Do you believe in life after death? Questions? Ask us.

“And you will know the Truth and the Truth will set you free.” “For the Lord shall be your confidence, firm and strong” (John 8:32; Proverbs 3:26, Amp).

When I was fifteen I discovered that confidence must be rooted in and informed by truth or it won’t hold up in a crisis. Until my fifteenth year I lived a self-confident, carefree life. Mom and dad loved me and I enjoyed my friends and school. I lived for the moment, oblivious to life’s big questions, until my brother’s unexpected death changed everything.

Suddenly questions bombarded my mind. Where is Roy now? Will I see him again? Is God real? Can I know Him? Are Heaven and Hell actual places? If Heaven and Hell are real, how do I get to Heaven? Why does God let children die? Again and again, life and death questions flooded my mind. Without answers, my self-confidence grew shaky.

Self-confidence is exactly that — confidence in self’s intellect, giftedness, skills, beauty or wealth. Natural man doesn’t understand Spirit life. Eternal answers remain unknowable until truth becomes the cornerstone and foundation of our understanding.

My questions pressed me into a search for God. I began praying and reading a Bible my grandma gave me. Slowly, a pattern emerged and my confusion lifted. I began to understand God and the Truth in His word. “And you will know the Truth and the Truth will set you free.” “For the Lord shall be your confidence, firm and strong” (John 8:32; Proverbs 3:26 Amp).

Revealed truth became my cornerstone and began shaping the foundation of my life, informing and forming my Spirit man. “in Me you may have (perfect) peace and confidence. In the world you have tribulation and trials and distress and frustration; but be of good cheer (take courage; be confident, certain, undaunted)! For I have overcome the world” (John 16:33, Amp).

In Christ we have perfect confidence and peace, the Apostle John states. And so, the question became, “How do I get ‘in’ Christ?” Romans 10:13 answers, “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.” If I am ‘saved’ will I then be ‘in’ Christ, I wondered.

I tried calling on the Lord. “Help me, Jesus. I want to know You, I want to be ‘in’ You.” Instantly, from deep within, I felt the comfort of His presence. Doubt vanished and I felt loved and accepted by God. Shaky self-confidence disappeared and deep assurance that Christ was ‘in’ me and I was ‘in’ Him filled me with bold new confidence in Christ.

I don’t yet have all the answers for my questions, but I know the One who knows the answers and that gives me peace of mind.

Dear Jesus, thank You for the bold confidence that obedience to Your Truth gives me. Faith in Your character and Word are the cornerstone and the foundation of confidence for every man and woman and child. Help us all walk in freedom of faith in our Eternal God. Thank You, amen.

Questions: Have you answered to question about life after death for yourself?

Join us for our Daily Devotional Chat today in our Women’s Chatroom at 10:30 am EDT.

Massive blood loss dropped my blood pressure sending me into shock after our son’s birth. To save my life medical staff quickly lowered my head, elevated my feet and squeezed blood by hand into all four arms and legs. I lived because of quick action and life saving blood.

Regaining consciousness, I was fiercely thirsty. Blood is mostly water. The blood I lost was replaced but my cells were parched and dry; they screamed, “Water!”

Our bodies are seventy five percent water. Water is the chief component of blood, saliva, sweat, urine and even tissue.

Seventy five percent of our planet is also water. We use it for energy, playing, bathing, drinking. We’d die without it.

Jesus is called “spring of living water” in Jeremiah 17:13: “O LORD … those who turn away from you will be written in the dust because they have forsaken the LORD, the spring of living water.” Just as natural man dies without water, spirit man dies without “living water.” If we drink the water of Jesus by repenting of sin and trusting Him, He promises to satisfy our thirsting hearts. Truth satisfies.

“… whoever drinks the water I give him will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life.”(John 4:14). “Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, streams of living water will flow from within him.” (John 7:38 ).

Thirsty? Need a drink?

Jesus spoke about eternal life with a Samaritan woman at a well. She intended to fill her pot and quench her thirst. Surprise! She found “living water” for her whole town. (John 4:5-42) Many Samaritans believed in Jesus when ‘truth water’ flowed from her. She poured Jesus, “stream of living water” on them and they were cleansed of sin and received eternal life. “I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you will be clean; I will cleanse you from all your impurities and from all your idols” (Ezekiel 36:35).

The Lord promises to save those who draw water from His wells of salvation, satisfying us in drought and dry places. His water produces life in our deserts.

