The 21

“I saw underneath the altar the souls of men who had been slain because of the word of God, and because of this testimony which they had maintained; and they cried out with a loud voice saying, ‘How long, O Lord, holy and true, will You refrain from judging and avenging our blood on those who dwell on the earth?” Revelation 6:9-10

Tertullian stated in 200 A.D., “The blood of the martyrs is the seed of the church.” He had witnessed the ultimate investment of Christian faith poured into a bankrupt Roman culture. When he saw the blood of Christian witnesses saturating the sands of the arena, or the public square, he did not see it being wasted. He saw it being planted. The harvest always follows the planting. This only happens…EVERY TIME.

“The 21” Egyptian Christians recently beheaded for their faith in Christ are 21st Century martyrs. They were not Crusading Christian warriors riding on their high horses to conquer Islam. They were workers seeking jobs to provide for their families.

“The 21” weren’t murdered by impoverished, Muslims job seekers. They were selected for extermination because devoted Muslims wanted their heads, not their jobs.

There is a special place in Heaven for those who have been beheaded for their faith. Of all those who have died a martyr’s death, those who have experienced the sword of persecution are elevated to a unique level of prominence in Heaven.

“Then I saw thrones, and they sat on them and judgment was given to them, and I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded, because of their testimony of Jesus and because of the word of God, and those who had not worshiped the beast or his image, “ Revelation 20:4

Faithful Christians know this passage of Scripture. Radical Muslims know it too. This is at the very heart of the recent beheadings of “The 21” by the Islamic terrorists.

The threat of the edge of the sword is designed to intimidate true believers into denying their faith. It is also meant to challenge the validity of God’s word. It not just a random tool used to take the life of an infidel. It is a weapon of choice.

In the 1st and 2nd Century Spiritual Awakening blossomed when early Christians died with the name of Jesus on their lips. When the seed of their faith was planted, there was a great harvest. People starving for life-giving faith in a world without meaning, turned their backs on false gods and turned their eyes upon Jesus. Pray that it will happen again in the 21st Century.

Nothing proves the spiritual bankruptcy of a religion of peace quite like the deafening silence of Muslim clergy who refuse to speak out against the atrocities done in the name of Islam. Millions of Muslims have expected more of their leaders and their religion. Pray they hear the voice of Jesus calling to them through the lips of the martyrs. Their final words of witness are given great power by their last drop of blood

The question remains. How long will this murderous persecution of 21st Century Christians go on? Scripture says it will continue until it is completed. It will end. It will be judged and avenged on earth, but it will not end until it is completed.

“And there was given to each of them a white robe and they were told that they should rest for a little while longer, and their brethren who were to be killed even as they had been, would be completed also.” Revelation 6:11

The story of redemption is a message of hope because it is the character of God to overcome evil with righteousness. He chooses to take the worst of things and accomplish His will through them. God still does the best of things in the worst of times, in the name of Jesus. Pray for the next Great Awakening to be ushered in by the harvest that comes from the seed of the martyrs’ blood.

When Joseph revealed his true identity to his treacherous brothers, he spoke timeless words of wisdom. They are as true today as they were when he spoke them centuries ago.

“You meant evil against me, but God meant it for good in order to bring about this present result, to preserve many people alive.” Genesis 50:20

NOTE TO SELF: Prayer and persecution are two powerful conduits for Spiritual Awakening. Pray for the persecuted church to stand strong and invest well in this evil world. Any life taken by agents of evil will not be forgotten. The word of God promises that martyrs like “The 21” will be avenged on earth and honored in Heaven. There will be more to come. Pray for those who hear their last gasp to call on Jesus with their next breath. TALK LESS! PRAY MORE!

The Unworthy

“We came to your brother Esau, and…he is coming to meet you.’…Then Jacob was greatly afraid and distressed. ” Genesis 32:7

Fear is a great motivator. Prayerless people are spurred to a new level of prayer by all kinds of crises. Jacob was no exception. He had wronged his brother, Esau, and the day of reckoning was at hand.

