Asking for a Father

Of the many scriptures that our girls memorize, one that seems to resonate within them and that they recall with energy is “Though my mother and father forsake me, God will take care of me” (Psalm 27:10). The first time I heard these little ones recite that verse, it was nearly heartbreaking. However, in time I’ve come to realize that my heartbreak came from a focus on the wrong things—the past. When looking at the second half of the verse and coming to a true understanding of what it means to have God as a Father, the verse is truly uplifting…whether or not you still have an earthly mother and father in your life.

Today is Saturday, a day off, known as “holiday” to the Indian people. My absolute favorite way to spend any “holiday” in India is with our girls. Sometimes energetic games, sometimes songs, sometimes Bible stories…the activities vary, but the joy of sharing life with these precious little ones remains a constant blessing.

I like to take the opportunity to instruct our girls, and really, any human being who will listen, about the Father heart of God and our place as His children. For Americans, Indians, adults, and children alike, understanding the truth of our relationship with God as our Father is the source of life and life abundant. Near the end of my instruction today, the girls recited to me of their own accord that “though my mother and father forsake me, God will take care of me.” Then one of our very bright and shy little ones spoke something softly in the local language and disappeared around the corner. Some of the girls giggled as I asked what she had said. “She wants you to be her father,” said a bold little one. Oh my. Yes, my answer is yes, my heart and my mind said silently. I took the opportunity to speak in Hindi, “Tum meri bahen’e heh, Mai tumhara bha’i hu,” which means “You are my sisters, I am your brother.” Their smiles told me that I had been accepted into our family.

It is clear that my role in this ministry is not to be the father figure to each of our girls, though I can think of no greater blessing. But the request of one precious little one to be a father to her spoke so much. Yes, it made me feel like a million bucks, in that I would be desired as such; but much, much more, it reveals the simple heart of a child, and every child of God, to be fathered. To be fathered is to be loved, to be protected, to be instructed, to be disciplined, to be provided for, to be an heir to all that is our Father’s. In God’s grace, He fathers us in these and many more ways. In God’s grace, our little girls are receiving an answer to their sometimes inaudible cries for a loving mother and father here on earth. Love. Protection. Instruction. Discipline. Provision. Heirs.

I encourage you to meditate on what it means to have the God of the universe as your Father today. It may be the most meaningful part of your day. Men, may I also suggest a book that I am just a few pages from finishing: “Fathered by God” by John Eldridge.

For you did not receive a spirit that makes you a slave again to fear, but you received the Spirit of sonship. And by him we cry, "Abba, Father." - Romans 8:15

 

If my response to a little one asking for me to be a father to her was immediately "yes" in my heart in mind, though I am limited in my ability to actually assume that role, how much more is the answer of God "yes" to any of His children who, in Christ, cry out "Abba, Father?" And our God is by no means limited in either His desire or ability to be our Father. This is God's promise to you.

I praise God for providing abundantly for each of the girls in our care, I praise Him for providing abundantly for me, and it is my prayer that you would come to know with ever greater depth that God is your Father. In Christ alone. Amen.

"...no matter how many promises God has made, they are "Yes" in Christ. And so through him the "Amen" is spoken by us to the glory of God." - 2 Cor 1:20

Pray It Through: In Jesus' Name

John 16:23-24, 26 – “In that day you will no longer ask me anything. Very truly I tell you, my Father will give you whatever you ask in my name. 24 Until now you have not asked for anything in my name. Ask and you will receive, and your joy will be complete…26 In that day you will ask in my name. I am not saying that I will ask the Father on your behalf.”

I wonder if any one of us comprehends the power of Jesus’ name.  He is the Lord Jesus Christ.  He is Lord: sovereign, perfect God.  He is Jesus: a distinct individual, fully God and fully man.  He is Christ: the Word becoming flesh, poured out for us, the ransom for our sins such that we may have eternal life with God.  This is Jesus’ name.  This is the Lord Jesus Christ.

Even still, I wonder if any one of us comprehends the power of Jesus’ name.  We are rightfully taught to pray in Jesus’ name, as He himself taught us that.  And we are obedient to do it, ending every prayer and interjecting into the middle of our prayers His name.  But too often, that is the extent of it: we are merely following a formula, a tradition, and we say His name with no more reverence or power than any other words we utter in a given day.  But if we understood the power and meaning of praying in Jesus’ name, if we comprehended it even minutely more than we did yesterday, our lives and spiritual journeys could be radically and gloriously transformed.

I would like to first build upon our most common understanding and intent when praying in Jesus’ name.  As mentioned above, too often we pray out of rote and tradition, thoughtlessly.  If you are feeling convicted just now, it is the Holy Spirit’s work in you—rejoice that you have felt the presence of God!  And take heart, for I stand equally convicted.  Perhaps the next step in the walk of grace as we pray in Jesus’ name is taking the view of the natural interpretation of John 16:23-26.  I say “walk of grace” because it is by God’s grace that we comprehend His deepest truths, being welcomed into abundant life, both eternal and immediate.  Comprehending Jesus’ name is one of these great truths and experiences of grace in our lives.

Two things immediately jump out at me as I read John 16:23-26.  1. Anything I ask in Jesus’ name will be granted to me, and 2. I am not asking Jesus to ask for me, but instead, I have direct communication with the Father and it is the asking in Jesus’ name that grants me my request.  From here, we often err (and by “we,” I mean “I”).  The human mind immediately begins to surmise that the key to obtaining that which I desire in this very moment, whether noble or shallow, is praying in Jesus’ name.  Jesus’ name then becomes a magic currency or voucher of divine credit by which I can obtain the desires of my heart, flesh, and soul.  Before we immediately reject this train of thought (It is much harder to admit to it when it is called out so plainly, but search yourself and see if you have not considered Jesus’ name in such a way after boiling down your motives and desires until only the bare truth remains.), I would like to explore this analogy of Jesus’ name being a “voucher of divine credit.”

Consider the following situation: Your father is wealthy and you live in his house as his child.  You work together and he takes good care of you.  One day you ask for money to purchase something you desire.  Your father gives you a check for the exact amount and you take it to the store.  When the time comes to make the transaction and purchase the item, the clerk will look for at least three things: form of payment (in this case, a check), an authorizing signature, and a valid proof of identification.  If you are missing any of these, the payment is rejected.  Any combination of two will not suffice…you must have all three.  And I believe that prayer can be viewed in this way, if done very methodically and carefully.  God has essentially given us the “checkbook” of prayer, in that He has granted us access to Him and His infinite power.  Furthermore, He has granted those who have been regenerated in Christ the identity of Christ through the Holy Spirit, for we are His body and indwelled by Him.  And lastly, we have His authority and “signature” in Jesus’ name.  Prayer without the Holy Spirit or Jesus Christ is an unauthorized check.  Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit without God the Father is like an ID card and signature on a piece of paper that means nothing (before you call me a heretic, I do not believe we can be indwelled by the Holy Spirit, walking in relationship with Christ, and NOT pray (i.e. commune with God); therefore, this portion of the analogy is strictly for the sake of conveying the point).  The overarching point is that we must be identified and in communion with all three: Father, Son, and Spirit, or our prayers will be hindered.  This is no surprise, for you cannot know God without knowing all three, for all three are indeed divinely One.

Furthermore, to pray in Jesus’ name is to pray in faith.  To utter Jesus’ name without faith in Him is like presenting counterfeit currency.  The untrained eye may be fooled, but the producer of the currency will spot its falsehood with ease.  We cannot fool God…He knows our sincere and counterfeit words of faith.  However, the above example is almost petty and certainly inadequate, for the depth of understanding comes from comprehending what it means to be identified in Christ and to ask in Jesus’ name.  If His name is simply an authorizing signature and we do not understand it to any greater degree, then we have gained very little understanding thus far.  (Such analogies to currency and transaction can be very misleading and I use them simply because our minds have been trained to understand things in this context.  The analogy is true in meaning, but severely inadequate at reaching the truth of the power of Jesus’ name, which is far removed from transaction conceived by our earthly desires.)

Since we have been building our comprehension of praying in Jesus’ name, starting with simple obedience and tradition, however thoughtless, then stepping forward in grace to authorization through Jesus name, we can build further by examining the nature of His name and not just what it does for us.  The first of these is covering and intercession.

Heb 9:12-15 – “Not with the blood of goats and calves, but with His own blood He entered the Most Holy Place once for all, having obtained eternal redemption. 13 For if the blood of bulls and goats and the ashes of a heifer, sprinkling the unclean, sanctifies for the purifying of the flesh, 14 how much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered Himself without spot to God, cleanse your conscience from dead works to serve the living God? 15 And for this reason He is the Mediator of the new covenant, by means of death, for the redemption of the transgressions under the first covenant, that those who are called may receive the promise of the eternal inheritance.”