Lucy J Rider’s old song thrills me:
Ho! Every one that is thirsty in spirit,
Ho! Every one that is weary and sad,
Come to the fountain, there’s fullness in Jesus,
All that you’re longing for, come and be glad.

I will pour water on him who is thirsty,
I will pour floods upon the dry ground;
Open your heart for the gift I am bringing,
While ye are seeking Me, I will be found.

Are you thirsty for Truth? Meet Jesus at His well as the Samaritan and I did. He’ll pour his water and life saving blood into your dry life. You’ll become a spring of water, loving, praying, telling others of the only Spring that provides eternal life.

Jesus, I believe you are the Water welling up to eternal life. I am thirsty. Come, bring me life. Amen.

Questions: Are you thirsty for the living water? Where are you seeking fulfillment from? What steps do you need to take in order to quench your thirst?

About the Author Petey Prater

Daily audio podcast: A second daily devotional, We Love Because God Loves Us, today on the Men’s Devotional Blog

Patricia ran away at 13. Drug addiction, an out of wedlock baby, and the murder of her infant son by a boyfriend plunged her into despair. Caught stealing, she landed in jail.  Drugs masked the self-loathing that haunted her. Now, without access to drugs, Patricia’s bitterness exploded in her empty soul.

In her cell, shattered and hopeless, Patricia cried, “God, if you can hear me, if you’re real, help me, save me. I’m sorry for my rebellion. My life’s a mess; change me, lift me out of this hell.”

Instantly God and peace invaded Patricia’s life! Jesus’ wrapped her in love and lifted her into cleansing light. Her anger and bitterness melted away. Locked behind prison bars Patricia found freedom. Someone gave her a Bible and the starving rebel ate the Bread of Life. Jesus became her best friend. Gradually truth replaced lies and confusion.

When her prison term ended, Godly friends helped Patricia enter a Christian rehabilitation program and earn a college degree. During a recent musical at our church, standing in her place in the choir, Patricia told thousands about her soul food, Jesus. Transformed – from angry addict to victorious believer!

Jesus declared, “I am the bread of life. He who comes to me will never go hungry…” (John 6:35).

Hungry? Has the aroma of the Bread of Life brought you to God’s banquet table? Can you smell Jesus’ wonderful fragrance drawing you to Him?

Natural bread sustains our physical body. Christ, the heavenly bread, feeds our spirit. In Old Testament times, God rained manna upon Moses and the Hebrews in the desert. In the New Testament Jesus is our daily spiritual bread, our manna come down from heaven.

Jesus said to them, “I tell you the truth, it is not Moses who has given you the bread from heaven, but it is my Father who gives you the true bread from heaven. For the bread of God is he who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world” (John 6:32,33).

In the Old Testament priests brought wheat flour to God as offerings for the people’s sin. In the New Testament this wheat is a picture of Jesus, the Bread of Life, offered for our sin. His suffering and death on the cross purchased forgiveness for our sin. With His death He paid the price for all sin and won eternal life for anyone who will trust Him. If we believe in Him he promises we will live forever.

“I am the living bread…. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever. This bread is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world” (John 6:51).

Jesus our living bread has become soul food for all people. Are you hungry? Don’t let unbelief, rebellion or carelessness keep you from Jesus and eternal life. Choose Him, eat His truth and live.

Bread of Life, feed me and satisfy my hunger. I choose Jesus as food for my soul. Amen.

Questions: Do you have a lot of anger and bitterness in your life? Are you struggling with unbelief that God can help you in the situation you are in? How big is your God?

About the Author Petey Prater

Daily audio podcast: A second daily devotional, Jesus Touched the Untouchables, today on the Men’s Devotional Blog

Join us for our Daily Devotional Chat today in our Women’s Chatroom at 10:30 am EDT.

The picture fascinates me. Jesus is waiting in a shaded garden, knocking on a door that has no outside handle. Light shines on the door in the shape of a heart.

As a child I didn’t understand what it meant. Now I do.

The Bible says Jesus isn’t only standing at the door of our heart wanting to enter but that He is the door, the gate to eternal life.

“I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with him, and he with me” (Revelation 3:20).

“I am the gate; whoever enters through me will be saved” (John 10:9).

