Bow the Knee

There are some times in life when everything just makes sense, and you know you are following the Lord's will in your life. And praise the Lord for His guidance and clarity in those times! So often, I find myself wishing things were that easy, because most of the time, things are not so clear-cut. Usually, I find myself needing to call on God and ask Him for wisdom, guidance, comfort, deliverance, patience, etc. I have been taught all my life that when things are tough or unclear, it may be because God wants to draw us to Himself so that we can become dependent on Him through prayer. Sometimes this is just head knowledge though. But the past couple days, I have seen such a lack in my prayer life, and I am learning once again that when I don't pray and ask God for help, I am basically telling Him I don't need His help. Which couldn't be further from the truth. I know I need it, it is just so easy to be lazy and just sit around doing other things rather than spending time on my knees.


This morning I was listening to a song that I first heard in high school. Will Gaulkin's evangelistic team came to our school for a spiritual emphasis week, which meant that we had chapel every day. His team ministered to us through solid preaching of the word and beautiful special music. Will's wife Christy is an incredibly gifted violinist and vocalist. She sang this song during one of those chapels, and it has stuck with me ever since. Here's first verse and chorus, please read (though I usually don't read song lyrics in blogs).


Bow the Knee
There are moments on our journey following the Lord
Where God illumines every step we take,
There are times when circumstances make perfect sense to us
As we try to understand each move He makes.
When the path grows dim 
And our questions have no answers, turn to Him.


Bow the knee
Trust the heart of your Father when the answer goes beyond what you can see.
Bow the knee
Lift your eyes toward heaven and believe the One who holds eternity.
And when you don't understand the purpose of His plan
In the presence of the King
Bow the knee.


I'm going to close with some quotes on prayer. I did not intend to include so many, but there were so many good ones I just had to force myself to stop. 
[if you want to read all of the ones I read, go to http://www.christian-prayer-quotes.christian-attorney.net/ -you won't regret it]


On discipline with prayer:
 - "Don’t pray when you feel like it. Have an appointment with the Lord and keep it. A man is powerful on his knees." Corrie ten Boom
- “Therefore, whether the desire for prayer is on you or not, get to your closet at the set time; shut yourself in with God; wait upon Him; seek His face; realize Him; pray.”  R. F. Horton
- "The men who have done the most for God in this world have been early on their knees. He who fritters away the early morning, its opportunity and freshness, in other pursuits than seeking God will make poor headway seeking Him the rest of the day. If God is not first in our thoughts and efforts in the morning, He will be in the last place the remainder of the day." E.M. Bounds


On personal benefits:
- "He who has learned to pray has learned the greatest secret of a holy and happy life."  William Law
- Prayer should not be regarded "as a duty which must be performed, but rather as a privilege to be enjoyed, a rare delight that is always revealing some new beauty."  E.M. Bounds
- “Time spent alone with God is not wasted.  It changes us; it changes our surroundings; and every Christian who would live the life that counts, and who would have power for service must take time to pray.”  M.E. Andross
- "Those persons who know the deep peace of God, the unfathomable peace that passeth all understanding, are always men and women of much prayer." R.A. Torrey


On temptation:
- "Prayer will make a man cease from sin, or sin will entice a man to cease from prayer."  John Bunyon
- "If the Christian does not allow prayer to drive sin out of his life, sin will drive prayer out of his life. Like light and darkness, the two cannot dwell together."  M.E. Andross


On Satan's feelings toward it:
- “The one concern of the devil is to keep Christians from praying.  He fears nothing from prayerless studies, prayerless work and prayerless religion. He laughs at our toil, mocks at our wisdom, but he trembles when we pray.”  Samuel Chadwick
- "Satan trembles when he sees the weakest Christian on his knees." William Cowper


On intercession:
- "Our prayer must not be self-centered. It must arise not only because we feel our own need as a burden we must lay upon God, but also because we are so bound up in love for our fellow men that we feel their need as acutely as our own. To make intercession for men is the most powerful and practical way in which we can express our love for them." John Calvin
- "If I could hear Christ praying for me in the next room, I would not fear a million enemies. Yet distance makes no difference. He is praying for me.” Robert Murray McCheyne

On the power of prayer:
- "...[the] power of prayer can never be overrated. They who cannot serve God by preaching need not regret. If a man can but pray he can do anything. He who knows how to overcome with God in prayer has Heaven and earth at his disposal." Charles H. Spurgeon
- "Prayer is weakness leaning on omnipotence."  W. S. Bowd


Other things to remember:

- "One should never initiate anything that he cannot saturate with prayer." Unknown.

- "We have to pray with our eyes on God, not on the difficulties." Oswald Chambers
- “The trouble with nearly everybody who prays is that he says ‘Amen’ and runs away before God has a chance to reply. Listening to God is far more important than giving Him our ideas.” Frank Laubach
-"Prayer is not learned in a classroom but in the closet."  E. M. Bounds