IDOK Devotion for Wednesday, April 21, 2010

Praise Reports and Prayer Requests  — Updates and Requests:

As I come to the screen to write today for Wednesday, there are so many good things I have seen in ABBA’s Word today that this screen is not long enough to write them to you in one setting.  I covet your prayers for me that the diligence I have exercised today to get to this place will become the norm for me.

Now, where do I begin today?  Point one.  My Journey (A LifeWay Publication) for today told me the story of a young woman about to lose her home due to the suffering economy and yet she was at peace, even splashes of joy dominated her countenance.  A friend not in obvious danger of losing her home was questioning why – she knew it would be a different story if it were she in a similar situation. And Tammy said, “I won’t pretend this hasn’t been hard.  Believe me, I’ve had a few fits over it. But God has been so good to us. I’m probably closer to Him now than I’ve ever been.  I may not have a house as of Saturday, but I’ll have Him.  He gets me through each day.” Doesn’t that just give you eyes welling with tears?  So the Journey continued: “Often it takes a crisis for us to fully grasp God’s sufficiency.”

And then I said to me and now to you – Salvation comes when a soul comes to believe and KNOW that God is able.  That He is sufficient; that He in Christ Jesus did what was sufficient to save our stinkin’ souls; that what He has done is sufficient to keep us from going to the hell we deserve.  Isn’t it sad He has to keep on and keep on proving to us He is sufficient to meet our here and now needs?  Isn’t it great He keeps on doing it and even with a smile?!  Can we smile back at Him today for being SO GOOD to us?!

Point two – Quickly.  Point Three on Thursday – LORD willing.

My Journey also suggested that I read Psalm 86.  I did.

Have you ever thought it to be arrogant or something similar to pray and ask God to be so good to you that those who hate you will be ashamed?  GOOD News! With a united heart (Thursday’s Point Three) we can ask.  More than that, we should ask!

17 Show me a sign for good, that those who hate me may see it and be ashamed, because You, O LORD, have helped me and comforted me.

See!  Here’s a suggested prayer: ABBA, You know what she said, You know what she did and You know it hurts, it hurts bad.  So, DADDY GOD, I am asking You to be so good to me that she will be ashamed.  Be so kind and comforting to me that she will be so ashamed that she will seek You too; that she will want to know You and ABBA when she does, be as gracious and as loving and kind to her as You are to me.  Amen and amen.

I tell you, IDOKs, I love it! It’ll not only preach; it’ll set us FREE!

Romans 2:4 (NASB) Or do you think lightly of the riches of His kindness and tolerance and patience, not knowing that the kindness of God leads you to repentance?

To review the list of names for prayer, please click here.

DADDY GOD, this is good!  Thank You!  Now I pray we will be doers of it, not just readers.  Don’t let me get up from here and forget this.  Don’t let our IDOKs and Readers get up from their screens and forget it.  We want You, Holy Spirit, to plant this in our hearts and grow it BIG in us.   And we want You to demonstrate Your mercy and grace so abundantly to and through us that others will want to come to know You.  Make us such recipients of Your loving kindnesses and grace and mercy and abundance that we cannot do anything else but give it to others encouraging and motivating them to want to know You too.  And we pray similarly for those on our prayer list too.  That You will be so gracious and so attentive, tending us and tending them that others take notice, not of us but YOU.  Because we confess, it is coming to KNOW YOU that is the cure for all that ails us.  And we do pray that You will cure what ails these on our list. We pray You will continue to protect our IDOK Troops.  We pray HOLY SPIRIT they will know You are tending them, that You are watching over them and we pray they will give You praise; that they will worship You in hostile places and safe places. We pray You will take care of their families back home too and that the Troops themselves will be confident that You are.  We pray they will have confidence and peace of mind that You are worthy to be trusted.  And we are not forgetting to pray for Israel; for peace and protection and wisdom and courage to do what is right even when the enemies do wrong.  I pray that for America too.  I ask You, ABBA, to forgive and have mercy and to turn the fractured hearts of people to Yourself.  We pray for more and more churches to become Houses of Prayer.  We pray for more and more homes to become homes of prayer and less and less places of televisions and movies and video games, and bickering and selfishness.  Wake us up, LORD, and turn our hearts toward home in Jesus Name.  Amen and amen.