What Prayer Accomplishes

Thursday 10-13-2016  Martínez, Argentina

Today we read: Neh 9 – 10  and  Acts 2

S.  Neh 9:5-6 Then the leaders of the Levites — Jeshua, Kadmiel, Bani, Hashabneiah, Sherebiah, Hodiah, Shebaniah, and Pethahiah — called out to the people: "Stand up and praise the LORD your God, for he lives from everlasting to everlasting!" Then they continued, "Praise his glorious name! It is far greater than we can think or say.  You alone are the LORD. You made the skies and the heavens and all the stars. You made the earth and the seas and everything in them. You preserve and give life to everything, and all the angels of heaven worship you. NLT

O.  The priests led the people in a long, beautiful prayer acknowledging God’s intervention in spite of their sins. Spurgeon wrote this about prayer: While it is an application to divine wealth, it is a confession of human emptiness. The most healthy state of a Christian is to be always empty in self and constantly depending upon the Lord for supplies; to be always poor in self and rich in Jesus; weak as water personally, but mighty through God to do great exploits; and hence the use of prayer, because, while it adores God, it lays the creature where it should be, in the very dust.** Spurgeon had a way with words.

A.  For me, the beauty of prayer is not only God’s many, abundant answers. It does much more for me. It brings me low before the Great Creator of the Universe. While the atheist brags about how he pulled himself up by his boot-straps, prayer helps me to acknowledge that every blessing I am enjoying is a free gift from a generous God, including my priceless relationship with Him.

P.  Lord Jesus, You paid the price to open the door of heaven to me. You did what I could never do. I sing: “I, though so unworthy, still I’m a child of His care.” Please, Lord, keep ‘Preacher Ralph’ in a humble attitude, always recognizing that my every blessing is a gift flowing like a crystal stream from Your divine throne.  Amen.

Ralph

Wide, wide as the ocean, high as the Heaven above;
Deep, deep as the deepest sea is my Savior’s love.
I, though so unworthy, still am a child of His care;
For His Word teaches me that His love reaches me everywhere.

**From Spurgeon’s Daily Devotional