10-16-2019

Good Morning All,

 Psalm 18:6; “In my distress I called upon the Lord; to my God I cried for help.  From his temple he heard my voice, and my cry to him reached his ears.”

    I still struggle using my smartphone.  I have quickly discovered it is smarter than me.  I keep having people tell me how your phone can do everything for you.  You just need get an “app” for it.  I heard on the radio the other day that there is an “app” that will allow your phone to help diagnose skin cancer.  All you do is take a picture of the mole or spot on your skin and with this “app” it will tell you if it is malignant or not. 

    There are apps for the weather, for the stock or commodity markets, for the news, there are apps to allow you to set your thermostat or lights in your house when you are away, or any one of literally thousands of different app that can make your smartphone do incredible things.  Some of the apps are free and some are very expensive.  Yet you need to have the app on your smartphone in order to get the benefit of the app.  You also need to learn how to use the app properly and you need to be sure that the phone you have has the necessary add-ons in order to make it work as well.  They are nice to have but they can be difficult to handle especially when the “one size fits all” app doesn’t fit your phone.  Or you need an upgrade in either your phone or your service plan.  I really get a headache about the time that Jamie (my phone guru salesperson) tries to explain this. 

    The thing about the apps is that you have to put them on your phone and you often have to pay for them.  The other thing is that when you really need them; the best you can do is guess if they will actually work.  Those are things that we do not have to do with prayer.  Prayer exists for you from the moment that you are given into faith.  God has promised to hear the call of his children.  We don’t have to buy anything or even really understand how it works.  It just works!!  Prayers to God get results!!  The results may not be what we think we want but honest prayers get results.  The results aren’t always a visible effect but are often a spiritual effect.  We may not be healed of our pain but God gives us the peace to deal with it and the hope of our salvation.  Prayer affects the way you live but it also effects the way you live.  A true personal prayer life effects or changes the way you view life, the way you experience life and even the outcome of your life. 

    Prayer gives you the constant interaction with God; along with a devotional time you have the conversation time with God.  We listen to him through his Word and we speak to him through our prayers and all without an app!

Dearest Father, you encourage us to call upon you for you give us the hope and peace that we so desperately seek.  Give us the wisdom to bring all things to you that we may find in you all that we need.  Be with those who are at greatest need of your peace.  Lead them to call to you.  In Jesus’ precious name we pray, amen.

God’s Peace,

Pastor Bret