Restoration 1 Peter 5:10-11 2 Corinthians 4:16-18 Psalms 23:1-3 Psalms 51:12 Psalms 85:6-8 Isaiah 57:15 Psalms 42:11 Psalms 51:10-12 Isaiah 40:28-31 Psalms 80:3 Lamentations 5:21 Psalms 145:13-20 Psalms 103:17-18 04.29.19

RESTORATION

BREAD

¹⁰ And the God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will himself restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast.
¹¹ To him be the power for ever and ever. Amen.   1 Peter 5:10-11 (NIV)

¹⁶ Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. ¹⁷ For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. ¹⁸ So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.  2 Corinthians 4:16-18 (NIV)

¹ The LORD is my shepherd, I shall not be in want. ² He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside quiet waters, ³ he restores my soul. He guides me in paths of righteousness for his name's sake.   Psalm 23:1-3 (NIV)

¹² Restore to me the joy of your salvation and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me.

Psalm 51:12 (NIV)

   

⁶ Will you not revive us again, that your people may rejoice in you? ⁷ Show us your unfailing love, O LORD, and grant us your salvation. ⁸ I will listen to what God the LORD will say; he promises peace to his people, his saints-- but let them not return to folly.  Psalm 85:6-8 (NIV)

¹⁵ For this is what the high and lofty One says-- he who lives forever, whose name is holy: “I live in a high and holy place, but also with him who is contrite and lowly in spirit, to revive the spirit of the lowly and to revive the heart of the contrite.”  Isaiah 57:15 (NIV)

¹¹ Why are you downcast, O my soul? Why so disturbed within me? Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise him, my Savior and my God.  Psalm 42:11 (NIV)

¹⁰ Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me. ¹¹ Do not cast me from your presence or take your Holy Spirit from me. ¹² Restore to me the joy of your salvation and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me.   Psalm 51:10-12 (NIV)

²⁸ Do you not know? Have you not heard? The LORD is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He will not grow tired or weary, and his understanding no one can fathom. ²⁹ He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak. ³⁰ Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall; ³¹ but those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.  Isaiah 40:28-31 (NIV)

³ Restore us, O God; make your face shine upon us, that we may be saved. Psalm 80:3 (NIV)

²¹ Restore us to yourself, O LORD, that we may return; renew our days as of old. Lamentations 5:21 (NIV)

¹³ Your kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and your dominion endures through all generations. The LORD is faithful to all his promises and loving toward all he has made.
¹⁴ The LORD upholds all those who fall and lifts up all who are bowed down. ¹⁵ The eyes of all look to you, and you give them their food at the proper time. ¹⁶ You open your hand and satisfy the desires of every living thing. ¹⁷ The LORD is righteous in all his ways and loving toward all he has made. ¹⁸ The LORD is near to all who call on him, to all who call on him in truth. ¹⁹ He fulfills the desires of those who fear him; he hears their cry and saves them. ²⁰ The LORD watches over all who love him, but all the wicked he will destroy. Psalm 145:13-20 (NIV)

¹⁷ But from everlasting to everlasting the LORD's love is with those who fear him, and his righteousness with their children's children-- ¹⁸ with those who keep his covenant and remember to obey his precepts.  Psalm 103:17-18 (NIV)

BUTTER

“Our God is a God who not merely restores, but takes up our mistakes and follies into His plan for us and brings good out of them.”   J.I. Packer

“God only despises those who are arrogant and haughty -- those who are proud and are never willing to humble themselves and confess their sins. Those who have made a habit of rationalizing their sin, of explaining away their sin, of justifying their sin, will not experience restoration.  But God loves to forgive and restore a repentant sinner. God loves to use those who are truly brokenhearted and contrite. God loves to use them in a unique way.”   Michael Youssef

