While I teach and speak on the topic of United Prayer all over the world… I've realized that there is still soooooo much that I do NOT know about the power of prayer in my own life. So this past month I began to fast and pray that God would take me deeper in my prayer life.
[Note: For those wondering, the "fast" was simply my version of the Daniel's Fast: No regular cereals or grains, and no refined or processed foods, all natural whole fruits and vegetables, and some nuts! At first it was difficult, but the longer I was fasting on this diet, the more I enjoyed it and the more I have begun to look forward to the healthier choice. Now I have no problem going to potlucks and skipping past all the regular foods! Do I think that by my fasting I can earn God's blessing or force His hand? No, of course not. I believe that fasting shows God the sincerity of our hearts and that we are willing to deny our flesh to see God work! But as Pastor Derek Morris says, "We fast from the world so that we can feast on Jesus." I'm serious about seeking a deeper blessing from the Lord. And I want my heart and mind clean so that His Spirit can fill me... I'm in earnest. I MUST HAVE HIS BLESSING!!!
In referring to the disciples inability to cast out the demon from a young man, Christ spoke in Matthew 17:20 saying, "verily I say unto you, If ye have faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye shall say unto this mountain, Remove hence to yonder place; and it shall remove; and nothing shall be impossible unto you." Usually we stop just there, but that verse is followed by: "And this kind goeth not out but by prayer and fasting." So… because of that, I began to not only pray BUT fast as well, because I have some specific answers I am seeking from God. Those prayers I began to fast for have NOT been answered completely yet… but He has turned my life upside down and revitalized me in this process, and I see signs of those prayers being answered, so I am continuing to hold on and keep pressing my requests.
For those that know the story of "Praying Hyde" you know about a man that prayed God would give him "souls" every day! (And God answered His prayer!) But how many of us have faith to pray that God would give us 1 soul every day???? I know I don't! However, I want to grow to be that kind of person that has that kind of faith. And so I have begun to pray that God would send me specific ANSWERS to prayer every day!! (That's not too much to ask, right?) And yet….how often do we coast through our Christian walk, content if God answers a prayer every now and then, maybe once a week or once a month. But to ask that He would send an answer EVERY DAY????
Well… He's been doing it for me! I began to journal every time He'd answer a prayer, and I started writing the answers to prayer down on colorful cards and putting them in a jar. As the jar began to fill, my faith has grown. It's only been a few weeks since I started this…pleading with God that He would give me an ANSWER every day…. but He hasn't let me down yet!!! (In fact, most days, I have multiple answers to prayer!!) I'm learning that our God IS FAITHFUL…and every word in the scriptures, He means. His Words are still ALIVE and TRUE today! And we can claim them and stand upon them…
Many of my "answered prayers" are personal….and I'm not going to share them here… But I will share a few to encourage all of you…
- God finally broke our drought…. and gave us rain… and has continued to give us rain. What looked like a parched wilderness and desert a month ago has now become a living vibrant green paradise. We've planted our second garden for the summer and it's growing!! It's sooo beautiful!!!
- God has time and time again brought us fresh vegetables or food from neighbors when funds were tight and we were praying for healthy food to feed all our kids!
- I had been struggling with credit card debt off and on…I got it paid off, but then due to tight finances these past few months, I got in debt again. However, God convicted me that I needed to let go of my CC and stop using it - unless I already have cash in hand to pay it off. However since I don't make much money, I was scared to let it go because it's security for me when finances are tight. But God convicted me. Are you going to trust your credit card or ME??? So I surrendered my credit card a couple weeks ago. The very next day after I made this decision, I got a check in the mail (larger than anything I've ever received from anyone before I think!!!!) that enabled me to pay off my credit card bill. This was from someone that has never sent me money before for personal needs…. a complete shock and miracle from God!
- I'd been fighting exhaustion off and on and while I was having my devotions, I was too tired to get up early in the morning to do it, so therefore part of my mornings were spent trying to catch up on my devotions, rather than working and doing what I need to do with ARME. Well, I started praying that God would give me victory over spiritual lethargy and that He would wake me up EARLY….and not have me be tired!!! (As I felt it was a spiritual battle and not a physical one, I kept claiming Luke 18:7-8) After 2 weeks of wrestling… I realized He had DONE IT!!!!! Since then I've been waking up at VERY early hours (I wont say how early, but much earlier than I've been able to do for a long time) and I have had the most beautiful times with God that I've had in a long while! (Don't settle for exhaustion or lethargy as an excuse for not getting up to be with God! God can and WILL deliver you if you let Him! The lethargy is simply the enemies attack to keep you from getting up... But God can overcome that lethargy!)
- I've had so many doors in ministry open this past month, from providential speaking engagements, to writing projects and more. I keep praying, "God, send me where you want me" and He does.
- He's given supernatural strength for the work. I come up to a speaking appointment and wonder how I can manage as I again find myself weary and tired, and then God gives me this most supernatural strength and miracles happen!
- I spoke at a church in Eastern Arkansas last month… When I saw the audience I thought, "Oh boy… I'm not sure how they will take what I have to share, or if they will even listen!" But God broke through… hearts were broken, people were shaken from their spiritual stupor. And we prayed for hours together over the weekend. What I expected to be the least positive experience at a church turned out to be the most powerful experience I've had yet, where I have spoken. It was amazing! (Just shows that we can't judge anyone. How quick we are to make our judgement calls, but God alone knows the heart and the needs!)
