Bravely Run the Race Til we see Christ

 I think as we grow older in today's world we more often think of Christ's coming than in younger years. I daily long for it, but I'm rebuked and must also remember that our Heaven Father is long suffering! 

2 Peter 3:9
The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.

 Our Heavenly Father wants all to trust in Jesus, and have an eternity in heaven - and truly so do I long and pray for the very same.
In our daily life we must have an eternal view, we must ask ourselves - is this important and good for us in eternity?  

A selfish view wants the here and now fitted to our convenience.  

God says three things to our prayers, yes, no and wait. And for us often it is WAIT. Waiting on God is hard, but good for us.

This beautiful hymn is a great encouragement to my heart. It keeps me looking up and not at the mud underneath, as Bro Mac would say. 

It will be worth it all when we see Jesus. 

By Esther Rusthoi 

Oft times the day seems long, our trials hard to bear,
We're tempted to complain, to murmur and despair;
But Christ will soon appear to catch His Bride away,
All tears forever over in God's eternal day.

It will be worth it all when we see Jesus,
Life's trials will seem so small when we see Christ;
One glimpse of His dear face all sorrow will erase,
So bravely run the race till we see Christ.

Sometimes the sky looks dark with not a ray of light,
We're tossed and driven on , no human help in sight;
But there is one in heav'n who knows our deepest care,
Let Jesus solve your problem - just go to Him in pray'r.

 It will be worth it all when we see Jesus,
Life's trials will seem so small when we see Christ;
One glimpse of His dear face all sorrow will erase,
So bravely run the race till we see Christ.

Life's day will soon be o'er, all storms forever past,
We'll cross the great divide, to glory, safe at last;
We'll share the joys of heav'n - a harp, a home, a crown,
The tempter will be banished, we'll lay our burden down.

It will be worth it all when we see Jesus,
Life's trials will seem so small when we see Christ;
One glimpse of His dear face all sorrow will erase,
So bravely run the race till we see Christ.

I read the words of this hymn recently in a Christian paper, the Herald of Hope and joyfully sang these words. I think the more joyfully because I rarely make church to sing with other believers due to my health. One glorious days we will all sing together in glory. 

So looking forward to that day!

Praying and prayer is a subject never far from my heart, we must be faithful in prayer. As Jesus said "Men ought always to pray and not to faint".   Luke 18:1

Dear Brethren reminded me of this recently (by mentioning in respect to prayers to our Father), we must pray with importunity.   

Importunity is a persistent request, I think I often fail this persistence test. In this Jesus is our example, for He said we "ought always to pray and not to faint". 

Luke 18:1-7

And he spake a parable unto them to this end, that men ought always to pray, and not to faint; 

[2] Saying, There was in a city a judge, which feared not God, neither regarded man:

[3] And there was a widow in that city; and she came unto him, saying, Avenge me of mine adversary.

[4] And he would not for a while: but afterward he said within himself, Though I fear not God, nor regard man;

[5] Yet because this widow troubleth me, I will avenge her, lest by her continual coming she weary me. 

[6] And the Lord said, Hear what the unjust judge saith.

[7] And shall not God avenge his own elect, which cry day and night unto him, though he bear long with them?

Amen! Our God indeed hears our prayers and answers them as Jesus also said:

Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you: 

[8] For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened. 

[9] Or what man is there of you, whom if his son ask bread, will he give him a stone? 

[10] Or if he ask a fish, will he give him a serpent? 

[11] If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children, how much more shall your Father which is in heaven give good things to them that ask him? 

Matt 7:7-11

Jesus in this matter of importune or persistent prayer is surely our example. Have you ever spent a night in prayer to our Heavenly Father? I haven't, yet Jesus often did.

God has given me at different times  prayer burden for different ones. 

And I have asked God to burden me in prayer, but sadly too often my spirit is willing and flesh is weak like the disciples in the garden of Gethsemane, who instead of watching as Jesus asked, they slept on (link here). 

Mind you I'm writing this is the early hours of the morning, because God has given me a burden to do so. And I pray these scriptures bless you richly, as only God'sWord can. 

Thank you so much for popping over, especially if you have time to comment, you so encourage my heart. 
  May God richly bless your day, wherever you may be.
Prayer hugs, 🙏🤗
Shaz in Oz.x 
 
If you're not sure if you're a Christian , please read this post here Who or What is a Christian?

 

IF you haven’t I'd love it you to join as a wonderful encourager of this blog ...  

link HERE.

