July 23
This week’s additional quotes from John MacArthur’s book that I have used in my sermons includes one that I read for you during the message. Prayer is not something you do once a day or at a specific time of day, but a 24/7 time with God. Here is what I read and you can feel free to look up the scripture reference. If you do not have a Bible app, you can download a great one by clicking on the links icon in the main menu.
“At a pastors’ conference I attended some years ago, one man preached on the subject of morning prayer. To support his point, he read various passages that show people praying in the morning. As he did, I looked up all the Scriptures that show people praying three times a day (Dan. 6:10), in the evening (1 Kings 18:36), before meals (Matt. 14:19), after meals (Deut. 8:10), at the ninth hour (3 P.M.; Acts 3:1), at bedtime (Ps. 4:4), at midnight (Acts 16:25), day and night (Luke 2:37; 18:7), often (Luke 5:33), when they’re young (Jer. 3:4), when they’re old (Dan. 9:2–19), when they’re in trouble (2 Kings 19:3–4), every day (Ps. 86:3), and always (Luke 18:1; 1 Thes. 5:17).
Prayer is fitting at any time, in any posture, in any place, under any circumstance, and in any attire. It is to be a total way of life—an open and continual communion with God. After having embraced all the infinite resources that are yours in Christ, don’t ever think you’re no longer dependent on the moment by moment power of God.”MacArthur, J. F., Jr. (1995). Alone with God (pp. 19–20). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.
Prayer is fitting at any time, in any posture, in any place, under any circumstance, and in any attire. It is to be a total way of life—an open and continual communion with God. After having embraced all the infinite resources that are yours in Christ, don’t ever think you’re no longer dependent on the moment by moment power of God.”MacArthur, J. F., Jr. (1995). Alone with God (pp. 19–20). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.
Here is another quote I like about what our daily bread is and more importantly, where it comes from.
“Our life, breath, health, possessions, talents, and opportunities all originate from resources God has created and made available to man. Everything we have is from God: It is He who brings the rain to make things grow, causes the seasons to change, produces the minerals that make the soil fertile, provides the natural resources we use to propel ourselves around, and provides the animals and plants from which we make our clothing and food. Our daily bread—the necessities of physical life—are all from God.”
MacArthur, J. F., Jr. (1995). Alone with God (p. 91). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.
Think about these things this week and come next Sunday to hear part 4 of the Mystery of Unanswered Prayer.
Devotionals
I have been reading the book Alone with God by John MacArthur Jr. for my sermons on Sunday. But there is much more in this book than I can fit into the sermon each week. Plus there is a lot of material that does not fit my focus on “Unanswered prayers.” So I thought that I would add some additional quotes from his book about prayer.
This last weekend I spoke on God’s will verses our will.
“Prayer begins and ends not with the needs of man but with the glory of God (John 14:13). It should be concerned primarily with who God is, what He wants, and how He can be glorified. Those who teach otherwise are not preoccupied with the extension of Christ’s kingdom or the glory of God’s name but with the enlargement of their own empire and the fulfillment of their own selfish desires. Such teaching attacks the heart of Christian truth—the very character of God. (MacArthur, J. F., Jr. (1995). Alone with God (pp. 43–44). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.)
We have been using the Lord’s Prayer as a guide to understanding unanswered prayer. MacArthur says this about the Lord’s prayer that is always useful when teaching about it.
“This prayer, often called the “Lord’s Prayer,” when it could more accurately be titled the “Disciples’ Prayer,” is not a set group of words to repeat. When Christ said to “pray, then, in this way,” He didn’t mean pray with these exact words. His intention was to give them a pattern for the structure of their own prayers, especially since He had just warned them of the dangers of meaningless repetition. That doesn’t mean you shouldn’t recite it, as we do with so many passages in Scripture. Memorizing it is actually helpful so you can meditate on its truths as you formulate your own thoughts. The prayer is mainly a model we can use to give direction to our own praise, adoration, and petitions. It is not a substitute for our own prayers but a guide for them. (Ibid p. 45).
Think about these things this next week and join us next Sunday for part 3 of the Mystery of Unanswered Prayer. You can join us live at Groveland Missionary Church or download the message on our website https://www.grovelandmc.org/media