Golden Vials of Prayers

"And when he had taken the book, the four beasts and four and twenty elders fell down before the Lamb, having every one of them harps, and golden vials full of odours, which are the prayers of saints." 

Revelation 5:8

"And another angel came and stood at the altar, having a golden censer; and there was given unto him much incense, that he should offer it with the prayers of all saints upon the golden altar which was before the throne. And the smoke of the incense, which came with the prayers of the saints, ascended up before God out of the angel's hand." Revelation 8:3-4

Our prayers are kept.  Every single one of them.  Our prayers are an incense to God.  According to Albert Barnes, the meaning of incense is acceptability and ascent.  Just as burning incense produces a sweet, agreeable fragrance, genuine prayer is pleasing and acceptable to God.  And just as smoke wafts upward toward the heavens, our prayers rise into the presence of God.  

Not only our individual prayers, but our unified, corporate prayers.  When church members come together in prayer, unified, they too, are poured out before God creating a sweet smelling savour.

When I read how my prayers are kept in beautiful vessels to pour out before my Lord, I had to ask myself:

-Are my prayers worth keeping?

In Matthew 6, Jesus gives His disciples a blueprint for prayer.

-Do I follow it?

Matthew 6:9-13 says:

"After this manner therefore pray ye: Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: For thine is the Kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen." Words of Jesus.

This prayer is commonly called, 'The Lord's Prayer,' but it is actually 'the disciples prayer.' This example of prayer that Jesus gave His disciples contains elements of prayer that are important for all prayer. 

1-Prayer is to begin with worship.  Worship is the essence of all prayer.

2-Reverence is the second element of prayer, for God's name is to be Hallowed.  Revered.

3-The desire for God's kingdom to come is based on the assurance that God will fulfill all His covenant promises to His people.

4-Prayer is to include the request that His will be accomplished today on earth as it is being accomplished in heaven.

5-Petition for personal needs such as daily food is also to be a part of prayer.  'Daily' means 'sufficient for today.'

6-Requests regarding spiritual needs, such as forgiveness are included too.  This implies that the petitioner has already forgiven those who had offended him.  Sins, as moral debts, reveal one's shortcomings before God.

7-Believers recognize their spiritual weakness as they pray for deliverance from temptation to evil.

(Walvoord & Zuck)

So, are my prayers worth keeping?  Do I pray according to God's Will, or do I pray selfishly?  Do I pray for others, or just for myself?  Do my prayers praise my Saviour, or are they complaints and demands? Do I pray because I want to commune with my Lord, or do I only pray when I need something?  Do I only pray in despair and desperation, or are my prayers full of praise, gratitude and thanksgiving?  Are my prayers full of requests asking for more, or am I content with what I already have?

Our prayers are kept in vials of gold.  They are poured out before God...

    are they sweet smelling like they should be...?

        Or do they stink...?

            But that's just me!

"For thou art great, and doest wondrous things: thou art God alone." Psalm 86:10

"I will praise thee, O Lord my God, with all my heart: and I will glorify thy name for evermore."

Psalm 86:12

a And b

 "Be still, and know that I am God: I will be exalted among the heathen, I will be exalted in the earth."

Psalm 46:10

"Be still, and know that I am God:" Psalm 46:10a

"I will be exalted among the heathen; I will be exalted in the earth." Psalm 46:10b

I think sometimes when we read this verse, we forget that there is more to this verse than, 'Be still, and know that I am God.'  We see this part of the verse on bible covers, plaques, wall hangings, tote bags, and refrigerator magnets but we never see the entire verse written out.

To 'be still' means to 'cast down, let fall, or hang down,' especially 'slackening the hands.'

I love that!

It means I need to take my hands off of my situation or circumstance and let God completely handle it.  I don't need to make an effort to fix my own problems, I can leave them with God.  When I do that, my anxiety, fear, apprehension, and impatience will disappear.

Albert Barnes compares this verse with Exodus 14:13-14 which says, "And Moses said unto the people, Fear ye not, stand still, and see the salvation of the LORD, which he will shew to you to day: for the Egyptians whom ye have seen to day, ye shall see them again no more for ever. The LORD shall fight for you, and ye shall hold your peace."

Moses is instructing the people to 'stand still' with quiet faith and recognize that God will fight for them.

This is the same God Who is telling us to 'Be still' today.

