“Decision” Magazine’s

Weekly E-mail Devotional

 

“But when you pray, go into your room,

close the door

and pray to your Father, who is unseen.

Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret,

will reward you.”

Matthew 6:6, NIV

 

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A Word From Billy Graham

 

“Our Lord frequently prayed alone, separating Himself from every earthly distraction. I would strongly urge you to select a room or corner in your home where you can regularly meet alone with God. That quiet, secluded, soul-to-God praying in which you come to the mercy-seat can be your greatest blessing. As we observe the prayer life of Jesus, we notice the earnestness with which He prayed. The New Testament records that in Gethsemane He cried out with a loud voice, that in the intensity of His supplication He fell headlong on the damp ground of the Garden, that He pleaded until His sweat became ‘as it were great drops of blood’ (Luke 22:44, KJV). The Scripture says, ‘Pray without ceasing’ (1 Thessalonians 5:17, KJV). This should be the motto of every follower of Jesus Christ. Never stop praying no matter how dark and hopeless your case may seem.”

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Does Prayer Really Make a Difference?

1. Read Genesis 18:20-32. How did Abraham’s entreaties influence God?
2. According to Matthew 7:7-11, what did Jesus say about our requesting things in prayer?
3. In Mark 11:20-25, Jesus used the fig tree as an illustration of answered prayer. What conditions did He place on our prayers being answered?
4. What does the parable of the widow and the judge in Luke 18:1-8 teach us about prayer?
5. Study James 5:13-18. According to the book of James, what characterizes the person whose prayers are effective? Observe your own life to see that prayer really does make a difference. Record your requests; throughout the days ahead, make note of how God answers your prayers.

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Prayer

Father, teach us to pray as Jesus prayed. Help us to come to You with all things and at all times. We pray in Jesus’ name. Amen.

 

 

 

 

Do we really go to God with “all things” or sometimes with only the things we’re having trouble handling ourselves?

Anna Lee

Kne Email

 

“At the name of Jesus every knee should bow…” (Philippians 2:10).

 

Mike Benson, Editor

 

Fly

ON MY RECENT trip to Oklahoma, I was privileged to also experience my first flight…

To most people, I assume, this would be a welcome new experience. For me, it was something akin to a claustrophobic being buried alive in an elevator shaft under a coal mine. I made no attempt to hide my fear. As we boarded I noticed damage to the tail of the plane. The carpet inside was somewhat frayed. I noticed everything. The stewardess I talked to had only been there a month and she was still nervous! Great!! As we pulled away from the terminal, I realized this was my last chance to go screaming down the aisle and get off. No, I would die with dignity. As we made the turn on the runway, we suddenly increased our speed to that of light and I asked God to forgive my sins. As we became airborne, the pilot began to welcome us. I didn’t want to be welcomed; I wanted him to pay attention to the plane! After a few minutes, we were informed of a few safety precautions in case we crashed into the earth at six hundred miles per hour. A few minutes after that, my son Billy asked me, “Isn’t this great and could I stop hurting his hand?” Sorry! I managed to glance out the window and again I asked God to forgive me. The stewardess asked if I was nervous. “No Ma’am, my knuckles are always white,” I replied.

After the pilot informed us we were at 36,000 feet a strange calm came over me. There was no turning back. It was, as they say, surreal. I began to look at the world in a “spiritual” way. I wondered what we must look like to God. All those people down there shopping, driving, mowing their yards, and they didn’t even realize that they were being looked at this way. Then, turbulence. The plane bounced, the wings bounced, everything bounced, and I asked God to forgive my sins. Then calm again. I realized that this was a golden opportunity for me to see how wrapped up we can become in the temporal instead of the eternal. I began to see the world rather than just the person in front of me. I understood a little better at how God looks at me. I began to think of God’s purpose for all our lives and how some will yield to it and others will not. I thought of how much better I could be and I prayed that God would help me be better. This was not only a flight from “point A” to “point B,” but a journey inside myself. It was a brief glimpse of how things really are before it again became clouded with the temporal. As we began to descend, the ride became rougher. Flaps went up and down and then the pilot reversed the thrust while I prayed for God to forgive me. We landed safely and I vowed I would not forget God’s protective hand or the value of what I had seen outside the plane and inside my life. Besides, there was always the ride back. (Tim Turpin)

“Who are these who fly like a cloud,

and like doves to their roosts?”

Isa. 60:8; cf. Matt. 6:12; Isa. 55:8-9; Deut. 26:15