Predictable / Unpredictable God

I was reading a sermon yesterday afternoon and in the introduction was this passage:

"When we feel that we have some great need, we mould God to the shape of that need and then expect that God is going to meet that particular need, and sometimes in your experience and mine, He doesn’t because we’ve simply invented our own Jesus. It isn’t what His strategy and purpose is … to meet that particular need in our lives maybe. And so we’re told in John Chapter 1, verse 11, that when Jesus was born, “He came unto His own, but His own did not receive Him.” And the reason they did not receive Him was because He did not meet their predetermined expectancy of what the Messiah would be like. He wasn’t born in a palace of royal parents and going to become a military leader. And they rejected the true Messiah because He did not conform to their own expectancy."

Charles Price- MARY: FROM FEAR TO FAITH TO FULFILLMENT 

It was so good to be reminded of this: Don't make an idol of your expectations and substitute them for Christ.  When we invent our own Jesus, he cannot save us. Don't limit Him to your own "predetermined expectancy" or you will end up rejecting the true Messiah. 

The glory of Christ is in how completely radical He is. He works outside of the "rules" of how we think life is supposed to go. He never works in our lives the way we think He will.  With Christ you must always expect the unexpected. We cannot predict Him. 

I heard another sermon by Charles Price in which he talked about this very thing. Entitled “Following God's Direction”, Price showed how Christ's miracles are not predictable—He works differently every time, and in His miracles, He used many different means to heal those who came to Him: He spoke, touched, even spit. He did not work in predictable ways or have a set formula that He used, but each time someone came to Him in faith, their faith was rewarded.

Price shows that this unpredictable way that God has of working with His people is also demonstrated in the story of Moses and the Rock at Meribah.

The first time (Exodus 17: 6), Moses was told to strike the rock.

5 And the Lord said to Moses, “Pass on before the people, taking with you some of the elders of Israel, and take in your hand the staff with which you struck the Nile, and go. 6 Behold, I will stand before you there on the rock at Horeb, and you shall strike the rock, and water shall come out of it, and the people will drink.” And Moses did so, in the sight of the elders of Israel. 

The second time (Numbers 20: 8) he was told to speak to the rock.

and the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, 8 “Take the staff, and assemble the congregation, you and Aaron your brother, and tell the rock before their eyes to yield its water. So you shall bring water out of the rock for them and give drink to the congregation and their cattle.” 9 And Moses took the staff from before the Lord, as he commanded him.

Moses decided that he knew how this was supposed to work.

10 Then Moses and Aaron gathered the assembly together before the rock, and he said to them, “Hear now, you rebels: shall we bring water for you out of this rock?” 11 And Moses lifted up his hand and struck the rock with his staff twice, and water came out abundantly, and the congregation drank, and their livestock. “

It worked—but that was not how God had wanted him to give water to His people.

And the Lord said to Moses and Aaron, “Because you did not believe in me, to uphold me as holy in the eyes of the people of Israel, therefore you shall not bring this assembly into the land that I have given them.” (Number 20:12)

Moses didn't believe-- He did not have faith in God's power to do what He said He would.

In 1 Cor 10: 4, Paul tells us that “the Rock was Christ.” This Rock is our fount of Living Water.

The lesson Price says is that we must not come to Christ the same way each time—we cannot just come to the crucified Christ, but must come to the risen Christ. We must come not just to a slain Sacrifice but to a victorious Saviour. Christ died once for all. By striking the Rock the second time, Moses implied that this one Sacrifice was not enough. To get the Living Water of salvation from this Rock of Christ, we must follow God's directions.

Lately God has been teaching me to trust in His immutability. God is ever the same (Ps. 102: 27); this is part of what makes Him God. (See A.W. Tozer's excellent book The Knowledge of the Holy  for more on this.)

He demands that we trust in HIS unchanging nature by following His leading each time—we cannot just “do what worked” the last time—cannot stay with the traditions, and be hide-bound and static.

This was the sin of the Pharisees: blind faith in “tradition.” They thought they could just do what they had always done. They thought they could predict what the Messiah would be like, how He would come, etc. But they were dead wrong.

