Time To Pay Attention

“The Word of God is the fulcrum upon which the lever of prayer is placed, and by which things are mightily moved.”    - E.M. Bounds     

. . . You covet and cannot obtain, so you fight and quarrel. You do not have, because you do not ask. You ask and do not receive, because you ask wrongly, to spend it on your passions.  James 4:2b, 3 ESV

More and more I am realizing that many Evangelical Americans (including myself) are content to live without answers to many important questions and spiritual needs. We have so much in the temporal, earthly sense, that a little uncertainty, and a little "doing without"  does little to upset our little boats. It seems that it is only when big storms hit that we get serious about the things of God.But the daily earnestness to know and understand God and what He is doing is often missing. We are like children in the back seat of our parents' car absorbed by games on mom's smart phone--we are just along for the ride.

In short, our praying and Bible reading is weak; we have been lulled into thinking that we cannot expect much from those two exercises. We know they are good for us (like fiber), but we don't enter into praying or reading the Word with any expectation. Further, after re-reading E.M. Bounds, I am humbled at how little I really know about (and practice) either discipline.

Graciously, God has given me some good stress lately (no great calamities), and extra motivation  to learn some things. Both in my studies and teaching, I am encountering concepts and ideas (and gaps between them) for which I really need answers and connections. In effect, I have to put mom's phone down and pay attention.

So, my prayers are for wisdom and a deeper understanding of God (among many other things) and I'm reading the Bible more; and low and behold, verses are jumping off the page like those crazy flying asian carp. And it is not always "new stuff" that jumps off the page, either. For example, ran across these (familiar) verses the other day:

Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, so now, not only as in my presence but much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure. Philippians 2:12, 13 ESV

Who knew those verses were right next to each other? Wow! what a difference that makes!

God is so patient and He nudges us at the proper time (repeatedly). May God give you extra motivation this week to seek out His will and way; and may you have an incredibly prosperous time in prayer and Bible study.