“Why was Job born? He was born for the same reason Adam was created. He was born for the same reason the earth was created. He was born, in part, for the same reason Christ was born and suffered and was crucified. We all exist to glorify God. On the Day of Judgement, when the mangled, burned, corrupted, and crucified limbs of God’s faithful are resurrected and made new, and when voices that died crying in pain are restored singing in praise, even Satan himself will bow in submission to the Lord who deserves all praise.  This life is no simple matter of little lives living private dramas. We are, since Eden’s loss, united in celestial warfare with eternal consequences. We were born to stand; we are armed to fight.  The good news is just that, through faith in Christ, we were born to win.”    Frances Poston Bennett   

“Nothing is beyond God’s capacity, ability, or desire to redeem, restore, and reconcile.”   Deidra Riggs

“O love that wilt not let me go, I rest my weary soul in Thee.  I give Thee back the life I owe, that in Thine ocean depths its flow, may richer fuller be.  O light that followest all my way, I yield my flickering torch to Thee.  My heart restores its borrowed ray, that in thy sunshine’s blaze its day, may brighter fairer be.  O joy that seekest me through pain, I cannot close my heart to Thee.  I trace the rainbow through the rain, and feel the promise is not vain, that morn shall tearless be.  O cross that liftest up my head, I dare not ask to fly from Thee.  I lay in dust life’s glory dead, and from the ground there blossoms red, life that shall endless be.”   George Matheson

“When a believer has fallen into a low, sad state of feeling, he often tries to lift himself out of it by chastening himself with dark and doleful fears. Such is not the way to rise from the dust, but to continue in it. It is not the law, but the gospel which saves the seeking soul at first; and it is not a legal bondage, but gospel liberty which can restore the fainting believer afterwards. Slavish fear brings not back the backslider to God, but the sweet wooings of love allure him to Jesus' bosom…Whatever good quality there is in divine grace, you shall enjoy it to the full. All the riches of divine grace you shall receive in plenty; you shall be as it were drenched with it: and as sometimes the meadows become flooded by the bursting rivers, and the fields are turned into pools, so shall you be--the thirsty land shall be springs of water.”  Charles Spurgeon

“He was the most balanced and perhaps the most beloved being ever to enter the society of men.  Though born amid most disgusting surroundings, the member of a modest working family, He bore Himself always with great dignity and assurance.  Though He enjoyed no special advantages as a child, either in education or employment, His entire philosophy and outlook on life were the highest standards of human conduct ever set before mankind.  Though He had no vast economic assets, political power or military might, no other person ever made such an enormous impact on the world’s history.  Because of Him……..people have come into a life of decency and honor and noble conduct………He came to set men free from their own sins, their own selves, their own fears.  Those so liberated loved Him with fierce loyalty.  It is this One who insists that He was the Good Shepherd, the understanding Shepherd, the concerned Shepherd who cares enough to seek out and save and restore lost men and women.”   Phillip Keller

“If He be God, there can be no limit to His power.  Come then with the blind eye of darkened understanding, come with the limping foot of wasted energy, come with the maimed hand of weak faith, the fever of an angry temper, or the ague of shivering despondency, come just as thou art, for He who is God can certainly restore thee of thy plague.  None shall restrain the healing virtue which proceeds from Jesus our Lord.”  Charles H. Spurgeon 

“Rescue the perishing, Care for the dying, Snatch them in pity from sin and the grave; Weep o’er the erring one, Lift up the fallen, Tell them of Jesus the mighty to save.   Though they are slighting Him, Still He is waiting, Waiting the penitent child to receive; Plead with them earnestly, Plead with them gently; He will forgive if they only believe.  Down in the human heart, Crushed by the tempter, Feelings lie buried that grace can restore; Touched by a loving heart, Wakened by kindness, Chords that are broken will vibrate once more.  Rescue the perishing, Duty demands it; Strength for thy labor the Lord will provide; Back to the narrow way, Patiently win them; Tell the poor wand’rer a Savior has died. Rescue the perishing, Care for the dying; Jesus is merciful, Jesus will save.”  Fanny Crosby

“We need solid footing outside ourselves to persevere. When we feel the temptation to weariness, we have somewhere to turn — Someone to turn to — for clarity and direction and strength. We are not left to drum it up from within. We know the one who does not faint or grow weary.”   David Mathis

HEART SAVOR

·         God is the Great Restorer of all things.  He is the Master of making beauty out of our ashes.

