| APOLOGIES Please accept my apologizes for not getting a February newsletter out to you. It is a short month but seemed even shorter when I took a vacation to spend a week with my elderly parents. At the end of the month, eye problems made an unexpected visit. God is good and has brought healing. Hopefully, I'll soon get discharged from the doctors I have been visiting. This newsletter begins with Psalm 91 because it was the scripture that spoke very vividly to a young soldier in Afghanistan just this week. The story of God answering his and his mom's prayers is related just below the Psalm. You will want to read Paul's excellent article he wrote just for us which is entitled, "Listening for God's Voice". In addition to the words to two song that are very meaningful to me, "In the Garden" by C. Austin Miles and "Because He Lives" by Bill and Gloria Gaither, I've included one of my favorite New Testament chapters, John 14. As has become a tradition, there is the Closing Prayer. Grab a cup of your favorite beverage, sit back, relax, and enjoy our newsletter. Grandytoon, Editor ******************************************************************************** PSALM 91 1 He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty. 2 I will say of the LORD, "He is my refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust." 3 Surely he will save you from the fowler's snare and from the deadly pestilence. 4 He will cover you with his feathers, and under his wings you will find refuge; his faithfulness will be your shield and rampart. 5 You will not fear the terror of night, nor the arrow that flies by day, 6 nor the pestilence that stalks in the darkness, nor the plague that destroys at midday. 7 A thousand may fall at your side, ten thousand at your right hand, but it will not come near you. 8 You will only observe with your eyes and see the punishment of the wicked. 9 If you make the Most High your dwelling-- even the LORD, who is my refuge-- 10 then no harm will befall you, no disaster will come near your tent. 11 For he will command his angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways; 12 they will lift you up in their hands, so that you will not strike your foot against a stone. 13 You will tread upon the lion and the cobra; you will trample the great lion and the serpent. 14 "Because he loves me," says the LORD, "I will rescue him; I will protect him, for he acknowledges my name. 15 He will call upon me, and I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble, I will deliver him and honor him. 16 With long life will I satisfy him and show him my salvation." ******************************************************************************** GOD IS ANSWERING PRAYERS TODAY! For about seven minutes each morning, I'm in my car driving to work. This morning was no exception and as I turned out of my driveway, I was listening to John and Denny, my favorite Christian radio morning team. Usually before I arrive at work, they have me laughing out loud about some silly nonsense related to the way we humans stumble through life. However, today, soon after I turned on the car, I heard the voice of a woman who had phoned in. In a sweet, gentle voice she asked, "Would it be possible for me to share an answer to prayer this morning?" The guys settled down and said, "Sure, go ahead." This dear mother told about a phone call she received last evening from her son, a soldier in Afghanistan. The young man was with fellow troops when "friendly fire" dropped a two thousand pound bomb which landed just ninety five meters from him. He explained to his mom that it never detonated and so he his buddies lived to tell the story. She went on to explain that all he could think of was Psalm 91. After telling what had happened to her son, she related to the disk jockeys how she has been praying so much for her dear son but at the same time when he was under attack by the friendly fire she, here in her home in the U.S. had felt a terrible burden to pray like never experienced before. She prayed until she felt a peace. Then while listening to her son she realized that God was hearing and answering her prayers instantaneously by protecting not only her son but those with him. Our intercessory prayers are not always answered the way we think they should in the time we think they should but God is definitely hearing our prayers and definitely answering them in His perfect timing. God is good all the time, praise His Holy and Blessed Name. ******************************************************************************** JOHN 14 1 "Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God ; trust also in me. 2 In my Father's house are many rooms; if it were not so, I would have told you. I am going there to prepare a place for you. 3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am. 4 You know the way to the place where I am going." 5 Thomas said to him, "Lord, we don't know where you are going, so how can we know the way?" 6 Jesus answered, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. 7 If you really knew me, you would know my Father as well. From now on, you do know him and have seen him." 8 Philip said, "Lord, show us the Father and that will be enough for us." 9 Jesus answered: "Don't you know me, Philip, even after I have been among you such a long time? Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, 'Show us the Father'? 10 Don't you believe that I am in the Father, and that the Father is in me? The words I say to you are not just my own. Rather, it is the Father, living in me, who is doing his work. 11 Believe me when I say that I am in the Father and the Father is in me; or at least believe on the evidence of the miracles themselves. 12 I tell you the truth, anyone who has faith in me will do what I have been doing. He will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father. 13 And I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Son may bring glory to the Father. 14 You may ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it. 15 "If you love me, you will obey what I command. 16 And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Counselor to be with you forever-- 17 the Spirit of truth. The world cannot accept him, because it neither sees him nor knows him. But you know him, for he lives with you and will be in you. 18 I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you. 19 Before long, the world will not see me anymore, but you will see me. Because I live, you also will live. 20 On that day you will realize that I am in my Father, and you are in me, and I am in you. 21 Whoever has my commands and obeys them, he is the one who loves me. He who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I too will love him and show myself to him." 22 Then Judas (not Judas Iscariot) said, "But, Lord, why do you intend to show yourself to us and not to the world?" 