September 26-27

“Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground outside your Father's care. And even the very hairs of your head are all numbered. So don't be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows! - Matthew 10:29-31

Does God care about the number of hairs in your scalp? Does He care if a sparrow falls? Yes, His Word assures that He does. Then be assured of this; He's a specialist in the things that worry you down inside. The things you dread tomorrow or the coming week. The things that make you wonder, “How can I get this together?” God's reassurance to you is “Look, that's what I specialise in. I can take that situation you've built into a mountain, and I can bore a tunnel through it in a matter of seconds. Bring it all to me. Ask me to take charge. You don't have because you don't ask” - James 4:2. In other words, if we would ask more, we would have more.

But what about the times when we do ask ask? Sometimes the answer is yes, sometimes it's no, and many times it's wait. First, God can say yes to our petition but no to our desire. He can say yes to what we are asking for, but He can also say no to the motive behind it. And He sometimes does that when we've asked for the right thing with the wrong motive.

At other times God will say no to our request, but yes to our greater need. God is good to give us not what we request but what we really need. He may not answer as you request, but He does answer, meeting the need in another way. Sometimes God answers “yes, yes.” Yes, you'll have the request, and yes you'll have the desire behind it. “It will honour Me. It's My will. It is for My glory. Yes, yes, in abundance.” That's a great moment!

But let's consider the other times, the times when God says no – no to both our petition and our desire. What are some of the reasons for Him to answer a firm no? Well, unconfessed sin. An unclear conscience. Hypocrisy or pride. Selfishness. Perhaps a lack of faith. But remember....He may say no simply because it's not His will.

There are also times when God says wait. Waiting strengthens faith and trust. I think if the needs of everyone who prays could be collected together, and they could be asked “Are you waiting for something right now, waiting for an answer to prayer?” I think more than likely every person would say yes, we are all waiting for an answer to prayer. God hasn't said no, but He hasn't said yes either. He's said “Wait.” Do you know what that's doing to your Christian life? It's building muscles of faith. God says, “I know what I'm doing. You can trust Me.”

Let me assure you. He is a good God, and you can trust Him whether He answers yes, no, or wait.

(Charles Swindoll, Perfect Peace, 2000)

Our song for today is by Joey+ Rory, “Leave it There.”

     Housekeeping details for you

     The point of this short blog will become clear if you decide to use this reading in the way we intend it. Netherfield Seventh-day Adventist Church believes in healthy churches. You can see what that means if you head to the relevant Healthy Churches page of the website. We also want other churches to be healthy. That means you can join in our campaign to create healthy churches, with healthy people serving the people in those churches.

     A healthy church is one where Jesus comes first. A healthy church is one where the people work together to put Jesus first. One thing we are doing is to join people together to spread that news. I would like you to look at our prayer partners page. This will explain how we want you to use this short devotional. Very basically we want you to find a like-minded Christian friend who you will join with to : choose to pray together every day, decide together on a way to serve other people together, to help them grow as Christians - and to invite the Holy Spirit into your life every day. This blog that you will receive every day simply gives a common spiritual purpose. If you are a newcomer and want to join the blog with this object in mind click here