·         We all need restoration – we are all flawed flesh - run to Him for it.

·          He graciously renews those who come to Him day by day by day.

An Ever Present Help Psalms 46:1-11 Psalms 9:9-10 Psalms 73:23-26 Psalms 91:1-2 Psalms 91:14-16 Exodus 14:14 Hebrews 13:5-6 Psalms 121:1-8 04.26.19

AN EVER PRESENT HELP

BREAD

¹ God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble. ² Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea, ³ though its waters roar and foam and the mountains quake with their surging. Selah ⁴ There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God, the holy place where the Most High dwells.
⁵ God is within her, she will not fall; God will help her at break of day. ⁶ Nations are in uproar, kingdoms fall; he lifts his voice, the earth melts. ⁷ The LORD Almighty is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress. Selah ⁸ Come and see the works of the LORD, the desolations he has brought on the earth. ⁹ He makes wars cease to the ends of the earth; he breaks the bow and shatters the spear, he burns the shields with fire. ¹⁰ “Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth.” ¹¹ The LORD Almighty is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress. Selah  Psalm 46:1-11 (NIV)

⁹ The LORD is a refuge for the oppressed, a stronghold in times of trouble. ¹⁰ Those who know your name will trust in you, for you, LORD, have never forsaken those who seek you. Psalm 9:9-10 (NIV)

²³ Yet I am always with you; you hold me by my right hand. ²⁴ You guide me with your counsel, and afterward you will take me into glory. ²⁵ Whom have I in heaven but you? And earth has nothing I desire besides you. ²⁶ My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.   Psalm 73:23-26 (NIV)

¹ He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty. ² I will say of the LORD, “He is my refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust.” Psalm 91:1-2 (NIV)

¹⁴ “Because he loves me,” says the LORD, “I will rescue him; I will protect him, for he acknowledges my name. ¹⁵ He will call upon me, and I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble, I will deliver him and honor him. ¹⁶ With long life will I satisfy him and show him my salvation.”   Psalm 91:14-16 (NIV)

¹⁴ “The LORD will fight for you; you need only to be still.”   Exodus 14:14 (NIV)

⁵ Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, because God has said, “Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.” ⁶ So we say with confidence, “The Lord is my helper; I will not be afraid. What can man do to me?” Hebrews 13:5-6 (NIV)

¹ I lift up my eyes to the hills-- where does my help come from? ² My help comes from the LORD, the Maker of heaven and earth. ³ He will not let your foot slip-- he who watches over you will not slumber; ⁴ indeed, he who watches over Israel will neither slumber nor sleep. ⁵ The LORD watches over you-- the LORD is your shade at your right hand;
⁶ the sun will not harm you by day, nor the moon by night. ⁷ The LORD will keep you from all harm-- he will watch over your life; ⁸ the LORD will watch over your coming and going both now and forevermore.   Psalm 121:1-8 (NIV)

BUTTER

“‘On whom dost thou trust?’ We can answer boldly, ‘We trust in him whose power will never be exhausted, whose love will never cease, whose kindness will never change, whose faithfulness will never be sullied, whose wisdom will never be nonplussed, and whose perfect goodness never can know a diminution.’”  Charles H. Spurgeon

“The work of a true convert is not done. He (and she) finds a great work to do and great wants to be supplied. He (and she) still sees himself/herself to be a poor, empty, helpless creature who still stands in great and continual need of God’s help.  He/she well knows that without God he/she can do nothing. After a true conversion, the soul is increasingly aware of its own impotence and emptiness. It is still aware of its universal dependence on God for everything. A true convert is aware that his grace is very imperfect and that he/she is very far from having all that he/she desires.  Through conversion, new desires are produced in him/her that he/she never had before…So he/she still has plenty of business at the throne of grace: if fact, his/her business there increases rather than diminishes.”  Jonathan Edwards

