Warriors Arise: July 27th, 2020
John 20:26-27 (NKJV) And after eight days His disciples were again inside, and Thomas with them. Jesus came, the doors being shut, and stood in the midst, and said, “Peace to you!” 27 Then He said to Thomas, “Reach your finger here, and look at My hands; and reach your hand here, and put it into My side. Do not be unbelieving, but believing.”
This is a celebration. Jesus came. Jesus spoke to Thomas. Jesus answered Thomas' request/challenge. This makes me wonder if the disciples applied another one of Jesus' lesson during those eight days.
I can get tired of praying for the same thing. I can get tired of senseless arguments and unreasonable people who want to spout opinions without facts. What good is an opinion when it isn't based on facts. It's called arrogant ignorance. People want to pray one time, maybe two half-hearted, wavering, unbelieving prayer requests and expect God to answer them the way they want. He may answer them and to His credit it would be God's amazing love, because they invested little on their part. Their struggle might have been that they didn't have belief God could or would, they didn't feel they were valuable enough for God to respond, or they just didn't believe God to be real. But they give it a whirl and see what happens. What could it hurt, right? Even Pharaoh told Moses He could take the Hebrews out into the wilderness to worship God, as long as they pray to God for him. There were several other pagan kings who asked the same thing of the Hebrews. They didn't know which god was truly God, so they had many gods.
We can grow stagnant in our prayer requests. When we do not see God doing anything. It's as if there is no fresh water passing through us. We are left with stale, complacent, murky water depleted from the days of sun without the flow of new water. We can become irritable, "Hasn't God had enough time?" "Well, if He isn't going to do anything then I will do it myself" Or "It must be "No"." This can cause us to turn our back on God and walk away. There are
any number of thoughts that run through our minds when we have prayed and we do not see God doing anything. We can find ourselves say, "Do I have to ask again?" "Why should I?"
Luke begins chapter 11 with Jesus teaching the disciples how to position themselves in prayer, exactly what to pray, and then follows up with a parable to emphasis persistence over relationship and an exhortation with illustration to continue in prayer.
Luke 11:9-13 (NKJV) So I say to you, ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. 10 For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened. 11 If a son asks for bread from any father among you, will he give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will he give him a serpent instead of a fish? 12 Or if he asks for an egg, will he offer him a scorpion? 13 If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him!
Why do you think Jesus stressed the purpose of persisting in prayer? He uses the parable we studied in yesterday's prayer strategy and continues to teach from another perspective. Those who teach, learn; they can't just tell what they want you to do one time. They have to tell you again, with an illustration, from a different point of view and make it personal.
Jesus gives us a wonderful acrostic:
Ask
Seek
Knock
Do you see anything twice?
A-Ask
S-Seek
K-Knock
Jesus tells us in verse 10 if we ask, we will receive. That is a pretty amazing promise. If you ask, you will receive. If you seek, keep looking for God to answer, you will find that God answers. If you knock on the door, God will open the door.
Have you ever gone to someone's house and knocked on the door. Waiting a moment. You didn't hear anything so you knocked again. You maybe have even knocked as many as three times. You don't hear anything so you turn to go. After you have taken a few steps the door opens and someone is calling to you. God wants us to persist. He will open the door. He will hear why we have come. He will invite us in. He will answer. Not only will He answer but He will give us good gifts.
God does not want us to grow weary in our prayer life. He wants us to be vigilant, awake, alert, prepared, and making our requests known. He wants us to believe He will answer the door. He wants us to know that when He opens the door He will invite us in. He wants us to seek Him out more than we would anyone else. He wants to be the first one we go to for a solution to the problem or the crisis we are facing. He wants us to know our value. When we know we are valued we will come asking unashamed, without hindrances, and believing He wants to hear from us.
Father, I come before You today knowing I need to continue to press through, until I see Your power setting things right here on earth. I ask for You to strengthen me to have the tenacity to approach You day and night. I ask for You to come and release Your kindness upon the people of the earth. The Bible says kindness leads to repentance. I do not have comprehension of how this would happen; but I believe Your Word. I ask for COVID-19 to die in the name of Jesus. I ask for Your love to break the prison doors of fear and lead us into triumph. I ask for You to silence the liar and bring forth Your truth. I ask for healing to flow from Your throne room and minister to each person body, soul, and spirit. I ask for wisdom to come from You to direct each school board member, administrator, staff, parent and student. I ask for people to release others from their personal convictions and expectations. I ask for You to come into our midst and bring restitution to the things we have lost. I ask for the students; the children, youth, and college young adults to receive a full education this year. I ask for You to make a way when no one can see a way. Come and make a way for students to learn, sickness to die, bodies to be strengthened, personal frustrations to be dealt with in Your presence, and the Holy Spirit to guide us in Jesus' name amen.
A Warrior in the Lord’s Army,
Veridee Joy
My hope is for Believers in Jesus Christ to join together each day to pray, to push back the enemy as we release God’s power here on earth against the coronavirus. The prayers will be listed each day as Warriors Arise. I will put a date with it so we can keep them straight. If you have any questions please feel free to make a comment or private message me. If you would like this to come to your email directly please go to verideehand.com and subscribe.
Comentários