Category: Prayer

A Look into the Future – Part 4 (Video)

This is the fourth in a series of videos about the future as recorded in the last book of the Bible, the book of Revelation. This video focuses on the most significant event on God’s Prophetic Calendar – the Second Coming of Christ to earth.

The Revelation Art is used by permission of Pat Marvenko Smith, copyright 1992. To order art prints visit her “Revelation Illustrated” site, http://www.revelationillustrated.com. The music and video scene in this video is used with permission from the producers of the video entitled “The Free Gift.”

I AM A BLESSED CHILD OF A GOOD AND GENEROUS FATHER

“7 Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. 8 For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened. 9 Or what man is there among you who, if his son asks for bread, will give him a stone? 10 Or if he asks for a fish, will he give him a serpent? 11 If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask Him!” Matthew 7:7-11

When I was about 5 or 6 years old, my father and mother gave me a very special and unexpected gift at Christmas. My father painstakingly built a miniature Noah’s ark out of wood and my mother hand-stitched stuffed animals to place in the ark. It wasn’t until I was much older that I came to appreciate how much of a labor of love this must have been for them to carefully construct and create such a wonderful gift. We did not have a lot of money in those days, so they used what they had to express their love for me.

As I write this article, I am wondering how many children today have parents who are basically good and generous to bestow good gifts upon them? I also wonder how many people in Jesus’ audience in Matthew 5-7 had experienced the goodness and generosity of their earthly fathers when it comes to the bestowal of good gifts upon them? Before I get ahead of myself, let’s back up to this scene on a mountainside where Jesus was teaching His disciples surrounded by a multitude of people (Matthew 5:1-2).

Christ had just talked to His disciples about sharing the good news of His Kingdom with unbelievers. He compared their unbelieving audience to “dogs” and “pigs” (7:6). Pigs in Jesus’ day were unclean, wild, and vicious animals. Likewise, the dogs in that day were not domestic pets like we have today. They were also unclean, wild, and despised. Jesus warns His messengers that unbelieving people may respond to the good news of the Kingdom like pigs that “trample under their feet” the “pearls” thrown before them or like dogs who “turn and tear you in pieces” when you give them special gifts (7:6b). Christ is cautioning His messengers to be discerning when sharing the good news of His Kingdom with a lost world. Some people will reject their message and turn against them. Therefore, they must be wise about approaching hard-hearted people and rely on the Holy Spirit to prepare those people before sharing more of the message with them (cf. John 16:8-11).

It is in this context that Jesus instructs His followers to pray to their heavenly Father Who is the exact opposite of their persecutors. Christ says, “Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you” (7:7). The words “ask” (aiteō), “seek” (zēteō), and “knock” (krouō) are all present imperatives which would be translated – “keep on asking … seeking … and knocking.” Do not give up no matter how strong the opposition. Jesus is saying to “ask” your Father in heaven for what you need. “Seek” your Father for what you need. “Knock” on the door of Your Father’s house so He will open and give you what you need. God has a huge storehouse of blessings in heaven to give you, but you must ask Him for them to receive them. And these blessings are not necessarily monetary. They may be in the form of favor with those you witness to. He may bless you with protection or boldness as you share the gospel with the unsaved. He may give you assurance when you are plagued with doubts or security when you feel extremely vulnerable.

Christ emphasizes the certain results of persisting in prayer, “Ask, and it WILL BE GIVEN to you; seek, and you WILL FIND; knock, and IT WILL BE OPENED to you. For everyone who asks RECEIVES, and he who seeks FINDS, and to him who knocks IT WILL BE OPENED” (7:7-8). There is no doubt in Jesus’ mind that persistent prayer “WILL BE” answered. His promise allows no room for uncertainty. He does not say they “might be” or “may be” answered. He says they “WILL BE” answered! Why is Jesus so certain of answered prayer? Is it because of our performance or godliness? Our worthiness? Not at all. It it because of the character of our heavenly Father.

Jesus asks His audience, “9 Or what man is there among you who, if his son asks for bread, will give him a stone? 10 Or if he asks for a fish, will he give him a serpent” (7:9-10)? As I read these verses,I wondered if Jesus may have paused for a few seconds after He asked these questions to scan the faces of His audience. Might there have been some faces that winced in pain? Faces that were covered with confusion because they did not have a father who was there to meet their needs? Or if their father was there, he did not give them wholesome (“bread”) or nutritious (“fish”) food for them to enjoy. Instead he used his resources to buy things to medicate his own pain such as alcohol or a prostitute.

