The disposition of Providence is not to be questioned.  One prays and follows the light of conscience.”
              –Ernest Haycox  (Whispering Range)

    “Yet I will rejoice in the Lord! I will be joyful in the God of my salvation!”
              –Habakkuk 3:18 (NLT)
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Surely there are many things we do not understand.  Is it wrong to question the Lord?  No, but He might say, “I’ve already answered that–read My Word.”  Or He may be completely silent about it, after all He is sovereign and that means He is in charge.
    Instead we are to follow the Word that He has given us.  That’s hard to do if a person never reads it, much less studies it.  When we follow the Word the Holy Spirit guides us into the Way that we are to go.  The more of the Word we have in us, the more the Holy Spirit is able to guide and speak to us.
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    So many say today that they want a relationship with God.  They say that Christianity is not a religion it is a relationship.  Yet do they really know God?  The number one reason that people go to church today is for fellowship.  That’s not bad, but fellowship with God or fellowship with man?
    D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones asks some pertinent questions for those who truly want a fellowship/relationship with God.  See how well you can answer these questions:
        “What exactly is your relationship to God?
         Can you say that you know God?
         Is He real to you?
         Is He personal to you?
         When you say your prayers, are you conscious that God is there and that He is listening to you?
         Have you got a filial affection with respect to God in your heart?
         Do you know for certain that you are in contact and in communion with Him?
         When you turn to Him in prayer about any question whatsoever, do you do so with confidence?
         Do you feel that the access is free and easy, that it is open and that you really are speaking to God in a personal sense?
If you can say “yes” then you know what I mean by fellowship with God.”
    The Holy Spirit is with us in the same way that Jesus was with the twelve.  He is there to commune with us, to guide us, to walk beside us, to be that Friend in whom we can completely trust.

The land seasoned them, it toughened them, it warped them, it made some of them strong and wise and tolerant, it made some of them cruel.  Each man was his own answer, just as each day in this deep and lonely world was its own answer.”
              –Ernest Haycox  (Saddle and Ride)

    “Jesus said, ‘This is how you should pray: “Father, may your name be kept holy. May your Kingdom come soon. Give us each day the food we need, and forgive us our sins, as we forgive those who sin against us. And don’t let us yield to temptation.”'”
              –Luke 11:2-4 (NLT)
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                          “Prayer is the soul’s sincere desire,
                           Unuttered or expressed,
                           The motion of a hidden fire
                           That trembles in the breast.”
                                  –James Montgomery

I’m glad my wife gave this hymn to read.  I don’t know how you pray, what method you use.  From the earliest days of my Christian walk I have always felt I struggled with prayer.  I read of the great men of the faith and how they had a regular time of prayer.  I read of David Wilkerson who tithed prayer into his daily schedule.  I know much of that comes from self-discipline, but I would try that and I would get distracted or I’d fall asleep (prayer is a sure cure for insomnia).  But I like what Montgomery says in his hymn “Prayer Is the Soul’s Sincere Desire.”

                          “Prayer is the burden of a sigh,
                           The falling of a tear,
                           The upward glancing of an eye,
                           When none but God is near.”

I’ve read books on “how to pray”, I’ve read how to make prayer into a formula using various gimmicks to help you stay on track.  I’ve read the great prayers of Joseph Parker.  You want to be encouraged and see deep into a man’s soul, read some of those prayers.  I’ve read about “Praying Hyde” and his ministry and of how Mueller would pray in food for his orphanage.

                          “Prayer is the simplest form of speech
                           That infant lips can try;
                           Prayer the sublimest strains that reach
                           The Majesty on High.”

One day I came across a little book by Rosalind Rinker that dealt with Conversation Prayer.  This really helped me.  If you see me talking to myself it might just be that I’m carrying on a little conversation with the Lord.  Sure there is time and place for a formal prayer, but really if we say we want a relationship, if we believe that the Holy Spirit resides within us and walks beside us then why not just talk to Him like you would have a conversation with anyone else?  Prayer may be unuttered, as most of mine are, it may be just a sigh.  It is not necessarily high and lofty speech, unless that is your normal way of conversing.  Prayer is truly “the soul’s sincere desire.”

                          “Prayer is the contrite sinner’s voice,
                           Returning from his ways,
                           While angels in their songs rejoice
                           And cry, ‘Behold, he prays!’

