HERE WE ARE...WHAT NOW?  WHAT'S NEXT?

Rev. Lon Lorton

May 24, 2020

Jeremiah 29:11-14

In uncertain times we look for people with answers.

• In whom do we place our trust?

1.  We trust God's Word over man's opinion.

• Jeremiah 29:8-9
• 2 Timothy 4:3-4
• John 16:33

2.  We don't let fears about the future keep us from living in the present.

• Jeremiah 29:4-6
• Matthew 6:34

3.  We stop struggling to control the future and surrender to Christ's care and control.

• Jeremiah 29:12-13

4.  We shift from being reactive to being proactive.

• Hebrews 10:24-25

 

“…Lord, teach us to pray…”  Luke 11:1

In “My Utmost for His Highest,” Oswald Chambers said, “We look upon prayer as a means of getting things for ourselves; the Bible’s idea of prayer is that we may get to know God Himself.”  Prayer is a way to connect with the heart of God and get our lives in line with His purposes for us.  Billy Graham said that “prayer is the rope that pulls God and man together.  But it doesn’t pull God down to us; it pulls us up to Him.”

Our prayers give the Holy Spirit the opportunity to speak to our hearts and show us the ways and purposes, and even the nature of God Himself.  Just as it is with anyone in whom we are willing to invest our time, we become more intimately identified with God and get to know Him better.

I find it interesting that the disciples asked Jesus to teach them to pray, not just how to pray.  It seems like we spend a lot of time learning about prayer, rather than just praying.