Golden Bowls of Prayers

Golden Bowls of Prayers

Dear Friends,

     The fresh new blossoms of Magnolia, Hyacinth, and Daffodils, are giving beauty for us to enjoy.  Those early blooms are a preview for what will come soon.  When you look in the window of a coffee shop and see customers enjoying conversation or a good book along with a cup of coffee it's a preview of what you will get when you open the door.  As the bells on the door chime a welcome when you enter, the intoxicating aroma of coffee beans greets you, beckoning you to the counter to order your favorite drink.  

     Some fragrances tend to fill every crevice of a room more than others.  Coffee is one of those.  Burning incense is like that too.  No matter how high the cathedral ceiling is, the sweet, smokey smell fills the room.

    We know that God collects our tears in bottles.  Psalms 56:8, "You keep track of all my sorrows, You have collected all my tears in Your bottle..."   We also see in Revelation 5:8 that our prayers are being caught into golden bowls of incense.   He deeply loves us and each prayer must be a treasure for Him to keep them in golden bowls!  Prayers that are collected include our offerings of gratitude and praise, giving glory to God, along with our requests.  Incense gives us a picture for prayer much like perfume is the breath of a flower.  

     In Exodus 30:34-35 we read where God gave Moses specific instructions for the preparation of the incense.  We also see when we read The Lord's Prayer that there are elements mingled together to produce effective prayer. These include worship, repentance, forgiveness and thanksgiving.  We can come to God with our prayers when they have been purified by Christ's atonement making them acceptable to Him.  The atoning sacrifice of Jesus is the fire that burns the incense blending with our thoughts and words making our prayers rise before God. 

Revelation 8:4

"The smoke of the incense, mixed with the prayers of God's holy people, ascended up to God from the altar where the Angel had 

poured them out."

Fervent Prayer and the Broken Axe

      Fervent Prayer and the Broken Axe


 Dear Friends,
      I have seen the movie "War Room" and I am reading "Fervent" both of which are meant to stir us up to pray.  Maybe by writing this letter I can encourage you also.    
     In our busy lives we tend to forget things and we need reminders.  At least I do.  Last summer my garden was filled with  brilliant flowers of many colors.  Pictures of the flowers  help me to not forget and they give me something to hope for during the winter months and in early spring before the flowers bloom again.
     I also use notes for reminders.  I have notes attached to the refrigerator, notes taped to the bathroom mirror, notes on the calendar, notes in margins of books, and more, all so I don't forget things.  It also helps me to write out or journal my prayers for the simple reason that I don't want to forget.  Writing our prayers, our hopes and God's promises can give us visual reminders.  When these prayers are answered and we make a note of the answered prayer our faith will grow.  We will be encouraged to keep pressing on. 
  We can read in 2 Kings 6: 2-7 about Elisha's servant who was working and the borrowed axe he was using broke.  The axe head sank to the bottom of the Jordan River along with the heart of the servant.  Compassionate Elisha threw a stick in the water and the axe head floated to the surface of the river.  The servant picked it up.  His faith was lifted up and how he must have praised God!  I'm sure he never forgot this miracle gift!  Elisha's passion and his compassionate heart fanned the flame of  the faith of the servant in that moment of need. 
     I'm so thankful that the Word of God is filled with examples of God's miracles and answered prayers.  They are meant to be reminders for us that He knows our needs.  Sharing our prayer needs with friends and sharing testimonies of answered prayers will give glory to God.
Hosea 6:3
"Oh, that we might know the Lord!  Let us press on to know Him.  He will respond to us as surely as the arrival of dawn or the coming rains in early spring."
    
  
     

Between the Promise and the Fulfillment

                             Between the Promise
                  and the Fulfillment
Dear Friends,
     Right now a few things are beginning to have new growth in my garden.  A few green stems and leaves are coming up from the cold ground.  Now is the time between when I know the plants exist hidden under the ground and when I see them in full bloom.  
     The freshly sprouted leaves and stems are little messages. Their roots need to be in the earth like our feet need to be on the earth. As you read this do you find your eyes glancing up to the picture of the brilliant Heavenly Blue Morning Glory?  The light that is reflecting off the flower is like the Light of Heaven.  We need to have our feet on this earth but have our eyes and our hope on Heaven.  This is how we live between the promise and the fulfillment of the promise.
    Our feet are on a rugged and unchartered terrain.  Stones and rocks may trip us.  Hardships and grief can overwhelm us.
    2 Timothy 3:1 warns us that, "perilous times" would come.  
    This time of life is between the promise and the fulfillment.  The Light is always there when we look up.  
Matthew 5: 3
"God blesses those who are poor and realize their need for Him, for the Kingdom of Heaven is theirs."

Songs Of Slaves

                    Songs Of Slaves
Dear Friends,
     When slaves labored in the fields of the South their songs echoed throughout the land.  Some of the songs were 'code songs' to send messages guiding people to freedom.  Some of the songs were lullabies for the infants they brought to the fields with them.  Many songs were about Bible stories and others were about the hope of freedom. 
    Paul and Silas must have been an inspiration to them.  In Acts 16:25 it says, "And at midnight Paul and Silas prayed, and sang praises to God: and the prisoners heard them."  Their singing caused an earthquake and the keeper of the prison desired to have faith like they had. 
     Many of the slave songs expressed the emotions they could relate to in the Bible passages about slavery, oppression, poverty and imprisonment.  The Spirituals that they sang became accepted as authentic spiritual utterances much like the Psalms.  Many of these songs were mournful but others were filled with joy.   They could identify with the oppressed and their music was drawn from the depths of their hearts.
     In the 1870's a group of ex-slaves called the Fisk Jubilee Singers traveled the U.S. and Britain, even singing at the White House, to raise awareness and raise funds for colleges for their people.
     Today the Syrian Christians are being killed, persecuted and enslaved.  Pray for our brothers and sisters and look for ways to minister to them.  May they find songs in the depths of their souls that they can use to lift one another up and be a light to those who persecute them.
Psalms 126: 6
"They weep as they go to plant their seed, but they sing as they return with the harvest."