In this scripture we understand a review of Old Testament sacrifices: a covenant extended by God to Israel, which by the shedding of animals’ blood in sacrifice and obedience to God, a portion of atonement was granted to the faithful.  This temporal atonement, as explained throughout Hebrews to a direct audience with very keen knowledge of such commandments and the covenant, was replaced in a new covenant by Jesus, the only perfect sacrifice.  Knowing that “by His stripes we are healed (Isaiah 53:5)” we can receive Jesus' teaching, “this is my blood, which confirms the covenant between God and his people. It is poured out as a sacrifice to forgive the sins of many” (Matt 26:28), in view of Heb 9 above, and we can therefore have “boldness to enter the Holiest by the blood of Jesus” (Heb 10:19).  And so we see that through the blood of Christ we are made able to stand unblemished before the throne of God, a place where only perfect righteousness can remain alive…perfect righteousness only available to a human through Christ.  This is part of the reason why Jesus says in John 16:26, “In that day you will ask in my name. I am not saying that I will ask the Father on your behalf.”  It is not that Jesus’ death and resurrection allows us to communicate with the Father by messages delivered by Jesus (or any other man or being for that matter), but that we ourselves not only speak to the Father Himself, but enter the “Holiest.”  The “Holiest” or “Holy of Holies” was the presence of God in the tabernacle and is what is being conveyed here: the very presence of God Himself. 

The high priest, thought to be the most righteous of men, would have a rope tied around him when entering this place of perfect righteousness and the presence of God.  Had the proper blood sacrifices not been prepared according to the covenant and the high priest therefore still harbored sin within him, unremoved by the blood of the sacrifice before God, he would die immediately in the Holy of Holies.  Should anyone enter to retrieve his body, he also would die, as sin in the presence of God spells immediate death.  Therefore, the rope would be utilized in the event of such an occurrence to remove the high priest from the presence of God in the tabernacle.  This is the seriousness of God’s presence and the amazing privilege and power of Jesus’ name granted to us!  We can enter the Holy of Holies, God’s very throne room without a rope, without speaking through any priest, and without fear of dying…if we are covered by the blood of Christ in Jesus’ name.  And as Hebrews points out, this is a sacrifice that is everlasting, such that additional blood need not be shed for our atonement, as we are perpetually covered in Jesus’ name.  Knowing this, would you ever dare to approach God in prayer outside of Jesus’ name?  By His grace, the regenerated in Christ will never encounter that fearsome reality.  Instead, we come “boldy before the throne of grace” (Heb 4:16) in Jesus’ name.

At this point, we have come to a powerful comprehension of the meaning of praying in Jesus’ name.  Even still, there is more.  Who can search out the depth, height, and breadth of Jesus Christ?!  He is wonderful to comprehend in the slightest, and in that joy I seek to share with you through this post.  The final dimension amongst infinite dimensions that I seek to explore tonight is the powerful truth that coming to God in Jesus’ name means coming to Him in perfect submission.

Praying in the name of Jesus Christ can be very tangibly beheld in the Garden of Gethsemane:

Matt 26:39 – “Going a little farther, he fell with his face to the ground and prayed, “My Father, if it is possible, may this cup be taken from me. Yet not as I will, but as you will.””

Do we comprehend that praying in Jesus’ name, as the words leave our lips, is declaring to God that His will be done and not ours?  We do not comprehend it, nor do we experience its rich joy and blessing, because we do not mean it as we say it.  It is a rich joy and blessing because it is the life of Jesus Christ Himself inside of me, the life of perfect fulfillment of God’s glorious will, the life of nearness in the presence of God that cannot be revoked or destroyed by any thing, man, or supernatural being.  It is also protection, for quite often we ask the Lord for things that are not born of His desire…and anything not squarely born of His desire is riddled with evil and meant to harm us and those we love.  We are protected in Jesus’ name, such that our wills are submitted to God’s.  And the knowledge and comprehension of this power avails to us the experience of God’s presence more clearly and meaningfully as we pray and walk with Christ.  It is the source of deep transformation.  By Jesus’ name and the perfect submission that is carried through Him in our prayers, we open ourselves to the Holy Spirit in new ways that we could never know without receiving His will to transform ours.  Often we pray mighty sounding prayers in the hope of conforming God’s will to ours, certain of our prayers in Jesus’ name, not understanding that we have prayed against the will of God.  So be it, for God takes our fragile faith and misguided motives, convicts us, and sanctifies us.  However, if we do not move past that attitude in prayer, we miss out on the sweetness of being transformed by God through prayer.  Among the sweetest of promises of coming before our Father in deep intimate prayer in Jesus’ name is our being transformed by Him into His likeness.  There is perhaps no greater answer to prayer than being transformed into His likeness, except for beholding the presence of God as we are transformed.

Finally, after all of this revelation, all of this study of God’s Word, all of this teaching…I myself conclude by praying in Jesus’ name…and I am immediately convicted how small is my comprehension of what my lips utter.  If I could fully comprehend what I have just written above, I would fall to the ground in reverence of His name, and even then only glimpse His glory.  And so I pray that you would come to know Jesus Himself just a little bit more today, comprehending even slightly the power of Jesus’ name, praying the same desire for myself.  It is in Jesus’ name that I come boldly before the throne of grace, into the very presence of God Himself, and offer this prayer on behalf of you and me.  Amen.


For the entire "Pray It Through" series of posts, click here.

The Pain and Glory of Waiting on the Lord

“Then, when Mary came where Jesus was, and saw Him, she fell down at His feet, saying to Him, “Lord, if You had been here, my brother would not have died.” 33 Therefore, when Jesus saw her weeping, and the Jews who came with her weeping, He groaned in the spirit and was troubled. 34And He said, “Where have you laid him?” They said to Him, “Lord, come and see.” 35 Jesus wept.” – John 11:32-35

If you read through the Bible, especially the Psalms, you will find the following phrase (or similar) written a multitude of times: “Wait on the Lord.” It is interesting that this message had to be conveyed so clearly so many times. When you think about raising and disciplining children, you know that there are some commands that need only be given once and others that need repeating over and over. The most difficult commands to obey are the ones that need repeating over and over, and I believe this is true with us as God’s children and His repeated commands to “Wait on the Lord.” Let’s consider that with sincerity today and set our hearts and minds to obey at last.

This very morning I received an email newsletter from Global Media Outreach (www.GodLife.com). It was uncanny how its message was tailor made for me this morning, and perhaps for you, too. The message was about having dreams in life and having to wait for them, entitled “The Key to Living Your Dream Life.” Even the best, God-ordained dreams. Yet having to wait, and what effective waiting looks like. An excerpt from the newsletter:

“Abraham waited decades to have a baby; Moses had to endure Pharoah’s intimidation and 10 plagues until God’s people were released; and David had to run for years in the wilderness until he was made king. These are just a few examples! But the greatest wait in the Bible was for Jesus, the Messiah. God promised Him thousands of years in advance, and only a few were still waiting for Him when He finally came…

…Waiting isn’t glamorous. In fact, it’s really hard. But it’s the key to obtaining your promise from God. Maybe He has promised you healing, maybe a great marriage, or maybe your kids serving the Lord. Whatever it is, it’s going to take patience. That’s just the way God is. He uses the waiting period to make us better, to make us ready for the promise. “Until the time came to fulfill his dreams, the LORD tested Joseph's character” (Psalm 105:19).”

The verse from Psalm 105 about Joseph’s character being tested and perfected while he was waiting helps me to understand part of the purpose for waiting. Furthermore, the story of Lazarus, Jesus’ friend and the brother of Mary and Martha, illustrates a supreme example of waiting (read John 11 for the full story). Jesus received word of Lazarus’ illness in time to come heal him and save him from death. Yet, inexplicably to those around Him, Jesus waited two days before coming to see Lazarus. Why would he wait? Did he want to wait or was He fighting His flesh in order to obey the Lord? I believe that the fact that Jesus wept upon hearing of Lazarus’ death and seeing such deep grief in Mary and Martha, whom He loved deeply, is proof enough that it was not easy for Jesus to wait and let Lazarus die. What restraint our Savior showed! And, what love! If you know the rest of the story, you can see that this was a supreme act of obedience to the Father in His perfect sovereignty, and an obedience centered in love, for the best possible outcome of this scenario was for Lazarus to die. This is because Jesus then brought Lazarus back to life.

There were many implications from this. First, those who immediately surrounded Jesus at this time, including the disciples and Lazarus’ family, saw firsthand a greater power through Jesus than others had comprehended previously. No one had been dead four days and risen again. Secondly, the news spread throughout the region, such that the faith of others was increased in Jesus as the Son of God. Thirdly, it was the turning point to drive the evil religious leaders to the point of executing Jesus, the purpose of His ministry. Fourthly, it showed that Jesus could not only raise Himself from the dead (He is God afterall), but that He had power and authority to raise any and all people from the dead, according to the Father’s will.

Each of these things came forth from Jesus obeying His Father’s command to “wait on the Lord.” Where are you hearing the still, small voice of God telling you, “Wait on the Lord?” Pay attention to the timing of circumstances in your life and coming across those words while reading the Bible. I assure you that they were meant just for you, as they are meant just for me, as well. Lazarus’ death and resurrection by Jesus marked a turning point in Jesus’ ministry, turning His path to the cross, gloriously fulfilling His purpose on this earth. Turning points in your life and mine will often come the same way—through waiting. Let’s be vigilant to obey the Lord and wait for Him at all times.