“We need to keep reminding ourselves that without the Lord we can do nothing. It needs to become a habit of mind with each of us to tell the Lord as we tackle each task, ‘I can’t do this without your help, please help me’, and then to expect to be helped because we have admitted our helplessness, given up self-reliance and are now looking to Him.”    J. I. Packer

“This morning let us hear the Lord Jesus speak to each one of us: ‘I will help thee’.  ‘It is but a small thing for Me, thy God, to help thee.  Consider what I have done already.  What!  Not help thee?  Why, I bought thee with My blood.  What!  Not help thee?  I have died for thee; and if I have done the greater, will I not do the less?  Help thee!  It is the least thing I will ever do for thee; I have done more, and will do more.  Before the world began I chose thee.  I made the covenant for thee.  I laid aside My glory and became a man for thee; I gave My life for thee; and if I did all this, I will surely help thee now.  In helping thee, I am giving thee what I have bought for thee already.  If thou hadst need of a thousand times as much help, I would give it thee; thou requirest little compared with what I am ready to give.  ‘Tis much for thee to need, but it is nothing for me to bestow.  “Help thee?”  Fear not!  If there were an ant at the door of thy granary asking for help, it would not ruin thee to give him a handful of thy wheat; and thou art nothing but a tiny insect at the door of my all sufficiency.  “I will help thee”.’  O my soul, is not this enough?  Dost thou need more strength than the omnipotence of the United Trinity?  Dost thou want more wisdom than exists in the Father, more love than displays itself in the Son, or more power than is manifest in the influences of the Spirit?  Bring hither thine empty pitcher!  Surely this well will fill it.  Haste, gather up thy wants, and bring them there – thine emptiness, thy woes, thy needs.  Behold, this river of God is full for thy supply; what canst thou desire beside?  Go forth, my soul, in this thy might.  The Eternal God is thine helper!”  C. H. Spurgeon    

“The Holy Spirit is the Comforter, the Helper, the Guide, the very presence of God living in you. The great promise of God in prayer is this: We ask God for the gift- He gives us the Giver. We ask God for the supply and He gives us the Source. We ask God for the money and He doesn't give us cash; instead, so to speak, He gives us the bank...He delights in giving us Himself....The resources of heaven are ready and waiting for the people of God who desire to make much of him in this world.”  David Platt

“A special faith in our Lord Jesus Christ’s person, work and office is the life, heart and mainspring of the Christian character.  He sees by faith and unseen Saviour, who loved him, gave Himself for him, paid his debts for him, bore his sins, carried his transgressions, rose again for him, and appears in heaven for him as his Advocate at the right hand of God.  He sees Jesus and clings to Him…..He sees his own many sins, his weak heart, a tempting world, a busy devil; and if he looked only at them, he might well despair.  But he sees also a mighty Saviour, an interceding Saviour, a sympathizing Saviour—His blood…..His righteousness, His everlasting priesthood—and he believes that all this is his own.  He sees Jesus and casts his whole weight on Him.  Seeing Him, he cheerfully fights on, with a full confidence that he will prove more than conqueror through Him that loved him…Habitual lively faith in Christ’s presence and readiness to help is the secret of the Christian fighting successfully.”  J C Ryle, Holiness

“On Him then reckon, to Him look, on Him depend:  and be assured that if you walk with Him, look to Him and expect help from Him, He will never fail you.  An older brother, who has known the Lord for forty-four years, who writes this, says for your encouragement that He has never failed him.  In the greatest difficulties, in the heaviest trials, in the deepest poverty and necessities, He has never failed me; but because I was enabled by His grace to trust in Him, He has always appeared for my help.  I delight in speaking well of His Name.”   George Mueller  

“Jesus!  What a friend for sinners!  Jesus lover of my soul!  Friends may fail me, foes assail me; He, my Savior, makes me whole.  Hallelujah!  What a Savior!  Hallelujah!  What a Friend!  Saving, helping, keeping, loving, He is with me to the end.  Jesus!  What a strength in weakness!  Let me hide myself in Him; Tempted tried and sometimes failing, He, my strength my victory wins.  Hallelujah!  What a Savior!  Hallelujah!  What a Friend!  Saving, helping, keeping, loving, He is with me to the end.  Jesus!  What a help in sorrow!  While the billows o’er me roll, Even when my heart is breaking, He, my Comfort helps my soul.  Hallelujah!  What a Savior!  Hallelujah!  What a Friend!  Saving, helping, keeping, loving, He is with me to the end.”   J. Wilbur Chapman 