Some of you reading this article may be fatherless. You did not have an earthly father who displayed any degree of goodness and generosity towards you. This has left you with deep father wounds in your soul. The idea of a loving and generous father seems foreign to your thoughts and experiences. It is difficult for you to approach your Father in heaven with any sort of expectancy that He will hear or answer your prayers.

Whether our earthly fathers were good and generous or not, Jesus wants His followers to know that their heavenly Father exceeds the goodness and generosity any decent father on earth displayed. Jesus turns to look at the fathers in His audience and He says to them, “If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask Him” (7:11)! Jesus’ point is if our selfish and self-absorbed (“evil”) earthly fathers did not give disappointing (“rock”) or dangerous (“serpent”) gifts when asked for what is wholesome (“bread”) and nutritious (“fish”), how much more will our Father in heaven Who is perfect in goodness and generosity, “give good things to those who ask Him?” (7:11b).

This is why He encourages us to persist in “asking … seeking … and knocking.” Not because of our goodness, but because of the good and loving nature of our Father Who is in heaven. He delights in giving His children good gifts.

Notice the phrase “your Father in heaven” (7:11). Before you can pray like this, you must know God as your Father. Not know about Him, but know Him personally. How? The Bible says, “If the law could give us new life, we could be made right with God by obeying it. But the Scriptures declare that we are all prisoners of sin…” (Galatians 3:21-22a NLT). We cannot become God’s child by obeying God’s laws. God’s laws actually reveal our sinfulness and that we are slaves of sin. No matter how much good you have done, you are still a sinner. You fall short of God’s standard of perfection and deserve to be punished. When we realize we cannot save ourselves from sin, then we will be more open to receiving the promise of eternal life through faith in Christ who died for our sins and rose from the dead (I Corinthians 15:3-6).

“So we receive God’s promise of freedom only by believing in Jesus Christ… For you are all children of God through faith in Christ Jesus” (Galatians 3:22b, 26 NLT). To know God as your Father requires faith in Jesus Christ. For example, just as you trust a chair to hold you up through no effort of your own, so you must trust Christ, through no effort of your own, to give you everlasting life. Once you do, it does not matter when Jesus returns, you will have a home in heaven with Him. You won’t have to panic when some preacher starts predicting the end of the world because you have the assurance you will live with Jesus forever because of your faith in His promise to give eternal life to whoever believes in Him (John 3:16).

Child of God, if you are not asking your Father in heaven to give you good things you are living below average!But when you ask the Father for more and more blessings, you are asking Him to engage in one of His favorite activities. After all, God loves to give and He has a storehouse full of blessings to give you, but You must ask Him for them. When we ask our Father in heaven to bless us, we step forward into another life. And as God blesses us, He wants us to share those blessings with others.

Prayer: Loving Father in heaven, when I awake in the morning, it is with eagerness that I enter into Your presence to soak up Your goodness and grace towards me through Jesus Christ. So many things on earth have distorted my perception of You as my Father in heaven, but I am learning to trust what You say about Yourself in the Bible. I need Your grace to renew my mind in such a way that I may see You as You truly are – a good and loving Father Who delights in lavishing His children with good and perfect gifts from above. It is a fairly new thought for me to think that when I ask You to bless me, I am asking You to engage in one of Your favorite activities. With Your help Father, I am committed to persevering in prayer knowing that You are perfect in goodness and grace. You delight in lavishing me with Your many blessings. Please lead me to the people You want me to share Your blessings with. Oh, how I praise You for being my Father in heaven! And I thank You for loving me more than I ever thought possible. I look forward to talking with You again. With much love. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

I can come boldly into God’s presence

“In whom we have boldness and access with confidence through faith in Him.” Ephesians 3:12

Is it difficult for you to draw near to God in prayer, especially after you have sinned? Do you perceive God to be too distant or unloving to approach Him with your problems? Does the thought of talking to God scare you? If so, listen to what God’s Word tells us in Ephesians 3:12:

“In whom we have boldness and access with confidence through faith in Him” (3:12).