So what can we expect while we are waiting and what is the expected outcome? Firstly, pain. If we look at the example of Jesus and Lazarus, it is clear that Jesus experienced the pain of loss and hurting loved ones as a direct result of His waiting. Waiting will be the hard choice, it will hurt you personally, and it often times will hurt those you love most. Furthermore, there may be times when you are waiting on the Lord and no one else understands. This was Jesus’ experience. Do you think that you are experiencing something that Jesus cannot identify with? Certainly not. Jesus understands what it is to wait, the pain in the consequences of waiting, and He understands when no one else does. I emplore you to cry out to Him in your distress, and the God of all comfort will be with you.

But there is more to expect while waiting on the Lord. First, your character will be sharpened, and likely the character of those in relationship with Jesus who are impacted by your obedience will be sharpened, as well (Psalm 105:19). Second, the glory of the Lord will be revealed in time. For Jesus, waiting produced a more glorious display of the character of God, revealed more clearly the simultaneous humanity and deity of Jesus Christ, and brought many more believers in addition to building the faith of those who already believed in Jesus as the Christ and Son of God. These very things will be true in our lives if we will “wait on the Lord.” I pray that you realize the certainty of this promise, that you read God’s Word and hear His still, small voice concerning waiting on Him, that you open your heart to receive the comfort and understanding from Jesus Christ Himself, and that you receive the full glorious blessing that comes from such sweet, abandoned obedience. May God work such miracles in your life this very day. Amen.

Pray It Through - Praying for a Sure Thing

When you’ve been praying for something, maybe for a long time or maybe just one day, and you get the news that your prayer is going to be answered in the near future, what is your response?

Praise and thanksgiving are very appropriate here. But what about more prayer for the thing that you already found out is a “sure thing?” And I’m not just talking about the word of a man saying it’s a sure thing, I’m talking about the Word of God Himself. Unfortunately, I have to confess that in that moment, my prayers often cease. What if instead our response was not only to continue to pray, but actually pressing the accelerator and diving into continual prayer and fasting? That doesn’t sound very logical, but it is the response of Daniel to the revelation of God’s promise for the Israelites in Daniel chapter 9.

Daniel 9:1-4a – “In the first year of Darius son of Xerxes (a Mede by descent), who was made ruler over the Babylonian kingdom— 2in the first year of his reign, I, Daniel, understood from the Scriptures, according to the word of the LORD given to Jeremiah the prophet, that the desolation of Jerusalem would last seventy years. 3 So I turned to the Lord God and pleaded with him in prayer and petition, in fasting, and in sackcloth and ashes. 4 I prayed to the LORD my God and confessed…”

Notice first of all that the promise, the revelation, was discovered by sincere searching of the scriptures and an intimacy with God’s Word that Daniel certainly practiced (It earned him a trip to the lion’s den, as chapter 6 tells us that Daniel “got down on his knees and prayed” three times a day, even when it was forbidden.). The same will be true for us: if we are seeking a word from our God, if we are seeking direction, it will most often be found in the Bible. Daniel had one of those moments where you’re reading something that you’ve read before, but then suddenly it jumps off the page and you understand it like you never have before. Daniel suddenly understood the promise given in Jeremiah 29:10:

“This is what the LORD says: "When seventy years are completed for Babylon, I will come to you and fulfill my gracious promise to bring you back to this place.” (see also Jer 25:11-12)

Daniel was able to see that not only would the captivity last only 70 years, but the 70thyear was approaching! Suddenly excitement as freedom was near! When you see the light at the end of the tunnel and it is so close that you are only steps away (things like financial security, full health, marriage, children, freedom from addiction, or anything you’ve been longing for and can see is almost yours after waiting for so long), do you get fixated on being in that place you’ve been longing for or do you respond like Daniel and pray even harder for the promise, the “sure thing?” I want to challenge you and myself to respond as Daniel with renewed fervor, not lacking thanksgiving, to seek Him fully and pray it right through to completion.

But let’s make sure we understand the nature of Daniel’s prayer. If you haven’t read Daniel 9 recently, I encourage you to stop reading this and read it now (if you have only enough time to read either my blog or the Bible today, please read your Bible! It is the only pure truth that lasts and anything you read outside of the Bible should point you right back into it.).

Daniel’s prayer was of sincere, sweeping repentance. In addition to prayer and petition, he fasted. In addition to fasting, he put on sackcloth and ashes, a sign of grief and repentance. Grief and repentance in the face of a fulfilled promise? Yes, this is the response of a human heart pure before the Lord, recognizing our sinful nature, His perfection, and confessing in His presence in response and awe of a gracious, loving, powerful, sovereign God of justice who would relent for “[His] people who are called by [His] name” (v. 19).

Every single verse from 4 through 16 speaks of confession of sin and repentance. So we see revelation followed by a full repentance, as Daniel confesses personally and on behalf of the entire nation, for “all Israel has transgressed your law” (v. 11). Finally, Daniel makes an appeal to God for who he knows God to be in verses 17-19. This is an appeal to grace, mercy, and for the sake of God’s own name to be glorified, because the Israelites bear God’s name before all men and nations. Revelation and conviction, followed by thorough repentance (13 of the 19 verses here), followed by an appeal to God’s character--His face, not just His hands.

2 Chron 7:14 – “If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land.”

You see, Daniel was a man seeking much more than personal gain or the hands of God to bless him and his nation. Daniel had an intimate, dedicated relationship with God through His Word. We have the same Word of God in the Bible, and additionally, we know that through Jesus Christ, “the Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us” (John 1:14). Through the Word of God, most purely Jesus Christ in our lives, we too can have this intimate relationship with a pure, just God who is also loving and merciful such that He saves those who call out to Him through the name of His Son Jesus Christ.

2 Chron 7:14 speaks to repentance and seeking God’s face, and the promise that follows: restoration, both spiritual eternity and the physical present. It is interesting how much Daniel’s prayer models this promise, in that He spoke up on behalf of an entire nation “who are called by [God’s] name,” he offered repentance for the entire nation and sought God’s face on behalf of an entire nation, all of which are prerequisites to the promise of forgiveness of sin and actual healing of the land.

What I see in this prayer is a leader stepping up in intercession for His people. Boldly, powerfully, humbly, and purely. This is a leader well acquainted with God and His Word. A leader who answered to God alone and not men. A leader blessed by God to rise to this position for a time such as the one described in chapter 9. These are real leaders and the kind that we need to be seeking in America and across the world. What good is a leader who can provide one generation of wealth and prosperity? We would fall all over ourselves for a leader that could deliver on 4 years of prosperity, yet we struggle to find even that. Yet what future do we preserve for our families and our nation if even a full generation of prosperity can be promised and delivered, but no more? We need to stop being so short-sighted and see the eternal picture, or at least 2 or 3 generations past ourselves for starters. We need a leader who will seek God’s face. A leader who knows His Word. A leader that answers to God alone and not men. A leader who will be an intercessor to God for his people, through Jesus Christ the Supreme Intercessor.

Can you imagine what great works God would come and do in America if a Daniel became President of the United States? How about a Daniel that became the leader in your school, your church, your office, or your family? What might be started on this small level and propagated by the hand of God? I don’t believe we grasp the power and value God places on a sincere intercessor who seeks the heart of God and His face.

Isaiah 59:15-16 – “So truth fails, And he who departs from evil makes himself a prey. Then the LORD saw it, and it displeased Him That there was no justice.
16 He saw that there was no man, And wondered that there was no intercessor; Therefore His own arm brought salvation for Him; And His own righteousness, it sustained Him.”

“He wondered that there was no intercessor.” In the book of Isaiah, this speaks to the absence of men to intercede on the behalf of the defenseless, such that evil abounded; to intercede to God the Father on behalf of a sinful nation; and the inability for a man to properly intercede for the sins of any man, such that God Himself would have to become a man, live a perfect life, make the sacrifice of death that results from sin, conquer death on our behalf, then take His place at the right hand of the throne of God with a the title of King of Kings and Lord of Lords and the only adequate intercessor on our behalf.

Do to this lack of an intercessor in the time of Isaiah, the Israelites would soon enter into the 70 years of Babylonian captivity. And with Daniel as an intercessor at this time, according to the promise given through Jeremiah, at 70 years, they would be delivered.Notice also that right at the very onset of Daniel’s prayer, God gave a command:

Daniel 9:21,23a - “…yes, while I was speaking in prayer, the man Gabriel, whom I had seen in the vision at the beginning, being caused to fly swiftly, reached me about the time of the evening offering… 23 “At the beginning of your supplications the command went out, and I have come to tell you, for you are greatly beloved…””

An empowering truth and realization is that at the onset of our first words of prayer, God has already seen our heart and begins to act swiftly in our favor when we bear such an attitude as Daniel.

In view of all this, as we stand in the climate of our times, will you join me as an intercessor for our people? Will you search the scriptures with me for truth and receive God’s promises and revelations? Will you give yourself to sincere prayer and repentance, thoroughly and personally, as well as for our entire nation? Will you set out with me to seek God’s face, desiring an intimate knowledge of His very character? If so, we will be the leaders through which God will accomplish His every promise to be fulfilled in our lifetimes. And when we see the eminent fulfillment of God’s every promise, every personal small or large thing, or on a national or global scale, let's respond as Daniel responded, diving deeper into prayer.

