Pray Network Forum

You occasionally hear God blamed for the condition of the world because He created Adam and Eve already knowing they would sin and plunge all of us into darkness.

Of course you have to consider that God also knew the hope set before us in creation. In Romans 8:18-20 Paul says, "I consider our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that shall be revealed in us. The creation waits in eager expectation for the sons of God to be revealed.  For the creation was subjected to frustration, not by its own choice, but by the will of the one who subjected it in hope."

Let's consider the possible worlds God could have created. He could have abstained from creating any world at all. He was eternally self-sufficient. He could have created a world without sentient beings. He could have created intelligent beings who could not choose to reject Him. But in none of these worlds would we have the choice to love him, the challenge of true devotion, the chance to obey in the face of temptation. And none of these options would give us the possibility of repentance, redemption, or the wonder of grace as we know it.

When Jesus commanded the stone to be removed from the tomb of Lazarus in John 11, Martha protested, "Lord, by this time he will stink."

I too stink. Our world stinks of sin and corruption. Jesus answered Martha and me, "Did I not tell you that if you believed you would see the glory of God?"

That day they saw a pantomimed foretaste of what we hope for. Jesus is the resurrection and the life.

Romans 8 continues with verses 22-25.

"We know that the whole creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time. Not only so, but we ourselves, who have the first fruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for our adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies. For in this hope we were saved. But hope that is seen is not hope at all. Who hopes for what he already has? But if we hope for what we do not yet have, we wait for it patiently."

Suppose two people were given an odious task. One is told, “At the end of one year you will be paid $10,000 and be sent on your way.” The other is told, “At the end of one year you will be rewarded with forty million dollars and be revered by the entire world for the rest of your life.”

Which one will be better able to endure? In a hard world you can have a great hope.

In his book 10 Philosophical Mistakes, Mortimer Adler posed this question. If you were asked in the middle of a ball game with your favorite team so far behind that they could never catch up, "Is this a good game?", what would you say?

But suppose your team comes back at the very end and to win against impossible odds. That would be a better game than you could have imagined while your team was behind.

We are hoping against sight and smell in the promise of the Sovereign God who created the heavens and the earth that we will see glory beyond anything anyone can imagine!

http://thinkinginthespirit.blogspot.com/

http://watchinginprayer.blogspot.com/

http://daveswatch.com/index.html

“‘In our world,’ said Eustace, ‘a star is a huge ball of flaming gas.’ ‘Even in your world, my son, that is not what a star is but only what it is made of.’” (C.S. Lewis, The Voyage of the Dawn Treader)

NASA has released a breathtaking video sampling of the 200 million images captured by the Solar Dynamics Observatory taken over 5 years in space. A kaleidoscope set to music, it provides unprecedentedly clear pictures of the sun’s activity. You can view it at http://www.cnn.com/videos/tech/2015/02/16/vo-nasa-solar-dynamics-observatory-5-years.cnn. 

The sun is our source of heat and light, sustaining life on earth. If it were hollow, it would hold one million earths, and yet there are stars 1,500 times larger. God created the sun and placed it just the right distance from the planet we call home—a little farther away and we’d freeze; a little closer and we’d fry. We believe the ordering of the cosmos did not happen by chance, but that Christ orchestrated it. We believe the universe is no accident, but that the Almighty planned it.

Christians do not, like some of the ancients, worship this star; we worship the Starmaker—the omnipotent God who commanded the sun to stand still, slowing the rotation cycle of planet Earth until Hebrew warriors defeated their enemies (Joshua 10:13); the omniscient God who enables us to “rise like the sun in all its power” to live in the moral highlands (Judges 5:31; Philippians 3:10);  the omnipresent God who is “our sun and our shield”, who “gives us grace and glory” (Psalm 84:11); the Sun of Righteousness who promises that when heaven on earth dawns, we will “go free, leaping with joy like calves let out to pasture” (Malachi 4:2); the Savior of the righteous who will make us shine like the sun in our Father’s Kingdom (Matthew 13:43); the Lord of a city that will not need the sun, since it will be illuminated by His glory (Revelation 21:23).       

Francois La Rochefoucauld (1613-1680), French writer and moralist, was right—“No one can stare for long at death or the sun.” The sun is an object lesson in humility—stare at it and we would go blind; but glance at it just a second, and we may worship its Maker. “The spacious firmament on high, with all the blue ethereal sky, And spangled heavens, a shining frame, their great Original proclaim. The unwearied sun, from day to day, does his Creator’s power display, And publishes  to every land the work of an almighty hand.” (Joseph Addison, 1672-1719).