Jacob the deceiver expected to become the receiver of some rough justice from his brother, Esau. The worst part was, he knew he had it coming.

Jacob was at the end of his rope, but he was not through making rope. Prayerless people are master rope-makers.  

“He divided the people who were with him…into two companies…” V. 7

Jacob was not implementing a plan of attack. He was looking for a way of escape. Jacob was a shrewd man, not a wise man. Being shrewd is the world’s substitute for wisdom.  A shrewd man tries to keep his options open even when he doesn’t have any.

“If Esau comes to the one company and attacks it, then the company which is left will escape.” V. 8

Blind panic may be the lowest motivation for prayer, but it is still a highly effective one. Jacob may have been out of options, but he was not looking forward to the consequences of his behavior. God intended for him to face the consequences.

When your fear turns into prayer, your foolishness will evaporate in the Presence of God. Prayer releases your tight grip on the crisis at hand and places it in God’s hands.  Don’t be a fool. Pray.

When Jacob finally came face to face with his crisis, he turned his face towards God. Prayer is always the wisest move you can make when faced with a crisis, and overwhelmed by panic. No matter what your motivation may be for prayer, just start praying. God hears prayers forged in the furnace of panic.

“Jacob said, “O God of my father Abraham and God of my father Isaac, O LORD, who said to me, ‘Return to your country and to your relatives, and I will prosper you,’ ‘I am unworthy of all the lovingkindness and of all the faithfulness which You have shown to Your servant…Deliver me, I pray.” Genesis 32:9-11

Jacob’s obedience to God, not his rebellion, had put him face to face with an encounter with his wronged brother. When he heard God say, “Return to your country,” Jacob must have known this day of reckoning was coming. He obeyed God anyway. Then he prayed when he realized where his obedience had led him.  

“O God of my father” – Turning to God involves being right with God. Being right with God includes making things right with others. When Jacob remembered to get with God, God improved his memory about what Jacob had done to his brother.

“I am unworthy” – There comes a point in prayer when being right with God is all that matters. The masks of pretentious infallibility and self-righteous rationalization are dropped. Standing under the gaze of omniscient God, leads to one assessment. “I am unworthy.” The prayerful know they are unworthy. They don’t make excuses for it. They admit it to God. 

“Deliver me, I pray.”  - Deliverance is not an escape from conflict. It is a victory in the middle of a battle. Prayerful people trust God.

NOTE TO SELF: If God has brought you to it, then God will bring you through it. God intended for Jacob to meet his brother face to face. When he ran out of rope, he ran to God. Prayer is where the battle is won. When you come face to face with a crisis, get face to face with God. You aren’t worthy of God’s lovingkindness and faithfulness. Jesus is. Pray in His name. TALK LESS! PRAY MORE!

The Appeal

“I appeal to Caesar.” Acts 25:11

Paul’s appeal to Caesar is a powerful statement regarding his belief in a Sovereign God and his trust in government as God’s earthly instrument to administer justice. Paul believed government was an instrument devised by God to serve His purpose.

“For there is no authority except from God, and those which exist are established by God.” Romans 13:1

Paul, by right of birth, was due certain civil liberties as a free Roman citizen. Paul had no death wish. If he was ready to gain his Heavenly reward and leave his earthly prison, all he had to do was surrender his civil rights to the Roman authorities, or surrender himself to his Jewish accusers.  He chose life. He didn’t give up his rights. He claimed them.

There will always be a holy tension between a Christian’s weariness with political battles, and the longing for his Heavenly home. Paul’s appeal gives a clear example of a devout Christian who called on the civil government to protect his personal liberties. Though death was in his future, and this world was not his home, he would not go down without a fight. Paul turned his waiting room into a war room.

Pastors and people in the pews should do no less in the 21st Century.  Paul’s appeal was to Caesar. In a representative form of government, the American Christian appeals to “We the People.” The Appeal is not a call to arms take a nation back to Reagan. It is a call to prayer to turn a people back to God. Religious liberty was not just a good idea. It was God’s idea.

