Matthew 6:6 But thou, when thou prayest, enter into thy closet, and when thou hast shut thy door, pray to thy Father which is in secret; and thy Father which seeth in secret shall reward thee openly.
Thousands are gathering in Washington D.C. today to pray for the inauguration of the new president of the United States. I know a number of people who will be there and I think it’s a good thing, but this reminds me of a story I heard once.
Robert A.Cook, president of The King’s College in New York, was speaking at the Moody Bible Institute some years ago. He was saying that the day before, he had been at a gathering in Washington and had talked with Vice President George Bush. And went on to say that he later spoke briefly with President Ronald Reagan.
Then smiling broadly, Cook said, “But that’s nothing! Today, I talked with God!”
It’s an honor to participate in a gathering for the president-elect, but how much greater an honor is it that the Almighty God, Creator of heaven and earth, Ruler of all, Perfect in holiness and righteousness, the One and Only completely and totally just, loving, merciful, omnipotent and omnipresent God — hears our prayers, calls us His children and cares for our every need!
We so often fail to give God the glory He deserves! When we pray our next prayer, let’s keep in mind precisely who it is we’re talking to! Let’s continue to pray for our president and our nation as we transition into this next season.
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[worthy_plugins_devotion_single_body]The word "Amen" (אָמֵן) properly pronounced in Hebrew "ah-mehn", means "so be it" or "may it be so", and also, "Yes, it is true!" Some scholars suggest a connection with the Hebrew word for truth, "emet" (אֶמֶת), because of the two similar root letters, "aleph"(א) and "mem" (מ). Truth ought to be confirmed. At the end of a prayer, saying "Amen" expresses the desire to affirm and confirm what was requested or proclaimed. Leha'ameen, (להאמין) means "to believe, trust or confide in", and all variations of this root (אמן) relate to "emunah" (אמונה): faith, belief, or faithfulness!
Phil. 3:13-14 Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, I press toward the mark for the prize of ...
Toward the end of 1941, as the second world war was raging in Europe, the Japanese ambassador was sent to Washington D.C. apparently seeking peace; however back in Japan, the emperor was planning the attack on Pearl Harbor. The Japanese empire sent their ambassador to D.C. as a distraction, so the sudden attack on Pearl Harbor took the United States completely by surprise.
The setting in 1 Samuel 14 is a war between the Israelites and the Philistines; and while King Saul relaxed under a pomegranate tree [1 Samuel 14:2], his son Jonathan along with his armor-bearer left the camp quietly to see if the Lord would fight the battle on their behalf. Jonathan had no idea what he would face out there, how many Philistines he would encounter, their battle skills or strategies. He only knew that if God delivered the enemy into his hands he would be victorious. And he was.
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When Elianna was two years old, we wrote this devotional fifteen years ago that I believe is relevant especially as we celebrated Father's day around the world.
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