Our God - my God - is indeed an awesome God! I don't brag on Him nearly as much as He deserves. He is powerful and personal, outrageously generous and gracious. God hears prayers and answers in real time.
Last night was a perfect example: I had turned on the water for a shower and prayed God would send rain, as Sydney has been dry lately. I kid you not: when I stepped out of the shower less than five minutes later rain had come! Hearing the water dripping from the eaves and passing through the gutters brought a beaming smile to my face. It is so easy to forget God is not delayed because He seems far away at times, but He is so near to each one of us. Those who call upon Him can expect Him to answer in His time and way.
Our feeble frame is forgetful of God's presence. We can go through the motions of prayer or reading and study of scripture and miss God. I recently came across an example of this. 1 Samuel 28:5-6 says of King Saul, "When Saul saw the army of the Philistines, he was afraid, and his heart trembled greatly. 6 And when Saul inquired of the LORD, the LORD did not answer him, either by dreams or by Urim or by the prophets." Because God did not answer according to Saul's demand, he sought out counsel from a medium. These verses only tell part of the story. Saul went through the motions of inquiring of the LORD, and another scripture confirms his heart wasn't in it. And we also cannot ignore the fact he had commanded the slaughter of the high priest who therefore could not aid him in the process. 1 Chronicles 10:13-14 says, "So Saul died for his unfaithfulness which he had committed against the LORD, because he did not keep the word of the LORD, and also because he consulted a medium for guidance. 14 But he did not inquire of the LORD; therefore He killed him, and turned the kingdom over to David the son of Jesse."
On the surface this appears to be a contradiction. 1 Samuel 28:6 says Saul inquired of the LORD, but 1 Chronicles 10:14 says he did not inquire of the LORD! These verses can be easily reconciled by our own lives and experience. Have you ever gone through the activity of prayer but you were distracted? Have you ever read the Bible and after closing it would have struggled to repeat what you just read? At times we have all done as Saul: we have prayed without thought, when we were obstinate in sin, and planned to pursue our own will regardless of God's Word. If we will pray, let us seek and inquire of the LORD, waiting upon Him. The equivalent of the Philistines mustering against us is an impetus to prayer, but speaking words with our mouths does not mean we are joined with the Spirit of the holy God.
Praise the LORD He is gracious, compassionate, and answers the prayers of His humble servants! Let's examine ourselves to see if we are going through the motions of prayer or confirm our inquiries are genuine. If we aren't hearing much from God, it may be we aren't praying.
Last night was a perfect example: I had turned on the water for a shower and prayed God would send rain, as Sydney has been dry lately. I kid you not: when I stepped out of the shower less than five minutes later rain had come! Hearing the water dripping from the eaves and passing through the gutters brought a beaming smile to my face. It is so easy to forget God is not delayed because He seems far away at times, but He is so near to each one of us. Those who call upon Him can expect Him to answer in His time and way.
Our feeble frame is forgetful of God's presence. We can go through the motions of prayer or reading and study of scripture and miss God. I recently came across an example of this. 1 Samuel 28:5-6 says of King Saul, "When Saul saw the army of the Philistines, he was afraid, and his heart trembled greatly. 6 And when Saul inquired of the LORD, the LORD did not answer him, either by dreams or by Urim or by the prophets." Because God did not answer according to Saul's demand, he sought out counsel from a medium. These verses only tell part of the story. Saul went through the motions of inquiring of the LORD, and another scripture confirms his heart wasn't in it. And we also cannot ignore the fact he had commanded the slaughter of the high priest who therefore could not aid him in the process. 1 Chronicles 10:13-14 says, "So Saul died for his unfaithfulness which he had committed against the LORD, because he did not keep the word of the LORD, and also because he consulted a medium for guidance. 14 But he did not inquire of the LORD; therefore He killed him, and turned the kingdom over to David the son of Jesse."
On the surface this appears to be a contradiction. 1 Samuel 28:6 says Saul inquired of the LORD, but 1 Chronicles 10:14 says he did not inquire of the LORD! These verses can be easily reconciled by our own lives and experience. Have you ever gone through the activity of prayer but you were distracted? Have you ever read the Bible and after closing it would have struggled to repeat what you just read? At times we have all done as Saul: we have prayed without thought, when we were obstinate in sin, and planned to pursue our own will regardless of God's Word. If we will pray, let us seek and inquire of the LORD, waiting upon Him. The equivalent of the Philistines mustering against us is an impetus to prayer, but speaking words with our mouths does not mean we are joined with the Spirit of the holy God.
Praise the LORD He is gracious, compassionate, and answers the prayers of His humble servants! Let's examine ourselves to see if we are going through the motions of prayer or confirm our inquiries are genuine. If we aren't hearing much from God, it may be we aren't praying.
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