We’re all invited to enter eternal life through Jesus, the door. Heaven’s door opened when sinless Jesus died on the cross. He took my punishment so I wouldn’t have to die for my sin. Raised from the dead, he offers me his pure life in exchange. If I repent of sin, God forgives me, giving me Jesus’ goodness instead. Because God now sees me as clean, I can be friends with God and enter heaven when I die.  Jesus – our perfect sin offering as well as the door to Heaven. What a gift!

As a child I sang this song about Heaven:

One door and only one though its sides are two, inside and outside, on which side are you?

One door and only one though its sides are two. I’m on the inside, on which side are you?

In the picture of Jesus knocking on our heart’s door there’s no handle on the outside. Jesus can’t come in unless I open the door. He leaves the choice with me. If I won’t open the door to him I am choosing separation from God and eternal death.

Scripture says this door is for Gentiles as well as Jews:

“He had opened to the Gentiles a door of faith (in Jesus as the Messiah, through Whom we obtain salvation in the kingdom of God)” (Acts 14:27 Amplified).

If God has opened a door to heaven aren’t we foolish to ignore it?

“Make every effort to enter through the narrow door, because many, I tell you, will try to enter and will not be able to” (Luke 13:24).

Why will many “try to enter and will not be able to?” It’s because they try to come to Heaven by a door other than Christ, the Son of God. Good works, perfection, even self-effort will not open Heaven’s door.

“Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved” (Acts 4:12).

“The Judge is standing at the door” (James 5:9)!

Lord Jesus, I believe You’re the only door to Heaven and eternal life. Just as You chose me, I choose You. Come in, I open my heart door to You. Forgive me of my sin. Amen.

Questions: Have you invited Christ into your life? Tell us about it. How has your life changed because of having Christ in your life?

About the Author Petey Prater

Daily audio podcast: A second daily devotional, First Small Group, today on the Men’s Devotional Blog

Join us for our Daily Devotional Chat today in our Women’s Chatroom at 10:30 am EDT.

Jesus declared, “I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener… you are the branches” (John 15:1, 5 NIV).

The word true means legitimate, original, faithful (Webster’s dictionary). Jesus, Son of God, is the true Root of Jesse (true Vine of Jesse) (Isaiah 11:10 NIV). His disciples are branches supported by The Root, bearing spiritual fruit under the careful hand of Father God, the gardener.

In a vineyard, branches grow only from the main grapevine, never from another branch. After harvest, fruit bearing branches are pruned back to within an inch or two of the trunk. There, they abide in the main vine for most of the year as the trunk grows around them. Next harvest season they grow out rapidly and bear new fruit.

Sap circulates through the vine into the branches. It contains every nutrient needed for quality fruit bearing. So that sap is not wasted, non-fruit bearing branches are cut off and cast into the fire. The only goal of the vinedresser is abundant, superior fruit.

Evidence that each branch is attached to the vine is much fruit. No root, no fruit. Dependence is the key to fruit bearing. Even Jesus, the Son, was dependent on the Father. “By Myself I can do nothing….” (John 5:30 NIV).

Vine branches creep or crawl and need support. As Jesus is dependent on the Father, so I, as branch, am dependent on Jesus the Vine. Apart from Jesus I can do nothing. I must abide in Jesus to have eternal life and fruit in Him. To abide is to stay, remain stable, wait for patiently, suffer for, endure (Webster’s dictionary).

Pruning is a normal process in the vineyard. “He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful”  (John 15: 2 NIV).

As Jesus, the True Vine, conformed to the will of His Father, the Gardener, so must I conform to Jesus’ will. As Jesus obeyed, in full dependence and devotion; so must I.

Joined with Jesus “the relation intimate and organic, the harvest is sure to be abundant. Separated, you can’t produce a thing … I chose you, and put you in the world to bear fruit, fruit that won’t spoil. As fruit bearers, whatever you ask the Father in relation to me, He gives you” (John 15, The Message).

“Whatever you ask … He gives you.” What a promise! What fruit do you long to see produced through your life and prayers? Ask and you will receive. He promises.

You have not chosen Me,
but I have chosen you and
I have appointed you
I have planted you,
That you might go and bear fruit and
keep on bearing,
and that your fruit may be lasting
that it may remain, abide,
so that whatever you ask the Father
in My Name
as presenting all that I AM,
He may give it to you.
(John 15:16 AMPL)

Live in Jesus, the True Vine.  Intimate union with I AM produces Prayer Power, eternal life and lasting fruit.