“The heavens proclaim the glory of God. The skies display his craftsmanship.

Day after day they continue to speak without a sound or word; their voice is never heard.

Yet their message has gone throughout the earth, to all the world.

God has made a home in the heavens for the sun. The sun rises at one end of the heavens

and follows its course to the other end. Nothing can hide from its heat.”

(Psalm 19:1-6 NLT)

Johnny R. Almond

Author, Gentle Whispers from Eternity

Interim Pastor, Nomini Baptist Church; Montross, Virginia

Blog & book info http://GentleWhispersFromEternity-ScripturePersonalized.com/

DAYS 1-21 CAN BE SEEN HERE

DAY TWENTY TWO:
VERSES:

PRAYER: (Against Anxiety, Day 4

Heavenly Father, Your Word is written in the Heavens and forever it is true. It rises to the ends of the earth, seals joy in the hearts of many, fear in the hearts of most and a lack of concern in the hearts of others. Your Word is sufficient for me. It drives me, it inspires me, it instructs me in the night and directs me in the day. It washes over me, it anoints my head even, with the oil of joy as its beauty overrules the ashes and soothes the souls to the point of healing.  It is a balm in Gilead and the river of cool water - nay, an oasis in the dry thirsty desert of life. It gives Life. Your true Word, oh God, gives life and love and limitless Grace to the humble while condemning the proud.

How can my soul be downcast when I drink in Your Goodness, as seen in Your Promise. How can I wallow in self-pity, anxiety, fear and nervousness when I consider Your Heavens, the Work of Your Fingers and the Majesty of Your Creation. You made man and even the Son of Man, a little lower than the angels. You gave Him up as a sacrifice to sin, like a sheep led to slaughter only to let Him be exalted above all. You raised Him up on the third day to the eternal glory in heaven and on earth. He sits on Your Right Hand of Power for all eternity, one today to rule this earth with a rod of iron, and a heart of velvet love, grace, mercy and compassion. He brings us home at the instant of death, in the twinkling of an eye and our cup runneth over with the hope of eternal life in Your Kingdom, the Kingdom of His Marvelous Light. His Name is Jesus, Adonai. El Shaddai, Your Son Yahweh refreshes me constantly - from day to day. His mercies never cease. Great is His Faithfulness, Lord unto me.

So why should I be troubled and full of turmoil and disquiet in my soul? How can I be ruined in my spirit, walk around with my head hanging down, bumping into things and sad all the day long when my God and my Savior, cares for me? Praise, worship and honor belong to You, oh God, who has shown me the way out of a crisis, any crisis which affects the souls and lives of men and women - and that way is found in chasing after You first, praising You, worshipping You, staying super-glued and connected to Your Holy Word and obeying every statute and directive which cometh from on High, to my eternal benefit. 

You are my God. You are my help in ages past and my hope for years to come.  Be thou my guide while I live upon this earth. Lead me into paths of righteousness and near streams of cool waters and green valleys, that I may continue to rest in you, free from the horror and panic of this world, as the Joy of the Lord shines from my soul giving testimony and proof of the Living Word, who dwelleth within me. Oh Lord, my God, how excellent, wonderful, awesome and mighty is Your Name, the Name of King Jesus, Lord of Heaven's Armies and it is in His Name I pray, amen.

CATCH UP ON  PREVIOUS DAYS HERE

VERSE:
Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come....2 Corinthians 5:17 
PRAYER:
Most Holy and Gracious God, You are a good of new things. In the beginning You created something out of nothing and You made all things new. Most Holy Father in Heaven, You molded man out of the dust, breathed life into Him and gave Adamah his own work to do and food to eat in the Garden.  Since the corruption and the Fall of Genesis 3, You gave Your prophets and Your Word for 3500 years, very specifically of when Maschiach would be born, live, minister and cut off and Jesus paid it all on the instrument of death almost 2000 years ago.

Because of that historic act, ordained in the Heavens and flawlessly executed by the Only One Who is flawless as both man and the Son of God, we can now be new creations, remade even while we are standing in perishing mortal flesh and be made new by simply seeking His Forgiveness and repenting of our sins, crying out to Him to save us because we understand His sacrifice and the amazing thing is He sees our heart longing for transformation and accepts us so that we can be regenerated by the Holy Spirit and made new, born again and saved as a new adopted child of God!