When we read 'I will be exalted among the heathen, I will be exalted in the earth' this emphasizes that God has throughly overthrown all foes, leaving no doubt of His supreme rule.' God is all powerful. He has everything under control, and the battle is already won.

In other words, we can 'Be still, and know that I am God' because of the fact that God  is 'exalted among the heathen and exalted in the earth.' 

Isn't it just like God to bring comfort in the midst of turmoil?  Isn't it just like God to remind us that He is in control?

In the middle of hard circumstances and in the midst of situations I don't understand, I will go to God in prayer.  Sometimes it seems like my prayers go unheard, but then I realize that, perhaps, God is waiting for me to accept what is and let Him handle what will be.  It's during times like these when God reminds me to just be still.  He's got this.  God promises to answer all of my prayers; but He doesn't promise to answer them on this side of Heaven.

Child of God...

    Be Still...

        He Will Be Exalted...!

            But that's just me!

Weight Loss

 "Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us," Hebrews 12:1

As we enter our Winter months of hibernation, I am more aware of my physical activity. (Or lack thereof) The older I get, the longer the Winters seem to be.  The sun sets before 5PM and sleeps until almost 8AM.  The snow, winds and frigid temperatures prevent me from going outside.  Holidays, Family gatherings and entertaining friends all add up to one thing:  weight gain.  It's good to be aware of and to maintain a good healthy weight.  Not only for our physical health benefits but because we represent our Saviour.  But there are other weights we tend to carry that we were never meant to carry.  

Spiritual weight.

Satan wants us to carry the weight of the world.  The problems of society, anxiety, fears, depression.  The list could go on and on.  But we were never meant to carry this burden.  No, this battle belongs to the LORD. 

And the battle is already won!

"Ye shall not need to fight in this battle: set yourselves, stand ye still, and see the salvation of the LORD with you," 2 Chronicles 20:17a

"These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world." Words of Jesus, John 16:33

"Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us." Romans 8:37

"But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ." 1 Corinthians 15:58

"And having spoiled principalities and powers, he made a shew of them openly, triumphing over them in it." Colossians 2:15

Friend, if you want successful weight loss...

    give your burdens over to the Lord...

        He will carry them for you....

            But that's just me!

"Cast thy burden upon the LORD, and he shall sustain thee: he shall never suffer the righteous to be moved." Psalm 55:22

            

Living Out My Faith

 "For by grace are ye saved through faith;" Ephesians 2:8a

"And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me." 

2 Corinthians 12:9

Sometimes our faith is just mechanical prayers. Sometimes our faith is just quoting favorite verses in time of need.  But when was the last time we actually lived out our faith?

My pastor said something the other night as he was preaching and the Holy Spirit smote my heart.  He reminded me that, yes, we are saved by faith, but do we live it out? I had to be honest with myself; I don't.

It's easy to encourage others to live by faith, but it's not so easy to do ourselves.

My son and his family have been visiting us this week, and before they arrived, I determined in my heart that I was not going to allow my chronic illness to keep me on the sidelines of activity.  I was going to step out in faith and live out my faith.  How did I do it?  I trusted in a promise of God.  Instead of just quoting 2 Corinthians, I claimed it; I allowed His strength to be made perfect in weakness and I allowed the power of Christ to rest upon me.  It was life-changing!  When I stepped out in faith, trusting in what God said He would do, He kept His promise.  The result?  My faith grew.  My trust grew.  So, I did it again the next day, and guess what?  God kept His promise and my faith grew even more!

Today is a new day.  I am determined to step out in faith, claim a promise of God and then LIVE IT!  

Friend, put action behind your faith...

    and live faith...

        it will change your life...

            But that's just me!

  

Reconciled

 "To wit, that God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them; and hath committed unto us the word of reconciliation." 2 Corinthians 5:19

For over a month, my husband and I could not reconcile our checkbook.  We knew the dollar amount that was off: our Cable payment.  Our bank posted the payment, but the cable company had not accepted the payment.  It was irritating.  We kept wondering why they would not accept the payment because this method of payment was set up as an Autopayment.  So, yesterday, my husband decided to go speak with a Bank Teller to ask what the problem was.  According to the Bank Teller, there was nothing wrong; the payment was made and it had been posted.  My husband graciously pointed out that even though it had been posted, the dollar amount had not been subtracted from the available balance in our checking account.  Again, the Teller said everything looked good.  So, we decided to go over to the Cable company and point out to them that our payment had been posted, but they had yet to accept the payment.  Their response to our dilemma; call Corporate.  So, we did. Problem rectified, problem resolved, checkbook reconciliation.  Peace.

