And the city had no need of the sun, neither of the moon, to shine in it: for the glory of God did lighten it, and the Lamb is the light thereof. Revelation 21:23.
There is the New Jerusalem, the metropolis of the glorified new earth, “a crown of glory in the hand of the Lord, and a royal diadem in the hand of thy God.” Isaiah 62:3. “Her light was like unto a stone most precious, even like a jasper stone, clear as crystal.” Revelation 21:11.
The streets of the city are paved with pure gold, and … the gates of the city are of gold set with pearls. The riches obtained here may be consumed…. There no thief shall approach; no moth or rust shall corrupt…. You will have an imperishable treasure which you can be in no danger of losing.
In the city of God “there shall be no night.” None will need or desire repose. There will be no weariness in doing the will of God and offering praise to His name. We shall ever feel the freshness of the morning, and shall ever be far from its close. “And they need no candle, neither light of the sun; for the Lord giveth them light.” Revelation 22:5. The light of the sun will be superseded by a radiance which is not painfully dazzling, yet which immeasurably surpasses the brightness of our noontide. The glory of God and the Lamb floods the Holy City with unfading light. The redeemed walk in the sunless glory of perpetual day.
“I saw no temple therein: for the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are the temple of it.” Revelation 21:22. The people of God are privileged to hold open communion with the Father and the Son. “Now we see through a glass, darkly.” 1 Corinthians 13:12. We behold the image of God reflected, as in a mirror, in the works of nature and in His dealings with men; but then we shall see Him face to face, without a dimming veil between. We shall stand in His presence, and behold the glory of His countenance.
Let us determine that if it costs everything we will have heaven and become partakers of the divine nature.
The Faith I Live By p. 363
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Prayer Requests
—-Please continue to pray for Carolyn’s family as she passed away yesterday. Rose
—-Please pray for us as we travel to our sister-in-law’s funeral service. Please pray for traveling mercies and harmony and good-will on the trip and the service. Jean
—-Please pray for Ron’s shoulder that the physical therapist will give him the right treatment. Rose
—-My Great- Nephew Russell drowned in a fishing incident. Leaving a wife Shandra and three little ones. Calvin, Emily, and Jacob. As far as I know he, and his family are not saved. Plese pray for the family. Roberta
—-Please pray for my daughter to find her precious cat, Shiloh. He went missing yesterday in Palm Desert, notorious for coyotes. She just found his collar in the street. Linda
—-Please keep my cousin Joyce in your prayers please. She is seriously sick, so major prayers are appreciated. Ernie
—-Please pray for my step-dad. He is in the hospital with something wrong in his heart. He wants to leave, but he lives in a rural area alone and if something happens at home he may not get help in time. Pray with me for insight for the doctors and for my step-dad to have peace and rest while they try to find and fix the problem. Jennie
—-Please pray for my husband as he tries to eat healthy that God will help him to feel better quickly so he won’t be discouraged and go back to his old habits. M
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Dear Friends,
When I was a pre-teen through my early teen years, going to horror films was very popular. At school, I would hear all about these scary movies and shuddered. Even so, I wanted to be like my classmates so much, that I began going to these frightening films. I thought that if I could join in their conversation, that I would fit into the group.
It didn’t work. I never did join into my classmates’ conversation about the shows. All I wanted to do was forget them. Worse still, for several weeks after going to these bloodcurdling pictures, I would have nightmares. Still, I wanted to fit in so badly, that I went to them every time a new one came to town.
So it was with the children of Israel. When God led them out of Egypt, He had wonderful plans for them. He intended for them to be different. He wanted them to be an example to other nations. He greatly desired them to show His great love to all the world. If they had fulfilled His plans for them, what a different world we would have today.
Sadly, they did not share the knowledge of the True God with the nations around them. Instead, they copied their neighbors and worshipped their false gods. They even asked for a king so that they could be like those nations around them. They rejected God, because they did not want to be different. He had poured out His blessings upon them, but they turned from Him so they would “fit in.”
