Better Than Gold
By trusting God's promises and praying with faith and thanksgiving, you can experience God's power and provision in your life.
In this sermon, the speaker discusses the struggle that many people face in experiencing the reality of God in their lives, despite praying regularly. The speaker shares a personal story of searching for bricks to build a motherhouse and chapel, and how they were tired and discouraged. However, when Mother Basilea approached them, she was waving a Bible verse instead of money, reminding them of God's promises. The speaker emphasizes the importance of praying with faith and thanksgiving, as it shows God that we expect His promises to come true. They encourage listeners to put their faith into action and to thank God for His help, as it strengthens and brings joy.
Full Transcript
God lives and works today. But don't we all fail time and again to experience his reality in our lives, even though we may pray often? What keeps him from revealing his power? The answer is in today's meditation called Better Than Gold. We were sitting on the rubble heap from our bombed-out city, tired after hours of searching for unbroken bricks.
We needed whole ones in order to build our motherhouse and chapel, but they seemed very scarce. And we were all tired from the hot afternoon sun. Suddenly, we spotted Mother Basilea coming towards us.
Even at a distance, we could see that she was waving a piece of paper, and we thought spontaneously, surely someone has given her a gift of money so that we can buy the bricks instead of having to scavenge the rubble heaps. But when Mother Basilea reached us, we discovered that she had been waving a Bible word. It was one she had received from the Lord in prayer, and to her, that was better than gold.
She wanted us to join with her in giving thanks to God for this word of promise. By doing so, we would let God know that we definitely expected his promise to come true and in good time. And so we learned to put our faith into action, not just by asking God for things, but also by praying, I thank you that you have already thought up the help for me.
You have already prepared a solution to all my difficulties, and Jesus has already won the victory over all my sins. Such prayer holds great promise. It moves God's arm so that all of our problems melt like wax before his omnipotence.
Take advantage of this opportunity. By thanking God for his help, you will grow strong and joyful. Yes, when your requests to God are embedded in faith and thanksgiving, you can be certain that he will answer them.
And that's what happened with our story about the bricks. Finally, the city decided to tear down some old army barracks, and we were given all the bricks so that we had an overabundance. O God, all seer, will bring the might of God to bear Burst open island portes To pray with faith gives strength to harm And changes pain and duties calm To flowers in love's garden Who prays in faith the wayless much For God does yearn to answer such Who cry for grace and mercy So he who prays with heart and soul To him who made and ruled his God Will find God wants to apply it There, there was one who came to harm Who trusted in the Father's arm That is his own true promise He freely gives all things we need From ancient fears we too are freed For God loves all his children For more information on how to get access to the web, please contact this radio station for our postal address.
God bless you.
Sermon Outline
- The Reality of God's Power
- God lives and works today
- But we often fail to experience his reality
- The answer lies in trusting God's promises
Key Quotes
“To pray with faith gives strength to harm And changes pain and duties calm To flowers in love's garden” — Basilea Schlink
“Who prays in faith the wayless much For God does yearn to answer such Who cry for grace and mercy” — Basilea Schlink
“He freely gives all things we need From ancient fears we too are freed” — Basilea Schlink
Application Points
- Pray with faith and thanksgiving, expecting God to answer your requests.
- Trust God's promises and provision, even in difficult circumstances.
- Overcome your difficulties and sins by praying with faith and thanksgiving.