Kingdom
HELP IS ON THE WAY
Then he said to me, Do not be afraid, Daniel, for from the first day that you set your heart on understanding this and on humbling yourself before God, your words were heard, and I have come in response to your words. Daniel 10:12 NASB.
Daniel was a prayer warrior. He prayed daily, seeking God constantly. That fact alone is remarkable. But when you consider the time he lived in, it’s downright amazing. He was a captive from Israel who had been taken to Babylon.
He was known to the king, who seeing Daniel’s wisdom, promoted the young man. As a result, Daniel developed powerful enemies who tried to destroy him.
Once after Daniel had been praying over a coming war, an angel appeared. The angel told Daniel that from the first moment of prayer, God had heard his requests. These prayers were immediately answered.
But Daniel did not see those answers for many days. Then one day, an angel arrives to explain that he had been traveling to give a reply from the Lord but was unable to come due to events happening in the spiritual realm.
Daniel’s story illustrates that we may not always see immediate answers to our prayers. But that doesn’t mean that God’s not listening. Not only does God hear your prayers, He will also be faithful to answer them!
God, when I’m praying for others and I get discouraged, help me to remember the story of Daniel. I want to stand strong in my faith, even when it feels like nothing’s happening. In Jesus name. Amen
Powerful and Merciful is our God
Then the fire of the Lord fell and burned up the sacrifice, the wood, the stones and the soil, and also licked up the water in the trench. When all the people saw this, they fell prostrate and cried, “The Lord—he is God! The Lord—he is God!” – 1 Kings 18:38-39, NIV
The nation of Israel was at a crossroads. Some of the people worshipped Baal and other false gods. But a few like Elijah still followed the Lord’s commands.
Elijah knew it was time for the people to choose who they would serve. So he called the king and all of the prophets of Baal together. He proposed a plan: the wicked prophets would build an altar and offer a sacrifice, calling out for their god to send down fire.
They did this early in the morning and they continued all day without results. That’s when Elijah built an altar and doused everything in water. Then he called out and fire fell from Heaven, proving that the Lord is God.
Sometimes the people around us need to see God’s hand moving and know that He’s real and He intervenes in real life situations. When you come across these people, remember Elijah and pray that God would send them a sign.
God, thank You for being the God who listens! I pray for (name) who needs a reminder of Your Presence and Majesty. Send them a sign that they would understand how powerful and merciful You are! In Jesus’ name, Amen.
Keep Asking Questions
I remember being 13 years old and thinking that I needed 2 things. I needed wisdom and discernment. So it was the first thing that I ever remember asking God for. I made plenty of mistakes in these areas… as we all have. But over the years these are two things that I cherished most from God and from others that walked in it. He has been faithful to give it and I have been eager to receive. I never really stop asking questions because He never stops answering. Sometimes my question is a “12th grade” question and my understanding is at an “8th” grade level (metaphorically speaking). So I am aware that He takes me through a series of levels in understanding before the question can be answered to where I can understand. I later saw in the word of God that no matter what, if I asked without doubting Him, He would answer.
James 1:2-8 2 My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, 3 knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience. 4 But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing.5 If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him. 6 But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for he who doubts is like a wave of the sea driven and tossed by the wind. 7 For let not that man suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord; 8 he is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways.
So why do I tell you all this? Don’t give up on unanswered questions or give up on asking God to explain things because you haven’t gotten an immediate answer. What parent answers the same way to a 4 year old than they would a 15 year old? For instance “Mom… where do babies come from?” You can only explain so much to the younger but can give more detail to the older along with greater wisdom, cautions and consequences etc. So stay on the journey to maturity and don’t stop asking… seeing and knocking. Don’t get discouraged. If you keep asking, you will get to “graduate” in more areas.
#StayHisChild
#WeAreNeverGrownToGod
#HeIsTheUltimateTeacher
#AnswersComeInManyDifferentWays