Praying Pint

 

Romans 1:19-22  For what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them.  For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse.  For although they knew God, they did not honor him as God or give thanks to him, but they became futile in their thinking, and their foolish hearts were darkened.  Claiming to be wise, they became fools,

God is a Person, and in the deep of His mighty nature He thinks, wills, enjoys feels, loves, desires and suffers as any other person may. In making Himself known to us He stays by the familiar pattern of personality. He communicates with us through the avenues of our minds, our wills and our emotions. The continuous and unembarrassed interchange of love and thought between God and the soul of the redeemed man is the throbbing heart of New Testament religion.

This intercourse between God and the soul is known to us in conscious personal awareness. It is personal: that is, it does not come through the body of believers, as such, but is known to the individual, and to the body through the individuals which compose it. And it is conscious: that is, it does not stay below the threshold of consciousness and work there unknown to the soul (as, for instance, infant baptism is thought by some to do), but comes within the field of awareness where the man can `know’ it as he knows any other fact of experience.

You and I are in little (our sins excepted) what God is in large. Being made in His image we have within us the capacity to know Him. In our sins we lack only the power. The moment the Spirit has quickened us to life in regeneration our whole being senses its kinship to God and leaps up in joyous recognition. That is the heavenly birth without which we cannot see the Kingdom of God. It is, however, not an end but an inception, for now begins the glorious pursuit, the heart’s happy exploration of the infinite riches of the Godhead. That is where we begin, I say, but where we stop no man has yet discovered, for there is in the awful and mysterious depths of the Triune God neither limit nor end.

To have found God and still to pursue Him is the soul’s paradox of love, scorned indeed by the too-easily- satisfied religionist, but justified in happy experience by the children of the burning heart.

Come near to the holy men and women of the past and you will soon feel the heat of their desire after God. They mourned for Him, they prayed and wrestled and sought for Him day and night, in season and out, and when they had found Him the finding was all the sweeter for the long seeking. Moses used the fact that he knew God as an argument for knowing Him better. `Now, therefore, I pray thee, if I have found grace in thy sight, show me now thy way, that I may know thee, that I may find grace in thy sight’; and from there he rose to make the daring request, `I beseech thee, show me thy glory.’ God was frankly pleased by this display of ardour, and the next day called Moses into the mount, and there in solemn procession made all His glory pass before him. (T0zer)

 

Psalms 63:8   My soul followeth hard after thee: thy right hand upholdeth me.

Christian theology teaches the doctrine of prevenient grace, which briefly stated means this, that before a man can seek God, God must first have sought the man. Before a sinful man can think a right thought of God, there must have been a work of enlightenment done within him; imperfect it may be, but a true work nonetheless, and the secret cause of all desiring and seeking and praying which may follow.

We pursue God because, and only because, He has first put an urge within us that spurs us to the pursuit. `No man can come to me,’ said our Lord, `except the Father which hath sent me draw him,’ and it is by this very prevenient drawing that God takes from us every vestige of credit for he act of coming. The impulse to pursue God originates with God, but the outworking of that impulse is our following hard after Him; and all the time we are pursuing Him we are already in His hand: `Thy right hand upholdeth me.’ In this divine `upholding’ and human `following’ there is no contradiction. All is of God, for as von Hugel teaches, God is always previous.

In practice, however, (that is, where God’s previous working meets man’s present response) man must pursue God. On our part there must be positive reciprocation if this secret drawing of God is to eventuate in identifiable experience of the Divine. In the warm language of personal feeling this is stated in the Forty-second Psalm: `As the hart panteth after the waterbrooks, so panteth my soul after thee, O God. My soul thirsteth for God, for the living God: when shall I come and appear before God”‘ This is deep calling unto deep, and the longing heart will understand it. (Tozer)

 

John 17:3    `This is life eternal, that they might know thee, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent.’

The doctrine of justification by faith—a Biblical truth, and a blessed relief from sterile legalism and unavailing self-effort—has in our time fallen into evil company and been interpreted by many in such manner as actually to bar men from the knowledge of God. The whole transaction of religious conversion has been made mechanical and spiritless. Faith may now be exercised without a jar to the moral life and without embarrassment to the Adamic ego. Christ may be `received’ without creating any special love for Him in the soul of the receiver. The man is `saved,’ but he is not hungry nor thirsty after God. In fact he is specifically taught to be satisfied and encouraged to be content with little.