Through the prophets, God tried to reason with them, but they would not hear. He brought them though trials and troubles that they might turn back to Himself, but they did so only temporarily. Soon, they were right back trying to be like those around them. Through Isaiah, our Loving Creator spoke of Israel’s rejection of Himself. “Now will I sing to my wellbeloved a song of my beloved touching his vineyard. My wellbeloved hath a vineyard in a very fruitful hill: And he fenced it, and gathered out the stones thereof, and planted it with the choicest vine, and built a tower in the midst of it, and also made a winepress therein: and he looked that it should bring forth grapes, and it brought forth wild grapes. And now, O inhabitants of Jerusalem, and men of Judah, judge, I pray you, betwixt me and my vineyard. What could have been done more to my vineyard, that I have not done in it? wherefore, when I looked that it should bring forth grapes, brought it forth wild grapes? And now go to; I will tell you what I will do to my vineyard: I will take away the hedge thereof, and it shall be eaten up; and break down the wall thereof, and it shall be trodden down: And I will lay it waste: it shall not be pruned, nor digged; but there shall come up briers and thorns: I will also command the clouds that they rain no rain upon it. For the vineyard of the LORD of hosts is the house of Israel, and the men of Judah his pleasant plant: and he looked for judgment, but behold oppression; for righteousness, but behold a cry.” Isa 5:1-8
With tears in His voice our Great Redeemer pled, “What iniquity have your fathers found in me, that they are gone far from me, and have walked after vanity, and are become vain?” Jer 2:5 “As I live, saith the Lord GOD, I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked; but that the wicked turn from his way and live: turn ye, turn ye from your evil ways; for why will ye die?” Eze 33:11
We have this same danger today. Our Good Shepherd has led us out of the world. He greatly desires that there be a difference between ourselves and those who do not follow Him. Our Dear Saviour longs for us to be His special people. We are to be “a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that [we] should shew forth the praises of him who hath called [us] out of darkness into his marvellous light.” 1 Peter 2:9
Paul commands, “Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness? And what concord hath Christ with Belial? or what part hath he that believeth with an infidel? And what agreement hath the temple of God with idols? for ye are the temple of the living God; as God hath said, I will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you, And will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty. Having therefore these promises, dearly beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God.” 2 Cor 6:14-7:1
Our Great Creator longs for us to follow His plan. Are we letting Him lead in our life or do we want to be just like the world? Do our lives reflect the love, the kindness, the goodness of God or are we just like those who follow Him not? Since we have accepted Christ’s great sacrifice, His love, His changing power, has there been indeed a change in our heart, in our life? Our Maker has promised to remake us, to mold us into His image. “A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you: and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you an heart of flesh. And I will put my spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes, and ye shall keep my judgments, and do them.” Eze 36:26,27
May we never keep our walk with the Lord hidden for fear that someone will notice that we are different. No! Jesus commands, “Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.” Mat 5:16 May we allow Him to take control of our lives no matter where that path leads. May we “stand fast in the faith” no matter what others do or say. 1 Cor 16:13 May we daily follow our Dear Saviour “Who gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works.” Titus 2:14
Rose

And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away. Revelation 21:4.
In the home of the redeemed there will be no tears, no funeral trains, no badges of mourning. “The inhabitant shall not say, I am sick: the people that dwell therein shall be forgiven their iniquity.” Isaiah 33:24. One rich tide of happiness will flow and deepen as eternity rolls on….
Let us consider most earnestly the blessed hereafter. Let our faith pierce through every cloud of darkness and behold him who died for the sins of the world. He has opened the gates of Paradise to all who receive and believe on Him…. Let the afflictions which pain us so grievously become instructive lessons, teaching us to press forward toward the mark of the prize of our high calling in Christ. Let us be encouraged by the thought that the Lord is soon to come. Let this hope gladden our hearts….
We are homeward bound. He who loved us so much as to die for us hath builded for us a city. The New Jerusalem is our place of rest. There will be no sadness in the city of God. No wail of sorrow, no dirge of crushed hopes and buried affections, will evermore be heard. Soon the garments of heaviness will be changed for the wedding garment. Soon we shall witness the coronation of our King. Those whose lives have been hidden with Christ, those who on this earth have fought the good fight of faith, will shine forth with the Redeemer’s glory in the kingdom of God.
