I sat before the Lord this morning. I bawled my eyes out.
The feeling just welled up in me, I couldn't hold back my tears. I sat here in the dark, no devotional, no Bible Study; with the dog running around like mad and cried.
Prayer this week has been heart-wrenching in some cases, involving emotional differences, struggles, comparisons and misunderstandings. I've come face to face with my lack of ability to help my closest peeps. Circumstances have threatened those most precious to me. Their work in the Kingdom is great and satan has pulled out all the stops to prevent that work from coming to light.
It seems people's words can bring you low, circumstances can bring you to your knees and even your own thoughts about yourself can keep you down. But nothing is so humbling as knowing the Almighty God of the Universe has answered your prayers.
I don't think my prayers are anything special. In fact, I have a lot of prayer aides where I'm actually using other people's prayers, including the books Prayers that Avail Much and Prayers for Others. The authors of those books REALLY know how to pray.
Maybe as this year of prayer goes on, I will experiment with other types of prayer. My go-to tool is always the Word of God, I pray a lot from Scripture. Still, there are so many other ways to pray, I know I'm only dipping my toe into this ocean called Prayer.
And don't get me wrong. I'm still praying for folks whose situations have not resolved. The need for prayer in 2015 is even greater than I ever thought. This fact does not discourage me. The needs are beyond comprehension but the grace and provision of Jesus Christ are even greater than the needs. It shows me how many windows are open for Holy Spirit to fly through with His answers.
The Apostle Paul, my go-to in his happiest of letters writes, This same God who takes care of me will supply all your needs from his glorious riches, which have been given to us in Christ Jesus. (Philip 4:19)
Jesus is the start, middle and end for every prayer. He is also the means to the answer. Jesus Himself said that if we pray anything in His Name (which means asking for things in line with God's will), the Father will not hesitate to give it.
Those are ridiculous level promises. By the grace and patience of God, I've come to believe them. In Christianity, believing is seeing. I'm seeing the fruit of my faith: the answers to prayer. They are real and Christ is everything He says He is. Faith is the most useful tool when we are praying. If we pray without believing, there is nothing to see.
The beauty of faith is God meets us where we are. He doesn't require apostle-faith out of everyone, all the time. He will still answer. Yet, growing in the nature of what is possible with God means we will see greater and greater things - miracles, signs, wonders. This is the level I want to go to in 2015, to witness and document the stories of our faith happening RIGHT NOW.
So, I sit before the Lord and cry because I feel the weight of His love and His desire to prove Himself, and use us frail and faulty people - like me and you - to do it.
The year is just beginning. We aren't even out of January and eternal earthquakes, shifts in spiritual tectonic plates, are happening. Revival is coming and we are a part of it. It is growing and I don't want anyone to miss out.
God is so good. He has been so good to me, to my dearest family and friends. He want to be good to you in ways you cannot comprehend. Let this sign, on the prayer wall at Dr. Gleem Car Wash in the Heights, encourage you.
Let's keep going on in this journey of prayer, sweet friends and I know the words of King David, from my favorite Psalm (27:13), will be a reality: I remain confident of this: I will see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living.
The feeling just welled up in me, I couldn't hold back my tears. I sat here in the dark, no devotional, no Bible Study; with the dog running around like mad and cried.
Prayer this week has been heart-wrenching in some cases, involving emotional differences, struggles, comparisons and misunderstandings. I've come face to face with my lack of ability to help my closest peeps. Circumstances have threatened those most precious to me. Their work in the Kingdom is great and satan has pulled out all the stops to prevent that work from coming to light.
It seems people's words can bring you low, circumstances can bring you to your knees and even your own thoughts about yourself can keep you down. But nothing is so humbling as knowing the Almighty God of the Universe has answered your prayers.
I don't think my prayers are anything special. In fact, I have a lot of prayer aides where I'm actually using other people's prayers, including the books Prayers that Avail Much and Prayers for Others. The authors of those books REALLY know how to pray.
Maybe as this year of prayer goes on, I will experiment with other types of prayer. My go-to tool is always the Word of God, I pray a lot from Scripture. Still, there are so many other ways to pray, I know I'm only dipping my toe into this ocean called Prayer.
And don't get me wrong. I'm still praying for folks whose situations have not resolved. The need for prayer in 2015 is even greater than I ever thought. This fact does not discourage me. The needs are beyond comprehension but the grace and provision of Jesus Christ are even greater than the needs. It shows me how many windows are open for Holy Spirit to fly through with His answers.
The Apostle Paul, my go-to in his happiest of letters writes, This same God who takes care of me will supply all your needs from his glorious riches, which have been given to us in Christ Jesus. (Philip 4:19)
Jesus is the start, middle and end for every prayer. He is also the means to the answer. Jesus Himself said that if we pray anything in His Name (which means asking for things in line with God's will), the Father will not hesitate to give it.
Those are ridiculous level promises. By the grace and patience of God, I've come to believe them. In Christianity, believing is seeing. I'm seeing the fruit of my faith: the answers to prayer. They are real and Christ is everything He says He is. Faith is the most useful tool when we are praying. If we pray without believing, there is nothing to see.
The beauty of faith is God meets us where we are. He doesn't require apostle-faith out of everyone, all the time. He will still answer. Yet, growing in the nature of what is possible with God means we will see greater and greater things - miracles, signs, wonders. This is the level I want to go to in 2015, to witness and document the stories of our faith happening RIGHT NOW.
So, I sit before the Lord and cry because I feel the weight of His love and His desire to prove Himself, and use us frail and faulty people - like me and you - to do it.
The year is just beginning. We aren't even out of January and eternal earthquakes, shifts in spiritual tectonic plates, are happening. Revival is coming and we are a part of it. It is growing and I don't want anyone to miss out.
God is so good. He has been so good to me, to my dearest family and friends. He want to be good to you in ways you cannot comprehend. Let this sign, on the prayer wall at Dr. Gleem Car Wash in the Heights, encourage you.Let's keep going on in this journey of prayer, sweet friends and I know the words of King David, from my favorite Psalm (27:13), will be a reality: I remain confident of this: I will see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living.
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