a little Westley and E.M. Bounds for you
Do you have those seasons where your prayer list seems never - ending, and the people / concerns on your heart seem overwhelming? I'm not fainting under the weight quite yet, but there are those needs that remain forefront in my mind and heart.
Just yesterday I was reading in my awesome E.M Bounds Classic Collection on Prayer (Yes, I recommend it). The devotion was on 'Prayer and Promises' and I wanted to share just the beginning with you.
You need not utterly despair even if those who for the present "turn and rend you."1 For if all your arguments and persuasives fail, there is yet another remedy left, and one that is frequently found effectual, when no other method avails. This is prayer. Therefore, whatsoever you desire or want, either for others or for your own soul, "Ask, and it shall be given you."2 (John Westley)
Without the promise, prayer is eccentric and baseless. Without prayer, the promise is dim, voiceless, shadowy, and impersonal. The promise makes prayer dauntless and irresistible. The apostle Peter said that God has given to us "exceeding great and precious promises."3 "Precious" and "exceeding great" promises they are, and for this very cause we are to "add to our faith,"4 and supply virtue. It is the addition that makes the promises current and beneficial to us. It is prayer that makes the promises mighty, precious, and practical. The apostle Paul did not hesitate to declare that God's grace so richly promised was made operative and efficient by prayer. "You also are helping together by prayer for us."5
1 Matthew 7,6
2 Mattiew 7,7
3 2 Peter 1,4
4 2 Peter 1,5
5 2 Corinthians 1,11
1 comment:
I'm leaving for Hungary in 36 hours. This thought scares me and I feel nauseous. Please pray for me.
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