Job 42:10 (ESV)
And the Lord restored the fortunes of Job, when he had
prayed for his friends. And the Lord gave Job twice as much as he had before.
Today, I have two questions for you…
The first is a question I was asked years ago: “If God
answered the prayers you’ve been praying, would it change anyone else’s world
but your own?”
The next is a question God put on my heart as I studied
about prayer: How much of God’s miraculous power are we unable to experience
because we never pray prayers that are bigger than us?
Now of course God is concerned with the details of our
lives, and what a glorious truth that is! But He’s much more concerned with His
kingdom, will, and glory being expressed through our lives as we activate His
power through our prayers on behalf of others.
In the world in which we live, with the deep issues and
problems we face as people, we often look to governments, kings, policies,
presidents, and world systems to cure the symptoms of the spiritual depravity
present in humanity. The truth is, we will always come up short hoping to cure
the ills of society with man-made systems. There are many strongholds that
dominate our culture. We often point to a people group or a person on which to
place all the blame for the issues of our culture. However, the Bible teaches
us that it is never merely a person—“flesh and blood”—but
spirits—“principalities and powers”—that we actually fight (Ephesians 6:12).
Spiritual issues require spiritual solutions. The answer to spiritual
strongholds is prayer. Prayer will do more than politics, protests, or even
pulpits. Practical solutions are good and necessary to manage symptoms, but
they are ultimately inadequate in overcoming them.
Who and what can you pray for today beyond your own
immediate circumstances and dreams? How about praying for the several thousand
victims of human-trafficking? Pray that God would expose the deeds of evil
people and bring rescue to those held captive. How about praying for
presidents, kings, and countries? Pray that God would grant godly leadership,
justice, and harmony in various places all over the world. How about praying
for that girl in your class or that co-worker at your job? Perhaps they need
encouragement and hope.
Pray prayers beyond the scope of your own life, and watch
what God will do in your own life.
Dear Lord, as we pray help our eyes, ears and hearts be
open to the world around us. In the Name
of Jesus, Amen.
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