The Lord The Perfecter

"I will cry unto God most High; unto God that performeth all things for me" Psalm 57:2.

"The Lord will perfect that which concerneth me" Psalm 138:8.
"Being confident of this very thing, that He which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ" Philippians 1:6.
"For of Him, and through Him, and to Him are all things: To whom be glory for ever" Romans 11:36.

We read that David once succumbed to unbelief, and said, "I shall now one day perish by the hand of Saul" (1 Samuel 27:1). So even the Christian may indeed fear that he will one day perish. This is because he looks at himself and what is in him, and does not set his trust wholly on God. It is because he does not yet know God as the Perfecter. He does not yet know what is meant by His name, "I am the Alpha and the Omega: the Beginning and the End: the First and the Last" (Revelation 21:6; 1:8). If I truly believe in God as the beginning out of whom all comes, then I must trust Him as the continuation and the end, to whom all goes.
God is the beginning. "He which hath begun a good work in you"; "Ye have not chosen Me, but I have chosen you" (John 15:16). We are to be thankful for God's free choice, made before the foundation of the world, that we became believers and have the new life.1 Those who are still unconverted have nothing to do with this election--for them there is the offer of grace and the summons to surrender.

Outside, over the door of the Father, stands the inscription, "Him that cometh unto Me, I will in no wise cast out" (John 6:37). This everyone can see and understand. No sooner are they inside the door than they see and understand the other inscription, "All that the Father giveth Me shall come to Me" (John 6:37).2 Then they can understand how all things are of God--first, obedience to the command of God, then, insight into the counsel of God.

But then it is of great importance to firmly hold onto this truth--He has begun the good work. Every thought of God will strengthen the confidence that He will also perfect it. His faithfulness, His love, His power, are all pledged so that He will perfect the good work which He began. Please read how God has taken more than one oath regarding His unchangeable faithfulness. Your soul will rest and find courage in this.
And how will He finish His work? What has its origin from Him is sustained by Him. It will one day be brought to Him and His glory. There is nothing in your life, worldly or spiritual, for which the Father will not care, because it has influence on you for eternity.3 There is no moment of day or night in which the silent growth of your soul is not to go forward. The Father will take care of this, if you believe.

There is no part of your destiny as a child of God that the Father will not continue and complete His work in--even in things which you have not yet given thought to.4 There is one condition--you must trust Him for this. You must in faith allow Him to work. You must trustfully say, "The Lord will perfect that which concerneth me." You must trustfully pray, "I will cry unto God that performeth all things for me." Christian, let your soul become full of the thought--The whole care, for the continuation and the perfecting of God's work in me, is in His hands.5

And how glorious the perfecting will be. In our spiritual life, God is prepared to exhibit His power in making us participants of His holiness and the image of His Son. He will make us fit, and set us in a condition for all the blessed work in His Kingdom that He would have from us. He will make our body like to the glorious body of His Son. We may wait for the coming of the Son Himself from heaven to take His own to Him. He will unite us in one body with all His chosen, and will receive and make us dwell forever in His glory. How can we think that God will not perfect His work'? He will surely do it He will gloriously do it--for everyone who trusts Him for it.

Child of God, please say in deep assurance of faith, "The Lord will perfect that which concerneth me." In every need say continually and with great boldness, "I will call on God, that performeth all things for me." And let the song of your life be the joyful doxology, "For of Him, and through Him, and to Him are all things: To Him be the glory for ever." Amen.

Lord God, who will perfect that which concerns me, teach me to know You and to trust You. And let every thought of the new life go hand in hand with the joyful assurance--He who began a good work in me will perfect it. Amen.

Discover why prayer is an indispensable part of a healthy relationship with God.

“But when you pray, do not use vain repetitions as the heathen do. For they think that they will be heard for their many words. Therefore do not be like them. For your Father knows the things you have need of before you ask Him” (Matthew 6:7-8).

IDEA: Prayer enables us to live in communion with our Father in heaven.

PURPOSE: To help listeners think about what happens when they pray.
Have you ever wondered whether our prayers are really unnecessary?
Do you find it comforting to know that God knows our needs better than we do?
Doesn’t that lead to the question, “Is there any real need for us to pray at all?” – It’s nice but unnecessary?

I. Can you think of other reasons for prayer besides getting things from God?
Through prayer we enter into communion, into a personal relationship with God the Father.
In human relationships speech is a necessary element in fellowship.
What happens in marriages in which couples no longer to speak each other? Why?
Does the importance of speech in a friendship mean that friends need to be talking with each other all the time? What is the difference in a friendship where friends walk together in silence and one in which they refuse to talk with each other?
What is the significance to the assertion by the apostle John, “In the beginning was the Word . . .”?