He is our LIVING God. He is Unchanging, yet dynamic and unpredictable. He demands our trust in Him through every situation. There is no formula for Christian living. No “do this if this happens”, “do that if that happens”, etc. 

God guides us and teaches us in ways we do not expect. (Isa 30: 21)

Living in obedience is a matter of trust. Trusting God that even when obeying Him is difficult or painful, He knows what is right. If we do what is right in our own eyes, we will always fall.

God wants people who will do what is right in His eyes (Exodus 15: 26; 1 Kings 11:38; 1 Kings 14: 8; 1 Kings 15: 5). All the good kings of Israel are said to have done “what was right in the eyes of the Lord.”

We are to look to Him.

Like Peter walking on the sea—once we take our eyes off of Christ, we will sink. Peter “forgot” that Christ was the Son of God and ruled the wind and the waves, reverting back to believing the “rules” of nature—you can't walk on water, it is not possible— and he began to sink.

He is always predictable in His character, but He is unpredictable in how He deals with us. We can't anticipate what He will do with us. Like C.S. Lewis wrote of Aslan—He is not a tame lion. He will do whatever is necessary to bring us to Himself.

AS we are all individuals so He treats us individually. However, He demands the same thing of all of us—obedience and love. He demands our worship—not because He needs it, but because of Who He is.

Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, 2 looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.

Hebrew 12:1-2

Rubble

And conspired all of them together to come and to fight against Jerusalem, and to hinder it. Nevertheless, we made our prayer unto our God, and set a watch against them day and night, because of them.

And Judah said, The strength of the bearers of burdens is decayed, and there is much rubbish; so that we are not able to build the wall.And our adversaries said, They shall not know, neither see, till we come in the midst of them, and slay them, and cause the work to cease. 

 Nehemiah 4:8-11

The enemies of Nehemiah and those rebuilding Jerusalem want to stop the work on the walls, while the builders themselves are discouraged because of the amount of work that is before them.

Many hindrances and weaknesses may come against us, tempting us to give up building our walls against the Deadly Three: Satan, our sinful flesh, and the world. In my last post, I discussed how we are to fight against the opposition from outside our walls The burning arrows are an obvious threat and we can usually see them in time to get our shields up, whether we are alone or in a group (testudo), and protect ourselves. I touched on another danger that we face, the nearly-silent flights of arrows that rain down upon us out of the night. However, the danger does not only come from outside our fortifications, it can also come from within, and often it is when we are preoccupied with these inward perils that the stealth arrows arrive from without. Even though we have set a watch against such sneak attacks, the guards are tired, distracted, or just plain curious, peering down into the castle to see what’s going on there.

Nehemiah and his companions were experiencing this problem. In Jerusalem, the builders are willing, but their first “wind” is gone. They are tired and sore– “The strength of the bearers of burdens is decayed”–and the job is enormous! Rebuilding the walls of Jerusalem is no mean feat, but a monumental task—literally. Jerusalem is the capital city of Israel/Judah(the tribes are at this point split into two nations, each with their own king) and an ancient city at that, one that had been present when Israel arrived out of the wilderness to conquer Canaan. It was also the site of the glorious Temple of God built under King Solomon, and as one would expect such an important religious centre to do, Jerusalem had grown over the centuries. The Babylonians had torn down both the Temple and the city walls, and now a relatively small group of people were attempting to rebuild (see Nehemiah 3 for a list of those involved).

The builders are tired, particularly the bearers of burdens, who carry the stone and brick, and “there is much rubbish”–as one would expect when a city has been destroyed. It seems that there was so much rubbish, that it got in the way of the builders, delaying the work: “[A]nd there is much rubbish; so that we are not able to build the wall.”

This is a great discouragement, but it also comes at a bad time. Judah’s enemies, and therefore Jerusalem’s, are mustering to stop the rebuilding entirely.

And our adversaries said, They shall not know, neither see, till we come in the midst of them, and slay them, and cause the work to cease. (vs.11)

While Judah has inward trouble, their outer enemies also conspire against them. These enemies want to sneak in and surprise the workers, killing them and thus stopping the building.

However, the builders are not taken unawares. They have friends outside Jerusalem who know what Sanballat and his allies are planning.