Dr. Watlke’s words of wisdom call pastors and people back to God’s word for His direction, protection and correction. God intends for His people to welcome His wisdom back to their house, and to take it with him to the church house.  From there it overflows into every place of authority from the state house to the White House. Pray for wisdom. Register to vote. Take your stand. Vote with wisdom. Heal the land.

“If my people who are called by my name, humble themselves and pray…I will heal their land.” 2 Chronicles 7:14

The Vow

“Then Jacob made a vow, saying, ‘If God will be with me and will keep me on this journey that I take, and will give me food to eat and garments to wear, and I return to my father’s house in safety, then the Lord will be my God. This stone, which I have set up as a pillar, will be God’s house, and of all that You give me I will surely give a tenth to You.” Genesis 28:20-22

Jacob was ill equipped physically and spiritually for the journey before him. He was the son who loved life in the safety of the encampment. Esau was the son who was wild at heart and had a spirit of adventure. Abraham was way out of his comfort zone. The life of faith always leads away from comfort and through danger.

Jacob had always been dependent on the faith of his father, and the comfort of his mother. Now he found himself separated from both. He turned to God with what he had in his heart, nothing more nothing less. That is all God ever expects from His children.

 Jacob’s heart was filled with a conniving and striving spirit. He was always making a deal to give himself an advantage over someone else.

Jacob started out on this journey in obedience to his father. When the magnitude of what he had undertaken began to sink in, fear began to take over. He responded to God’s promise made to him in a dream, by talking about God, not to Him. What Jacob brought to God was a step in the right direction. It wasn’t much, but God heard him. He always does.

After a powerful promise from God, Jacob sought to make a deal with God. This may be the lowest form of prayer, but God condescends to meet His children where they are. Thank God He doesn’t leave them there. He raises them to embrace the life of faith, He intends for them to receive.

 “If God will be with me, and will keep me on this journey…then the Lord will be my God.”

Jacob inserts into The Vow, his version of the “If…Then Clause.” By the time Jacob finishes his vow to God, he had transitioned from talking about God to talking to God.

“All that You give me I will surely give a tenth to You.” V. 22b

The Vow of Jacob has never been given the same high profile The Prayer of Jabez received a few years ago when it became all the rage. Today those who pray it hardly make a ripple on the pond of prayer. Why?

There is a big difference between praying for God to expand your territory and vowing to return to God one tenth of everything He gives you.  The world is still waiting for Genesis 28:22b to be stamped on a throw pillow at Hobby Lobby. Word to the waiting; don’t hold your breath.

The Vow of Jacob preceded The Law concerning the tithe. His willingness to return to God 10% of all God gave to him is still one of the best deals a man has ever tried to make with God. God provides 100% and man keeps 90%. Where is the spirit of sacrifice or the heart of generosity in that? But I digress.

In a dream God gave this fearful man His word. Jacob responded by making a vow to God, not by taking God at His word. Again. Big difference.

“Behold, I am with you and will keep you wherever you go, and will bring you back to this land, for I will not leave you until I have done what I have promised you.” Genesis 28:15

Abandonment to the promise of God brings great joy when accompanied by an absolute surrender to the purpose of God. Jacob was still the man with the plan. He intended to hold God accountable for the promise He made to him, by making a vow to God, not by taking God at His word.

Jacob tried to cover his audacity with a cloak of generosity. He was so full of himself. He thought he could buy off God by paying a 10% surcharge on God’s own generosity. God planned to knock Jacob out of himself, and to fill the emptiness of his life with His Presence.

Jacob’s journey of faith was going to take lifetime. It always does. Praying and staying on course, eventually he received honorable mention in “The Hall of Faith.”

“It was by faith that Jacob when he was old and dying, blessed each of Joseph’s sons and bowed in worship as he leaned on his staff.” Hebrews 11:21

NOTE TO SELF: Anything that comes out of your mouth that resembles a conditional “IF…THEN” response is not an expression of unconditional surrender.  When God says it, that settles it, whether you believe it or not. Making a deal with God deludes you into thinking you are an equal partner with Him. You are not. Talking about God is not the same thing as talking to Him. Talking about God leads to making a deal with Him, not to total abandonment to Him. TALK LESS! PRAY MORE!