II. Although God has spoken to us, we must cultivate fellowship with Him by speaking with Him.
Only when we come before Him and express in our words everything that distresses us can we really experience His peace.
Have you ever thought about making a list of what you want to talk to the Father about?
Have you ever discovered after you have prayed that you have been changed by the experience?
When we stop talking with God and cease living in communication with Him, then all we do is end up talking about God. After a time we might talk neither with God nor even about Him.

Is prayer for our benefit, or for God’s?

“And when you pray, you shall not be like the hypocrites. For they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the corners of the streets, that they may be seen by men. Assuredly I say to you, they have their reward. But you, when you pray, go into your room, and when you have shut your door, pray to your Father who is in the secret place, and your Father who sees in secret will reward you openly” (Matthew 6:5-6).

IDEA: Not all praying may be prayer.

PURPOSE: To help listeners pray with the right attitude and in the right way.
Someone has said that there are as many reasons given in Scripture why God will NOT answer prayer as reasons that He will.
Do you agree with that?

I. We may pray to be seen by other people:
Matthew 6:5-6 – “And when you pray, you shall not be like the hypocrites. For they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the corners of the streets, that they may be seen by men. Assuredly I say to you, they have their reward. But you, when you pray, go into your room, and when you have shut your door, pray to your Father who is in the secret place, and your Father who sees in secret will reward you openly.”
Why would anyone do that? What would they gain?
Do those “performance prayers” ever get answered?

II. Is it possible that we may pray in a manner that betrays the fact that we don’t know what we are doing when we pray?
Matthew 6:7-8: “But when you pray, do not use vain repetitions as the heathen do. For they think that they will be heard for their many words. Therefore do not be like them. For your Father knows the things you have need of before you ask Him.”
Why do some people pray prayers that say the same thing or use the same phrases over and over?
The Prophets of Baal on Mount Carmel prayed over and over again, “O Baal, answer us!” (1 Kings 18).
The people of Ephesus shouted the phrase “Great is Diana of the Ephesians!” for two hours (Act 19).
Have you ever felt that you must badger God into taking notice of you when you pray? Why?
Are “all-night prayer meetings” more effective in getting our prayers answered? Is there any benefit to such prayer meetings?
Do you think that God times our prayers? Are short prayers as effective as long prayers?
The model prayer Jesus gave us has only 52 words in English and 50 words in the Greek text. Does that mean anything?
Do you think Jesus said these things to discourage us from praying?

III. What is the issue Jesus is getting at?
It can’t be the frequency or the repeating of a prayer. What do you make of Matthew 26:36-42?
It can’t be that He warns against long periods of prayer (Matthew 14:23-25).
What is the issue?

Prayer is a key ingredient in nurturing a relationship with God.

“But when you pray, do not use vain repetitions as the heathen do. For they think that they will be heard for their many words. Therefore do not be like them. For your Father knows the things you have need of before you ask Him” (Matthew 6:7-8).

IDEA: Prayer enables us to live in communion with our Father in heaven.

PURPOSE: To help listeners think about what happens when they pray.
Have you ever wondered whether our prayers are really unnecessary?
Do you find it comforting to know that God knows our needs better than we do?
Doesn’t that lead to the question, “Is there any real need for us to pray at all?” – It’s nice but unnecessary?

I. Can you think of other reasons for prayer besides getting things from God?
Through prayer we enter into communion, into a personal relationship with God the Father.
In human relationships speech is a necessary element in fellowship.
What happens in marriages in which couples no longer to speak each other? Why?
Does the importance of speech in a friendship mean that friends need to be talking with each other all the time? What is the difference in a friendship where friends walk together in silence and one in which they refuse to talk with each other?
What is the significance to the assertion by the apostle John, “In the beginning was the Word . . .”?

II. Although God has spoken to us, we must cultivate fellowship with Him by speaking with Him.
Only when we come before Him and express in our words everything that distresses us can we really experience His peace.
Have you ever thought about making a list of what you want to talk to the Father about?
Have you ever discovered after you have prayed that you have been changed by the experience?
When we stop talking with God and cease living in communication with Him, then all we do is end up talking about God. After a time we might talk neither with God nor even about Him.

GOD'S TIMING DEMANDS OUR PATIENCE.

We are often not that patient. We want our church to grow quickly, our young people to mature right away, and our problems to be fixed today.

Maybe we need to be reminded that some things take time—God’s time. For instance, when the Israelites first left Egypt, God sent them on the long route to the Promised Land (Ex. 13:17-18). During that time He prepared them, taught them, and challenged them.

In our microwave world, we want everything done instantaneously. But sometimes that’s not God’s plan. Let’s seek God’s help and learn to accept His timing.

                         He does not lead me year by year,
                         Nor even day by day;
                         But step by step my path unfolds;
                         My Lord directs my way. —Ryberg