It will not be long till we shall see Him in whom our hopes of eternal life are centered. And in His presence, all the trials and sufferings of this life will be as nothingness…. Look up, look up, and let your faith continually increase. Let this faith guide you along the narrow path that leads through the gates of the city of God into the great beyond, the wide, unbounded future of glory that is for the redeemed.
The Faith I Live By p. 362
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Prayer Requests
—-My friend, Carolyn, is failing fast. Please pray for her and her family. Rose
—-Asking for prayer for My grown daughters. They have a bad case of the flu +pink eye. Nancy
—-Valerie neighbor in horrific pain. Asking for prayers. Shannon
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Dear Friends,
Each family has funny stories that have been passed down from generation to generation. Ours is no exception: My mother had several very good friends at the church where her parents attended. There was one girl, Margaret, that my mother didn’t like in the least. There was a definite personality clash between the two.
Eventually the girls grew up and got married. One of the girls married a man whose last name was Baer. Margaret’s married name became Payne. In the process of time, Mrs. Baer had a baby boy. As all the girls were standing around her admiring the baby, Margaret joined them. She asked the baby’s name. On hearing the answer, she exclaimed, “Oh, you should have named him Teddy.” As quick as a flash my mother spoke up. “Margaret, if that’s the way to do it, you should have named your son Achan!” The girls exploded with laughter—-all except Margaret, that is.
How important that we name our children a name that will not make them a laughingstock. In the Bible, babies were named according to their characteristics or a desired characteristic. For example, Noah means rest, Peleg means division, Peres means breach, Jacob means cheat, etc. There is a name above all others. The name of Jesus, how precious it is! His name tells Who He is: the Saviour! His name was so important that an angel commanded Joseph, “thou shalt call his name JESUS: for he shall save his people from their sins.” Matt 1:23 Truly He is the “Wonderful Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.” Isa 9:6 “Of his kingdom there shall be no end.” Luke 1:33
Through the name of Jesus, His followers taught the people the way to eternal life, had power to heal the sick, cast out demons, even raise the dead. (Matt 10:8) Looking at the future reward of God’s people, John tells us, “And they shall see his face; and his name shall be in their foreheads.” Rev 22:4 Will we have a visible mark tattooed across our forehead that says “Jesus”? No! His name, His glory is His character. When Moses asked to see God’s glory, he was told, “I will make all my goodness pass before thee, and I will proclaim the name of the LORD before thee.” Ex 33:19 As Moses was in the cleft of the rock, “the LORD descended in the cloud, and stood with him there, and proclaimed the name of the LORD. And the LORD passed by before him, and proclaimed, The LORD, The LORD God, merciful and gracious, longsuffering, and abundant in goodness and truth, Keeping mercy for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin.” 34:5-7 Paul tells us that we are “the epistle of Christ ministered by us, written not with ink, but with the Spirit of the living God; not in tables of stone, but in fleshly tables of the heart.” 2 Cor 3:3
When our Great Creator gave us the Ten Commandments, which is a transcript of His Character and a rule for our happiness, He proclaimed, “Thou shalt not take the name of the LORD thy God in vain: for the LORD will not hold him guiltless that taketh his name in vain.” Ex 20:7 This commandment encompasses more than common swearing, for that sin can be forgiven. When we take on the name of Christ, we are to become like Him in character. Paul tells us, “Let every one that nameth the name of Christ depart from iniquity.” 2 Tim 2:19 When we fail to do so, over and over again, we become hardened in our sin, “having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof” to gain the victory. 2 Tim 3:5 Eventually, we get discouraged and turn away from our Only Hope, our Only Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ. Fearful position—a position that we need not be in, for our Great Redeemer has provided us with all that we need to be saved, even giving His Most Precious Gift, His Only Begotten Son. (John 3:16)
“Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus: Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God: But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men: And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross. Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name: That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth; And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. Wherefore, my beloved, as ye have always obeyed, . . work out your own salvation with fear and trembling. For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure.” Phil 2:5-13 “Now unto him that is able to keep you from falling, and to present you faultless before the presence of his glory with exceeding joy, To the only wise God our Saviour, be glory and majesty, dominion and power, both now and for ever. Amen.” Jude 24, 25
Rose

And his brightness was as the light; he had bright beams out of his side: and there was the hiding of his power. Habakkuk 3:4, margin.
