Daily Jewel

by Pastor Carnell, McAlester, OK
Jan. 5, 2012

Daily Ornament!
Day Twelve of the “Twelve Days of Christmas”

On his arrival, Jesus found that Lazarus had already been in the tomb for four days. Now Bethany was less than two miles from Jerusalem, and many Jews had come to Martha and Mary to comfort them in the loss of their brother. When Martha heard that Jesus was coming, she went out to meet him, but Mary stayed at home. “Lord,” Martha said to Jesus, “if you had been here, my brother would not have died. But I know that even now God will give you whatever you ask.” Jesus said to her, “Your brother will rise again.” Martha answered, “I know he will rise again in the resurrection at the last day.”
Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me will live, even though they die; and whoever lives by believing in me will never die. Do you believe this?”
“Yes, Lord,” she replied, “I believe that you are the Messiah, the Son of God, who is to come into the world.”

In the song, The “Twelve Days of Christmas,” what do the “Twelve Drummers Drumming” represent? (We’ve reached the end!) As with the past couple of days, the answer will be in tomorrow’s message. Here is today’s message.

There’s an old gospel song entitled “Life’s Railway to Heaven.” It tells everyone’s story—the tragedies, setbacks, disappointments, and pain that touch every family around the world. The question is, “Where do people of faith turn when these things happen?” There is an answer. We trust. We pray. And we keep on track. Here is one verse from the song:
“You will often find obstructions; look for storms of wind and rain;
On a fill, or curve, or trestle, they will almost ditch your train.
Put your trust alone in Jesus; never falter, never fail.
Keep your hand upon the throttle, and your eye upon the rail.”
Some of you have been passengers on emotional train rides like this one—full of obstructions, storms, and dangerous curves. You have been driven to your knees in prayer as the only hope to keep your train from finding a ditch. You have experienced fear and anxiety about situations that seemed beyond the power of God to remove. And you have discovered that help is on the way. Through prayer.
Several years ago I discovered an insightful book, entitled When There is No Miracle, by Robert Wise. Here is one paragraph that describes how I have felt at certain times in my own pilgrimage:
“When our prayers seem to bring nothing but silence from God, it is natural for us to be bewildered. And soon, our apprehensions turn into a sense of deep misgiving. On every side, our doubts nag and nibble away at our self-confidence. We once thought of ourselves as people of strong faith, but now we don’t know whether to believe or not.”
Where do Christians turn when there is no miracle? I have found encouragement from 1st Peter 1:6, 7:
“So be truly glad! There is wonderful joy ahead, even though it is necessary for you to endure many trials for a while. These trials are only to test your faith, to show that it is strong and pure. It is being tested as fire tests and purifies gold—and your faith is far more precious to God than mere gold…”
Here are some suggestions about how we should pray, especially when the future is in doubt.

Ask in Jesus’ name. “The truth is, you can go directly to the Father and ask him, and he will grant your request because you use my name. Ask, using my name, and you will receive….” John 16:23, 24
Ask while abiding in Jesus. “If you stay joined to me and my words remain in you, you may ask any request you like, and it will be granted.” John 15:7
Ask according to God’s will. “This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us. And if we know that he hears us…we know that we have what we asked of him.” 1 John 5:14, 15 Ask in faith. “…If you want to know what God wants you to do—ask him, and he will gladly tell you. He will not resent your asking. But when you ask him, be sure that you really expect an answer, for a doubtful mind is as unsettled as a wave of the sea that is driven and tossed by the wind.” James 1:5, 6
Ask with Thanksgiving. “Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need and thank him for all he has done.” Philippians 4:6
Ask with the right motive. “The reason you don’t have what you want is that you don’t ask God for it. And even when you do ask, you don’t get it because your whole motive is wrong—you want only what will give you pleasure.” James 4:3
The song writer was right. He said, “Put your trust alone in Jesus; never falter, never fail.” Just because God seems silent and far away, he is as close to you as he has ever been. He is aware of the trials you are facing, and he will see to it that the pain you feel will serve to purify you, not destroy you. As Peter said, “Your faith is far more precious to God than mere gold.” The news doesn’t get much better than this!