The End

"The end of all things is near; therefore, be of sound judgment and sober spirit for the purpose of prayer." 1 Peter 4: 7

By 64 A.D. the Roman world was a place of chaos, confusion and catastrophe for many Christians. Peter made a dire assessment of the situation, but offered suffering believers a sense of direction in the fog of war.
 
Peter’s words, predicting the end, may appear to miss the mark, but when they are read in the light of eternity, the past 2,000 years have flashed before the eyes of God like a split second. He sounded a call to battle for prayer warriors in his day. They still ring true. Read them. Heed them.
 
The study of end times over the past 2,000 years has taken serious scholars and competing crackpots down many different paths. In the end, they always end up in the same place. When The End comes, God wins. Case closed.
 
In the meantime, Peter issues The Commander’s standing order. He reveals the one purpose for the obedient prayer warrior. Pray with sound judgment and sober spirit.
 
Praying with sound judgment means to pray with a moderate estimate upon yourself, while placing a high estimate on God. Sound judgment is marked by calm, not panic.
 
Panic is the lowest form of praying. It causes fools to rush in where angels fear to tread, and implement the first good idea that pops into their mind. Praying with sound judgment understands how God works, in the climate of prayer.
 
“Our tendency is to rush out and help God do this. God works in the climate of prayer and opens doors as a result of prayer.” Michael Catt
 
Those who lack sound judgment breathe their own ether, drunk with the toxic cocktail of personal desire, and perceived destiny. With great passion, they race right by God’s idea and put their name on a man-made movement that misses His purpose. Putting a man’s name of a movement of God is a sure-fire way to invite God to take His hand off of it. This only happens…EVERY TIME.
 
Those who seek to make a name for themselves as leaders of the next Great Awakening might be surprised to know that Jonathan Edwards did not perceive himself as leading a great revival. He was convinced that God was leading it, and he was humbly surprised that he was included in it.
 
The partial title of the essay Edwards wrote in 1737 describing the Awakening God brought to his church holds one of the keys to understanding revival. Pray for a Great Awakening, but expect to be surprised by it. 

“Containing a Faithful Narrative of the Surprising Work of God in the Conversion of Many Hundred Souls in Northampton, Massachusetts, A. D. 1735.” Jonathan Edwards

Praying with sound judgment means to think of yourself soberly, to be calm, and to be in your right mind. When every one around you is losing their mind, have the mind of Christ.
 
“Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus: Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God: But made himself of no reputation,…” Philippians 2:5-7
 
 Praying with sound judgment means to exercise control over your emotions, to curb your passions. It is not enough to desire for answered prayer, or to be desperate for it, like a petulant child about to receive something it wants, but just won’t wait for it. Waiting for an answer to prayer does not mean pouting through the process. It should build one’s confidence and expectancy in the provision and grace of The Father.
 
Prayer calms my heart by replacing desperation with expectancy. Sound judgment reveals that I know prayer is my first priority not my last resort. This builds my confidence in The Father and I wait, knowing His answer is on its way.
 
Recently, I returned from a gathering of pastors praying for the next Great Awakening. I went to my parent’s retirement center and gave my 92 year-old father a report. As I began, he leaned towards me like a child on Christmas morning. With his eyes wide open with expectancy and his face beaming with joy, he whispered, “What do you hear out there? Is it coming?”   Taken aback by his unbridled enthusiasm, I choked out the words, “Dad, your prayers have been heard. Pastors are praying. It is coming.” He leaned back on the couch and clapped his hands together and looked towards Heaven, not me. I was the messenger of revival, but God was the mover. It was a sacred moment for us both. Trust the process.
 
Note to Self: Trust the process. Be engaged in it. Don’t rush it. Sober spirit is a call to you to be calm, collected and circumspect in the face of the enemy. Peter uses this word to describe seasoned warriors marching in step with God, and engaging the enemy. When you pray, you do not stand alone. You fight next to The Champion. Remember The End. God wins. TALK LESS! PRAY MORE!

