Beginning to sink he cried out, “Lord, save me.” Matthew 14:30 ESV
Sinking times are praying times with the Lord’s servants. Peter neglected to pray before starting his daring journey, but when he began to sink his danger made him pray—and his cry, though late, was not too late. In our hours of bodily pain and mental anguish, we find ourselves as naturally driven to prayer as a shipwreck is driven to shore by the waves. The fox scurries to its hole for protection; the bird flies to the tree for shelter; and even so the troubled believer hastens to the mercy seat for safety. Heaven’s great refuge is the harbor of prayer; countless storm-lashed ships have found a haven there. The moment a storm comes on, it is wise for us to make for the harbor at full speed. Short prayers are long enough. There were only three words in Peter’s petition, but they were sufficient for his purpose. Not length, but strength, is desirable. The sense of need is a mighty teacher of brevity. If our prayers had more of the wing and less of the tail feathers of pride, they would be all the better. Wordiness is to devotion as chaff is to wheat. Precious things are found in small spaces—and all that is real prayer in many a long address might have been said in a petition as short as Peter’s. Our calamities are the Lord’s opportunities. A keen sense of danger immediately forces an anxious cry from us. The ear of Jesus hears, and with Him, ear and heart go together. Then the divine hand does not linger. We often appeal to our Master at the last moment, but His swift hand makes up for our delay by instant and effective action. Are we nearly engulfed by a raging sea of affliction? Let us lift up our souls to our Savior, and rest assured that He will not allow us to perish. When we can do nothing, Jesus can do all things. May we enlist His powerful aid, and all will be well. - C.H. Spurgeon Morning and Evening
There is no need to pray that God would come in power. That is the only way He ever comes. - Blackaby Experiencing God Day by Day
It is no secret what God can do. What He's done for others, He'll do for you. With arms wide open He'll pardon you. It is no secret what God can do. - Jim Reeves "It is No Secret"
This devotional and those thoughts come together this morning. How often our thoughts go round about our heads and never leave for that infinitesimal period of time to get to the Throne of God. In simpler terms: worry.
To continue with another quote or two..
"You haven't seen anything yet..."
Daniel prayed for years and years before he ever was an exile in Babylon. He walked with God from his youth onward. Did he give up or did he bring those concerns of his to Heaven's Throne? Look at the integrity of Daniel. Look at his desire to do right before God. Day upon day he didn't wander from holding onto the promises of God, even if the world was falling down around him. His country invaded, him and his family and friends exiled. He never stopped believing that his prayers were being heard. Never stopped having the right heart attitude towards God. The fire was turned up and it only showed a man whom God was happy to call beloved.
Daniel believed in God keeping His promises.
Do you? Are we not facing another 4 years of possible woes to this nation? Yes. Are we going to sit, stew and worry? I should hope not if you are a believer in Jesus Christ as your Savior. The Daniel of the Bible prayed for King Nebuchadnezzar. We can pray for Biden. The power of prayer is that it can go where Satan cannot stop it. It goes directly to Jesus. Every decision and declaration from the Throne of God always comes to pass.
I am living an impossible life as it is. By all means, many times in my life I should have been dead. Many times to my knowledge and outside of it, I have been a target of the enemies of God because of the plans of God for me. Those who come to Christ will have enemies in this world. Jesus said the hated Me they will hate you too. We share the truth of God and people mired in sin want nothing of it. The want to remain as pigs in slop. They want their idols and their sinful lusts of the flesh. Yet for Christ He couldn't leave people that were created in His image to stay that way, He loves them too much to do that. His Father loved humanity too much to leave them like that. Jesus became sin on our behalf to reveal the righteousness of God. The chains were broken. Yet it's not enough just to believe. Demons do and they aren't saved. You need to have Jesus in you. You need that relationship to be able to see change.
We do live in perilous times. Uncertainty is rampant. Yet in no way does this diminish the power of God. In all the attempts on my life, none of the promises of God ever failed. If you are reading this then you too have no idea how far and to what lengths God has gone to preserve your life. He's not done. Not with you or I.
Keep the prayers going to Jesus. He holds tightly to every single one. In His time they will be addressed. In accordance with His plans. You see your prayers must fit into His Will for you as well as His Plans for humanity and the preplanned events of the Bible. There's a whole lot going on. Even after Daniel lived through several world leaders there is no evidence that he returned to Israel. He put God's plans for his life ahead of his own. Can we do anything less?
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