Orange Moon Saturday, November 27, 2021 "Prayers From Prison"

The Special of the Day… From the Orange Moon Cafe…

   

"Prayers From Prison"  

    The Apostle Paul's letters to the Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, and Philemon often fall under the category of the "prison epistles."  Written during times of Paul's incarceration by the Roman government for preaching the Gospel, the letters contain a particularly interesting feature.  

    "Wherefore I also, after I heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus, and love unto all the saints, cease not to give thanks for you, making mention of you in my prayers… Wherefore I also, after I heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus, and love unto all the saints, cease not to give thanks for you, making mention of you in my prayers… For this cause we also, since the day we heard it, do not cease to pray for you, and to desire that ye might be filled with the knowledge of His will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding… For this cause we also, since the day we heard it, do not cease to pray for you, and to desire that ye might be filled with the knowledge of His will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding (Ephesians 1:15-16; Philippians 1:9; Colossians 1:9; Philemon 1:4-5).

   Many volumes could be written on the theme of Paul's "prayers from prison."  Wonderful light shines forth regarding how and what every believer should pray.  God's glory, will, and eternal purpose in Christ provide primary emphasis, which then proceeds to the response of believers to God's working in our hearts and lives.  Paul pays little attention to outward matters of circumstance, condition, and situation.  Certainly, this does not mean he did not pray about such things, or that we should not.  However, true and effectual prayer involves emphasis, even as the Lord Jesus Christ revealed, "Seek ye first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added unto you" (Matthew 6:33).  Our primary focus in prayer must be directed toward matters of the heart, namely, God's heart and the response of our heart to Him.  Prisons, be they literal or figurative, often help us to realize what truly matters, and what we should most emphasize in both life and prayer.  "Keep thy heart with all diligence, for out of it are the issues of life" (Proverbs 4:23).

    Along with content, Paul's prison prayers offer insight regarding context.  The Apostle viewed his confinement as an altar of intercession for the glory of God and the blessing of others.  We must do the same.  Of course, most of us will likely never be incarcerated for our faith.  Figuratively, however, we all have "prisons" that hinder us from doing things we would like to do.  The matters may involve minor hindrances, or major and very difficult obstacles that seem to bar normalcy of life.  Whatever the case, like Paul, our prisons offer opportunities for prayer that otherwise would not exist.  "And whether we be afflicted, it is for your consolation and salvation, which is effectual in the enduring of the same sufferings which we also suffer: or whether we be comforted, it is for your consolation and salvation" (II Corinthians 1:6).

    I heard such an offering last night during a phone call from a dear sister in Christ who currently resides in a local rehab facility, recovering from a serious injury suffered during a fall, along with many other challenges.  We prayed as we concluded our call, which brought tears to my eyes as a greatly challenged saint of God sought His grace not for herself, but for others.  I have heard her offer many such intercessions, and have seen answers.  What else would we expect when a hurting, but trusting heart looks to God with prayers from prison? 

   Again, we all have venues of seeming confinement that actually provide a liberty we may not find in any other circumstance or condition.  Indeed, what prayers can be prayed from prison that would otherwise never soar to the throne of grace?  Paul's letters to Ephesus, Philippi, Colossae, and Philemon reveal an altar our brother of old built in a seemingly inopportune place that became a tributary of grace as prayers from prison led to answers from Heaven.

"And the LORD turned the captivity of Job, when he prayed for his friends."

(Job 42:10)

Weekly Memory Verse

   The law was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith.

(Galatians 3:24)

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Orange Moon Friday, November 26, 2021 "With Somebody"

The Special of the Day… From the Orange Moon Cafe…

   

"With Somebody"  

    Scripture calls born again believers in the Lord Jesus Christ to consider ourselves as "alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord" (Romans 6:11).  This means we view ourselves as the spiritual temple of the risen Christ, who dwells within us to serve as the very Life of our lives.  "Ye are risen with Him through the faith of the operation of God" (Colossians 2:12). We are not just ourselves, but are rather ourselves as indwelt, motivated, led, and empowered by the Holy Spirit who "worketh in us both to will and to do of His good pleasure" (Philippians 2:13).  

    

   Such grace bestows a wonderful promise involving this day.  Namely, we will not live it alone.  Whether we know it or not, remember it or not, or respond well to it or not, born again believers live our lives with Somebody.  Yes, Somebody will grace our blessings with His presence, enjoying them with us.  Somebody will walk with and within us through our challenges as "a very present help in trouble" (Psalm 46:1).  Somebody will be with us in the everyday, mundane realities of life, infusing them with significance as we remember we can "do all to the glory of God" (I Corinthians 1:31).  Yes, Somebody will be with us, even as He has abode with us since the blessed moment when first we trusted Him and His Spirit drew so near that He will forever dwell within our hearts.  "I will dwell in them and walk in them" (II Corinthians 6:16).

   We presently "walk by faith, not by sight" (II Corinthians 5:7).  We will not always remember and affirm the truth we consider.  At times, we will think, speak, act, and relate as if it were not true.  It will always be true, however.  "I will never leave thee nor forsake thee" sounds and resounds the ancient promise of assurance to all who have been spiritually birthed into the salvation that bestows God's greatest gift to the trusting heart - the gift of Himself (Hebrews 13:5).  

Father, are You there?

No, My child, I am not there.

I am here, nearer than any other.