The Altar

“So he built an altar there and called upon the name of the Lord.” Genesis 26:25

God’s favor was on Isaac, not because he deserved it, but because he needed it. A brief study of Isaac’s life reveals a man of weak character plagued by the fear of man.

Fear surges when I am intimidated by the immediate. Over the years, I have experienced Intimidation from a few schoolyard bullies and more than one crisis of faith. Prayer keeps me in touch with The One standing beside me when I am faced with fear. The Father still gives His children courage to overcome their fear. Through prayer, they can be overwhelmed by His Presence.

Isaac had an aversion to conflict. He tried to avoid a quarrel even when his water wells were filled with sand. In a desert land this was a life-threatening attack. Still, he chose to walk away from a fight rather than protect his rights. He was the son of Abraham, but his fear was a far cry from the warrior spirit of his father.

The blessing God poured out on Isaac was not a result of Isaac’s ability. His blessing came as a direct result of his availability to God. When a famine hit the land, Isaac was tempted to move to Egypt to find relief. God spoke these words, and Isaac obeyed them.

“Do not go down to Egypt; stay in the land of which I shall tell you. Sojourn in this land and I will be with you and bless you.” Genesis 25:3

Isaac obeyed and stayed. His obedience was met by a series of humiliating quarrels with the occupants of the land over water rights. He became so intimidated by the conflict that he fell into the same lapse of judgment his father had made, passing his wife off as his sister to avoid making the locals envious. Fear of man does not build strong character. It reveals weak character.

“Now Isaac sowed in that land and reaped in the same year a hundredfold. And the Lord blessed him and the man became rich, and continued to grow richer until he became very wealthy…so that the Philistines envied him…Then Abimelech said to Isaac, ‘Go away from us, for you are too powerful for us.’ And Isaac departed…” Genesis 26:12-17

Wealth didn’t solve all of Isaac’s problems. It just complicated them. God’s blessing brought more conflict with local herdsmen over his water wells. Eventually Isaac found peace.

“He moved away from there and dug another well, and they did not quarrel over it; so he named it Rehoboth, for he said, ‘At last the Lord has made room for us and we will be fruitful in the land.’ “ Genesis 26:22

After this victory in the valley, Isaac sought higher ground. He “went up from there to Beersheba. The Lord appeared to him the same night and said, ‘I am the God of your father Abraham; do not fear, for I am with you. I will bless you and multiply your descendants.’” Genesis 26:24

Isaac built The Altar at the place where he heard from God. When it was finished he called upon the name of The Lord. This pattern of prayer builds character by removing fear. The Lord spoke to Isaac, filling the empty cavity of his soul. Isaac feared man more than he feared God. God offered him His Presence.

The fear of man is no match for The Presence of God. God’s words to Isaac are the greatest gift The Father can give to His children. “Do not fear, for I am with you.” Prayer makes them come alive, taking them out of the past tense and placing them in the face of the intimidation of the immediate.

NOTE TO SELF: Believing prayer is the tool you must use to dig wells to refresh your soul during the faith draining battles of your life. Prayer will also lead you to The Altar after the victories. Pray when you are in the heat of a battle, and you will thirst more for companionship with God than you crave a victory. Praying after a victory will keep you from taking pride in overcoming an enemy. It will lead you to being overwhelmed by God’s favor, and the provision of His Presence. Prayer begins as an expression of your need. It shouldn’t end without an expression of your gratitude. Let your life be marked by both. TALK LESS! PRAY MORE!

The Inquiry

“ ‘If it is so, why then am I this way?’ So she went to inquire of the Lord. The Lord said to her ‘ Two nations are in your womb; and two peoples will be separated from your body; and one people shall be the stronger than the others; and the older will serve the younger.’ “ Genesis 25:22-23

“It is a sin to ask God, ‘Why?’” I have heard this statement for years, but this passage of Scripture challenges the validity of it. Apparently there is no sin in asking God a question. The sin must be in the spirit in which the question is framed.

When a concerned mother came to her Lord for a sense of direction regarding the health of her children, He responded with an explanation. He always does.

