Be Still

Be Still

Psalm 41:10a "Be still and know that I am God."

"The less I pray, the harder it gets; the more I pray, the better it goes." - Martin Luther

In the past few days, we have looked at some of the things that can hamper your walk with God and what to do to move forward with Him. One thing we did not look at was prayer. Prayer is talking to God. Without communication, you cannot have a relationship with anyone, let alone God. Yes, He is always there.

Deuteronomy 31:8, "And the LORD, he it is that doth go before thee; he will be with thee, he will not fail thee, neither forsake thee:
fear not, neither be dismayed." Psalm 48:14, "For this God is our God forever and ever: he will be our guide even unto death." It is up to us to come to Him in prayer.

I have learned in the past nine years that there are two ways to pray, among others. One is group prayer - praying for others and their needs and lifting those in your group up before the Lord. My first experience with this was at the Colony of Mercy. Every night we prayed, in a small group, for each other. At first, it was uncomfortable to pray out loud and in front of other men. Meeting this way and doing it regularly made it less difficult. What an honor and privilege it is to pray in this kind of setting.

Another way to pray, and what I believe really brings you into personal fellowship with the Lord, is quiet or alone time prayer. Here is where your faith and trust in Him will be tested. In Scripture, there are many examples. Jonah's alone time came in the belly of a great fish (Jonah 2:1). Daniel's quiet place was his upstairs room where he prayed three times a day (Daniel 6:10). Even Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith (Hebrews12:2) often withdrew to a lonely place and prayed (Luke 5:16). These are just a few examples.

For the past month or so, my alone and quiet time has been in a small room, far away from where I used to be and all that I knew. You see, I was satisfied with myself and did not want to change my ideals.
But God had other plans; because of the choices I made, He brought me to this prayer closet. God has showed me, through prayer, who I am, what He expects, and how to go about traveling down that narrow path that leads to life that few find (Matthew 7:14). It's the process that all believers will go through if they want to deepen their relationship with the one true living God. So don't be a Jonah, or be put in your closet
- be a Daniel and go willingly.

Prayer does not end there. It's what you do after the prayers, after the crying and the weeping, that will truly bless or curse your walk with Christ. Will you be still and listen? Will you be patient and endure, or will you resist and be in rebellion in that time?
Scripture says, in Proverbs 3:5-6, "Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight." That's where it will happen.

As Miss Ingrid has always told me, Thomas, you need to be still and listen to God, wait for Him because He loves you. I pray all of you take her advice. I also pray that you will find that "prayer closet" and truly experience God that way He wants you to.

Never forget - chin up.

Always remember - knees down.

This week's Freedom Fighters were written by our friend, Tom Paschke.
Tom is a graduate of the Colony of Mercy and is currently residing in Lancaster, PA. If you'd like to send Tom a note of encouragement, you can respond to this email and we will forward your note to him.

Great quote: If you are satisfied with yourself, you had better change your ideals.