And it came to pass that when the Jews which dwelt by them came, they said unto us ten times, From all places whence ye shall return unto us they will be upon you. Nehemiah 4:12

The warning of these Jews is emphasized– “[T]hey said unto us ten times”.Commentators agree that these were Jews who were not helping in the work rebuilding the walls of Jerusalem, but remained in their homes among the heathen. Yet they still had enough fellow-feeling with their countrymen in Jerusalem that they came to give urgent warning: Sanballat and his allies will attack any place they can, therefore, beware!

Nehemiah doesn’t take this warning lightly, even though these other Jews were not helping in the building.

Therefore set I in the lower places behind the wall, and on the higher places, I even set the people after their families with their swords, theirs spears, and their bows. (vs 13)

In every place that Sanballat’s men could gain access, Nehemiah places heavily-armed families (probably including the women) to keep them out. It is interesting that Nehemiah first writes that he set a guard in the lower places, the most likely places of attack, and also on the higher places. Nehemiah is not going to give Sanballat opportunity to scale the walls.

We too should be setting guards all along our walls, in the more vulnerable places and in the more secure places—nowhere should there be an opportunity for any of the Deadly Three to breach our defenses. In a variation of the well-known saying, “The best offense is a good defense.” Even after the walls are complete, they must be guarded to prevent the enemy from sneaking in and working us ill from within. What good are walls if the enemy is not kept out?

Notice that it is after Nehemiah has prayed to God and set a round-the-clock watch that this warning is brought to him. An application can be made here: Staying in relationship with God and calling on Him in times of attack and temptation, whether it be a full-out assault or an insidious one, will be our best bet for victory. We need to have the Lord on our side if we want to win.

But the LORD is my defence; and my God is the rock of my refuge. Ps. 94:22

Defend your Fortifications

But it came to pass, that when Sanballat, and Tobiah, and the Arabians, and the Ammonites, and the Ashdodites, heard that the walls of Jerusalem were made up, and that the breaches began to be stopped, then they were very wroth, And conspired all of them together to come and to fight against Jerusalem, and to hinder it. Nevertheless we made our prayer unto our God, and set a watch against them day and night, because of them.
Nehemiah 4:7-9

When enemies threaten the walls of Jerusalem, walls being re-built for protection from such enemies, Nehemiah does as we should: he and those with him prayed and set a constant watch so that they would not be taken unawares.

We must build walls against our own enemies: Satan, the flesh, and the world. The building of such walls will be challenged. Therefore, we must pray to God for his strength and protection, and set a constant watch, so that we do not fall prey to temptations and “hinder” or even, break down, the building of the walls.

We can see in these verses that prayer alone is not enough to protect us–we must also be active in patrolling our fortifications. If we are not on guard and alert to the danger that surrounds us, our enemies can silently slip past our walls and destroy both them and us.

Some may protest that posting a guard is tantamount to heresy–this is “works,” not faith, and therefore, we are not trusting God for our complete protection. However, we are also commanded to

Keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life. Proverbs 4:23.

The word translated “keep” in the King James Version is the Hebrew verb meaning “guard, watch over.” It is plain that we are to guard our hearts, as other translations, such as the NIV, translate this verse. We are to have faith in God, but after placing our faith in God, we cannot just lie back and expect Him to do all the work. We cannot be passive.

Paul commands us to do as Nehemiah: pray and set a watch.

Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints; (Eph 6:18 emphasis mine)

However, while we must pray and set a watch, we must also continue constructing the walls of protection. But how can we labour profitably when we are in constant danger? Nehemiah has a solution:

Therefore set I in the lower places behind the wall, and on the higher places, I even set the people after their families with their swords, their spears, and their bows… And it came to pass from that time forth, that the half of my servants wrought in the work, and the other half of them held both the spears, the shields, and the bows, and the habergeons;…They which builded on the wall, and they that bare burdens, with those that laded[archaic =loaded], every one with one of his hands wrought in the work, and with the other hand held a weapon. For the builders, every one had his sword girded by his side, and so builded. Nehemiah 4: 13, 16a, 17,18a

The builders are armed, so that they can defend themselves in case of attack. We must follow their example, and here the term “militant Christian” is very applicable. Earlier in Ephesians 6, Paul commands us to “put on the whole armour of God” (Eph. 6:11), to be armed “that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.” (same verse)

We are to

Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness;And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace; Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked.And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God: (Eph 6:14-17)

Notice that we are not to take the “wiles of the devil” lying or even sitting down, but are commanded to stand. The Greek here can be translated “stand firm or immovable.” In other words, we must be ready to fight and hold the line, not allowing our enemies to gain even an inch of ground. The Christian life is not one of passivity, but activity. We must be girded for battle; we must be warriors!

