Prayer


"As for you, do not pray for this people, or lift up a cry or prayer for them, and do not intercede with me, for I will not hear you. Do you not see what they are doing in the cities of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem? The children gather wood, the fathers kindle fire, and the women knead dough, to make cakes for the queen of heaven. And they pour out drink offerings to other gods, to provoke me to anger. Is it I whom they provoke? declares the Lord. Is it not themselves, to their own shame?"
Jeremiah 7:16-19 (ESV)
 
Beating my head on a rock and praying that I do not get a headache is a waste of time. Praying for something to be blessed that is obviously not of God is foolishness at best. God told Jeremiah not to waste his time praying for a people who are, in essence, beating their heads on a rock.
 
I would not be comfortable telling someone not to pray for someone, yet perhaps I need to reexamine the role of personal responsibility in answered prayer.

https://www.podbean.com/relate365

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Listening to ?????

It seems as if we have minimized the Holy Spirit in the Evangelical community in the United States. We have replaced Him with good things, things that He could use, but things that have indeed replaced Him. Instead of counting on the Spirit of God to lead our leaders we count on the majority. Ministries have studied secular businesses and figured out how they need to operate, and they have replaced the Spirit of God with long range plans, feasibility studies, strategic plans, etc. The individual has replaced the Spirit of God with the plethora of books available on any topic. Psychology seems to be equal to if not more important than God's Spirit, and we place our hope in our doctors, insurances and retirement plans. What would happen if the Spirit of God was trying to get someone to give away their retirement money? Would that individual even be listening, or has the logic of the day replaced the Spirit of the Lord? What if God wants a successful business man or woman to leave h...
Read more

I Must Listen

He said to me, 'It is Solomon your son who shall build my house and my courts, for I have chosen him to be my son, and I will be his father. I will establish his kingdom forever if he continues strong in keeping my commandments and my rules, as he is today.' Now therefore in the sight of all Israel, the assembly of the Lord, and in the hearing of our God, observe and seek out all the commandments of the Lord your God, that you may possess this good land and leave it for an inheritance to your children after you forever. 1 Chronicles 28:6-8 (ESV) God has a plan. We would be foolish to fight it. In fact, those who keep His commandments or obey Him are guaranteed to be in His plan. This does not guarantee that we will live peaceful lives. It guarantees that we will live at peace. It does not mean that we will never experience troubles. It means that we will not be troubled. My responsibility is to listen to God and accept His plan for my life. He made it something I can do. https:...
Read more

Listen

You shall therefore keep my statutes and my rules; if a person does them, he shall live by them: I am the Lord.' Leviticus 18:5   When a person begins to understand that they need not completely understand God to obey God, they begin to understand. This command is more than just a directive for us to observe; it is the key to a meaningful life.   What is being said here is plain and simple. For those who choose to keep the statutes and rules of God, those statutes and regulations will be the cause of life, real life. Think of how consistent this message is. Jesus told us later that in Him is life. We understand that Jesus died not only to save us from Hell, but to give us life, and give us life more abundantly.   For now, the choice is yours. Listen, which means not just hear but obey, and you will see God's statutes and rules be the catalyst to life. Listen only with your ears and ignore what you hear, and you will continue to search for significance and security.  ...
Read more