Questions: Please comment on the phrase, “I have planted you, that you might go and bear fruit and keep on bearing …”.  What fruit are you longing to see produced in your life?

About the Author Petey Prater

Daily audio podcast: A second daily devotional, Thinking Like a Servant, today on the Men’s Devotional Blog

In the early 1800’s a path was cut from the eastern United States through the wilderness to the American west.  Covered wagons, families and settlements quickly followed. Life flourishes today in Western states because two courageous men led an expedition into the wilderness.

Meriwether Lewis and William Clark ignored danger and pioneered a trail by canoe and horseback from St Louis, Missouri to Oregon. They opened a new world. Leaving the safety of home they rowed down perilous rivers, fought wild animals and befriended Indians. Traversing untamed frontiers they finally reached the shores of the Pacific Ocean, only to fight their way back home to loved ones after three arduous, lonely years of exploration.

Jesus Christ, Son of God, is mankind’s pioneer. He left His throne in Heaven, where He shares equal power and authority with God the Father, to be The Way for us. He came to earth and by His sinless life and death on the cross cut a path through sin’s wilderness for us. He died and rose again to open the way to Heaven for all who’ll believe. If we’ll follow Him He promises to lead us safely home to eternal life, restoring us to Father’s love.

Jesus claims, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me” (John 14:6).  Do you struggle to believe He is the only way to the Father? Ask Him to prove He is God. He can and will – if He is Truth.

Jesus “teaches the humble His way. All the paths of the Lord are loving-kindness and truth to those who keep His covenant and His testimonies” (Psalm 25:9,10). Are we humble and teachable?

What ‘way’ are you pursuing? Fame? Riches? Power? “There are many ways that seem right to a man and appear straight before him, but in the end that way is death” (Proverb 14:12).

Jesus calls us to leave the crowd and enter the narrow way. The wide path leads to destruction. Narrow ways have narrow gates. What baggage must we lay aside to squeeze through this tight door?  Control? Fear? Unforgiveness? Unbelief?

Our world is in deep crisis today. Deeper than anything most of us have experienced. Many things have been stripped away that we never expected to lose. We can allow fear to control us or we can seek the only One who is in control, The Way Maker. Leave the broad way. Seek eternal answers.

Cry out “help” to God. Speak to Him as you would speak to a friend. Ask Him, as you walk life’s uncertain paths, where the right, eternal way is. Expect God to answer. He is Father and we are child. It is His responsibility to show us The Way, to counsel and instruct us.

Your eternal Father loves you. When you cry, “help”, Jesus the Way, the Truth and the Life enters your personal wilderness. He makes a way for your soul and spirit to flourish and find Peace.

Questions: Do you struggle to believe that Jesus is the only way to the Father? What baggage do you need to lay aside in order to follow Christ’s teachings?

About the Author Petey Prater

Daily audio podcast: Hear today’s daily devotional, I Am – The Way, the Truth, the Life, read aloud on the Men’s Devotional Blog

In the early 1800’s a path was cut from the eastern United States through the wilderness to the American west.  Covered wagons, families and settlements quickly followed. Life flourishes today in Western states because two courageous men led an expedition into the wilderness.

Meriwether Lewis and William Clark ignored danger and pioneered a trail by canoe and horseback from St Louis, Missouri to Oregon. They opened a new world. Leaving the safety of home they rowed down perilous rivers, fought wild animals and befriended Indians. Traversing untamed frontiers they finally reached the shores of the Pacific Ocean, only to fight their way back home to loved ones after three arduous, lonely years of exploration.

Jesus Christ, Son of God, is mankind’s pioneer. He left His throne in Heaven, where He shares equal power and authority with God the Father, to be The Way for us. He came to earth and by His sinless life and death on the cross cut a path through sin’s wilderness for us. He died and rose again to open the way to Heaven for all who’ll believe. If we’ll follow Him He promises to lead us safely home to eternal life, restoring us to Father’s love.

Jesus claims, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me” (John 14:6).  Do you struggle to believe He is the only way to the Father? Ask Him to prove He is God. He can and will – if He is Truth.

Jesus “teaches the humble His way. All the paths of the Lord are loving-kindness and truth to those who keep His covenant and His testimonies” (Psalm 25:9,10). Are we humble and teachable?

What ‘way’ are you pursuing? Fame? Riches? Power? “There are many ways that seem right to a man and appear straight before him, but in the end that way is death” (Proverb 14:12).

