Kudos to you Funshine ... am prouder than a game rooster to welcome you back to the forum and tickled pink that you are doing well enough to start getting around to the important things in life ... like having fun, getting involved again ... anything just to try and keep your mind off your medical condition with the old ticker. Medical problems ... the serious ones ... are a total pain as they have a tendency to take your peace away from you. Without your peace (shalom) you lose everything and are left with a world of worry about everything. I know what I talk about as my health is in serious trouble also. I remedy that situation by trying to get plenty of exercise, even when I don't feel like it. I walk every night about an hour and a half and just talk to God about everything. When we pray, we recognize God for who He is and by praying we humble ourselves, because we recognize that we are asking God to do what we cannot do and it shows our dependence upon Him and our faith in Him.
God has work for you to do but His purpose for your life is greater than that work. He wants a relationship with you ... a vital relationship. Yeshua died on the cross because He wanted you to be able to come into the presence of the heavenly Father and we do this through prayer. When we trust in the Lord and develop the habit of relying on His strength, you will overcome and God will make you stand because the victory is for His honor and glory. When we humble ourselves before the Almighty we can ask for His wisdom and the ability to see things as He sees them.
Yeshua said "Come to me, all who are weary and heavy laden, 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 shall find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light" (Matt 11:28-30) He said "Come to me". We come to Yeshua through prayer. People burn out when they do not come to the Lord. they are trying in their own strength alone. They are running an engine without oil. The friction creates great heat which burns out the engine. When things are getting me down and I am growing weary of the continual battle going on and on ... I come to Him. Yeshua said "I will give you rest ... rest for your soul. "He leads me beside the still waters, He makes me to lie down in green pastures ... He restores my soul ... even in the valley of the shadow of death, there is rest to be found because there is no fear because Thou are with me!!! and if God is for us who can be against us!!!
A talmid (disciple) is a student. To be a good student you must be learning from the Him. To take His yoke upon you, it means the same as it does for the ox, that you follow your masters leadings it is a sign of ownership. You acknowledge His Lordship and can learn from Him. I have found out that Lordship cannot be established without prayer. When I did not pray, He was not my Source. When I did not pray, He was not the one leading me and ordering my life. I was. Then I humbled myself which was simply letting God have His proper place and realizing my own place in His sight and giving Him the glory He deserves. It's not pretending to be someone other than who you are ... it is being the one that God has made me.
You see Funshine, we are both walking through the same valley of the shadow. It is a walk that we all must make at one time or another, but we need not make it alone for Thou art with me!!! My prayer is simply that goodness and mercy will follow you all the days of your life and that you will dwell in the house of the Lord forever. I will continually keep your name before the Lord as I walk through the starry night for when I pray, the Lord fills me with His love which allows me to love my neighbor. How can one love his neighbor without praying? When you love and care for someone you want what is best for them so you pray accordingly knowing that God also wants the best for you.
He has shown you, O man, what is good
And what does the Lord require of you
But to do justlice
Love mercy
And to walk humbly with your God.
Peace be into you
Shalom
John