The moment we believe in Jesus Christ for salvation from hell we are placed “in Christ” (Ephes. 1:13-14; 2:8-9). This phrase “in Christ/Him” refers to how God sees us. In the first three chapters of Ephesians, the apostle Paul has been focusing on how God sees us after we come to faith in Jesus. In our last lesson we learned that “the mystery of Christ” refers to the equality of Jews and Gentiles in the body of Christ which had not been revealed previously in the Old Testament (Ephes. 3:1-6).

As a member of Christ’s body, the church, I can approach God’s throne room in prayer with “boldness” and “confidence.” The word “boldness” (parresia) literally means “all” (pa) “speech” (rhesis) or freedom to say all. It conveys an attitude of openness that comes from freedom and a lack of fear. The word “confidence” (pepoithesis) refers to being persuaded that God is Someone I can fully trust and rely upon, much like the confidence that a beloved child has towards his gracious and loving father.

As a forgiven and saved sinner through “faith in” Christ (Ephes. 3:12; cf. 1:7; 2:8-9), I can approach God without any doubts, fear, or hesitancy, wondering if God will welcome me into His throne room. This bold approach to God is not based on any achievements or feelings of my own, but upon the finished work of Christ whereby He paid the full penalty for all my sins when He died in my place on the cross (John 19:30; I Cor. 15:3-4; Col. 2:13-14).

If I lack boldness approaching God in prayer, it could be because I have looked to my own efforts or feelings instead of Christ’s sufficient sacrifice for my sins. If I doubt or disbelieve that all my sins are forgiven and that I am totally accepted by God based on what Christ has done, I will have less boldness in prayer.

But what a wonderful privilege we have as God’s beloved children to take our troubles, our problems, our loneliness, our sadness, and our fears to our gracious and all-wise Father in heaven. This is all possible because of Christ’s finished work on the Cross.

Have you ever had a friend who knew a very famous and distinguished person? You would never have any right to enter that famous person’s presence were it not for your friend’s relationship with that person. This is what our Savior, Jesus Christ, does for us with the most distinguished Person in the universe – Almighty Father God! In the presence of our faithful Friend, Jesus Christ, there is always an open door into God’s throne room.

Prayer: Gracious Father in heaven, thank You for reminding me that I am always welcome to come into Your throne room because I am totally accepted and forgiven through faith in Your only perfect Son, Jesus Christ. Please remove the lies that keep me from approaching Your throne of grace without fear or hesitation. You are for me and not against me as demonstrated by giving me Your best when I was at my worst. I am still amazed by Your outrageous love for me which motivates me to know You more intimately and to make You more well known to a lost and perishing world. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

I now have instant access to God

I HAVE INSTANT ACCESS TO GOD

“For through Him we both have access by one Spirit to the Father.” Ephesians 2:18

Do you ever get frustrated with artificial intelligence? You call a customer service phone number and talk to a computer that mimics the cognitive functions of human beings? After pushing several buttons and being placed on hold, you are finally able to talk to a live person. Thankfully, Christians do not have to worry about such delays when it comes to talking to God in prayer.

After addressing how Jesus reconciled Jews and Gentiles to one another and to God through the Cross (Ephes. 2:14-16), the apostle Paul focuses on their equality before God. He writes, “For through Him we both have access by one Spirit to the Father” (Ephes. 2:18). Both Jewish and Gentile believers have direct “access” to God “the Father” through Jesus’ death on the Cross.

Before the Cross, access to God was through Judaism, but now access is “through” Christ by the Holy “Spirit” for all who believe in Jesus for salvation regardless of culture or background. The word “access” (prosagōgḗ) means to “come towards (near) and have intimate (face-to-face) interaction” with God.

Imagine trying to make an appointment with the President of the United States of America. You telephone the White House, tell them who you are and that you would like to make an appointment. Then the questions bombarb you: “Who are you? Where are you from? What is the nature of your inquiry? Can anyone else help you? He’s very busy.” “I know he’s busy …”

But if the President’s son calls him, that’s not the kind of response he will get. It will be, “Oh yes, I’ll put you right through.” His kids can ring up and just say, “Hey, dad, I’ll be there in 5 minutes. I’m gonna pop in and see ya.” They can walk right past the security guards and secretary into their father’s oval office because they are children of the world’s most powerful leader.