God’s promises are a sure thing. Let’s pray them through to completion. I pray that we discern and seek leaders like Daniel and that we ourselves would be those leaders right where we are today. Amen.

(To see all posts for "Pray It Through," click here.)

Men: A Challenge and a Dare

I found out a couple hours ago that apparently today is National Man Day. I chuckle as I'm amused by that. However, what is interesting is that I was inspired to write the post below last night, before knowledge of Man Day, because I attended a prayer gathering to intercede for those captive in human trafficking in India and the multitude of lost souls in that country...and out of about 50 attendees, there were 5-7 men. Woman are welcomed and you represented so well! But men, we need to step up to the plate.

Men: A Challenge and a Dare

Men, I am challenging you personally. As one man to another, I am questioning your manhood. That’s right, feel that surge through your body as your manhood is questioned. Prove me wrong. I dare you.

Men: Stand up and take your place in God’s Kingdom as a man. It’s time we all manned-up and stopped making all of our cowardly excuses, but instead stepped forward with manly boldness, taking swift and powerful action for God’s Kingdom.

Men, there are helpless women and children all around this entire earth, all around this nation, all around your city…and even all around your neighborhood. They need our help. Men, they need your help.

When will we as men step up into our godly roles as leaders, providers, and protectors? Are you doing it now? I don’t believe either of us is taking the full responsibility God has envisioned for us…Men of God.

When it comes to leading, providing, and protecting, how far is your vision? Too many of us are so self-focused that we don’t care for anyone outside of our immediate families…if we even care for our own families. But for those who do lead, provide, and protect their families, why do you stop there? Why do you limit your usefulness in God’s hands? When will we realize that the world’s entire population has been entrusted to our hands as servants of the living God—our responsibilities are so much greater than we comprehend! If you have been blessed to have the means to provide for yourself and/or your family, then I would wager that you have been blessed to provide for others outside your family.

There are millions…millions!...of abused and dying widows and orphans, the oppressed and the fatherless who have no one to defend them. Who will defend them? I make a promise before you now—I will. Will you? Who will step up with me and fight the good fight for the vulnerable and hopeless? Who will dare to be a man to take on the entire world of evil through the power of Christ? Are we afraid of failure? Nonsense—we have Christ! (1) Are we afraid of looking foolish in the world’s eyes? Nonsense—this is the life of Christ! (2) The world is severely deficient of men who will spend themselves for others…we are so self-absorbed, and it even shows itself when we care for our own families but never reach beyond them. The world needs men to pack up and go where God needs them to go. The world needs men to ante up and give money to those in greatest need or those who are physically going to help those in need. The world needs men to gear up in prayer, fighting the tenuous, glorious and intense spiritual battle for billions of lost souls. Yes, billions. (Roughly 2 billion in India and China alone.)

I’m talking about engaging in real, fervent prayer for those captive in sex-slavery, those diseased with no hope, and those facing eternal damnation for lack of discipling from real men. I’m talking about the kind of prayer that rips your heart out of your chest because you are so burdened and passionate for the lost. I’m talking about the kind of prayer that drains you of all energy because you have utterly spent yourself on the behalf of the defenseless. I’m talking about the kind of prayer that uplifts, energizes, and fills you with joy because you have entered the presence of God and see the fruit of yours and His labor. I’m talking about fighting the real fight with all that we have, standing up as mighty men of valor!

Moses. Gideon. Jonah. These men resisted or ran from God when He called them. Gideon was called a "mighty man of valor" by God Himself and still was not confident that he had the strength to do what God called him to do! (3) Moses said, "Who am I, Lord" to bring a nation out of captivity.(4) But in every case, God made them into what He told them they were and they did amazing things for the Lord's people. Let's take a lesson here. Here is what God has said about you: you are his child (5), you are his friend (6), you are chosen by him (7), your purpose will be completed (8), you will face nothing you cannot withstand (9), and you are a mighty conqueror through Christ!(1) I pray that you remember these promises and truths and live them out.

There are two camps. The first camp is made of men who say, “Those guys are doing it. That’s enough, as long as someone is doing it. They’re doing it…so I don’t have to.” The second camp is made of men who can say, “I’m doing my small part, but if only everyone would just do their small part!” Are you in the camp that if the entire rest of the world looked like you and cared for their families but no one else, then not a single widow or orphan would be cared for? Or are you in the camp that if the entire rest of the world looked like you and did only their small part for the defenseless, then all would be exceedingly and abundantly cared for?

We don’t need to save every sex-slave ourselves, we don’t need to feed every homeless person through the church we attend, and we don’t need to save every soul through the missions organizations we have access to…in fact, we cannot achieve all of that as singular individuals. But what we do need to do is step up and allow God’s love to push us into being utterly spent on the behalf of the world. These are God’s creation—and they are suffering immediately and dying eternally for lack of real men who will stand up to our duty! Our country’s military goes out and fights for much more than their families. Yes, they certainly fight for their families and that is likely a predominant motivation…but in doing so, they fight for all our families…they fight for me…they fight for you. Who are you fighting for? Can you fight for more? Can you take the world under your wing in prayer? You cannot do it alone. You and I will first need Christ, and secondly we will need each other. But with Christ, and with each other, we can take responsibility to fight the good fight for every sex-slave, every disease-ridden orphan, and every lost soul on this earth. What would happen if we each just did our small part?

I thank those of you who are doing your part—please be encouraged to keep the faith and run the race well, for many run with you. But everyone should ask themselves these questions: "What if every person in the world cared for the defenseless and lost in the exact same way I care? What if every single person devoted the same amount of time to real, fervent prayer as I do? Would anything change or would the world continue to deteriorate?" Or what if we made the commitment to step up as real men, dare to take the seemingly insurmountable challenge in all boldness and courage through Christ, such that the entire world might be changed.

Take a moment and imagine if your daughter…or your wife…or your sister…or your mother…became a sex-slave tomorrow morning.

What would you do for them? Would you pray fervently and follow the Lord’s leading as He promised to rescue them? I pray that your eyes are opened to see with God’s eyes and come to the grim understanding that your daughters, your wife, your mother, and your sisters in India or other countries…these precious ones are already enslaved, diseased and dying, and facing eternal separation from God…simply because no one has come to their rescue.

Men, the time has come to stand up. Take your place as a mighty warrior. You have been called to the battlefield. Will you back down and run from the enemy, sacrificing billions of lives in your cowardice or laziness? Or will you dare to put on the full armor of God, to withstand all, and after withstanding all, to stand.(10) If so, you will not stand alone. I pray that you and I stand together with Christ in the gap for the precious lost. I pray that our prayers might be powerful and effective.(11) I pray that God will absolutely inhabit our prayers.(12) I pray for the power of Almighty God and the blood of Jesus Christ to cover billions more. I pray that we would be His vessels, His instruments, and His warriors that He would grace with the opportunity to be His hands and feet. Amen.

1 - Rom 8:37-39
2 - 1 Cor 1:18-25
3 - Judges 6:11-7:25
4 - Exodus 3:1-12 and the rest of the book
5 - John 1:12-13, Rom 8:13-18, 2 Cor 6:18, Gal 3:26-28, 1 John 3:1
6 - John 15:12-15
7 - John 15:16-17
8 - Phil 1:4-6
9 - 1 Cor 10:13
10 - Eph 6:10-18
11 - James 5:16
12 - Psalm 22:3-5 (KJV)

Life Is Good

Life is good. My life is good. But I really mean that life itself is good.

Is your life good? It can be. Today.

Over the past several weeks, it seems like I have come to greater realization of the abundance of blessings in my life. Some were new ones that I am so thankful for, and some have been there all along but I’m just now starting to recognize and appreciate them. Truly, I thank God for these many blessings.

Adding to my thanksgiving is knowing where I’ve come from. If you know me or have read some of my blog posts, you’ll know that I went through a very difficult period in my life just 2 short years ago. In this struggle that was both emotional and physical, I nearly died. That is not an exaggeration—my body nearly failed me as I lost 40 pounds from a 170 pound frame that had only about 5 pounds to give. If you know me or have read my blog posts, you’ll also know that in the height of this trial and both the emotional and physical pain that coursed through my body on a daily, hourly, even on a continuous basis…in the worst moment, I prayed a very sincere prayer and asked if God would let me die and join Him in Heaven right then. He did not…He made me stay here. And through that I realized that He had purpose left for me, and that it was actually better for me and His kingdom for me to remain here for at least a little while longer. Additionally, I realized that He is my Father in Heaven and I am His son, and that if a son asks his father who loves him to come home, one of two things will happen: either the father will say yes and the son will come home, or the father will say no and come to where his son is. For me, it was the latter. I knew in the months that followed that my Father in Heaven had come to me in my cry to come to Him, that He was already there, and that He remains with me forever, on earth or in Heaven.

Life is good. In the land of the living.

