Oh! For God's Blessing!
"Peter
Marshall, the late chaplain of the U.S. Senate, once said in a
prayer, 'O Lord, forgive us for thinking that prayer is a waste of
time, and help us to see that without prayer our work is a waste of
time.' " - Encyclopedia of Sermon Illustrations
Plans! Plans! Plans! We are so full of our own
plans and ideas! But, oftentimes as is the case, our plans fail
because they were never ordained by God.
We feverishly labor to get a job done - raise
a family, maintain a business or ministry, or keep a church going -
but without the touch of God on our labor, we are only spinning our
wheels, so to speak.
We speak, but our words seemingly fall
upon deaf ears.
We labor, but we see no definite changes or results of our hard
work.
What is the problem?
Could it be that we, as God's People,
have gotten away from the source of our strength?
Could it be that, while living in the midst of Humanism,
dependence on Psychiatry and Psychology, and utter Independence
from God, we have allowed the world's philosophies to influence
us?
John 15:5 - Let's face it - as the
Lord Jesus told us - "without Me
ye can do nothing." That is a
fact! Apart from or separate from Him, we can do nothing aright.
Nothing succeeds. Nothing works! He is our source of
strength, wisdom, grace, and power. There is no help outside of Him
that works.
Psalm 60:11 adds
-"Vain is the help of man."
Oh! That we would see that today!
We are totally dependent upon God for success in
all of our endeavors.
Apart from Him, we are losers and failures of the worst kind!
2 Corinthians 3:5 - The Scriptures
plainly tell us - "Not that we
are sufficient of ourselves to think any thing as of ourselves; but
our sufficiency is of God."
We can't enlighten minds nor change hearts.
We can't of ourselves even think clearly or correctly except God
enables us to do so.
All of our successes, achievements, and accomplishments are traced
back to Him.
Our abilities and powers come from Him.
There is no room nor place for self-sufficiency in a believer's
life.
"Our sufficiency is of God."
John 3:27 tells us -
"...A man can receive nothing, except it
be given him from heaven."
Yet, so many walk around in a proud array thinking that they have
accomplished great things because of their hard labor and remarkable
abilities and gifts. If any man or woman is able to do anything
right, it is only because God has enabled that individual to do so.
It is His special grace that is in operation. To Him be all the
Glory!
Psalm 127:1 instructs us -
"Except the LORD build the house, they
labour in vain that build it: except the LORD keep the city, the
watchman waketh but in vain."
"In vain" "In vain" "In vain"
"Except the Lord"
do it, it is all
"in vain."
Oh! That the Holy Spirit would burn
these words into our spirits and carve them on our minds and
hearts today!
"Except the Lord"
be the initiator and motivator of our plans and labor, our work is
"in vain."
No matter what our skills, strength, or industry
may be - all is "in
vain" unless the Lord is the source of
our help and supply.
So many are -
...trying to raise a family without the Blessing of the Lord
...trying to minister without God's Blessing upon
their work and lives
...pursuing careers or endeavors without the Blessing of the
Lord to lead them into success.
Without His Blessing, we can and will accomplish
nothing.
We are totally dependent on Him for everything.
If we don't ever acknowledge Him in our ways or undertakings but
simply go about our business - depending upon our own ingenuity and
strength - then we can expect to fail and meet with heartache,
sorrow, and pain in the end.
Matthew Henry, the renowned Bible Commentator
said it well - "The best
laid project fails unless God crowns it with success."
1 Thessalonians 5:17 - This is why the Word of God admonishes
us to "pray without ceasing."
Regularly and constantly we are to maintain a
spirit of prayer.
We can't allow worldly cares, light and frivolous activities,
overindulgence of the flesh, family, friends, or business matters to
keep us from prayer.
Proverbs 10:22 - We need the
"blessing of the Lord"
that "maketh rich"
and "addeth no sorrow with it."
We can always tell when man is in control of a
thing for there is oftentimes painful toil, hurt, hardship, vexation
of spirit, and disquieting cares accompanying his work. In contrast,
"The blessing of the Lord"
is God's gift, present, prosperity or liberality to His people -
causing things to go well for them and to result in much fruit or
growth in the end.
John 20:21-22 - Before the Lord Jesus
sent out His disciples to accomplish the Great Commission, He gave
them His Blessing - "Then said
Jesus to them again, Peace be unto you: as My Father hath sent Me,
even so send I you. And when He had said this, He breathed on them,
and saith unto them, Receive ye the Holy Ghost."
It was customary for prophets in days of old
to use some kind of sign to represent their message. In this case,
the Lord Jesus breathed upon His disciples, indicating the wind or
the influence of the Spirit on their lives. From this moment onward,
they would depend totally on the direction, guidance, and leading of
the Spirit in their kingdom work. Their spiritual life, vigor,
abilities, wisdom, and power would come from Him. Without
Him, they could do nothing. Without Him, they would surely fail.
E.M. Bounds said it so well - "The Holy
Spirit does not flow through methods but through men. He does not
come on machinery but on men. He does not anoint plans but men - men
of prayer."
Do we dare go one more moment without
acknowledging God in all of our ways?
How many times do we have to meet up with defeat and failure in
our pursuits before we realize that without Him we can do nothing?
We need God's Blessing
on our lives, marriages, families, homes, churches, ministries,
work, businesses, etc. We need the Holy Spirit to be our Guide and
Influence in all of our endeavors.
The only way this will happen is if we pray!
Pray! Pray! Pray! "Pray
without ceasing"!
May God help us to understand that prayer
is not a "waste of time."
On the contrary, without it, all of
our work is a "waste of
time."
Connie
