Participants:
Series Code: PHTDP
Program Code: PHTDP190009A
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00:12 Welcome to day nine of, Ten Days of Prayer;
00:15 a prayer strategy from the Revival and Reformation 00:18 initiative of the Seventh-day Adventist Church. 00:21 We're nearing the end of this series, but I feel God has 00:24 His greatest blessings for us who persevere 00:28 until the very end. 00:29 Not giving up, not letting distractions 00:31 pull us from spending time with Him. 00:33 No matter which day you started this time of prayer with me, 00:37 I believe God wants to reward you for your faithfulness. 00:40 I can't say that He will answer your prayer by the tenth day, 00:44 but I can say that He has heard your prayers. 00:47 And if you have left your burden with the Lord, 00:49 then it's in His hands. 00:51 And He now has to handle it. 00:53 I pray that you'll trust Him to do that very thing; 00:56 to handle your needs according to the way that 00:58 He sees fit. 01:00 His ways are perfect. 01:01 The outline from tendaysofprayer.org 01:05 day nine tells of a couple who faced the agony 01:08 of multiple miscarriages. 01:10 The roller coaster of ups and downs of emotions of 01:13 joyous hope, of hope banished, 01:16 of trust restored, of faith crushed. 01:21 The writer asks, "What happens when a Christian 01:23 puts all of his faith in the promises of God 01:26 only to be disappointed? 01:29 Where is the good spoken of in Romans 8:28?" 01:33 Clouds of doubt move in, and we wonder, "Why, God? 01:37 Why did You let me down?" 01:40 Perhaps you've been there when the devil jabs at you mockingly, 01:44 "Is this how God rewards those who place their trust in Him? 01:48 Is this how He shows His love?" 01:51 Well the writer of this devotion goes on, 01:54 "But God had not left me. 01:55 I was impressed to repeat the following words aloud, 01:58 'God loves me.' 02:00 I repeated the same phrase three times, 02:03 each time emphasizing a different word. 02:06 'GOD loves me.' 02:09 'God LOVES me.' 02:12 'God loves ME.' 02:14 With the third declaration, the darkness left me." 02:19 Later, when a dark cloud reminded her of the loss 02:22 of her pregnancy, she covered her head with your blanket 02:25 and said aloud, "God loves me! I know whom I have believed! 02:28 I have given my life to Christ, and what He decides to do 02:31 with me is okay, because my life is hidden in Christ." 02:36 Again, those clouds lifted. 02:39 But listen to the words this sister writes. 02:43 "These words that Jesus spoke to Peter brought 02:46 comfort to my heart later, 'What I am doing 02:49 you do not understand now, but you will know after this.'" 02:54 That's from John 13:7. 02:57 "I wrestled with God over my loss. 02:59 I couldn't understand why it had happened, 03:02 especially when I had exercised faith. 03:05 It would be ten years before I understood 03:07 that God wanted me to experience that faith must 03:11 reach beyond the clouds to what is unseen, 03:14 that His grace is made perfect in our weakness. 03:18 I prayed for a miracle, and God had given me one. 03:21 But I learned that the real miracle was that God's strength 03:24 was greater than my doubt, and that He could 03:27 keep me through any difficulty. 03:30 Like Job, I can say, 'Though He slay me, 03:34 yet I will trust Him.' 03:36 'He knows the way that I take; 03:38 when He has tested me, I shall come forth as gold.'" 03:43 Do you have that same kind of faith? 03:45 Trusting in Him? 03:49 Do you believe that? 03:54 I know not why God's wondrous grace 03:59 to me He hath made known, 04:04 nor why, unworthy, Christ in love 04:10 redeemed me for His own. 04:16 But I know Whom I have believed, 04:22 and am persuaded that He is able 04:29 to keep that which I've committed 04:35 unto Him against that day. 04:42 I know not how this saving faith 04:48 to me He did impart, 04:53 nor how believing in His Word 04:58 wrought peace within my heart. 05:04 But I know Whom I have believed, 05:09 and am persuaded that He is able 05:15 to keep that which I've committed 05:21 unto Him against that day. 05:28 I know not how the Spirit moves, 05:33 convincing men of sin, 05:39 revealing Jesus through the Word, 05:44 creating faith in Him. 05:51 I know not when my Lord may come, 05:57 at night or noonday fair, 06:02 nor if I walk the vale with Him, 06:08 or meet Him in the air. 06:14 But I know Whom I have believed, 06:20 and am persuaded that He is able 06:26 to keep that which I've committed 06:32 unto Him against that day. 06:43 Let's take time to praise the Lord now. 06:48 Dear Lord, we praise You that You are the 06:50 Father of all compassion, and the Lord of all comfort. 07:00 We praise You for healing our broken hearts 07:04 and for binding up our wounds. 