The only way we can fight, however, is if we have the equipment to do so. Paul tells us that we are to be fully clad for battle. We cannot just go out onto the battlefield with only our sword–we would be utterly vulnerable. Notice that while we have one weapon “the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God,” we have to don a lot of armour:

“loins girt about with truth;”“the breastplate of righteousness;”“shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace;”“the shield of faith;”“the helmet of salvation.”

Every vulnerable place is protected: our hips (loins), heart, feet, and head. These are the places where temptations are most likely to strike: through our desires/lusts (loins), our emotions (heart), our daily walk/life (feet), and our intellect (head).

I purposely neglected one piece of armour: “the shield of faith.” This piece of armour provides protection wherever is it needed, but also has a special function. Paul says,

Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked.

The importance of bearing a shield is made clear in the following example.

In the movie, Timeline, scientists have discovered a way to teleport objects and people from one place to another. However, by accident they discover that they can use this technology to go back in time. A freak wormhole connects the teleportation device to a time in medieval France just before a horrific battle takes place between the English, who have captured a French castle, and the French, who have this castle under siege.

During the seige, the English longbow men shoot burning arrows down upon the French troops. The only way the French can protect themselves is by raising their shields over their heads. The shields of the soldiers overlap, forming a large shell of protection from the fiery arrows.

This defensive technique was also used by the Roman legionaries during New Testament times, and was known as testudo, which means tortoise in Latin. Testudo was primarily used to protect the soldiers from arrows and other missiles.

It is significant that Paul says “Above all”. The phrase “Above all” could be replaced by “Most importantly” or “More than these,” and the meaning would seem to be unchanged. However, as indicated by my example, “above all” illustrates one of the ways “the shield of faith” can protect us. Not only can we use it in hand-to-hand combat, but we can raise it against “the fiery darts of the wicked” that come at us from above, seemingly out of nowhere. The “shield of faith” can be used singly, but it is especially effective when used in groups. The shields of other Christians added to mine can provide a larger space of protection, a bigger shell.

The English in Timeline do not send only burning arrows against the French, but also send unlit arrows which descend upon the unsuspecting French, invisible against the night sky. These arrows are undetectable until they are close enough that the French soldiers can hear the wind whistling through the fletchings (the guiding feathers on the ends). Even though they will not set fire to the grass or the soldiers’ clothes, these arrows are more deadly, since soldiers cannot see them and therefore cannot prepare for their impact as quickly as they can for the “fiery darts.”

Not all of the arrows against us will be burning and obvious. Some will appear suddenly out of the night and catch us off our guard if we are not careful and alert. Nehemiah took precautions against such stealthy night attacks:

And I said unto the nobles, and to the rulers, and to the rest of the people, The work is great and large, and we are separated upon the wall, one far from another.In what place therefore ye hear the sound of the trumpet, resort ye thither unto us: our God shall fight for us.So we laboured in the work: and half of them held the spears from the rising of the morning till the stars appeared.Likewise at the same time said I unto the people, Let every one with his servant lodge within Jerusalem, that in the night they may be a guard to us, and labour on the day.
So neither I, nor my brethren, nor my servants, nor the men of the guard which followed me, none of us put off our clothes,So neither I, nor my brethren, nor my servants, nor the men of the guard which followed me, none of us put off our clothes,saving that every one put them off for washing.Nehemiah 4:19-23 (emphasis mine)

Nehemiah set a guard, gathered his people together, and remained clothed, ready for battle. He also placed his faith in God, confident that He would fight for them. The belief that “our God shall fight for us” did not mean that Nehemiah and his fellow-builders could let down their guard or put down their weapons–they still had to fight–but because the Lord was on their side, they could count on Him giving them the victory. Just as all those who believe in Him can.