I would have lost heart, unless I had believed that I would see the goodness of the LORD in the land of the living. - Psalm 27:13

God has faithfully restored my body to health in the months and years since the days described above. I feel healthier now than possibly ever before. He has reached into the pit and rescued me. I pray that many will see and fear the Lord and praise His name (Psalm 40:1-3). I pray that many will seek not just His restoring hand, but His face…intimate relationship with a true Friend, Savior, Father, Master, and Creator.

Through the trial, my spiritual restoration is eternal. And although I was physically restored, today I got some bad news from my doctor. It appears that my body has received irreconcilable damage from the disease that riddled my body 2 years ago, a non-communicable disease that is now under control, but that it appears I will never fully recover from. I don’t have to tell you that this was very hard to accept. But I can also tell you that even if the worst comes to me, life is good because of my Savior. In fact, the terrible news has inspired me to write to you today.

Life is good. Everlasting life is even better.

Adding to my thanksgiving is knowing where I’m going. Heaven. A place with no more crying, no pain (Rev 21:4). A place of absolute oneness with our fellow man, and absolute oneness with our Savior Jesus and Father God (see John 17). A oneness well beyond our imaginations of physical splendor with gold streets and perpetual sunshine and everything we love on this earth.

Life is good. Life with my Savior Jesus Christ is good.

It’s easy to see at this point that there is one common reason why life is good in the dichotomy of circumstances described above: Jesus Christ and a relationship with Him. Not merely knowledge of Him. Certainly salvation. But it doesn’t stop there—it is knowing Him and being with Him that makes life good. Knowing Him and being with Him makes us rejoice in great trials (James 1:2-5). Knowing Him and being with Him makes us rejoice in thanksgiving and praise in times of great blessing. Knowing Him and being with Him is the essence of anything and everything good in my life, in your life, and in our lives to come.

Life is good. In all circumstances, in all things.

I submit to you that life is good in and of itself, as it is the breath of God breathed on you and me. We live with His blessing of life everyday and don’t even realize it. Do you know that by being born and made alive by His hand, you now have the opportunity of eternal life in perfect love and oneness with an almighty God? That by being made alive, regardless of your choices thus far in life, you have the opportunity to choose Him right now and have an everlasting relationship with Him? That by being made alive, simply being born onto planet earth, you can now be a son of God? Life is good. In the worst circumstance, life is good. If you have a Savior.

There are 4 types of people:
- those without a relationship with a Savior who have terrible circumstances
- those without a relationship with a Savior who have great circumstances
- those with a relationship with a Savior who have terrible circumstances,
- those with a relationship with a Savior who have great circumstances.

For the latter two, life is certainly good. I have been in both situations and can attest that life with my Savior is good.

Now for the arguments about two different types of people. First, those who have no relationship with the Savior, but their circumstances are great. You might say, “Life is good for them. You just said their circumstances are great.” Indeed. So you are measuring the goodness in life by circumstances alone? Think about a man who is traveling down a river in a boat with those he most loves. It’s a beautiful day, perfect temperature, they have every type of food and drink they would like, and the mood is fun. But what this man doesn’t realize is that there is a waterfall a half-mile downstream, and if he doesn’t start rowing to shore right in this moment, he will never be able to overcome its current before reaching the falls. Would you say that life is good for this man? His immediate circumstances are certainly good. But in being so caught up in the immediate good things, he has failed to take care of himself or his family by looking ahead and mapping out the river…and he is leading all of them to their death. Now imagine that this man had been told of the falls by others and was even offered a map…maybe he even took it…but he never read it. Maybe he even flipped the map open once or twice, but never really studied it at all such that he could see the dangers ahead of him. We might call this man irresponsible. But the fact of the matter is that we are this man for most of our lives. We have been told of Heaven and Hell, we’ve been offered a Bible. Have we ever opened it to read it…have we studied it? Or are we so content with our “good lives” that nothing else seems to matter so much?

For the man who rejects God’s Word and Jesus Christ, life is not good. Life led to the eternal death of Hell. And once there, he would trade every good thing he ever had in this otherwise “good life” in order to avoid that final outcome. He would curse his life as being worthless and the cause of every eternal torment.

Now for the second argument: “What about those who have the worst circumstances, even if they have this “Savior” you claim to know? What about those who are utterly beaten, broken, raped, or any other worst thing you can imagine, but are still living through it. Is life good for them?” Indeed, their circumstances are far from anything good. My heart feels anger and it breaks for those in situations like that. This one is tougher. I’ll let you know that my heart has recently been stirred for those in just that situation, especially those who do not yet know my Savior. There are literally millions of children as young as 7 years old around the world who are slaves to sex-trafficking. These girls are taken captive and initiated through daily beatings, starvation, and daily raping by multiple men. Once their will to fight is broken, if they do not kill themselves first, they are placed into life-long sex-slavery, receiving multiple gruesome abortions per year until they are rendered barren or ultimately die of an AIDS related disease before reaching middle-aged adulthood. This is one of the worst circumstances I can think of. For them, life turned bad. But what if they come to know a Savior who gives everlasting life in Heaven, and beyond that, He brings His presence to them right where they are in this moment? What about the children of these women who escaped abortion and have been rescued out to live abundant lives with this Savior? When these women see their daughters rescued, and even moreso when they themselves come to know a real Savior, in Jesus Christ, I tell you wholeheartedly: life is good again.

You may still argue with my paragraph above. But I want you to know that I have worked with an organization called As Our Own that rescues the daughters of such enslaved women. We have seen great transformation in the lives of these precious little girls who have been rescued from the same plight of their mothers into a loving family and into the body of Christ. I cannot convey to you what that looks and feels like…I am not capable of describing to you the joy of seeing it with your own eyes. And these women still enslaved have light in their eyes again, if only a glimmer at the start. I have seen the eyes of many enslaved women—as part of our work, I have been to the brothels! I can tell you that death looked back at me as I made eye contact with the vast majority of these women. But in the eyes of a woman with a little girl being cared for by As Our Own, there was the only light I could see in that terribly dark place.

And even for those who have not come to know our Savior, life in and of itself in the beginning was good. For they were born into the opportunity to have eternal life in Heaven, regardless of circumstances here on earth. Even for the man in the spiritual boat who rejected and refused to listen to God’s word—the map—whose life turned into a road to Hell…even for this man, life was not the bad thing. His life was originally good…not because of circumstances, but because of his opportunity to choose to be with God forever. So we see that circumstances do not change the goodness of life. The goodness of life is found only in our Savior Jesus Christ. While we were innocent children, life was good, the opportunity still in front of us to choose Him. Once we have chosen, life then becomes supremely good or life becomes our curse to Hell. However, so long as we are still alive, we have that choice! We can choose for life to be good, and for our lives to be good, this very day. Even the man who was trapped in the current and only feet from the falls could cry out to a Savior. Not a common savior or simply a good Samaritan—no, he could not be helped in the physical world at that point. His salvation would require a supernatural event…the river would need to stop flowing or he would need to be plucked out of the boat by some supernatural force. The blood and resurrection of Christ, the Son of God, has this supernatural power that we need in order to be saved by grace into oneness with a perfectly holy God. There is no natural antidote to our sin. There is no logical path. We require something supernatural, something beyond ourselves to be able to be one with our holy God and Savior. The fact is this: all of those other people who tried to hand this man a map and tell him of the waterfall—they only know because they themselves were in that same boat. They know because they themselves had to cry out to a Savior with hope of rescue, supernatural rescue. Not one of them were in a situation in which by their own strength they could overcome the current of sin. No, each one of us has come to the point of the waterfall, gripped in sin, hopeless of rowing our way to Heaven’s safe haven. Once there, those who called on the name of Jesus have been saved, and in reply we now seek to tell those who have not yet come to know the fierceness of the current of sin, the depth of the fall to Hell, or the glorious relationship with our Savior when we do call upon Him.

This is your opportunity. This is your future. This is your present. You have the choice. I pray that you choose the good life right here and now, and the good life that is everlasting. I pray that you come to know the life that is good with Jesus our Savior. Amen.

"What do you want the Lord to do for you?"

Well, I’m on lap 2 of “My Utmosts.” This one is a bonus…this isn’t a leap-year, but this is the Feb. 29 devotional. I think it’s pretty awesome.

http://www.myutmost.org/02/0229.html

WHAT DO YOU WANT THE LORD TO DO FOR YOU?

"Lord, that I may receive my sight." Luke 18:41

What is the thing that not only disturbs you but makes you a disturbance? It is always some thing you cannot deal with yourself. "They rebuked him that he should hold his peace . . . but he cried so much the more." Persist in the disturbance until you get face to face with the Lord Himself; do not deify common sense. When Jesus asks us what we want Him to do for us in regard to the incredible thing with which we are faced, remember that He does not work in common-sense ways, but in supernatural ways.

Watch how we limit the Lord by remembering what we have allowed Him to do for us in the past: I always failed there, and I always shall; consequently we do not ask for what we want. "It is ridiculous to ask God to do this." If it is an impossibility, it is the thing we have to ask. If it is not an impossible thing, it is not a real disturbance. God will do the absolutely impossible.

