In our Revival Meetings I have recently felt led of the Lord to preach the “Life of Elijah,” that great Old Testament Prophet. The “apex” of his ministry might have been the day he prayed the Fire of the Lord down from Heaven! Thus proving the false god Baal to be just that; powerless, futile!

Here is the Prayer … “Hear me, O LORD, hear me.” (1 Kings 18:37) Of course there was a brief lead-in to this Petition and a short postscript as well … but you’re looking at the Core (Prayer) itself.

“Hear me, O LORD, hear me.”

The verb “hear” in our Verse (used twice) is spelled in Hebrew “anah.” It is translated “hear” 42 times in the King James Bible. But it is also translated “answer” 242 times in the King James!

Folks, the emphasis here is not just on God “hearing” … but God “answering” as well! And answer our mighty God did …

“Then the fire of the LORD fell, and consumed the burnt sacrifice, and the wood, and the stones, and the dust, and licked up the water that was in the trench. And when all the people saw it, they fell on their faces: and they said, The LORD, he is the God; the LORD, he is the God.” 1 Kings 18:38-39

Wow!

What a God!

But wait a second. This is the same God Who has pledged to us … “Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you: for every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened.” Matthew 7:7-8

So I merely remind you … the God of Elijah lives. And if He can send Fire … He can certainly meet your need this vey hour!

Take your burden to the Lord right now.

Plead, as did Elijah … “Hear me, O LORD, hear me.”

And see what happens …

— Dr. Mike Bagwell

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Yes, the old Rabbis of Israel taught their people that two of the precious Psalms in the Psalter (our Old Testament Book of Psalms) were particularly suitable for those times of day, dawn and dusk.

Recall Psalm 119:164 please … “Seven times a day do I praise thee because of thy righteous judgments.” Apparently we need to do a whole lot more praising and praying and thanking and worshipping than we do! “Seven times a day!”

Well then, here is the morning Psalm, or the part of it that is especially pertinent to my thought in this little article.

Psalm 63 it is. The first verse immediately gets us started right … “O God, early will I seek Thee!”

Now the first 8 verses … “O God, thou art my God; early will I seek thee: my soul thirsteth for thee, my flesh longeth for thee in a dry and thirsty land, where no water is; to see thy power and thy glory, so as I have seen thee in the sanctuary. Because thy lovingkindness is better than life, my lips shall praise thee. Thus will I bless thee while I live: I will lift up my hands in thy name. My soul shall be satisfied as with marrow and fatness; and my mouth shall praise thee with joyful lips: when I remember thee upon my bed, and meditate on thee in the night watches. Because thou hast been my help, therefore in the shadow of thy wings will I rejoice. My soul followeth hard after thee: thy right hand upholdeth me.”

Great worship anytime, but obviously crafted for the early morning!

Now for the evening time … Psalm 141.

“LORD, I cry unto thee: make haste unto me; give ear unto my voice, when I cry unto thee. Let my prayer be set forth before thee as incense; and the lifting up of my hands as the evening sacrifice.” Notice please, “the evening sacrifice.”

This great Psalm/Prayer continues … “Set a watch, O LORD, before my mouth; keep the door of my lips. Incline not my heart to any evil thing, to practise wicked works with men that work iniquity: and let me not eat of their dainties.”  Wise petitions, aspirations!

Part of what I am saying (although in reality any Psalm will work well) is that we need to talk to God, adore and worship and thank and praise Him … morning and evening!

In ancient Israel, at the command of Almighty God, both a morning and evening sacrifice were offered to the Lord on the altar at the Tabernacle (or Temple in later years).

That fact alone teaches us (even if indirectly) to spend time with God … early and late!

Wow, what a challenge!

— Dr. Mike Bagwell

By the way, the dear Lord deserves our best in every area of life! Including that of our daily schedule.

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And here it is, revealing the mettle, the character of God’s man Jeremiah!

“Woe is me for my hurt! my wound is grievous: but I said, Truly this is a grief, and I must bear it.”

Jeremiah is often (and correctly) called “the weeping Prophet.” Read Jeremiah 9:1 with me. “Oh that my head were waters, and mine eyes a fountain of tears, that I might weep day and night for the slain of the daughter of my people!”

Overall, Jeremiah suffered as much as any Prophet in the Old Testament, apart from the martyrs.

His own kinsfolk tried to kill him.

Kings (all wicked) tried to kill him.

The general population tried to kill him.

His Message was heavily loaded with judgment.

Judgment against his own Nation, Judah.

No wonder he could lament (as in our Title Verse) …

“Woe is me for my hurt! My wound is grievous: but I said, truly this is a grief …”

Yet, under all that load, he trusted his Lord!

He knew his job was to be fithful.

To “endure” to the end!

So, he beautifully resolved …

“I MUST BEAR IT.”

I will finish the course.

I will patiently serve God.

Wow!

I think Jeremiah has today left us all a great example.

Be steadfast!

Do not quit!

Do not grumble!

Bear the load God has sent your way!

Jesus, in fact, bore the load of all our sin … on the old rugged Cross!

Now, let us serve Him … whatever be the burden!

Challenge us one more time, Jeremiah …

“Woe is me for my hurt! my wound is grievous: but I said, Truly this is a grief, and I must bear it.”

Let’s be faithful, strong workers in our Lord’s fields of service!

— Dr. Mike Bagwell

Here’s the Verse … “Declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient times the things that are not yet done, saying, My counsel shall stand, and I will do all my pleasure.” So says the Lord God Almighty.

Herein I find great peace!

Thus, God is omniscient, knowing all things!

And God is eternal, being present before the “Beginning” and existing after the “End!”

God is sovereign, none exists above Him. His Counsel, His Pleasure, also known as His “Will” always prevails.

He will never be overruled!

And, on top of all that, this God is “knowable!”

Listen to Jesus in John 17:3 … “And this is life eternal, that they might KNOW thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent.”

God even invites us to Himself!

“Come now, and let us reason together, saith the LORD.” Isaiah 1:18 where He adds: “Though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow.”

Jesus, Who is God, goes this far: “Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me.”

Wow!

All I know now is to invite you!

“Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls.” Matthew 11:28-29

Consider yourself invited!

— Dr. Mike Bagwell

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This 109th Psalm is Messianic.

Or at least Peter applies a portion of it to the Life of Christ. (Acts 1:20 quoting Psalm 109:8, specifically.)

I personally am coming to believe that we can find Jesus in some way in every single Psalm!

But Verse 4 has caught my attention this morning.

“For my love they are my adversaries: but I give myself unto prayer.”

Our wise King James translators often (as they tell us up front) italicize certain words in the Text to clarify the meaning. I believe the Lord guided their minds in this endeavor.

So … in the case of Psalm 109:4, without the italicized addition, the last half of the Verse reads …

“But I … Prayer!”

If this is Messiah (Jesus our Lord) speaking, which many believe, He just called Himself “Prayer!”

This might mean that when I pray … I am entering into the very Heart of my Lord! (Could this be part of the essence of praying “in Jesus’ Name?”)

Jesus punctuated His early Life with Prayer, constantly.

Even to this extent, an anointed Psalmist could say of Christ … HE IS PRAYER personified!

What is the point, Preacher?

To show me the importance of prayer!

How necessary it is to the healthy Christian life!

How essential to true fellowship with my Saviour!

When Jesus’ adversaries (many and often) came … He prayed!

He is Prayer!

And so should I follow in His Steps!

“Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that ye should follow his steps.” 1 Peter 2:21 in part.

Pray more today!

— Dr. Mike Bagwell

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