That’s the kind of access we have with God. This is such a magnificent privilege for all Christians. We do not need to go to God through a priest, a pastor, or some other spiritual leader. All believers in Jesus can approach God directly now as His children because Jesus’ shed blood removed the barrier between us and God. We can now enter God’s throne room in heaven through prayer anytime, anywhere, about anything. No one can keep us from entering God’s presence, and nothing can keep God from answering our prayers.

Prayer: Father God, thank You for the direct access I now have into Your presence in heaven through the shed blood of Your Son, Jesus Christ. Thank You for the Holy Spirit who enables me to go to You in prayer at anytime about anything. No one can keep me from approaching You in prayer and nothing can keep You from answering my prayers. This is such an awesome privilege that I do not want to take it for granted. I look forward to our next conversation soon. I love You PaPa. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Overcoming incredible odds

“15 Thus says the Lord to you: ‘Do not be afraid nor dismayed because of this great multitude, for the battle is not yours, but God’s… 17 You will not need to fight in this battle. Position yourselves, stand still and see the salvation of the Lord, who is with you, O Judah and Jerusalem!’ Do not fear or be dismayed; tomorrow go out against them, for the Lord is with you.” 2 Chronicles 2o:15, 17

When King Jehoshaphat and Judah were surrounded by a great multitude of enemies from Ammon and Moab and others with them in what seemed to be certain defeat, Jehoshaphat “set himself to seek the Lord and proclaimed a fast throughout all Judah” and all the people “came to seek the Lord” (20:3-4). As Jehoshaphat turned to the Lord in prayer, he focused on the supremacy and ability of God to meet them and deliver them in the midst of their national crisis (20:6-12). He confessed his and Judah’s inability to overcome these great odds against them, yet he said to the Lord, “but our eyes are upon You” (20:12b).

The Lord told the king and all of Judah not to “be afraid” because “the battle is not yours, but God’s” (20:15). God assured them that they would “not need to fight in this battle” (20:17a) because it was His. Their responsibility was to “position themselves, stand still and see the salvation of the Lord, who is with you” (20:17b). God’s responsibility was to do the fighting in this battle.

Has God ever lost a battle? No, of course not! He never loses. He has a 100% success rate. He bats a 1000. He always wins when He fights against an enemy. The question is, “Will we let Him fight for us?” Will we turn the battle we are facing over to Him?

How did Jehoshaphat position the people to watch God fight for them? Instead of taking up military weapons, he put the choir in front of his army to “sing to the Lord, and … praise the beauty of holiness, …saying: ‘Praise the Lord, for His mercy endures forever’ ” (20:21). As they sang praises to the Lord, “the LORD set ambushes against the people” who came against them and “they were defeated” (20:22). When God heard their praise in the midst of this crisis, He responded to their circumstances and brought them victory.

What battles are you facing right now that seem hopeless? Is the battle in your marriage or family? Your job or school? Your finances? Your health? Your witness for Christ? A habitual sin? God says it is now His battle in your marriage or family. It is His battle at your job or school. It is His battle with your finances or your witness for Christ. It is His battle with your habitual sin.

The Lord says to lay down your weapons (e.g. your anger, clever words, manipulation, obsessing, running, worrying, etc.) and trust Him to fight this battle for you. Put yourself in a position to see God work. Instead of trying harder, be still and trust Him to work on your behalf. Instead of working harder, watch Him fight for you. He is already at work to bring victory.

Then praise Him for what He will do. You may say,“I will praise God after He answers my prayer.” If you wait to praise God until after He answers, is that faith? No. Anyone can thank God after the fact. Faith is thanking God in advance, praising Him in advance that the odds will be overcome, that the solution will arrive, that the miracle will take place. When we start to thank God in advance for what He is going to do, we are going to see some very amazing things happen.

Prayer: Almighty God, I want to acknowledge that the battles I am facing right now are far beyond my ability to overcome them. Right now I want to tune into You, Lord, and see these battles from Your point of view. I know that nothing is impossible with You. You have helped me so much in the past and now I am trusting You to help me now. I am handing these battles over to You to fight. They are now Yours, not mine. I am laying down my weapons and trusting You to win this battle for me. Much of the battle is within me. I am my biggest problem. Please change me wherever You need to. Lord Jesus, I want to thank You in advance for the victory You are going to win. Thank You that I can trust You to do what I never could. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

How can we silence our condemning hearts when we pray?

