Bottles from the Springs
Bottles from the Springs-August 4th, 2019 Today, Anthony Gullo spoke about our prayer life- He began by making humorous comparisons to Athletic events and to it being like a Superpower that a Super hero might bring to Life situations. He also mentioned how in every world religion, people pray! Are we any different from other religions? Is our prayer any different from the practice of the Tibetan Buddhists who write a prayer on a wheel and spin it so that they can mechanically crank out the same phrase over and over again? How are we connecting to the Living God? Psalm 102 1 Hear my prayer, Lord; let my cry for help come to you. 2 Do not hide your face from me when I am in distress. Turn your ear to me; when I call, answer me quickly. Psalm 142 1 I cry aloud to the Lord; I lift up my voice to the Lord for mercy. 2 I pour out before him my complaint; before him I tell my trouble.
These scriptures Brother Gullo referred to show a cry out to God for an intimate, personal hearing from the Most High. These lines are born from a heart that is sure God is actually not far off, but near. A God who can be in your face, close enough to grasp, embrace, put your arm around. Is that the kind of prayer experience you live? Anthony encouraged me to dive deep into the heart of our heavenly Father.
I heard a program on the radio where the teacher was encouraging me to “pray your way through your day!” Do you keep God at a distance or draw Him along with you into your moment by moment existence? Remember Jesus lived a human life from birth to death. He now is Lord of Time and Space and has been where you are-believe that he has been in your day before you got there and so knows each step you will take!
It was refreshing to hear that God is not looking for quantity but quality! Allow God to have more Space and Time in your life! Prayer is how we do that. In a time where our nation seems to be bent on allowing us to do whatever we please as we stress the right to live the self indulgent life-I have my rights! But what about the prayer prayed by the highest politician in Israel in 2 Chronicles 7:14
14 if my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land. We are not just turning from unhealthy ways of life but turning to our God. This is the God we can ask as citizens of God's Kingdom, how do you want me to respond, my King? Our Country seems to be reaping a harvest of a culture of death, but our God says to us “Why would you die, Choose life that you may live!” And he wants to live so close to us, moment to moment, heartbeat to heartbeat-that is how we pray! Breathing out our dying old life and breathing in His new life!
Let's keep breathing this week!