Thursday, May 30, 2024

           New York has been called the city that never sleeps.  God never sleeps either.  We can call upon Him at any time, anywhere and for any reason.  As followers of Christ, we have access to the Father and His throne of grace made possible through our relationship with the Son.  As believers, we often do not make as much of prayer as we could.  We often fail to petition God and make intercessions to Him.  We promise prayer to others yet often forget about it minutes later.  We make plans to pray but then something comes up and keeps us from it.  Isaiah 62 offers us some encouragement to pray and to do so without sleeping or resting.  The Bible says, “I have posted watchmen on your walls, Jerusalem; they will never be silent day or night.  You who call on the Lord, give yourselves no rest, and give him no rest till he establishes Jerusalem and makes her the praise of the earth” (Isaiah 62:6-7).  You might want to read that Scripture again and a bit slower.  Isaiah says to give the Lord “no rest” in our calling on Him!  That’s quite an invitation!  I realize there is a word about context that we need to acknowledge for what this verse meant in Isaiah’s time.  But there is a timeless principle for us to treasure.  We can call upon the Lord.  We can call upon Him consistently.  He can call upon Him indefinitely with no limits, restrictions or time constraints.  We are not limited by minutes, time, duration or number of prayers.  There is no quota that we are kept from exceeding.    
            We are to be watchmen on the wall when it comes to prayer.  Watchmen for our families, our church, our friends and those for whom we have promised to pray.  Ephesians 6:10 tells us, “finally, be strong in the Lord and in His mighty power.”  We are strong when we pray.  We are tapping into the unmatched, limitless power and resources of the Almighty I AM.  A bit earlier in Ephesians, Paul reminded us of God’s boundless and endless power.  We read, “Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen” (Ephesians 3:20).  God is always able to act and do immeasurably more than we could ever ask or imagine or seek.  Perhaps today, we need to heighten and intensify our praying.  We need to pray without resting or ceasing and call upon the One who never sleeps.  “Give Him no rest,” Isaiah wrote.  That is a standing invitation that draws us into the presence and throne room of our Lord.  It can be easy to dismiss or minimize prayer for those who prefer action and are prone to want to get things done.  But we can never do anything constructive until we have sought God’s grace, help and power.  By ourselves, we are empty and impotent. 
            Be encouraged today by the many ways that you can give the Lord no rest as you seek, ask and knock on His door.  Pray faithfully and boldly.  Pray without ceasing.  Pray with expectation and encouragement.  Pray knowing that the awesome and incomparable I AM is listening on the other side of your prayers!  Remember to pray for the Puerto Rico mission team leaving on Saturday, June 1.  Give the Lord no rest as you pray for this team.  Join us Sunday for Bible study at 9:45am and worship at 10:55am.  And remember you can share our worship any time at YouTube.com/FirstBaptistKannapolis.