Written by M. Hall
Please feel free to agree or disagree with points made, and feel free to comment if so desired. If you would like, you could write your own thoughts on the verse of the day, and include that in your own comments below. Thank you and may you be blessed!! =)
“Here on earth we do not have a city that lasts forever, but we are looking for the city that we will have in the future. So through Jesus let us always offer to God our sacrifice of praise, coming from lips that speak his name. Do not forget to do good to others, and share with them, because such sacrifices please God.” Hebrews 13:14-16 NCV
OH GOD, WE CRY OUT FOR YOUR MERCY... OH GOD, WE CRY OUT FOR YOUR GRACE... OH GOD, WE CRY OUT, SET US FREE... OH GOD, WE CRY OUT ONCE AGAIN... ONCE AGAIN!
Do we honestly cry out to the Lord, or is it more like whining? Do we honestly take the Lord at His word, and believe that when we ask, we will receive?
God wants to hear us. When we talk to or about Him, He blesses us. In the Bible, many times it speaks of people being healed by Jesus, because of their faith. How is our faith? Is it seriously smaller than a mustard seed? Or do we trust Him completely with our lives? It also says in the Bible, that these people came to Jesus, they didn't wait for Jesus to come to them. In some cases however, when they couldn't see or walk, to make it to Jesus, they CRIED OUT IN A LOUD VOICE. How many times have we cried out to Jesus in a loud voice? Do we take time to tell Him what is really on our hearts, although He already knows? He wants us to speak to Him. God is tired, and I am tired of people who just seek after Him in troubled times... and then complain that He isn't there, or He doesn't answer prayers, or they blame Him for the trouble. If we sought God everyday, and at every time of the day, we wouldn't have time to get ourselves into trouble, because there is no way we can stray away from Him, if we are completely focused on Him. Isn't that a truth and a half? WOW! Thank You Lord for Your wisdom.
We don't just cry out for ourselves either, we cry out for those around us. Even if they do not even know you are crying out for them. We want God to get the glory for their answer to prayer, not us. We don't want people worshipping us, we want them worshipping God. “Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves. Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others." Phil. 2:3-4 NIV
At the OUTPOUR Conference, one of the pastors spoke about Bartimaeus the blind man, who cried out in a very loud voice, "Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me". We had a time of crying out to the Lord for mercy and grace. During the 'EXPECT a HARVEST' Conference on Sunday night, we again were taught on crying out for mercy. This time it however had a little more of an impact on me. WOW! Obedience brings rewards. I have always tried to 'dance' when the worship song says, 'I will dance'. I have always tried to 'clap' when the worship song says 'clap'... yet when the worship song says, 'I will shout', I sometimes do, and sometimes don't, and when I do, it's not all that loud all of the time. However, when I was younger, someone once (probably more) told me that if I can shout and cheer at a hockey game or a sporting event, how much more should I shout and cheer for Jesus? I have always remembered this, and thought of the verse 'to worship in Spirit and in truth'. It's not really worshipping in truth, if I'm singing, "bow to my knees" and I'm standing. It's not really truth, if it says, "I will sing, I will shout..." and I'm singing quietly. During the AM church service, we sang that song, "I Will Do the Same", and I shouted, but yeah, it wasn't really loud, and for some reason I felt silly like people would stare and wonder.
That night at conference, we had an altar call, and I didn't really feel the spirit moving for me to pray for myself, yet I had the desire to pray for others. I didn't go up to the altar, I sat quietly interceding... that was until the pastor spoke the words 'Why are you still in your pew?'... and started saying that we should be breaking for others, and crying out for them. He had spoken on the 10 lepers, and how 10 were cleansed, but only one came back to praise Jesus and give Him glory, so he was not just cleansed but healed. Jesus asked the man where the other 9 were... and as the pastor said, 'If Jesus doesn't know where they are, then they are really lost'. We are called to cry out for the lost... lost family, lost friends, lost co-workers, and lost strangers. Well we were all on our face, well as far as I saw before I lay down on my face... and we were praying and crying. We were clinging to Jesus, and crying out... yet still really quiet. The pastor spoke about clinging to Jesus, and that struck my Spirit, and so I started clutching my hands, and I hit something, I opened my eyes wondering who's leg my hand was near, and when I opened my eyes, I saw I was at the foot of our cross. WOW, what a powerful moment, and that's when my Spirit wanted to cry out and groan. But again, fear of man started to creep in, and the pastor spoke the words regarding the silence, and how the people in the Bible cried out in a LOUD voice... so overcoming the fear of man, because God is STRONGER, I cried out loudly! I shouted in a really loud voice, in obedience to the Spirit, and that helped others to cry out. Not taking any glory, because it certainly was not me, it was the Spirit in me that cried out for the lost. What a powerful time there, at the foot of the cross. 'I want to cling to you Jesus'.
We need to take quiet time alone with God, but we also need to let the Spirit groan in utterings that we do not understand. We need to cry out in a loud voice. MERCY... Have MERCY on us Lord. Do you know the difference between Mercy and Grace?? The pastor enlightened us this weekend...
GRACE - Getting something which we don't deserve. (eternal life)
MERCY - Not getting something that we do deserve. (eternal death)
Wow... that is so powerful! Thank you Pastor for being an obedient vessel, for God to work in and through! Thank You Lord for your Mercy!! Have mercy on us Lord we pray!!
Prayer: 'Father of life, seated on Your throne of grace. It's only by Your mercy we are saved. Lord, You have said if we call upon Your Name, we and our families will be saved. So we cry out Your Name, El Shaddai, God of grace - Lord Most High, Jesus Christ. We rely on Your grace, Adonai, crowned in praise - Lord Most High, Jesus Christ. Father of love, never failing to forgive. Each moment is a gift from You to live. We're only here to tell the world about Your grace, until the day You take us all away. We will cry out Your Name, El Shaddai, God of grace - Lord Most High, Jesus Christ. We rely on Your grace, Adonai, crowned in praise - Lord Most High, Jesus Christ. O, so we cry out Your Name, El Shaddai, God of grace - Lord Most High, Jesus Christ. We rely on Your grace, Adonai, crowned in praise - Lord Most High, Jesus Christ.' Help us cry out to You God, in a loud voice, not having the fear of man, but having the fear and reverence for You and who You are. Guide us in the paths You wish us to take, and lead us to those souls that we are to sow seeds into, water, and best of all harvest! In the precious name of Your Son, Jesus Christ, AMEN! (*Words in 'quotes' taken from the song 'We Cry Out' by Kari Jobe - Gateway Worship)
Be blessed, and be a blessing as you choose to be ‘chosen’ & speak the Words of the Lord.
check out this video... we sang this song and cried out to the Lord... maybe its time for you to cry out to Him too!
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