The modern scientist has lost God amid the wonders of His world; we Christians are in real danger of losing God amid the wonders of His Word. We have almost forgotten that God is a Person and, as such, can be cultivated as any person can. It is inherent in personality to be able to know other personalities, but full knowledge of one personality by another cannot be achieved in one encounter. It is only after long and loving mental intercourse that the full possibilities of both can be explored.

All social intercourse between human beings is a response of personality to personality, grading upward from the most casual brush between man and man to the fullest, most intimate communion of which the human soul is capable. Religion, so far as it is genuine, is in essence the response of created personalities to the Creating Personality, God.  (Tozer)

 

Revelation 3:20  Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and eat with him, and he with me.

What is your desire this evening? Is it set upon heavenly things? Do you long to enjoy the high doctrine of eternal love? Do you desire liberty in very close communion with God? Do you aspire to know the heights, and depths, and lengths, and breadths? Then you must draw near to Jesus; you must get a clear sight of him in his preciousness and completeness: you must view him in his work, in his offices, in his person. He who understands Christ, receives an anointing from the Holy One, by which he knows all things. Christ is the great master-key of all the chambers of God: there is no treasure-house of God which will not open and yield up all its wealth to the soul that lives near to Jesus. Are you saying, “O that he would dwell in my bosom?” “Would that he would make my heart his dwelling-place for ever?” Open the door, beloved, and he will come into your souls. He has long been knocking, and all with this object, that he may sup with you, and you with him. He sups with you because you find the house or the heart, and you with him because he brings the provision. He could not sup with you if it were not in your heart, you finding the house; nor could you sup with him, for you have a bare cupboard, if he did not bring provision with him. Fling wide, then, the portals of your soul. He will come with that love which you long to feel; he will come with that joy into which you cannot work your poor depressed spirit; he will bring the peace which now you have not; he will come with his flagons of wine and sweet apples of love, and cheer you till you have no other sickness but that of “love o’erpowering, love divine. ” Only open the door to him, drive out his enemies, give him the keys of your heart, and he will dwell there for ever. Oh, wondrous love, that brings such a guest to dwell in such a heart! (Spurgeon)

 

Hebrews 4:16 Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.

Grace and mercy. Mercy and grace. Two terms that are often used interchangeably. They go hand-in-hand, but there is indeed a difference. Mercy is not getting what you do deserve. Grace, conversely, is getting something you don’t deserve.

Picture this: You’re racing down the road, handily breaking the speed limit, when suddenly you see the blue lights flashing behind you. There’s something you do deserve in this situation. You deserve a ticket and a fine. You broke the law, and there’s a penalty for that crime. After a brief conversation, the officer lets you go with a warning. That is mercy. You deserve that speeding ticket, but you are not getting what you do deserve.

Now, imagine that you have a project due at work, and—try as you may—you have not been able to complete the task. Without it, you have no chance of achieving the bonus you’ve been working towards. At the last second a colleague jumps in and saves the day, helping you with the last remaining pieces. That would be grace. No matter how hard you worked, you didn’t deserve the bonus. You fell short. But somebody else came along and provided what you needed.

Why do I bring up this distinction? Because all around us are people who desperately need both of these blessings, and they are both freely given by Christ through His death and resurrection. The Bible tells us very clearly who we are and what we deserve. We are sinners who have fallen short of God’s glory (Romans 3:23). Because of that, we deserve death; eternal separation from the holy and perfect Father (Romans 6:23). No matter what we do in our own power and effort, we cannot change that fact. But this is where Christ comes in with His mercy and His grace! Because we are sinners, we deserve death. However, as we call on the name of Jesus and make Him our Lord and Savior, we do not get the death that we justly deserve. We receive mercy.

Because we are sinners, we don’t deserve to come into God’s presence and be called His children. We don’t deserve His blessings and Holy Spirit. But through our faith in Jesus, we receive all of these things. We receive grace. We’ve found that promise and have the hope of Christ because of it! Meanwhile, all around us are people who are struggling through this world, trying their best to do more good than bad, thinking that is their path to eternity. They’ve never truly experienced grace and mercy, though they’re hungry for it.

