Blow ye the trumpet in Zion, and sound an alarm in my holy mountain: let all the inhabitants of the land tremble: for the day of the Lord cometh, for it is nigh at hand. Joel 2:1.
The things that concern our eternal welfare are now to absorb our attention. We cannot afford to give heavenly things the second place. . . . The judgments of God are in the land. They speak in solemn warning, saying, “Be ye also ready: for in such an hour as ye think not the Son of man cometh.”
There are many, many in our churches who know little of the real meaning of the truth for this time. I appeal to them not to disregard the fulfilling of the signs of the times, which say so plainly that the end is near. O how many who have not sought their soul’s salvation will soon make the bitter lamentation, “The harvest is past, the summer is ended, and my soul is not saved”!
We are living in the closing scenes of this earth’s history. Prophecy is rapidly fulfilling. The hours of probation are fast passing. We have no time–not a moment–to lose. Let us not be found sleeping on guard. Let no one say in his heart or by his works, “My lord delayeth his coming.” Let the message of Christ’s soon return sound forth in earnest words of warning. Let us persuade men and women everywhere to repent, and flee from the wrath to come. Let us arouse them to immediate preparation; for we little know what is before us. Let ministers and lay members go forth into the ripening fields. . . .
The Lord is soon to come, and we must be prepared to meet Him in peace. Let us be determined to do all in our power to impart light to those around us. We are not to be sad, but cheerful, and we are to keep the Lord Jesus ever before us. . . . We must be ready and waiting for His appearing. O how glorious it will be to see Him, and be welcomed as His redeemed ones! Long have we waited, but our faith is not to become weak. If we can but see the King in His beauty, we shall be forever and forever blessed. I feel as if I must cry aloud, “Homeward bound.” We are nearing the time when Christ will come with power and great glory, to take His ransomed ones to their eternal home.
Maranatha p. 106
“““““““““““““““““““`
Prayer Requests
—–Update on baby Adam. He is still fighting for his life but is progressing. Please continue to pray. M
“““““““““““““““““““““
Dear Friends,
For evening worship awhile ago, Ron and I were reading a book on prayer. As we were reading, we came across a passage that meant a lot to me. I thought I would share it will you today. “God does not always answer our prayers the first time we call upon Him; for should He do this, we might take it for granted that we had a right to all the blessings and favors He bestowed upon us. Instead of searching our hearts to see if any evil was entertained by us, any sin indulged, we should become careless, and fail to realize our dependence upon Him, and our need of His help.” Prayer p. 139
Many years ago, I heard a visiting preacher say, “I only have to ask God for a request one time, and then I don’t ever have to ask again. I can forget about it and let Him take care of it. ” On the surface, it sounded as if he had great faith, but there was something lacking. He was too casual in his petitions and seemed to think little about that request from then on.
God’s Holy Word tells us to be persistent in prayer. Paul admonishes us to “pray without ceasing.” 1 Thes 5:17 Jesus tells us. “Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you. For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened.” Luke 11:9,10 The verb tense there indicates that we should ask and keep on asking, knock and keep on knocking, seek and keep on seeking. He wants us to keep on asking until we receive, keep on seeking until we find, keep on knocking until it is opened for our own good. If we immediately received an answer, we would become like a spoiled child who begins to think that their parent is their servant to do their bidding.
Our Dear Saviour gave a parable of contrasts to show us an example of effectual prayer. “And he spake a parable unto them to this end, that men ought always to pray, and not to faint; Saying, There was in a city a judge, which feared not God, neither regarded man: And there was a widow in that city; and she came unto him, saying, Avenge me of mine adversary. And he would not for a while: but afterward he said within himself, Though I fear not God, nor regard man; Yet because this widow troubleth me, I will avenge her, lest by her continual coming she weary me. And the Lord said, Hear what the unjust judge saith. And shall not God avenge his own elect, which cry day and night unto him, though he bear long with them? I tell you that he will avenge them speedily. Nevertheless when the Son of man cometh, shall he find faith on the earth?” Luke 18:1-8 The heartfelt prayer is never turned away. We are to desire an answer to our prayer with our whole heart. James tells us, “The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much.” James 5:16 Throughout the day we have the privilege of pressing our petitions to the throne of grace. We have the privilege of coming to our Dear Saviour for the help that we need to overcome. By continually having our heart uplifted in prayer, the enemy has no power over us.
Jesus assures us, “If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you.” John 15:7 “If ye keep my commandments, ye shall abide in my love; even as I have kept my Father’s commandments, and abide in his love.” vs 10 “Have faith in God. For verily I say unto you, That whosoever shall say unto this mountain, Be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea; and shall not doubt in his heart, but shall believe that those things which he saith shall come to pass; he shall have whatsoever he saith. Therefore I say unto you, What things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them. And when ye stand praying, forgive, if ye have ought against any: that your Father also which is in heaven may forgive you your trespasses. But if ye do not forgive, neither will your Father which is in heaven forgive your trespasses.” Mark 11:22-26
Paul tells us, “in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God.” Phil 4:6 “For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin. Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.” Heb 4:15,16
Let us “continue in prayer, and watch in the same with thanksgiving.” Col 4:2 Let us be persevering and sincere in our prayers, pressing our petitions to the very throne of God. Let us keep our heart uplifted moment by moment to our Dear Saviour is my prayer.
Rose