What a multitude of prayers we have offered up from the moment we learned to pray! Our first prayer was a prayer for ourselves—we asked that God would have mercy on us and blot out our sin. He heard us. But when He had wiped away our sins like mist on a window, then we had more prayers for ourselves. We have had to pray for sanctifying grace, for constraining and restraining grace; we have been led to crave a fresh assurance of faith, the comfortable application of the promise, deliverance in the hour of temptation, help in the time of duty, and relief in the day of trial. We have been compelled to go to God for our souls, as constant beggars asking for everything. Bear witness, children of God: you have never been able to get anything for your souls anywhere else. All the bread your soul has eaten has come down from heaven, and all the water it has drunk has flowed from the living rock—Christ Jesus the Lord. Your soul has never grown rich in itself; it has always been dependent on the daily bounty of God, so your prayers have ascended to heaven for an infinite range of spiritual mercies. Your wants were innumerable, and therefore the supplies have been infinitely great. Your prayers have been as varied as the mercies have been countless. So don’t you have cause to say, “I love the LORD, because He has heard My voice and my supplications” (Psalm 116:1 NKJV)? As your prayers have been many, so also have been God’s answers to them. He has heard you in the day of trouble. He has strengthened you and helped you, even when you dishonored Him by trembling and doubting at the mercy seat. Remember this, and let it fill your heart with gratitude to God, who has graciously heard your poor, weak prayers. “Bless the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits” (Psalm 103:2 ESV). C.H. Spurgeon Morning and Evening
Read this second post well. I had been so busy writing the other that I almost missed this one.
I am asking a trusted friend and Pastor about just what is a fervent prayer. Hopefully it will be in a form that I can share here.
Prayer is essential and important. Yet there's plenty that it is not. It's not a regurgitation of things you haven't gotten yet. It's not a grocery list of wants. It's not about your will being done in this life.
The Plan of God is about telling others how to find Jesus. It's not about your career your property nor your bank account. It isn't certificates on a wall about your education. It's not about how long you had a job. It isn't about which team you are idolizing. It's not about which celebrities you have met or have put up on a pedestal.
People who die go one of two places. Heaven or Hell.
What their life consists of means nothing if they don't know that Jesus came, lived a sinless life, was brutalized and murdered on a cross to take their place. He became the substitute for the penalty of sin for them. He arose from the dead 3 days later to make it possible to be saved from that death penalty. But you have to ask for it. You must ask Jesus to save you. To become your Savior and Lord. Then your life is safe in Him. But it's now to be lived for God. You become the next to share with others how they can be saved. It's not at all that you get saved then live for yourself.
All who die today either open their eyes in Heaven or Hell. They either are shouting the joy of being in the presence of Jesus or they are screaming to Him for a second chance while they are in torment.
That's the truth of that single decision that means everything to everyone in this life.
Prayer begins with asking Jesus to come into your life and save you. It progresses to your dependence upon Him daily until He calls you home to be with Him.
If fear and anxiety, hatred and selfishness define your life then it's not going to take much to realize your next breath could be in Hell. Nobody who died today expected to nor really wanted to. They wanted to live.
Come to Christ while you still can. Just as it was in the days of Noah, there came a day when they were told to be in the Ark. For Jesus was going to close the door.
You are being told, if you haven't come to Christ, to come before the door is closed.
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