.  Thank YOU to those who have done so already. It really encourages me to keep on. 😁

 

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Resurrection Day .." and he (John) saw and Believed"... John 20:8b

 

.." he saw and believed".. . An empty tomb with empty grave clothes showing an exited, raised body transformed John from a mourning disciple into a believer. 

This post is written after hearing the message by John Lennox, "The case for the Resurrection." See here.

And this quote from Norman Anderson,  The Case for the Resurrection - (link here) comes in at around 16 mins..

"  Easter is not primarily a comfort, but a challenge. 

 

Its message is either the supreme fact in history or else a gigantic hoax. This seems to have been realized in the days of the early Church. On the one side there was a little company of men and women who turned the world upside down by their passionate proclamation of that miracle which had transformed their lives: on the other, those who vehemently denounced the whole story as arrant blasphemy. 

 

We ourselves find it hard to see the issue so clear-cut, for ours is a tolerant age and one suspicious of all fanaticism. Most people have not the slightest desire to attack the Easter message; and yet they only half believe it. To them it is a beautiful story, full of spiritual meaning: why worry, then, whether it is literal fact?

But we miss the point. 

Either it is infinitely more than a beautiful story, or else it is infinitely less. If it is true, then it is the supreme fact of history; and to fail to adjust one's life to its implications means irreparable loss. But if it is not true, if Christ be not risen, then the whole of Christianity is a fraud, foisted on the world by a company of consummate liars, or, at best, deluded simpletons. 

 

St. Paul himself realized this when he wrote in:

1 Corinthians 15:14-16

 14  And if Christ be not risen, then is our preaching vain, and your faith is also vain.

15 Yea, and we are found false witnesses of God; because we have testified of God that He raised up Christ: whom He raised not up, if so be that the dead rise not.
 

16 For if the dead rise not, then is not Christ raised:

 

Yet God is true, His Word is true and to be trusted. Praise God, Jesus is indeed risen as He said.

Praying much that all everywhere would see the truth of this, seek Jesus and His gift of salvation and a heavenly home.

For there is a heaven to gain and a hell to shun.

Hell is the punishment for our sin's curse. I am forever grateful I saw this at 12 years old, and trusted in Jesus as my Saviour from sin! 

How blessed am?! and how I rejoiced with great joy on that day I was saved. 

 

Closing with a hymn I love - "Because  He lives I can face tomorrow" or link here

(Lyrics to hymn)

God sent His son, they called Him Jesus
He came to love, heal, and forgive.
He lived and died to buy my pardon,
An empty grave is there to prove my Savior lives.

Because He lives, I can face tomorrow.
Because He lives, All fear is gone.
Because I know He holds the future,
And life is worth the living just because He lives.

How sweet to hold a newborn baby,
And feel the pride and joy he gives.
But greater still the calm assurance,
This child can face uncertain days because He lives.

Because He lives, I can face tomorrow.
Because He lives, All fear is gone.
Because I know He holds the future,
And life is worth the living just because He lives.

And then one day I'll cross the river,
I'll fight life's final war with pain.
And then as death gives way to victory,
I'll see the lights of glory and I'll know He lives.

Because He lives, I can face tomorrow.
Because He lives, All fear is gone!
Because I know He holds the future
And life is worth the living just because He lives!

Words: Bill & Gloria Gaither

 
Praying earnestly - may the real reason of Easter shine brightly in your heart and home. 

Thanks for reading this post, and especially commenting. I’m sorry I don’t post very often - but at Easter there's 2 posts in 3 days! 😂 truly a joy to have such good news to share. If you'd like to read a different Resurrection post, as well as craft and Australian Nature, I'd really appreciate it if you would to pop over to my craft blog too HERE!.

May God richly bless your day, wherever you may be.

Prayer hugs, 🙏🤗
Shaz in Oz.x 
 
If you're not sure if you're a Christian , please read this post here Who or What is a Christian? 
 
 IF you haven’t I'd love it you to join as a wonderful encourager of this blog ...  link HERE.  Thank YOU to those who have done so already. It really encourages me to keep on. 😁
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Good Friday 2026 - Our Life is but a Sacrifice given unto You, LORD!

 I’ve no idea why or how things happen in the sad world in which we live, but I tie the heart sacrifice with cords to the altar of the Most High God. 

