[Faith-talk] Good Night Message and an Almost Happy Belated Birthday

[Paul]

No, folks, it's not my birthday.  Many of you may know a lady named Angela from Toronto ON Canada.  Well, today is her birthday, so, even though it's belated, let's wish her a happy birthday.  If you know her email address send her a message privately.  Thanks for doing this, whether on list or privately.

How was your day today? Mine was good, by God's matchless grace and His providential care.  On the other hand it's already Thursday morning or afternoon for those of you in other parts of the world.  I hope that your day is going well.

"Precious Prayers" by Ruth O'Neil is the article I'd like to present to you today, rendered as follows:

Have you ever felt that your prayers did not go any further than the ceiling or that even if you did pray about a certain situation, it would not make any difference? I know I have often felt that way.

Then a friend of mine, who knew some of what I was going through, showed me a verse she had read in her devotions, Revelation 5:8: "And when he had taken the book, the four beasts and four and twenty elders fell down before the Lamb, having every one of them harps, and golden vials full of odours, which are the prayers of the saints." This verse can be such a comfort to all of us who pray and sometimes become discouraged that our prayers are not doing what we think they ought to be doing.

This verse shows that not only are our prayers heard by God, but also that they are precious enough to be kept in a golden vial.  I can picture those vials proudly displayed on His heavenly mantel to be looked at every day.  It reminds me of loving parents whose child has given them a precious gift.  It is treasured and kept to be remembered for years to come.

When we were children, we all brought home awful ornaments at Christmastime every year.  And every year Mom, like probably most mothers all over the world, would put all those awful ornaments on our Christmas tree.  It was definitely not the kind of fancy-looking Christmas tree seen in magazines!

At first we loved the fact that Mom gave our ornaments so much attention and care when she packed them away to be used for the next year.  Then time went by, we grew older, those ornaments got rather ratty looking, and we began to beg Mom to throw them away.  But she never would.

When Mom died and we were helping Dad go through things, we came across all those "treasured" ornaments.  It seemed almost disappointing to throw them away, but we did it anyway.

But God will never "throw away" our prayers.  They are so much more precious to Him than a child's ornaments are to a mother.  My mother never had golden vials in which to store our ornaments, but God does! Remember, your prayers are cherished and kept safely by your heavenly Father in heaven.  Do not think that your prayers will do any good or that they do not matter.  They matter to God!

Although she won't read this (unless, of course, if someone sends this article onto someone and it somehow gets to the author herself), I'd like to thank Sister Ruth for her insightful article, and I hope and pray that you received and derived some spiritual benefit from reading and/or listening to it.

And now may the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob just keep us safe, individually and collectively, throughout this night or day and especially in these last days in which we live.  Your Christian friend and brother, Paul