18 February 2016 - on the day i called

[ Today's Readings ]

Help me, who am alone and have no help but you,
for I am taking my life in my hand.

Teach us to call out to you when we're in trouble. Help us to entrust our intentions to you.

As a child I used to hear from the books of my forefathers
that you, O LORD, always free those who are pleasing to you.
Now help me, who am alone and have no one but you,
O LORD, my God.

We hear of all the good you do for those who pray to you LORD. We hear of the mighty deeds done for those who call on your name. But this seems disconnected from our own lives. There are the stories and then there is real life.

Jesus said to his disciples:
“Ask and it will be given to you;
seek and you will find;
knock and the door will be opened to you.

Jesus, is the problem that we do not ask? Your word says, "Keep asking, keep seeking, and keep knocking". Do we?

You do not have, because you do not ask. You ask and do not receive, because you ask wrongly, to spend it on your passions (see James. 4:2-3).

We often insist on the wrong things. It is precisely because the Father is so good that he won't give us bad things even when we try to insist on them.

If you then, who are wicked,
know how to give good gifts to your children,
how much more will your heavenly Father give good things
to those who ask him.

So let us try to ask for the good things, things that come from the Holy Spirit.

If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will the heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him! (see Luke 11:13).

We can identify these sort of prayers because they involve the fruit of the Spirit.

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law (see Galatians 5:22-23).

When these things are the hallmarks of our prayers we can have great confidence that they are in accord with the Father's will for us. We should bring such prayers fervently and persistently before the LORD.

Queen Esther's prayer is like this:

Save us from the hand of our enemies;
turn our mourning into gladness
and our sorrows into wholeness.

She prays for gladness and wholeness, which ultimately only the Holy Spirit can give. But let's learn from her. Even though these are fruits of the Spirit they are not abstract for her. She prays for a very real need in the face of a very real enemy.

The Lord is at hand; do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus (see Philippians 4:5-7).

Jesus, help us to pray as your Spirit directs us. The Father's love wants to turn what may just be past stories for us into present realities. He wants us to be able to say with the psalmist, "Lord, on the day I called for help, you answered me."