"If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you." (John 15:7 NASB)
We read stories about people who prayed for rain, but who forgot to bring their umbrellas in anticipation of the blessing.
When we abide in Christ, we pray and symbolically carry our umbrellas to prepare for the overwhelming gifts that He promises. We pray, and wait with expectation. What joy to expect blessing from God at any moment and to be ready to receive it! We are to be like little children who expect miracles every day.
When we submit our lives to God and live with Him involved in every daily activity or thought, we walk in His presence -- we abide. We set aside our right to live in any way that is contrary to God's way. If we find ourselves drifting, we can pray to find a godly mentor who can help us return into obedience to the Good Shepherd. When out of fellowship, we can pray to come back home -- God will provide a church with sound biblical teaching. In the meantime, we can read our Bible and listen to Christian music on the radio. When we abide in Him, His words will abide in us as we joyfully trust in His promises. As an act of faith, let's have our umbrellas ready for the blessings to pour down.
We can learn to stay spiritually strong as we continually abide in Christ, reading His Word, praying regularly, and thinking about Him through every activity of our life. Singing songs of praise to our wonderful Lord is another way to be in His presence at all times. When we fly the banner of Christ over our heart, we reside under God's favour and protection, and obey His Word.
Prayer: Dear Lord, we pray that You will teach us to live our lives in Your presence. We stand on the precious name of Jesus as we pray, "Thy will be done." With umbrella up, or upside down, we are ready to receive the downpour of Your blessings. Amen.
Karen Milam
Penn Valley, California, USA
Reprinted from the PresbyCan Daily Devotional with the author's permission |
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