Have you ever gone to a play or a ball game and had an usher come up to you and ask if you knew where you were seated?

The choice is yours, not his!

Have you ever taken a warm bath in something soothing like bath oil? Just able to soak and be at peace and feel sort of pampered in the midst of a busy day? If not, do it soon just for you. If you can remember a time like this then apply that to taking time, relaxing, reading and soaking in the most incredible Word of the Lord Jesus Christ. His last will and testament to us, the Bible. If you listen you can almost hear Him saying out loud:

Child, draw nigh unto Me as you are absorb yourself in My word study and I shall bless. My discipline really shall be an exciting delight to you. Remember your childhood the security of knowing you're cared for within parameters of limits security, yes, even joy. So rejoice my child as I move you into obedience. Set your will to follow Me. And I will shore you up and reinforce that decision with my strength and encouragement. We are getting ready and I love you!

In 2 Timothy 2:15 we are all encouraged to present ourselves to God as approved, as workmen who do not need to be ashamed and who correctly handle the word of truth. This says to me that first, we CAN do this or it wouldn't be put in that wording. We can be approved and fruitful workmen who know what the Bible means and act like we have that knowledge. So, in a way this verse is also a wonderful promise. God doesn't put things in His Word encouraging us to do it if it is not possible. He will be there to help us. His Holy Spirit will come along side of us and teach us. When we falter in weakness His strength will be made perfect. Amazing.

OK, so let's soak a bit more. Wiggle around and get comfortable so you can soak and see what else His Word says to us.

In Jeremiah 33:6 God speaks that He will bring health and healing, heal His people and allow them to enjoy peace and security. I guess He doesn't just say peace but abundant peace, more than enough peace. How many of us could use a bit of that on a daily basis? Notice He isn't saying He might bring health and healing but that He will. Yes, this scripture was for a people during a time of walls and wars but there is also application for our lives today. Be still and allow Him to make this real and personal for you right now.

Romans 15:4 feeds right into this and tells us that everything which was written in the past is to teach us so that through the endurance and encouragement of the scriptures we might have hope. Another gift tied with a bow and the content is ever greater than the packaging, isn't it? Everything is pretty all inclusive. His Word not only had application when the disciples were walking around in sandals but will be alive for us, the Body of Christ today. I think most of us could agree we could us a bit of encouragement.

There is about to be a great falling away but also a great in-gathering. Whole nations will come to the Lord. Jeremiah 16:19 speaks to us of making the Lord our strength and fortress, our refuge in times of distress and then mentions that to Him the nations will come from the ends of the earth. More promises to us for hope, a future and encouragement in the face of incredibly awful night time headlines most of the time.

Can we look beyond those headlines? Can we know that what we "see" isn't necessarily all there is to "reality"? Can we know in our "knower" that we can trust someone who sees the whole picture from beginning to end and has our very best interest in hand? What kind of security is that? Wow.

Prayer: Dear Lord of all, thank you for giving us your discipline and parameters and making us sense the security in You and obedience to Your Word. Thank you that we can rejoice in your leading and guiding us daily. Please help us to stay yielded, going and growing in you and your Word. dear Jesus. Help us to REST in your everlasting arms and beneath the shadow of your wings. AMEN

(C) Marijo Phelps all rights reserved. Use with proper credits.

Saved by His grace in 1974, from 9 years of professing atheism into His loving arms. RN for 23 years, missionary with YWAM then statistical analyst for Every Home for Christ over 9 years. Living with my husband in the middle of a mountain meadow. GRIN! Wanting to spread the good news.

. . . The first prayer invites God to come with us, to join us. Implying that before the prayer is spoken that God is not with us, that He is away from our activities and distant from us. Questions need to be asked, "When did He leave us? Why did He depart from our lives?". What does the Bible say?

