In the message “The Courts of God” we saw how the presence of God is to be cherished above all else. We considered that not even a thousand days in an earthly paradise can compare to a single day in the presence of God. And yet, though we may understand the value of His presence, we seldom make the decisions or exercise the discipline required to enter.
Luke 5:15-16
“The news about Him spread all the more, so the crowds of people came to hear Him and to be healed of their sicknesses. But Jesus often withdrew to lonely places and prayed.”
Jesus had a relationship with the Father which can only be described as absolute perfection; “If you really knew Me, you would know My Father as well. Anyone who has seen Me has seen the Father” (John 14:7,9). We long for and desperately seek the presence of God, but Jesus Christ IS the very presence of God: “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The Word became flesh and made His dwelling among us” (John 1:1,14).
And though He had perfect union with the Father, created the entire Universe, and demonstrated complete control over the elements of nature as He “rebuked the wind and the raging waters” (Luke 8:24), Jesus still made time to be alone with the Father in prayer. Why?
Prior to the important decision of choosing His twelve apostles, Jesus “went out to a mountainside and spent the night praying” (Luke 6:12). On the night before He was crucified, Jesus was in such anguish that He prayed until “His sweat was like drops of blood falling to the ground” (Luke 22:44). Jesus, through His life and death, taught us of the need for prayer and how we ought to relate to God…and these are lessons we must not ignore!
If Jesus, who is Perfection, demonstrated such need of prayer, how much more necessary is it for us who contain so many flaws and so easily drift away from God. We cannot wave our hand to calm the storm, but we CAN pray for patience and the strength to endure, and relentlessly ask for His help. We are to live in such constant communion with God that we “pray continually” (1 Thessalonians 5:17), even as we drive in busy traffic, manage multiple assignments, or care for noisy children.
But each of us must also set aside time, which is “often” and regular, where we can withdraw to a quiet place. Yes, the presence of God can be found in the midst of our busyness, but we all need times of quiet where we can be refreshed and receive direction – times when we can simply lift our hearts to God and say “Thank You!” Let’s develop and maintain the discipline of entering the courts of His presence. Let’s regularly set aside times of quiet to get alone and pray.
Have a Christ Centered Day!
Steve Troxel
God’s Daily Word Ministries
**** Reading Plan ****
Mar 3 Lev.-Num. 27:14-1:54; Mark 11:1-26; Psalm 46:1-11; Proverbs 10:23
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Steve,
Do you teach the word of God the in the school. I have been getting your daily email since late 90’s. I am going ask my church to become a direct partner but I need to know little more. Can you provide a little more about the teachings and are you in the Southern Baptist Coopertive program? We do give to this but I would like for us be a direct partner money wise and just maybe a mission trip for a few folks, that would be a really big maybe. We have had people go to Poland, South America, and Mexico along our broader here Texas.
Would love to from you,
Clay Reynolds
Hey Clay!
I’m so sorry for taking so long to respond. I have fallen a little behind with my web site updates.
From the very beginning, we have focused our school on the teaching of Biblical truth. The school system in Kenya follows closely to the British system. The lower school grades go up through 8th grade. At that point all students must take a nationalized test to see if they are allowed to go to the equivalent of high school. Those who do not pass the test are allowed to enter a technical training path.
We will see our first set of 16 students enter the 8th grade over the summer. They will test in early 2022. We strive for academic excellence, which will be evaluated by the pass rate of the National test, while at the same time ensuring that each student received Biblical teaching throughout their educational experience.
We have complete freedom in the hiring process of our teachers. A solid Christian faith is certainly a prerequisite of teaching at the school. Each class then has Bible as one of their subjects during the day. In addition, there is daily prayer as well as Biblical application in each subject area.
The name of our school is God’s Daily Word Academy. We currently have almost 300 kids in our school. This ministry provides 100% of the support for this school to include teacher’s pay, facility upkeep, utilities, food for all the kids during the day, uniforms, and books. We are not affiliated with any other organization but I have been doing this ministry for over 20 years.
I would love to have more churches partner with this ministry. Please feel free to ask ANY question.
Blessings,
Steve T.