07:07 We praise You, God. 07:11 We praise You, Lord, for letting us lay our burdens on You. 07:18 Thank You that Your shoulders are broad enough 07:23 and Your heart is big enough 07:28 to care for us and to take our burdens. 07:33 And Jesus, we praise You that You will sustain us 07:37 in our hour of grief, for You have experienced grief. 07:50 See, we don't have a High Priest who 07:55 has no idea what we're talking about when we bring our 08:01 pains and our cares to Him. 08:06 No, we have someone who is moved. 08:10 He's moved with compassion to hear our prayer and to meet us. 08:18 Aren't you grateful for that? 08:20 We praise You God for that. 08:23 We praise You, Lord. 08:29 So now we come before You, God, in a time of confession, 08:35 a time of claiming victory over our sin. 08:45 Holy Spirit, I pray that You would point out 08:48 any sin that is separating me from God. 08:56 For those who are watching, Holy Spirit, convict. 09:06 We want nothing between us and the Savior. 09:14 Forgive us, Father, when our doubts overwhelm 09:16 our ability to trust in You. 09:20 God, we've all been there... 09:29 ...when we doubted You. 09:33 Even though Your Word is full of promises 09:37 that remind us what a great God You are, we doubted You. 09:41 So God, forgive us when our doubts overwhelm 09:45 our ability to trust in You. 09:50 Thank You for the forgiveness, oh Father God, that You so 09:53 wonderfully offer. 10:00 Just take a moment to ask the Holy Spirit to soften your heart 10:06 and to just speak to you. Okay? 10:54 There's a song that talks about taking our burdens to the Lord 11:00 and leaving them there. 11:02 If the world from you withholds of its silver and its gold, 11:10 and you have to get along with meager fare, 11:17 just remember in His Word how He feeds the little bird; 11:26 take your burden to the Lord and leave it there. 11:35 Leave it there, leave it there; 11:44 take your burden to the Lord and leave it there. 11:54 If you trust and never doubt, He will surely bring you out. 12:03 Just take your burden to the Lord and leave it there. 12:13 If your body suffers pain and your health you can't regain, 12:21 and your soul is almost sinking in despair, 12:30 Jesus knows the pain you feel, He can save and He can heal; 12:39 so take your burden to the Lord and just leave it there. 12:48 Leave it there, leave it there; 12:58 take your burden to the Lord and leave it there. 13:07 If you trust Him through your doubt, 13:12 He will surely bring you out. 13:17 Take your burden to the Lord and leave it there. 13:28 Did you notice that line that says, "If you trust," 13:31 the first time I sang it, "and never doubt," 13:35 but in that second course it says, "If you trust Him 13:39 through your doubt." 13:41 You know, I think it's okay that... 13:46 God is not surprised that we would doubt. 13:52 And it shouldn't be our way to just initially doubt, 14:01 but sometimes we have to trust Him through our doubt. 14:09 So as we go into a time of supplication and intercession, 14:14 if you are having a hard time grasping that God cares 14:19 or that He can answer this prayer, 14:21 just trust Him through your doubt 14:26 until that doubt diminishes. Alright? 14:31 So now we pray, oh Lord, for wisdom and grace 14:37 to accept our disappointments, knowing that You love us. 14:43 And Lord, Your Word says You will work all things for good, 14:48 though we may not understand it now. 14:54 We ask, oh God, that our faith will be strengthened 14:57 as we face doubt and fear. 15:02 Please cause our families to reveal Your love 15:06 in our homes and communities. 15:08 We ask You to bring harmony into homes. 15:13 We ask You to heal broken relationships in our homes. 15:18 God, we ask that You would protect 15:21 the vulnerable from abuse. 15:26 And Lord, that You would reveal Your sanctifying power 15:29 in seemingly hopeless situations. 15:35 Oh God, those are big prayers 15:39 for those who have been going through those situations 15:44 for a long times. 15:46 God, I know You can turn them around. 15:55 Father, may our members, our pastors, and our leaders 16:02 around the world feed on Your Word every day. 16:11 Lord, may we also seek You daily in a personal prayer life. 16:21 Lord, remind us that without You we can do absolutely nothing. 16:34 Father, we ask You to raise up nurses and doctors 16:39 to plant new churches among the 1,978 people groups 16:44 in the 22 countries in West-Central Africa Division. 16:53 Lord, as I read those prayer requests that have to do with 16:57 the multiple people groups, I'm reminded that 17:04 these are God-sized prayers. 17:07 These are prayers, Lord, that only You can answer, 17:11 because You created this world. 17:18 You know how big it is and You know how great the need is. 17:22 And you know how to meet that need. 17:27 And You know who to meet that need through. 