Ask, that Your Joy May Be Full

It was represented to me like children asking a blessing of their earthly parents who love them. They ask something that the parent knows will hurt them; the parent gives them the things that will be good and healthful for them, in the place of that which they desired. I saw that every prayer which is sent up in faith from an honest heart, will be heard of God and answered, and the one that sent up the petition will have the blessing when he needs it most, and it will often exceed his expectations. Not a prayer of a true saint is lost if sent up in faith, from an honest heart.—Testimonies for the Church 1:121.

Watch, pray, work—this is the Christian’s watchword. The life of a true Christian is a life of constant prayer. He knows that the light and strength of one day is not sufficient for the trials and conflicts of the next. Satan is continually changing his temptations. Every day we shall be placed in different circumstances; and in the untried scenes that await us we shall be surrounded by fresh dangers, and constantly assailed by new and unexpected temptations. It is only through the strength and grace gained from heaven that we can hope to meet the temptations and perform the duties before us….

Ask, then; ask, and ye shall receive. Ask for humility, wisdom, courage, increase of faith. To every sincere prayer an answer will come…. The prayers you offer in loneliness, in weariness, in trial, God answers, not always according to your expectations, but always for your good.—Gospel Workers, 257, 258.
With God at Dawn p. 195
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Prayer Requests
—-Please pray for my neighbors chow he has not been able to walk on his leg for several days. his back leg is hurting him he needs surgery and she keeps claiming the promises by His stripes we are healed she is in her 70’s and never had any children lives alone never been married . she is in poor health her self crying her heart out can barely get around. her name is Linda pray for her she was crying so hard
needs healing for her knees she was thank you. M
—-PLEASE PRAY FOR MY THIRD SON. He just found out last night that while he went to work everyday that his wife was having [intimate relations] with his older brother. Now my son is SUICIDAL AND I THINK HE IS HAVING A NERVOUS BREAKDOWN. My youngest son is driving over 200 miles to his house right now to try and help him. And my third son has been working hard trying to support this older brother and his four kids and he was letting them live in his house because they had no where else to go. Connie
—-At 2 weeks old, baby Imogen Rea was diagnosed with an aggressive brain cancer, congenital Glioblastoma Multiforme Grade 4. Her parents Brad and Christie are asking everyone to pray for Imogen that she survives and lives a long and healthy life. Judy
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Dear Friends,

Some years ago, Ronnie Jay and Eileen went camping in Oklahoma along with the church’s Pathfinder group. Ronnie Jay was one of the counselors at the time and asked his big sister to go along.

As always seems to happen during one of these outings, the first night and next morning they had heavy rains. Sunday there was a planned canoe and rafting trip down the river. Unfortunately, it was now way above flood stage after the previous two days of rain. The bulging river flowed swiftly, but the leader felt that they would be able to go anyway.

Ronnie Jay went on the raft, but Eileen wanted to canoe. The other person in the canoe had never been in one before. Eileen sat in the back in order to be able to steer, and off they went. Since the other person was inexperienced, she was not paddling correctly. Eileen had to compensate for every paddle stroke. It was difficult due to the swollen river, but she was able.

When they returned home that evening, Eileen remarked that she was glad that years before when her father taught her how to canoe, he had paddled in such a way that she had to fight to keep the canoe going in the right direction. It seemed to her that he was really working against her: he was. He wanted her to learn to steer under the most difficult of circumstances. It was very frustrating to her as she thought that he was teasing. However, through that experience, she learned to overcome his odd paddling and steer a canoe correctly. That had been his purpose. She now knew that even though he had appeared to be working against her, he was really helping her to become the type of canoeist that he wanted her to be.

Many times it seems like everything is going wrong in our life. We become confused and frustrated and feel forsaken. We fight against our circumstances, not realizing that God is helping us to become the kind of persons that He longs for us to be. He is using these very unpleasant circumstances to help us to become stronger Christians, to help us stay on His pathway, to help us to rely upon His strength. “Thou shalt also consider in thine heart, that, as a man chasteneth his son, so the LORD thy God chasteneth thee. Therefore thou shalt keep the commandments of the LORD thy God, to walk in his ways, and to fear him.” Deut. 8:5,6

Paul tells us, “despise not thou the chastening of the Lord, nor faint when thou art rebuked of him: For whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth. If ye endure chastening, God dealeth with you as with sons; for what son is he whom the father chasteneth not? But if ye be without chastisement, whereof all are partakers, then are ye bastards, and not sons. Furthermore we have had fathers of our flesh which corrected us, and we gave them reverence: shall we not much rather be in subjection unto the Father of spirits, and live? For they verily for a few days chastened us after their own pleasure; but he for our profit, that we might be partakers of his holiness. Now no chastening for the present seemeth to be joyous, but grievous: nevertheless afterward it yieldeth the peaceable fruit of righteousness unto them which are exercised thereby.” Heb 12:5-11

Yet, even in the troubles our Heavenly Father allows to come upon us, He mingles His great mercy. He loves us with an everlasting love and draws us ever closer to Himself. (Jer 31:3) “The LORD is merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and plenteous in mercy….He hath not dealt with us after our sins; nor rewarded us according to our iniquities. For as the heaven is high above the earth, so great is his mercy toward them that fear him. As far as the east is from the west, so far hath he removed our transgressions from us. Like as a father pitieth his children, so the LORD pitieth them that fear him. For he knoweth our frame; he remembereth that we are dust.” Ps 103:8-14

May we remember that the trials that come our way are given in mercy to strengthen us and help us to overcome the sins that so easily beset us. May we, in times of adversity as well as in the good times, “come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.” Heb 4:16

Rose