Isaiah 65:24 - "Honey In The Rock"

This sermon series "Intentional Prayer" is so, so good. Prayer is such an important part of my life. I am so thankful for all the ways God shows Himself through prayer. He amazes me in the way He answers my prayers some times even before I am finished. There is a nugget of a promise found in Isaiah 65:24 that blesses me in abundance. God reiterates how He hears and answers our prayers. Sometimes His answer is not what we desire but the more we strive to live in obedience to Him the more the answers we desire will line up with Him. As I stood and looked at the sunset last night I was in awe of His work. There are so many colors He puts into a sunset. This morning as I looked at the pictures I took I thought about how He puts so much detail into everything He creates. That includes us. He does not make us the same. He does not give us all the same personalities. If people were to describe me by colors, what would they say? Would I be considered a 'warm' color? As I think of colors mentioned in the Bible I am once again amazed at the detail that goes into creation. Red is typically thought of in the sense of the blood of Christ that was shed on the cross. That is why we have Bibles with His words written in red. My favorite color is blue. I was in awe when I read about how blue was the color of the thread used to weave together such things as the tabernacle in the OT. Gold is the color chosen to symbolize purity in people. Pure gold is refined to nearly being perfect just as those who allow God to for their lives. I have always said the color green is not one I like but I need to quit that. It symbolizes life, restoration, and renewal. Springtime has new growth in plants, trees budding, etc. that reiterate this. I was reading about the color amber in Scripture and read it represents the glory of God. Woo hoo! Purple was very valuable in Biblical days. Purple garments were normally worn by those with great means. White symbolizes purity especially purity of heart when one accepts Jesus. Prior to that the color black represents our heart to symbolize evil. Silver symbolizes God refining our hearts. He removes anything impure from us so we can fully live for Him. It amazes me to read through Scripture and see how many times colors are mentioned. The sunset last night held so many colors and the colors changed as the minutes ticked off the clock. Some became more intense while others went away. There were times the colors were bright while other times they were subdued. I see my prayer life in that same way. Some times I am more intentional than other times in praying. Sometimes I get so excited as I pray while other times I am quiet. There are times I feel like I am going to burst as I pray. I can feel God's presence and hear Him answering me even as I pray. That is what Isaiah 65:24 talks about. Isaiah 65 is about what is ahead for the believer with eternal life. As long as I have breath I need to be more intentional in praying and listening. He is with me at all time. On the mountaintops and in the valleys. I love the song "Honey In The Rock" that reiterates He is all I need no matter what is happening in life.

There’s honey in the rock
Water in the stone
Manna on the ground
No matter where I go
I don’t need to worry
Now that I know
Everything I need You’ve got

There’s honey in the rock
Purpose in Your plan
Power in the blood
Healing in Your hands
Started flowing when You said it is done
Everything You did’s enough

Dear Jesus, Thank You for the blessings of yesterday and the ones ahead today! Thank You for taking the pain away from my ribs! I pray it stays away today but if it returns, give me Your wisdom. Thank You for last night's sunset that was so spectacular! Thank You for using me as a preacher and as a pastor yesterday! Cleanse me so You can fill me to overflowing with more of You. Pour out of my words, actions, attitude, and thoughts. I pray Your peace over many going through difficult days. My Momma; my sisters Linda, Sally, and Mary; my brother Richard; Ben and Colleen; Pete and Delores; Steve; Cait; Beth; Nancy; Betty; Mike; Norma Hall; Sharon Sebolt and her parents; Marion; some young ladies with anxiety; a young man out of rehab who needs strength in his daily walk; Rhonda; Mary Lilley; a husband/father separated from his wife; Preacher Bill Watts; Brooklyn; Kristen Batten; Timmy; Amber; families in turmoil; Cyndi; Doug and Gay; Tammie; Serenna and her husband; and many others. I also pray healing prayers over many who are dealing with 'c' and/or going through treatments...Sharon's daughter Ashley; Chrissy's cousins; Shirley Jones; Cait's friend with leukemia; my pastor friend with daily chemo; my friend with mesothelioma; Little Ivy; Little Judson; Alex's niece; a young girl in our community; a lady whose breast cancer has returned; and a lady diagnosed with stage two breast cancer. I pray for: the Long Family, Justin Hillman, Vickie's son Jim, Pastor Ted, Melinda and her family, and Russ. Thank You for continued strength for Baby Henry! I pray healing for Kim and Rick as they recuperate. Thank You for being All I Need! Amen.