I was given this verse by dear Bro Mac, a prayer saint from 1990’s. It’s meaning as I understand is that God wants us to bind our life as a sacrifice to the altar just as they bound the sacrifice in Old Testament times, and as Jesus bound His life as a sacrifice to the cross. 

He was Almighty God, He could have come down from that cross at any time, but He chose to die for our sins upon the cruel tree. He then indeed did show us the Light of the World. 

“God is the LORD, which hath shewed us light: 

bind the sacrifice with cords, even unto the horns of the altar.” 

Ps 118:27

The one thing that really strikes me in reading through the gospels is that the life of Christ was given to much prayer. Note the last prayer scene before the cross in the garden of Gethsemane where we see our LORD Jesus wrestling in prayer, where He sweated as it were great drops of blood, praying to His Father.  

Matt 26:39 …" He went a little farther, and fell on his face, and prayed, saying, "O my Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me: 

nevertheless not as I will, but as thou wilt." 

“if it be possible”, of course it was possible because with God ALL THINGS are possible. However Jesus wanted above all else to do the will of His Father, that ought to be our most earnest desire…to do the will of our Heavenly Father. And that’s why Jesus was given to MUCH prayer. He knew it was the only way He could fully obey His Heavenly Father. This following quote is most apt.  

George Mueller. "No-one ought to expect to see much good resulting from his labours in Word and Doctrine if he is not much given to prayer and meditation." 

And so on this Good Friday 2026, it's good to remind ourselves of some things. Primarily the importance of prayer and to see in the seven sayings of Jesus on the cross when He gave up His life for us. The last two sayings are, "It is finished. " "and He gave up the ghost". None took His life, He gave it willingly for you or me. Yesterday, Thurs afternoon,   I gave a tract on the real meaning of  Easter to a lady who was a believer but she believed also she needed to keep the law, the Sabbath etc. When I asked her Jesus surely cried, "it is finished" , because He had finished Salvation's work, she had no answer. She appeared to trust in Jesus for salvation + works. Satan is ever a deceiver. 

Praise God, Jesus is coming AGAIN! ... and coming soon and they can be deluded in bondage no longer.  Our Saviour gave His life freely for us, and that's what we delight in remembering on Good Friday. 

Link also here 

He suffered so that we might live, and walk in the light as He is in the light, and faithful and true to Him. 

Also if you've time please visit my craft blog, it presents a Joni perspective on this day (here). 

 Thanks for reading this post, and especially commenting. I’m sorry I don’t post very often these days, health is the main reason, also these posts take a long time to write. I started this one ages ago. 

May God richly bless your day, wherever you may be.🙏🤗
Shaz in Oz.x 
 
If you're not sure if you're a Christian , please read this post here Who or What is a Christian? 
 
 IF you haven’t I'd love it you to join as a wonderful encourager of this blog ...  link HERE.  Thank YOU to those who have done so already. It really encourages me to keep on. 😁
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Vine chapter - the Importance of Abiding

(In part from Our Daily Bread)

 Fruit of Vine - John chapter 15

Jesus’ words in John 15:5, “Without Me, ye can do nothing,” are similar to Paul’s statements in Acts 17:28, “In Him we live and move and have our being,” and Col. 1:17, “by Him all things consist.” 

 

All of these verses emphasise the necessity that Christ is to our very existence.
This is the key. As John 14:5 says 
" Without Me ye can do NOTHING.".
In John 15, Jesus is speaking specifically to His followers. He’s talking about the fruit that comes from the branch connected to the vine.

When Jesus says that without Him we can do nothing, He means that without the source of life—the vine—the branch can’t even produce a leaf or a flower, let alone the fruit that brings God honour.

"I am the vine, 

ye are the branches: 

He that abideth in me, 

and I in him, 

the same bringeth forth much fruit: 

for without me ye can do nothing." 

John 15:5 

The key word is abiding, abiding in our LORD and Saviour Jesus Christ.

Abiding is only accomplished as we commune with our beautiful Saviour in prayer... in a busy world full of Satan's distractions its difficult to abide, rest peacefully in those everlasting arms of our Jesus.
Yes, Christ is necessary to our very existence.
This is the key, abide, rest, trust then it will be accomplished in Him. 

For as John 14:5 concludes 
"Without Me ye can do NOTHING."

John, the beloved apostle, knew what it was to abide in Jesus. On the isle of Patmos John was truly abiding, see Revelation 1:9
I John, who also am your brother, and companion in tribulation, and in the kingdom and patience of Jesus Christ, was in the isle that is called Patmos, for the word of God, and for the testimony of Jesus Christ.

