Remember One Another » Devotional

Encouragement to prayer from a distressed mother

David Chandler — Thu, 25 Feb 2010 15:55:01 +0000

In Mark 7:24-30, we have the moving account of the Syro-Phoenician (Gentile) woman who humbly and persistently implored Jesus to heal her demon-possessed daughter.

Commenting on this account, J.C. Ryle makes this application:

In the first place, this passage is meant to encourage us to pray for others. The woman who came to our Lord, in the history now before us, must doubtless have been in deep affliction. She saw a beloved child possessed by an unclean spirit. She saw her in a condition only one degree better than death itself. She hears of Jesus, and beseeches Him to “cast forth the devil out of her daughter.” She prays for one who could not pray for herself, and never rests till her prayer is granted. By prayer she obtains the cure which no human means could obtain. Through the prayer of the mother, the daughter is healed. On her own behalf that daughter did not speak a word; but her mother spoke for her to the Lord, and did not speak in vain. Hopeless and desperate as her case appeared, she had a praying mother, and where there is a praying mother there is always hope.

The truth here taught is one of deep importance. The case here recorded is one that does not stand alone. Few duties are so strongly recommended by Scriptural example, as the duty of intercessory prayer. There is a long catalogue of instances in Scripture, which show the benefits that may be conferred on others by praying for them. The nobleman’s son at Capernaum–the centurion’s servant–the daughter of Jairus, are all striking examples. Wonderful as it may seem, God is pleased to do great things for souls, when friends and relations are moved to pray for them. “The effectual frevent prayer of a righteous man availeth much.” (James 5. 16)

– J.C. Ryle, Expository Thoughts on the Gospels

http://bible.logos.com/#q=&ref=Mk%207%3A24-30%2Chi%3DMk%207%3A24-Mk%207%3A30&ver=ESV&tab=home&content=.M

Prayer–is that all?

David Chandler — Thu, 21 Jan 2010 01:18:39 +0000

Have you ever thought this way: “Yes, prayer is important, but giving / doing / serving is where the action is really at…”? It’s easy to think this way, but the more I read, the more I am convinced it’s exactly backwards. The Apostle Paul had this to say, concluding the chapter on spiritual warfare with this finale:

Praying ALWAYS with ALL prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with ALL perseverance and supplication for ALL saints;

Ephesians 6:18

This is one reason why I am very grateful for your prayers for me and ROA. If I take the Lord at His Word, prayer is not just a nice thought: it is the means to moving the hand of God, so to speak, and is therefore no less valuable, and perhaps more so, than monetary contribution or any other kind of gift. That fellow pilgrims would speak to the Lord of heaven and earth on my behalf is an immense blessing–one that inspires me to create software to help us all become better prayer warriors.

The source of murmuring

David Chandler — Wed, 20 Jan 2010 01:03:05 +0000

I ran across this in some sermon notes from last year, and thought it worthy to share:

The source of much murmuring and complaining is in fact Christian hypocrisy–pretending to be a Christian while holding on to our vision for our lives.

This strikes me as an excellent diagnostic tool of the soul. Because our hearts are deceitful, it is often hard to tell whether we are pursuing our own will or the Lord’s will for us, but the presence of much grumbling may be a clue…

First daily email sent!

David Chandler — Mon, 30 Nov 2009 16:00:31 +0000

This was an extra special Thanksgiving for me. It was to great to see my parents, siblings, nephews, nieces, and grandparents again, and to top it off, on the day after I successfully received the first daily ROA prayer email. My brother-in-law and I were sitting at my folks’ kitchen table, laptops facing each other, while he worked on his family’s Christmas DVD and I struggled with a couple thorny technical issues that were holding up the daily ROA email. When I announced triumphantly that I had gotten it to work, Fred said simply, “Good–I was praying for you!” It is a tremendous blessing to know that God is interested in the details of our lives, even technical problems! I have seen this almost daily since I started the project.

It should not surprise anyone that a project devoted to helping Christians pray more effectively owes its entire existence to prayer, as it most certainly does. The Lord has given me many gifts, but I have felt myself again and again coding beyond my natural ability on this project. The continued motivation and ability to “keep on keeping on” is His doing. What great things God is capable of when we ask Him! I do not possess the resources to pull off a project like this. Some well-meaning folks would say, “no, you need to believe in yourself.” But there is Someone so much greater to believe in!

With man, this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.

Matt. 19:26, NIV

This realization only further fuels my desire and motivation to help Christians become awesome at praying. I am more convinced than ever that prayer is where the battle is, and I am almost giddy with the excitement of being a part of what God is doing through prayer. Thank you for praying!

A Challenge to Shine

David Chandler — Fri, 02 Oct 2009 13:48:08 +0000

Do all things without complaining and disputing, that you may become blameless and harmless, children of God without fault in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world, holding fast the word of life…

Philippians 2:14-16 NKJV

As Christians, we are frequently dismayed by the moral decay around us and easily identify with Paul’s description of the Romans in Phillipi as a “crooked and perverse generation.” But what to do about it? How can we shine as lights in this dark world? Perhaps our first thoughts are of doing good deeds, starting a ministry or political action group, or becoming an evangelist. All these have their place, but Paul’s prescription in these verses is shockingly simple and intensely challenging: “Do all things without complaining and disputing.”

Do our family members see us shining in this way? Our co-workers? Our brothers and sisters at church? Imagine how different our homes / workplaces / churches might look if all of God’s children did all things without complaining and disputing. Shine, indeed!