On both occasions when Dana was carrying our two daughters, she spent a great deal of time reading them the Scriptures and singing songs of praise to them. Long before they were born she was leading them to inquire of The Lord for their sense of direction.

When our first-born came into the world, a dear friend looked over my shoulder at our precious newborn daughter and said, “She is a little blank slate and you can write on her anything that you want.” I almost passed out at the very sound of such a profound statement.

Little ones carried by Rebekah had a God-designed, and God-given plan for their lives, long before they came into the world. She was a wise mother indeed to seek the counsel of The Lord. It is always wise to pray. Prayer puts you on the same page with what God had written on the hearts of your children.

In The School of Prayer, it never hurts to ask. You aren’t learning if you are talking, but you begin to learn if you start asking the right questions. Humbly bringing an inquiry to The Father in prayer is not a sign of a rebellious child. It reveals a teachable spirit.

Rebekah brought her inquiry to the only source for the right answer. Talking about her question with other people would have only increased her anxiety over the answer. Praying about it released her fear into God’s hands. It opened her hands to receive His answer. Prayer always does.

One of Rebekah’s descendants, King David, followed a similar pattern. His life was marked by, “And David inquired of The Lord.” It is mentioned over and over again in 1 & 2 Samuel. When David inquired of The Lord, he received a clear sense of direction, and the courage to complete the task at hand.

From the killing of a bear, to the slaying of Goliath, to the conquest of his enemies on the battlefield, David received power for the hour. The danger emerged in his life when David allowed a time lapse between the responsibilities he bore and his humility before God. When David stopped inquiring of God, he started straying from God. Can anyone say, Bathsheba?

NOTE TO SELF: The lesson you are to learn from Rebekah, an expectant mother, and David, a prideful King, is this. NEVER STOP INQUIRING OF THE LORD. When you don’t know the answer to your question, inquire of God. When you think you know all the answers, inquire of God. When you are prayerless, you are clueless. Get a clue. TALK LESS! PRAY MORE!

The Preparation

“Isaac prayed to the Lord on behalf of his wife, because she was barren; and the Lord answered him and Rebekah his wife conceived.”  Genesis 25:21

Isaac’s prayer on behalf of his wife, Rebekah is a powerful example of what can happen when a pressing need meets believing prayer. Though being a husband of a barren wife was a slight against his manhood, there was more at stake than Isaac’s reputation.

The offspring of Isaac and Rebekah would continue the bloodline of God’s redemptive plan for mankind. Isaac was not praying for bragging rights. He was interceding for his wife, but he was also trusting God to write the next chapter of the story of redemption through her.

God answers prayer. He always does. Sometimes God says, “Yes.” At other times He says, “No.” More often than not God says, “Wait.” In the case of Isaac and Rebekah God said, “Yes, but wait a while.” Nine months after Rebekah conceived, she bore her husband a set of twins.

Though not always within the same nine-month time frame, answered prayer is delivered from God’s heart to your hands. Learning to wait on God is one of the vital signs of maturity. If you embrace the waiting you will receive peace of God in your heart before they hold the answer from God in your hands. Peace is The Preparation God gives to you when you put your trust in Him through believing prayer.

“Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice! Let your gentle spirit be known to all men. The Lord is near. Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” Philippians 4:4-7

One of the greatest mysteries of life is the creation of a child from the union of a husband and wife. Science has done a great deal to enlighten us to the details. It has not proven capable of understanding why some women are unable to conceive when under the all-seeing eye of the microscope, all systems are go.

Many couples have come to the end of their own resources and turned to adoption as the only means available to them to build a family. I am no longer surprised when I hear this story recounted to me. Some time between the moment the adoption papers were filed, and the child is placed in their arms, a couple announces with great delight and immense surprise, “We’re pregnant.” What’s that all about?

Releasing a pressing need in the hands of a prayer-answering God is a healthy way to live. It is the most effective way to find relief from the stress and fatigue of carrying a burden on your own back or taking matters into your own hands. PRAY!