My friends, look around you and I promise you will see someone who will break your heart; someone on a path leading to destruction. Share with them the hope that is within you, and allow God to open the door for them to “with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need” (Hebrews 4:16).
(Graham)

 

Song of Solomon 2:10  My beloved speaks and says to me: “Arise, my love, my beautiful one, and come away,

Listen—I hear the voice of my Beloved. He is speaking to me. The beauty of spring is waking the earth, and he does not want me to remain spiritually asleep while everything around me is coming back to life. He calls me to “rise up,” and he is right to do so. I have spent long enough among the distractions and dust of this world. He has risen, and I have been raised with him, so why should I keep clinging to the ground?

I want to rise above lesser loves, small ambitions, selfish desires, and worldly pursuits, and move closer to him. He calls me by the tender name “my love” and says that I am beautiful to him. That alone should move my heart to respond. If he has lifted me up and looked on me with such grace, how can I stay comfortable among things that pull me away from him?

He says, “Come away.” He calls me farther and farther from selfishness, from sin, from worldliness, and from anything that keeps my soul cold toward him. Even from outward religion that does not truly know him, he calls me into deeper fellowship with himself. His invitation is not harsh; it is beautiful. What is there in this wilderness of vanity and sin that should hold me back?

Lord, I want to come away to you, but I feel caught among the thorns and cannot free myself as I wish. If it were possible, I would have no eyes, ears, or heart for sin. Your call to “come away” is a melody to my soul. To come to you is to come home from exile, to reach shore after a storm, to find rest after long labor, and to arrive at the very place my heart has always longed for.

But Lord, how can a stone rise? How can a lump of clay climb out of the pit by itself? Lift me up. Draw me near. Your grace can do what I cannot. Send your Holy Spirit to kindle holy love in my heart, and I will keep rising toward you until I leave this life behind and truly come away to be with you. (Spurgeon)

 

Phillipians  4:5-8   Let your reasonableness be known to everyone. The Lord is at hand;  do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.  And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.  Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.

In the normal course of things a certain number of distractions are bound to come to each one of us; but if we learn to be inwardly still these can be rendered relatively harmless. It would not be hard to compile a long list of names of Christians who carried upon their shoulders the burden of state or the responsibilities of business and yet managed to live in great inward peace with the face of the Lord in full view. They have left us a precious legacy in the form of letters, journals, hymns and devotional books that witness to the ability of Christ to calm the troubled waters of the soul as He once calmed the waves on the Sea of Galilee. And today as always those who listen can hear His still, small voice above the earthquake and the whirlwind.

While the grace of God will enable us to overcome inevitable distractions, we dare not presume upon God’s aid and throw ourselves open to unnecessary ones. The roving imagination, an inquisitive interest in other people’s business, preoccupation with external affairs beyond what is absolutely necessary: these are certain to lead us into serious trouble sooner or later. The heart is like a garden and must be kept free from weeds and insects. To expect the fruits and flowers of Paradise to grow in an untended heart is to misunderstand completely the processes of grace and the ways of God with men. Only grief and disappointment can result from continued violation of the divine principles that underlie the spiritual life. (Tozer)

 

Genesis 2:18    The LORD God said, “It is not good for the man to be alone.”

Imagine you’ve been asked to participate in an experiment. You and the other participants are to stand in a circle and toss a ball back and forth. You’re instructed to make sure everyone has an opportunity to catch and throw the ball. What you don’t know is that everyone else has been instructed never to allow you to have the ball. So as everybody is laughing and tossing the ball, you reach for it, but it never comes your way. How would you feel? Would you continue to ask for the ball, or would you eventually withdraw from the others?   Perhaps this experiment sounds uncomfortably similar to your life. No matter how often you reach out, the ball never seems to be thrown to you. Maybe you feel distant from your family, and your attempts to bridge the gap are not reciprocated. Maybe you feel isolated because of your daily responsibilities or because of a difficulty you’re going through. Maybe you miss the companionship of somebody who left you or passed away.   Though almost everybody deals with loneliness, nobody wants to talk about it. But we have to conquer the mountain of loneliness if we want to experience the blessed life God has for us. The fact is, you and I were created for companionship. After creating Adam, God said, “It is not good for the man to be alone” (Genesis 2:18). Was Adam really alone in the garden of Eden? No, he had a relationship with God that wasn’t tainted by sin, and he had a whole zoo of animal companions. But God said that wasn’t enough.   Companionship isn’t a luxury; it is essential for our spiritual, emotional, and physical well-being. Even secular science agrees. A recent advisory from the US surgeon general reported that social isolation is associated with an increased risk of disease, anxiety, depression, and dementia. The advisory also made this amazing statement: “Lacking social connection can increase the risk for premature death as much as smoking up to 15 cigarettes a day.”   God created us for companionship, and being deprived of that companionship is like being deprived of oxygen. We need other people.  (Dr. Jeremiah)

