David was able to make God the center of his life, how? David had a heart after God! Acts 13:22 says, “I have found David the son of Jesse, a man after Mine own heart, who will do all My will.” A heart for God, one sensitive to His will, but marked by a spirit of repentance. Psalm 51 and so many others give us a glimpse of David’s heart, broken, contrite, molded, and conformed in the Master’s hands to the Master’s will. Was David sinless? No, on the contrary, he was very sinful, but he had a broken and a contrite heart and spirit. He loved God so much, he could not live with his sin, that’s why God loved him so much. So, how did David make God the center of his life? He had a heart for God marked by a spirit of repentance and he couldn’t stand his sin, even though he was a sinner, so he kept a short sin list.

Peter made God the center of his life also, how? He loved the Lord! Oh, how he loved the Lord! Did he love Him more than all the other disciples? I don’t know, that is a question for the Lord to answer, John 21:15. However, Peter was the only one who stepped out of the boat and walked on the water in Matt. 14:29. Peter was also the first one who said, “Though all the others forsake You, I will never forsake You, I will even die for You.” John 13. Peter was the one who dove in the water when Christ was on the beach while the others counted the 153 fish and were amazed the net was not broken. Peter was the only one in the garden whacking off Malchus’ ear with a sword, ready to take on the whole Roman army for Jesus. Yes peter was consistent in blowing it! Yes he was impetuous, and abrupt, and hasty! Yes Peter had a foot shaped mouth but he had a God shaped heart also. Oh, how Peter loved the Lord, and the Lord loved Peter too! Acts 2; John 20; Peter did the impossible, Peter said the impossible, and Peter lived the impossible but only while in the immediate presence of the Lord! How did impetuous Peter make God the center of his life, he loved Him for all he was worth, 110%!

Paul made God the center of his life also, how? By serving Him with every fiber of his physical and spiritual being. His life verse was that, “Christ would be magnified in his body whether by life or by death.” He said in Phil. 1:21, “For to me to live is Christ and to die is gain.” Listen to this soldier’s final words, and I mean ‘Soldier,’ II Tim. 2:3-4, “Thou, therefore, endure hardness, as a good soldier of Jesus Christ. No man that warreth entangleth himself with the affairs of this life, that he may please Him who has chosen him to be a soldier.” Then his final farewell, the last chapter, the last act of this apostle, this soldier, the curtain is drawing, no encore, this is it, II Tim. 4:6-8, “For I am now ready to be offered and the time of my departure is at hand. I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith; Henceforth, there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give me at that day; and not to me only, but unto all them, that love His appearing.” Paul made God the center of his life by ‘Serving.’ He served God with the last dying drop of blood in his veins and with the last dying breath of air in his lungs.

I along with the author of Hebrews must say, “And what more shall I say? For the time would fail me to tell of Gideon, and Barak and Samson and Jepthah also of David and Samuel and the prophets…” Listen my friend, God desires and deserves to be in the midst of His people, in the very center of our lives. Even in the midst of our wanderings in the middle of the desert. If we make Him the center of our lives, then we will be able to go to Him for guidance and direction. How do we do that? Like Abraham, by believing Him and taking Him at His word; Like Moses, by spending time in His very presence, by getting alone with Him; Like David, by having a heart after God, marked by a spirit of repentance; Like Peter who loved the Lord with all his heart and was not afraid to step out for Jesus, even if it meant getting wet, or looking foolish; Like Paul who served the Lord with every fiber of his physical and spiritual being until his last dying breath. The key my friend to an ‘Effectual, Fervent, Prayer, Life’ whether in the wilderness, in the desert, or on the banks of the Jordan River, is to make God the very center, the apex, the hub, the focal point, the nerve center of your life and keep Him there.

“Practicing The Presence of God,” is not just something for your “Prayer Time” or your “Quiet Time” it is something for your “Daily Life” like Brother Lawrence said, “Whether I’m picking up a piece of straw, washing a pot, or serving communion, I practice the presence of God.” So, it is something we do from the moment we open our eyes in the morning, till the moment we close them at night. David even said in Ps. 4:4, “Commune with your heart upon your bed, and be still.” Ps. 4:8, “I will both lie down in peace, and sleep; for Thou LORD only makes me dwell in safety.” So, even in sleep the LORD can be in the center of your life as you meditate upon Him and slip into the subconscious state. Remember anything you do 38 times consecutively becomes a habit, so this will take some work and effort and sacrifice but the results will be worth more than you can imagine, ‘A closer walk with Him.’ What is the value or cost of that? Ask Nicodemus what it cost him for a closer walk with the Lord, when you see him. Now before you step out of the boat and get wet, you want to count the cost, you want to weight the odds and then make your choice! Now you may not get it right the first time, that’s alright just pick yourself up and brush yourself off. Peter failed, Paul failed, David failed, Moses failed, Abraham failed, but they never quit. So, get back in the circle, He never leaves your circle, you do! Rev. 2:4. An old Japanese proverb says, “It’s alright to fall down seven times as long as you get up eight.” Remember anything you do 38 times consecutively (in a row) becomes a habit! I just read a posting that touched my heart which said, “Aren’t you glad Jesus said, ‘It is Finished’ and not, ‘I am Finished!” Hillel said, “I get up, I walk, I fall down, mean while I keep dancing.” So, you failed, so what, failure is the back door to success, get up, get back in the circle, get back in the closet, God is waiting for you! Til next time, I’ll see you, “…Between The Lines…”

“Prayers In The Desert” – ‘Num. Ch. 1-6’ – Part #3 – 3/30/13