This man received his sight. The most impossible thing to you is that you should be so identified with the Lord that there is nothing of the old life left. He will do it if you ask Him. But you have to come to the place where you believe Him to be Almighty. Faith is not in what Jesus says but in Himself; if we only look at what He says we shall never believe. When once we see Jesus, He does the impossible thing as naturally as breathing. Our agony comes through the wilful stupidity of our own heart. We won't believe, we won't cut the shore line, we prefer to worry on.

When I considered the question about the thing that disturbs me and also makes me a disturbance, I initially thought that the point was going to be to “grin and bear it.” Quit whining and disturbing others and know instead that “my grace is sufficient for you” (2 Cor 12:9). Indeed, His grace is sufficient for you and me. And indeed, if we are continually complaining to others about our situations, perhaps we should take stock of our salvation and instead of casting our cares upon humans, “cast your cares upon [Jesus], for He cares for you.” (1 Peter 5:7) However, the message here is to persist in our cries to God.

I love the blind man in the passage above: after being told to quiet down, instead “he cried so much the more.” I think this is the response of someone who truly believes in the power of Christ, the Son of God. Or at least someone who was so hopeful of healing, combined with just a mustard seed’s worth of faith, such that he abandoned all sense of himself—other’s perception, dignity, emotional letdown if this was yet another failure, etc—and took the risk in order to get closer to Jesus, to be heard by Him. We can take a lesson there.

Are you in need, either small or great? Is there something that hits your thoughts weekly, or even daily? Cry out to Jesus. If you start to feel a force that beckons you to be quiet about your distress before the Lord, and that you either should not concern Him with it or He will not hear it—cry out so much the more! Cry out to Him and dare to have the hope that does not disappoint:

Rom 5:1-5 –
“Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, 2 through whom also we have access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God. 3 And not only that, but we also glory in tribulations, knowing that tribulation produces perseverance; 4 and perseverance, character; and character, hope. 5 Now hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us.”

I am reminded that this hope is in Jesus Christ, not in the things that we desire from Him. There is a difference. For more thoughts on this passage, click the following link to read a blog post from last April, when I discovered that my hopes were somewhat errant and what true hope that does not disappoint looks like: Hope and Loss.

However, if you find yourself doubting in the midst of your desire to be hoping and believing, you are in good company. In Mark 9:14-29, Jesus encounters a man who’s son is possessed and may be near death:

Mark 9:21-27 –
“And Jesus asked his father, "How long has this been happening to him?" And he said, "From childhood. 22And it has often cast him into fire and into water, to destroy him. But if you can do anything, have compassion on us and help us." 23And Jesus said to him, "'If you can'! All things are possible for one who believes." 24Immediately the father of the child cried out and said, "I believe; help my unbelief!" 25And when Jesus saw that a crowd came running together, he rebuked the unclean spirit, saying to it, "You mute and deaf spirit, I command you, come out of him and never enter him again." 26And after crying out and convulsing him terribly, it came out, and the boy was like a corpse, so that most of them said, "He is dead." 27But Jesus took him by the hand and lifted him up, and he arose.”

“I believe; help my unbelief.” What honesty, sprinkled with just a little belief in Jesus. What might God do in your life if you had that smallest bit of faith and pure honesty before Him?

Ask Him not only for help with “the thing that disturbs you,” but also for belief in Him in the first place. Tell Him that you desire to believe. Splay your soul out for Him, keeping nothing back. I think you’ll be encouraged at His response as you feel His presence with you. In fact, I can testify to this truth. Sometimes the worst thing that we try to hide from God is our secret doubt and less than 100% faith in Him, whether in specific circumstances or in general. He knows your every doubt. When we confess our desire to believe, acknowledging our yet to be perfected faith, we open to Him to come in and make sure of our faith where it was once unsure. He is the “author and perfector of our faith,” after all (Heb 12:2).

Believe in Him. Ask Him for help with your unbelief—cry to Him all the louder, as the blind man who then received his sight…as the father who’s son was healed. Look with desperate need and with expectancy to receive His help. He is already here with you. He is ready to reveal Himself to you in this very moment. Are you ready to behold Him? Have you asked Him? “Ask…seek…knock…” and “how much more will your Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask!” (Luke 11:9-13) Amen.

Spiritual Dejection

Too good not to share:

"My Utmost For His Highest," Feb 7
http://utmost.org/spiritual-dejection/

Spiritual Dejection

"We were hoping that it was He who was going to redeem Israel. Indeed, besides all this, today is the third day since these things happened" —Luke 24:21

Every fact that the disciples stated was right, but the conclusions they drew from those facts were wrong. Anything that has even a hint of dejection spiritually is always wrong. If I am depressed or burdened, I am to blame, not God or anyone else. Dejection stems from one of two sources— I have either satisfied a lust or I have not had it satisfied. In either case, dejection is the result. Lust means “I must have it at once.” Spiritual lust causes me to demand an answer from God, instead of seeking God Himself who gives the answer. What have I been hoping or trusting God would do? Is today “the third day” and He has still not done what I expected? Am I therefore justified in being dejected and in blaming God? Whenever we insist that God should give us an answer to prayer we are off track. The purpose of prayer is that we get ahold of God, not of the answer. It is impossible to be well physically and to be dejected, because dejection is a sign of sickness. This is also true spiritually. Dejection spiritually is wrong, and we are always to blame for it.

We look for visions from heaven and for earth-shaking events to see God’s power. Even the fact that we are dejected is proof that we do this. Yet we never realize that all the time God is at work in our everyday events and in the people around us. If we will only obey, and do the task that He has placed closest to us, we will see Him. One of the most amazing revelations of God comes to us when we learn that it is in the everyday things of life that we realize the magnificent deity of Jesus Christ.

"Powerful and Effective" Prayer - The Presence of God Almighty

“Is anyone among you in trouble? Let them pray. Is anyone happy? Let them sing songs of praise. 14 Is anyone among you sick? Let them call the elders of the church to pray over them and anoint them with oil in the name of the Lord. 15 And the prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well; the Lord will raise them up. If they have sinned, they will be forgiven.16 Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective.
17 Elijah was a human being, even as we are. He prayed earnestly that it would not rain, and it did not rain on the land for three and a half years. 18 Again he prayed, and the heavens gave rain, and the earth produced its crops.” – James 5:13-17

Why is "the prayer of a righteous person...powerful and effective?" (v. 16)

We often make or hear statements like, “the power of prayer,” or “prayer is the most powerful weapon we have,” or “prayer is the answer.” In fact, I have said those things myself and very much meant them.

The problem is that we often think of it as a means to an end: “if prayer is a weapon and I wield it, then I am victorious,” or even that “then God is victorious.” God is victorious whether or not you or I utter that prayer. God is supreme and sovereign and will never be anything but victorious. We don’t alter His outcome, we choose whether we are identified with Him in eternal victory or alienated from Him in eternal defeat.

We put too much focus on our prayers, the fact that we uttered them, or the words that we’ve chosen. Those things are not at all why the prayers of a righteous person are powerful and effective. They are powerful and effective because in a moment of pure righteous prayer, God is made real in you and me. There is no greater power and effectiveness that you will experience than when Christ is made alive in you. You see, the righteous person that is acting in righteousness goes to God. The going to God is prayer. Therefore, the prayer was not the powerful thing itself—the prayer was a natural outcome of the righteous one’s relationship with God. The righteousness in you and me is what leads us to prayer, and those moments become powerful and effective because through the prayer we have fixed our “eyes upon Jesus, the author and perfector of our faith” (Heb 12:2).

Do you see the difference? The thought that I could pray a mighty prayer to move a spiritual mountain is appealing. But if that is our thought, we’ve missed it…by a little or by a lot, we’ve missed it either way. It’s not that my prayer is powerful and effective because I pray it. It is that God is with the one who enters into sincere prayer, and “if God is for us, who can be against us” (Rom 8:31)? So the specific words or even the topic is less important than just being in the presence of God, just being in sincere prayer—that is the Source of the power and effectiveness—God Himself!

So as we go to prayer this morning or this night or in the middle of our days, let’s remember that the prayers of the righteous are powerful and effective. Let’s remember that we have been made righteous by the blood of Christ to “be holy, for I am holy” (1 Peter 1:16). We could have never attained it, but upon belief Jesus immediately makes us “sons of God” in His righteousness (Rom 8:15-16, Gal 3:26-28, Gal 4:4-6). Knowing that we are made righteous and therefore our prayers are powerful and effective, let’s engage in prayer. But not because they are powerful and effective for our means, but because they are the nourishment of a real relationship with God…they are the pathway to His presence. And it is His presence that is powerful and effective, simple as that.

In His presence, we bow in awe, saying "woe is me, for I have sinned."
In His presence, His light is so bright that we cannot look straight at it.
In His presence, we have natural and healthy fear.
In His presence, He tells us not be afraid, for He has come to cleanse us as His own in love (1 John 4:18).
In His presence, we abandon our personal desires and forsake our selfish pasts.
In His presence, we see clearly in all truth.
In His presence, we learn our true identity in Christ.
In His presence, we pour out in thanksgiving to our Creator and lover of our souls.
In His presence, we are made one with Him as His Spirit is made alive in us.
In His presence, we are aligned with His will and He moves decisively on our behalf and His own.
In His presence, we are transformed powerfully.
In His presence, we are made effective ambassadors of His Word.
In His presence, we are in continual prayer to the uttermost.

