- Joined
- 03 Jan 13
- Moves
- 13080
Psalm 116 with some of my own emphasis for effect:
"I Love the Lord ...
I love the Lord ...
I LOVE the LORD ...
because He hears my voice, ... "
Why does the psalmist love the Lord?
He absolutely loves God because God HEARS his VOICE.
"I love Jehovah because He hears my voice, my suplications,
Because He inclines His EAR to me;
THEREFORE ... THEREFORE .... I will CALL upon Him all my days." (See Psalm 116:1,2)
Use your mouth to contact God.
- Joined
- 03 Jan 13
- Moves
- 13080
It was the third generation of human beings on the earth. They realized that they were getting farther and farther away from God. They sensed it somehow. They knew something between them and their Creator was not right, receding, fading away.
In the third generation "Men began to call upon the name of the Lord".
"And to Seth also a son was born, and he called his name Enosh. At that time men began to call upon the name of Jehovah" (Gen. 4:26)
People began to call out to God using their mouth, and using their whole heart to find God.
Enosh, we are told in the Recovery Version Bible means "frail, mortal man".
They must have realized that they were not so independent from divine help as they first thought, or had assumed for a long time.
Maybe they agreed in some households "We are frail, mortal, weak, O God! O GOD ! We NEED You."
Men began to call on the name of God. You don't have to wait until you realize you are so in need of God though.
- Joined
- 03 Jan 13
- Moves
- 13080
He is not listening. He is reading the sunday papers.
If you has that feeling then you be honest and tell God in your using your mouth -
"O God, I just feel like you are off somewhere playing with the squirrels or reading a paper."
Honesty with God is effective. He receives an honest opening up of your being.
It is like yesterday you thought God didn't care. But this can change to you realizing that YOU were preoccupied, usurped, distracted, and regarding many unclean and unholy things in your heart perhaps.
But it felt like GOD was uncaring and away.
But it is still effective, i have found, to be stark honest in your reaching out with God. More effective still is HONESTY plus THANKSGIVING.
Honesty as to how you feel, accompanied with thanksgiving helps. For you have many, many things to be thankful to God for. But you take them for granted.
So you your mouth to contact God. Be transparently honest, but with reverence, respect and thanksgiving.
- Joined
- 03 Jan 13
- Moves
- 13080
"I love Jehovah BECAUSE HE HEARS MY VOICE ... "
God REALLY knows how I feel.
I thought God didn't know how I am or how I am doing or even how I feel. Now I realize HE HEARS MY VOICE.
"Therefore I will call upon Him all my days." Like some truly wise people in the days of Enosh realizing their mortality and frailty, the broke the silence and called out. Then too began to call on the name of Jehovah God.
Parents could tell their children "He hears your voice. Maybe I do not understand. But we have God who is a great Parent to all of us. Call on God in your need."
- Joined
- 03 Jan 13
- Moves
- 13080
Calling does not mean " Don't meditate ".
Muse and meditate on God and CALL on the name of God too.
Calling is not anti- meditating and certainly is not anti-doing rightly by your human conscience toward others.
It is not "call VERSES other things" beneficial to spirituality.
The emphasis I have here is on not being ashamed or discouraged from SPEAKING, CALLING, opening your mouth to want to draw near to God.
I have read learned monastics who say that praying aloud and mental prayer are both valid, but that the latter form is generally reflective of a greater, meditative practice that leads to greater heights, while the former is very beneficial in other ways.
It is said that we should use our prayer books and employ the specific language used within them because it is more powerful than the chaos that can be happening in our heads and a long, disjointed stream of consciousness. This would, in a sense, be a form of vocal prayer, using the mouth, and every liturgy follows this sort of pattern.
@philokalia saidWhile they are praying aloud, praying mentally, and discussing which is better, the Good Samaritans of the world are walking into the Kingdom of God.
I have read learned monastics who say that praying aloud and mental prayer are both valid, but that the latter form is generally reflective of a greater, meditative practice that leads to greater heights, while the former is very beneficial in other ways.
It is said that we should use our prayer books and employ the specific language used within them because it is more ...[text shortened]... , be a form of vocal prayer, using the mouth, and every liturgy follows this sort of pattern.
- Joined
- 03 Jan 13
- Moves
- 13080
It is said that we should use our prayer books and employ the specific language used within them because it is more powerful than the chaos that can be happening in our heads and a long, disjointed stream of consciousness. This would, in a sense, be a form of vocal prayer, using the mouth, and every liturgy follows this sort of pattern.
What do you think about the Psalmist saying "Thy word have I hid in my heart, that I might not sin against thee" ?
He read the word of God and also stored it up in his heart, certainly his memory.
And we have the exhortation to let the word of Christ dwell in us richly. So reading the word of God is tremendous.
Singing the word is wonderful too.
Praying the word, with the word, is good.
And knowing it so that it dwells in us richly is the exhortation of Paul.
We of course want not to make mistakes is what was written, of course.
Notice that Christ Himself, when He could do nothing but hang nailed to His cross, had the word of the Psalms stored up in His. So He could cry out in quotation of Psalm 22 -
My God, my God, why have You forsaken Me?
Psalm 22:1 compare Matthew 27:46
I believe the Old Testament was inscribed all over His inward being. He drew from it in the moment of dispair. He knew just what He needed to utter.
Then again it is mysterious. Perhaps Psalm 22:1 is prophecy that He fulfilled. Perhaps BOTH are true paradoxically.
Anyway, Christ drew up from within Him the word of God in a cry, in a prayer to meet to deep, deep need of His soul.
Amen.
- Joined
- 03 Jan 13
- Moves
- 13080
Requiring the Mouth -
"Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom, teaching and admonishing one another with psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to God." (Col. 3:16)
Requiring the Mouth -
"And do not be drunk with wine, in which is dissoluteness, but be filled in spirit, SPEAKING to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and psalming with your heart to the Lord." (Eph. 5:18,19)
Requiring the Mouth -
" ... but you have received a spirit of sonship in which we cry, Abba, Father! The Spirit Himself witnesses with our spirit that we are children of God." (Rom. 8:15b,16)
Requiring the Mouth -
"And because you are sons, God has sent forth the Spirit of His Son into our hearts, crying, Abba, Father! " (Gal. 4:6)
- Joined
- 03 Jan 13
- Moves
- 13080
Cry "O Lord Jesus".
Cry "O Abba Father".
Whisper "Abba, Father, Father I love You"
Whisper " O Lord Jesus, Lord Jesus I love You"
Call out " Abba Father, You love me, Thankyou Father"
Cry out " O Lord Jesus, You first loved me. O Lord Jesus, Lord Jesus!"
Use your mouth with your opened heart and fervent spirit to touch God.
In the privacy of your room whisper to God "Abba Father, You have to feed me, I am Your child in the name of Jesus Christ. Thankyou Lord. thankyou Abba Father."
Open your life and talk to Jesus Christ.
Open wide your heart and call on God with the intention to come into contact within with Him.
@rajk999 saidJesus used the story of the good Samaritan to show who was someone's neighbor and how we should treat each other, you taking a discussion about one topic to besmirch another when the two are not related to another in the way you are presenting them.
While they are praying aloud, praying mentally, and discussing which is better, the Good Samaritans of the world are walking into the Kingdom of God.