Matthew 19:14-15 – But Jesus said, "Let the little children come to Me, and do not forbid them; for of such is the kingdom of heaven." And He laid His hands on them and departed from there. (NKJV)

With what glory and holy innocence Father blesses each one of His children! That includes you and me.

Recently, I heard the pure, pealing bells of loving sanctification fill a busy barbershop, revealing and heralding our Lord's loving, joyful presence.

A young father was having his hair cut while his little son was playing around his feet, holding an innocent conversation with himself and all who cared to listen.

Without missing a beat, the toddler said in a moment of silence, in a clear ringing tone, "Daddy, I love you!"

God Almighty, present in that barbershop, and the child's angels in that so holy moment, must have had tears on their faces and joy in their hearts.

All I can say as a blessed child of God the Father is also, "Daddy, I love You, too!"

That's all it takes, dear brothers and sisters. Father so longs to hear our voices; He is ready to replace every hurt with His pure, holy, loving joy.

Ephesians 3:20-21 – Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us, to Him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen. (NKJV)

Prayer: Father, we come before Your holy presence in loving submission, praise, and worship. We thank You for all our blessings and answered prayers. Most of all, we thank You for giving us Your beloved Son Jesus to shed His holy blood on our behalf, to bear our every sin, and to take our stripes upon Himself. Please continue to lead us and to give us the pure innocence of little children, that we may better reveal Your unending love and salvation promises to a lost and hurting world. We offer this prayer in the name of our beloved Jesus. Amen.

Matthew 7:7a – Keep on asking, and you will receive what you ask for. (NLT)

Mark 11:24 – I tell you, you can pray for anything, and if you believe that you've received it, it will be yours. (NLT)

He then prayed with the lady, and told her to thank God continually for answering her prayers.

Months later, Norval was preaching again at that church, and the same lady was among the congregation. She stood up again, but this time her message was one of victory. She told him that her daughter had called her and had returned home. Her daughter was also present and shared that she was now born again. The lady hugged Norval, and they were both Spirit-filled and shared tears of joy!

Some time ago, I also prayed for a lady in similar circumstances, who phoned me the next day to say that her daughter had just phoned, and was coming to visit that weekend! Hallelujah!

John 14:12-14 – I tell you the truth, anyone who believes in me will do the same works I have done, and even greater works, because I am going to be with the Father. You can ask for anything in my name, and I will do it, so that the Son can bring glory to the Father. Yes, ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it! (NLT)

Hebrews 11:1 – Faith is the confidence that what we hope for will actually happen; it gives us assurance about things we cannot see. (NLT)

There's that word "faith" again! It's so easy to say and to understand, but when times of trouble come, and come they will, it's so difficult to hold onto!

Yet Jesus, being wholly human as well as wholly divine, knew how challenged we would be, from time to time, and emphasized the critical importance of our believing the assurances and promises of Jesus (having faith), that our Father in heaven will always hear and respond positively to all heartfelt prayers in the name of Jesus that are in His holy will!

Faith — the opposite of fear — is an essential weapon given to every saint, which renders powerless all of Satan's darts and lies! We need only stand on the promises of Jesus for victory over all the forces of darkness! Thanking God for answering one's prayers is giving evidence of believing His promises, i.e. faith! Thank You, Jesus!

Prayer: Father, we come before Your holy presence as flawed sinners saved by Your grace alone. Unworthy as we are, we thank You for Your unconditional love, such that You even gave Your beloved Son, Jesus, to bleed and die on that lonely cross of Calvary 2000 years ago! Please forgive us for our sins and help us to become more like Jesus, as we offer up our love, our worship, and our service in Your mighty army. Please strengthen and increase our faith, that we may walk with ever-increasing boldness, and declare from the rooftops that Jesus is Lord! Amen and Amen!

Many years later as an adult, our son told us that he always remembers that moment as one of love-filled comfort and security! Thank You, Jesus! Our son is now the doting, loving father of a beautiful six-year-old girl!

So often in our Christian walk, as we seek ways to serve our Lord, we tend to dismiss as uneventful, or even trivial, what in our eyes we see as too ordinary or unspectacular to be of much use to others or to ourselves in our journey. Rather, we frequently want to be involved in events that we consider would be sufficiently noteworthy to get God's attention and meet with His approval, forgetting that it's Father's will, not ours, to be done through our loving obedience.

1 Samuel 16:7b – The Lord does not look at the things man looks at. Man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart. (NIV)

Most of the time, we fail to realize just how our treatment of children and our behaviour around them can make a lasting impact on their lives, which will shape the adults they become. We must always recognize and act upon this awesome, God-given responsibility.

We often overlook the fact that Jesus loved the little children, and emphasized just how important they are in God's kingdom, as our son demonstrated through the party event.

