In the Night Seasons

Ps. 16:7 "...my reins also instruct me in the night seasons."

There are those times during the night that sleep is somewhere around the corner or maybe in the next room. The question then is what to do?

A friend's posting on her Xanga (on which I couldn't figure out how to make a comment) about just such an occasion has prompted this posting. She has resigned herself to counting sheep when she can't sleep.

Name the sheep. While you're counting the sheep, give them names, then pray for that individual. I'm particularly thinking of believers at this point. Pray that they would enjoy all the blessing of the fullness of the glory of God. (Put my name on one of those sheep!)

Worship the Shepherd. Pray His Word back to Him. His Holy Spirit inspired men of old to write about Him and gave them the very words to write. Psalm 23 is the sheep's Psalm to the Shepherd. The Lord is my Shepherd, I shall not want. In other words He will provide everything I need, etc. Psalm 103 is blessing the Lord. Vs. 1, "Bless the Lord, oh my soul, and all that is within me, bless His holy name." Verse 2 says, "...and forget not all his benefits." Then the major portion of the Psalm tells many of the benefits.

Name the lost. Pray for an unsaved acquaintance by name. Pray that he would receive the Lord Jesus and experience the enjoyment of the fullness of His glory. Ask that when he becomes a believer he would do great damage to the kingdom Satan.

These are just some suggestions for night time prayer. You will have others.

Now, enjoy those night time events.

Look up for your remption draweth nigh.

Ron

Change

Hebrews 13:8 "Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and today, and forever."

Change. A word that brings excitement and anticipation.

Change. A word that brings trepidation, fear, anxiety and "What if" questions.

The other day I was reading The Cross and the Switchblade, by David Wilkerson and the concept of change came to me. There is a lot of change in our world, but some basics don't change, such as the need to eat, communicate and travel. Some aspects of these basics change such as what we eat, how often we eat, the methods of communication and travel. Do you and I welcome and accept change, do we look forward to change?

Yes, there are a lot of changes and it seems the older we get the more resistant we are to change.

I have had a lot of changes in my life, the most notable being the change from the kingdom of darkness to the kingdom of light. Imagine the excitement and at the same time the trepidation in another change, the change from singlehood to plurality (marriage).

In the midst of all this change there is a constant - God! He doesn't change. He doesn't need to change. Yea, indeed He can't change! For if He were to change, then He wouldn't be perfect, complete and All in All.

It seems that part of the resistance to change is that we are comfortable with the familiar, and the unknown scares us perhaps more than just a little. I'm not referring to change for the sake of change. That is not a good enough reason to change.

When I resist change, when I'm content with my life as it is now, I'm really saying "I've arrived" even though I may not verbalize it. There is only One who has arrived and doesn't change - God!

God is interested in making changes in me to conform me to image of His dear Son. Another passage of Scripture says from glory to glory He's changing me.

It's easy to be content with our life and one day blends into the next, but the Spirit of God is nudging us to surrender in another area of our life, to a deeper walk with God, to step out of our comfort zone and trust Him yet another aspect of our life. Maybe He's developing compassion and mercy for the lost and hurting. The Sunday School superintendent has asked you to teach a class and you turned him down, there is an inner prompting to invite the neighbors in for a meal.

Have you considered going on a missionary trip to some other culture? The possibility exists that it would change your outlook on life, the lost, or even worship.

I wonder how often I compartmentalize God, that is put Him in a box and say, "You can only do things these certain ways".

May I be so in tune with God that I cooperate with Him in the changes He is making in my life.

I believe the greatest change of all is still in the future when this mortal will put on immortality and I will be ushered into the throne room of God.

Look up for your Redemption draweth nigh.

Ron