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| Previous Next Scripture tells of many prayers--urgent requests to God for help. In All Things Are Possible, author Daniel Partner tells of devotional meaning in seventy-five of these prayers. Partner's insightful, accessible readings show that no human problem is unique and that God hears believers' prayers. Not only can the answers be miraculous--prayer itself is a miracle. While reading All Things Are Possible, Christians will see their own struggles in the prayers of biblical characters, be encouraged to lift their voices to heaven like the saints of old, and embrace Jesus' promise: "All things are possible to him who believes" (Mark 9:23 NASB). This devotional employs various translations of Scripture. Soft cover from Barbour Publishing, Inc., copyright 2002 |
"DAY FORTY"
And in that day thou shalt say,
O Lord, I will praise thee: though thou
wast angry with me, thine anger is turned
away, and thou comfortedst me. Behold,
God is my salvation; I will trust,
and not be afraid.- for the Lord Jehovah
is my strength and my song;
he also is become my salvation.
Therefore with joy shall ye draw
water out of the wells of salvation.
- ISAIAH 12:1-3
There is a beautiful Bible story about a woman. She goes about her daily duties as usual, and as she is drawing water out of the town well, she encounters Jesus Christ. They talk together without the woman knowing he is the Savior until, at the right moment, Jesus says, "I that speak unto thee am he" (John 4:26). The revelation instantly changes this woman. Suddenly, she finds within herself "a well of water springing up into everlasting life" (v. 14), and she hurries to tell the townsfolk, "Come and see a man who told me everything I have ever done!" (v. 29 NRSV).The time comes for each of us to learn who Jesus is. The above prayer from Isaiah 12 prophetically describes the moment this happens to Israel. It comes after an apocalyptic description of the coming of Christ with the kingdom: "On that day the root of Jesse shall stand as a signal to the peoples; the nations shall inquire of him, and his dwelling shall be glorious" (Isaiah 11:10 NRSV). They realize that God is not only God; God is salvation. The Lord is not just the source of strength; the Lord is their strength. They don't just sing about God; the Lord is their song. Then the wells of salvation open to them, and they joyously draw out the water of eternal life (12:1-3). Today the resurrected Savior is standing amidst the world's crowd, crying out, "If any man thirst, let him come unto me, and drink. He that believeth on me, as the scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water" (John 7:37-38). It doesn't seem to me that many people hear him above the din of mundane concerns, but the invitation to draw water from the wells of salvation will persist to the end, when "the Spirit and the bride say, Come. . .and let him that is athirst come. And whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely" (Revelation 22:17). Each time a believer prays, he or she is kneeling on the banks of the river of water of life. Its waters flow clear as crystal out of the throne of God and of the Lamb (Revelation 22:1). "Behold, God is my salvation," we pray, drinking of the water of life. "I will trust, and not be afraid." Click here to send this devotion to a friend!
