You Deserve To Know

As readers of this blog – especially long-time readers – you deserve to know why I’m no longer posting daily. To some it might appear that I’ve slowed down on my encouraging to read the Bible. That’s somewhat true because I am not here every day stressing the fact that Bible reading is an integral part of a Christian’s daily life.

Attention to Bible reading – accompanied by the prayerful desire to understand God’s word – is very important to me. Obviously, because I’ve been posting that encouragement for years.

Since the first of the year I’ve had a tendon problem with my hand – which seems to be working good now, as long as I don’t type as much as I used to. So – there’s a natural slowdown on the number of posts.

I’ve also found another good use for my time without stressing my hand, yet providing another ministry. No – not just the quilt top above that will eventually go to a young man who needs more than warmth. That’s only part of it. Cutting and sewing and repeating the process in piecing a quilt top leave a lot of time to think. Not much to read and type, but a lot of time to think. If I have time to think, I have time to pray.

What have I been praying for? First of all, the young man who will receive the quilt when our ladies group is finished with it. God knows where this will go and He knows this young man’s needs. What I pray for is that he will have an open heart to receive God’s direction; that God will place witnesses in his life who can explain, even as Philip explained to the Ethiopian in Acts 8:

Then Philip opened his mouth, and began at the same scripture, and preached unto him Jesus. (Acts 8:35 KJV)

I pray that the young man will listen and come to understand. But that doesn’t take too long, even though I pray it more than once, so I call to mind my PUSH list – Pray Until Something Happens. This list only changes when the prayer is answered. It’s not always answered “Yes.” At times there is a definite “No” and every once in a while neither answer is apparent. That means to keep on praying.

It is not necessary to pray publicly nor is it necessary to go into your closet, though both places have a time and a purpose. It is necessary to pray in order to have a close relationship with our Lord. There are examples of prayer throughout the Bible. Often we understand this one, oh, too well:

And they cried with a loud voice, saying, How long, O Lord, holy and true, dost thou not judge and avenge our blood on them that dwell on the earth? (Revelation 6:10 KJV)

While they wait, we need to understand the importance of prayer. To not only follow the words, but to understand why Paul wrote:

Pray without ceasing. (1 Thessalonians 5:17 KJV)

Three words. One verse. Whether in your chair, on your knees or doing something for others, pray. Without ceasing.