S'il vous plait

My sermons, these days, at Vale do Gavião, on Sunday night service, are about the teachings of the Sermon on the Mount. I started to give the sermon on that passage 5 Sundays ago (each Sunday is one verse and now we are at the third beatitude). I knew there were a lot of teachings, but every time I meditate on each verse or the whole chapter (because the Sermon on the Mount is from Matt. chap. 5 thru 7) I learn something new. So It is not to take lightly the saying that God's Word renews itself.

To prepare ahead on the sermons, I was reading a study on "PRAYER".
Most of the times, if not every time, we do not know how to pray. This is why the disciples asked Jesus to teach how to pray and even if God himself explains us, in His Word, how to pray, we don't know how to pray.
There are four kinds of prayers (I don't like the naming of the division of prayers, but for this "opinion-on-blog"'s sake...), customarily, in the Reformed tradition, The first is CONFESSION. We are commanded to confess our sins (1 John 1:9) and God gives us Psalm 51 as the model. Looking at the various characters of the Bible, David, for exemple, acknowledged that he had sinned and did not put or shift the blame on Bathsheba or Adam. In other words only a truly penitent believer acknowledges that he or she had sinned and confesses.
Se second is SUPPLICATIONS or REQUESTING, which is related to the third, INTERCESSION. The second kind is the kind that we request what we need from God while the third we request things for other people. However it seems both are mixed and we don't really know what we are asking for, who we are asking for and how are supposed to ask for.
The fourth kind is the PRAISE and ADORATION. It is the "thank you" part of the prayer.
In Suma, all we are doing in a prayer is to start with "please" and end with "thank you". But do we really do it? In my opinion, we demand and not ask.
There's a journal that talks about prayer and the sovereignty of God that says, "True prayer submits to God's authority. Right prayers are 'requests' (Phil. 4:6), not demands. Demanding things from God...whistles to Him as our bellhop, rather that submitting humbly to Him as our King", which totally relates to the beatitudes (especifically the first, Matt. 5:3 - Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven - poor meaning humble).
So, using the word or the intention "please" during the confession or supplication or intercession does not do it in the mind of the Frenchman and Reformer Jean Calvin. The prayer calls for the usage of a word that is more profound and the idea that is heavier "S'il vous plait" (If You please), because everything that happens, wheather God answers our prayers or not, grants us good life or not, or whatever, He has to will and it has to please Him.

ON THE DAY OF YJ'S BIRTH DAY

This is the vid on the day YJ was born.

TODAY - YJ'S 1 MONTH

Thomas just came back from the peds. and there were nothing wrong with the baby.
Thank God he is growing up strong and healthy.
The only problem, besides the stomach aches/cramps and little redness on the face in reaction to the weather, the usual of the babies, is that he has a lot of saliva. HAHAHA ~ ~
I know that babies are not supposed to have saliva until the second or third month, because that's when teeth come.
Plus when he cries tears come out.
Thought there was something wrong with his lacrimal channel or glands, but I guess he is premature in salivating and crying. HAHAHA ~ ~ ~
Any how, every thing is normal, gained almost 5cm and almost 2 kg in less than 1 month. So he his now 54cm and 5.250g.

UHUUUUUU! ~ ~

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