A Closed Mouth and Silent Heart

My heart was hot within me; while I was musing, the fire burned. Then I spoke with my tongue.... --Psalm 39:3

Prayer among evangelical Christians is always in danger of degenerating into a glorified gold rush. Almost every book on prayer deals with the "get" element mainly. How to get things we want from God occupies most of the space. Now, we gladly admit that we may ask for and receive specific gifts and benefits in answer to prayer, but we must never forget that the highest kind of prayer is never the making of requests. Prayer at its holiest moment is the entering into God to a place of such blessed union as makes miracles seem tame and remarkable answers to prayer appear something very far short of wonderful by comparison.

Holy men of soberer and quieter times than ours knew well the power of silence. David said, "I was dumb with silence. I held my peace, even from good; and my sorrow was stirred. My heart was hot within me; while I was musing the fire burned; then spake I with my tongue." There is a tip here for God's modern prophets. The heart seldom gets hot while the mouth is open. A closed mouth before God and silent heart are indispensable for the reception of certain kinds of truth. No man is qualified to speak who has not first listened. The Set of the Sail, pp. 14-15 

"Lord, teach me to close my mouth. I love to preach; You've given me opportunities to teach; I'm called on to dispense advice and counsel. But the sitting in silence before You, with my mouth closed--I don't do nearly enough of that. Amen."

**A Devotional by A.W. Tozer**

Let's Help Abolish Slavery

It's a dirty subject, but we can't brush it under the rug as if it doesn't exist. The sad and dark truth is that today there are over 27,000,000 slaves in the world. Human beings are being exploited in record numbers. There are more slaves today than there has ever been in history. This is just unacceptable.

In honor of Human Trafficking Awareness Day I would like to help shed some light on this issue. Women, men, and even children are victimized in horrible ways. Women have no other choice but to work in sweat shops. They work 18-hour shifts at less than half of the minimum wage. Little girls are forced to prostitute themselves. After being tortured and raped, these little girls are taught how to sell sexual services to men. There are even documentaries that show brothels being raided and how little girls as young as 4 years of age offer sexual services and the prices. It is sickening.

For ways to become proactive in the fight against human trafficking:
CLICK HERE

Let's pray for God to raise up more organizations like the A21 Campaign. Let's pray for God to raise up godly men and women in government, in the United Nations, and the European Union that will take a stand against human trafficking.

Exciting Things Just Beyond the Horizon

So what exactly does 2012 hold in store for me? I don't know exactly, but I know God is preparing me for great and wonderful things this year.

I feel blessed to have been able to receive the New Year with the best family and friends a girl could ask for. For now I must prepare for my 30th birthday, med school applications, and missions trip to Costa Rica. There is no time to waste.