[ecko_quote source=" John 11:41"]Then they took away the stone from the place where the dead man was lying. And Jesus lifted up His eyes and said, “Father, I thank You that You have heard Me.[/ecko_quote]
In this passage above, we see Lazarus was still in the tomb but Jesus started to thank the father in heaven for what He was about to do. Jesus was offering praise to the father before the miracle took place.
I am not sure about you but when I'm writing an email to a friend, I usually end up thanking them for what I’ve asked them to do. It's not out of disrespect to wait for their say on it but just a sign of faith. I know they will do what I've asked them. End of story. When I talk to my higher ups, I usually end up wanting to hear back on what they have to say even if its the smallest of things.
That's how we are sometimes in our prayers to God. We treat our father for who He is by say..."profession" (God Almighty) but he really is our father; our dad; our papa. So let's start treating God like He really is our papa.
This is Jesus showing us what faith in action looks like. I've always prayed on how thankful I am for the blessings I am yet to see and this meditation is only going to encourage me to do that even more.
To praise God in faith for the great and awesome things he is about to do and will continue to do in the days to come.
Image Source:
[http://www.saviorsite.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/12/jesus-walking-on-water-benjamin-mcpherson.jpg]
[ecko_quote source="1 Peter 5:7"]casting all your cares [all your anxieties, all your worries, and all your concerns, once and for all] on Him, for He cares about you [with deepest affection, and watches over you very carefully][/ecko_quote]
A lecturer, while explaining stress management to the student, raised a glass of water and asked, “How heavy is this glass of water? “Answers called out ranged from 20g to 500g. The lecturer replied, “the absolute weight doesn’t matter. It depends on how long you try to hold it. If I hold it for a minute, that’s not a problem. If I hold it for an hour, I’ll have an ache in my right arm. If I hold it for a day, you’ll have to call an ambulance. In each case, it’s the same weight, but the longer I hold it, the heavier it becomes to me”
He continued, ‘‘and that’s the way it is with stress management. If we carry our burdens all the time, sooner or later, as the burden becomes increasingly heavy, we won’t be able to carry on. We need to put them down and be refreshed”.
Jesus gives us the simple solution to all our burdens, cares and problems: come to Him and be refreshed. Jesus said “come to Me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light (Matthew 11:28-30). Many times we try to hold onto our burdens like that cup of water, but as we do our burdens just get heavier and heavier.
We must learn to put those burdens down and be refreshed in His presence. He will carry us and help us in our time of need.
All we have to do is cast everything upon Him because He cares for us! I am writing this out of my experience and have been experiencing stress through various interaction with people/church groups/fellowships. Follow the Word surely it works because it has been working for me.
Image Source:
[http://www.chiropractickenosha.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/Chiropractic-Treatment-for-Stress.jpg]
