever feel like that sort of chore? We pray and pray and pray. We wait and wait and wait for an answer. We wonder how long we need to pray before God grows weary of listening to us. What’s more likely is that we will tire out long before He does. An elderly saint once said that he prayed an hour when he first arose, unless he had a lot to do that day. On those mornings, he would pray for two hours. Sounds a bit like the scoutmaster, doesn’t it? However much we pray, we might want to try doubling it — and then maybe doubling it again. Paul said we should pray continually! (See 1 Thessalonians 5:16–18.)
Regardless of how we might feel, we are assured that God hears us.
I call on You, my God, for You will answer me; turn Your ear to me and hear my prayer. — Psalm 17:6
God’s Word would not teach us so much about prayer if it were not important. Jesus Himself gave us the pattern of the Lord’s Prayer. The book of James also gives instructions about prayer, as well as the assurance that “the prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective” (James 5:16).
It is a privilege to have God’s ear, and we must not take it lightly or take it for granted.
Thank You, Father, that You invite us to pray. Thank You for the examples and instructions given in Your Word. I am so grateful that You hear my prayers.
I call on You, my God, for You will answer me; turn Your ear to me and hear my prayer. – Psalm 17:6
Mountainside Prayer
After He had dismissed them, He went up on a mountainside by Himself to pray. — Matthew 14:23
Do you ever feel like your day is just too hectic to squeeze in time alone with God? We all have days like that, don’t we? It turns out that even Jesus occasionally had to work at it to find time alone with His Father. For instance, Matthew 14 opens with the account of why John the Baptist was beheaded. Then Jesus fed the five thousand, and later He walked on water. Those are big events, and it’s easy to miss what Jesus did in between. He went looking for solitude in order to pray — twice. The first time is in Matthew 14:13, when He had just heard about John’s death. However, the crowds heard that He had taken a boat to a solitary place, and they followed Him on foot.
Though most of us don’t have crowds following us around, we do run into obstacles to our time alone with God. Texts, e-mails, and phone calls can reach us anywhere. Kids who usually can’t be pried away from a screen suddenly need us right now. Our own minds light up like pinball machines, pinging from one concern to the next. How we need the quiet!
So how did Jesus respond when He saw the crowd waiting for Him on shore?
He had compassion on them and healed their sick. — Matthew 14:14,
and then He fed them all. He might have been tired and disappointed; He may have been aching with grief for John the Baptist. But He was tenderhearted toward the people who needed Him.
Then He tried again. He sent the disciples ahead on the boat, and He dismissed the crowd. Then, finally, He had time by Himself on the mountainside to pray.
If Jesus, who is one with the Father (John 10:30), sought time alone with the Father, how much more do we need it! We may have to try and try again. That’s okay. God is still there, waiting to welcome us.
Dear Lord, thank You for all that we learn about You from Scripture. Please help me to respond with compassion when I am needed at inconvenient times. Help me to keep trying so that I find my time with You.
Excerpted from Devotions from the Mountains by Lisa Ham, copyright Thomas Nelson.
I try to pass on to you what the Lord brings to my attention through any and all communications that I have with you. This morning, prayer is the theme. A constant never-ending communication is what I seek. I see this in Jesus as I read the gospels. No matter the circumstances, Jesus seems to be connected to His Father in prayer, sometimes more intense than others but in everything being connected as One. I want to experience this oneness that Jesus prayed for you and me in John 17. Certainly we can know this intimacy through prayer! Be blessed this morning as you pray!
Pastor Dale