Prayer Journal

Tuesday, January 23, 2001

23/343

Read the Bible through in OneYear

"From one man he made every nation of men, that they should inhabit the whole earth; and he determined the times set for them and the exact places were they would live. God did this so that men would seek him and perhaps reach out for him and find him, though he is not far from each one of us." Acts 17:26,27

If there's Scripture more profound than these verses in Acts, I don't know what they are. Sometime I just feel out of place, displaced - caught in a whirlpool of circumstances that threaten to sweep me away at any moment. This swirling flood of trouble, all too often, takes my eyes off eternity and keeps me focused on gasping for one more breath. I reach out for anything that might keep me from being swept away.

Perhaps you feel like this too, I think all of us get caught up in the cares of this life and the things others expect us to do. But, just think about this fact; At some moment in the not too distant future, our brief lives will come to a sudden stop and we will stand before God. In one split second, what we thought was important during our short time on earth will diminish right before our eyes. In a moment, we will realize that we were lovingly created with eternal intention and that God has been in control all along.

I remember a story from my youth. Sorry, I can't give credit but it has been a source of blessing all my life:

A boy was leaving home and his parents helped him pack his clothes and gave him some money. In tears the parents gave their son a Bible and told him that God could meet all his needs. "Remember what we always taught you; Read the Word, pray and trust God to meet all your needs". The young man silently laughed, stuffed the Bible down in his bag and headed down the road.

Years later the young man fell into hard times. His parents had since died and everything he was given was now gone. Without any hope and at the end of his rope, the young man remembered the Bible his parents had given him. He got it out of the closet, blew off the dust and set it on a table in his room but he didn't open it nor did he read it. He had forgotten how to pray, but he mustered a prayer anyway and asked God to meet his needs.

More years passed and in those years, the prayers had long ended in disappointment. The young man was now old and at the point of death. In poverty, without family or friends he realized he needed to make peace with his maker. He found the old Bible, now buried on the table under envelopes of unpaid bills, travel brochures of places he'd never been and his old ragged clothes.

As he picked up the Bible and opened it, he noticed an envelope inserted between the pages at Phillipians 4:19. The envelope had a note in his father's handwriting on top of it that said, "God will provide all your needs". As the old, dying man opened the envelope, he tearfully took out a note from his father written to his bank; "This is my son whom I love dearly. Give him whatever he needs whenever he needs it."

If we learn anything from this story, it is that we should reach out for God while we can, because He is not far from us and we will find Him if we seek Him.    Just Thinkin'.. WebServant

 

1) Scripture comes from the Holy Bible, New International Version; (c)1978 by New York International Bible Society
(2) The images used herein were obtained from the Learning Company's ClickArt Christian Graphics Deluxe product, (c)1999 The Learning Company, Inc and its subsidiaries, 88 Roland Way, Novato, CA 94945 USA. All Rights Reserved.

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