“20 For if our heart condemns us, God is greater than our heart, and knows all things. 21 Beloved, if our heart does not condemn us, we have confidence toward God. 22 And whatever we ask we receive from Him, because we keep His commandments and do those things that are pleasing in His sight.” I John 3:20-22

The apostle John has just finished talking about how practical acts of love can give believers assurance that they “are of the truth and shall assure our hearts before Him” in prayer (3:17-19). But sometimes when we kneel before the Lord in prayer, we may feel like failures trying to love one another compared to how Jesus has loved us without limitations. We may have a sensitive conscience that condemns us for having done too little, or for not making up for past failures. Our sinful flesh may even suspect ourselves of impure or unworthy motives when we try to love others. This kind of self-condemnation can lead us to think that God could never answer our prayers. No doubt, Satan, who is the accuser of believers (Rev. 12:10), is happy to see Christians approaching God in prayer with a condemning heart that lacks the assurance that God will answer their prayers. He knows if this is not addressed, shame will set in and isolate the believer from God and others.

John counters a self-condemning heart by reminding us that “God is greater than our heart” (3:20a) which may forget how we have loved “in deed and in truth” (3:18) in the past. But what our heart does not take into account, God, who “knows all things” does take into account (3:20b). God remembers the times we have loved others even though our hearts may be inclined to ignore this. During these times when our hearts condemn us, we need to speak the truth to our hearts and assure them that “God is greater than our hearts” in that He “knows all” about how we have loved others in the past. So when we approach God’s throne of grace in prayer (Heb. 4:15-16), John wants us to remember that God takes into account (even if our heart does not) “all” that we have done for Him in love.

When we come before God in prayer with a heart which “does not condemn us, we have confidence toward God” (3:21). The word “confidence” (parrēsia) refers to freedom to speak, boldness, or fearless confidence before God when we pray.

John goes on to say that we can have a more confident and effective prayer life when “we keep His commandments and do those things that are pleasing in His sight” (3:22). Just as an earthly father has great delight in the obedience of his children, so too, does our heavenly Father as well. He loves to answer the prayers of His obedient children who ask for what pleases Him.

Dr. Tony Evans tells the story of being in Columbia S.C. to preach at a crusade at the University of South Carolina’s football stadium. Twenty-five thousand people had gathered for the evening session, but news reports indicated a serious thunderstorm was on the way. In fact, the storm was expected to hit at 7:00 pm—the exact time the meeting was scheduled to start.

When the sky grew darker and darker, the organizers didn’t know what to do at first. Eventually, they called a prayer meeting. When the preachers and other Christian leaders came together, Tony says that all the preachers prayed “safe prayers” – prayers where God would look good either way it went. Lots of comments about the Lord’s will and so forth. Then, a short little woman named Linda spoke up, asking, “Do you mind if I pray?” Linda’s prayer went something like this:

“Lord, Your name is at stake. We told these people if they would come, they would hear a word from God. If they come, and it rains, and You control the weather, then You look bad… because we told them that You wanted to say something to them. Therefore right now I command You, in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, to stop the rain for the sake of Your name!” The preachers opened one eye and started looking at one another and said, “Whoah!”

Everyone took their places under the dark, threatening sky. The leader of the crusade told the people, “We will go as long as we can.” Umbrellas sprouted up among the crowd. Linda was on the stage and a man next to her opened his umbrella and offered to shield her as well. Linda said, “That’s okay. I don’t need it.”

Tony says he and his wife watched as the rain clouds came up to the stadium and then split in two. The storm rained on both sides of the stadium and came back together on the other side. All of those gathered for the crusade stayed dry. They all witnessed a miracle!

When we focus on the fact that God is greater than our condemning hearts and He answers those who are pleasing and obedient to Him, we will have the kind of boldness that Linda had at that crusade. We will be able to approach Him without fear or hesitation.

Prayer: Father God, often times when I approach You in prayer I do not believe You will answer me because my heart condemns me. Help me to believe that You are greater than my condemning heart and know all the things I have done for You in love. I want to love You more and obey Your Word more so I may grow closer to You and deepen my communication with You. Please grant me Your boldness to pray in a way that honors You above all else. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Begin your day with prayer

“O Lord, be gracious to us; We have waited for You. Be our arm every morning, our salvation also in the time of trouble.” Isaiah 33:2

As the faithful remnant of Judah watched the destructive and treacherous Assyrian army approach Jerusalem (33:1), they prayed to the Lord to be “gracious” (compassionate and understanding) to them, not harsh or impatient with them (33:2). They had looked eagerly (“waited”) in faith for the Lord to intervene and penetrate the darkness of night at the dawn of the morning with His strength (“arm”) in a new and living way. They could be excited about the start of each day because God was their “salvation” (deliverance) from their “time of trouble” with the Assyrians.