And I will always be not there, but here,

of this you can be sure,

and this you will discover

As the years roll on and eternity draws nigh,

I am with you always,

so near, so much nearer than any other.

I am here, My child.

   

    We will live our lives today with Somebody, somebody more wonderful than our hearts will ever fully fathom and imagine.  Please receive this as a simple reminder of the most sublime truth that graces our hearts and lives in every moment and along every pathway.  May God grant much grace of light, whereby we realize "the grace of life" - His life - that abides with us forevermore, and in this moment.

"I will be with thee… I am with thee… I am with you always. 

(Isaiah 43:2; 41:10; Matthew 28:20).

Weekly Memory Verse

   The law was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith.

(Galatians 3:24)

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Orange Moon Thursday, November 25, 2021 "Oh Daddy!"

The Special of the Day… From the Orange Moon Cafe…

Thanksgiving 2021

   

"Oh Daddy!"  

   Like all of us, I have been thanked for many things through the years.  My favorite "Thank you" happened many years ago when our children were still young.

 

   In the fall of that year, our daughter Emmie, 3 years old, asked for a copy of the cartoon movie, "101 Dalmatians," for Christmas.  She has seen the film at the theatre during the summer, loved it, and wanted to be able to watch it at home.  This was her number one gift request for the season, and an inexpensive one at that!    

 

    We assured Emmie she would receive her Christmas wish. I visited a local video store several days later, only to hear the clerk say,  "We're sold out.  I would hear those words for months to come.  Every store told the same story.  The studio had taken the video out of circulation, and people were buying up any remaining copies.  Several months of searching yielded no copy of the movie, and it seemed I would not be able to fulfill my daughter's primary Christmas gift wish.

 

    I asked the Lord to lead me to a copy, if He saw fit.  Several months passed.  The middle of December arrived with no "101 Dalmatians" ("Where are those pups?!).  I continued to pray, but began to wonder if perhaps the Lord, in His perfect wisdom, had decided I needed to buy Emmie a much more expensive main gift!  I knew, of course, that sometimes our requests do not correlate with His will, and that God's "No" is no less loving than His "Yes."  I continued to pray, but had almost  given up hope that Emmie would receive the movie on Christmas Day.

 

     A week or so before Christmas, I passed by the original video store.  "Oh well, it can't hurt to stop and give it one more chance."  I walked into the store and proceeded to the service desk.  "How can I help you, sir?" asked the nice girl behind the desk.   I responded, and the echoes of her unexpected answer ring down through the years.  "Yes, we do have a copy, sir, just one actually."  I could barely hear the rest of her words.  The young lady's "Yes" nearly drove me to my knees on the spot.  She continued, "My manager told me to sell this copy today if someone asked for it.  We had reserved it for someone awhile back, and they haven't come to pick it up.  Would you like to buy it?"

 

     "Well, uh, hmmm, let me think about that.  YES MA'AM!!!!!"  Sometimes God seems tangible to the point of being able to reach out and touch Him.  Or more literally, He has touched you.  That moment in the video store indelibly etched itself upon my heart and mind.   I bought the movie - of course! - and went my way rejoicing (not knowing that a far greater blessing awaited me).  

 

    As parents are wont to do, on Christmas morning we saved the big gift for last.  We opened all the other packages. Emmie seemed fine, despite not having received "101 Dalmatians."   Yet.  In my mind, however, the drama built until finally I said, as casually as possible, "Uh, Emmie, is that another present I see behind the tree?"  She went to check, and I'm pretty sure immediately knew what lay before her.  She picked it up, tore the wrapping from the package, and 101 speckled puppies greeted her on the cover of the video.  I'll never forget her response.

 

     "Oh Daddy!"  Emmie ran into my arms to give me what remains the tightest and most grateful hug I have ever received.  We have the moment on film, thankfully, and while I haven't watched it in a few years, I do not need to.   The prayers, the hug, the moment in the store, and most of all, "Oh Daddy!" vividly reside in my heart forevermore

 

     A term in Scripture seems to mirror Emmie's "Oh Daddy!"  - "Abba Father."  The Lord Jesus uttered the words during His earthly lifetime, and of believers, the Bible declares, "God hath sent forth the Spirit of His Son into your hearts, crying Abba Father" (Mark 14:36; Galatians 4:6).  The term denotes much endearment and intimacy.  Doubtless, many such moments took place in the heart of our Lord as He walked the earth.  The same happens in us.  Sometimes God's goodness so overwhelms us, we spontaneously burst forth with expressions of affectionate and thrilled gratitude.  Emmie's  "Oh Daddy!" reflected such a moment, and I will never forget this, my all time favorite "Thank you!"  Many other moments have followed through the years, occasions when God's perfect faithfulness overwhelm our hearts with wonder, as it fills them with overflowing gratitude.   Yes indeed, "Abba Father!"

 

"Thine, O LORD, is the greatness, and the power, and the glory, and the victory, and the majesty: for all that is in the heaven and in the earth is Thine; Thine is the kingdom, O LORD, and Thou art exalted as head above all. Both riches and honor come of Thee, and Thou reignest over all; and in Thine hand is power and might; and in Thine hand it is to make great, and to give strength unto all. Now therefore, our God, we thank Thee, and praise Thy glorious name."

(I Chronicles 29:11-13)

Weekly Memory Verse

   The law was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith.

(Galatians 3:24)

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