John was truly abiding, with minimal distractions in the Isle of Patmos. I've read Revelation innumerable times as each time I finish the bible I read it 3 to 5 times. On the first or second time I'm slowly regrasping the flow of the book. BUT one thing is clear in that book, John is truly abiding in the Spirit in an amazing way (an excellent message specifically on Revelation is here). One day we will more fully grasp it, but with our limited finite minds we can't really understand what mighty servants have experienced.

Daniel was a mighty man of prayer, he knew deep communion and abiding in the Spirit. In Daniel 9:3 his prayer begins, then in v.23 it's interrupted by  Gabriel:

 Daniel 9:23 - "At the beginning of thy supplications the commandment came forth, and I am come to shew thee; for thou art greatly beloved:..."

Another servant in deep communion, abiding in the Spirit is the Apostle Paul in 2 Cor 12:4. 

2 I knew a man in Christ above fourteen years ago, (whether in the body, I cannot tell; or whether out of the body, I cannot tell: God knoweth;) such an one caught up to the third heaven.

3 And I knew such a man, (whether in the body, or out of the body, I cannot tell: God knoweth;)

4 How that he was caught up into paradise, and heard unspeakable words, which it is not lawful for a man to utter. 

We could go all over the bible and see examples of faithfulness in prayer, abiding, truly resting in Jesus, those before were looking to Jesus' as the coming Messiah, we are now looking back, to the cross and Christ's Resurrection. 

We are so VERY blessed to have the indwelling Spirit to guide us, interceding for us, and we know the teachings of the Spirit through the WORD of God, teaching of the risen LORD Jesus! 

Let us remember that our prayers are in the eternal, they never die but are lifted continually as incense to heaven. We see them mentioned 3 times in tribulation - these are the references:

Revelation 5:8, 8:3, 8:4.

 Revelation 8:4
And the smoke of the incense, 

which came with the prayers

of the saints, 

ascended up before God 

out of the angel's hand.

 Isn't that wonderful?? our prayers, our urgent, fervent prayers are lifted continually in heaven. 

I often think of saints like Bro Mac who've gone before, he prayed for 8 hrs a day, he prayed for souls over maps of China, God is still hearing those prayers of that faithful saint, though he went to heaven long ago. 

BE ENCOURAGED! 

Prayer is the most important thing we can do, we are saved by it, yes - we and others are saved and kept by faithful prayers! how precious!

So let us walk in the Light

 as He is in the Light.

And continue keeping on.  

Thanks for reading this post, and especially commenting. I’m sorry I don’t post very often these days, health is the main reason, also these posts take a long time to write, and much prayer for wisdom.

May God richly bless your day, wherever you may be.🙏🤗

Shaz in Oz.x 

 

If you're not sure if you're a Christian , please read this post here Who or What is a Christian? 

 

 IF you haven’t I'd love it you to join as a wonderful encourager of this blog ...  link HERE.  Thank YOU to those who have done so already. It really encourages me to keep on. 😁

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The Immediacy of Answered Prayer

There is a verse in scripture line upon line precept upon precept... its rote learning. Yes, rote learning is scripture based even if the world ignores it.

 

Isaiah 28:10 For precept must be upon precept, precept upon precept; line upon line, line upon line; here a little and there a little.

 We Ignore God and His word at our own peril, God wants us to heed his Word and to “pray without ceasing”, as we grow in LORD, prayer becomes as natural as breathing and then we truly do pray without ceasing. 

 

It has occurred to me that the prayer realm is separate from the earthly and heavenly realms (these two have subdivisions eg paradise, Sheol, place of dead, and hell lake of fire  (Luke 16) in OT and “heaven” - first and second heaven mentioned in Rev 21 and third in 2 Cor 12 so three in NT.

Heaven and earth created in Gen 1:1 

In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.

 Recreated in Rev 21

[1] And I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away; and there was no more sea.

Paul in 2 Cor 12:2 speaks of being caught up into the 3rd heaven, he was in prayer when this occurred and it has happened too in many places to various NT and OT saints. 

I knew a man in Christ above fourteen years ago, (whether in the body, I cannot tell; or whether out of the body, I cannot tell: God knoweth;) such an one caught up to the third heaven.

 So there is much to contemplated upon, however another day perhaps.

Truly, LORD, this is the current situation… against hope we are believing in HOPE! 