Many years ago just after I had left Bible College, I was Pastoring my first church in Aberystwyth, West Wales. I was invited to come along on the annual Women's Meeting coach trip. My predecessor had done it each year, so I was informed, and I was expected to do the same. I was quite happy to go along, as it gave me the chance to get to know my congregation and also to met those from other churches who weekly attended our Women's Meeting from other congregations. Many of them did the "rounds" and attended several weekly meetings. West Wales is a beautiful part of the world and well worth visiting. I forget where the coach was going, but I do remember the leader of the Women's Meeting asking me to pray, "That God would go with us." She made her request without any warning to me via the coach microphone. I knew what she meant and understood the innocent request. But in my heart the request struck a nerve, and it was like receiving a temptation to dilute my understanding and relationship with God. Something I was not very keen to do. I refused the request and offered to pray instead, "Thank you Lord that you are with us as we make this coach trip ." Which is what I did in the end, explaining my reasons via the microphone. Many would suggest that there is very little difference between the two prayers, but I would strongly disagree. The first prayer invites God to come with us, to join us. Implying that before the prayer is spoken that God is not with us, that He is away from our activities and distant from us. Questions need to be asked, "When did He leave us? Why did He depart from our lives?". What does the Bible say?

"And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age. Amen."
(Matthew 28:18-20)

This passage clearly states, "I am with you always". If we link the beginning of the passage quoted above with the end of the passage, we must conclude that Jesus who has all authority in heaven and on earth is with us always!" If I had prayed the prayer as originally requested, namely, "That God would go with us" , that would have been an opening for the enemy to dilute the Word of God in my life. Giving him a foot hold by which he would further try to dilute my confidence in Emmanuel being with me all the time. Am I splitting hairs, I think not. The art of a good temptation (from the devils point of view), is to plant an idea or thought into our thinking without us human beings realising the thought / idea has its roots in the mind of the enemy. If the devil can get us to believe that God is not with us all the time, he has won a major tactical victory in our lives. Now can you see why I refused to pray the original prayer request.

Sadly about half way into the outward journey the coach was involved in a minor accident! The coach was approaching a narrow bridge, and at the same time a car was trying to do the same from the other direction. There was not enough room for two cars to pass each other on the bridge, let alone a coach and a car. The coach struck the wall of the bridge and both vehicles managed to stop before hitting each other. A couple of the passengers were thrown, and one lady slightly injured herself. Eventually we continued onwards with our journey after the driver had checked that all the passengers were willing to do so. The damage to the coach was minor.

The one lady who was injured was very thankful to God that her injuries were slight. At the time of the accident I understand that she was standing in the isle of the coach. She gave praise to God for her minor injuries, repeatedly telling those on the coach that things could have been a lot worse. Then it started, I am not sure by whom, very quickly around the coach the new rooky Pastor was getting the blame for refusing to pray the requested prayer. The injured lady heard the murmuring and refused to go along with the idea. Somehow she had grasped what I said earlier and started to defend me.

The events above happened in 1972, but the lessons learned that day have never left me.
Recently, in the gents toilet at my bus garage, a muslim driver was preparing himself to take part in the 5 times a day prayers that muslims are expected to do daily. He was washing his feet, arms and hands, and parts of his head and neck. All from running water. As I was washing my hands he rather arrogantly said to me, "We muslims pray five times a day". He knew I am a christian. I replied to him, "Only five times a day! The good book, the Bible, tells us Christians to, "pray without ceasing," (1 Thessalonians 5:17). That is 24/7 every day". The muslim looked gob smacked.

"Pray without ceasing," is my favourite verse in the scripture. It is such a short verse, but says so much. God wants us to be in a constant, continual, 24/7, daily relationship with Him. Whatever we are doing, and wherever we are doing it, God is there with us and in us. When we talk to God, He never replies, "Just a minute, I'm busy, can you come back later." We never hear the engaged, unavailable tone, at the other end of our prayers. How God can hear and answer millions of Christians simultaneously, I will never comprehend. What I do know is the God who can count the hairs on all our heads, and know the total, is the One who wants an intermit relationship with us Christians every day, all day, 24/7.

-- Rev. Graham Wyborn
Rev. Graham Wyborn 2010.
Church Web Site www.sewardstone.org