8-9-10
God governs the universe. God has sovereignly determined the primary events in His eternal plan. He will surely accomplish what He has determined regardless of what people or demons do. However, He also governs in intimate partnership with His people and He has chosen to give us a dynamic role in determining some of the measure of the “quality of life” that we experience in the natural and Spirit. We determine this based on our response to the grace of God in our partnership with Him.
When we pray the quality of life increases, if we don’t pray, the quality of our life decreases. God opens doors of blessing and closes doors of oppression in response to our prayers. There are blessings that God has chosen to give, but only if His people rise up in the intimate partnership of prayer to ask for them. Much can be averted through intercession, such as judgment, disasters, sickness, oppression, etc. Also, the measure of revelation we receive, dreams and visions, Holy Spirit encounters can increase as we seek the Lord in prayer. Isaiah 30:18-19 says, “The Lord longs to be gracious to you, and therefore He waits on High to have compassion on you… He will surely be gracious to you at the sound of your cry; when He hears it, He will answer you.” It’s important that we not stumble and give up over the time delay factor in which answers may take months, years or decades, or responses in incremental increases, when answers can be given in small doses, or if we don’t feel the power when we are praying. We conclude wrongly when we think our prayers are ineffective.
Some may trust the sovereignty of God in a non-biblical way of trusting God to do the role that He has assigned to us. This in not truly trusting God, but rather it is presumption before Him. We cannot do God’s part and He will not do our part. God wants to do many things in our life, but He will not do them if we don’t cooperate with Him in obedience and prayer. He will leave them undone. God is sovereign and He wants partnership with human beings. Our decisions really matter and our choices matter for life and death, for time and eternity.
There are three steps we need to take in our partnership with God. First, God initiates what He wants by declaring it in His Word and stirring our hearts. Second, we respond in obedience and prayer to God’s initiative. Third, God answers our responses by releasing more blessing that He would have withheld until He heard our cry. Our prayers matter greatly, even when we do not feel their power.
Jesus says in Mark 4:24, “Take heed what you hear. With the same measure you use, it will be measured to you; and to you who hear, more will be given.” What is it that you believe for your life, and how much do you want of God at the heart level? Don’t make it too small. If we do more of prayer with fasting and walk in obedience, then God gives us more. When is it enough? We cannot measure if we are getting all that God has for us. God delights in us but it is not the same as walking in the fullness of what God has for us. James says, “You do not have because you do not ask.” I want to continue to ask that I may enter into everything God has ordained for me at the heart level by seeking Him and responding in obedience and prayer.
Blessings,
Gary