"You parents - if your children ask for a loaf of bread do you give them a stone instead? Or if they ask for a fish, do you give them a snake? Of course not! So if you sinful people know how to give good gifts to your children how much more will your heavenly Father give good gifts to you?"
- Matthew 7:9-11.
Many times we pray, asking God for something based on the thought that we are worth it - we are pastors, missionaries, less sinful than others, doing ministry, using our gifts, young, have a lot to offer, or many other reasons. That sounds like bargaining with God for what we want and requesting based on our merit.
Recently, I was told by doctors that I have kidney failure. That shocking news caused me to pray and to ask for prayer from others like I had never done before. Should I bargain with God for healing based on my being a pastor or something else? No. This verse encourages me to believe that God will work healing in my body because of His character - He is a loving Father. In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus instructs His followers to ask our loving Father and He will answer, based on His character, not on our goodness.
While you are praying today for great needs in your life and the lives of others, especially those in Japan, please remember me to God also. His listening is based on His character - He loves you.
Will you please encourage me and the readers of our blog by writing in the "comment" section of our blog how our loving Father has listened to you?
Gratefully yours, Bob
Thank you, Pastor Bob, for letting all of us know what is going on in your life. It is refreshing to have a pastor who is honest and forthcoming about his life. We are looking ahead to see what our God will do.
ReplyDelete"We thank God upon every rememberance of you."
Thank you for your great encouragement and prayers. God is using this crisis in my life to teach me lessons about asking and receiving. I am discovering that persistence is important to God. I am learning that as I ask, my loving Father is going to give me a gift. Today is one of the steps in discovering what gift God is giving me in response to our asking. Thanks for your continued prayers.
ReplyDeletePastor Bob, I am a member of Hope Community Church, better known to you as the First Baptist Church of Newburyport and I work here in the church office. The post about your kidney failure was passed on to me and I would like to include this in our Sunday prayer bulletin so that others here that knew you when you were our pastor can be in prayer for you. We uphold you in prayer and know that God will continue to bless you!
ReplyDeleteKaren at bigyellowchurch@gmail.com
Thank you Karen for your note. Please pass our love to those who we had the pleasure of ministering to in Newburyport. Please ask God for healing for me. May God richly bless you and your ministry.
ReplyDeleteYes, dear Bob, the word is spreading that a beloved friend and former pastor is suffering difficult news and needs the larger flock to uphold him in prayer. We are, and will, continue to ask our Father for healing and complete health restoration for you! We remember so fondly how you led Ralph and I through our marriage vows almost 37 years ago.... by His grace, we are thriving and grateful for moment. My beloved parents are now experiencing great change.... Dad (Lee Cone) just turned 90 and is leaving us mentally, not so much bodily. Mom (92)is struggling, of course, and it's a new and difficult challenge for us all. Pray for us too. We also our experiencing His gifts and great gratitude to Him in the midst of this "long goodbye".
ReplyDeleteMay the peace of our Father hold and surround you tonight.
Joy, courage...
Holly (Cone) Simons, for Ralph, too
Dearest Holly and Ralph ~ Seems like yesterday when we laughed together in Newburyport. Your parents have been a great gift to me and I will surely pray for them and for you. Thank you so much for holding me before our Father who is rich in mercy and grace. I so appreciate your praying for me. Praying also that you and your families are experiencing soul strength from the Lover of our soul. Blessings on you ~
ReplyDeletePastor Bob,
ReplyDeleteAs you well know, God has provided physical healing for us very recently and we are confident that His tender Mercies will ease your pain and suffering. We pray that when you are feeling your weakest, and most vulnerable, you will feel His presence in a very real and overwhelming way. May you and Dottie and all of those who love and care for you know the Peace and consolation of God through Jesus, the Divine Physician. Pastor Bob, through out our lives you have held out to us the hand of friendship and the arms of encouragement. Even most recently during Dylan's battle with cancer your posts in his guestbook brought true solace to Elisa and I as we watched our son suffer. Please, look to Dylan's healing for inspiration and confidence and great witness to what God does in the lives of those He loves, who love Him with all their hearts. Thank you so much for all the goodness you have given us, and rest assured you and you family will be in our prayers, and in our hearts where our Lord abides.
Love,
The DeWitt Family
You are a wonderful inspiration to me. The way you are navigating this tremendous mountain is exemplary for how beliers in Jesus face crises. I am assured that He will continue to meet your needs as you process all that Dylan has experienced and all that you as a family have experienced in his illness. Thank you so much for your prayers - they mean so much. Our Father is a loving Father and He gives us graciously out of His mercy in amounts that we can handle at the present moment. May the comfort that He has given you be the source of comfort that you continue to give to others as you now have experienced it first hand. I so appreciate the whole DeWitt family and your encouragement and comfort.
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