A Prayer For Japan

In light of the current tragedy of the earthquake and tsunami which hit Japan, I would like to share this touching and powerful prayer by John Piper that I read today...                                                                                                                     

 A Prayer For Japan

Father in heaven, you are the absolute Sovereign over the shaking of the earth, the rising of the sea, and the raging of the waves. We tremble at your power and bow before your unsearchable judgments and inscrutable ways. We cover our faces and kiss your omnipotent hand. We fall helpless to the floor in prayer and feel how fragile the very ground is beneath our knees.

O God, we humble ourselves under your holy majesty and repent. In a moment—in the twinkling of an eye—we too could be swept away. We are not more deserving of firm ground than our fellowmen in Japan. We too are flesh. We have bodies and homes and cars and family and precious places. We know that if we were treated according to our sins, who could stand? All of it would be gone in a moment. So in this dark hour we turn against our sins, not against you.

And we cry for mercy for Japan. Mercy, Father. Not for what they or we deserve. But mercy.

Have you not encouraged us in this? Have we not heard a hundred times in your Word the riches of your kindness, forbearance, and patience? Do you not a thousand times withhold your judgments, leading your rebellious world toward repentance? Yes, Lord. For your ways are not our ways, and your thoughts are not our thoughts.

Grant, O God, that the wicked will forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts. Grant us, your sinful creatures, to return to you, that you may have compassion. For surely you will abundantly pardon. Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord Jesus, your beloved Son, will be saved.

May every heart-breaking loss—millions upon millions of losses—be healed by the wounded hands of the risen Christ. You are not unacquainted with your creatures' pain. You did not spare your own Son, but gave him up for us all.

In Jesus you tasted loss. In Jesus you shared the overwhelming flood of our sorrows and suffering. In Jesus you are a sympathetic Priest in the midst of our pain.

Deal tenderly now, Father, with this fragile people. Woo them. Win them. Save them.

And may the floods they so much dread make blessings break upon their head.

O let them not judge you with feeble sense, but trust you for your grace. And so behind this providence, soon find a smiling face.

In Jesus’ merciful name, Amen.

(John Piper)

A Prayer For My Readers



(photo: C. Dennis)

 "And this I pray, that your love may abound yet more and more in knowledge and in all judgment; That ye may approve things that are excellent; That ye may be sincere and without offense till the day of Christ; Being filled with the fruits of righteousness, which are by Jesus Christ, unto the glory and praise of God."

-Philippians 1:9-11

God Hears Our Desires

God hears our verbal prayers, our spoken-in-the-heart prayers and our thoughts. But he also knows and, yes, hears our desires-those feelings in us that sometimes can't be expressed in words and that sometimes we're even hesitant to express in our hearts and minds.

I am convinced of this because I had a "desire answered" several years ago. I did not have the courage to ask the Lord for it because I thought that maybe I would be asking too much, that maybe it was too much of a luxury. But obviously the Lord didn't think so, as I suddenly found myself flying a couple thousand miles to see the birth of our first grandchild! It was only after I returned home that I found the wonderful verse in Psalm 10:17 that says "Lord, Thou hast heard the desire of the humble: Thou wilt prepare their heart, Thou wilt cause thine ear to hear." And then I knew why I had been granted my desire. He heard it as clearly as if I had shouted it from the housetop!

Don't be afraid to express the desires of your heart to Him. He already knows and hears them anyway.

Prayer

As I was talking to the Lord yesterday concerning a certain problem, I was reminded for the umpteenth time in my life about the importance of prayer. As the beloved hymn says, "What a privilege to carry everything to God in prayer".

I'll be the first to admit that my prayer life isn't as strong as it should be. But, oh, how precious is this privilege! It isn't something to take for granted or to "use" just when we're in trouble. Prayer is an intimate form of communion with our Saviour and Friend, the Lord Jesus Christ. How He waits and longs to have us come to Him. "Talk to Me", I often hear Him say, "I want some time alone with you".

We do not have to have an image in front of us, or something in our hands, or talk to some saint in hopes that they will relay our message. No, NO! We can boldly and confidently go into His presence and bare our hearts before Him. And Who better than the Holy Spirit to intercede for us?! We have no other, we need no other, there IS no other that can hear us and meet our needs...than the Lord. I'll have you know that that's grounds for gettin' excited!

 "Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need." (Hebrews 4:16)