Friday, January 6, 2012

WHEN HEAVEN IS SILENT




SHEPHERD TO SHEEP



WHEN HEAVEN IS SILENT

(Psa 109:1) Do not keep silent, O God of my praise!

Have you ever prayed and felt like your prayers were bouncing right off the ceiling? Why is it that when you have a burden on your heart and you really want God to answer, that He doesn’t? Well, here might be a few of the reasons:

1) TIMING - In other words, God will answer but the time is not for now. I am to wait patiently and let God do it in His time. There is a greater purpose that I cannot see that God is working out. I must give Him control of my life’s schedule and know that when the answer comes it’s going to be awesome and beyond my dreams.
(Hab 2:3) For the vision is yet for an appointed time; but at the end it will speak, and it will not lie. Though it tarries, wait for it; because it will surely come, it will not tarry.

2) TEACHING - God is teaching me something I need to learn. I wouldn’t learn it if I didn’t have to wait. I need to keep maturing in my faith and be more like Christ. Heaven’s delays are good for the development of my Christian character!
(James 1:2-4) My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, {3} knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience. {4} But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing.

3) TRUSTING - If I got everything I wanted when I wanted it, I wouldn’t have the opportunity to trust God. And that’s right where I need to be! When I feel insecure in life I need to turn my situation over to the Lord and trust Him to work it out. I am His child, and times of trial cause me to rely upon Him as I should.
(Psa 37:5) Commit your way to the LORD, trust also in Him, and He shall bring it to pass.

4) TRAINING - I might have a particular sin in my life that God wants to reveal to me. Maybe I am harboring some attitude that is not glorifying to Him. Perhaps I have offended someone or did something that has brought dishonor to my Lord. When heaven is silent it makes me search my heart and see what the Holy Spirit might say.
(Psa 66:18) If I regard iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not hear.

When heaven is silent in regard to your prayer, there is usually something else God wants to say. Let’s be open to what that might be. That way when God answers our original prayer, we’ll have a bonus, too! Isn’t the Lord good? Someone say an Amen!

Louie



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