With Pictures of Psematismenos Village
I discovered Psematismenos by accident. Zygi was my destination, but somehow I ended up driving in the opposite direction; however, it was a welcome mistake. The small, charming village in view piqued my curiosity and I decided to explore.
The area has been inhabited since prehistoric times, a claim substantiated by archaeological evidence. According to tradition, the village itself dates back to the 15th-century Venetian period. Some buildings are vacant, boasting a faded elegance of ornate doors and façades, while others have been restored to their former glory.
I came across a gate which almost tempted me to try out the elaborate knockers. It turned my thoughts to the Lord's words in Matthew 7 where He succinctly invites us to knock.
Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened. (v 7)
The Lord invites us to ask from a generous God who loves to give. Just as a good father heeds the requests of his children, our heavenly Father lends an ear to our prayers. However, the One who knows the end from the beginning sometimes withholds granting our desires for our own good! He often saves us from ourselves with His omniscient guidance to lead us into greater blessings.
The New Testament also states that we do not receive because we do not ask (James 4:2). F.B. Meyer wrote: The greatest tragedy of life is not unanswered prayer but unoffered prayer. James cautions against wrongly motivated prayers - we are to ask with spiritual wisdom and discernment in the name of Jesus according to His will.
Why do we pray in the name of Jesus?
We cannot come in our own name because we have no access to God apart from the Lord Jesus. We can only be accepted on His merit as He asserted in John 14 v 6:
Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.
We pray in His name with His authority and leave the outcome to God. If you have never received Him as the Lord of your life, ask Him to save you through repentance and faith. He will never refuse the truly penitent heart.
Ask ..., seek ..., knock and it will be opened to you!
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