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The First Burning Bush Devotional was sent June 8, 1998.

Prayer Changed Everything!

by Ed Wrather

Sunday Morning (June 3, 2024) in the sermon I shared about how important it is to open your heart to God, to pour out your heart to God being completely honest with him. If you read the Psalms of David, you see David repeatedly doing this in the Psalms.

I shared a personal testimony of the first time that I had poured out my heart to God. It happened soon after I had graduated from High School in 1968. The Vietnam War was raging, and I fully expected to be drafted. I had a large map of Vietnam on the back of the door in my room and was trying to keep up with what was going on with the war. I know it was on my heart as to what was ahead for me. I had been walking around outside until I was under some large elm trees that were just north of the chicken house on our farm. Some hours of time I cried out to God about what was going to happen in my life wanting His help with what was ahead.

The summer before my senior year in High School I took a driving test for bus driving at Weatherford, Oklahoma along with several other boys. As I was taking my test, I could see in the seat behind me that the officer seemed to be making a lot of marks on the test report. I came to a point where I had to make a left hand turn downtown and there was a lot of traffic that I was having to wait to go by. I briefly commented to the officer that when driving a bus with kids that I wasn’t going to hurry making a turn like that. Out of the corner of my eye I saw the officer tear up the test report that he had been working on and start over. I believe that is what God did after my prayer that day! The direction of my life was changed!

Nothing seemed to happen immediately as a result of the prayer until late June or early July. I had never really considered the possibility of going to college. I didn’t think that my grades were high enough and I didn’t think that I was smart enough to succeed with it. But it was during this time that it entered my mind that maybe I ought to talk with someone about it and I called and talked with our High School principal. He checked and said that I had a B average, and it wouldn’t be a problem for me to be accepted at Southwestern State in Weatherford, Oklahoma. He gave me the information I needed to apply, and I began attending college in the Fall of 1968.

To be honest I had not applied myself to my studies in Junior High and High School and my focus was primarily on music and playing the guitar. The first several weeks of college were difficult as I had to make up for what I had not learned. But I believe that God helped me as I learned how to study and opened my mind to what I needed to understand.

As a result of that prayer God led me to my wife and gave me a family. As a result of that prayer everything changed! That prayer I believe was a result of many others praying for me. In the devotional “Throne of Grace 10.08.20” I shared this: “Looking back at my life before I received Jesus as my Savior, I am convinced that many prayers must have been prayed on my behalf. Because without those prayers I doubt that I would have lived beyond my teenage years. I am indeed thankful for those who prayed for me then and for those who pray for me now.”

The devotional “Throne of Grace” was written during the uncertain times of 2020, and we seem to be in another uncertain time at present. Here is how I ended that devotional: “During this year when everything seems to have come apart at the seams, I hope that you will avail yourself of this great and awesome privilege of prayer more so than ever before. Pray for yourself, for your family, for your friends. Maybe you know some teenage boys and girls that need your prayers to make it through that difficult time in their lives. There are so many hurting people across this world that need our prayers. Have you come before the “throne of grace” today?”

Peter was therefore kept in prison, but constant prayer was offered to God for him by the church. And when Herod was about to bring him out, that night Peter was sleeping, bound with two chains between two soldiers; and the guards before the door were keeping the prison. Now behold, an angel of the Lord stood by him, and a light shone in the prison; and he struck Peter on the side and raised him up, saying, “Arise quickly!” And his chains fell off his hands. Then the angel said to him, “Gird yourself and tie on your sandals”; and so he did. And he said to him, “Put on your garment and follow me.” So he went out and followed him, and did not know that what was done by the angel was real, but thought he was seeing a vision. – Acts 12:5-9 NKJV.

How many times have we heard of fake grenades being discovered and the bomb squad being called in to check it out? More times than we can count. Just four days ago a fake grenade was found in Times Square by an Uber driver causing a scare. Five days ago, a man was taken into custody in West Park, Florida for causing a scare having a fake grenade. Last year a fake grenade caused a scare in Lakewood, New Jersey when the grenade was found strapped to a utility pole. Sometime back a fake grenade was found in luggage at Newark Airport. Countless other times fake grenades have been found and caused a scare and police departments have to respond.

Sadly, sometimes the grenade is real that is found and actually explodes. Last year an Indiana man and his two children were looking through his grandfather’s belongings when a grenade was found. Apparently one of them pulled the pin and it exploded killing the man and injuring his two kids. The boy was 14 years old, and the woman was 18 years old that were injured by shrapnel. Many soldiers have brought home souvenirs from war not knowing how dangerous they might be. A friend once showed me a .30 caliber machine gun in their closet that his faither had brought back from the Korean War. I think his father knew how dangerous that could be. The point is some of those things brought back from war by a father or grandfather or even a great grandfather may be very real and very dangerous.

King Herod had thrown the apostle Peter into prison, but God sent an angel to free him. At first Peter thought that it was just a dream, or a vision, but it was very real. We often hear of miraculous things occurring but try to explain them in human terms when it is actually a miracle that has occurred. How many times have we heard of someone having been told that they have a tumor or some other dreadful thing but a week or so later it is no longer there. We explain it away by saying the first Xray or CT scan must have been a mistake in some way. Or, we narrowly miss being in a terrible traffic accident, but somehow, we avoid it.

