Isaiah 50:4 (NASB) The Lord GOD has given Me the tongue of disciples, That I may know how to sustain the weary one with a word. He awakens Me morning by morning, He awakens My ear to listen as a disciple. Like me, you might have heard the words disciple, discipleship, and… wait for it… ‘intentional friendships’ floating around in our churches at some point in time. That we should transform the world through love. I thought perhaps as long as I was intentional enough with my relationships, God will preternaturally intervene to bless my spiritual and emotional state; as a bonus, these divine relationships would then draw in the souls teetering on the edge of unbelief. Voilà! Discipleship in a
God prompted me recently to re-examine my attitude towards prayer. It didn't take much reflection for me to realise that my prayers are infrequent, largely about myself, and about requests I have of God. In short, I was treating God as a genie, to be let out of a bottle in times of need to grant my wishes, but for little else besides. I was led to two passages in the Bible which really challenged my perspective. The first is from Philippines 4:6-7: "Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