23 Jesus replied, "If anyone loves me, he will obey my teaching. My Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him. 24 He who does not love me will not obey my teaching. These words you hear are not my own; they belong to the Father who sent me. 25 "All this I have spoken while still with you. 26 But the Counselor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you. 27 Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid. 28 "You heard me say, 'I am going away and I am coming back to you.' If you loved me, you would be glad that I am going to the Father, for the Father is greater than I. 29 I have told you now before it happens, so that when it does happen you will believe. 30 I will not speak with you much longer, for the prince of this world is coming. He has no hold on me, 31 but the world must learn that I love the Father and that I do exactly what my Father has commanded me. "Come now; let us leave." ******************************************************************************** LISTENING FOR GOD'S VOICE BY PAUL At a recent breakfast-and-discussion group of Christian men, the topic was about listening for God's Voice. Questions concerning How, When, Why and Where arose. One Brother seemed disappointed that he never had God�s voice. Another said that he felt he had "almost" heard God's voice in one instance. Most agreed it was an "inner thing" rather than a literal sound. All agreed that the Bible was God's Word to Christians. But what did that mean? Should not a "word" be "spoken"? Does it not have to be? When the Israelite tribes under Moses' leadership gathered at Mount Sinai, God spoke to the people. He gave them His Law and commandments, as recorded in Exodus 19 and 24. This tremendous event was done in a most dramatic way. Mt.Sinai "smoked". The Lord came down clothed in "thick darkness". The mountain "quaked" as He spoke with in such a terribly loud sound "of a trumpet" (or voice), the Israelites said they could not endure it. Terrified, they begged Moses to go up by himself into the mountain while they waited safely at a distance. The cowed and fearful people promised to obey all of God's commands that day. Who wouldn't, in the presence of such a display? However, in later calmer days they turned again to the now- forbidden gods of ancient Egypt. When God at times spoke from the heavens, the Bible records that His voice was a so loud as to be intelligible to the general public. Most all of us have been through a real thunder storm. The roll of heavenly noise is often so loud (especially if lightening strikes anywhere near) that the house actually shakes. If outside in such a storm, the very ground seems to move under foot during a severe thunder episode. In Biblical days, when God spoke from heaven, it was as though it thundered (John 12:29). In other places the Scriptures state that His voice was as the "sound of many waters" (Ezekiel 43:2; Revelation 1:15 and 14:2.) By "many waters," think "Niagara Falls" whose sound is so deafening that talk is almost impossible. It is about the same as thunder on a continuous basis. This is not what most people want or mean when they desire to hear God's voice today. An old hymn says, "Lord, speak to me that I may speak in living echos of thy tone". The subject of that line is evangelism. The hymn writer wished and prayed for inspiration and the right words to say to the unsaved. This is really a prayer, no matter how thoughtlessly we may sing those words. We pray best when we pray over Scripture while we read and study it, and when we pray God's promises we have memorized. At these times, God is most likely to "speak," within our minds. "Be careful what you pray for," someone has said, "for it might be granted." On the lighter side, one day about a year ago, I was a lonely widower. Even though I was employed in a people-centered job 40 hours a week, the silence at home was "deafening". One particular evening I "reminded" God in prayer that He had said it was not good for man to live alone (Genesis 2:18). Please send someone, I rather casually asked. This was not a fervent prayer by any means. Some months later a fine Christian woman came unexpectedly into my life, from a most unlikely "source". Be careful what you pray for! Honestly, I continue to thank God for my new wife. God "says" within my mind that He answers prayers within the boundaries of His Will (1 John 5:14,15). This is not an audible voice, but a "conviction"; a "knowing", often based upon memorized verses which are brought to mind by the Holy Spirit. Several preachers have said during their TV programs that God had spoken to them about some matter. One said that a certain number of people would be saved that evening. Another said that a certain unnamed person would be healed of a certain affliction. Another read letters indicating that this had happened here and there. In an audience possibly numbering in the millions in front of TV sets, this seems bound to occur. A problem with such preachers' declarations is that terms are not defined. What did "spoken" mean? How can listeners know what to "look" or listen for? In Matthew 10:19 Jesus gave a promise to His disciples for when they would later be persecuted and "brought before governors and kings" to testify for Christ. He told them to not worry about what they would say, for God's spirit would "speak in" them. In other words, God would give them what He wanted them to say. This is an example of God speaking to Christians. But how does one explain "the voice"? Is it not a feeling, or a conviction? Or an intuitive knowledge that "this is right"? To whom does God "speak" today, and how? God should be speaking through all ministers of the Gospel who are spiritually alive, prepared and prayerful. Ideally, speaking not only through their words, but through the Holy Spirit speaking in the Scriptures being expounded (or even just read aloud!). "Faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God" (Romans 10:17). One cannot fully explain this in words. Expository preaching is almost a lost art in America's pulpits. Instead of the great doctrines of the Bible being presented, we often hear sociology, "feel good" psychology, instructions in successful living, current events, successful marriage, financial security through tithing, and such