Satan, by means of his success in turning man aside from the path of obedience, became “the god of this world.” 2 Corinthians 4:4. The dominion that once was Adam’s, passed to the usurper. But the Son of God proposed to come to this earth to pay the penalty of sin, and thus not only redeem man, but recover the dominion forfeited…. The apostle Paul has referred to it [the restoration of the lost dominion] as “the redemption of the purchased possession.” Ephesians 1:14.
Not only man but the earth had by sin come under the power of the wicked one, and was to be restored by the plan of redemption.
The cross of Calvary, while it declares the law immutable, proclaims to the universe that the wages of sin is death. In the Saviour’s expiring cry, “It is finished,” the death knell of Satan was rung. The great controversy which had been so long in progress was then decided, and the final eradication of evil was made certain. The Son of God passed through the portals of the tomb, that “through death he might destroy him that had the power of death, that is, the devil.” Hebrews 2:14. Lucifer’s desire for self-exaltation had led him to say, “I will exalt my throne above the stars of God: … I will be like the most High.” Isaiah 14:13, 14. God declares, “I will bring thee to ashes upon the earth…. And never shalt thou be any more.” Ezekiel 28:18, 19.
“I saw a new heaven and a new earth….” Revelation 21:1…. Every trace of the curse is swept away…. FLB 361.5
One reminder alone remains: our Redeemer will ever bear the marks of His crucifixion. Upon His wounded head, upon His side, His hands and feet, are the only traces of the cruel work that sin has wrought. Says the prophet, beholding Christ in His glory, “He had bright beams coming out of his side: and there was the hiding of his power.”
The cross of Christ will be the science and the song of the redeemed through all eternity.
The Faith I Live By p. 361
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Prayer Requests
—-My husband has been emotionally abusing me for years. And now, over the weekend, I found out he has been inappropriately communicating with a 19-year-old girl by text, phone calls, and he’s even met with her at least once in a restaurant. We are in our 50’s. Please pray for me. I have some extremely difficult decisions to make. anonymous
—- Uncle Melvin went to check on Grandma early this afternoon and found her on the floor, unable to talk or follow commands. He called 911 and the ambulance took her to the Hospital. She had a stroke, with a blood clot in the area of her brain that controls speech and swallow. She is also weak on one side of her body. Prognosis does not look good. They will be sending her to another Hospital here later on tonight most likely. There were no beds available at ______. Please keep her in your prayers. Heidi
—-Please pray for Carolyn who was just put on hospice. Rose
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Dear Friends,
Just before my tenth birthday, my mother married a man who was an alcoholic. While they had dated, Eddie seemed so nice, but after they were married, life became almost unbearable.
After nearly four years, I had had enough. I decided to run away the next day. I didn’t know where I would go, but I knew that I could endure it no longer. My Heavenly Father was watching over me although I didn’t realize it at the time. That very night, Eddie left taking everything of value in the house except my mother’s guitar and amplifier. He left a note saying that he was sure that the sheriff was catching up to him and he needed to flee.
What a relief it was to me to have Eddie gone, yet life became more difficult in some ways. My mother had no job and no prospects for getting one. She had to sell her guitar and amp so she could buy food. Our landlord, who was friends with Eddie, would not wait for the rent until my mother found a job. We finally found a very cheap apartment over a music store in a rundown neighborhood.
Even though we were in difficulty, God was near to us, watching over us, working all things out for good. He who inspired David to write, “When my father and my mother forsake me, then the LORD will take me up” (Psalm 27:10) knew that had I run away, my life would have been far worse that the situation Eddie’s departure had caused. He had kept that from happening.
Jesus, speaking of His Heavenly Father said, “for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust.” Matt 5:45 God loves each person in this world whether they love Him back or not. His Spirit draws them, leading them into circumstances that will give them an opportunity to choose His way. He showers His blessings upon them even though they don’t know the Source of all blessings.
“Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God: therefore the world knoweth us not, because it knew him not. Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is. And every man that hath this hope in him purifieth himself, even as he is pure.” 1 John 3:1-3 How loving and kind He is to us. He not only makes us His sons, but He changes us into His image.
Through all of those trying times, I had a sort of shaky faith in God and just before bed every night prayed the “Now I lay me down to sleep….” prayer adding a few of my own words at the end. Our Merciful Redeemer accepted that tiny spark of faith and protected us. He helped my mother find work, even though she did not recognize it as a blessing from Him.
Finally we could move to a better neighborhood. Life was still a struggle, and there were many times there was nothing to eat in the apartment except a little flour. But through it all, God was there protecting us and longing for the time when we would come to Him.
A year or two later, I began to long to know God. I began reading the Bible and visiting churches trying to find the right one. Through a series of events, God led me to find it. Over the years, I have been able to serve Him in various ways in gratitude for His great love and care.
May we, each day, allow our Great Creator to will and to do of His good pleasure. All around us are those who need Him as much as I did so long ago. May we share His love with them that they, too, may accept His great provision for salvation is my prayer.
Rose

And I saw a new heaven and a new earth; for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away; and there was no more sea. Revelation 21:1.
Heaven is a school; its field of study, the universe; its teacher, the Infinite One. A branch of this school was established in Eden; and, the plan of redemption accomplished, education will again be taken up in the Eden school….
The prophet of Patmos thus describes the location of the school of the hereafter: FLB 360.3
“I saw a new heaven and a new earth; for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away…. And I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.” Revelation 21:1, 2….
The giving of the tree of life in Eden was conditional, and it was finally withdrawn. But the gifts of the future life are absolute and eternal….
Restored to His presence, man will again, as at the beginning, be taught of God: “My people shall know my name: … they shall know in that day that I am he that doth speak: behold, it is I.” Isaiah 52:6….
All the treasures of the universe will be open to the study of God’s children. With unutterable delight we shall enter into the joy and the wisdom of unfallen beings. We shall share the treasures gained through ages upon ages spent in contemplation of God’s handiwork. And the years of eternity, as they roll, will continue to bring more glorious revelations. “Exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think” (Ephesians 3:20) will be forever and forever, the impartation of the gifts of God….
The life on earth is the beginning of the life in heaven; education on earth is an initiation into the principles of heaven; the lifework here is a training for the lifework there. What we now are, in character and holy service, is the sure foreshadowing of what we shall be.
The Faith I Live By p. 360
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Prayer Requests
—-A former classmate, Donna, passed away having had cancer for one and one-half years. Please pray for her husband, children, and family members as they grieve her loss. Rose
—-A daughter of one of our church members had a seizure for the first time. Pray it is the last. Keep Katie J. In your prayers. Barbara
—-Please pray for JayDen, my 11 yr old daughter. She has a concussion. Shannon
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Dear Friends,
Often my children will reminisce about special times in their childhood. It is interesting what they remember. Usually, Esther will comment on a certain walk we took when she was three or four. We lived on a narrow, dirt road near a lake at the time and I took them on many walks just letting them explore their surroundings. Whatever they noticed became an opportunity to teach them of our Great Creator and His love and plan for us. One day, Esther happened to notice a frog that had been run over by one of the few cars that drove down that narrow path. She stopped and looked sadly at the flatted frog’s remains that had been dried by the North Carolina sun. This gave me an opportunity to point her to a time when “God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain.” Rev 21:4 That simple lesson impressed her so much that she remembered it all of her life.
So it should be in the Christian’s walk. If we will allow Him to, our Heavenly Father will walk with us and teach us just as surely as I did with my children. He has promised, “I will instruct thee and teach thee in the way which thou shalt go: I will guide thee with mine eye. Ps. 32:8 What a wonderful blessing! To be taught by the One Who made all things, Who loves us so much that He died to save us, to walk with Him each day as He unfolds new and beautiful truths from His Word, this is His great desire. This is our great privilege!
