Personal Revival: Scriptures, Prayers & Seeking

There are many goals people may have for vacations: time to forget about work, time to dial down and relax, time to reunite with family and friends, time to get back in shape, sun & fun, et cetera... It may even be to complete a holy work like go plant a church or provide medical assistance to a third world country... All these are fine and good, but as it's often been said, "The Good is the enemy of The Best."









We remember when Martha tried to tattle-tale on Mary to Jesus for not doing her part -- Jesus in turn rebuked Martha! But why? Because "Mary has chosen THE BEST PART" and He promised "it shall not be taken away from her" (Luke 10:42) DRB, other versions "the choice part, the better part, the better portion, the better lot and made the right choice."









If our goal is to use our absolute "free time" (which we actually really only have while on vacation) to grow closer to God, then we have to remember the Words of The Writer of Hebrews, that "without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who draws near to Him must believe that He exists and that He rewards those who earnestly seek Him" (Hen 11:6). Other translations say "diligently seek Him." In other words, "God is not found by the casual inquirer..."









We may have heard (John Piper) quote the Reformer who said, "the the human heart is a manufacturer of idols." That statement is true, for Jesus warns, "That the desire for other things choked out the Word of God" (Mark 4:19).









Job is told a only a few true words from his three misguided friends over the course of the 26 chapters of rebuke and counter rebuke (not counting the true words of The Prophet, Elihu), but one of the most beautiful and apt saying in Scripture is uttered by Eliphaz:









21"Yield now and be at peace with Him;



Thereby good will come to you.



22"Please receive instruction from His mouth



And establish His words in your heart.



23"If you return to the Almighty, you will be restored;



If you remove unrighteousness far from your tent,



24And place your gold in the dust,



And the gold of Ophir among the stones of the brooks,



25Then the Almighty will be your gold



And choice silver to you.



26"For then you will delight in the Almighty



And lift up your face to God.



27"You will pray to Him, and He will hear you;



And you will pay your vows.



28"You will also decree a thing, and it will be established for you;



And light will shine on your ways.



29"When you are cast down, you will speak with confidence,



And the humble person He will save.



30"He will deliver one who is not innocent,



And he will be delivered through the cleanness of your hands."







This is in accord with the rest of the Scriptures, it is the idea of drawing away, as Jesus did in the mornings recorded clearly in Luke, to be alone with God, and during other times after high levels of spiritual activity, to in the proper sense that it was Good to Remember that while Jesus was still God, it was proper for Him to remember that "The Father is Greater than I" in terms of Honor as it is fitting a Son give preference to His Father... This would happen in Jesus' times alone and happens in our times alone, too. It is enough for a disciple to become like his teacher (Matt 10:25). One day we shall be like Him (Phil 3:21; 1 John 3:1-3). Until then, He just "rubs off" on us : )









"Sow for yourselves righteousness; reap steadfast love; break up your fallow ground, for it is the time to seek the LORD, that he may come and rain righteousness upon you (Hos 10:12).









My prayer during vacation is Scriptural, and therefore I ask the Holy Spirit to endorse it...









I ask for a blessed trip, grace to intercede, study the Word with wisdom and revelation (Eph 1:17) and for "the knowledge of salvation through forgiveness of sins" (Luke 1:77), for "repentance and rest, and "strength from quietness and trust" (Isaiah 30:15) "repenting and returning so times of refreshing may come from the Presence of the Lord" (Acts 3:19).









I ask I may "secure undistracted devotion to The Lord" (1 Cor 7:35), I specifically request minimal to zero conversations for the first few hours of the day and at other times "when the Lord says unto me, 'seek my face'" while on vacation, "so my heart may respond with the Words, "'Thy face, O Lord, shall I seek'" (Ps 27:8). I ask for intermittent times to "refresh myself in the Lord" (1 Sam 30:6). I pray "The Lord would station cherubim and the flaming sword which turn in every direction to guard" (my time with) "the Tree of Life" (Gen 3:24), which is Jesus, for "in him is Life, and that Life is the Light of Men" (John 1:4; John 14:6). I also ask for protection over my jobs and my vehicles while I "seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness" (Matt 6:33), in Jesus' Name.









"Therefore, thus says the LORD, "If you return, then I will restore you-- Before Me you will stand; And if you extract the precious from the vile, You will become My spokesman. They for their part may turn to you, But as for you, you must not turn to them. Then I will make you to this people a fortified wall of bronze; And though they fight against you, They will not prevail over you; For I am with you to save you and deliver you," declares The LORD" (Jer 15:19-20).

 

[Matthew01]

Amen!

 

[Intercessor]

I ask again for wisdom and revelation from study of the Scriptures, to dig into the original languages and for uninterrupted quiet times: Jesus would go off early in the morning to a secluded place to pray is recorded more than twice in Luke... Also after the feeding of the multitude in John 6, Amen.