Christian Reflection and Prayer

Scripture:

“See, I am setting before you today a blessing
and a curse – the blessing if you obey the
commands of the LORD your God that I am giving
you today; the curse if you disobey the commands
of the LORD your God and turn from the way that
I command you today by following other gods,
which you have not known.”
— Deuteronomy 11:26–28

General Dwight D. Eisenhower went to visit the Nazi
death camps in Poland. Eisenhower’s statement,
which is featured prominently at the U.S. Holocaust
Memorial Museum in Washington, D.C., says that he
went to see the evidence with his own eyes so that
he could be a witness if the world ever tried to deny
the Holocaust. Seeing is believing. Believing is
knowing that something is true.

When God told the children of Israel that they were
to see that they had a choice before them, He was
telling them to know – with complete clarity – that
following His ways would bring them blessings and
going against Him would bring curses. It’s as if God
was saying to them, “See! Know it, experience it,
and store this truth in your heart. There will be a
time when your vision gets cloudy. There will be a
time when you have decisions to make in life.
Choose Me. Choose blessings.”

It would benefit us to think of this verse every day.
Sometimes we let ourselves sink into the murkiness
of life, into a place where life seems confusing.
However, life isn’t complicated. Not when viewed from
the place of clarity that God provides for us in this
reading. In every decision we face, there is only one
deciding factor – which path is most congruent with
the will of God? If we navigate according to that
compass, we will never go wrong.

Seeing something with our own eyes is a way to
believe. Yet it is also true that believing is a way of
seeing more deeply, more clearly, more fully than
just our eyes can.

With prayers for shalom, peace,
Rabbi Yechiel Eckstein

(excerpts taken from Holy Land Moments)

How can I make my prayers effective?

Scripture:

I urge you, first of all, to pray for all people. As you
make your requests, plead for God's mercy upon
them, and give thanks. Pray this way for kings and
all others who are in authority, so that we can live
in peace and quietness, in godliness and dignity.
1 Timothy 2:1-2 NLT

Praying effectively

Paul urges Timothy to lift up requests, prayers,
intercession, and thanksgiving.

A request is a need, a deep desire for something we
don't have — something only God can supply.

A prayer is a word of praise and adoration. A more
accurate translation of this word from the original
Greek might be to "worship in earnest."

Intercession is praying on behalf of others. Our
prayers should regularly reflect this kind of selfless
lifestyle.

Thanksgiving involved remembering those past
prayers that have already been answered,
acknowledging that we not only trust God's
supremacy and involvement in our life but also how
his hand has moved and guided us in the past.

When we pray effectively, we do more than
communicate with God — we commune with him.
We become one in mind and spirit and purpose.
Today, let the focus of your prayer time be to
connect with God in a very real and personal way,
not as a slave would petition his master, but as a
son would enjoy the company of a loving and
gracious father.

Adapted from a devotional by Frank M. Martin in
Embracing Eternity (Tyndale House) p 36

We can choose growth or stagnation. We can use
whatever circumstances we are given as opportunities
to grow and thrive, or we can let our circumstances
get the best of us and beat us into defeat. In life,
success doesn’t necessarily go to the one who is
most talented, brilliant, or savvy – it goes to the one
who chooses to follow the path of blessings.

No matter what situation you find yourself in
today, know beyond the shadow of doubt that it is one
in which you can thrive. All you need to do is make
that choice. Cling to God and to His Word and choose
life’s blessings!