subject: Free gifts and prayer [print this page] Free gifts and prayer Free gifts and prayer
"Come, all you who are thirsty, come to the waters; and you who have no money, come, buy and eat! Come, buy wine and milk without money and without cost.
Pretty amazing words from Isaiah Chapter 55 verse 1 from the NIV version of the Bible.
Generally we get used to the type of exchange that we might get charged for, essentially a bill for good and services rendered.
But it trying to get a better feel for what prayer is all about, it could be useful to review this verse from Isaiah in the combination of prayer and the always mindful contemplation of the presence of the Lord to your prayer.
When it speaks of the "waters" in this verse it could be that the waters would be like a rushing waters, or maybe not.
Maybe the graces are like waters that are found here in spots and there in spots but the trust is that the "waters' of grace, or free gifts will be there for you even if it doesn't seem to rush in with a torrent.
But the placement of the gifts, graces or
waters will be reachable for the thirsty soul and for the needs of the soul whatever they might be which could include just about anything.
It is useful to remember while prayer that you do like others have many gifts that are readily apparent that were just given. Say a voice for song, is just a gift that nothing was done as far as earning it. So much of what we have amounts to unearned gifts and it is useful to reflect upon that in approaching the Lord in prayer and remembering that his gifts are free.
While what the answers might be to a given prayer are unknown, we do know that whatever answer comes through you aren't going to get a bill in the mail for it.
An answer can involve trusting the Lord to bring you through a process. For example, you want to go on some exotic travels and you are asking for the assistance of the Lord with this. While these travels might certainly involve money, the backing of the Lord is essentially a free ride, all the possible graces for this if given are given freely and you will not be a larger bill for greater graces. It is kind of a misapplication of your minds eye if you are looking for the graces in the financial realms without realizing that the gist of the story is that an a given answer is really a free gift and a free ride in the larger picture of things.
This will also apply to intercessory prayer, if you are intervening for others or even global affairs, is your prayer is effective in the manner of Elijah as mentioned in James where he prayed that it would not rain for years and this prayer was answered, you are not getting a bill or a charge for the result of your intercession. You have reached into the " waters" of intercession freely.
The " waters' of prayer that are available manifestly include intercessory prayer.
While your mind might be localized to the bills in the mail, you need to get away from that might set in prayer and realize that the " waters'" of and roadways of prayer involve no charge whatsoever.
Some emphasis might be given to prayer in advance in thanking the Lord for the ways in which he gives gifts for free. Jesus didn't head the ten lepers and then give them a bill for that, but he did expect thanksgiving.
There are so many things we take for granted that we aren't ever going to get a bill for, although you never know. The sunshine if it is out and freely enjoyed is such a gift within the day but so far people are getting billed for sunshine.
But there is another mistake that can be made as well. Since according to this verse in Isaiah the " waters" of grace are free, we might be so used to paying for things, that we look for graces that involve payment and then miss them because we were looking in the wrong places, and never expected that they would be found in the places of the spiritual relationship that involves no cost. Believing that there might not be or it couldn't be true that the " waters" involve no cost, might cause an errant approach of overlooking these waters and just striving strictly to pay our way through the situation, bypassing the amazing graces that are freely available and reachable within prayer.
It might be better in the swirl of all is out there, to stop, take a deep breath and go into prayer with an understanding that despite the often heavy costs imposed by society, the lightness of prayer is that there is no cost and the " waters" are grace are to be freely sought and found without any charge, now or later.
Psalm 91 verse 11 in the King James version of the Bible says," or he shall give his angels charge over thee, to keep thee in all thy ways."
To have these amazingly powerful and strong spiritual beings watching over us personally is a sheer gift.
But notice that the verse say" he shall give his angels charge over thee," in other words they will be specifically assigned to you.
For this assignation there is no charge, it does say you will be charged for the help of these might angels.
The charge is that they will help you for free, for no cost.
And this goes for just about every grace you could receive in prayer, with the focus being " he shall give", not may but shall.
It is very important in looking to the ways and understanding the ways of the Lord, that his ways are of no cost and looking for cost or a bill is just like setting up a smokescreen for yourself and fogging your own view of the ways of the Lord.
Although we do not know precisely how the waters of grace will be and what form they will take, we do know that they will always run freely to those who come to the waters will never be rebuffed based on monetary or equivalent concerns.
