Friday June 22, 2012

Happy Friday! 
I pray that you and yours are well, happy, healthy, full of God's Joy and Peace.  
I am about to embark on a long drive back to see my three wonderful children.  Unfortunately, this trip is to get things ready to close out a big chapter of our lives, to sell our family restaurant.  
It is fraught with dangers and traps.  I can't do this alone, but I do believe and have full faith and hope in my God who has promised me to not abandon me and to uplift me.  


Consider today's promise in F. B. Meyer's daily devotions:



June 22


ANSWERED PRAYER
"If ye abide in Me, and My words abide in you, ask whatsoever ye will, and it shall be done unto you."-- Joh_15:7.


OUR LORD expected answers to His prayers, and in all His teaching He leads us to feel that we shall be able to obtain, through prayer, what otherwise would not come to our hand. He knew all that was to be known of natural law; but notwithstanding His perfect acquaintance with the mysteries of His Father's government, He said: "If ye shall ask anything of the Father, He will give it you in My Name."
When we consider the lives of some who have wrought mightily for God, it is clear that they learned a secret which eludes many of us. This is from the biography of Dr. Burns Thomson: "When much together as students," writes his friend, "we agreed on special petitions, and the Lord encouraged us by giving us answers, so early and so definite, as could only have come from Himself, so that no room was left for the shadow of doubt that God was the Hearer and Answerer of prayer. Once the answer came the same day, and at another time whilst we were yet speaking. My friend often spoke of our agreement, to the glory of Him who fulfilled to us His promise; and I refer to it to encourage others." This is but one leaf out of the great library of prayers, intercessions, and supplications, which stand recorded before God.
Prayer which is to prevail must be: For the glory of the Father. Whatever petition we offer must be tested by this thought: will it be for the glory of God? It is for this that our Saviour lives and pleads (Joh_14:13).
It must be in Christ's Name, which stands for Nature. In other words, when we pray it must not be as our self-nature but as the Christ-nature indicates. It is not enough to mention His Name at the end of our prayer: His Spirit must pervade every petition.
We must bear fruit (Joh_15:16). Answers to prayer largely depend on our ministry to others. If we are living for the accomplishment of God's purpose and the coming of His Kingdom, we may ask whatever is necessary for the achievement of our endeavour.
We must abide in Christ; then the sap of the Holy Spirit rising from the hidden root will produce desires and petitions like those which Christ ever presents to His Father (Joh_15:7).


PRAYER
All our desire is known unto Thee, therefore perfect what Thou hast begun, and what Thy Spirit has awakened us to ask in prayer. We seek Thy face, show us Thy glory. AMEN.

God Bless you and all of us in fulfilling His Will for our lives.  In Jesus's Holy Name, Amen.