 

 

Revelation 16:15  (“Behold, I am coming like a thief! Blessed is the one who stays awake, keeping his garments on, that he may not go about naked and be seen exposed!”)

Revelation 3:3    Remember, then, what you received and heard. Keep it, and repent. If you will not wake up, I will come like a thief, and you will not know at what hour I will come against you.

Matthew 24:43     But know this, that if the master of the house had known in what part of the night the thief was coming, he would have stayed awake and would not have let his house be broken into.

1 Thessalonians 5:2-3    For you yourselves are fully aware that the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night.  While people are saying, “There is peace and security,” then sudden destruction will come upon them as labor pains come upon a pregnant woman, and they will not escape.

 

“We die daily,” the apostle said. That was the reality of life for the early Christians. They went everywhere knowing their lives could be at risk. Today, most of us are not called to face that same kind of persecution. If we were, the Lord would give us the grace to endure it. But the tests Christians face now, though not as terrifying on the outside, can still be deeply dangerous to the soul.

We may have to endure the world’s scorn, but that is often the smaller trial. Its flattery, soft words, subtle compromises, and false kindness can be far more dangerous. Our danger is that we may become comfortable, proud, and too attached to the values of this present world, until our faith grows weak.

If wealth is not our test, then daily worries may be. The devil does not care whether he destroys our love for Christ through fierce opposition or quiet distraction, as long as he succeeds. The church may be in greater danger of losing its faithfulness in comfortable times than in times of open hardship.

That means we must stay awake. We are walking through spiritually dangerous ground, where ease can lull us to sleep. Unless our faith in Jesus is real and our love for him is burning brightly, we can become careless without realizing it.

In days when it is easy to call yourself a Christian, many may appear sincere but prove not to belong to Christ at all. So do not imagine that this is a time to set aside watchfulness or spiritual passion. We need both more than ever. May the Holy Spirit work powerfully in us so that, whether the trials are harsh or gentle, we may truly say, “We are more than conquerors through him who loved us.” (Spurgeon)

 

Ecclesiastes 6:12  For who knows what is good for man while he lives the few days of his vain life, which he passes like a shadow? For who can tell man what will be after him under the sun?

It doesn’t do us any harm to see ourselves set over against the might and omnipotence of God, Solomon has been telling us. We are just a heartbeat away from eternity, and if God were to cause our hearts to stop at this very moment – we would die. We are very vulnerable people, and to try to go against the all-powerful Creator is about as effective as trying to shift the Rock of Gibraltar with a peashooter. Life functions best when we accept the destiny God has for us and close in with it. This picture of God as all-powerful is not being presented to us (as Derek Tidball points out) in order to bring us to our knees in weak and helpless submission. It is simply a matter of fact, a matter of truth. God is stronger than we are and, for that matter, stronger than anything we might want to put our trust in – wealth and money in particular. Solomon’s last point in this chapter is the fact that we do not know the future, and his message, by implication, is that if we are wise we will get to know the One who knows the future. Knowing God means we come in touch with the only One who can really meet our soul’s deepest needs. Contentment does not lie in a large bank balance, status, ambition, material possessions, or earthly success. It comes only when we are in a close relationship with God. Only He can give us the power to enjoy life. We would be wise to build on God, not on gold. (Hughes)

O God, help me this day to stand before You with an open heart, an open mind, and an open being. For I want to be changed not into the image of things, but into the image of You. I will have no idols in my life. I own You as my only Lord. Amen.