Dear Church Family,
It is good to know that we have already reached mid-week as we continue this count down to the end of this present situation. We are praying that our leaders will see that it doesn’t need to be extended, especially when it comes to churches.
As this deteriorates from a health issue and into a political one, the whole question of constitutional rights and our liberty comes into play, and the matter takes on a much different complexion—one that requires a great deal of prayer.
So, what a blessing it is to have God’s promise that through the Lord Jesus Christ our prayers are heard, and that He will answer in that marvelous way that demonstrates His wisdom and power, and at the same time serves His glory and justice, and our good and blessing as His people.
In Psalm 4, we read…
Psalms 4:3 But know that the LORD has set apart for Himself him who is godly; The LORD will hear when I call to Him.
As Christians, we, like David, can see and know that the Lord has set apart the godly for Himself. It is not just something we read about or hear about, but something we experience.
This idea of setting apart is used in Exodus to describe the difference the Lord intended to make, during the plagues, between His people Israel and the Egyptians.
Later, Moses asked the Lord to go with them as they moved toward the Promised Land, so that it might be clear that they were separated out to Him as His people, and that He went with them every step of the way.
In the marvelous way the Lord sanctifies our trials and difficulties to us, He shows that in Christ He has distinguished us and set us apart to Himself. This doesn’t mean that our lives are trouble free or that we find every difficulty pleasant. On the contrary, the Christian is faced with trials just like all men and women and sometimes they are very unpleasant, and we struggle to deal with them.
But what it does mean is that, because we belong to the Lord Jesus, those trials and difficulties are allowed into our lives out of love, and that they will be employed to refine and strengthen our faith, and not to crush our hope or trust in the Lord.
But notice the particular form which that hope and faith take in the words of the Psalmist: The LORD will hear when I call to Him.
How wonderful to know that our prayers are heard intelligently. That is, that God hears them with perfect understanding, a readiness to be engaged in answering them, and with a blessed spirit of tender affection.
This understanding assures us that, though we don’t always know how to pray, or even what to pray for, He knows the things we truly have need of before we ask.
The readiness to be engaged in answering means that we will not be reluctantly helped, but willingly, readily and gladly.
And the love that greets our prayers assures us that there is no weariness on God’s part in hearing from us.
Dear LORD, how privileged we are, to be set apart by grace through the Lord Jesus Christ. We know that it is not because of anything in us or because of anything done by us that we enjoy this privilege, but that it is all of grace—grace that is greater than all our sin.
We thank You, Father, that we have this blessed access by prayer to you, and we rejoice in knowing that we are heard intelligently, gladly and lovingly.
Please give our leaders wisdom and keep them from foolishness. Protect those who serve us on the front lines of this illness and all those things which threaten to harm us. Keep them and their families safe.
Please restore our liberties and grant that we may use them freely, at every opportunity, to serve You and Your Kingdom.
Be with our brothers and sisters in other parts of the world—surround them with Your love and hear their prayers. Comfort them in their losses and heal them according to Your will.
Be pleased to hear us in Christ’s precious name, Amen.