"Come, all you who are thirsty, come to the waters; and you who have no money, come, buy and eat! Come, buy wine and milk without money and without cost.
Pretty amazing words from Isaiah Chapter 55 verse 1 from the NIV version of the Bible.
Generally we get used to the type of exchange that we might get charged for, essentially a bill for good and services rendered.
But it trying to get a better feel for what prayer is all about, it could be useful to review this verse from Isaiah in the combination of prayer and the always mindful contemplation of the presence of the Lord to your prayer.
When it speaks of the "waters" in this verse it could be that the waters would be like a rushing waters, or maybe not.
Maybe the graces are like waters that are found here in spots and there in spots but the trust is that the "waters' of grace, or free gifts will be there for you even if it doesn't seem to rush in with a torrent.
But the placement of the gifts, graces or
waters will be reachable for the thirsty soul and for the needs of the soul whatever they might be which could include just about anything.
It is useful to remember while prayer that you do like others have many gifts that are readily apparent that were just given. Say a voice for song, is just a gift that nothing was done as far as earning it. So much of what we have amounts to unearned gifts and it is useful to reflect upon that in approaching the Lord in prayer and remembering that his gifts are free.
While what the answers might be to a given prayer are unknown, we do know that whatever answer comes through you aren't going to get a bill in the mail for it.
An answer can involve trusting the Lord to bring you through a process. For example, you want to go on some exotic travels and you are asking for the assistance of the Lord with this. While these travels might certainly involve money, the backing of the Lord is essentially a free ride, all the possible graces for this if given are given freely and you will not be a larger bill for greater graces. It is kind of a misapplication of your minds eye if you are looking for the graces in the financial realms without realizing that the gist of the story is that an a given answer is really a free gift and a free ride in the larger picture of things.
This will also apply to intercessory prayer, if you are intervening for others or even global affairs, is your prayer is effective in the manner of Elijah as mentioned in James where he prayed that it would not rain for years and this prayer was answered, you are not getting a bill or a charge for the result of your intercession. You have reached into the " waters" of intercession freely.
The " waters' of prayer that are available manifestly include intercessory prayer.
While your mind might be localized to the bills in the mail, you need to get away from that might set in prayer and realize that the " waters'" of and roadways of prayer involve no charge whatsoever.
Some emphasis might be given to prayer in advance in thanking the Lord for the ways in which he gives gifts for free. Jesus didn't head the ten lepers and then give them a bill for that, but he did expect thanksgiving.
There are so many things we take for granted that we aren't ever going to get a bill for, although you never know. The sunshine if it is out and freely enjoyed is such a gift within the day but so far people are getting billed for sunshine.
But there is another mistake that can be made as well. Since according to this verse in Isaiah the " waters" of grace are free, we might be so used to paying for things, that we look for graces that involve payment and then miss them because we were looking in the wrong places, and never expected that they would be found in the places of the spiritual relationship that involves no cost. Believing that there might not be or it couldn't be true that the " waters" involve no cost, might cause an errant approach of overlooking these waters and just striving strictly to pay our way through the situation, bypassing the amazing graces that are freely available and reachable within prayer.
It might be better in the swirl of all is out there, to stop, take a deep breath and go into prayer with an understanding that despite the often heavy costs imposed by society, the lightness of prayer is that there is no cost and the " waters" are grace are to be freely sought and found without any charge, now or later.
Psalm 91 verse 11 in the King James version of the Bible says," or he shall give his angels charge over thee, to keep thee in all thy ways."
To have these amazingly powerful and strong spiritual beings watching over us personally is a sheer gift.
But notice that the verse say" he shall give his angels charge over thee," in other words they will be specifically assigned to you.
For this assignation there is no charge, it does not say you will be charged for the help of these mighty angels.
The charge is that they will help you for free, for no cost.
And this goes for just about every grace you could receive in prayer, with the focus being " he shall give", not may but shall.
It is very important in looking to the ways and understanding the ways of the Lord, that his ways are of no cost and looking for cost or a bill is just like setting up a smokescreen for yourself and fogging your own view of the ways of the Lord.
Although we do not know precisely how the waters of grace will be and what form they will take, we do know that they will always run freely to those who come to the waters will never be rebuffed based on monetary or equivalent concerns.
