For the Lord God is a sun and shield: the Lord will give grace and glory: no good thing will he withhold from them that walk uprightly. Psalm 84:11.
We have a wise, loving heavenly Father, who hears the prayers of His children. But He does not always give them what they desire. He withholds that which He sees would not be for their good. But He bestows on them all that they need. He gives them that which is necessary for growth in grace. When we pray, we should say, “Lord, if what I ask for is for my good, give it to me; but if it is not, withhold it, but give me Thy blessings.” The Lord hears our petitions; He understands our situation, and He will supply the very thing we need. He will strengthen our faith and increase our spirituality. The Lord is good and merciful, perfect in understanding and infinite in wisdom.
There are those who pray for temporal blessings which they think will bring them worldly prosperity. God sees that such blessings would spoil their spiritual life. He gives them an understanding mind, showing them that it is not best for them to have riches, and that they must be satisfied with His grace and peace and love.
God, who knows the end from the beginning, jealously guards the welfare of His children. In answering their prayers, He will give them that which will be continually fitting them to be partakers of the divine nature, and to overcome the corruption that is in the world through lust. We must submit our will to God’s will. We must have confidence in His love, His wisdom, His faithfulness, His keeping power.
The Lord has instructed me that the time has come when there should be unity in the ranks of His people. If there are those who have not faith in the messages that have come to us from God by His Word and by the testimonies of His Spirit, they need to know for themselves what is the faith once delivered unto the saints. The representations made show that there are some who have lost their bearing….
Christ’s ministry is to be the ministry of His followers. To branch off into spiritualistic ideas is to depart from the faith, giving heed to doctrines of deception.
The messages that God has given through His servant John are now to be proclaimed as of special importance. This is our work—to revive the sacred truths that called us out from the world and made us what we are. We are not to yield up one feature of the faith, but are to hold our confidence firm unto the end. We are to give no place to doctrines that are not in harmony with the truth for this time.—Letter 270, December 21, 1903, to Edson White.
The Upward Look p. 369
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Prayer Requests
—-Praise—Esther had her baby on the 17th! Labor and delivery went well. Praise the Lord! Rose
—-My niece has Covid 19 and she is NOT getting better in spite of all the medicines she has been given by her Doctor. She is only 32 and she really needs prayer to get better. She is a sweet Christian young lady and we don’t want to lose her. Her name is Jennica. Also my sister was getting better from having Covid but now she said her symptoms are coming back so it seems that she is having a relapse. Please also pray for her I don’t want to lose my sister… Connie
—-Please pray for my friend Darlene. Darlene fell broke right side of hip. Two years ago she broke left side. Arlene
—-Please pray for Paulette who has been ill with cancer now fighting Covid placing her now in ICU for breathing difficulties and going to put her on ventilator! She is very distressed! Ann
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Dear Friends,
Ron used to read airplane magazines and sometimes would share with me stories that he thought would interest me. One day he was telling about an article he had read. It was written by a certain man about his experience as a co-pilot for a large jet airplane. This man flew with a very particular pilot, who was a stickler for flying “by the numbers.” The pilot insisted that they fly exactly as the manual said they should. The co-pilot was not as exact and just could not understand why a slight deviation in their instruments readings wasn’t good enough. No matter how many times the pilot explained the necessity of being exact, the younger man felt that he was just too ridged, too exacting.
One day, a terrible blizzard hit Europe. This was no ordinary blizzard. It was so bad that one could not see even inches from their face. It shut down everything—even airports. The pilot and co-pilot had nowhere to land. Their fuel was getting low after their transatlantic flight. It was critical that they find an airport as soon as possible. They contacted one airport after another, but no one would allow them to land. The co-pilot was getting worried.
Finally, the pilot flew toward Paris. When he was within range, he again contacted the control tower. The man in the tower told him that their was no way that he could land as visibility was zero all the way to the ground. The pilot explained that either they landed there or they were going to crash. He was given permission. The man in the control tower assured him that he would shine all lights as brightly as they could shine in hopes that they could see something besides the curtain of white that had descended over the Continent.
The pilot barked his orders to the co-pilot. Every instrument reading must be exact. The rate and angle of descent must be perfect. Anything less would mean instant death and destruction. Although they could see nothing, they began descending. The co-pilot’s increasing fear threatened to engulf him, but as he looked at the pilot, he saw peace written on his face. That pilot was doing as he always did—flying “by the numbers.”
The landing was so perfect, that only the instruments told them that they were on the ground. As they rolled to a stop, they assured the man in the control tower that they had arrived safely. The man in the control tower could not see the plane, but sent out someone in a jeep to see if they could find the plane and direct it to the terminal. The blizzard was so bad that the person in the jeep could not see the plane even though it had all its lights on. Suddenly, the jeep crashed into something. It was one of the tires of the plane!
From that moment, the co-pilot understood why he should always fly “by the numbers.” The settings in the manual were there for a reason. They were there for his protection and well-being. From then on, he determined to fly as his pilot did obeying all settings exactly. He finally understood that his life could someday again depend upon it.
Just so, our Heavenly Pilot has given us a manual for our journey. It is full of the information that we need to stay on the right path to His Heavenly Kingdom. “Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path.” “Thy word is true from the beginning: and every one of thy righteous judgments endureth for ever.” Indeed, the entire Universe is governed by the Word of God. “For ever, O LORD, thy word is settled in heaven. Thy faithfulness is unto all generations. Angels, that excel in strength, do his commandments, hearkening unto the voice of his word.” Ps 119:105, 160, 89, 90; 103:20
Our Heavenly Pilot greatly desires that we “fly by the numbers” that He has set forth in His Manual, the Bible. These Ten Commandments are written for our good, for our safety. They encompass all situations, whether our life is going smoothly, or whether we are experiencing the severest “blizzard.” The Great King of the Universe took the time to personally speak His laws. He said, “Thou shalt have no other gods before me. Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth: Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them: for I the LORD thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me; And showing mercy unto thousands of them that love me, and keep my commandments. Thou shalt not take the name of the LORD thy God in vain; for the LORD will not hold him guiltless that taketh his name in vain. Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days shalt thou labour, and do all thy work: But the seventh day is the Sabbath of the LORD thy God: in it thou shalt not do any work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, thy manservant, nor thy maidservant, nor thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is within thy gates: For in six days the LORD made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day: wherefore the LORD blessed the Sabbath day, and hallowed it. Honour thy father and thy mother: that thy days may be long upon the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee. Thou shalt not kill. Thou shalt not commit adultery. Thou shalt not steal. Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbour. Thou shalt not covet thy neighbour’s house, thou shalt not covet thy neighbour’s wife, nor his manservant, nor his maidservant, nor his ox, nor his ass, nor any thing that is thy neighbour’s.” Ex 20:3-17
Let us study the Great Manual that our Heavenly Pilot has given us. Let us stick strictly to its precepts so that in time of storm, we may have a safe “landing.” Let us pray as did the psalmist, “My soul fainteth for thy salvation: but I hope in thy word. Thou art good, and doest good; teach me thy statutes. Teach me good judgment and knowledge: for I have believed thy commandments. Uphold me according unto thy word, that I may live.” Ps 119:81, 68, 66, 116
Rose
God Gives Us What We Need