Day 18 of 365...
Genesis 19-21
Key Passages/Thoughts:
Gen 19:1-2 - "When Lot saw them, he got up to meet them. He bowed with his face to the ground and said, 'My lords, turn aside to your servant's house, wash your feet, and spend the night. Then you can get up early and go on your way.'"
Do I recognize God? There are times in my life when I'm so busy that I feel like I miss God. No matter how hard I try, or how may reminders I give myself, I still miss God on a daily basis. I think that my problem is just that…"I" try. If my life were totally relinquished to God, then I wouldn't have this problem. Lot recognized God's messengers without having to stop and think, "I wonder if this is someone God sent my way." He KNEW!! This brings up another issue for me...I always stop and try to rationalize what I need to do. Remember in the New Testament when Jesus said that, "whenever you did it to the least of these, you did it to Me." This statement continues to haunt me due to the fact that I feel like I miss some of those "least of these" opportunities. I have to live intentionally! God gives me chances to reach out to the least of these every week, and it's my job to be aware of those chances and act. No excuses!
Gen 20:17-18 - "Then Abraham prayed to God, and God healed Abimelech, his wife, and his female slaves so that they could bear children"
How's your prayer life? This is one area in my life that I continue to try and improve upon. There are times when I feel like my prayer life is lacking. However, instead of being discouraged about it, I turn that into motivation to press through the difficult times. God commanded us to pray continually. I feel as though that is an attitude. Most days, I am in a spirit of prayer throughout the day. When God brings someone to mind, I usually pray for that person and that person's family. However, I feel as though we miss out on how effective prayer can be. Throughout these first few weeks of reading through the Bible, there have been a few instances where God told someone to have a particular person pray for them so that they could be healed or restored. That is a perfect example of powerful, effective prayer. The power of prayer has always been an area that has baffled me. I feel that there is an area of prayer that I have yet to "tap" into. In Biblical times, there were some powerful things that happened because of prayer...people healed, armies conquered, lives restored, jail doors flung open. I have the same God these people did, yet my prayers pale in comparison. One big reason is because I put limits on God. God, if You would just heal (fill in the blank), but if You don't (fill in the blank). It's almost like I don't believe that He'll heal, so my prayer is more about the coping aspect of the situation. However, why can't my prayer just be for healing. Pray and believe that God wants to heal that individual. I learned a few years ago that to truly intercede for someone in prayer, you have to put yourself in the situation and determine the best way to pray for the person. Think about the pain they may have, the questions they may be asking, the concerns they are facing. It is then that you can pray with more effectiveness. I continue to yearn for God to give me more understand as to how to pray more effectively. It's all part of the process, I believe. The more and more I die to myself and my desires, the more God makes me aware of His, and the more He gives me understanding as to how to pray with effectiveness.
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