Prayer

Watching

O Lord, in the morning you hear my voice; in the morning I prepare a sacrifice for you and watch. Psalm 5:3

As I read this verse during my morning devotional time, I was struck by the last 2 words: and watch. It dawned on me that normally I only apply the first part of this verse: O Lord, in the morning you hear my voice; in the morning I prepare a sacrifice for you.  But rarely do I follow up my praying with “watching” – which to summarize Spurgeon means to be on the look out for the answer to our prayers; to expect that God’s grace will come.

So, I am asking for the Holy Spirit’s help not only to pray, but to be on the look out for God’s gracious response to my prayers. May I encourage you to pray and watch today?

We little know…

Yesterday I wrote of the incredible blessing of a praying friend. But even more wonderful than a friend's prayers on our behalf is the truth that our Savior is praying for us--today. Listen to what our favorite Mr. Spurgeon writes regarding the following verse:

"I have prayed for thee." – Luke 22:32

"How encouraging is the thought of the Redeemer’s never-ceasing intercession for us. When we pray, He pleads for us; and when we are not praying, He is advocating our cause, and by His supplications shielding us from unseen dangers…. We little know what we owe to our Saviour’s prayers. When we reach the hill-tops of heaven, and look back upon all the way whereby the Lord our God hath led us, how we shall praise Him who, before the eternal throne, undid the mischief which Satan was doing upon earth. How shall we thank Him because He never held His peace, but day and night pointed to the wounds upon His hands, and carried our names upon His breasplate!"

--Charles Spurgeon, Morning and Evening, page 23

The Prayers of a Friend

My very dear friend of thirty years sent me the following email before my husband and I left for Arkansas this past weekend to speak at The Bible Church of Little Rock:

Please know my friend that I will be lifting you up to the "throne of grace" all weekend!  May these thoughts from Mr. Spurgeon encourage you as you go to serve the church in Arkansas!:

"Some of you are called to some extraordinary duty and do not feel strong enough.  Follow that call, for surely the Lord is in that place.  He will help you."

"...and is it not true that our weakness holds God's strength, and leads Him to bow His omnipotence to our rescue?"

May you be aware of His divine assistance, presence, and pleasure.

Love you!
Betsy

After this email a card arrived in our mailbox signed by all the pastors of our church which read: “We were interceding for you, today.”

How kind of God to send us into a weekend, bolstered by the prayers, encouragement and support of such friends!

And what a weekend it was! CJ and I were asked to speak ten messages--he six times and I four. This gives you an idea of this church’s love for God’s Word (not to mention their stamina!). We were overwhelmed by their attentiveness, responsiveness and encouragement. As an aside--I want to highly recommend that those who live in the Little Rock area visit this God-glorifying church.

But most meaningful of all for CJ and me was the new friendships that were formed--starting with the Pastor, Lance Quinn and his wife, Beth. Though we were only with them for three short days, we felt as if we had always known them. This enjoyable and fruitful time, no doubt, was the result of the prayers of our friends back home.

So the next time someone says to us, “I’m praying for you,” let’s make sure that we thank them for this unselfish act from which we derive immeasurable benefit. And let’s be inspired to faithfully pray for others. What a meaningful expression of friendship!

Thank you, Betsy. Thank you, Pastors of Covenant Life Church.

Nephew Prayer

This is a prayer that I adapted from The Valley of Vision which I pray regularly for my four adorable nephews and look forward to praying for my little baby as well... 

"Apply Your redemption to their hearts, by justifying their persons, and sanctifying their natures.  Teach them to place their happiness in Thee, the blessed God, never seeking life among the dead things of earth, or asking for that which satisfies the deluded; but may they prize the light of Thy smile, implore the joy of Thy salvation, find their heaven in Thee."

--From prayer entitled "Fourth Day Evening: God All-Sufficient"

Arthur Bennet, ed. Valley of Vision (Carlisle, PA: Banner of Truth Trust, 1975, 2003), p. 392.

Birthday Gift

The following email appeared in my inbox on my fiftieth birthday (a few weeks ago), from a close friend, Nancy Loftness.

It was one of the most meaningful birthday gifts I have ever received.

Nancy wrote:

"As I was praying a few weeks ago thinking about your 50th, the idea came to me to spend a day fasting and praying for you.... So happy birthday with a gift I anticipate God using, not because of any merit in me obviously, but because He loves to fulfill His own promises from His word, which is mostly how I'll pray. Love, Nancy."

Charles Spurgeon once said: “No man can do me a truer kindness in this world than to pray for me.” Tom Carter, Spurgeon at His Best (Grand Rapids, Mich.: Baker Book House, 1991), p. 143.

Who can you show kindness to by praying for them today? (Don't forget to tell them you're praying!)

PS: Today is Nancy's 50th birthday. Happy Birthday, my dear friend!