Monday, October 18, 2010

Unanswered Prayer Requests; Denied or Postponed

Moses had two denied prayer requests; The first is found in Exodus 33:18, “Please show me Your glory.” And the second is found in Deuteronomy 3:23-28 when Moses asked the LORD to allow him to go into the promised land. Both of these requests were denied; but with a provision.

In Exodus God allowed Moses to see the after-glow of His glory, His back. And in the second case, God told Moses he was not allowed to set foot in the promised land but he would be allowed to see it from a distance, from Mt. Pisgah.

Sometimes God does not give us what we ask for because He loves us and He knows the thing would harm us. But other requests are denied because of timing; in other words, they are not denied but postponed for a later date. In either case, we must trust God with the answers to our requests. He knows what we need and we know that He loves us more than we can image.

Both of these requests of Moses were answered in Luke 9:28-36, on the Mount of Transfiguration. Moses got to see the fullness of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ while standing in the promised land. God answered his request beyond what he could have imagined when he originally asked.
What are you asking God for? Does it seem as though He has denied your request? Don’t be discouraged. God loves you and will answer with you in mind because He loves you. When the answer comes it will be beyond your request… more than you can imagine beyond your request! Ephesians 3:20-21.
Bubba Stahl

Monday, October 11, 2010

Goodness and Mercy are Following Me

Psalm 23 concludes with the familiar words, “Surely goodness and mercy will follow me all the days of my life and I will dwell in the house of the LORD forever.” When we follow the Good Shepherd, Jesus Christ, there will be times when He leads us to look back, and to look ahead. In 28 years of pastoral ministry I have found that most people struggle with these two “areas,” their past and their future.

Some look back with regret, others look back longing to go back (”remember Lot’s wife” Luke 17:32), still others cannot get over the pain from an event in their past. But Jesus leads us to look back and see the fruit of His Spirit that has been planted all along the way, His activity in our past which is both good and merciful.

As for the future, so many look ahead with fear, with doubt, with worry, with dreams of their own apart from God’s plan for their life. But Jesus leads us to see that what we have to look forward to is more of the same (verses 1-5) of His provision, His guidance, His abundance, His healing,…His love. He wants us to see the Father’s House, our home, is where we are headed with Him. And He will lead us there…He came from there…He alone knows the way…He is the way.
Bubba Stahl

Tuesday, October 5, 2010

Desert Hospitality; Psalm 23:5

In Psalm 23 we see a picture of our lives on this earth, nomadic, and the Good Shepherd, Jesus Christ, who leads us through with an abundance. In verse 5 there is an emphasis upon the gracious hospitality of the Shepherd.

Shepherds lived their lives in the open field. Their homes were tents. They were Bedouins. For travelers crossing the desert the shepherds were like a moving oasis. Hospitality in the Bible is huge because this world is not what God created it to be. It has been infected with sin and death. There are dangers at every turn. We are travelers and in need of a gracious host for our journey. Verse 5 describes the most gracious Shepherd host there is, the Good Shepherd, Jesus Christ.

He prepares a table of much needed nourishment, with howling wolves just outside. This is a picture of the Bible and the strength that God’s Word gives us on our journey.  He welcomes us into His dwelling with the luxuries of fragrant oil for our head, hands, and feet. This is a picture of the Holy Spirit and His ministry in our lives of lingering wisdom, holy power and skill for our hands, and clear direction for our feet. He fills your cup with a generous overflow of the most precious and scarce commodity in the desert, water. This is a picture of God’s abundance of all we need, more than we need, in this pilgrimage we are on.

Where are you right now in your journey? Is the Lord your gracious host? Are you with Him? We often pray, “Lord, be with me,” but maybe we should ask, “Am I with Him?” Let Christ take care of you today.
Bubba Stahl