Father, we know You have absolutely no grandchildren but call all women and men to repentance to become adopted daughters and sons, that we may not be thrown into outer darkness with unforgiven sin, where there is weeping and gnashing of teeth. But because You are such a God and Creator of Love, as the Scriptures testifies from cover to cover, as You are such the Supreme mechanical engineer of all time, as You are such the most amazing Architect ever, You take our foul Adamic nature, corrupted as it is and use the same process You used to make Adamah in the Garden, at the dawn of time! You take the spiritual dust and clay we are, You morphe us into the image of Christ at the point of Salvation where we immediately turn from a confirmed resident of Hell, breathe Your Spirit into us, exactly as You did in the beginning and flip our spirit man around in an instant into a whole new creature! This salvific process will never be appreciated and understood by even those who come to Faith until we see His nailed-pierced Hands in Glory, heavenly Father, but oh what an amazing RE-CREATION You have made!

Now, the old man is gone, the old man is dead and the new man lives. You have no just taken our sins and removed them, to forget them from Your Sight, but going one step amazingly better, You destroyed the work of Satan in our lives, and renew everything to such an extent, if we just stay in, abide in, walk in Your Ways and live daily in Your Presence as you want us to, You will reveal more and more new things which we could never imagine in our puny little minds! So, Father and Maker of All Things, thank You for that. Thank You for returning us to the old paradigm of Creation at the Point of Salvation, which sets us on the road to return to the Glory of the Garden one day in Paradise, when You have restored all, defeated all evil and brought back Your Intended and Your Anointed to rule forever more, and it is in His Name - YaHWeH - Commander in Chief all all Heaven - Jesus I pray, amen. 

Scientists are still spending millions trying to discover the origin of the universe. Is the Bible too simple for sophisticated minds?

“No philosophical theory which I have yet come across is a radical improvement on the words of Genesis, that ‘in the beginning God made Heaven and Earth.’” (C. S. Lewis)

A recent sighting by BICEP2 [Background Imaging of Cosmic Extragalactic Polarization 2] detected a distortion in microwave radiation which seemingly pervades all the cosmos. Some scientists believe this single observation conclusively proves three theories— 1) a Big Bang and an inflationary universe produced a series of gravitational waves; 2) this happened in the first billionth of a trillionth of a quadrillionth of a second; 3) these faster-than-the-speed-of light events occurred 13.8 billion years ago.

It’s amazing what one observation at the South Pole has led scientists to believe! Anyone who challenges their conclusions is considered uneducated or ignorant. But are you and I so naïve we swallow such inferences deduced from “facts”? What proof exists for such fantastic theories hypothesized by the scientists? Who of these sophisticated scholars was there when the cosmos began?

All this reminds me of the atheist Ph.D. candidate who actually told me, “In the beginning” (that sounded familiar) “there was a total vacuum.” When asked, “then how did everything begin?”, he said “friction!” Faith in the First Cause trumps such empty-headed foolishness.

“By faith we understand that the entire universe was formed at God’s command, that what we now see did not come from anything that can be seen.”  (Hebrews 11:2 NLT)

Johnny R. Almond
Pastor, Colonial Beach Baptist Church, Virginia
Author, Gentle Whispers from Eternity - Scripture Personalized
Read author’s blog at www.GentleWhispersFromEternity-ScripturePersonalized.com

“For rich people, the sky is just an extra, a gift of nature. The poor, on the other hand, can see it as it really is: an infinite grace.” (Albert Camus)

“The moon is a friend for the lonesome to talk to” (Carl Sandburg)

Tonight at 9:38 p.m. ET, the full moon will mark the third consecutive month with a Supermoon. When it is closest to Earth in its orbit, the moon will appear larger and brighter than usual.

In some regions clouds and showers may make it difficult to observe this stunning moon. But if you are privileged to get a glimpse of this harvest moon, take a moment to let your heart be filled with wonder at the majesty and mystery of God’s handiwork.

Pause to reflect on the handiwork of the Almighty.

“Then God said, ‘Let lights appear in the sky to separate the day from the night. Let them be signs to mark the seasons, days, and years. Let these lights shine down on the earth.’ God made the smaller light to govern the night.” (Genesis 1:14-16 NLT]

Pause to humbly thank your Maker for watching over you and caring for you in the orbit of your life.

“When I look at the night sky and see the work of your fingers—the moon and the stars you set in place—what are mere mortals that you should think about them, human beings that you should care for them?” [Psalm 8:3 NLT]

Pause to worship your Creator and offer a prayer of praise to the One who shepherds you every day and season of your life.