“It is impossible for that man to despair who remembers that his Helper is omnipotent.”   Jeremy Taylor

“What we feed our minds and hearts on will determine whether we live a life of faith or a life of fear. …The more time we spend with God and His Word, the more our faith develops and our fear diminishes….Faith in God conquers fear every time. The God who has redeemed us and cares for us is trustworthy. Our Creator God will never abandon us, and He has our best interests at heart. ‘God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea, though its waters roar and foam and the mountains quake with their surging’(Psalm 46:1-3).”   Michael Youssef

“Christ sometimes delays His help that He may try our faith and quicken our prayers.  The boat may be covered with the waves, and He sleeps on; but He will wake up before it sinks.  He sleeps, but He never oversleeps; and there are no ‘too lates’ with Him.”   Alexander Maclaren

“Assurance grows by repeated conflict…When we have been brought very low and helped, sorely wounded and healed, cast down and raised again…and when these things have been repeated to us and in us a thousand times over, we begin to learn to trust simply to the word and power of God.”   John Newton

“Nowhere does the Bible teach that Christians are exempt from tribulation and natural disaster…But the Bible does teach that we can face trials with a power others do not have – the power of God.  As we trust Him, God helps us endure, and even discern His purposes in the midst of suffering…The eagle has the unique ability to lock its joints and soar effortlessly on an updraft, instead of flapping its wings.  As we wait on God, He helps us use the winds of adversity to soar above our problems.  As the Bible says, ‘Those who wait on the Lord…shall mount up with wings like eagles’ (Isaiah 40:31).”   Billy Graham

“He is near to the broken, He is close to the weary of heart.  In His Name is a refuge, Safety for the weak and discarded.  There is help for the hopeless, For the wounded in need.  In the presence of Jesus, There is power unleashed.  Call upon the Name of the Lord, He’s our Defender, our Deliverer.  A Shelter in the midst of the storm, Jesus, our Savior, He is King over all the earth.  I will sing of my Redeemer, Testify to the touch of His hand, Lifted me from disaster, Set my feet on a solid rock to stand.  God is our Refuge, our Strength and Salvation, A Mighty Fortress is the Lord Almighty.  There is no equal, no power beside Him.  Forever our Champion is the Lord our God.  Our Savior, He is King over all the earth.”    Lyrics to Defender (Call Upon The Name Of The Lord)

“Courage for the Christian is simply doing the next right thing through the indwelling power of the Holy Spirit and leaving the results in God’s loving hands.  He is always faithful to give the grace sufficient to meet each need as we need it.  Courage is faith in action – not faith in ourselves but faith in Him.”   BHY

“God’s work done in God’s way will never lack God’s supply.”  Hudson Taylor

HEART SAVOR

• ·         God is our refuge and strength – a solid Rock on which to stand.
• ·         He is ever close to the weary of heart.
• ·         Our Lord will never leave us nor forsake us.

Attentive To The Prayers Of The Righteous 1 Peter 3:12 Psalms 34:15-18 1 Chronicles 5:20 2 Corinthians 1:8-11 Romans 12:12 Psalms 6:9 Psalms 66:16-20 Proverbs 15:29 Hebrews 5:7-10 Hebrews 4:14-16 1 Peter 4:7 04.24.19

ATTENTIVE TO THE PRAYERS OF THE RIGHTEOUS

BREAD

¹²  For the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous and his ears are attentive to their prayer, but the face of the Lord is against those who do evil.   1 Peter 3:12 (NIV)

¹⁵ The eyes of the LORD are on the righteous and his ears are attentive to their cry;
¹⁶ the face of the LORD is against those who do evil, to cut off the memory of them from the earth. ¹⁷ The righteous cry out, and the LORD hears them; he delivers them from all their troubles. ¹⁸ The LORD is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit.  Psalm 34:15-18 (NIV)

