January 2021 Archives
Make Your Requests Known
Have you ever prepared for a vacation, praying fervently that it wouldn’t rain so that your family could make the most of the beach or monuments or whatever else you had planned? While you prayed against the rain, I can imagine someone in that same region praying for rain to cool off the summer or water the drought. This is how I feel when I pray for our president and against some of the laws that he wants to institute. While I ask God to keep some things from coming to pass, I know there are others who want these things to take place. So, what should I do? Stop praying since whatever will be will be? I don’t think so.
Philippians 4:6 tells us:
Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God.
I feel like that is God’s message to us in this season. Do not fear the future but, instead, talk to God. Let Him know what concerns you and boldly pray against the things that you know do not please Him or even the things that would present a hardship for your family. If there are things you would like to see happen, ask Him for those things. There’s a reason that God is called a righteous Judge. I can picture him in Heaven, listening to the petitions of one side and then hearing the cries from the opposing side. I expect that sometimes He weighs His decision based on the fervency of the prayers. But, ultimately, He answers according to what is best for His children in the long run, and that which will most completely accomplish His plan.
I have friends who are happy with the way the election turned out while others think this is God’s judgment and are preparing for the End Times. Regardless of which camp you are in, I hope that you will not become complacent. Our work does not end at the polls. We need to daily make our requests known, striving to be led by the Spirit instead of being guided by fear. When you see answers to your prayers, rejoice. Thank Him for those answers, but don’t stop praying for our leaders. Pray that God will guide them and turn their hearts to Him. And don’t view those who see things differently as your enemy. Christians need to band together and encourage each other while seeking to be a light to a dark and depressed world.
Photo by Alessio Lin on Unsplash
Love Mercy
I have adopted Micah 6:8 as one of my life verses:
He has shown you, O man, what is good; And what does the LORD require of you But to do justly, To love mercy, And to walk humbly with your God?
I pray often that God will help me to walk humbly in His sight, but I wonder, What does it mean to love mercy?
As a teenager, I thought of this verse in conjunction with my sister Mercy. I knew it was not really referring to a person, but there were days that I had a hard time loving her. She is 8 1/2 years younger than I am, and she thrived on annoying me. Then again, it didn’t help that I was easily annoyed. Fortunately, I let her live to see adulthood, and we have become good friends. We are still different in a lot of ways, but we are definitely sisters. We are both grateful for God’s mercy toward us, and we strive to extend that same mercy towards each other (which is not nearly as difficult as it used to be).
Probably the most quoted passage on “mercy” is Matthew 5:7:
Blessed are the merciful for they shall obtain mercy.
Luke 6:36 tells us to:
Be merciful, just as your Father also is merciful.
So what is “mercy”?
Dictionary.com defines it as “compassion or forgiveness shown toward someone whom it is within one’s power to punish or harm.”
The first examples that come to mind are parent and child relationships. In my case it was a sibling. Or it might be a boss with an employee. If you are working for someone and you make a mistake, I’m sure you would like him to be gracious to you instead of firing you on the spot. But mercy can be extended to everyone you know. Even if you are not in authority over a person, you may find yourself tempted to slander him or her or to get even with someone who has hurt you. Instead of acting on those impulses, it would be better to take a deep breath and remind yourself that, just as you are in need of mercy, so is the person who has wronged or inconvenienced you.
I like how Micah 6:8 tells us to love mercy. This goes beyond just appreciating it when people show mercy to me. Joy should well up inside me when I see mercy extended to others as well. I should love granting mercy to those in need of it. I realize this is not easy, especially in a highly charged political climate these days. But if you love the Lord, this should be your posture. Life is not all about you. It is about how you can honor God by showing mercy and forgiveness to others. When you feel pride rising up and wanting to take offense or hold a grudge, remind yourself that sometimes you are the one in need of mercy and strive to treat others as you desire to be treated. Let’s let this world truly see Christ!
