When the Lord told Abraham that He would take him to a new land and that he would have a son, was Abraham to pray for it to happen when it seemed like it wasn’t going to, or was it for him pray that his faith – his believing – would stay in tack when the fulfillment of that promise looked so bleak? When Sarah became impatient and tried to help God out, did it help?
When God told Moses that He was going to deliver Israel from Egypt and take them to the promised land, was it for Moses and the children of Israel to pray for it to happen, or was it for them to pray that their faith – their believing – would stay in tack when the fulfillment of that promise looked so bleak? When they were caught between the Egyptian army and the Red Sea, was God after their praying or their believing?
When God told Joseph that he would rule over his family, was it for him to pray for when he was sitting alone in prison, or was it for him to pray that his faith – his believing – would stay in tack when the fulfillment of that promise looked so bleak? Did he help matters when he took things into his own hands by asking the two prisoners to put in a good word for him?
When God anointed David to be king, was it for him to pray that the Lord would make it happen, or was it for him to pray that his faith – his believing – would stay in tack when the fulfillment of that promise looked so bleak? David surpassed them all. He could have taken things into his own hands several times to help God move things along, but he didn’t. His trust was in God to do what He said He would do.
In all cases, God in His timing, in spite of what these men did to ‘help God along’ (which in no case actually helped), did what He said He would do. And so these thoughts have changed the way I pray. I no longer pray for the Lord to provide because He told me early on that before it was too late He would, and He has. My praying now is that my faith – my believing – would remain in tack when the fulfillment of that promise looks bleak.
It says of the Israelites when they were backed against the Red Sea, that they were ‘terrified’. Can you imagine if some of them would have nudged the one standing beside them and said, ‘Watch this; this is going to be cool.’; or when Jesus was standing in front of Lazarus’ tomb; none of the disciples believed. Can you imagine if just one would have nudged a few of the others and said; ‘Watch this, this is going to be cool’. Can we, when our situation looks so bleak, believe enough to say, ‘Watch this; this is going to be cool’? I believe it would please God if we could.
Hunger and Thirst 
Very good article. It does make you stop and think about what to pray for. Thanks for sharing!
Scott,
Pleased to meet your aquaintence. I notice you’re from Ga. I grew up in B’ham Al.
Anyway, thanks for stopping by. I browsed your site a little. We share a passion for writing.
This is . . .so cool! 🙂 I love how you are praying and it makes perfect sense to me and brings excitement to my heart today, at what He is going to do. Thank you so much for sharing this and spreading the word to watch . . .this is going to be cool!
Mike,
Always a pleasure to stop by and see what you’re saying. This post did not disappoint, I assure you.
“Watch this; this is gonna be cool.”
I can see some fundie take that statement and put it on a t-shirt proclaiming The Rapture. LOL!
All joking aside, this post brought a sure smile to my spirit. I can confidently say, without hesitation, that indeed whatever The LORD has planned will be very cool to watch.
Good stuff, Mike.
Just think . . . some people think living for God is boring. (There are days boring would be good :-), but overall, I prefer the way it is)
Thank you for this post. I think I needed to hear this today. Blessings,
Eden
Thanks for stopping by and glad you found my post helpful; it was definitely helpful to me.
Excellent post. Love the reminder to expect the unexpected when it comes to God showing up in our lives. Yes, He’s faithful to His word… but its also neat to reminder that sometimes it’s just plain cool the way He does show up.
Dustin,
Thanks for stopping by. You have two cute daugters.
I liked your post, ‘Taking Comfort in Your Smallness’. I wanted to quote a line but it’s really just the entire last two paragraphs. Good stuff.
Mike
Great last paragraph. May God grant us a greater faith in his promises.
Hey – you changed your picture!
You inspired me. That was a picture we took while four wheeling in the woods.
And as far as the last paragraph . . . I find it is easier to write than do, but the Lord does use it to direct and inspire my thinking. I’m reading ‘Visioneering’ by Stanley. I like one of his paragraph headings; ‘What God originates, He orchestrates’.
It is inspiring to read the great stories in the Bible. We read it all in one nice little chapter or two and often miss the agony that the people in the story surely went through. So when we agonize in our own story as it moves in real time, often slow motion time, it is hard to stay in faith. But what in life that is really worth something, is easy?