In the case of Rebekah, I can’t help but wonder if hearing her husband pray for her was the one thing that had been missing in the process of producing an heir. When she heard her husband intercede for her, and not criticize her, perhaps her heart was turned towards her husband.

There is nothing in the world like prayer, to create the one flesh relationship between a husband and a wife. Prayer is The Preparation they need to be the partners and parents God intends for them to be. When Isaac prayed, it is no wonder God heard him. It is little wonder Rebekah did too.

The greater miracle may be that a husband prayed for his wife, not that God opened her womb to bear a child. They both are miracles of biblical proportion.  Prayer was The Preparation for the blessing Rebekah would receive. Isaac needed to know his heir came from God, not himself. Rebekah needed to know nothing was impossible with God. Her pressing need created a praying husband and a set of twins. Her prayer life was about to go to the next level. But I digress.

NOTE TO SELF: When you pray with and over your wife, you invest more in her than the breath in your lungs. Prayer engages the heart of The Father, and the power of The Spirit, in the name of The Son. Interceding for your wife to receive a blessing from God places great value on her, and magnifies her in His Presence. The former honors her, and the latter pleases God. TALK LESS! PRAY MORE!

The Servant

“He said, ‘O, Lord, the God of my master Abraham, please grant me success today, and show lovingkindness to my master Abraham.’ “ Genesis 24:12 

Abraham entrusted The Servant with a daunting task, the selection of a bride for his son Isaac. It would involve a perilous journey back to Abraham’s homeland, and the persuasion of a stranger to follow him back home to become the bride of man she had never seen. Little wonder that he prayed…

“Please grant me success today.”

This simple statement was not a request for more treasure. It was a prayer for God’s timing. He was asking God to allow him to be a part of a Divine appointment. He didn’t want to miss it or to be late for it. The word success carries the meaning of a meeting or a junction. The Servant was praying for God’s timing to be perfect, so that he would be at the right place to meet the right young lady, at the right time.

In God’s view of success, timing is everything. Missing God’s best is always a matter of being out of touch with God’s timing for your life. Getting ahead of God separates you from intimacy with God, as much as running away from God. Both reveal a spirit of independence. The Servant declared his dependency on God for success. NOW is the right time to get in step with God, and to meet with Him. Don’t wait too long.

The Servant, having observed his master’s response to life, followed Abraham’s lead and expressed his own dependency upon God.  When facing this overwhelming task, The Servant turned to God in prayer. Abraham had taught him well.

“Behold, I am standing by the spring…” Genesis 24:13

The Servant was on high alert for God’s answer to his prayer. His prayer had been one of child-like simplicity and humble expectation. His expectancy in prayer was reflected by his posture. He was standing up, looking over the horizon expecting the answer to come.

The woman The Servant had in mind for Isaac was not filled with a spirit of entitlement. He set a very high standard. The potential bride would not be lounging in her tent surrounded by servants meeting her needs. She would not be focused on having her needs met, but she would be a channel of blessing to someone she had never met.

The Servant asked God to lead him to a woman with ministry eyes, and a heart of hospitality. Her response to his need would reveal all about her character The Servant needed to know. It always does.

“’Drink , and I will water your camels also.’” Genesis 24:14b

 Ten camels hauling a great deal of merchandise in an arid climate require an enormous amount of water. Reports vary, but thirsty camels are able to drink between 25-50 U.S. gallons of water at one time.  But I digress.

The wife The Servant had in mind for his master’s son would not be a lazy woman. She would have to draw, haul and pour 250-500 gallons of water from a spring and into a trough until ten camels had their thirst quenched. The Servant prayed for a young woman with a servant’s heart, and a strong back.  

“’…May she be the one whom You have appointed for Your servant Isaac; and by this I will know that You have shown lovingkindness to my master.’ “ Genesis 24:14c

Lovingkindess is not to be confused with benign benevolence. It reveals the powerful, passionate nature of the character of God. His lovingkindness is not provided because people deserve it, but because they need it, and they ask for it.

Answered prayers are intimate expressions of God’s lovingkindness. To those humble enough to ask, patient enough to wait, and expectant enough to watch, He reveals and releases His mercy to them.

