I just read the about the death of Lazarus in NLT. I was intrigued because it said that Jesus was angry. As I read it I wondered why Jesus was angry. He knew Lazarus was going to die. In fact I believe he waited so long because he wanted to make sure that Lazarus was good and dead. He waited till everyone knew he was dead. The bible said that Jesus did this so that the power of God would be shown. So why was Jesus angry? I think it was because everyone thought that Jesus could keep Lazarus alive, but no one thought he had the power to raise the dead. I would think it would be frustrating doing miracle after miracle with the people who follow you and call you LORD forgetting how powerful you really are. He was mad and moved with compassion for his love for Lazarus. He raised him from the dead. This miracle pushed the religious leaders over the edge. They wanted him dead and fast. The religious leaders recognized Jesus power and were afraid of losing political control. Do we care more about power or control then we do about what Jesus is doing? I think sometimes in my life I forget how powerful God is and that he can do all that he said he can do. I live for control instead of giving Jesus all control.
The other thing that stuck out to me is that Jesus was not in a hurry to reach his friend. Everyone was mourning the fact that Jesus was late. But Jesus knew he was on time. I think sometimes we forget who the author of time is. We also forget who the keeper of time is. Jesus knows the end from the beginning. He knows the time. He is never late. Do we trust his timing? I have so much to learn.
Tuesday, August 25, 2009
Friday, August 14, 2009
The Power of Prayer
I remember a while back when I was studying the book of James being amazed and shocked at one verse in particular. It was James 5:17; “Elijah was a man just like us. He prayed earnestly that it would not rain, and it did not rain on the land for three and a half years.” What this says is that, Elijah was a man (or human being) like you and I and he was able to pray and God listened to him. God made it so the earth did not get rain for three years because of Elijah’s prayer. This is power. God has given us this power. He gave us prayer as a way to communicate with him.
I sometimes forget the power that God has given us through prayer. I was convicted of this very recently. I was seeing that I was not seeking God on behalf of my students as much as I should have been. I was not seeking Gods power in my family’s life. I am a fix-it. When something goes wrong I try my best to fix it. But issues of the heart I cannot fix. God is the only one who can change the heart. James 5:16 says this, “Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective.”
Our prayers are powerful and effective. I know this but, I am not sure I always believe it. I say that I believe in prayer, but then I do not live that way. I need to be seeking God in prayer so the power of God may be released in the life of my family, my students, and my church. I sometimes wonder “God what are you doing here?” But again I am not praying to ask God to work. God has told us to ask him for help. James 4:2-3 says, “2 You want something but don't get it. You kill and covet, but you cannot have what you want. You quarrel and fight. You do not have, because you do not ask God. 3 When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures.”
Are we seeking God for things? Are we asking Him? Are we asking for things that are for His glory? I know for me sometimes I do not ask because I am afraid to ask. However, God has told us the reason we do not have because we do not ask. It is OK to ask and seek the power of God to work in our lives. He will work according to His purposes and His pleasure. He will be consistent. We just need to be willing to seek and ask. This is an act of surrender, of humility. I never thought of prayer as an act of surrender but it is. We do not ask help from other people for a few reasons; we do not want to put people out, or we are just too full of our own pride to ask. It is the same with God. We want to figure it out on our own, and not surrender and say, “God I need your help here.” “I need your power.”
Are we willing to seek God and his power? Are we willing to surrender to him? I know I have seen how God has worked in my life and I have been trying to focus on more prayer in my life. For example a couple of weeks ago I was praying about something in Tomina’s and my life. I was asking God to work. I was seeking his help, looking for his hand in our lives; the next day God provided in that area. The next day!!! Our God is a good God and He wants us to seek his help and guidance through prayer. Are you doing it?
I sometimes forget the power that God has given us through prayer. I was convicted of this very recently. I was seeing that I was not seeking God on behalf of my students as much as I should have been. I was not seeking Gods power in my family’s life. I am a fix-it. When something goes wrong I try my best to fix it. But issues of the heart I cannot fix. God is the only one who can change the heart. James 5:16 says this, “Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective.”
Our prayers are powerful and effective. I know this but, I am not sure I always believe it. I say that I believe in prayer, but then I do not live that way. I need to be seeking God in prayer so the power of God may be released in the life of my family, my students, and my church. I sometimes wonder “God what are you doing here?” But again I am not praying to ask God to work. God has told us to ask him for help. James 4:2-3 says, “2 You want something but don't get it. You kill and covet, but you cannot have what you want. You quarrel and fight. You do not have, because you do not ask God. 3 When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures.”
Are we seeking God for things? Are we asking Him? Are we asking for things that are for His glory? I know for me sometimes I do not ask because I am afraid to ask. However, God has told us the reason we do not have because we do not ask. It is OK to ask and seek the power of God to work in our lives. He will work according to His purposes and His pleasure. He will be consistent. We just need to be willing to seek and ask. This is an act of surrender, of humility. I never thought of prayer as an act of surrender but it is. We do not ask help from other people for a few reasons; we do not want to put people out, or we are just too full of our own pride to ask. It is the same with God. We want to figure it out on our own, and not surrender and say, “God I need your help here.” “I need your power.”
Are we willing to seek God and his power? Are we willing to surrender to him? I know I have seen how God has worked in my life and I have been trying to focus on more prayer in my life. For example a couple of weeks ago I was praying about something in Tomina’s and my life. I was asking God to work. I was seeking his help, looking for his hand in our lives; the next day God provided in that area. The next day!!! Our God is a good God and He wants us to seek his help and guidance through prayer. Are you doing it?
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