Joni and Friends Daily Devotional 26 October 2021 | Tuesday Message
TOPIC: Reasoning with the Lord
SCRIPTURE| “‘Come now, let us reason together,’ says the Lord. ‘Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red as crimson, they shall be like wool.’” – Isaiah 1:18
MESSAGE| Have you ever pleaded in prayer? I don’t mean if you have ever wrung your hands and cried, although that is a kind of praying, too. To plead with God means to present your case, as in a court of law.
God asks us to plead with him when he invites us to come and reason with him in prayer. The Lord is delighted when we arrive at his throne, having sought in advance his heart’s desire in a matter. He loves it when we are ready to defend our intercessions and petitions, ready to explain why we believe it is his will to do a certain thing or act in a certain way in a situation. When we pray that way, God can see we are attaching importance to our intercession and petitions.
Before a lawyer presents his case in court, he takes great pains and a great deal of time to think through his petition. The same should be true for us as we approach the Lord in prayer. Before you offer your intercessions and petitions, take time to quietly sit before the Lord and listen. Ask him to reveal to you his heart’s desire in a matter. Only then, when you offer your petition, will you be able to say that you are praying in his will.
PRAYER: Lord, before I pray today, I want to quiet my heart, still my thoughts, and center my attention on you. I want to listen to you in order to discern your will for me for this day. And thank you for inviting me to think through my petitions and intercessions — I take seriously the prayers I offer before your throne. Thank you for taking them seriously, too
Joni and Friends Daily Devotional 26 October 2021 was taken from Diamonds in the Dust – By Joni Eareckson Tada