Do you sometimes have difficulty waking up in the morning to face the day? Perhaps you have changes to deal with at work or there is a person you must face with whom you have an unresolved conflict? Maybe you have been struggling with depression and your mind tends to wander while you are still in bed? Instead of counting your blessings, you are counting your curses?

Whatever challenges you are facing, start your day with the Lord who is “gracious” and kind. God understands you and your circumstances better than anyone. This is why He can be so gracious and compassionate with you.

Do you “wait” expectantly for the Lord each morning, anticipating His strength (“arm”) to penetrate the darkness in your soul or in the world in which you live to deliver (“salvation”) you from “trouble” whether it is from your own actions or the actions of others? The Lord is waiting to assist you in the morning. Will you check in with Him through prayer?

To help the truths of this verse sink in to your heart and mind, kneel before the Lord and slowly read this verse aloud attentively. Then write the verse out in your journal and read it aloud again. Read the verse aloud again, asking “Where am I in this passage?” Replace the personal pronouns in the verse with your name. For example, I would pray, “O Lord, be gracious to Jeff; Jeff has waited for You. Be Jeff’s arm every morning, Jeff’s salvation also in the time of trouble.” Personalizing the verse in this way helps the Holy Spirit apply these truths to the emotional center (limbic system) of your brain.

Read the verse again noticing what word or words jump out at you, grabbing your attention. Focus on those words for a while. Finally, read the verse again and write out what you have observed. Ask the Holy Spirit to help you see how this applies to your life. Doing this will help renew your mind with the truth of God’s Word. Then you can write out a prayer to the Lord that helps you apply the verse to your life.

Prayer: Dear Lord, thank You that I can start every morning afresh knowing that You are gracious and strong to deliver me from trouble whether it is the result of my own decisions or the decisions of others. Nothing is too hard for You. Help me not to underestimate Your power to change me or my situation. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

What can we do with the angry thoughts we have toward those who have wounded us?

“In return for my love they are my accusers, but I give myself to prayer.” Psalm 109:4

In return for his love for them, a group of people caused great pain to King David by falsely accusing him (109:2-5, 20-25). Instead of seeking revenge, David sought the Lord in “prayer” (109:4b). The phrase “give myself to” in verse 4b is in italics which means this phrase is not in the original Hebrew language. So the verse literally reads, “but I am prayer.” David’s life was so filled with prayer he could say his life is prayer. When the apostle Paul said, “For to me, to live is Christ” (Philippians 1:21), David would probably have said, “For to me, to live is prayer.” We would say he lived, ate, and slept prayer. The centrality of prayer in his life reflected his great dependence upon the Lord.

David asked God to severely judge his accusers (109:6-29). He pleaded with God to return what his enemies were doing to him back on themselves. For example, He asked God to “set a wicked man” over his enemy to oppose and accuse him (109:6). He wanted God to judge him “guilty” and put him to death (109:7-8). He also prayed the Lord would punish his enemy’s “children” and “wife” for his evil doings (109:9-10) so that no one would remember him and so that he would have no descendants (109:11-15). The reason David prayed this way was because his enemy had practiced these things David asked God to do to him (109:16-20, 28-29). David was confident that God would save him from his enemies, so he promised to “greatly praise the Lord” (109:30-31).

Do you ever find yourself at a loss for words when you have been deeply hurt by those whom you have loved? You have these angry thoughts toward them, but you have been taught that anger is sin, so you stuff your feelings down or condemn yourself for having them? If that describes you, follow David’s example and express your anger to God in prayer. God already knows they are there, but He wants you to release them to Him, so He can heal you and work in your life and in the lives of those who have wronged you.

Harboring angry thoughts will hurt you more than your offenders. Instead of trying to get even, get honest with the Lord so He can lift your burdens and deal with those who have mistreated you. It is not wrong to pray for God to punish evil doers because He has promised to do so either in this life or in the future (cf. Acts 17:30-31; 2 Thessalonians 1:6-10; Revelation 6:9-10; 16:4-6; 19:2, 11-21). But it is also important to pray for their salvation lest they perish without Christ (John 17:20; Romans 10:1; I Timothy 2:1-7).

