Series: God is speaking! Are we...
February 16: God Is Listening! Are You Speaking?
Prayer - Two Way Conversation: The Cry of the Heart
Read Psalm 119:145-160
God Is Listening! Are We Speaking? Prayer and the Fellowship with God: The Cry of the Heart, I Peter 5:6-11
- We must humble ourselves before God
A. Because of His power
B. Because He will exalt us at the proper time
- Cast all our anxiety on God because He cares for us
- Be sober and alert because our adversary seeks to destroy us
- Resist, firm in our faith
A. Because we are not alone in our suffering
B. Because God will perfect, confirm, strengthen and establish us
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Psalm 119:145-160
145 I cried with all my heart; answer me, O Lord! I will observe Your statutes. 146 I cried to You; save me and I shall keep Your testimonies.
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147 I rise before dawn and cry for help; I wait for Your words. 148 My eyes anticipate the night watches, that I may meditate on Your word.
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149 Hear my voice according to Your lovingkindness; Revive me, O Lord, according to Your ordinances. 150 Those who follow after wickedness draw near; They are far from Your law.
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151 You are near, O Lord, and all Your commandments are truth. 152 Of old I have known from Your testimonies that You have founded them forever.
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153 Look upon my affliction and rescue me, for I do not forget Your law. 154 Plead my cause and redeem me; Revive me according to Your word.
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155 Salvation is far from the wicked, for they do not seek Your statutes. 156 Great are Your mercies, O Lord; Revive me according to Your ordinances.
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157 Many are my persecutors and my adversaries, yet I do not turn aside from Your testimonies. 158 I behold the treacherous and loathe them, because they do not keep Your word.
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159 Consider how I love Your precepts; Revive me, O Lord, according to Your lovingkindness. 160 The sum of Your word is truth, and every one of Your righteous ordinances is everlasting.
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God Is Listening! Are We Speaking? Prayer and the Fellowship with God: The Cry of the Heart, I Peter 5:6-11
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I Peter 5:6 Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you at the proper time
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I Peter 5:7 casting all your anxiety on Him, because He cares for you.
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Read prayer request from Tom
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Our anxieties about love, justice, mercy, comfort and purpose
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LOVE
Romans 8:38-39 For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing, will be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
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JUSTICE
Luke 18:2-3 “In a certain city there was a judge who did not fear God and did not respect man. There was a widow in that city, and she kept coming to him, saying, ‘Give me legal protection from my opponent.’
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Luke 18:4-5 For a while he was unwilling; but afterward he said to himself, ‘Even though I do not fear God nor respect man, yet because this widow bothers me, I will give her legal protection, otherwise by continually coming she will wear me out.’”
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Luke 18:6-8 And the Lord said, “Hear what the unrighteous judge said; now, will not God bring about justice for His elect who cry to Him day and night, and will He delay long over them? I tell you that He will bring about justice for them quickly...
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MERCY
Luke 18:10 And He also told this parable to some people who trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and viewed others with contempt: “Two men went up into the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector.
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Luke 18:11-12 The Pharisee stood and was praying this to himself: ‘God, I thank You that I am not like other people: swindlers, unjust, adulterers, or even like this tax collector. I fast twice a week; I pay tithes of all that I get.’
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Luke 18:13-14 But the tax collector, standing some distance away, was even unwilling to lift up his eyes to heaven, but was beating his breast, saying, ‘God, be merciful to me, the sinner!’ I tell you, this man went to his house justified rather than the other; for everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but he who humbles himself will be exalted.”
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COMFORT
Romans 8:18-19 For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory that is to be revealed to us. For the anxious longing of the creation waits eagerly for the revealing of the sons of God.
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Romans 8:22-23 For we know that the whole creation groans and suffers the pains of childbirth together until now. And not only this, but also we ourselves, having the first fruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting eagerly for our adoption as sons, the redemption of our body.
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He comes near to us
Psalm 34:18 The Lord is near to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit.
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He bears our suffering on the cross
Isaiah 53:4 Surely our griefs He Himself bore, and our sorrows He carried; Yet we ourselves esteemed Him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted.
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He Himself will wipe away every tear in the end
Revelation 21:3-4 And I heard a loud voice from the throne, saying, “Behold, the tabernacle of God is among men, and He will dwell among them, and they shall be His people, and God Himself will be among them, and He will wipe away every tear from their eyes; and there will no longer be any death; there will no longer be any mourning, or crying, or pain; the first things have passed away.”
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He takes our suffering and uses it for our benefit
Romans 5:3-5 we also exult in our tribulations, knowing that tribulation brings about perseverance; and perseverance, proven character; and proven character, hope; and hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out within our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us.
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He takes our suffering and produces and eternal reward
II Corinthians 4:17-18 For momentary, light affliction is producing for us an eternal weight of glory far beyond all comparison, while we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen; for the things which are seen are temporal, but the things which are not seen are eternal.
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I Peter 5:8 Be of sober spirit, be on the alert. Your adversary, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.
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I Peter 5:9 But resist him, firm in your faith, knowing that the same experiences of suffering are being accomplished by your brethren who are in the world.
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I Peter 5:10-11 After you have suffered for a little while, the God of all grace, who called you to His eternal glory in Christ, will Himself perfect, confirm, strengthen and establish you. To Him be dominion forever and ever. Amen.
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