So we see that Christ has made those who believe righteous, the righteous will go to Him in prayer, in prayer the righteous will enter His presence, and His presence is powerful and effective. Because of this, the prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective. Amen.

Seeking a Prophet – When We Desire a Word from the Lord Today

This week in Bible Study Fellowship (BSF), we were studying Hezekiah and the events during his reign as king of Judah, specifically when Assyrian king Sennacherib threatened to overtake Jerusalem and the entire southern kingdom (Isaiah 36-37). Hezekiah’s response to intense pressure and impending exile by a foreign nation was most impressive—He sought the Lord immediately and with utmost sincerity. I know we can all take a lesson from that.

One of the interesting actions that Hezekiah took upon hearing the threats of the invading army outside of the city was his summoning of Isaiah. Isaiah was the prophet appointed by God in the kingdom of Judah throughout the span of several kings, including Hezekiah. Isaiah was the Lord’s man—God spoke directly to Isaiah with words to speak to the rest of His people. I believe that Hezekiah recognized this fact and rightly revered Isaiah as being God’s chosen messenger.

Hezekiah tore his clothes and went straight to the temple upon hearing the news from the Assyrian army commander. He also sent for Isaiah, signifying his total and utmost seeking of God. He needed to hear from God for guidance or encouragement or repentance or just any word from the Sovereign God of Israel. God responded by speaking through Isaiah. The response was to have faith and be reminded of the promises He had made: in this case, the king of Assyria would not enter the city and his entire army would be wiped out. How, they did not know—but this was the word of the Lord.

See Isaiah 10, specifically v. 32-34, for the prophecy of Assyrian demise years earlier. In Isaiah 36-37 we see them come to “the hill of Jerusalem” and “shake their fist,” yet they were wiped out as chapter 10 depicts (and again in another prophecy in Ch. 37). You see, the Assyrians did more than taunt Jerusalem, filled with God’s people, and Hezekiah, who was God’s appointed king—they insulted God Himself, saying, “Do not let Hezekiah mislead you when he says, ‘The LORD will deliver us.’ Have the gods of any nations ever delivered their lands from the hand of the king of Assyria? 19 Where are the gods of Hamath and Arpad? Where are the gods of Sepharvaim? Have they rescued Samaria from my hand? 20 Who of all the gods of these countries have been able to save their lands from me? How then can the LORD deliver Jerusalem from my hand?” (36:18-10) We might reply similarly to Hezekiah and say, “silly man, those gods were fake. In having those “gods,” they had no God!” Nevertheless, this kingdom of Assyria dared to exalt themselves above God and publicly ridiculed Him. In Hezekiah’s sincere prayer, we see a powerful attitude that we should all seek to possess:

“LORD Almighty, the God of Israel, enthroned between the cherubim, you alone are God over all the kingdoms of the earth. You have made heaven and earth. 17 Give ear, LORD, and hear; open your eyes, LORD, and see; listen to all the words Sennacherib has sent to ridicule the living God.
18 “It is true, LORD, that the Assyrian kings have laid waste all these peoples and their lands. 19 They have thrown their gods into the fire and destroyed them, for they were not gods but only wood and stone, fashioned by human hands. 20 Now, LORD our God, deliver us from his hand, so that all the kingdoms of the earth may know that you, LORD, are the only God.” (37:16-20)

Hezekiah’s plea wasn't simply for his wellbeing or the wellbeing of any loved one or even his entire people—His plea was for the integrity of the Lord to remain sound, so that all would know Him as the only one real and true God of the entire world. Hezekiah’s grief went beyond his fate and that of his people—His grief stretched to the blaspheming of the name of God. And within the sincerity of that prayer, and the truth of the Assyrian pride and defaming of God Almighty, God moved swiftly. He not only sent word to Isaiah to comfort and strengthen Hezekiah and Judah, but He sent His wrath to the Assyrians. We read later how the angel of the Lord actually killed about 185,000 of the Assyrian warriors as they slept. Only a handful, including King Sennacherib, woke up the next morning to the horrifying and inexplicable scene. Later, King Sennacherib was killed by his sons in the temple of a false god, according to the prophesy the Lord gave Isaiah in response to Hezekiah’s request (37:7, 38). Our God is good and His Word has perfect integrity and truth.

This is a riveting story that could be made into a blockbuster historical-style film. However, my inspiration tonight goes back to Hezekiah calling upon Isaiah in his time of distress, in addition to going straight to the temple. You see, a righteous man such as Hezekiah would know full-well that Isaiah was the Lord’s chosen prophet—He was effectively the mouth of God to these people. The Lord’s prophecies through Isaiah were fulfilled both in their day and in generations to come (more prophecies about Jesus come from Isaiah than any other prophet). So we see that in times of distress, good kings sought prophets to bring a true word from God—to bring guidance, to bring conviction when repentance was needed, to bring encouragement when the Lord’s favor was with them…and simply to receive whatever it was that the Lord desired to tell them, for better or for worse. Seeking the Lord’s prophet was seeking God, for they knew that God would speak through him.

I think we can apply this directly to our lives. Are you in a bit of a quandary right now? Would you like to hear from God on what to do, what to choose, or where to go? Are you undergoing trial right now? Do you need to be convicted for repentance or encouraged that the Lord is with you and will deliver you? Do you need hope? Do you simply seek His presence and to hear from Him in a very real way? Do what Hezekiah did—seek the Word of the Lord.

In the days of Hezekiah and Isaiah, the Word of the Lord came through Isaiah (though, God could certainly speak in any way He wanted and sometimes did speak in other ways). You see, they knew right where to go—go to the prophet! Today, we should seek such a prophet—except there is no prophet like Isaiah so prominent and known to the king and every townsperson. Nevertheless, God has ordained that we should not need to seek Him through another man—He has given us two infinitely powerful things: the Bible, which is the Word of the Lord, and the Holy Spirit, which is God filling our very bodies to guide and convict us. We also know that “the Word became flesh” (John 1:14) in the form of Jesus Christ, who is called Immanuel, meaning God with us. God brought Himself to us through Jesus, His Word embodied, to live with us, to die and make propitiation for our sins and redeem us, such that God could remain with us via the Holy Spirit. We can go directly to Him, our High Priest, who was tempted just as we are, yet remaining blameless (Heb 4:15). He therefore understands and has the strength to conquer the sin that so easily entangles us (Heb 12:1). "Let us fix our eyes upon Jesus, the author and perfector of our faith" (Heb 12:2). Let us go to His Word daily, let us pray and learn to recognize His voice in the Holy Spirit.

Do you see it? Do you see that if you seek answers from God this very night that He has made a way for you to receive them? In Hezekiah’s day, he set apart one man, Isaiah, who was cleansed when the hot coal was applied to His lips after He confessed His sinful nature (Isaiah 6:5-8). And today, through Christ and receiving of the Holy Spirit, we can call on God sincerely, just as Hezekiah went directly to the temple and immediately called upon Isaiah. We can ask Him tonight and confess our sins and need of His perfect holiness (enter the temple), and we can open the Bible to receive His very Word to us. Pray about where you might read, or simply throw it open. In encourage you to pray, though. Keep your ears open as you pray daily, in between prayers, for He will speak through sermons, wholesome songs, brothers and sisters in Christ, and even in your very core (perhaps He might even speak through a blog such as this). Whatever the experience is for you, find a way into the Word. Start anywhere and read. Make a habit of it, and you’ll begin to find that He is speaking to you. Some days you’ll wonder if what you’re reading was written just for you this very day because it is so on-point—the Holy Spirit is alive in you then! Don’t you know that the Word is alive (Heb 4:12)?! It is, and I speak of these things not because I have been told them, but because I have experienced them. Even still, I would do well to heed my own encouragement here, and get into the Word and prayer with all sincerity every spare moment and increasingly every day. We have to make the time.

We can have direction in times of impossible decisions. We can have conviction when we don’t know where we’ve fallen and how to get back to God. We can have comfort and hope in the midst of impossible odds and the most threatening trials. Go to the temple, and seek a word from the Lord: Open to Him in prayer, and open His Word to hear His truth and a personal reply to you. "Cast your cares upon Him, for He cares for you" (1 Peter 5:7). Do you know what that means? He loves you—you! He is listening to your thoughts right now, and if you’ll open to Him, He will fill you. Will you give Him 5 minutes today? Will you give Him 30? How sincerely are you seeking Him? He will not only match your sincerity, He will more than doubly meet your sincerity—He is infinite, He is not the limiting factor. Our experience of Him is equally as powerful and sweeping as our sincerity in seeking Him. Let us seek Him to our utmost and receive from Him His highest. Amen.

Reference verses worth reading:

Heb 4:12-16 - “For the word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart. 13 Nothing in all creation is hidden from God’s sight. Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of him to whom we must give account.
14 Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has ascended into heaven,[f] Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to the faith we profess. 15 For we do not have a high priest who is unable to empathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet he did not sin. 16 Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.”

