Prayer
Stood Still, It’s a Miracle!
photo credit: ruifo <a href=”http://www.flickr.com/photos/111245738@N08/33265816618″>Waxing Gibbous Moon</a> via <a href=”http://photopin.com”>photopin</a> <a href=”https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/2.0/”>(license)</a>
‘The Day the Earth Stood Still’ was a 1951 science fiction movie.
It’s been said that truth is stranger than fiction.
Biblical truth is miraculous!
“Then the men of Gibeon sent word to Joshua to the camp at Gilgal, saying, ‘Do not abandon your servants; come up to us quickly and save us and help us, for all the kings of the Amorites that live in the hill country have assembled against us.’ So Joshua went up from Gilgal, he and all the people of war with him and all the valiant warriors. The Lord said to Joshua, ‘Do not fear them, for I have given them into your hands; not one of them shall stand before you.’ So Joshua came upon them suddenly by marching all night from Gilgal. And the Lord confounded them before Israel, and He slew them with a great slaughter at Gibeon, and pursued them by the way of the ascent of Beth-horon and struck them as far as Azekah and Makkedah. As they fled from before Israel, while they were at the descent of Beth-horon, the Lord threw large stones from heaven on them as far as Azekah, and they died; there were more who died from the hailstones than those whom the sons of Israel killed with the sword.
Then Joshua spoke to the Lord in the day when the Lord delivered up the Amorites before the sons of Israel, and he said in the sight of Israel,
‘O sun, stand still at Gibeon,
And O moon in the valley of Aijalon.’
So the sun stood still, and the moon stopped,
Until the nation avenged themselves of their enemies.
Is it not written in the book of Jashar? And the sun stopped in the middle of the sky and did not hasten to go down for about a whole day. There was no day like that before it or after it, when the Lord listened to the voice of a man; for the Lord fought for Israel (Joshua 10:6-14 NASB).”
In Uniform
{My Dad: Franklin F. Ford}
Do you have a family member serving in the military?
My Dad served in the Army before and during World War II.
Our Son-in-Law is retired career Air Force.
His youngest is now following in his father’s footsteps.
I have extended family in the military too.
I like to see a man or woman in uniform.
Some are basic duty uniforms, suitable for daily wear. Dress uniforms are for formal occasions and yes… there are combat uniforms.
We are in the LORD’s Army.
He gives us His Armor, our uniform. We need to wear it daily.
“Finally, be strengthened by the Lord and by His vast strength. Put on the full armor of God so that you can stand against the tactics of the Devil. For our battle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the world powers of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavens. This is why you must take up the full armor of God, so that you may be able to resist in the evil day, and having prepared everything, to take your stand. Stand, therefore,
with truth like a belt around your waist,
righteousness like armor on your chest,
and your feet sandaled with readiness
for the gospel of peace.
In every situation take the shield of faith,
and with it you will be able to extinguish
all the flaming arrows of the evil one.
Take the helmet of salvation,
and the sword of the Spirit,
which is God’s word.
Pray at all times in the Spirit with every prayer and request, and stay alert in this with all perseverance and intercession for all the saints (Ephesians 6:10-18 HCSB).”
A Call to Prayer
You feel a sense of grief, a heavy heart; yet, you are not suffering the loss of a loved one.
It is a persistent burden over a personal problem or a sense of real need in the life of someone else. Maybe you have the condition of your church, city, state, nation or world grieving you.
You might have a strong impression of someone come to mind during the day or even awake you from a sound sleep.
It is a call to prayer.
Walk with me through scriptures.
Meet Abraham…
He cried out for Sodom.
“Then the Lord said, ‘The outcry against Sodom and Gomorrah is immense, and their sin is extremely serious. I will go down to see if what they have done justifies the cry that has come up to Me. If not, I will find out.’
The men turned from there and went toward Sodom while Abraham remained standing before the Lord. Abraham stepped forward and said, ‘Will You really sweep away the righteous with the wicked? What if there are 50 righteous people in the city? Will You really sweep it away instead of sparing the place for the sake of the 50 righteous people who are in it? You could not possibly do such a thing: to kill the righteous with the wicked, treating the righteous and the wicked alike. You could not possibly do that! Won’t the Judge of all the earth do what is just?’
The Lord said, ‘If I find 50 righteous people in the city of Sodom, I will spare the whole place for their sake.’
Then Abraham answered, ‘Since I have ventured to speak to the Lord—even though I am dust and ashes— suppose the 50 righteous lack five. Will you destroy the whole city for lack of five?’
He replied, ‘I will not destroy it if I find 45 there.’
Then he spoke to Him again, ‘Suppose 40 are found there?’
He answered, ‘I will not do it on account of 40.’
Then he said, ‘Let the Lord not be angry, and I will speak further. Suppose 30 are found there?’
He answered, ‘I will not do it if I find 30 there.’
Then he said, ‘Since I have ventured to speak to the Lord, suppose 20 are found there?’
He replied, ‘I will not destroy it on account of 20.’
Then he said, ‘Let the Lord not be angry, and I will speak one more time. Suppose 10 are found there?’
He answered, ‘I will not destroy it on account of 10.’ When the Lord had finished speaking with Abraham, He departed, and Abraham returned to his place (Genesis 18:20-33 HCSB).”
The LORD finished the time of communing with Abraham.
Abraham witnessed God’s intervention.