According to Webster's Dictionary, reconcile means to restore to friendship or harmony, settle, resolve.

And that is exactly what God did, in Christ on the cross.  He made a payment we could not make ourselves, to pay a debt we could not pay, and He did it once and for all.

"By the which will we are sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all."

Hebrews 10:10

"Who being the brightness of his glory, and the express image of his person, and upholding all things by the word of his power, when he had by himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high;" Hebrews 1:3

"...It is finished:" John 19:30b

Friend, Jesus paid your sin debt....

    but you must accept the payment to be reconciled back to God....

        Will you turn to Him today?  He is waiting for you....

            But that's just me!

"In the gospel, sinner, you are invited to God, you are assured that God forgives your sins, ceases to angry, and would have you reconciled to Him through His Son. Thus, love is established between God and the soul/ Then it is for laughter for happiness, for joy." Charles Spurgeon 

Poisoned

 

"But though we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel unto you than that which we have preached unto you, let him be accursed. As we said before, so say I now again, If any man preach any other gospel unto you than that you have received, let him be accursed." Galatians 1:8-9

"O FOOLISH Galatians, who hath bewitched you, that ye should not obey the truth, before whose eyes Jesus Christ hath been evidently set forth, crucified among you? Galatians 3:1

My husband and I went 'Glamping' this weekend.  It's the posh version of camping.  We were not out in the middle of nowhere, like most camping adventures, but we settled into a State Park that is in the middle of a city. This State Park was built in what was once a residential housing area before a flood destroyed it. Because of its location, I had decided that it would be nice to only take breakfast food and snacks along with us, and that we could eat out for either lunch or dinner, and my husband agreed.  Our first take-out was from a Chinese restaurant that we used to eat in all the time.  We expected it to be delicious, not only in taste, but appearance.  We were very disappointed.  Our dinner looked like yesterday's lunch leftovers.  Needless to say, it didn't sit well in our stomachs.  

Our second day of 'glamping' we decided to take out lunch from a local establishment that we have also enjoyed in times past.  This time, the food was appealing by sight and by taste!  We were not disappointed at all!  We enjoyed every bite.  But what we didn't know while we were enjoying this tasty meal, is that the taste and appearances had fooled us.  Shortly after our meal, my husband and I became sick: Food Poison.

For those of you who have ever become sick from tainted food, you know that it's not a very pleasant experience to go through.  It dampened our glamping adventure even more than the rain did.  We ended up cutting our adventure short, packing up and heading home.

So, what does this illustration have to do with the two verses in Galatians?

The churches in Galatia were poisoning themselves by believing in things that were not true.  They set aside what they had known to be true; the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ, and believed in works.  Rules.  Legalism.

False Religion is the same as Poison.

Are you eating tainted doctrine...?

    I hope not,  it will only cause you pain, discomfort and possibly an early death...

        But that's just me!

        

So Shall We Ever Be

"Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord. Wherefore comfort one another with these words." 

1 Thessalonians 4:17-18

I have a friend right now who is getting all of her 'ducks in a row.'  Putting things in order for the 'just in case.'  It's hard to try to figure out the future when we are still trying to figure out what we need to do today.

Sometimes, when I read a book, the middle of the story begins to get intense.  I don't like intense, so I will read the last few pages in the book, just so I know that everything works out OK and to my liking.  lol. (I'm not going to read a book that doesn't end the way I want it to; I believe in Happily Ever After.)

But real life is different.

Things are going great and then WHAM!  From out of the blue something enters our lives that rocks our boat and shifts the solid ground we are standing on.

But if you are a child of God, then you already know the end of the story: Jesus wins, and one day we will be in heaven with Him forever.

If you could know what tomorrow holds, would you want to know?  

I don't think I would.  I think it would ruin my 'today.'

God is already in our tomorrow, and the next day and the next day after that, and He has promised to go before us in all things.  Isn't it nice to walk into the unknown and have our Saviour already there with His arms wide open for us letting us know that everything is going to be OK and that we are not alone? I take comfort in that. God sustains us in all things.  He never fails.

No matter how my life or your life may be right now...

    we can still rest in the fact that we know the end of the story...

            But that's just me!