Today it often looks like TOTALLY like a lost situation in the prayer realm.. compare this to the occasion when the Angel, Gabriel said to Zacharias re birth of a son “.. the angel said unto him, Fear not, Zacharias: for thy prayer is heard;”

Zacharias was literally dumbfounded at the angel’s words! He and his wife were aged, I suspect he’d obviously not prayed this prayer for a good while.

Yet this was our Eternal Father God in HIS immediacy of the reply.

God is not in our time zone, not in our limited human mind, the LORD of Glory can see what we cannot.

Let’s believe that we have a HEARING, prayer-answering God, .. against hope believing IN HOPE.. and “hope that is seen is NOT HOPE…. But if we hope for that we see not, then do we with PATIENCE wait for it. “ Rom. 8:24, 25

Dear loving Father, no matter how dumb it might seem to keep on praying, striving re so many things in prayer I’m going to keep on praying, pleading, interceding on these things, especially the two main aspects, salvation of all everywhere, and that Thy RIGHTEOUSNESS and TRUTH will prevail the world over.

For the wisdom of this world is foolishness with God. For it is written, He taketh the wise in their own craftiness. 1 Cor 3:19

 

And Faithful Father please work this moment, this day for Thy glory, in our nations, in all judicial ruling decrees legal processes to protect the little people from loosing theirlivelihoods! Mercy abounding please for Jesus sake, Amen.

Thanks for reading this post, and especially commenting. I’m sorry I don’t post very often these days, health is the main reason, also these posts take a long time to write, and for some reason the formatting on this post is all over the place.  I'm sorry. I do post a little more regularly on my craft blog. 

May God richly bless your day, wherever you may be.🙏🤗

Shaz in Oz.x 

 

If you're not sure if you're a Christian , please read this post here Who or What is a Christian? 

 

 IF you haven’t I'd love it you to join as a wonderful encourager of this blog ...  link HERE.  Thank YOU to those who have done so already. It really encourages me to keep on. 😁

If you'd like to receive these posts in email to email link option on the sidebar there is a follow it box. 

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"..the time is AT HAND"..

(This has long been in my drafts pile awaiting my attention, sorry for quiet in 2023, DV will do better in 2024 🙏)

Greatly enjoying a series of messages by Pastor Peter Mitchell, from the Book of Daniel.

The Seventy Weeks Explained and Applied.

 (link here if it's missing)

Today we need to drink deeply of the Word of God, not skim across the surface, but the meat of the Word. I've read through the bible every year for more than five decades, loving Genesis again in past week.

It's most important to live in here and now from a BIBLICAL PERSPECTIVE... not simply a world perspective. 

Satan is the Prince and Power of the air of this world, the Father of lies, and much out there are wild goose chases of half truths to distract us from God's Holy Truth.  

 

Reading through the book of Revelation, a chapter each day, as well my 4 chapters to read bible through is something I'm doing as it  is most needful I believe.

 

Revelation shows us clearly, explicitly what is ahead. 

Except for chapters 1-3 (the epistles to the 7 churches) there is no reference to the church after that! Why? Because the church is not there in the Tribulation. 

 

Except for chp 21-22 on new heavens & new earth vision, the central theme of chapters 4 to 20 is the Great Tribulation, and it's viewed by those in heaven (Rev 6:10) but the church is not mentioned = not there on earth.  https://heraldofhope.org.au/can-there-be-a-partial-rapture/  

 

If you really want to up to date knowing on things, you need to know Revelation very well.

 Especially because there's an imminent return for Jesus promised in Rev 22:20, ".. surely I come QUICKLY".

 

 God so much wants US TO KNOW it well, He promised this BLESSING (only book to begin thus and contain such a promise): 

"Blessed is he that READETH,  

and they that HEAR the words of this prophecy,  

and KEEP those things which are written therein:  for the TIME IS AT HAND." Rev 1:3 

 If I dont know these words in Revelation, how can I keep them?  

How can I pray accurately for the lost around me?

 

 If I dont have the VISION of THESE PEOPLE'S FUTURE WITHOUT Christ, how can I be truly accurate or have urgency in my prayers?  

 

Where there is no vision the people perish. Prov 29:18 

In Rev. 6:8 1/4 of world's pop has been slain = 3/12 

By Rev 9:7 1/3 slain = 4/12  

By near midpoint of Tribulation then 7/12 of all the people you can see around you, ie more than half have been killed!!