²⁰ They were helped in fighting them, and God handed the Hagrites and all their allies over to them, because they cried out to him during the battle. He answered their prayers, because they trusted in him.  1 Chronicles 5:20 (NIV)

⁸ We do not want you to be uninformed, brothers, about the hardships we suffered in the province of Asia. We were under great pressure, far beyond our ability to endure, so that we despaired even of life. ⁹ Indeed, in our hearts we felt the sentence of death. But this happened that we might not rely on ourselves but on God, who raises the dead. ¹⁰ He has delivered us from such a deadly peril, and he will deliver us. On him we have set our hope that he will continue to deliver us, ¹¹ as you help us by your prayers. Then many will give thanks on our behalf for the gracious favor granted us in answer to the prayers of many.  2 Corinthians 1:8-11 (NIV)

¹² Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer. Romans 12:12 (NIV)

⁹ The LORD has heard my cry for mercy; the LORD accepts my prayer.  Psalm 6:9 (NIV)

¹⁶ Come and listen, all you who fear God; let me tell you what he has done for me. ¹⁷ I cried out to him with my mouth; his praise was on my tongue. ¹⁸ If I had cherished sin in my heart, the Lord would not have listened; ¹⁹ but God has surely listened and heard my voice in prayer. ²⁰ Praise be to God, who has not rejected my prayer or withheld his love from me!   Psalm 66:16-20 (NIV)
 

²⁹ The LORD is far from the wicked but he hears the prayer of the righteous. Proverbs 15:29 (NIV)

⁷ During the days of Jesus' life on earth, he offered up prayers and petitions with loud cries and tears to the one who could save him from death, and he was heard because of his reverent submission. ⁸ Although he was a son, he learned obedience from what he suffered
⁹ and, once made perfect, he became the source of eternal salvation for all who obey him
¹⁰ and was designated by God to be high priest in the order of Melchizedek.  Hebrews 5:7-10 (NIV)

¹⁴ Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has gone through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to the faith we profess. ¹⁵ For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are--yet was without sin. ¹⁶ Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need. Hebrews 4:14-16 (NIV)
 

⁷ The end of all things is near. Therefore be clear minded and self-controlled so that you can pray.  1 Peter 4:7 (NIV)

BUTTER

“All we love is in his hands. He hears our prayers and our tears when there are no words. He counts them as liquid intercession, which is precious to him (Ps. 56:8a). He is our Mighty Warrior and contends with those forces that are contending with us (Isa. 42:13; Ps. 35:1). Sylvia Gunter

“Just as a Momma rushes to the side of her wailing child, the Lord ever harkens His ear to His lamenting ‘sheep’.  He is a ‘with us’ God, staying by our side as we walk through our valleys of Baca (tears) and never leaves us nor forsakes us.  He will either change our circumstances or change us in our circumstances – either way the blessings He bestows as we call out to Him are totally other worldly.  He is the Ultimate Healer of the broken and contrite heart.”   BHY   

“Pleading the promises of God is the whole secret of prayer.”   Martyn Lloyd-Jones 

“Groanings which cannot be uttered are often prayers which cannot be refused.”    Charles H. Spurgeon

“The great tragedy of life is not unanswered prayer but unoffered prayer.”  F. B. Meyer

“The chief purpose of prayer is that God may be glorified in the answer.”    R.A. Torrey   

  

“God loves you as though you are the only person in the world, and He loves everyone the way He loves you.”     Augustine

“In believing prayer, we learn to connect our present troubles to the good and perfect will of God.  We refuse to believe that chance rules our lives.  We withstand the temptation to imagine that God is capricious or malicious.  We know he has a higher purpose and that he is not dealing with us as our sins deserve.  As we bring our troubles to Jesus in prayer—asking his will to be done—we approve the will of our Father in heaven. We see our sufferings in the greater reality of his good, acceptable, and perfect will.  In prayer we “turn crisis to Christ.”  Our heart becomes tuned to his heart and we sing the song of grace.”   Ancient Prayer, John F. Smed 

