Whose Are You?

"O God, you are my God;
I earnestly search for you.
My soul thirsts for you;
my whole body longs for you
in this parched and weary land
where there is no water.

I have seen you in your sanctuary
and gazed upon your power and glory.
Your unfailing love is better to me than life itself;
how I praise you!
I will honor you as long as I live,
lifting up my hands to you in prayer." (Psalm 63:1-4)

This whole 60/60 experiment is about stopping the habit of ignoring God and re-centering ourselves - as the psalmist is seeking to do - on God's glory and power! We don't have it! We desperately need Him!

Some need to be graciously guided into that place . . . and some of us need to be ripped from our apathy towards God.

I read yesterday part of a speech by John Wesley - it was a speech given at a college (Oxford University - and written and delivered in the 1800's). Listen to what Wesley is saying and the heart of his question at the end . . .

How few of you spend, from one week to another, a single hour in private prayer! How few have any thought of God in the general tenor of your conversation! Who of you is, in any degree, acquainted with the work of His Spirit, his supernatural work in the souls of men? Can you bear, unless now and then, in a church, any talk of the Holy Ghost? Would you not take it for granted, if one began such a conversation, that it was either hypocrisy or enthusiasm? In the name of the Almighty, I ask, What religion are you of?

As You Pray . . .

As we join millions of others today during the National Day of Prayer asking God to humble us and transform us . . . here are some reminders:

"So I say to you: Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened." (Jesus in Luke 11:9-10)

". . . I tell you the truth, my Father will give you whatever you ask in my name. Until now you have not asked for anything in my name. Ask and you will receive, and your joy will be complete." (Jesus in John 16:23-24)

"Confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The earnest prayer of a righteous person has great power and produces wonderful results." (James 5:16)

"Each time, before you intercede, be quiet first, and worship God in His glory. Think of what He can do, and how He delights to hear the prayers of His redeemed people. Think of your place and privilege in Christ, and expect great things!" (Andrew Murray)

"God does nothing but by prayer, and everything with it." (John Wesley)