Jesus calls us to leave the crowd and enter the narrow way. The wide path leads to destruction. Narrow ways have narrow gates. What baggage must we lay aside to squeeze through this tight door?  Control? Fear? Unforgiveness? Unbelief?

Our world is in deep crisis today. Deeper than anything most of us have experienced. Many things have been stripped away that we never expected to lose. We can allow fear to control us or we can seek the only One who is in control, The Way Maker. Leave the broad way. Seek eternal answers.

Cry out “help” to God. Speak to Him as you would speak to a friend. Ask Him, as you walk life’s uncertain paths, where the right, eternal way is. Expect God to answer. He is Father and we are child. It is His responsibility to show us The Way, to counsel and instruct us.

Your eternal Father loves you. When you cry, “help”, Jesus the Way, the Truth and the Life enters your personal wilderness. He makes a way for your soul and spirit to flourish and find Peace.

Questions: Do you struggle to believe that Jesus is the only way to the Father? What baggage do you need to lay aside in order to follow Christ’s teachings?

About this Author: Petey Prater

Want the good news or the bad news first? Let’s take the baa-d news first. God says you and I are sheep. Have you felt like a sheep lately? Acted like a sheep lately? Sheep are fearful, dull-witted, helpless, defenseless and vulnerable to attack. Sheep wander easily and get lost. Designed to be dependent, sheep need a shepherd. Does that sound like you? Sounds like me. “We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to his own way…”  (Isaiah 53:6).

But there is stunning news! The Lord is my Shepherd – the only Lord who has all power, authority, ability and wisdom. This Lord creates all things everywhere. His tool? A single word. He speaks and things form, instantly finished! “For by him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things were created by him and for him. He is before all things and in him all things hold together” (Colossians 1: 16, 17).

This Sovereign Ruler, sole owner of all worlds, all peoples, promises to be our shepherd. The Supreme Lord of the universe humbled himself – the high, Exalted One stepped down into the lowest position to serve and save his people. “Know that the Lord is God. It is He who made us, and we are His; we are His people, the sheep of his pasture” (Psalm 100:3).

I can hardly wrap my mind around that awesome thought. The God of All Glory is our shepherd. How can that be? What would cause Jesus to sacrifice his deity, leave the glories of heaven and come down to search us out and save us? Yet He did! “For the Son of Man came to seek and to save what was lost” (Luke 19:10).

God loved us so much that He sent Jesus to be not only Shepherd but Sacrificial Lamb for our sins. He suffered and died to lead his flock to Heaven. As the only pure lamb, Jesus qualified to die for our sin, setting us free from the penalty of death. Then he rose again proclaiming we are joint heirs, priests and rulers with him in his Heavenly family! “For you know … that you were redeemed … with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or defect. Through him you believe in God, who raised him from the dead and glorified him, and so your faith and hope are in God. If you belong to Christ … then you are … heirs” (1 Peter 18, 21; Galatians 3:29).

Is our faith and hope in this God? Are we listening for Jesus’ voice and following? If so, we are safe eternally. No one can snatch us from the Good Shepherd’s hand.

We bow in worship, Jesus. You are our Shepherd and sacrificial Lamb. You are God and we are the people of your pasture, the flock under your care. We love you. Amen.

Questions: Why do you think that Christ so often compares us to sheep? How do you respond to the fact that Jesus came down and became a sacrificial lamb for our sins? Is your hope in God or in other things?

About the Author Petey Prater

Daily audio podcast: A second daily devotional, Fullness of Joy, today on the Men’s Devotional Blog

 “The LORD is my shepherd, I lack nothing. He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside quiet waters, he refreshes my soul. He guides me along the right paths for his name’s sake. Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me. You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows. Surely your goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the LORD forever.” (Psalm 23)

Do you remember the nursery rhyme about Old Mother Hubbard? “Old Mother Hubbard went to the cupboard to give the poor dog a bone./ But when she came there the cupboard was bare and so the poor dog had none.” Old Mother Hubbard obviously failed to restock supplies for Mutzie. How about you and me? Is our spiritual cupboard as bare as Bowzer’s Bone Bin?

Maybe we don’t lack the basics of food, water and warmth but do we have enough spiritual provision to get through life with grace and peace? Did our supply of love get used up long ago? Are we limping along, angry, wounded, depressed, frustrated, fearful, needy, and broken?