“There comes a time, in spite of our soft, modern ways, when we must be desperate in prayer, when we must wrestle, when we must be outspoken, shameless and importunate.  Many of the prayers recorded in Scripture are ‘cries,’ and the Hebrew and Greek words are very strong.  Despite opinions to the contrary, the Bible recognizes such a thing as storming heaven- ‘praying through.’  The fervent prayer of a righteous man is mighty in its working.”  Cameron Thompson 

“Grant especially, blessed Lord, that Your church may believe that it is by the power of united prayer that she can bind and loose in heaven, cast out Satan, save souls, remove mountains, and hasten the coming of the kingdom.”   Andrew Murray

“We err when we judge our prayers solely by what we can see happening around us. Prayer is a matter of faith. Prayer is taking God at His word. Prayer is understanding God's promise that if we pray, He will work. And we must keep on praying even when we cannot see what He is doing. We do not see into the world in which God lives, but He definitely sees into ours.”  David Jeremiah  

“The one concern of the devil is to keep Christians from praying. He fears nothing from prayerless studies, prayerless work, and prayerless religion. He laughs at our toil, mocks at our wisdom, but trembles when we pray.”   Samuel Chadwick 

“‘Dost thou want nothing, O poor soul?  Hast thou nothing to ask?  Oh yes!  You say, a great deal.  Well then, draw near to thy gracious King and Bridegroom without fear.  Lo!  He holds out His golden scepter to thee, saying, ‘Only ask:  not the half, but the whole of My kingdom shall be granted; nay, I will give myself unto thee!’  O dear soul, pray, and tell Him everything that is wanting, be it ever so great or ever so small.  His loving-kindness will hear even the least petition; nay, He will seem to be ignorant of what thou dost not tell Him.  But whatever is poured out before Him is actually addressed and lodged in its proper place, and does not lie upon thy heart any longer, but upon His heart, which cannot rest till you are relieved.  And if you have experienced His help aforetime in great or small things, you may depend on His readiness to help you out of troubles hereafter; only be earnest in prayer for His help.  We often imagine we were willing and drawing near to Him, but He was unwilling, and refused our request; but it is not so:  He rather draws us, and desires our relief more than we do; for it is He that works even this willing mind.”     K.H. Von Bogatzky

“Keep bringing your prayers to God. If you think your request is legitimate, keep asking, keep seeking, keep knocking. God wants to teach us through persistent praying to wait on Him and to watch. While we're praying and waiting for God to answer our prayers, do you know what He's doing? He's working on us, conforming us more and more to the image of Christ. And when we're ready, the answer will surely come.”   David Jeremiah

“‘When I get to China,’ I thought to myself, ‘I shall have no claim on anyone for anything.  My only claim will be on God.  How important to learn, before leaving England, to move man, through God, by prayer alone.’”    Hudson Taylor

“And we do well to remember that this gracious God, who has condescended to place His almighty power at the command of believing prayer looks not lightly on the blood guiltiness of those who neglect to avail themselves of it for the benefit of the perishing….”   Hudson Taylor

“The fewer the words, the better the prayer.”   Martin Luther

“God wants us to discover His will. And true praying is not overcoming God’s reluctance; it is taking hold of His willingness. Prayer is not about getting our will in Heaven; it is about getting God’s will on earth.”  Greg Laurie

“I believe the excellence of prayer often consists in its brevity.”   Charles H. Spurgeon

“You know the value of prayer; it is precious beyond all price.  Never, never neglect it.”   Thomas Buxton   

HEART SAVOR

• ·         God’s ear is attentive to the prayers of His children.
• ·         In faithful prayer, God either changes our circumstances or changes us in our circumstances.  And believe me, we want what He wants even if we are unable to   discern the “whys” in what He allows.  His will is good, pleasing and perfect.  God also keeps in perfect peace him whose mind is steadfast because he trusts in Him. Never underestimate God’s love for His children nor His grace sufficient to meet our every need.
• ·         We are to be clear-minded, self-controlled and pray.