                           Prayer is the Christian’s vital breath,
                           The Christian’s native air,
                           His watchword at the gates of death;
                           He enters heaven with prayer.”

I really did not understand Paul’s admonishment to “pray without ceasing” until I understood the idea of just having conversations with God, anytime, anyplace, anywhere.  I realized that I could talk to Him about anything; why not, He knows everything.  Tell Him your woes, share with Him your troubles, weaknesses, and questions.  Praise Him for His blessings and have a heart full of thanksgiving just because He is there with you.

                          “O Thou, by whom we come to God,
                           The Life, the Truth, the Way;
                           The path of prayer Thyself hast trod:
                           Lord, teach us how to pray!”

Yet in all my years, I still do not really understand how to pray.  It is something I should constantly do; Jesus did it, should I not follow His example?  Lois Cheney wrote about how a person prepared all day to come up with the right prayer for the Lord.  They struggled, to make it just right, but kept being interrupted.  They were sorry that at the end of the day they never said their prayer.  God told them, “I heard you this morning and throughout the day.”

Too many men had lost their lives because they weren’t paying attention to where they were going.”
              –Bobby Cavazos (The Cowboy From the Wild Horse Desert)

    “You are my refuge and my shield; your word is my source of hope.”
              –Psalm 119:114 (NLT)
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Ain’t that the truth!  Take your eyes off the road for a few seconds; take your eyes off the goal for just a little bit.  Take your eyes off heaven and…well, you get the picture.  Distractions are dangerous!  To be distracted can bring destruction–physical and spiritual.  Drive down the road just a bit and glance around and you will find that there are plenty of distractions.  Billboards, signs, lights, stores, people are all there to cause a distraction, and then there is that thing you hold in your hand that you’re constantly looking at, yep, your phone distracts.  It not only distracts if you use it when driving, but go anyplace and it is the phone that holds people’s attention.  Dangerous!  Don’t let it or anything else, distract you from getting to where you’re going; make sure your focus is on the Lord and getting to heaven.
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    One way we get distracted is through troubles we face in this life.  Another way is to get caught up in “church fads” and not understanding nor paying attention to the doctrines of the Scripture.  Guard the truth, guard the teaching of the Word; in other words, guard the doctrines.

              “Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me.”
                        –John 14:1 (KJV)

We are content to read Scripture for its general effect upon us.  We are inspired, uplifted, and it makes us feel good, but we do not take the trouble or time to study the meaning and importance of the Word.  When we read Scripture, we should take the time to reflect on stating the doctrine.  Distractions can cause us to not take the time; we are too busy.  Or we will do our duty, read a little devotion, and say I’m through for the day and go back to the phone or whatever else there may be to distract us.
    There is a great need in our world today to take time to get with the Lord.  We need to take time to be quiet before Him, reflect on His Word.  Think of the disciples.  For three years they never stopped to think on what the Lord was saying, because He was there with them and they depended upon Him.  They were troubled at His words that He was going to leave them, and He took the time to tell them not to be troubled.
    He takes the trouble to read our minds and thoughts in order to answer our questions before we have ever asked them and He gives us consolation before we have ever given expression to our needs and unhappiness.  The Lord is there waiting for us to get quiet and seek Him instead of being distracted by the things around us.  Lloyd-Jones is correct when he says, “The greatest need of men and women in this world is the need of what is called ‘the quiet heart.'”
    We have to face life.  There are certain ills, issues, problems, obstacles which simply cannot be avoided.  There are things that are bound to happen; there are the tragedies of life.  Therefore, there is a need to determine to seek a quiet heart.  The world suggests escapism, optimism, fatalism, psychology, right attitudes, cults, and a host of other things.  These things, in themselves, are distractions for the real source of our need–a quiet heart before the Lord.  The Word of God confronts us with our troubles and them calms and brings peace in the midst of them.
    The trouble is not the physical flesh, or the worrisome mind; the trouble is the spirit.  The devil and his arsenal in the world seeks to keep us distracted from seeking the Lord and dwelling deep into His Word.  Remember, “the Holy Spirit dwells within us and reveals and explains things, and energises and empowers and enables us.” (Lloyd-Jones)  The more we are into God’s Word and have the foundational truth in our hearts the easier the Holy Spirit can work in us.