IHS-Prayer

Prayer

•	Many Chidren

   We have a couple of dozen children! No, I don't mean literally. We have seven. But sometimes when we are at a public event Bonita especially gets called "Mom" by a lot more than just our own children.
   Actually, she thinks its fun to be around people that don't know us very well and have half a dozen kids, all the same age come up and give her a hug and call her "Mom!" Often, the unacquainted have very strange looks on their faces when they witness one of these "Mom mobbings." Its just that "Mom" is at least one of the many names she goes by and, at times, she mothers more than just her own.
   Mother and Father are terms of endearment and titles of position. Our spirits recognize the Heavenly Father that way.
Read Galatians 4:6, "And because you are sons, God has sent forth the Spirit of His Son into our hearts, crying, 'Abba!
Father!'" The word "Abba" would be like our "Papa."
   If you have truly joined God's family through a new birth, there is a witness in your heart of that fact by God's Spirit, who indwells you. The death of Jesus Christ on the Cross for you and me made it possible for us to have that intimate relationship with God. Have you talked to Papa today? Give Him some time today!
   Make a daily personal relationship with your Heavenly Father a priority. It is a relationship you cannot afford to miss.

•	Call God

   We got a rather unusual request from our two and a half-year-old son Daniel recently. He wanted it to snow. There are few things my little boys would rather do than go outside and play in six inches of snow. Out of the blue he strolled into the room where Bonita was working and said "call God and tell Him to make it snow!"
   Mom was only temporarily set back by the request. "You call Him," she said. Daniel replied, "I don't know His number, you do it. Tell Him we want snow!" "You do know how to call Him. Pray!" Bonita countered. With that he left the room, apparently to call God.
   Have you called God lately? There are many promises in the Scriptures that suggest we should do it often. Hebrews 4:14-16 says, "Let us therefore draw near with confidence to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and may find grace to help in time of need."
   James 4:2 says, "...You do not have because you do not ask." God only knows the riches in Jesus Christ that we miss because we don't ask.
   Talk to God about your needs and desires. You can call Him! His storehouse is always open - never empty! Have you really talked to Him today?

•	Protected

   This summer a house was burned down in our little town. It was a planned burn of a building that had no salvage value. Because the structure was tall and about 75 years old, it made quite a display while it burned. I could feel a little heat from it some two blocks away.
   Ben and Daniel noticed the fire too. There was a lot bit of panic in their eyes as they hurriedly ran up to me and grabbed hold of my pant leg. Their main concern was that the fire would somehow come to our house. Just being able to be next to me and their mother helped to calm them down as we viewed the event from a safe distance and reassured them they were safe from the fire.
   The Apostle Paul knew a lot about danger. He had faced it on many occasions. His concern was not fire or storms but men. In 2 Thessalonians 3:1 - 5 he exhorts the Thessalonians to pray for him and his team as they spread the Gospel. Specifically, "that we may be delivered from perverse and evil men."
   Your prayers for others in the ministry are important. Without them, the Lord's work would be greatly hampered. God has so ordered things that your prayers are essential so that the Gospel may go out. Get organized and consistent in your praying for others, especially those serving the Lord in ministry. They are not only counting on it, they desperately need your prayer support.

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