Daily crises and challenges relentlessly empty the shelves of our lives, rendering us helpless and woefully inadequate until we locate the cupboard marked “love, grace and peace”. That cupboard is Jesus Christ. He is Supply and Supplier; He is Provision and Provider. His treasure stores, marked with our individual names, always exceed our wildest expectations and our greatest needs.

In Psalm 23 the Lord promises to feed, guide, shield, lead, refresh, restore, free, protect, comfort, and love us all the days of our lives. In Him all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge are hidden for us, according to Colossians 2:3. Why, then, are we curled up in the corner, like Old Mother Hubbard’s dog, sad and forlorn? Why do we feel forsaken when we can run to Christ and help ourselves to grace and love that meets our need and lifts us into joyful living again? Dogs trust their masters for provision. Why can’t we trust Christ? He never disappoints. His overflowing resources are promised to us.

Do we fail to trust because Christ’s provision rarely looks like what we asked for in prayer? Is it that He shines his spotlight on our selfish emotional wants and ministers to our true spiritual need instead? Is it that if we receive His provision we must quit groaning and grow up into maturity? Probably.

We ask Christ to lift our burden; instead He gives grace. We ask for release from the problem. He promises to carry it for us if we’ll stay yoked to Him. We complain that no one loves us and He says we’re wrong, He does, and that He’s enough. If you’re looking to be babied, don’t come to this Provider. Christ won’t let us live in protracted infancy. He says, “Let Me heal your wounds. There. Done. Now come back to the battle, that’s the only place I can give you victory.”

And so, the question becomes: Am I willing to pay the price to restock my spiritual cupboard with Christ Himself? Jesus never disappoints as Old Mother Hubbard did. But I must:

• Acknowledge my true need to the Lord.
• Be willing to repent and empty supplies from self’s shelf to make room for Him.
• Claim Him as my perfect provision, then grow/go on to share Him with others.

Our Prayer: Jesus, loving provider, Help me run to You when I am broken and used up. Cause me to come to Your waiting arms when I feel abandoned and lonely. I choose Your unlimited provision of love and grace and peace that Your sacrificial death provides for me. Thank You. Amen.

Question: Are you willing to pay the price to restock your spiritual cupboard with Christ?

Do you feel isolated? We can pray for you.

My dear friend and intercessory prayer partner, Susan Standley, went home to Heaven September 22, 2007, in the early hours of the morning. Without so much as a wave of her hand she was lifted into the arms of Jesus, the One she loved and served all her life.  Like David, weeping for his friend, Jonathon, I cry, “How the mighty have fallen!” (2 Sam. 1:19)

Susan was a spiritual giant. Her consuming passion, her life call, was prayer. Pain and disease marked her life, but nothing kept Susan from prayer. Whether she was seated in her wheelchair or at the dialysis clinic, she was seated with Christ in prayer.

Susan prayed because she knew God would hear and answer her: “This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us. And if we know that he hears us – whatever we ask – we know that we have what we asked of him” (1 John 5:14,15, NIV). She learned early that the greatest rewards come to those who make time for prayer.

With others and alone, Susan prayed and watched God do miracles.  Marriages were restored, the sick were healed and difficult problems were solved. Hundreds of people have been touched and changed because she took time to call to God for their needs. Yet her own illnesses were not healed. Instead she was given grace to live daily with pain and debility. Aren’t the ways of God a mystery?

Susan’s loss is more than the loss of a friendship to me; our world has lost a mighty prayer warrior. Scripture says “the people who know their God shall prove themselves strong and shall stand firm and do exploits for God” (Dan.11: 32, NIV).

Who will do exploits now for God?  Who will step into her gap in the prayer wall and weep over the sins of the world? Who will take Susan’s place at God’s altar crying out for the needy, broken ones?

Are you a child of God? Are you willing to serve the Father in prayer as He calls and enables you? The rewards are stunning! My amplified Bible says: “The secret of the sweet, satisfying companionship of the Lord have they who fear (revere and worship) Him, and He will show them His covenant and reveal to them its deep inner meaning” (Ps. 25: 14, AMP).  Another translation says that He tells His secrets to the upright.

Would you like to know God’s secrets? Join His prayer team. Step into Susan’s shoes with us. I think she’ll be cheering from Heaven as we ‘altar’ our world.

Questions: How are you serving God with the gifts that He has given you? Do you pray on a daily basis?  How has God been responding?

About the Author Petey Prater (La Von)