Gregor, this zeroing in on Romans I heard was so perfect, I just want the tape myself to listen to it. Again, the teaching covered everything from the Word, including the very disappointing reality that there simply will be some things which do not happen even though we do everything on earth to pray for them. I think what the secret is, that we pray for the obvious outcome that God would also want. But we cannot too often pray HIM into doing something just because we are praying for it. I understand that, and therefore such knowledge has strengthened my resolve to pray, and to believe that the prayers will be answered.
Especially where you have created a place for people to BRING their prayers, then by that alone it seems quite insane that our God who answers prayer would also instruct you to have some sort of personal
examination of such request to determine within yourself if that exact prayer was totally in the Will of God.
So of course your position with all prayers brought here is as it should be, and is probably why prayers brought here are answered. I will continue to believe that all prayers brought here WILL be answered.
But the study in Romans encompasses so much that other questions surrounding prayer--like the pastor's wife who has cancer and dies when EVERYONE IS PRAYING THEIR HEADS OFF ACROSS THE COUNTRY--etc. (I personally know of two or three and it has not diminished my faith at all, nor do I seek to know why since I know of countless other pastors wives, etc., that WERE healed.)
Prayer is a divine miracle, and that's all I know. To try in human wisdow, as you say, to sort out any of the requests in any manner is almost ungodly.
But for those who seriously pray, and enjoy the rewards of prayer, there is a lot in Romans, for sure, and I hadn't particularly noticed. So, I'm going to get the tape for sure, and hope it doesn't just sit there forever with all of the other millions of things I never touch because I don't have the time I used to.
I continue to feel we are close to things that aren't going to be that nice, though, and I can't shake it. All I know is that where I live so far it seems like an unreal dream the place is so perfect, the weather is so perfect, and things are SO UNPROBLEMATIC. You could say it is unreal, actually. I have been giving constant thanks for this reality, though, and continuing to plead with our Lord to spare this area of any wrath to come, if such is to come. I personally feel it is hard to escape, and around some corner, but the corner appears to be where other people live, and not myself, so I continue to give thanks A LOT!!!
Perhaps what God is telling us in the whole examination of all of the scriptures surrounding prayer, is that at some point all of us are going to pray and that thing is not going to happen.
(AH! The prayer purists would say that I DOUBT, THEN!)
No, I doubt nothing on earth except that all healing comes through Jesus Christ, and He has instructed us to ask these things of our Heavenly Father, and our Heavenly Father will do these things in the Name of Jesus. I just see the greater side of a God who has a much bigger brain than myself, and has better eyesight, and is omnipresent
For that reason I assume that there are things He knows that I don't. So, I can never lose, because if I pray at all, I am in God's will in the matter. His will is that I pray, that's all I know.
As you have seen, things closer to my heart get a greater knee jerk, and that's good. We all need to have things closer to our hearts so we are the ones who REALLY pray over that matter. That seems perfect also to me. It covers all bases.
Whatever is happening, the urge to pray seems to be predominant everywhere, and those that are praying are certain to be in God's Perfect Will.
Whatever you do, wherever you go, just keep running EVERYTHING by the One Who Sits on the Throne. Always ask HIM what He thinks about it. You might not get a small voice in your ear, but you might be shocked what else you find out through divine channels.
So, I also think happiness comes from God's Perfect Will, and that if we try constantly to somehow stumble into it within the framework of human flesh--good grief--then that too is all the more of a miracle and greatly increases our happiness. Our Lord may well be placing you in a position within this church to ENFORCE His perfect will within it. That's always possible.
So, I pray that you are completely and totally within God's Perfect Will for your life. That in turn gives you even greater insight to foresee what He wants, and more power to approach the Throne boldly, and even to approach the Throne to change God's mind, which we know has happened and will happen again.
Perhaps there is just a breakthrough coming everywhere at long last, even on TV, even in the Church, even everywhere. That is of course what we are all praying for all the time, aren't we? I think so. |
