Devos

God Answers Prayer

   

“Elijah was a man with a nature like ours, and he prayed earnestly that it would not rain, and it did not rain on the earth for three years and six months.” (James 5:17)

Do you remember the story about Elijah and King Ahab in 1 Kings 17? Elijah told King Ahab that it would not rain. How did Elijah know that God would answer his prayer for it not to rain? Maybe because he knew Deuteronomy 11:13-17.

Deuteronomy 11:13-17 contains some of God’s promises and instructions for Israel before they enter the Promised Land. God says to them: if you listen to God’s commandments to love and serve him with all your heart and soul, He will give you rain “in his due season,” so you can gather in the crops you have planted. He will also send grass to your fields for your cattle, so you can eat and be full. He warns, however, that you need to pay attention so that you are not deceived into serving and worshipping other gods. If you serve and worship other gods, the Lord will be angry and He will “shut up the heaven, that there be no rain,” Then your crops will not grow, and you will die “quickly” in “the good land which the Lord giveth you.”

Read 1 Kings 16:30-33. Who was King Ahab serving? The Bible says that “he reared up an altar for Baal.” God was not going to answer his prayers, because he was worshipping a false god named Baal. Instead, He answered Elijah’s prayer, because Elijah worshipped and served God with his whole heart.

God wants to answer the prayers of those who worship and serve Him with their whole heart.

My Response:
» Do I expect God to answer my prayers when I’m worshipping things or people other than God?

Devos

God Is All-Wise

   

“O the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! how unsearchable are his judgments, and his ways past finding out!” (Romans 11:33)

Do you know someone you consider to be very wise? Wise people always seem to give good advice about a problem, and they always seem to make good choices. When you take questions to a wise person for advice, you are confident that the person will give you a very good answer.

But no matter how wise a person may be, God is far wiser. The apostle Paul tells us that God’s wisdom and knowledge are so deep, no man could ever even begin to understand them. Sometimes we show that we cannot understand God’s wisdom because we question why He made us a certain way or why He allows certain things to happen in our lives.

Even though we don’t understand God’s ways sometimes, we can still believe in His wisdom. God has all knowledge and all wisdom, and He’s always doing the very best thing in our lives.

Don’t doubt God when His plan for your life doesn’t seem to make sense to you. Trust Him, knowing that He is all-wise and all-knowledgeable.

God is all-wise, and He is bringing the best things for me into my life.

My Response:
» Do I doubt God when He brings something into my life that I don’t understand, or do I rest in Him, knowing He is all-wise?

Devos

God Allows Evil for His Reasons

   

“But as for you, ye thought evil against me; but God meant it unto good, to bring to pass, as it is this day, to save much people alive.” (Genesis 50:20)

Thrown into a pit.

Bound with rope and sold into slavery in a far-off land.

Sentenced to life in prison for something you didn’t do.

Forgotten for two years by the man who promised to help you.

You would probably have a hard time rejoicing if these things happened to you. In fact, you would probably wonder why God allowed all these horrible things to take place in your life.

All these things happened to Joseph – his brothers sold him into slavery, Potiphar threw him into prison for something he didn’t do, and for two years the cupbearer forgot to mention Joseph’s unfair treatment. But throughout all these events Joseph never said anything against God. He didn’t get mad! He didn’t get bitter! He didn’t even try to seek revenge on his brothers or the other people who harmed him! Joseph understood that God’s way of working everything for the good. God even used the evil acts of Joseph’s sinful brothers to bring about great good for the entire world.

Wow! Isn’t God incredible? He can take the sins of those around you and turn them into something good. We really do have a great God! We should thank God for the painful things that are happening to us and tell Him that we are looking forward to seeing how He is going to use them for His good!

God uses everything – even evil – for His glory.

My Response:
» What hard things are happening in my life?
» Can I trust God to use them to accomplish His good?

Truth in Real Life Moments

AW Tozer

   

“I can safely say, on the authority of all that is revealed in the Word of God, that any man or woman on this earth who is bored and turned off by worship is not ready for heaven.”

Aiden Wilson Tozer – better known as A.W. Tozer – was born on April 21, 1897, in western Pennsylvania. Born on a farm, he was well-liked, and preferred to be called simply “Tozer” by his family and friends.

At a young age, Tozer demonstrated that he was good with words. He enjoyed reading, and he loved writing. And he was good at both!

When he was 15 years old, he moved with his family to Akron, Ohio. One afternoon, while walking on the sidewalk, Tozer overheard a street preacher say, “If you don’t know how to be saved, just call on God.” Tozer went straight home, went to the attic, called on God, and gave his life to Him.

Very few names in history are linked as closely to the subject of prayer as the name “A.W. Tozer.” As an adult, Tozer wrote some of the most powerful books that still exist today on this topic of prayer. He was a prolific and avid writer – meaning he wrote all the time – yet it has been said that “he spent more time on his knees than at his desk.” Why was he on his knees? Because he believed prayer was the most important job in life.

For almost 50 years, A.W. Tozer gave his life to ministry. He pointed countless souls to Christ by first pointing them to the importance of prayer. He wrote over 40 books, including his two most famous: The Pursuit of God, and The Knowledge of the Holy.

His gravestone reads simply, “A.W. Tozer – A Man of God.”

A.W. Tozer once said, “The chief end of man is to glorify God and to enjoy Him forever.” Does it bore you to think of what it will be like to worship God in heaven forever? Do you truly enjoy God?

Revelation 4:11 – You are worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honor and power; for You created all things, and by Your will they exist and were created.

Devos

God Knows Each of His Children

   

“My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me.” (John 10:27)

Annie has two best friends, and she does everything with them. She has sleepovers at their houses, roller-skates with them during recess, swims with their families in the summertime, and does just about every single thing that she can with them. Annie knows what classes her best friends like in school; she knows what their favorite games are to play; she even knows what kinds of food they like. Annie loves spending time with her friends, and the more she knows about them, the more she enjoys being with them.

God knows each one of us completely. 2 Timothy 2:19 says that God knows all His children. Not only does He know the things our family and our friends know, but He also knows things that no one else knows. When there are things that you don’t want anyone else to know, God already knows and is willing to listen to you talk about them. When you are excited or sad about something, God already knows and wants to hear about it. Just like you enjoy spending time with your best friends, you should enjoy spending time with God. God loves you more than anyone else ever could.

God knows everything about you!

My Response:
» Do you talk to God about things that matter to you? Do you rely on His help and comfort more than anyone else’s?
» Is there anything you don’t want God to know?