“Early in the morning Abraham went to the place where he had stood before the Lord. He looked down toward Sodom and Gomorrah and all the land of the plain, and he saw that smoke was going up from the land like the smoke of a furnace. So it was, when God destroyed the cities of the plain, He remembered Abraham and brought Lot out of the middle of the upheaval when He demolished the cities where Lot had lived (Genesis 19:27-29 HCSB).”
Concerned about the spiritual welfare of those you know? The LORD compels us to pray.
“As for me, I vow that I will not sin against the Lord by ceasing to pray for you. I will teach you the good and right way (1 Samuel 12:23 HCSB).”
Christ followers have a responsibility and privilege to pray for our brothers and sisters in Christ.
“Pray at all times in the Spirit with every prayer and request, and stay alert in this with all perseverance and intercession for all the saints (Ephesians 6:18 HCSB).”
Christ set the example. He interceded for us. (John Chapter 17)
He intercedes now.
“Who is the one who condemns?
Christ Jesus is the One who died,
but even more, has been raised;
He also is at the right hand of God
and intercedes for us (Romans 8:34 HCSB).”
Persevering Prayer
Paul was a man of persevering prayer.
“For God is my witness, whom I serve with my spirit in the gospel of His Son, that without ceasing I make mention of you always in my prayers (Romans 1:9 NKJV).”
I am humbled by his example…
“Therefore I also, after I heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for all the saints, do not cease to give thanks for you, making mention of you in my prayers: that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give to you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him, the eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that you may know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints, and what is the exceeding greatness of His power toward us who believe, according to the working of His mighty power which He worked in Christ when He raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly places, far above all principality and power and might and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this age but also in that which is to come. And He put all things under His feet, and gave Him to be head over all things to the church, which is His body, the fullness of Him who fills all in all. (Ephesians 1:15-23 NKJV).”
Amen and Amen.
Sometimes…
Sometimes…
We just need His shoulder to cry on.
“My soul clings to the dust;
Revive me according to Your word.
I have declared my ways, and You answered me;
Teach me Your statutes.
Make me understand the way of Your precepts;
So shall I meditate on Your wonderful works.
My soul melts from heaviness;
Strengthen me according to Your word (Psalm 119:25-28 NKJV).”
Sometimes…
We just need Him to listen.
“I love the LORD, because He has heard
My voice and my supplications.
Because He has inclined His ear to me,
Therefore I will call upon Him as long as I live.
The pains of death surrounded me,
And the pangs of Sheol laid hold of me;
I found trouble and sorrow.
Then I called upon the name of the LORD:
“O LORD, I implore You, deliver my soul (Psalm 116:1-4 NKJV)!”
Solomon Prayed…
“Now when Solomon had made an end of praying, the fire came down from heaven, and consumed the burnt offering and the sacrifices; and the glory of the Lord filled the house (2 Chronicles 7:1 KJV).”
When hearing the name of Solomon, the first word that pops into my mind is wisdom. 
“In Gibeon the LORD appeared to Solomon in a dream by night: and God said, Ask what I shall give thee. And Solomon said, Thou hast shewed unto thy servant David my father great mercy, according as he walked before thee in truth, and in righteousness, and in uprightness of heart with thee; and thou hast kept for him this great kindness, that thou hast given him a son to sit on his throne, as it is this day. And now, O LORD my God, thou hast made thy servant king instead of David my father: and I am but a little child: I know not how to go out or come in. And thy servant is in the midst of thy people which thou hast chosen, a great people, that cannot be numbered nor counted for multitude. Give therefore thy servant an understanding heart to judge thy people, that I may discern between good and bad: for who is able to judge this thy so great a people? And the speech pleased the LORD, that Solomon had asked this thing. And God said unto him, Because thou hast asked this thing, and hast not asked for thyself long life; neither hast asked riches for thyself, nor hast asked the life of thine enemies; but hast asked for thyself understanding to discern judgment; Behold, I have done according to thy words: lo, I have given thee a wise and an understanding heart; so that there was none like thee before thee, neither after thee shall any arise like unto thee. And I have also given thee that which thou hast not asked, both riches, and honour: so that there shall not be any among the kings like unto thee all thy days. And if thou wilt walk in my ways, to keep my statutes and my commandments, as thy father David did walk, then I will lengthen thy days. And Solomon awoke; and, behold, it was a dream. And he came to Jerusalem, and stood before the ark of the covenant of the LORD, and offered up burnt offerings, and offered peace offerings, and made a feast to all his servants (1 Kings 3:5-15 KJV).”
After reading the 2 Chronicles passage, I am adding prayer to my memory bank.
Dropped Calls
It happens and is very annoying. I’m in the middle of a phone conversation; the person on the other end is in their vehicle and calling by cell phone and we lose our connection. It is one of many dropped calls experienced daily. Then there is a tossup. Do I hang up and call back or wait patiently for the person to call me? 
At times, it seems my prayers are dropped calls to God. I am talking; He is listening and then I sense a prolonged silence. Will I try to reconnect or listen for an incoming message from Him?
Cell phone users frequently lose their connection when buildings, trees or mountainous terrain blocks their signal. In my prayer life, sin separates me from God, leading to the sounds of silence.
I clear the line and prepare for an incoming call.
“If we say, ‘We have no sin,’ we are deceiving ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness (1 John 1:8-9 HCS).”
