October 11

Morning

Let us lift up our hearts and hands to God in heaven: — Lam 3:41 BSB

Prayer teaches us our unworthiness, which is a very valuable lesson for such proud beings as we are. If God gave us His blessings without requiring us to pray, we would never realize how poor we are. True prayer is like an inventory of needs, a list of necessities, a revelation of our hidden poverty. While prayer seeks divine blessings, it also confesses human emptiness. The healthiest state for a Christian is to always feel empty in themselves and constantly dependent on God for all things; to be poor in self but rich in Jesus, weak in their own strength but mighty through God. In this way, prayer glorifies God while humbling the believer, placing us where we belong—in the dust before Him.

Prayer is not only beneficial for the answer it brings; it’s also a great benefit in itself. Just as the runner gains strength through daily training, so do we gain energy for the race of life through the holy labor of prayer. Prayer gives wings to God’s young eagles, teaching them to soar above the clouds. It equips God's warriors for battle, strengthening their hands and heart. The earnest one who emerges from the closet of prayer is like the rising sun, rejoicing in the strength to run the race of the day.

Prayer is like the uplifted hand of Moses, winning the battle more than Joshua's sword. It arms human weakness with divine strength, transforms human foolishness into heavenly wisdom, and brings the peace of God to troubled souls. We have no idea of the full power of prayer!

We thank You, great God, for the mercy seat, a wonderful display of Your loving-kindness. Help us to use it rightly throughout this day!

Evening

And those He predestined, He also called; those He called, He also justified; those He justified, He also glorified. — Rom 8:30 BSB

In 2 Timothy 1:9, we read the words, “Who has saved us and called us with a holy calling.” Here is a test by which we may examine our calling. It is "a holy calling," not based on our works but on His purpose and grace. This calling excludes any trust in our own actions and directs us to Christ alone for salvation. At the same time, it purifies us from dead works and leads us to serve the living God. As the One who called you is holy, so must you be holy. If you are living in sin, you have not been called by God. But if you truly belong to Christ, you can say, “Nothing grieves me more than sin. I long to be rid of it. Lord, help me to be holy.” Is this the desire of your heart? Is this the direction of your life toward God and His will?

Philippians 3:14 speaks of “the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.” Is your calling a high one? Has it elevated your heart to focus on heavenly things? Has it lifted your hopes, your desires, your tastes? Has it raised the overall direction of your life, so that you now live with and for God?

Another test is found in Hebrews 3:1, where we are called “partakers of the heavenly calling.” A heavenly calling is one that comes from heaven, and if it’s only a man who calls you, you are not truly called. Is your calling from God? Is it a call not only from heaven but to heaven? If you are not a stranger to this world, and heaven is not your home, then you have not been called with a heavenly calling. Those who are called look forward to “a city with foundations, whose architect and builder is God,” and consider themselves strangers and pilgrims on this earth.

Is your calling holy, high, and heavenly? If so, beloved, you have been called by God, for that is the calling with which God always calls His people.