Jesus’ promise to send the Holy Spirit to guide and teach us in our walk with Him is as real today as it was when He walked this earth so long ago. He said, “Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will shew you things to come.” John 16:13 What blessing is ours to have the Great God of the Universe love us and change our hearts and lead us ever upward on the path to the Heavenly Kingdom.
Let us submit to the lessons He is so willing to teach us. Let us place our hand in the hand of the One Who loves us so much that He gave His All for us. Let our fondest memories be of our time spent with Him.
Rose

For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory. 2 Corintians 4:17.
I was pointed to the glory of heaven, to the treasure laid up for the faithful. Everything was lovely and glorious. The angels would sing a lovely song, then they would cease singing and take their crowns from their heads and cast them glittering at the feet of the lovely Jesus, and with melodious voices cry, “Glory, Alleluia!” I joined with them in their songs of praise and honor to the Lamb, and every time I opened my mouth to praise Him, I felt an unutterable sense of the glory that surrounded me. It was a far more, an exceeding and eternal weight of glory. Said the angel, “The little remnant who love God and keep His commandments and are faithful to the end will enjoy this glory and ever be in the presence of Jesus and sing with the holy angels.”
Then my eyes were taken from the glory, and I was pointed to the remnant on the earth. The angel said to them, “… Get ready, get ready, get ready. Ye must have a greater preparation than ye now have, for the day of the Lord cometh, cruel both with wrath and fierce anger, to lay the land desolate and to destroy the sinners thereof out of it. Sacrifice all to God. Lay all upon His altar—self, property, and all, a living sacrifice. It will take all to enter glory. Lay up for yourselves treasure in heaven, where no thief can approach or rust corrupt. Ye must be partakers of Christ’s sufferings here if ye would be partakers with Him of His glory hereafter.”
Heaven will be cheap enough, if we obtain it through suffering. We must deny self all along the way, die to self daily, let Jesus alone appear, and keep His glory continually in view.
The work of salvation is not child’s play, to be taken hold of at will and let alone at pleasure. It is the steady purpose, the untiring effort, that will gain the victory at last. It is he who endureth to the end that shall be saved. It is they who patiently continue in well-doing that shall have eternal life and the immortal reward.
The Faith I Live By p. 359
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Prayer Requests
—-We just got news that Hal Meyer suffered a stroke last Sunday. He’s struggling with speech, his left side is compromised, he’s in hospital still. Please pray for him and his wife Betsy – as well as the ministries he runs (Keep the Faith and Abide). M
—-update—Brian is not out of the woods yet – fevers still coming and going… but maybe there is a tiny improvement. M
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Dear Friends,
When Eileen was seven, we were in a store looking at baby clothes, since it would not be long and Ronnie Jay would be born. The clerk , smiling, said to Eileen, “It looks like you will soon be a big sister! Isn’t that wonderful?”
Eileen said, “Yes! I prayed and prayed for a baby and finally Jesus said, ‘Oh, all right! You can have it.” Both the clerk and I had a hard time holding in our amusement.
On the way home, however, I explained to my little girl that God didn’t answer her prayer with exasperation because she had asked so much. He had answered her prayer because He saw that it was best for us to have a baby at that time. I explained that God answers our prayers even when they seem to go unanswered. He knows what is best for us. Jesus said, “your Father knoweth what things ye have need of, before ye ask him.” Matt 6:8
Our dear Saviour tells us the conditions for answered prayer, “If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you.” John 15:7 “Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you. For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened.” Luke 11:9,10
This does not always mean that we will get just what we ask for. James explains, “Ye ask, and receive not,because ye ask amiss, that ye may consume it upon your lusts.” James 4:3 But if we abide in Him and ask according to His will, we will have our petitions. “And this is the confidence that we have in him, that, if we ask any thing according to his will, he heareth us: And if we know that he hear us, whatsoever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we desired of him.” 1 John 5:14,15 What a wonderful Father we have! He listens to our prayers and weighs each request. Then He gives us an answer that is better than we could ask or think.
Let us have confidence that He hears and gives us our requests according to His great knowledge and understanding. Let us trust Him to take complete control of our lives. Let us put our hand in His and let Him lead us to His Heavenly Kingdom is my prayer.
Rose