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Tuesday Morning Epistles
Welcome to "Tuesday Morning"—a great read any day of the
week for Christians everywhere.
In his letter to the Church at Rome, the Apostle Paul
said that the Spirit of God helps us in areas where we
are not particularly strong—like in our prayer life.
"For we don't even know what we should pray for, nor how
we should pray. But the Holy Spirit prays for us with
groanings that cannot be expressed in words" (8:26).
Did you catch that? Paul said, "The Holy
Spirit prays for us." God's Spirit
prays for me! And for you. Why? Because "we don't know
what we should pray for." But I thought prayer
is what we do, and answering
prayers is what God does! Wrong. God
does both through his Sprit—he voices our
prayers for us, and he answers them. And if we don't
know how to pray, God's Spirit takes over
and communicates our prayers to the Father in ways that
are a mystery to us.
I have discovered that when my voice is silent before
God, someone else is there to intercede in my
behalf. And sometimes, without my being aware of
anything going on, something is going on! God
is at work in my behalf. How do I know that? Because
that is exactly what Romans 8:28 teaches! I can't
anticipate in advance everything that is going to happen
in my life, but God's Spirit can! What a great truth
that is!
This week's "Tuesday Morning" piece is entitled, "Being
Led without Knowing It." It is attached below. Continue
reading whenever you are ready, and then begin to watch
God at work in your life! Without your being aware of
it.
Tom Barnard
A Senior Encourager
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oris Akers wrote the words and music. Elvis made it a hit. It was written as a prayer, and it is a prayer that never grows old. The words were taken from Psalm 31:3—“Since you are my rock and my fortress, for the sake of your name lead and guide me.” Here are the original lyrics:
I am weak and I need Thy strength and power, To help me over my weakest hour. Let me through the darkness Thy face to see, Lead me, Oh Lord, lead me.
Help me tread in the paths of righteousness. Be my aid when Satan and sin oppress. I am putting all my trust in Thee: Lead me, Oh Lord, lead me.
I am lost if you take your hand from me, I am blind without Thy light to see. Lord just always to me thy servant be, Lead me, Oh Lord, lead me.
Dr. Paul Tournier, a famous Swiss physician and counselor of the Twentieth Century, observed that God’s guidance in our lives may not always be recognized at the moment, but it is there none-the-less. He said, “He leads us step by step, from event to event. Only afterwards, as we look back over the way we have come and reconsider certain important moments in our lives in the light of all that has followed them, or when we survey the whole progress of our lives, do we experience the feeling of having been led without knowing it, the feeling that God has mysteriously guided us.” (—from Reflections)
Chapter 28 of Genesis tells the story of Jacob’s flight from Esau. Jacob’s brother had sworn to kill him because he had tricked Esau into giving up his birthright and their father’s blessing. On the first night away from home Jacob had a dream—a revelation from God. The next morning, when Jacob awakened from his restless sleep, he said, “Surely the Lord is in this place, but I was not aware of it.”
Luke, the gospel-writer, tells the story of two followers of Jesus who were en route from Jerusalem to Emmaus, reflecting on the events of the day that Jesus was resurrected from the dead (Luke 24:13-32). A “stranger” joined them on their journey, and he asked the men what they had been discussing when he joined them. At first the men did not recognize that the stranger was the risen Christ. Later they asked, “Were not our hearts burning within us while he talked with us on the road and opened the Scriptures to us?” Unannounced, the Lord showed up at the exact moment the men were desperately seeking hope.
How many times have you been so engaged in dealing with your own concerns, loneliness, or pain, that you failed to hear Him when he called your name? How many times have “coincidental” things happened without your planning that later you have looked back upon and said, “God just worked it out to my benefit, without my even voicing a prayer”? You were being led, without being aware of it.
If you know the tune, sing the words of the verses above, and then finish with this refrain:
Lead me, guide me along the way, For if you lead me I cannot stray. Lord let me walk each day with Thee: Lead me, Oh Lord, lead me.
You have just read “Tuesday Morning” for April 27, 2010. To subscribe to this weekly epistle, send your name and email address to Dr. Tom Barnard at barnard22@cox.net. To access past epistles, follow these links: www.snu.edu or www.emfsprayerandpraise.com. To unsubscribe, send your name and request to the same address. This piece contains copyrighted materials. Request before copying |