2017 40 Days of Prayer, Day 31
The Abiding Presence of God:
A Life of Complete Dependence
Day 31
“What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who is against us?” Romans 8:31
God Is for Us
What an encouragement! God is for us. God is not against us. He is for us. Consider all that God has done. He saved us through His infinitely glorious plan. He saved us by giving up His own Son so that we might be adopted into His divine family. All of these things He determined to do before one atom came into being; long before the sun, moon, and the stars existed. His salvation plan involves making rebellious, God-hating sinners into His very own children. He adopts us, justifies us, and glorifies us. He fills us with His Spirit in order to comfort us in trials and to purify us in our battles with sin. He gives us the hope of everlasting life with Christ. Paul, after articulating these truths, asked this question: “What then shall we say to these things?” What shall we say? We say, “God is on our side.” These truths protect us from our experiences. These truths protect us from our own feelings. Our own feelings betray us. Our emotions cause us to forget all that God has done. We allow hurt feelings to dictate our joy. Something goes poorly during the day and thoughts of our own inadequacies dominate our minds. If we burn our dinner, our kids make a mess, we lock our keys in the car, our boss is rude, or if we look in the mirror and hate what we see, we must remember that these temporary assaults on our confidence pale when compared to the confidence that is ours because of what God has done. He is for us!
Prayer Focus
God, forgive me for letting the cares of this world and the struggles of daily life bring me to such a lowly state of mind. Please bring Your truth to bear on my day. Fill my mind with Your truths. Use the truth of Your everlasting love to guard my heart. Protect me from the emotions that war against the Your truth. Thank You for saving me and adopting me into Your family. You are for me and not against me. In the name of Christ, I pray, amen.
From DL Moody’s Secret Power
LONG AND SHORT SIGHT
The Holy Spirit brings to our mind what God has in store for us. I heard a man, some time ago, speaking about Abraham. He said “Abraham was not tempted by the well-watered plains of Sodom, for Abraham was what you might call a long-sighted man. He had his eyes set on the city which had foundation ‘whose Builder and Maker is God.’” But there are many people in the Church who are very short sighted. They only see things right around them that they think are good. Abraham was long-sighted. He had glimpses of the celestial city. Moses was longsighted. He left the palaces of Egypt and identified himself with God’s people, poor people, who were slaves. But he had something in view. He could see something God had in store. Again, there are some people who are long-sighted and short-sighted at the same time. I think the Church is full of this kind of people. They want one eye for the world and the other for the Kingdom of God. Therefore, everything is blurred. One eye is long and the other is short; all is confusion. The Church is filled with that sort of people. Stephen was long-sighted. He looked clear into heaven. They couldn’t convince him, even when he was dying, that Christ had not ascended to heaven. “But he, being full of the Holy Spirit, looked up steadfastly into heaven, and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing on the right hand of God,” and he looked clear into heaven,” Acts 7:55 KJV. The world had no temptation for him.
I tell you, when the Spirit of God is on us the world looks very empty. The world has a very small hold upon us, and we begin to let go our hold of it. When the Spirit of God is on us we will just let go the things of time and lay hold of things eternal. This is the Church’s need today. We want the Spirit to come in mighty power, and consume all the vile dross there is in us. Oh, that the Spirit of fire may come down and burn everything in us that is contrary to God’s blessed Word and Will.
In John 14:16, we read of the Comforter. This is the first time He is spoken of as the Comforter. Christ had been their Comforter. God had sent Him to comfort the sorrowing. It was prophesied of Him, “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because He hath anointed me to preach the Gospel to the poor. He has sent me to heal the broken hearted.” Luke 4:18a NKJV
You can’t heal the broken-hearted without the Comforter, but the world would not have the first Comforter. So they rose up, took Him to Calvary and put Him to death. But on the way, He said, “I will send you another Comforter. You shall not be comfortless. Be of good cheer, little flock. It is the Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom.”
All these sweet passages are brought to the remembrance of God’s people, and they help us to rise out of the fog and mist of this world. O, what a comforter is the Holy Spirit of God!