Heb 12:1-3 – “Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, 2 fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. 3 Consider him who endured such opposition from sinners, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.”

John 1:12-14 – “Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God— 13 children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband’s will, but born of God.
14 The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.”

1 Peter 5:6-11 - "Humble yourselves, therefore, under God’s mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time. 7 Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.

8 Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. 9 Resist him, standing firm in the faith, because you know that the family of believers throughout the world is undergoing the same kind of sufferings.

10 And the God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will himself restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast. 11 To him be the power for ever and ever. Amen."

"Delight yourself in the Lord, and..."

Psalm 37:7 - “Delight yourself in the Lord, and He will give you the desires of your heart.”

What an amazing promise. What stellar truth. However, I feel that there may not be another verse so wonderful yet applied to our hearts so errantly.

When you read that verse, what are your immediate next thoughts? Search them and see.

If you are like me for the entirety of my life including immediately up to this moment, the principal joy and attraction of that verse is the second clause, “and He will give you the desires of your heart.” We have seriously missed the point…we have seriously missed the joy…we have seriously missed the attraction: God, my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Delighting myself in Him is the delight. That sounds redundant and I wrote it purposefully as such in order to demonstrate its simple truth and expose how easily we miss what should be so obvious. If I delight myself in the Lord—delight!—what else matters? I am delighted in and of the Lord Himself, and nothing apart from Him. In that moment, all the desires of my heart are fulfilled, whether they are purely spiritual or actually realized in the physical world.

But when this verse is read, and when I have heard it all my life, it is given as hope for all the good things we desire or might desire. We realize that we do love the Lord at some capacity and are delighted in Him alone to some capacity, and we see the true promise that follows. That is actually fully good in my opinion—as the starting point of our thoughts—but it cannot be where our thoughts end. It could be the spark that ignites the flame, but God is the only fuel that will keep the flame burning. Who can keep warm via merely spark after spark? Only the flame that burns much hotter can satisfy that need for warmth in a world that is cold. Desiring the current things in our hearts as a result of delighting in the Lord is like desiring sparks instead of the flame—it is backwards and leaves us yearning for more. So the promise of good things that our hearts desire is the spark that turns us to the first part of this verse, delighting ourselves in the Lord.

Unfortunately, most of us take that verse into our worlds this day or week or year and start looking for all the desires of our hearts to come true. We keep a record, as if we had to prove that God is true to His promises. Firstly, if we think by keeping the knowledge of those desires and the status of their fulfillment or lack thereof is at all important, then we have kicked faith to the curb. If we had faith, we wouldn’t have to keep track, for God would do the good thing in His timing with no need of our record keeping. The fact is, such behavior displays doubt that the promise is true because God said it—instead, we are saying to some degree that it is only realized as true when we have seen it personally—where is our faith? But beyond that, we should have never let that second part of the verse so powerfully overshadow the real importance of the promise: the prerequisite that is also the fulfillment—delighting ourselves in the Lord.

I think we need to focus on the second half of that verse, the fulfillment of the “desires of your heart,” just long enough to recognize that a wonderful promise has been given by a Wonderful God and to recognize that He loves us that much and in that way. Upon the revelation of His love through this promise, we must then immediately shift all focus, desire, passion, and energy on the first half, delighting “yourself in the Lord.” That is the beginning and the end of it.

Too often we take it as the means to the end. That “if I delight in the Lord, I’ll get the desires of my heart.” I want to change our attitudes—yours and mine—to, “if I delight in the Lord, He is the desire of my heart.” Then we realize for whom that is true, He will not hold back the all-surpassing greatness of knowing Him, the overwhelming joy in His presence, the fullness of His love, the depth of His mercy and grace, the peace that surpasses all understanding. In that moment, whatever desires of our hearts that remain have been tested as true, and all other desires that are present have been newly given, better than all I previously held in my heart. And in that moment, all the goodness of Christ is availed within me, and all the desires of my heart—my now pure heart through Christ—are given freely and abundantly, to the extent that I cannot contain it alone and it flows forth from me into the lives of those around me who are also beginning to delight themselves in the Lord.

A note of encouragement here: if you feel so far removed from this attitude of abandonment, such that you have no practical vision of how you could ever be so dead to your current desires, and fully and only fulfilled by your relationship with God—know that I stand with you. I have stood with you my entire life, and this realization is only one step closer. Imagine someone who one day realizes that they must climb over and trek through a mountain range in order to get from their place of starvation and isolation to a wealthy village inhabited by their family that yearns for them to be present to share in their wealth. What lies before them is the choice of staying where they are, a certain and lonely death awaiting, or finding a way to assured life and loving community. But they must do what seems impossible—make the seemingly insurmountable journey, starting with almost nothing. They would feel like if they started on the side of wealth and provision, fully fed and fully equipped, that they could make the trip to the other side, but how can they hope to make it to prosperity if they have nothing to get them through the perilous journey?

The realization of where we need to be is quite different than starting out in that direction. This inspiration is only a realization and not a testament to arriving, nor even starting, except for maybe one single step. Ah, but I know something that I hope you also know. Our situation is not so bleak as the one described in the paragraph above. For we have One who is with us where we are, who will not leave us to find our way Home alone—for without Him our fears are well-founded—we would certainly not survive the journey, never making it to Paradise! Instead, there is One who has come down the mountain to meet us, to give us Nourishment to get us started, Provision to keep us going, and He is already there before we’ve even made this first tiny step: “But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us” (Rom 5:8). How much more will He be there once we have taken that first step?!

The One here is Jesus Christ. The Nourishment is the Holy Spirit and Word of God sent to sustain from within our very bodies. The Provision is the entirety of the Word of God through the Bible, as well as the Holy Spirit within us. All of this possible by the incomprehensible depth of love of our Father in Heaven, our Salvation through the bearing of our sin in Jesus Christ—tortured, killed, and resurrected to give us eternal life—and the companionship and advocate of the Holy Spirit who intercedes for us to the Father and affords us the presence of God right where we are and everywhere we go, for “I am with you always, to the very end of the age” (Matt 28:20).

Even still, you may ask, “where do I begin?” First, above all else, is asking Jesus Christ to be your Savior, confessing your unworthiness as a true sinner, acknowledging Jesus as the Son of God. Soon you’ll come to realize that Jesus is seated at the right hand of the throne of God, who took on human life, bearing the burden of sin, yet remaining perfect, who died a mortal death, but conquered it by rising from the dead, and He now reigns forever. Start simply by declaring your yearning for Him to save you, and He will instantly.

Next, what about the desires that are in your heart right now? What do I do with them, especially if I have no idea if they are good or need to be banished from my heart? Jesus speaks to you regarding this and the thoughts above in Matt 7.

Matt 7:7-11 - “Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. 8For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened. 9 “Which of you, if your son asks for bread, will give him a stone? 10 Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake? 11 If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him!”

If you ask, not knowing you are asking for a stone or a snake, he will be sure not to give you something so terrible, for He knows what you need and what you were really longing for in that request. And if you do ask for bread or a fish, then He will certainly give it to you or something even better. So we find that no matter what we ask, God knows the source of that desire, and is willing to go right to the foundation of it and give us that bread and fish. Along the way, we’ll begin to recognize exactly what we were truly asking for all along, most deeply to delight ourselves in Him.

Here is the rest of the this portion of Psalm 37 that I think paints an even fuller picture:

Psalm 37:4-24 – “Take delight in the LORD,
and he will give you the desires of your heart.
5 Commit your way to the LORD;
trust in him and he will do this:
6 He will make your righteous reward shine like the dawn,
your vindication like the noonday sun.
7 Be still before the LORD
and wait patiently for him;
do not fret when people succeed in their ways,
when they carry out their wicked schemes.
8 Refrain from anger and turn from wrath;
do not fret—it leads only to evil.
9 For those who are evil will be destroyed,
but those who hope in the LORD will inherit the land.
10 A little while, and the wicked will be no more;
though you look for them, they will not be found.
11 But the meek will inherit the land
and enjoy peace and prosperity.
12 The wicked plot against the righteous
and gnash their teeth at them;
13 but the Lord laughs at the wicked,
for he knows their day is coming.
14 The wicked draw the sword
and bend the bow
to bring down the poor and needy,
to slay those whose ways are upright.
15 But their swords will pierce their own hearts,
and their bows will be broken.
16 Better the little that the righteous have
than the wealth of many wicked;
17 for the power of the wicked will be broken,
but the LORD upholds the righteous.
18 The blameless spend their days under the LORD’s care,
and their inheritance will endure forever.
19 In times of disaster they will not wither;
in days of famine they will enjoy plenty.
20 But the wicked will perish:
Though the LORD’s enemies are like the flowers of the field,
they will be consumed, they will go up in smoke.
21 The wicked borrow and do not repay,
but the righteous give generously;
22 those the LORD blesses will inherit the land,
but those he curses will be destroyed.
23 The LORD makes firm the steps
of the one who delights in him;
24 though he may stumble, he will not fall,
for the LORD upholds him with his hand.”

Delight in these truths, for they are surely delightful! He will fulfill the desires of your heart. Delight yourself in the Lord. Amen.