I called upon the LORD in distress: the LORD answered me, and set me in a large place. The LORD is on my side; I will not fear: what can man do unto me?The LORD taketh my part with them that help me: therefore shall I see my desire upon them that hate me. It is better to trust in the LORD than to put confidence in man.Ps. 118: 5-8

Gleanings: 5 Important Character Qualities for Singles

Convicting and helpful words from Did I Kiss Marriage Goodbye? Trusting God with a Hope Deferred  by Carolyn McCulley.

     "As I've pondered the common temptations of singleness, I've noticed five character qualities that help exhibit a more noble character in this season:

• Trust in God when your hopes are deferred 

•  Contentment while you're waiting 

•  Faithfulness to sow to the future even when you're in tears 

•  Graciousness when others receive what you would like 

•  Humility to pray to be  a blessing, rather than to receive a blessing 

     This isn't an exhaustive list, of course, but I think as we explore each quality, we will find in our singleness some practical ways to honor God before the watching world" (53).

 

 

 

Waiting like Abraham

 No unbelief made him waver concerning the promise of God, but he grew strong in his faith as he gave glory to God, fully convinced that God was able to do what he had promised.

(Romans 4:20-21 ESV)

Consider what is said of Abraham in Romans 4. He was chosen by God to receive his covenant promises. He was told that his offspring would be like the sand on the seashore. Yet his wife was a very old woman, way, way beyond childbearing age, and he had not yet given birth to the son who would carry on his line. Romans 4 tells us something very significant about Abraham's heart. Think about it: when you and I are called by God to wait for an extended period as Abraham was, often for us our story of waiting is a chronicle of ever-weakening faith. The longer we have time to think about what we are waiting for, the longer we have time to consider how we have no ability to deliver it; and the longer we have to let ourselves wonder why we have been selected to wait, the more our faith weakens. But not so with Abraham. We're told in this passage that during this time of protracted waiting, his faith actually grew stronger, and the passage tells us why. Rather than meditating on the impossibility of his situation, Abraham meditated on the power and the character of the One who had made the promise. The more Abraham let his heart bask in the glory of God, the more convinced he became that he was in good hands. Rather than a cycle of discouragement and hopelessness, Abraham's story was one of encouragement and hope. Why? Because he meditated on the right thing. [italics mine]

Paul David Tripp, Dangerous Calling: Confronting the Unique 

Challenges of Pastoral Ministry 65-66

"I can't wait" can be a dangerous statement to make too often. Any time we try to anticipate the future, and stop living where we are now, we risk living in discontent. "I can't wait" can too quickly become "I won't wait," and then our rebellious heart is off and away on a power trip that will only end in heartache and disappointment.

We can live in such a way, in such discontent, that it is almost as though we are trying to force God's hand, trying to make Him give us what we are waiting for. We treat that "thing" (marriage, work, children, etc.) as our goal or our reward for good behaviour, and we sulk when we don't get what we want. "I've been waiting forever! Why can't I just have it now?"

We might live in continual anticipation of our fairy tale dreams coming true. We head out to that Bible study or young people's evening "just in case" we might meet "the one," and keep our eyes peeled for him/her, while forgetting the actual purpose of the event.

We might try to find ways to "help" God to fulfill His promises. We force relationships, we take that mediocre job, or we make other choices based on what we want, rather than waiting to see what God will bring us, what He has planned. Abraham made this mistake and experienced the heartache which comes with trying "help" God fulfill His promise: he ended up having to send his first-born son, Ishmael--not the son of promise, but the son of the flesh (Galatians 4:23)--away with Hagar. When we try to "help" God with our "problem," we are not resting in His providence or trusting His sovereignty over our lives. We are basically telling God, "I can do it better," or worse, "You are not enough for me."

Waiting is hard, it's true, but waiting with the wrong attitude is even harder. It means you are not waiting in faith, not waiting with the comfort that hope in God affords. With faith in God's goodness and His unfailing promise, Abraham waited 25 years for Isaac to be born. Despite his slips along the way, Abraham had faith that God would keep His word, and he waited for Him to do so.

