Thoughts of Grace

Good Morning

Faith, reverence, and prayer… {J.C. Ryle}

It is not enough that we go to Church and hear sermons. We may do so for fifty years, and be nothing better, but rather worse. “Take heed,” says our Lord, “how you hear.”

Would any one know how to hear properly? Then let them lay to heart three simple rules.

We must hear with FAITH, believing implicitly that every word of God is true, and shall stand. The word in old time did not profit the Jews, since it was “not mixed with faith in those who heard it” (Heb. 4:2).

We must hear with REVERENCE, remembering constantly that the Bible is the book of God. This was the habit of the Thessalonians. They received Paul’s message, “not as the word of men, but the word of God” (1 Thess. 2:13).

We must bear with PRAYER, praying for God’s blessing before the sermon is preached, praying for God’s blessing again when the sermon is over. Here lies the grand defect of the hearing of many. They ask no blessing, and so they have none. The sermon passes through their minds like water through a leaky vessel, and leaves nothing behind.

Summary: Let us bear these rules in mind every Sunday morning, before we go to hear the Word of God preached. Let us not rush into God’s presence careless, reckless, and unprepared, as if it mattered not in what way such work was done. Let us carry with us faith, reverence, and prayer. If these three are our companions, we will hear with profit, and return with praise.

Faith, reverence, and prayer…

Trust God for your day . . . Today
With my prayers, desiring yours, Leslie

Good Morning

The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much.
James 5:16

Napoleon quickly observed where the strategic position for a battle field lay. He would then thrust all his forces and resources into the conquering and keeping that position, no matter what the sacrifice to his troops.
To claim spiritual conquests, soldiers in the army of God must be prepared and alert to do the same. Gordon B. Watt once said:
“The point of obstruction must be found out, and prayer focused upon it. The mind must be convicted. The will must be stirred into right action. On the obstruction whatever it may be as it is revealed through waiting upon God, prayer must be concentrated.

Oh, the wonders of prayer!
Abraham’s servant prays. . .Rebekah appears.
Jacob wrestles and prays and prevails with Christ. . .Esau’s mind is wonderfully turned from the revengeful purpose he has harbored for twenty years.
Moses cries to God. . .the sea divides.
Moses prays. . .Amalek is discomfited.
Joshua prays. . .Achan is discovered.
Hannah prays. . .Samuel is born.
David prays. . .Ahithophel hangs himself.
Asa prays. . .a victory is gained.
Jehoshaphat cries to God. . .God turns away his foes.
Isaiah prays. . .the dream is revealed.
Daniel prays. . .the lions are muzzled.
Daniel prays. . .the seventy weeks are revealed.
Ezra prays at Ahava. . .God answers.
Nehemiah starts a prayer. . .the king’s heart is softened in a minute.
Elijah prays. . .a drought of three years succeeds.
Elijah prays. . .rain descends apace.
Elisha prays. . .Jordon is divided.
The Church prays ardently. . .Peter is delivered by an angel.”

The weapon of prayer against the forces fo evil prevails.
It brings power.
It brings fire.
It brings rain.
It brings life.
It brings God!
There is on power like that of prevailing prayer.
Dare to be definite with God;
dare to lay hold of the promises
and to wait with faith until the answer comes.
Victory is through Calvary!
~~Unknown

Trust God for your day. . .Today
With my prayers, desiring yours, Leslie

What a handsome thirsty squirrel!
He lives in Grandma Crain’s backyard.

Good Morning

Likewise the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities:
for we know not what we should pray for as we ought:
but the Spirit itself maketh intercession for us
with groanings which cannot be uttered.
And he that searcheth the hearts
knoweth what is the mind of the Spirit,
because he maketh intercession for the saints
according to the will of God. Romans 8:26-27

The Spirit has much to do with acceptable prayer,
and His work in prayer is too much neglected.
He enlightens the mind to see its wants,
softens the heart to feel them,
quickens our desires after suitable supplies,
gives clear views of God’s power, wisdom,
and grace to relieve us,
and stirs up that confidence in His truth
which excludes all wavering.
Prayer is, therefore, a wonderful thing.
In every acceptable prayer the whole trinity is concerned.
J. Angell James

Trust God for your day. . .Today
With my prayers, desiring yours, Leslie

Zinnias at Cozy Acres!

Good Morning

My soul, wait thou only upon God;
for my expectation is from him.
He only is my rock and my salvation:
he is my defence;
I shall not be moved.
In God is my salvation and my glory:
the rock of my strength,
and my refuge,
is in God.
Trust in him at all times;
ye people,
pour out your heart before him:
God is a refuge for us.
Selah.
Psalm 62:5-8

Our too general neglect of looking for answers to what we ask, shows, how little we are in earnest in our petitions. A husbandman is not content without the harvest; a marksman will observe whether the ball hits the target; a physician watches the effect of the medicine which he gives; and shall the Christian be careless about the effect of his labor?

Every prayer of the Christian, made in faith, according to the will of God, for which God has promised, offered up in the name of Jesus Christ, and under the influence of the Spirit, whether for temporal or for spiritual blessings, is, or will be, fully answered.

God always answers the general design and intention of His people’s prayers, in doing that which, all things considered, is most for His own glory and their spiritual and eternal welfare. As we never find that Jesus Christ rejected a single supplicant who came to Him for mercy, so we believe that no prayer made in His name will be in vain.

The answer to prayer may be approaching, though we discern not its coming. The seed that lies under ground in winter is taking root in order to a spring and harvest though it appears not above ground, but seems dead and lost. —-Bickersteth.  (Underlining for me)

Trust God for your day . . .Today.
With my prayers, desiring yours, Leslie

Blooming Star Jasmine planted February 21.