matters. When our "religion", though called Christian, is more people-centered than God-centered, how can we expect God to "speak"? We must therefore consider the personal side of God speaking: talking to us as individuals. While this may happen (and should) in a truly spiritual church service, it must happen in our personal lives outside of the sanctuary if one is to live a successful spiritual life. No Christian should just drift along on basic "Sunday things" like a past conversion, church membership (no matter how active), the Pastor's prayers, the Apostles Creed, printed prayers, and the like. The Spirit of God in Hebrews 6:1-6 indicates we should grow spiritually, and packs in a warning if we do not. When there is no growth, there is always deterioration! Our spiritual lives do not stand still. We desperately need to hear God's "voice"? Yes, on a daily basis! What better way of "hearing" God's "voice" than through sincere and meaningful prayer? "Meaningful" prayer means that we know and understand God's promises and His will in general. God's general will is that we bring pleasure to Him in our humility and sincerity plus an understanding of His Word as we communicate with Him. We are created for this purpose. "Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honor and power: for thou hast created all things, and FOR THY PLEASURE they are and were created" (Rev. 4:11). We can often hear God's voice in conviction, direction, and joy in the Lord as we individually "gather together" with Him. He also speaks by means of answered prayer. Whether the answer is one we like or not, it will always be for our good. Paul Francisco [email protected] ***************************************************************** BECAUSE HE LIVES by Gloria and William J. Gaither God sent His Son, they called him Jesus; He came to love, heal, and forgive; He lived and died to buy my pardon, An empty grave is there to prove my Savior lives. Because He lives I can face tomorrow; Because He lives all fear is gone; Because I know He holds the future, And life is worth the living just because He lives. How sweet to hold a newborn baby, and feel the pride, and joy he gives; But greater still the calm assurance, this child can face uncertain days because He lives. Because He lives I can face tomorrow; Because He lives all fear is gone; Because I know He holds the future, And life is worth the living just because He lives. And then one day I'll cross the river, I'll fight life's final war with pain; And then as death gives way to victory, I'll see the lights of glory and I'll know He lives. Because He lives I can face tomorrow; Because He lives all fear is gone; Because I know He holds the future, And life is worth the living just because He lives. ******************************************************************************* This coming week, I will get to see and hold my newborn granddaughter for the first time. I can hardly wait. How vivid in my mind are the memories of holding her mommy and two aunts on the days of their births. As I held them, and as I will be holding little Lydia, I will contemplate the world in which they have been born. It seemed like a very unsafe place when my daughters were born and as I held them, I bowed over them in tears and prayers that they would be able to face the uncertain future and as the song says, "live". In spite of the fears and uncertainness of their days God has remained faithful. They have done their part to put their confidence and trust in Him and that has helped them make it this far. I can only commit my granddaughter to the same Blessed Lord and have faith that He will be with Lydia as He has been with my daughters. ... And life is worth the living just because He lives... ******************************************************************************* IN THE GARDEN by C. Austin Miles I come to the garden alone, while the dew is still on the roses; And the voice I hear, falling on my ear, The Son of God discloses. And He walks with me, and He talks with me and He tells me I am his own, And the joy we share as we tarry there, none other has ever known. He speaks, and the sound of his voice is so sweet the birds hush their singing And the melody that He gave to me within my heart is ringing. And He walks with me, and He talks with me and He tells me I am his own, And the joy we share as we tarry there, none other has ever known. I'd stay in the garden with Him though the night around me be falling; But He bids me go through a voice of woe, His voice to me is calling. And He walks with me, and He talks with me and He tells me I am his own, And the joy we share as we tarry there, none other has ever known. ******************************************************************************* CLOSING PRAYER Our blessed Lord and Heavenly King, I do thank You and praise You for Your saving and keeping power. As we trust You for our needs today, You hear our prayers and answer them. You give us a calm assurance that Your Holy Presence is with us no matter where we are and no matter what is bothering us. You are the Great Physician, the Master of the universe, yet You abide with the hearts of men. I thank You and praise You even though I do not understand and have to walk by faith. I pray for our dear readers, that Your Holy Spirit is strengthening them for whatever is in Your plan for them today. I pray that they will be able to hold on to what is good and put behind them what is bad. I pray that they will sense Your Holy Spirit with them giving peace, comfort and guidance. May they be able to rest in the security that only You can give. I pray, too, for the prayer team. Over the past year, we have prayed for many dear souls. We have done what we have been able to do to intercede on the behalf of many who so desperately needed Your calm reassurance or perfect wisdom or had other emotional and spiritual needs. Intercessory prayer has helped us to realize that the world is a little smaller than we thought and that You are a whole lot bigger than we can ever begin to imagine. We have seen many wonderful answers to our prayers on behalf of those requesting prayer and we know that there are many others reaping the benefits of our prayers who have yet to update us. You are the one we turn to when we are in need, You walk with us and we are grateful that You are a living and prayer-answering God. I pray this in the name of our Blessed Savior and Coming King, Jesus Christ, Amen Peaceful be to you, [email protected] |
 |
| Praying Hearts Sanctuary |
| Newsletter |
| March 2002 |
| Volume II Number 2 |
 |