J's Cafe Nette

The headline on this Fox News website front page is “Time to Start Praying”.

The story is about the floods in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, and the damage being done to property and lives.

“We’re just kind of at God’s mercy right now, so hopefully people that never prayed before this, it might be a good time to start,” Linn County Sheriff Don Zeller said. “We’re going to need a lot of prayers and people are going to need a lot of patience and understanding.”

Officials estimated that 3,200 homes were evacuated and some 8,000 residents displaced.

Days of heavy rain across the state have sent nine rivers across Iowa at or above historic flood levels. Residents were already steeling themselves for floods before storms late Wednesday and early Thursday brought up to 5 inches of rain across west central Iowa.

“We are seeing a historic hydrological event taking place with unprecedented river levels occurring,” said Brian Pierce, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Davenport. “We’re in uncharted territory — this is an event beyond what anybody could even imagine.”

Gov. Chet Culver has declared 55 of the state’s 99 counties as state disaster areas.

“We’re just kind of at God’s mercy right now, so hopefully people that never prayed before this, it might be a good time to start….”

I understand what the sheriff is saying, but why is it we pray only when there is a disaster that hits our families or our country, such as 9/11 and we forget all about God every other time in our lives?

We seem to look at God as though He were Santa Claus. We call on Him with our wish lists without giving Him the praise He is worthy of or taking the time to know Him in a personal way as the only God. He, Who loved us enough He sent His Only Begotten Son to earth to suffer as we did, know all the feelings we have and then die on a cross like a common criminal even though He had never sinned or committed a crime. But then His Son was risen from the dead to show us what will happen to us when He returns or when we die.

I’ve read we are the most Christian nation in the world today, but how many of us claim our God to be the Only God, none before Him and none after Him? How many of us acknowledge God came to earth in the flesh in the Person of His only begotten Son Jesus?

Do we pray just when times are hard or do we pray all the time? This isn’t rocket science but it does take faith. God is everywhere we are and we can pray to Him wherever we go while we are going there or after we get there. We don’t need an appointment to talk to Him and our only intermediary is Jesus, His Son.

Jesus told us there would be famines, earthquakes, pestilences and things that would make people’s hearts fail in the last days. He also said this had to happen, and when we see these things begin to come to pass to look up for our redemption draweth nigh.

Do you thank God for the meals you eat? For the clothes you wear? For all the necessities and niceties in this life, or do you call on Him only when you want something?

Just as Jesus had no idea when He would return while He was on earth (and maybe even now) I have no idea when He will return, but I can read the books of Ezekiel, Daniel and Revelation and pick up a newspaper and compare them. We are seeing the beginning of the end times, but I don’t know how long before Jesus returns.

Jesus told us He would return as a thief in the night and we should always be prepared for Him. Instead we have people mock us for our belief and yet there will be no satisfaction on my part when He does return and those who have mocked Him are left behind to face the Tribulation and then eternal death. Neither will there be satisfaction on Jesus’ part. Only sadness because the Gift He offers is free to any who will accept Him as their Savior.

The first prayer God hears is the prayer for redemption from man. Until we acknowledge our sins and ask for forgiveness and repent He will not hear our prayers, no matter how urgent they are.

So, yes, if you haven’t prayed before now would be a good time to start. Start by accepting Jesus into your lives. If you don’t know how call a fundamentalist church and ask someone to meet with you or pray with you on the phone. Read John 3:16 and the book of Romans. However you do it, do it now for yourself and your family!

Now, let’s all pray for our nation and the people of the world who are suffering from cyclones, earthquakes, hunger, lack of housing etc. God can do anything but fail.

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