NOTE TO SELF: You will never be more successful than your prayer life. God answers prayer. When you are prayerless, you are clueless. Who you are before God in private prayer is who you really are, no more no less. When you pray, you are calling upon God for the one thing you need most, His mercy. You don’t deserve it, but ask for it. You need it. Wait for it. Receive it. TALK LESS! PRAY MORE!

The Test

“Now it came about after these things, that God tested Abraham, and said to him, ‘Abraham!’ And he said, ‘Here I am.’” Gen. 22:1

My cell phone provider released an advertising campaign that promoted their services with a persistent and effective question. It featured a man repeatedly asking into his phone, “Can you hear me now?” It resonated with consumers who had experienced being out of the range of a communication tower. Those who have had phone service interrupted while driving through a mountain range or a deep valley have repeated the same question over and over again.

God’s plan for prayer is all about communication with His children. He is not in need of communicating with them, in the sense that He is uninformed about them.  He already knows what they need. His children need to know, they need Him.

“Your Father knows what you need before you ask Him.” Mt. 6:8

Prayer begins with God’s call to His children, not their cry to Him. Old Testament Scripture provides a powerful picture of God constantly calling out to His children, and His children turning a deaf ear to His voice. The New Testament reveals how God has placed His Spirit within the hearts of His children to remind them whose they are, and to cry out to Him on their behalf even when words fail them.

Prayer begins in the heart of God before the faintest cry comes out of the mouths of His children. The act of prayer is proof positive that The Father is always calling to His children. They are not always listening. When God called Abraham, he responded, “Here I am.” His answer reveals the essence of prayer. God calls His children. His children respond to Him.

Recently, I heard Gov. Bobby Jindal of Louisiana share how he became a Christian. His simple statement revealed the call of God, and man’s cry for redemption.

“I didn’t’ find God. He found me.” Gov. Bobby Jindal

It is in prayer that God reveals His will. God desires His will to be done. More to the point, He desires for His children to desire to do His will. Jesus didn’t debate or fight with The Father. He embraced God’s will. He didn’t resist it.

“Not My will, but Yours be done." ~Jesus, Lk. 22:43

Prayer warriors engage in spiritual warfare, but don’t fight with God. They show up to obey His will, not their own. Like solders on call to the voice of their commander, they make the only proper response to a call from God. They respond with total availability, and immediate obedience. Abraham responded to God’s call with an immediate, “Here I am.”  He didn’t’ say, “Can I put you on hold?

When I entered the ministry almost 50 years ago, I remember hearing preachers remind their people to “Keep short accounts with God.” They urged them to allow no distance, no gap, no delay between hearing from God, and obeying Him.  

When there is a lapse or a gap in obedience, it is not to be ignored. It is to be confessed. This truth never gets old. Disobedience never ages well. Pray and obey.

When Abraham showed up at the sound of God’s voice, he did not know what God had in mind for him. He only knew that he was on God’s mind, and he was in God’s hands. Nothing else mattered to him. Nothing else should ever matter to us.

What was the test?  It was not a True / False question. It was multiple choice. Abraham had to choose between trusting God and resisting God. True belief is always a matter of absolute obedience. God tested Abraham. Abraham trusted God.

“Take now your son, your only son, whom you love, Isaac, and go to the land of Moriah, and offer him there as a burnt offering.” V. 2

“Your only son” reveals God’s view of man-made effort. He doesn’t recognize it. Abraham had two sons. One was the son he had made, Ishmael. The other was the son God had given him, Isaac. There is a huge difference between a good idea, and God’s idea. Man’s plan is no substitute for God’s will.  

Abraham faced a soul-wrenching dilemma. He had to trust God to protect the son God had given him, or fight God to protect the promise God had made to him. Abraham chose to obey God, by trusting Him. His obedience turned out for the best, but it looked like it was the worst thing he could do. It often does.

NOTE TO SELF: Obedience often looks like the worst thing you can do. Look at it through the eyes of faith, not the eyes of fear. Pray and obey. There is no other way. TALK LESS! PRAY MORE!