A Trip Up the Beach, Part 5

Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5

Birch bark! Evidently durable stuff to have survived a watery journey from a distant land. =)

Dad always takes a hand-held VHF radio whenever he's outside the village. Here he's standing on a dune trying to get a signal.

Prayer Is Limitless

Because God is infinite, the ways in which He answers prayer have no limit. We weak little humans are bound by set limits of knowledge and ability. There comes a time in every genius's life that he hits a brick wall. The strongest man in the world eventually slams into that same old brick wall, too. =)

However, if we are saved by the blood of the Crucified One, we have access to something and Someone that knows no limits. We can pray! We can ask God to do things that are  absolutely impossible. We can expect miracles -- great and mighty things that only God can do. God has promised that His ear is open to the humble, earnest cry of His people. He promises to answer our prayers, no matter the subject or size of those prayers.

Prayer is not limited by space. God sits upon His throne in Heaven and we dwell in Earth, but nothing can keep God from hearing our prayers. (Example: Jonah prayed from the belly of a whale, God heard him, and He answered!) We can pray for a loved one separated by thousands of miles and even oceans and we are able to directly affect their lives with our prayers. We can respond to the requests others make for their loved ones, and although we have never met those people, our prayers have a part in providing for their needs. Ladies, we can pray in full faith for our future husbands to be faithful to the Lord and to future vows, we can pray that God would defend them against the attacks of Satan, and we can pray that God will meet their many needs as live day by day.

Prayer is not limited by time. Because God dwells in eternity and sees the end from the beginning, and because He is not affected by time, He does not work according to our time-table but according to His all-wise purposes. And He is never late in answering our prayers. Prayer can receive an immediate answer, a delayed answer, or a prolonged answer: God knows which is best. When we are in a dangerous situation or we have pressing needs, we can pray and expect God to follow through. We may have other needs that seem endless; those are the times when we wonder if God is even listening: an unsaved loved one, a desire of the heart, etc. This is when we must pray persistently and not give up (read Luke 18:1-8). Then there is prolonged answers to prayer, such as our prayers for the work of God in lives, work that is truly dependent upon our prayers.

Prayer is not limited in subject matter. God did not give us a set list of prayers He would answer, nor did He specify certain matters that we could not bring to Him. God said, "Call unto me and I will answer thee." Call on Him for what? Praise God, He did not say! He wants us to bring anything and everything. He wants us to "come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need." (Heb. 4:16)

Prayer is not limited in results. The Lord did not put limitations or conditions upon what and how He would answer our requests. He is a loving Heavenly Father and gives us what is best and what we need. (See Matthew 7:7-11 and James 1:17.) If we ask for a certain need, He will supply that certain need. He promised! He claims that when we call, He will do "great and mighty things, which thou knowest not." (Jer. 33:3) And many times, His answers to our feeble prayers are in ways that are "exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think" (Eph. 3:20) God is not bound by laws of nature and is not in the least confounded by what we consider to be impossibilities. "For with God nothing shall be impossible." (Luke 1:37)

Every prayer God answers is a miracle. God has placed a limitless, boundless, all-things-are-possible tool in our weak human hands. Why don't we use it? Perhaps because we think only certain Christians have access to this kind of prayer? No, even a child can pray and receive great and mighty answers. Why do we fear that He will fail to hear or will refuse to answer? Because we fail Him and sin against Him and we feel unworthy? We are under the blood of our Savior Jesus Christ. We are fully, forever pardoned and made righteous in His sight, and we are always welcome in His throne-room.

God is Almighty and He is good! Let's simply trust Him to do all He promised and get busy doing the real work we're responsible for!

In the photo: A tree, hay bales, and irises at Aunt Frances and Uncle Don's farm in Iowa.

A Greater Yes

The Lord is too wise to be mistaken, too faithful to disappoint,
and too good to be unkind.

It starts with a desire,
Planted deep within your heart.
You pray in faith, and wait for God to move.
But time passes and you wonder,
Did He hear me when I called?
Should I even have prayed that prayer at all?

You never pray a prayer
Your Father will not answer,
He can't ignore His child's earnest request.
While you're waiting and believing
For what you thought was best,
Trust God if He says no,
You're still blessed.
There must be a greater yes.

There comes a time when child-like faith
Must graduate to trust.
Trials come and you're convinced you're on your own.
But the Teacher's often silent
While you're in the hardest test,
But He'll answer when it's time with what is best.

You never pray a prayer
Your Father will not answer,
He can't ignore His child's earnest request.
While you're waiting and believing
For what you thought was best,
Trust God if He says no,
You're still blessed.
There must be a greater yes.

Sometimes God will answer just like we pray,
Then other times what's on His mind
Is a better plan, another way, a greater yes.

You never pray a prayer
Your Father will not answer,
He can't ignore His child's earnest request.
While you're waiting and believing
For what you thought was best,
Trust God if He says no,
You're still blessed.
There must be a greater yes.

Sung by Assurance of Heartland Baptist Bible College
Written by Marcia Henry 

In the photo: My grandma's flower garden (Iowa).

True Riches

The blessing of the LORD, it maketh rich, 

and he addeth no sorrow with it. 

Proverbs 10:22

In the photo: Shooting star flowers in Grandma's garden.

A Trip Up the Beach, Part 4

Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5

Off to continue exploring the tundra! We brought a bucket to use for picking berries but unfortunately there weren't many berries in the area.

A ducky couple