Call For Prayer

Jeremiah 29:11-14

11 'For I know the plans that I have for you,' declares the LORD, 'plans for welfare and not for calamity to give you a future and a hope. 12 'Then you will call upon Me and come and pray to Me, and I will listen to you. 13 'You will seek Me and find Me when you search for Me with all your heart. 14 'I will be found by you,' declares the LORD, 'and I will restore your fortunes and will gather you from all the nations and from all the places where I have driven you,' declares the LORD, 'and I will bring you back to the place from where I sent you into exile.'

Every minute of every day we are all blown back and forth by the winds of change. There are no exceptions. Our predispositions and their correlation to God's will determine how we stand in the face of these winds of change as described in Matthew 7:25-27.

Given that the Lord, God, Jesus Christ, has told us in the opening verse Jeremiah 29:11 that He has plans for those who believe, it behooves all of us to seek His guidance.  When calamity arises, God has planned for our welfare and a future of hope.

While the future, eternal salvation of all believers in Christ is sealed and can never be taken away, if you are as I am, plans for navigating the present circumstances are often so bewildering that they can bring us to our knees.  It is at that very point in time that the Lord tells us, "then you will call upon Me and pray to Me."

Do this and He makes us a promise, "I will listen to you."  The only conditions He places on us is that we be sincere of heart when we call upon Him.To what degree must we be sincere?  "When you search for Me with all your heart."

Sincere Porcelain/Without Wax on cracks 

 
We have to meet the definition of "sincere," which is "without wax." Our heart can be likened to a beautifully crafted porcelain vase containing our soul.  When the Lord holds it up to His Light, there will be no wax trying to hide its flaws or cracks.
With Wax on Cracks      

                          


 

The Lord also promises to "restore your fortunes".  This is generally where people get dollar signs in their eyes.  People want to be enriched even beyond that for which they've prayed.  A quick study about Scripture in the Bible related to restoration reveals the level of restoration that God has in mind.  The word "restore" means to be make or kept whole or to make up for loss(es).

Sure, the Lord may make you richer than you ever were before, as He can do as He pleases, but Scripture says to expect fortunes lost to be restored (Job 42:10, Dt. 3:5, Jeremiah 30:3).  The Lord will bring you back into the position you were in before your loss was incurred (Can you lose something you never had?).  Aside from that, you can expect a restored soul (Psalm 23:3), restored joy of salvation (Psalm 51:12), restored from thirst and hunger, to health and liveliness by healing (Isaiah 38:16, 57:18, Zech. 9:15, 17, Jeremiah 30:17, Joel 2:26)

So, the call is to pray.  Pray for those in need, pray that lost souls will come to know and believe in the grace of His sacrifice, pray that we will all be brought into the fullness of Christ's mind.  Pray for our leaders, pray that the sick will be healed, that the downtrodden will be restored.  Leave your prayer requests in the comment section or email me directly with circumstances at epwarrior@aol.com.  

Make your request known to God.  Philippians 4:4-7- Rejoice in the Lord always ; again I will say, rejoice ! Let your gentle spirit be known to all men. The Lord is near. Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

Daniel 9:18 NAS

O my God, incline Your ear and hear ! Open Your eyes and see our desolations and the city which is called by Your name; for we are not presenting our supplications before You on account of any merits of our own, but on account of Your great compassion.