I cry out to Him and He hears me and He continues to hear and answer in soooo many ways! Sometimes it's just giving me peace or strength on a project that I was struggling to do, and sometimes it's providing for a small personal need. Sometimes it's just waking me up in a special way without my alarm so I'll have extra time with Him. Other times the answers to prayer are more dramatic! (Like a large check in the mail!) But I'm learning it's not the dramatic that matter, but that God is listening and answering….and I know He is beside me EVERY DAY!
However…every day has not been without it's trials. It's been a wrestle and a fight! Let me share a few times of struggle during this journey, and how God has blessed:
One day a couple weeks ago, it was getting late, about 8pm at night and I had NOT yet had a specific answer to prayer. I was kinda disappointed and thought, "God, I don't want to try to invent something… I mean, you woke me up this morning, and I praise you for that! And there's other things I could write down to say are answers to prayer. But I want a specific answer…I don't want to have to rationalize or create something." Well… I was kinda disappointed that there seemed to be no specific answer. Anyway, God had been convicting me that I needed to make something right with someone about a small misunderstand we had. I had started to do it earlier in the day, then I put it off. Then that night, the nagging feeling was still hanging over me. "You need to go take care of that." So I went and spoke to the person and made things right. Almost before I was done, I heard thunder… I rushed home right before it POURED down RAIN!! (One big prayer request we'd had at that time was pleading for more rain for the garden as we had just replanted and started over. It had been a couple weeks since the large 3 inches of rain that broke our draught, and we needed more!!!) I thought it was sooo interesting that God waited to send that rain THAT evening until I made right with Him what I needed. It was like he was just waiting for me to OBEY and reminding me, "If you turn and repent….I will send rain upon the land… physically and spiritually!" So… I had my specific answer to prayer after all! It was amazing!!
Another day, I got up, but I kinda stumbled through my devotion time. It was not rich and I was exhausted, partly because I'd been up working late the night before. I went to the office to work on ARME, but I was feeling deflated and wondering if God was with me. "God, I just don't feel your presence today!" I cried. "Are you still here? Have I done something wrong? Please, can you show me that you still love me TODAY and that you are with me?" Well, I turned on my phone… and up popped this text message from someone that does not write me very often. In that message she had a encouraging verse, and then she wrote: "Be assured of God's love for you today!" I broke down in tears and rushed back to my room where I prayed and cried to God for a couple hours. It was so beautiful! God had heard my plea.
Another time when I was still struggling to wake up early to be with God, and the words were just not coming in prayer, l lay down with my Bible on my chest. I felt like I had no strength to fight. "God, please help me! I don't have strength for this. How can you use me to help others if I can't even win the battle!" (Ever said this to God???) Well….not long after I lay back on my pillow in quite desperation, resigned to the enemy's sleepy attack, I got a phone call from someone that felt impressed to call me. (This was EARLY in the morning too!!!) They were in need….and they felt God had told them to call me. So I instantly became alert, shared promises with them (that we both needed to hear, like 2 Chron 20:12) and we prayed together. It pulled me out of my own slump, and them as well! God had heard my cry….and by enabling me to help someone else, He helped me.
So….it hasn't been easy… but I'm learning that I keep walking forward claiming the promises whether I feel good or whether I don't. I am learning to simply trust God's Word.
I could go on and on… all I can say is… God is hearing and HE is Answering!! And I'm more convinced then every that we just need to hold on and keep pressing our prayers to God's throne and He will hear! No, I haven't seen fire come down from Heaven yet, and I haven't seen someone that was physically dead come back to life… but I have seen the eyes of the spiritually blind opened, I have seen the deaf begin to hear, I have seen the spiritually dead coming back to life….I have seen the red sea parting!!
In the picture at the top of this post my Bible is opened to Matt 17:20. This is one of the many verses I am claiming! You will also notice beside my Bible is a small jar… it's full of mustard seeds, just as the picture below is. The point of course is NOT how small our faith has to be, but how BIG our God is when we have so little faith!
I believe that God wants to do soooo much more for us. But He is not doing it because we are NOT asking, and we are NOT holding on by faith!!!! I encourage you……test God and see if He will not also open the windows of heaven upon YOU and pour out a blessing that you will not have room to contain it!
“With the persevering faith of Jacob, with the unyielding persistence of Elijah, we may present our petitions to the Father, claiming all that He has promised. The honor of His throne is staked for the fulfillment of His word.” Prophets and Kings, p. 157
“I asked the angel why there was no more faith and power in Israel. He said, “Ye let go of the arm of the Lord too soon. Press your petitions to the throne, and hold on by strong faith. The promises are sure. Believe ye receive the things ye ask for, and ye shall have them.” Early Writings, p. 73
“It was because Elijah was a man of large faith that God could use him in this grave crisis in the history of Israel. As he prayed, his faith reached out and grasped the promises of Heaven, and he persevered in prayer until his petitions were answered. He did not wait for the full evidence that God had heard him, but was willing to venture all on the slightest token of divine favor. And yet what he was enabled to do under God, all may do in their sphere of activity in God’s service;... Faith such as this is needed in the world today—faith that will lay hold on the promises of God’s word and refuse to let go until Heaven hears.” Prophets and Kings, p. 156
1 comment:
Thank you for sharing this, Melody! I really needed to read this tonight =). God bless you for your witness!
Much love and prayers,
Angie
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