 

A 1/4 of sun, moon, stars are darkened Rev. 6:13, 8:12. With unbelievable catastrophic events of mountain ranges flattened, islands disappear Rev 6:14,  with earthquakes like never before! Australia will suffer much in that time as will US I believe and many heavily populated areas. It's hard to grasp really but much prayer is needed. 🙏🙏🙏

ONE GREAT JOY - there is also the greatest time of widespread evangelism starting in Israel, as God's chosen people (see Rev.7) are won to know the LORD Jesus Christ, this greatly encourages me and we must pray fervently for its success especially for those who are currently unsaved whom we love.

 

May we regularly READ REVELATION, heed its warnings for all around us. May we pray for a real fervency for all around us, who are so blind on this matter.

 

And so earnestly, fervently PRAY it's truth to be revealed to many !

God bless you all who've taken time to read this post..

AND thanks you so much if you are able to comment.

Love in Him, 🙏🤗

Shaz in Oz.x 

 If you are not sure if you are a Christian, a Christ follower, please read this post here 

- Who or What is a Christian?

PS. If you haven’t I'd love it you to join as a wonderful encourager of this blog ...  link HERE.  Thank YOU to those who have done so already. It really encourages me to keep on. 😁

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PRAYER IS POWER - aching, hurting prayers - POWER WITH THE ALMIGHTY!

 Today's topic is one that often fills my time, thoughts and heart:

The prayers of the saints.. 🙏🙏🙏

Believers in the Lord Jesus Christ are saints according to the Bible. They trust in Him as their Saviour alone. 

Yet too often as believers we underestimate the POWER of PRAYER. 

For to quote a dear saint now above, Bro Mac:

“Prayer is Power, it brings about the Mighty Action of the Almighty”.

As a result of our limited understanding, we also under-utilise the power of prayer.

We breathe. 

We never or rarely think of how to breathe. 

So prayer ought to be exactly the same as breathing. 

As we grow as believers, it becomes as natural as breathing. 

I'm closer in my chat with my Lord than to anyone else I know.

I've been saved 50+yrs. Right from salvation at 12 years, two key things were practiced daily. My Father God drew me, met my deep hunger, I was so very lonely, and sad too in pre-teens and teens. He met the deep need. 

1. Reading of God's word daily. A habit never lost, unless very ill. 

2. Prayer of heart - fellowship of the Spirit, communing, praising my Father.. a growing, deeper relationship. Very simple at first .. as child-like, but hunger drew me on.

 When saved I was not in a strong Bible teaching church, my family were unsaved or not walking with LORD. However in spite of this, I trusted in the LORD Jesus as my Saviour for sin.

The key truth I recall was the sudden realisation that MY SIN put our LORD Jesus on the cross!

It was locally at a Scripture Union Beach Mission. I was largely untaught, except by the Spirit, and my own gleanings with God from 1966 to 1974. However these two habits of prayer and word ie daily quiet time habits kept me anchored, alert aware of God’s truth in His word when the attacks of the evil one surely came.

The LORD in His wisdom brought very hard and extremely rough, sad, lonely paths in my life as a teen. These extremities almost to death, great tests of faith,  also kept me anchored. Jesus gave me HOPE.. And this was reflected in His word.

So it’s rough now, dear ones?!!

Oh, YESS! its for our good.

Most of all it is for our Loving Father's glory, as He works in and through us.

May He be glorified in us today!

Do you long for our Father God to be glorified in you? 

Then expect hard things.

I love how very much God values prayer. 

Prayer to an Eternal Father God - that prayer is eternal.. your heartfelt cries, weepings, pleadings, rejoicings to the Eternal One all live on.

Rev. 5:8 And when he had taken the book, the four beasts and four and twenty elders fell down before the Lamb, having every one of them harps, and golden vials full of odours, which are the prayers of saints.

Rev. 8:3 And another angel came and stood at the altar, having a golden censer; and there was given unto him much incense, that he should offer it with the prayers of all saints upon the golden altar which was before the throne.

Revelation 8:4-5 And the smoke of the incense, which came with the prayers of the saints, ascended up before God out of the angel's hand. 

And the angel took the censer, and filled it with fire of the altar, and cast it into the earth: and there were voices, and thunderings, and lightnings, and an earthquake.

Every single one of our yearning, hurting, intercessory, or praising prayers are there in heaven before the throne of God.