17:33 So Father, we pray, raise up nurses and doctors 17:37 to plant new churches among those people group. 17:43 And God, we pray for the 49 million people 17:47 in the 19 least reached cities of Trans-European Division. 17:57 49 million people. 18:04 Each one of them is dear to You. 18:10 Jesus, we know that You gave Your life 18:13 for each one of them. 18:20 For them to have a personal relationship with You. 18:25 So we pray for those people, God. 18:34 And God, I know that there are those who are watching 18:36 that You have laid souls upon their heart. 18:40 Unsaved loved ones, unsaved neighbors, 18:49 Lord, remember what You said in Jeremiah 24:7 18:54 "Then I will give them a heart to know Me, 18:56 that I am the LORD; and they shall be My people, 19:02 and I will be their God, for they shall return to Me 19:07 with their whole heart." 19:12 Oh God, I ask that You will give these lost, 19:19 these lost souls, give them a heart to know You, 19:24 that they will turn to You and find salvation. 19:36 And for the many requests, Lord, that have come in 19:41 for prayer, oh God, meet the needs, 19:46 according to Your riches and glory. 19:58 Thank You, Father, for hearing our prayer. 20:27 When peace like a river 20:34 attendeth my way, 20:39 when sorrows like sea billows roll; 20:49 whatever my lot, 20:54 Thou hast taught me to say, 21:02 "It is well, it is well, 21:09 with my soul." 21:15 It is well with my soul. 21:27 It is well, it is well, with my soul. 21:40 Though Satan should buffet, 21:46 though trials should come, 21:51 let this blest assurance control 21:59 that Christ has regarded my helpless estate, 22:08 and has shed His own blood for my soul. 22:19 It is well with my soul. 22:27 It is well, it is well, with my soul. 22:38 My sin, oh the bliss of this glorious thought, 22:46 my sin, not in part but the whole, 22:54 is nailed to the cross and I bear it no more. 23:04 Praise the Lord, praise the Lord, oh my soul. 23:16 And Lord haste the day when my faith shall be sight, 23:26 the clouds be rolled back as a scroll. 23:37 The trump shall resound, and the Lord shall descend. 23:47 Even so, it is well with my soul. 24:24 It is well, it is well, 24:33 with my soul. 24:44 Father, we thank You that because Christ is 24:46 interceding for us, we have a hope and a future. 24:53 And we can genuinely say, it is well. 24:59 Imagine having Christ interceding for you. 25:05 Thank You, God, for that. 25:08 Thank You, Father, for comforting us 25:10 in all of our troubles so that we may comfort others. 25:18 Lord, help us to do that. 25:22 Thank you, God, that Your strength is made perfect 25:25 in our weakness. 25:31 Thank You, Lord Jesus. 25:35 Just take a moment and thank Him for His goodness. 25:54 Remember those words from, Testimonies, v4, pages 116-117. 26:01 "God gives us lessons of trust. 26:04 He would teach us where to look for help 26:06 and strength in time of need. 26:09 Thus we obtain practical knowledge of His divine will, 26:12 which we so much need in our life experience. 26:15 Faith grows strong in earnest conflict with doubt and fear." 26:22 And also from, The Ministry of Healing, page 474. 26:26 "In the future life, the mysteries that here have 26:29 annoyed and disappointed us will be made plain. 26:34 We shall see that our seemingly unanswered prayers 26:37 and disappointed hopes have been among our greatest blessings." 26:46 Isaiah 41:10, "Fear not, for I am with you; 26:52 be not dismayed, for I am your God. 26:56 I will strengthen you, yes, I will help you; 27:03 I will uphold you with My righteous right hand." 27:07 That's the God you serve. 27:10 That's why I encourage you not to give up hope. 27:13 That's why I encourage you to trust Him through your doubt. 27:20 Psalm 55:22 says, "Cast your burden on the Lord, 27:24 and He shall sustain you; 27:27 He shall never permit the righteous to be moved." 27:34 Thank You, Lord, for those promises. 27:40 Thank You, Father, that we can cast our burden on You. 27:48 You will sustain us and never permit us to be moved. 27:54 What a precious promise. 27:59 I encourage you to join us tomorrow evening 28:02 for our tenth day of, Ten Days of Prayer. 28:05 But that's not the end. 28:07 Join us on January 19th, this coming Sabbath, 28:10 as we take time to praise God for His wonderful deeds 28:14 and for hearing our prayer during these 28:16 past ten days of prayer. 28:19 We'll also be discussing the outreach challenge 28:22 as outlined on... 28:26 ...where you're encouraged to reach out to others 28:28 in your community after these ten days of prayer are through. 28:34 So join us again tomorrow night. 28:39 And just think about His love, 28:43 as we close these last few seconds of prayer. 28:51 Thank you for watching us and for praying along. |
Revised 2019-03-12