We who wait need to reorient our waiting in our hearts--we are not waiting for a job or a spouse or a car or any of the other "things" our heart desires--no, we are waiting for our God and our God is good.

Therefore the LORD waits to be gracious to you, and therefore he exalts himself to show mercy to you. For the LORD is a God of justice; blessed are all those who wait for him.

(Isaiah 30:18 ESV) 

I believe that I shall look upon the goodness of the LORD in the land of the living! Wait for the LORD; be strong, and let your heart take courage; wait for the LORD!

(Psalm 27:13-14 ESV)

[13] For when God made a promise to Abraham, since he had no one greater by whom to swear, he swore by himself, [14] saying, “Surely I will bless you and multiply you.” [15] And thus Abraham, having patiently waited, obtained the promise. [16] For people swear by something greater than themselves, and in all their disputes an oath is final for confirmation. [17] So when God desired to show more convincingly to the heirs of the promise the unchangeable character of his purpose, he guaranteed it with an oath, [18] so that by two unchangeable things, in which it is impossible for God to lie, we who have fled for refuge might have strong encouragement to hold fast to the hope set before us. [19] We have this as a sure and steadfast anchor of the soul, a hope that enters into the inner place behind the curtain, [20] where Jesus has gone as a forerunner on our behalf, having become a high priest forever after the order of Melchizedek.

(Hebrews 6:13-20 ESV)

Still, Waiting: Revelations of Jot and Tittle

I lay in bed, endeavouring to go to sleep, when suddenly I had a revelation:

I must not think of myself self-pityingly as “still waiting” (sigh), but rather must be still, waiting. This is the direct command of God:

Be still, and know that I am God. (Ps. 46:10a)
Wait on the Lord; be of good courage, and he shall strengthen thine heart: wait, I say, on the Lord. (Ps. 27:14)

The difference between “still waiting” and “still, waiting” (besides the sigh) is one tiny comma, yet it makes all the difference to the state of my heart. The first action is being still. Instead of running around frantically looking for a husband because “I’m getting older and I’m all alone and all my friends are getting married, etc.” I must place myself in a place of resting on the Lord. To the inaction of being still is added the command, “and know that I am God.” It is not “Be still. Know I am God.” But “Be still, and know that I am God.” The conjunction “and” joins these two things together–they are coupled–stillness is necessary to know God. We must commune with Him in the stillness of our hearts. This means that our hearts must be emptied of the outside world, of our petty idols, “things,” so that we have space to worship.

The first word “still” is in company (not joined) with another word, “waiting”. The words are divided by a comma, they are not a phrase, but two separate words. Waiting in the Lord is not the anxious waiting of an expectant father in the hospital, pacing down the halls, wondering when, if ever, the contractions will be over and his wife wheeled down to the delivery room to birth their child; rather, it is,

“Steadfastness, that is holding on;
patience, that is holding back;
expectancy, that is holding the face up;
obedience, that is holding one’s self in readiness to go or do;
listening, that is holding quiet and still so as to hear.”
(S.D. Gordon from Quiet Talks on Prayer as quoted by Elisabeth Elliot in Passion and Purity)

Steadfastness is perseverance in the face of trial or inaction. Patience is withstanding the temptation to help God along (like Abraham, like Rebecca). Expectancy is hope and confidence that the thing desired will be given and faith that God answers prayer. Obedience is not merely adhering to “Thou shalt not,” but also the willingness to answer “Yes, Lord” to the “Thou shalt”‘s. Listening is silence of the heart under the shadow of God’s wing, and includes being “still”, but it is being still “so as to hear”. We cannot hear God’s still, small voice if we keep banging on pots and pans, trying to get His attention. We must cut out the racket and be still, wait for Him to answer us. But we do not have to do it alone, for the psalmist confesses in the rest of Ps. 27:14, “be of good courage, and he shall strengthen thy heart.” God gives us strength to do His will. But He is also a God who rewards faith in Him, as Jeremiah testifies,

The Lord is good unto them that wait for him, to the soul that seeketh him. (Lamentations 3:25)

Christ Himself promises that “…all things, whatsoever ye shall ask in prayer, believing, ye shall receive.”(Matt 21:22)

I ask for Christ-centred stillness and silent waiting on His will.