Good Morning,

I prayed for strength, and then I lost awhile
All sense of nearness, human and divine;
The love I leaned on failed and pierced my heart,
The hands I clung to loosed themselves from mine;
But while I swayed, weak, trembling, and alone,
The everlasting arms upheld my own.

I prayed for light; the sun went down in clouds,
The moon was darkened by a misty doubt,
The stars of heaven were dimmed by earthly fears,
And all my little candle flames burned out;
But while I sat in shadow, wrapped in night,
The face of Christ made all the darkness bright.

I prayed for peace, and dreamed of restful ease,
A slumber drugged from pain, a hushed repose;
Above my head the skies were black with storm,
And fiercer grew the onslaught of my foes;
But while the battle raged, and wild winds blew,
I heard His voice and perfect peace I knew.

I thank Thee, Lord, Thou wert too wise to heed
My feeble prayers, and answer as I sought,
Since these rich gifts Thy bounty has bestowed
Have brought me more than all I asked or thought;
Giver of good, so answer each request
With Thine own giving, better than my best.
—-Annie Johnson Flint

And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.  Romans 8:28

Romans 8:28 We are assured and know that [God being a partner in their labor] all things work together and are [fitting into a plan] for good to and for those who love God and are called according to [His] design and purpose. Amplified Bible

Trust God for your day. . . Today
With my prayer, desiring yours, Leslie

Nothing like a glass of tea on these warm afternoons.

Good Morning,

Romans 8:26 Likewise the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities: for we know not what we should pray for as we ought: but the Spirit itself maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered.

Much that perplexes us in our Christian experience is but the answer to our prayers.
We pray for Patience,

and our Father sends those who tax us to the utmost, for “tribulation worketh patience.”

We pray for submission,

and God sends sufferings; for “we learn obedience by the things we suffer.”

We pray for unselfishness,

and God gives us opportunities to sacrifice ourselves by thinking on the the things of others, and by laying down our lives for the brethren.

We pray for strength and humility,

and some messenger of Satan torments us until we lie in the dust crying for removal.

We pray, “Lord, increase our faith,”

and money takes wings; or the children are alarmingly ill; or a servant comes who is careless, extravagant, untidy or slow, or some hitherto unknown trial calls for an increase of faith along a line where we have not needed to exercise much faith before.

We pray for the Lamb-life,

and are given a portion of lowly service, or we are injured and must seek no redress; for “he was led as a lamb to the slaughter and . . .opened not his mouth.”

We pray for gentleness,

and there comes a perfect storm of temptation to harshness and irritability,

We pray for quietness,

and every nerve is strung to the utmost tension, so that looking to Him we may learn that when He giveth quietness, no one can make trouble.

We pray for love,

and God sends peculiar suffering and puts us with apparently unlovely people, and lets them say things which rasp nerves and lacerate the heart; for love suffereth long and is kind, love is not impolite, love is not provoked. LOVE BEARETH ALL THINGS, believeth, hopeth and endureth, love never faileth.

We pray for likeness to Jesus, and the answer is,

“I have chosen thee in the furnace of affliction.”
“Can thine heart endure, or can thine hands be strong?”
“Are ye able?”

The way to peace and victory is to accept every circumstance, every trial, straight from the hand of a loving Father; and to live up in the heavenly places, above the clouds, in the very presence of the Throne, and to look down from the Glory upon our environment as lovingly and divinely appointed. –Selected

Trust God for your day. . . Today
With my prayers, desiring yours, Leslie

Growing on Cozy Acres
On the left, assorted berry vines with zinnias and sunflowers planted between sections of berries. On the right grape vines, the Farmer’s  ride and joy  – he started them from cuttings.

Good Morning

My thoughts are being drawn to prayer and my need to spend more time in fervent, prevailing prayer.

“If you cannot find time to pray, ask for forgiveness. Ask to be cleansed of the sin of having no time to pray … It could be that Satan is pushing you into too much work so that you cannot take time to pray.” – Corrie Ten Boom

“The work of praying is prerequisite to all other work in the Kingdom of God. It is by prayer that we couple the powers of heaven to our helplessness … and make the impossible possible.”  – O. Hallesby

“Continue earnestly in prayer, being vigilant in it with thanksgiving.” – Colossians 4:2

Trust in the Lord for your day. . . Today
With my prayers, desiring yours, Leslie

Good Morning,

April 19, Thursday evening at church we are having a season of earnest prayer for longstanding health needs and burdens of the heart. I’ve started preparing my heart and mind for this special prayer meeting, meditating on the promises of God and His faithfulness to hear us when we pray.

an excerpt from Come Thirsty by Max Lucado

Want to worry less?
Then pray more.
Rather than look forward in fear, look upward in faith.
This command surprises no one.
Regarding prayer, the Bible never blushes.
Jesus taught people that “it was necessary for them to pray
consistently and never quit” (Luke 18:1 MSG).
Paul told believers, “Devote yourselves to prayer with an alert
mind and a thankful heart” (Colossians 4:2 NLY)
James declared, “Are any among you suffering? they should keep
on praying about it (James 5:13 NLT)
Rather than worry about anything, “pray about everything.”
Everything?
Diaper changes and dates?
Business meetings and broken bathtubs?
Procrastinations and prognostications?
Pray about everything.

Call to me in times of trouble,
I will save and you will honor me.
Psalm 50:15

Trust God for your day, ….Today
With my prayers; desiring yours,  Leslie