PRAY, DON’T MURMUR: OPEN HEAVENS DAILY DEVOTIONAL, 15TH JUNE 2018

MEMORISE:
Ye lust, and have not: ye kill, and desire to have, and cannot obtain: ye fight and war, yet ye have not, because ye ask not. James 4:2

READ: Exodus 15:22-26

22 So Moses brought Israel from the Red sea, and they went out into the wilderness of Shur; and they went three days in the wilderness, and found no water.

23 And when they came to Marah, they could not drink of the waters of Marah, for they were bitter: therefore the name of it was called Marah.

24 And the people murmured against Moses, saying, What shall we drink?

25 And he cried unto the LORD; and the LORD showed him a tree, which when he had cast into the waters, the waters were made sweet: there he made for them a statute and an ordinance, and there he proved them,

26 And said, If thou wilt diligently hearken to the voice of the LORD thy God, and wilt do that which is right in his sight, and wilt give ear to his commandments, and keep all his statutes, I will put none of these diseases upon thee, which I have brought upon the Egyptians: for I am the LORD that healeth thee.

MESSAGE

One deadly habit that is very common among the people of God today is murmuring. Like the Israelites of old, many children of God today engage in it without even realising it! It is indeed a silent destroyer. For this reason, the Holy Spirit warns us against it in 1 Corinthians 10:10, saying:

“Neither murmur ye, as some of them also murmured, and were destroyed of the destroyer.”

Do you know that there are times we think we are praying but we are actually murmuring?

In our Bible reading, the children of Israel were at Marah, where they found water that was not drinkable because it was bitter. Despite all that God had done for them, they did not consider that He already knew that they would pass through Marah and would have gone ahead of them to make provision for the water they would drink.

All they could think of doing was to murmur about the bitter water. The characters at play in the events that occurred at Marah are indicative of the two types of Christians we have in the Church today. The first type behaves like the multitude who murmured, while the second type behaves like Moses who cried to the Lord for a solution.

It is interesting to note that the murmuring of the multitude was an exercise in futility because their murmurings did not change the bitterness of the water. The prayer of Moses, on the other hand, yielded positive results because his cry to God moved God into action. God showed him what to do to reverse the situation, and the people's need for good water was met.

This mirrors what is happening with Christians today. We murmur about what we desire and the lack of it, instead of actually asking God and trusting that if He wills, our prayers will be answered.

Beloved, you need to ask yourself today which type of Christian you are between the two types we have considered. I beseech you to examine your prayer life and relationship with God before answering this question.

Are you the type of Christian mentioned in our memory verse, just lusting, desiring and fighting for things but yet getting nothing? You need to ask God to reveal to you the truth on where you stand today. May the Almighty God hear your prayer in Jesus' Name.

PRAYER POINT:
Father, please forgive me for all the murmuring I have done against You consciously or unconsciously; I promise not to do so again. Please turn my unpleasant situation around today in Jesus’ Name.

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR:
2 Kings 12-13, Acts 10:44-11:18

AUTHOR: PASTOR E. A. ADEBOYE

HYMN 2: I NEED THEE EVERY HOUR

1. I Need Thee every hour,
Most gracious Lord;
No tender voice like Thine
Can peace afford.

Chorus:
I need Thee, Oh, I need Thee,
Every hour I need Thee;
Oh bless me now, my Saviour;
I come to Thee.

2. I need Thee every hour;
Stay Thou near by;
Temptations lose their pow'r
When Thou art nigh.

3. I need Thee every hour,
In joy or pain;
Come quickly and abide,
Or life is vain.

4. I need Thee every hour;
Teach me Thy will,
And Thy rich promises
In me fulfil.

5. I need Thee every hour,
Most Holy One;
O make me Thine indeed,
Thou blessed Son.