Sometimes miracles actually happen, sometimes it’s real, and I suspect that they occur much more frequently than we normally think. So, let us be sure to give the glory to God instead of man when these miracles happen.

A Testimony of Love

by Ed Wrather

And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, and they did not love their lives to the death. – Revelation 12:11 NKJV.

And this is the testimony: that God has given us eternal life, and this life is in His Son. – 1 John 5:11 NKJV.

 For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. – John 3:16 NKJV.

The Dictionary (Dictionary.com) defines testimony as: “The statement or declaration of a witness under oath or affirmation, usually in court.” Also defined as: “The statement or declaration of a witness under oath or affirmation, usually in court.” And as an: “Open declaration or profession, as of faith.”

Often, we as Christians speak of our “testimony.” Usually, what we are talking about is when we believed upon Jesus Christ as our personal Savior, and we were “saved.” Saved from what? Saved from an eternity separated from God in the devil’s hell and saved to live eternally with the One True God. As John 3:16 says, when we believe upon Jesus as our Savior, turning from our sins and turning to Him, we have at that moment in time been “born again,” unto eternal life (born again: John 3:3; 1 Peter 1:22).

Do you have a testimony? Yesterday, Patricia Laster Davis shared her testimony on Facebook. She has graciously given me permission to share her testimony in this devotional. Here is what she wrote back in 2009:

“February 13, 2009 

Our marriage was on a fast track to hell and had been that way for quite some time. I thought the only solution was to get a divorce. After begging Jerry Shaggy Davis over and over he finally told me if I would go with him to talk to a preacher and if I didn’t change my mind, he would go with me on Monday to file for the divorce. I agreed immediately because I knew nothing was changing my mind.

On that Friday the 13th we walked into Brother Randall Eidson’s office at Kansas Baptist Church (I believe this is in Waco, Georgia). He said ‘I ain’t no marriage counselor, but I will ask if you died today where would you spend eternity?’

I knew I would go to hell, and I had to change that. I asked the Lord to forgive me of my sins and to save my soul! God not only saved me that day, but he saved my husband and my marriage!

If the Lord would save someone as wretched as me, He can save you too!

Fight for your marriage! Trust in the Lord and follow Him.”

God has a testimony of love, and that testimony is that He gave His life, shed His blood, so that you could have a testimony. Do you have one? Have you invited Jesus Christ into your heart and life and asked Him to forgive you of your sins? If not, there is no better time then now to do that! Jesus says in Revelation 3:20: “Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and dine with him, and he with Me.”

I Believe in Love

By Ed Wrather

(Originally sent by email in 2016)

Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I have become sounding brass or a clanging cymbal. And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, but have not love, it profits me nothing. - 1 Corinthians 13:1-3 NKJV.

And now abide faith, hope, love, these three; but the greatest of these is love. - 1 Corinthians 13:13 NKJV.

He who does not love does not know God, for God is love. - 1 John 4:8 NKJV.

And we have known and believed the love that God has for us. God is love, and he who abides in love abides in God, and God in him. - 1 John 4:16 NKJV.

I confess, I watched the Super Bowl last night (In 2016) including the half-time show. I watched as dancers gyrated on a stage in the shape of a cross. In the stadium seats the words were spelled out “I Believe in Love." The love being exhibited on the Super Bowl stage appeared to me to be a sacrilegious everything goes kind of love being offered on a worldly altar.

The Super Bowl half-time show reminded me of the golden calf incident in Exodus 32. While Moses was on the Mount Sinai receiving the Law from God, the people down below, had turned away from the One true God. An idol was made, which the people worshipped instead of the true God. But it was worse than that. Aaron made the gold calf and an altar. "Then they rose early on the next day, offered burnt offerings, and brought peace offerings; and the people sat down to eat and drink, and rose up to play (Exodus 32:6)." 

The word "play" indicates unrestrained sexual immorality as Exodus 32:25 says, "When Moses saw that the people were unrestrained (for Aaron had not restrained them, to their shame among their enemies)." The Super Bowl half-time show appeared to portray a modern version of the incident; although muted somewhat, in order to be broadcast into our homes.

I believe in love, but not the kind of love portrayed by the Super Bowl half-time show. I believe in the kind of love defined in 1 Corinthians 13:4-8a, "Love suffers long and is kind; love does not envy; love does not parade itself, is not puffed up; does not behave rudely, does not seek its own, is not provoked, thinks no evil; does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth; bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never fails." 

The love of 1 Corinthians 13 is further defined by 1 John 4:8 and 16, "God is love." 

I believe in the God of love who "so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life (John 3:16)." 

I believe in the God of love who "demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us (Romans 5:8)."

Let us reject the worldly Super Bowl half-time definition of love; and instead, embrace true love from the only true God, who gave Himself to save us from our sins. "For Christ also suffered once for sins, the just for the unjust, that He might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh but made alive by the Spirit (1 Peter 3:18)."

Reject the world, and embrace the God of true love!

The Love Letter