Matthew 19:13-14 – Then little children were brought to Jesus for him to place his hands on them and pray for them. But the disciples rebuked those who brought them. Jesus said, "Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these." (NIV)

It's only as we begin to seek to see through the eyes of Jesus that we realize that a lifestyle of showing His selfless, spontaneous love in our everyday walk to the young, the needy, and all others Father brings across our path, is in the perfect will of God! Any other plans for us, He'll be sure to let us know!

James 1:27 – Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world. (NIV)

Prayer: We thank You, Father, for the many blessings You continually bestow upon us, for all our loved ones, and for Your perfect direction in every situation. Most of all, we thank You for Jesus! Please keep us firmly entrenched in Your love, as we surrender to Your perfect will. Amen and Amen.

Over the years, I have seen the Lord's hand of protection over me and my loved ones, in many cases saving us from serious injury, disaster, or even death. I had prayed such a prayer for protection for my family and myself on July 14th, an ordinary day in most aspects.

After a pleasant few hours spent in Belleville, Ontario, where Rebecca had bought me a birthday present, we were returning to Picton mid-afternoon. A few miles southbound along Highway 62, we were approaching a car heading north. Seconds later, we saw another car, travelling probably in excess of 100 kilometres per hour, pull over onto our side of the road in an attempt to overtake the northbound car, which by this time was side-by-side with our car! We were in a head-on collision course! I had only a split-second to react, but the Holy Spirit put me on automatic pilot, and without hesitating, I swerved to the right over onto a narrow section of hard gravel shoulder and partly-covered grass. Immediately thereafter, I swerved safely back onto the highway.

All throughout the manoeuvre, the car never skidded at all! It was all over in four or five seconds, and we found ourselves continuing safely along Highway 62 south, fervently thanking our Lord for His previously prayed-for protection! Throughout the whole experience, I felt a supernatural calmness and clarity of vision!

If anyone had told me that there was room for three vehicles to pass alongside each other in those circumstances, at those angles, in those split seconds, without even touching each other, and then to continue on their courses completely unscathed, I would have totally denied such an unbelievable possibility! So I know that sincere prayer is lovingly welcomed and responded to by our Lord!

John 15:7 – If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be given you. (NIV)

Days, weeks, months, even years can go by without our seeing evidence of the power of sincere prayer for ourselves and others. This does not mean that prayers have gone unheard or unanswered, but rather that it's a combination of God's perfect timing, our level of trust that the promises of Father and Son are not too much to expect, and our frail ability to be vigilant in expecting and recognizing the fulfillment of prayers which are in our Father's will.

Matthew 6:33 – But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. (NIV)

The power of genuine, sincere, God-directed prayer is unstoppable, and is Satan's worst nightmare!

Philippians 4:6-7 – Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. (NIV)

It has to be pointed out that one of the greatest barriers to answered prayer is unforgiveness in our hearts. This is so important that Jesus mentioned it in relationship to the Lord's Prayer:

Matthew 6:14-15 – For if you forgive men when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive men their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins. (NIV)

Prayer: Loving Father, thank You for all the blessings that You have poured out to us. Most of all, thank You for our Saviour Jesus. Forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive all those who have trespassed against us. May Your will be done, not ours. Increase our faith, and help us to see through the eyes of Jesus. May we share His love with the world. We pray in the precious name of Jesus. Amen and amen!

Try as I might, I was unable, for several days, to connect with the Internet. Ultimately, I had to call on someone who had previously solved my computer problems, someone whom I'd forgotten about. I wrote this poem about it.

Despair's eroding presence
Was beginning to seize control
For nothing I tried could restore to life
This computer that was not whole.

Neither friend nor provider expert
Could resurrect what was dead
Until at last I remembered
A trustworthy restorer instead!

He referred me to High Speed Service
So I checked on that box so small
And he told me if lights were not shining
That I couldn't reach others at all!

So I picked up this key component
Flipped the switch which had not been on
And with the lights, all life then returned
When those directions I relied upon!

So many times, we wonder why our life is moving in the wrong direction, and no matter what we do, or whose counsel we seek, nothing seems to change for the better.

In those circumstances, if we would recover our joy and peace, it is wisdom indeed to call upon the one Person in whom we can trust, and who always has our best interests at heart. And that person is Jesus, King of kings, Lord of all!

Prayer: Father, Creator, loving God, we thank You for every blessing, known and unknown, past, present, and to come. We thank You for sending Your beloved Son, Jesus, to take upon Himself, on Calvary's bloodstained cross, our every sin! And we thank You, sweet Jesus, for shedding Your healing and restoring light on all of our lives when we but call Your blessed name. To You be the glory, now and forevermore. Amen and Amen.