Today we have a distinct posture when we pray, don’t we. Is it similar to the old or new testament prayer posture? Nope. In those days the act of prayer was a different thing. More real. More intimate. More... Today we bow our heads, we can be sitting, kneeling occasionally, but often standing, with hands maybe joined or simply at our sides. In old prayer posture arms are raised - hands open to heaven - eyes open to heaven. “Ezra opened the book. All the people could see him because he was standing above them; and as he opened it, the people all stood up. Ezra praised the Lord, the great God; and all the people lifted their hands and responded, “Amen! Amen!” Then they bowed down and worshiped the Lord with their faces to the ground. Nehemiah 8.5-6 The backdrop of this passage is the fact that it lasted many hours. Ezra would read from morning till noon. Wouldn't you be uncomfortable by then? Our prayer posture today is pretty comfortable. In fact you have noticed occasionally that it’s so comfortable you fight becoming drowsy. “After Jesus said this, he looked toward heaven and prayed “Father, the hour has come….” (John 17.1) This posture might seem intimidating if done in public, but what if you try this posture in your private time. It’s adoration and worship to give all glory to God in the complete prayer experience. Father teach us to pray with all our focus on You. Hands high. Eyes to You! Our comfort and appearance irrelevant. Amen, amen and amen
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Is devotional time becoming obsolete? An unnerving report by the Huffington Post reveals many Christians lack a working knowledge of Scripture. In part, the report, American Bible Reading Statistics …, reads: … A Barna poll indicated that at least 12 percent of adults believe that Joan of Arc was Noah's wife. … respondents to one poll indicated that the Sermon on the Mount was preached by Billy Graham. Another survey ... revealed that over 50 percent thought that Sodom and Gomorrah were husband and wife... I know the above is laughable, right? But when seriously considered, do you know a sister in Christ who might find some of these suggestions not laughable, but possibly true? As Christians our power is rooted in the Relationship we build by routinely interacting with the Word of God. Because of that exposure to the Divine our faith becomes life-altering as we understand, agree with, and have confidence in those active divine truths. Those factors give us authority to properly use such power. We literally become POWERFUL by that Divine relationship. Found in the book of Acts is a rather startling look at the attempted use of God's power outside that divine relationship... in other words, that power was tried on outside relationship! "Some Jews who went around driving out evil spirits tried to invoke the name of the Lord Jesus over those who were demon-possessed. They would say, “In the name of the Jesus whom Paul preaches, I command you to come out.” Seven sons of Sceva, a Jewish chief priest, were doing this. One day the evil spirit answered them, “Jesus I know, and Paul I know about, but who are you?” Then the man who had the evil spirit jumped on them and overpowered them all. He gave them such a beating that they ran out of the house naked and bleeding." Acts 19.13-16 NIV Devotional time empowers us. It is the unity of time spent with the Word of God that gives us understanding to use such an awesome power. That Divine Power grows larger within us everytime we come to the Word. Amen! You go girl! “Now when David reached old age, he made his son Solomon king over Israel. … The Levites were numbered from thirty years old and upward, and their number by census of men was 38,000. Of these, 24,000 were to oversee the work of the house of the Lord; and 6,000 were officers and judges, and 4,000 were gatekeepers…” 1 Chronicles 23.1, 3-5a What did it mean to be a ‘gatekeeper?’ We find that job description in 1 Chronicles 26: “They were assigned by families for guard duty at the various gates, without regard to age or training, for it was all decided by means of sacred lots.” 1 Chronicles 26.13 'Sacred lots' means they were chosen by the LORD. We try to keep our homes safe. We lock our doors at night and may even have security lights to protect during the darkness. We lock our cars, hide our valuables inside, lock our post office boxes, gyms lockers, etc. We are aware of the necessity of security. These are all contemporary forms of gatekeeping, yet there are other forms as well. We teach our children about safety around strangers, in essence guarding the gate to their welfare when we cannot be near. The preciousness of our children forces us to be strong gatekeepers, vigilant, and ready to turn away any sign of danger - even forcibly if necessary. We guard those things we treasure. Not all things of great value to us are tangible however. Do we guard the holy temple within our heart? Is our vision keen to recognize foreigners or threats approaching? Do we recognize unholy things drawing near? Are our walls well-tended so all inside remains safe? Those are the responsibilities of a vigilant gatekeeper. The temple housing our holy relationship needs a mighty gatekeeper. You are the chosen one, the one He entrusts with the precious treasure he grows within your heart. Father, help me guard my relationship with you. Help me be vigilant. Show me how to keep my temple, my holy relationship, safe and thriving. Amen. Amen. And amen. |
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