Longing

God said, “All day long I opened my arms to them (Romans 10:21).”

Watching. Waiting. Loving. Longing.

How do you respond?

One Way to Respond to Unjust Treatment

Have you been treated unjustly? Pray. God sees, knows, and cares. He will respond.

This story gives God’s perspective: If you take your neighbor’s cloak as a pledge, return it to him by sunset, because his cloak is the only covering he has for his body. What else will he sleep in? When he cries out to me, I will hear, for I am compassionate (Exodus 22:26-27 bold mine).”

Mourning Together

Mourn with those who mourn (Romans 12:15).

And as you do, consider this: Singing cheerful songs to a person with a heavy heart is like taking someone’s coat in cold weather or pouring vinegar in a wound (Proverbs 25:20).

And this: “When Jesus saw her weeping . . . Jesus wept (John 11:33-35).

Do you Believe?

They heard Jesus and were amazed by His wisdom and power. But they did not believe (from Mark 6:2-6).

Being amazed is never enough. Do you believe Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God? By believing in him you will have life by the power of his name (John 20:31).

Does Your Prayer Delight God?

The Lord detests the sacrifice of the wicked,
but he delights in the prayer of the upright (Proverbs 15:8, bold mine).

How A Disappointing Answer Can Grow Your Faith.

We pray. God does what we think He will. We pray about something else. God does not do what we think He will.

We choose to believe that in all things God works for the good of those who love him (Romans 8:28).

Our faith grows because faith is . . . being certain of what we do not see (Hebrews 11:1).

A Secret Act of Faith

She joined the crowd pressing around Jesus, furtively touched his robe, and was healed.

Jesus commended her secret act of faith publicly when He said, “Daughter, your faith has made you well. Go in peace (Mark 5:34).”

Secret faith can lead to public praise.

What I learned about Prayer from Tessa Afshar’s The Way Home – 5

“God isn’t scrambling to come up with some kind of scheme to meet our latest crisis. . . . His plans have long since been laid. They are secure. And they have you in mind.”*

And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose (Romans 8:28).

Remember these truths as you pray.

*Tessa Afshar, The Way Home, p.167.

Q: What’s the Best Way to see Answers to Prayer?

A: To pray.

If my people who are called by my name humble themselves, and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked way, then I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and heal their land (2 Chronicles 7:14).

Summertime in Chicago

As long as the earth remains, there will be planting and harvest, cold and heat, summer and winter, day and night (Genesis 8:22).

Even in Chicago.