What do I do when I feel overwhelmed?

“When my heart is overwhelmed; Lead me to the rock that is higher than I.” Psalm 61:2

When King David felt “overwhelmed” by his circumstances and feelings, he turned to the Lord (“Hear my cry, O God” – v. 1) to “lead” him to “the rock that is higher than” he was (61:2) because God had proven to be “a shelter” and “strong tower” for him in the past (61:3). A rock was a symbol of stability, security, and strength.

When we feel overwhelmed with life we may say to ourselves – “This is more than I can handle. I cannot go on.” What do we do in these situations? Where do we turn for help when we feel overwhelmed? Some of us may turn to a bottle of alcohol, a brief romantic relationship, a shopping spree, a busy schedule, or to a dark space in the corner of our minds to escape the overwhelming circumstances or feelings we are facing. 

This is not what King David did. David turned to the One who could lead him above his overwhelming circumstances and feelings and give him stability (“rock”), security (“shelter”), and strength (“strong tower”) instead (61:2-3). 

During my 20’s, God enabled me to climb several 14,000-foot peaks in Colorado. Often times when I reached the 12,000-foot range, my head would be throbbing from altitude sickness and I would be overwhelmed with fatigue. The temptation for me at that point was to turn around and go back down the mountain. What helped me to keep going upward was focusing on the Lord and the next rock above me, remembering God’s faithfulness on past climbs to help me reach those summits.  

When we feel overwhelmed and we are tempted to give up, let’s do what David did, and look to the Lord to lead us to a secure place that we could never reach on our own. Recalling God’s faithfulness to be our “rock,” “shelter” and “strong tower” in the past, can increase our confidence in Him to be our stability, security and strength in the present. 

Have you asked God to bless you?

“And Jabez called on the God of Israel saying, ‘Oh, that You would bless me indeed.’ ” I Chronicles 4:10a

In Hebrew, the name Jabez (יַ֠עְבֵּץ) means “Pain” or “Painful.” Why did his mother name him Jabez? Perhaps it was a difficult pregnancy or delivery; or due to emotional pain – maybe his father left during the pregnancy or died. Whatever her reason, this was not a good start for this boy. 

We don’t have to let our past determine the present or even our future. Maybe your parents told you you’d never amount to anything, you can’t do anything right, you’re nothing but a pain. Don’t listen to those lies. Jabez did not. He turned his pain into gain. How?

He handled his problems by handing them over to God. He chose to live a life that was honorable to God in spite of his painful beginning. He prayed to the God of the universe. It’s as if he was saying, “God you know me, you know my mom called me a pain, and at times I have been. But now I want to break out of that rut and I know the only way I can do that is if You will bless me. I want to live a life, God, that is more honorable to You.” 

To ask for God’s blessing means to ask for His supernatural favor, His kindness to be poured out into our lives. “Oh, God pour out Your goodness into my life.”  

The word “indeed” (תְּבָרֲכֵ֜נִי) is like adding five exclamation points. “Bless me not just a little, but a whole lot! Pour it on, God!!” He does not tell God how to bless him. He doesn’t ask for money or popularity or a new house. He lets God determine how to bless him. While all his friends were content with being average and mediocre, Jabez said, “God I want you to bless the sandals off of me! I want you to do something big with my life!” Jabez did not want to be average or ordinary. He deeply wanted God’s blessing on his life. 

A lot of Christians just drift through life today. They have no goals and no ambition. As a result, they never accomplish much for the Lord. They are merely existing. Every one of us needs a dream from God. If we are not dreaming, we are drifting. When we stop dreaming, we start dying. When we stop setting goals, we stop growing. God made you for growth. He wants you to stretch and develop. God never created you to go through life with a halfhearted attitude, wondering what you are doing and where you are going. God wants you to have great ambition. He dares you to ask for big requests. 

“Call to Me, and I will answer you, and show you great and mighty things, which you do not know” (Jeremiah 33:3). Paul says that God “is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to His power that is at work within us” (Ephesians 3:20). This means you cannot out-ask God. You cannot out-dream God. If you could stretch your imagination to the greatest limits of what you think could possibly happen, God can go far beyond even that. He can go beyond your imagination. God says, “Trust Me. Ask for things. Get a big dream.”