.. or even as Romans 8:26 puts it of prayer “the Spirit itself maketh intercession for us, with groanings which cannot be uttered..” none of them are lost, or left unanswered. 

Unanswered prayer is a lie of the evil one. God answers - like our earthly parent may have said - “yes”,”no”or “wait” .. but all are answers.

The hardest answer to a prayer maybe no, but it IS an answer. As is WAIT, or yess! The wait maybe more than a decade, or with my dad's salvation, more than 5 decades. 

And therefore will the Lord wait, that He may be gracious unto you,

 and therefore will He be exalted, that He may have mercy upon you: 

for the Lord is a God of judgment: 

blessed are all they that wait for him. Isaiah 30:18

*****

Revelation 6:9-10 And when he had opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of them that were slain for the word of God, and for the testimony which they held: 

And they cried with a loud voice, saying, How long, O Lord, holy and true, dost thou not judge and avenge our blood on them that dwell on the earth?

Recently I was just thinking or it was as I was praying actually - a beautiful thought came ..

It was of Revelation 6 above and the praying tribulation saints in heaven, who were praying for the avenging of their death, having been slain for their faith, yet they saw others still suffering the same - I wondered if there are praying saints who’ve gone before who are praying for those suffering below, now! and for those before us also?

We are a finite being, limited.. and God is infinite and eternal, as is heaven. We really don’t know what it’s like in the life to come, unless we are caught up as for example Paul was (2 Cor.12) and shown unspeakable things.

How do we know that saints before are watching as witnesses even now?

Hebrews 11 is the Faith chapter describing many saints of Old Testament. 

THEN Hebrews 12 the very next chapter begins thus:

Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, 

let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, 

and let us run with patience the race that is set before us..

“Wherefore seeing (= BECAUSE) we are also compassed (SURROUNDED) about with so great a cloud of witnesses”..

Yes, the Heavenly witnesses, spoken of in Hebrews 12 are those of Hebrews 11 - remember this letter to the Hebrews had no chapter verse divisions, so as Chap 11 ends it follows immediately with “wherefore seeing we are so compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses” in my minds eye the passage turns to those who've gone before, they’re watching on, above.

As Hebrews 11 says it’s truly those of the FAITH who’ve gone before! 

Their prayers on earth prayed even now live on, even though they are no longer here to pray them. eg Daniel for Israel in Daniel 9, Jesus for ALL those who follow Him in John 17, etc., so will ours when we are gone - and even now those who've gone before!

Indeed they are the "so great a cloud of witnesses”, 

SO “let us lay aside every weight, and the sin that does so easily beset us..

….  let us run with patience the race that is set before us... looking unto Jesus, the Author and Finisher of our faith."!

Why? run with FAITH as they did "seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses"..

How LONG indeed,  before You come, Lord?

.. even so come Lord Jesus ... perhaps today.

While we wait - let press on doing the best we can as those who’ve gone before, be not discouraged or cast down look up and fight and be not weary! (If not showing - Hymn link)

Praying for you all who read this. I wrote the bulk of this over many months - starting more than two years ago when a very dear sister in the LORD went to be with Him. It greatly grieved her that she wasn’t staying here to keep praying for her dear ones!

The lovely LORD gave me this word back then - saying her prayers last longer than her sick physical body - our prayers of faith are eternal in heaven in ..“those golden vials full of odours..” UNTIL they’re ANSWERED - and I believe perhaps even then preserved as a testimony to God’s faithfulness in “those golden vials full of odours”. 

It is God Who is glorified in ALL this, dear ones!

Remember GOD is not finite as we are!

He is infinite, not limited and communication with Him is limited only by our FAITH. 

It’s truly something we cannot fully grasp until heaven how great a tool and how VERY important our prayer is!

So use it every moment of every day.

(I’m sorry for my silence.. as my craft blog said I’m in an unwell patch, but I’m hopeful I maybe on the improve. Thank you for popping by, I truly pray this blesses you as it has me - as I write, rewrite, meditate and pray ...

I’m sorry it’s a bit long, I didn’t want to do two posts as was concerned I may not get back to it as it has happened before.)

AND thanks you so much if you are able to comment.

Love in Him, 🙏🤗

Shaz in Oz.x 

 If you are not sure if you are a Christian, a Christ follower, please read this post here 

- Who or What is a Christian?

PS. If you haven’t I'd love it you to join as a wonderful encourager of this blog ...  link HERE.  Thank YOU to those who have done so already. It really encourages me to keep on. 😁

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