November 3, 2019 - INSCRIPTIONS FROM THE HEART

DRAWING NEAR TO GOD in PRAYER & FASTING (Re-post)

            In every aspect of our life, even when we come to church, we want to make sure we live and come for the only reason that matters, God alone. We can get so distracted with all the cares of life that it is so easy to replace God with other things we consider important.

            Some people who care about church, may sometimes replace God with Attendance, Buildings and Cash! The really sad part is that even good Christians fight among themselves about these.

            All Jesus cares about is that all people have equal access into the House of Prayer. We are all familiar with the day Jesus got mad. With a whip of chords, He drove the merchants out of the temple. They want to make it convenient for people to worship, but they inadvertently kept people from having access to God. How many of us have kept people away from God with our concern about programs, personalities, methods, the way the church is run or simply passing by the new people God is bringing into our church?

            Like Martha, we may get so caught up in a flurry of activities for God. As if God needs our help. All that is needful is to lean on the Lord’s bosom or rest at Jesus’ feet. Who could be busier than Jesus? At the end of His three-year public ministry, Jesus could say that He has done all that His Father asked Him to do. The people closest to Jesus noticed His habit of prayer and times alone with the Father that they asked Him to teach them how to pray. Hence, we have the Lord’s prayer.

            Jesus often withdrew to lonely places to pray. There were times He brought Peter, James and John, His three closest buddies, along to pray. He prayed before sunrise. He prayed late at night. At times, He prayed all night long.

            Let’s ask a personal question. How much of our time daily is spent in communion with God in prayer?

            Let’s ask a corporate question. How much of CEAC’s calendar is spent in prayer – especially as a whole congregation?

            We have much to learn from our Muslim neighbors, who are setting aside a whole month each year for prayer and fasting. They even have a name for this season – it’s called Ramadan. No matter what your opinion about this religious practice, the point is, it is a human attempt to set aside time for God in prayer, to the extent of skipping meal times.

            I admire the work ethic of news reporters and analysts on television. I watch them report late into the night. To my surprise, some of them are already reporting LIVE on television just six hours after they got off the airwaves. I see them reporting close to midnight and they’re already in front of the camera on live telecast at 6 in the morning. These people must be going on just 4-5 hours of sleep – if they get that much.

            That got me thinking. If television personalities can work so hard for what others care little about, namely politics and if a world religion can set aside a month for prayer, could you and I who claim to be followers of Jesus make the same effort to seek God, and draw near to the Lord in prayer and fasting?

            God has a soft spot for people who sincerely seek Him with all their hearts. When we stop long enough to wait on the Lord, His Holy Spirit begins to use God’s Word to shine His light upon the dark areas of our lives. May we not only confess sin, but also repent (turn away from sin & to God) and pray unceasingly. May we consequently be renewed spiritually by a fresh encounter with God.

Cheryl Zamora