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Monday—September 25•Praying on All Occasions And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people. (Ephesians 6:18) My business includes speaking in various venues. I recall a particularly packed schedule. Friday morning I led a Bible study. Saturday afternoon and Sunday morning I spoke in another state. I flew back home to speak Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday in other venues, then back to the Bible study on Friday. I prayed, “Lord, please protect me from getting sick during those days.” I finished the engagements and was feeling super. Then I went to breakfast with a ministry leader and noticed my throat getting scratchy. I thought, “What a knuckle head! Why didn’t I just pray that I wouldn’t get sick for a whole year?” And yet, I wasn’t miserable, because I was rejoicing that God had so clearly answered my prayer. Wanting to be successful in our work is a healthy part of life. When we see disasters and famines, or we know people whose circumstances are worse than ours, we might feel guilty about praying for success. Scripture invites us to pray for those who suffer. But it also says we should pray on all occasions, including when we truly need and desire to succeed.  MIMBS 11 Have you been neglecting to pray for something, because you felt it wasn’t important enough? How will you correct that? Daily Reading: Isaiah 45:11–48:11, Ephesians 4:1–16, Psalm 68:19–35, Proverbs 24:3–4 Tuesday—September 26•Praying for Success of a Specific Idea 55 The king said to me, “What is it you want?” Then I prayed to the God of heaven, and I answered the king, “If it pleases the king and if your servant has found favor in his sight, let him send me to the city in Judah where my ancestors are buried so that I can rebuild it...” And because the gracious hand of my God was on me, the king granted my requests. (Nehemiah 2:4–5, 8) Nehemiah, who held a government position with access to the king of Persia, heard an unsettling report from his homeland. Jerusalem’s walls were broken down, and her people were disgraced. Immediately Nehemiah wept and fasted and prayed, concluding his petition like this: “Give your servant success today by granting him favor in the presence of this man” (Nehemiah 1:11). You can see from today’s featured scripture that, indeed, God answered his prayer. Nehemiah reminds us that the God who gives visions also will fulfill those visions. Usually He does that through men who pray in humble dependence on His power and might. If God has given you an idea, you definitely can pray for its success. Hudson Taylor, the great missionary to China, once explained that most Christians estimate difficulties in light of their own resources, so they attempt very little, and they often fail in the things they do attempt. By contrast, he said, “All of God’s giants have been weak men who did great things for God, because they reckoned on His being with them.”  MIMBS 11 What has God given you a vision for? Have you asked Him to bless it? Daily Reading: Isaiah 48:12–50:11, Ephesians 4:17–32, Psalm 69:1–18, Proverbs 24:5–6


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