[eben-network] FW: [goodnews4BI] Our Daily Bread

[Sonny Tutuarima]

March 4, 2005 Say "Mercy!" Read: Philippians 4:1-7 Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer . . . let your requests be made known to God. —Philippians 4:6 Bible In One Year: Deuteronomy 13-16 You may have played the game when you were a child. You interlace your fingers with someone else's and try to bend the other's hands back until one or the other cries "Mercy!" The winner is the one who gets the other person to surrender. Sometimes we try to play "Mercy" with God when we pray. We have a request that we desperately want answered in a certain way, so we try to "bend His fingers back" and get Him to give in. When it seems we aren't winning, we try a little harder to convince Him by begging or bargaining. We may even give up grudgingly and say, "Lord, You always win! That's not fair!" God does want honesty of heart. But occasionally in our honesty a demanding spirit comes out. Deep down we know that prayer is not meant to be a contest with God that we try to win. In our wiser moments, we make our requests known to our Lord, surrender them to Him, rely on His grace, and wait for His answers (Philippians 4:6-7). Author Hannah Whitall Smith said, "Be glad and eager to throw yourself unreservedly into His loving arms, and to hand over the reins of government to Him." Instead of praying with grudging resignation, "Lord, You always win," surrender to Him. Say "Mercy!" —Anne Cetas In Jesus' name we voice our prayers— The Bible tells us to; But may we never use that name To tell God what to do. —D. De Haan Prayer isn't a time to give orders but to report for duty! Jumat, 4 Maret “Kasihanilah Saya” Janganlah hendaknya kamu khawatir tentang apa pun juga, tetapi nyatakanlah dalam segala hal keinginanmu kepada Allah dalam doa … (Filipi 4:6) Bacaan: Ulangan 13-16 Anda mungkin pernah memainkan permainan ini sewaktu masih kecil. Anda menjalin jari Anda dengan jari seorang teman, lalu berusaha menekuk jarinya sampai Anda atau dia berteriak, “Kasihanilah saya!” Pemenangnya adalah yang berhasil membuat lawannya menyerah. Terkadang kita mencoba memainkan permainan “Kasihanilah saya!” dengan Allah saat berdoa. Kita memiliki sebuah permohonan dan kita sangat berharap permintaan itu dijawab dengan cara tertentu. Lalu kita mulai “menekuk jari Tuhan” dan berusaha membuat-Nya menyerah. Namun, ketika tampaknya kita tidak mungkin menang, kita mencoba lebih keras lagi untuk meyakinkan Dia dengan merengek atau menawar. Mungkin akhirnya kita terpaksa menyerah sambil berkata, “Tuhan, Engkau selalu menang! Ini tidak adil!” Allah betul-betul mendambakan kejujuran. Namun, kerap kali dalam kejujuran, jiwa peminta-minta kita muncul. Dalam hati kecil kita, kita sadar doa bukanlah pertandingan dengan Allah di mana kita selalu berupaya untuk menang. Alangkah baiknya jika kita mengutarakan permohonan kepada Tuhan, menyerahkan semuanya kepada-Nya, bersandar pada kasih karunia-Nya, dan menantikan jawaban-Nya (Filipi 4:6,7). Seorang pengarang, Hannah Whitall Smith, berkata, “Bersukacitalah dan rindukanlah untuk berpasrah tanpa syarat ke dalam tangan-Nya yang penuh kasih, serta menyerahkan seluruh wewenang kepada-Nya.” Daripada berdoa dengan pernyataan yang tidak tulus, “Tuhan, Engkau selalu menang”, lebih baik berserah kepada-Nya. Katakanlah, “Kasihanilah saya!” —AMC DOA BUKANLAH SAAT UNTUK MEMBERI PERINTAH MELAINKAN MEMPERTANGGUNGJAWABKAN PEKERJAAN     <---------------------------------------------------------------------------> ================================================ Sampai disini Tuhan menolong kita (1 Sam 7:12) ================================================ Yahoo! Groups Sponsor ADVERTISEMENT Yahoo! Groups Links To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/eben-net/   To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED]   Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to the Yahoo! Terms of Service.

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