“Praise him, sun and moon! Praise him all you twinkling stars! Let every created thing give praise to the Lord.” [Psalm 148:3, 5 NLT) 

Johnny R. Almond

Christian preacher and writer

Author, Gentle Whispers from Eternity

http://GentleWhispersFromEternity-ScripturePersonalized.com/

In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. ² Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters.

³ And God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light. ⁴ God saw that the light was good, and he separated the light from the darkness. ⁵ God called the light “day,” and the darkness he called “night.” And there was evening, and there was morning—the first day.

¹⁴ And God said, “Let there be lights in the vault of the sky to separate the day from the night, and let them serve as signs to mark sacred times, and days and years, ¹⁵ and let them be lights in the vault of the sky to give light on the earth.” And it was so. ¹⁶ God made two great lights—the greater light to govern the day and the lesser light to govern the night. He also made the stars. ¹⁷ God set them in the vault of the sky to give light on the earth, ¹⁸ to govern the day and the night, and to separate light from darkness. And God saw that it was good. ¹⁹ And there was evening, and there was morning—the fourth day. - Genesis 1:1-5, 14-19


God created time to help bring order to our lives.  Day and night was established to mark sacred times, and days and years (v. 14).  Do you ever marvel at God's desire for order and structure instead of chaos?  Time brings order to our lives and exists to help us align our hearts, minds, tasks, and all things before God.

Time was Created for Man
God exists both within and outside of time- all at the same time.  This can be difficult to ponder.  For God to create time, He had to already be existing outside of time.  Once he created time, He was both within and outside of time- as God does not abandon His creation or works. 

As created beings made in the image of God (Genesis 1:26-27), God ordained that we live, work, and worship within a structure called, "time."  When God created time, He saw it was good (Gen. 1:19).  His whole work of creation was completed in 7 days.  Have you ever considered that days did not exist prior to creation?  Even the existence of days point us toward God and many of His perfect attributes!  What a perfectly wise God we serve and worship!

Those familiar with the creation account in the beginning of Genesis are aware that by chapter 3, Adam and Eve fell into sin.  Sin brought a curse that affected all of creation, including man and time (Gen. 3:17-19).  Since then, all of creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time. (Romans 8:22) 

Taking a Good Thing too Far
Often in our fallen, sinful, world, time can seem to become a burdensome yoke or restrictive slave master.  This was not God's original design.  While time exists to help bring order to our lives, we can easily take orderliness too far- to a point where it can dominate our thoughts, actions, and attention.  When this happens, our relationship with God is the first to suffer.

Sin has warped how we see and utilize time in our daily lives.   It has caused activities, others-focused priorities, and self to usurp God's #1 place in our moment-to-moment lives.

Sadly, in our culture, doing things (whether to please God or self) often take priority over the abiding, deepening, relationship that God desires to have with us on a moment-by-moment basis.  When this happens, time can easily become an idol.  Activities on to-do lists are exalted before time with God, and our flesh becomes the driver of our lives instead of the Holy Spirit and the Word of God.  When this happens, and happens with increasing frequency, our awe and wonder of God, His power, perfections, and other attributes, are dimmed- often to a point where God may seem distant or even irrelevant.  Time, and the act of filling our time to accomplish things, replaces a deepening relationship with the Holy, Perfect, Sovereign, Mighty God of all.

The Holy Spirit does not often perfectly fit into our schedules, our set-aside times with Him, or the clock on the wall.  What if He desires to minister to or through you beyond, or outside, of your scheduled quiet time?  Will you let Him, or will you permit your other priorities to quench Him?

Some Pertinent Reminders:
God is sovereign (He can freely choose to do whatever He pleases whenever it pleases Him to do so). 

We can miss much, if not all, of what the Spirit may desire to teach or do.  This can happen by boxing God into specified appointed times in our schedules.  If we're inflexible with aligning our schedules with God's, we miss out on God's best for us in that moment and afterward.

When the Lord has completed showing, teaching, or doing what He desires, He'll release you to your next assignment, activity, etc.  He is trustworthy!

Lord, you are my all-in-all.  Everything I have and am is Yours.  The time you've given me this day belongs solely to You.  Thank you for giving me this day and night ahead.  I desire to utilize the time you've given me in fellowship with You- even while I work, serve, and do all things as unto You.  Have Your way in me and through me.  Help me to realize things I hold on too tightly to, and grasp You more fully in my heart, mind, life, and soul.  Be glorified and magnified in this day.  Teach me Your ways and show me greater depths of Your heart for me and others.  You are the One I seek.  I worship You.  In Jesus' name, Amen.