WHAT TIME IS IT? Part 1

“Why didn’t I pick up the last 50 pound sack of flour on the shelf in the grocery store?”  I asked myself this question in a fit of self-condemnation after hearing that the Coronavirus could last for months rather than weeks. I thought how my “prepper” friend would have a fit if she knew that I had passed up the coveted flour!

And then I heard the Holy Spirit echo my question. “Yes, why didn’t you pick it up?” He was reminding me that the decision to leave it behind had been a conscious choice on my part, and it had been pleasing to Him.

In December, my friend had warned me that there would be a food shortage in March and April and encouraged me to buy bulk. In looking back, the Holy Spirit must have revealed this to her because no one knew the effects that Covid 19 would have on the world, the United States included.

I had considered what she said. It was time to prepare, and I did buy a little extra. It wasn’t that I didn’t heed her warning, I just put it off because we were so busy right then that I decided to wait until the first of March before I really stored much. As it turned out, I was tied up until the end of the first week of March. By then, word of the virus was out and it was already difficult to find beans, rice and flour, let alone large quantities of them.

We all witnessed the world change before our very eyes. Doubt and denial became fear that turned into panic. The CDC labeled the virus in our nation as a pandemic, and pandemonium broke out in many places as people stormed the grocery stores stocking up or (or stockpiling) what they considered to be essentials.

It is not time to fear. Most Americans have never considered a scenario such as this happening in our “land of plenty.” The impulse to worry about not having enough or going without what we think we need is great. But this is not the time to be frantically hoarding as much as we can.

It is time for us to diligently and fervently seek the Lord while He may be found (Isaiah 55:6-7). Through the order to stay home, we have been given an amazing gift of time. Instead of wasting it, I pray that we will use it wisely.

James 4:8 says, “Draw near to God, and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded.” By nature, we are social creatures, and while we have been told that it is time to practice social distancing and isolation, the Lord tells us that it is time to draw near to Him and that He will draw near to us. Just think how comforting the loving arms of Jesus are!

While we are washing our hands and sanitizing our houses, it is time to cleanse our spiritual hands and purify our hearts from the ways of the world and from our double-mindedness. Psalm 139:23-24 explains, “Search me, O God, and know my heart; try me, and know my concerns, and see if there is any rebellious way in me and lead me in the ancient way.”

What does cleansing our hands look like? For me, it means examining all the things I’ve been “doing,” and then asking the Holy Spirit to show me what I’ve picked up and incorporated into my life that is not His will or His plan for me. It is time for me to repent and to learn new habits. It may look different for you.

How about double-mindedness? The Lord’s been revealing how I say I trust Him, and then when I hear the next wave of news, my first response is panic. Do I trust? Or do I panic? Yes, both! This is double-mindedness. It’s true that we will experience the emotion of fear at times even when we trust, but if we truly trust, we will choose to reject panic and will cry out to Jesus, the Prince of Peace, to calm the storm of our panicked thoughts just as the disciples did several times when they were being beaten by storms on the sea. It is time for me to repent and to practice using a single-mind, Christ’s mind because trusting God is spiritual worship, and we were created to worship Him. (Matthew 8:23-26; Philippians 2; 1 Corinthians 2:16; Romans 12:1-2; Jeremiah 29:13; 2 Chronicles 7:14; Isaiah 43:7)

It is time for us to learn to “worship the Father in spirit and in truth” (John 4:23-24). To do this, we must understand that the physical world is only one part of the system. The spiritual realm is just as real and active as the physical. These two realms are tightly connected, and whatever we see, hear and feel, we can be sure that there is much more going on that we cannot see, hear and feel. Within the spiritual realm, there are two kingdoms at war for our hearts and minds.

God is Holy Spirit, and when our spirits choose to believe in Jesus Christ, then He opens our hearts to His love and fills us, connecting us instantly with our heavenly Father. We choose to serve God with our spirit (Romans 1:9), no matter what our soul (mind, will and emotions) is telling us, and as we do this, Holy Spirit and angels help us to live in the “obedience of faith” (Romans 1:5) while we build ourselves up in our “most holy faith” (Jude 1:20).  Obedience to God rarely makes sense to our rational way of thinking, for it is a spirit-choice rather than a soul-choice. Holy Spirit’s ways are not like ours. We have become reliant on technology especially now while we are all isolated. We are blessed to have electricity, but at some point, that may fail too. How awesome that we can relate to and interact with our heavenly Father without technology!

In Satan’s kingdom there are evil spirits, some that are so powerful the Bible calls them “gods.” Many of these are incorporated into belief systems around the world. They are very real and are a part of the spiritual realm, just as angels of God are real and active. Of course, none are as powerful as Yahweh. This being said, I want to call attention to one of these “gods” named Pan because I believe that he is responsible at least in part, for the strong reactions of the people in our nation to this virus.

Demons can manipulate our thoughts and feelings, and can therefore influence our actions if we are living from our soul rather than our spirit. One of the main functions of this spirit called Pan is to inspire terror in the hearts of man. Yep. This is where we get the words panic, pandemic, and pandemonium. There are people who worship this false god. Some may use his power of fear to manipulate and control others. Some do not realize that they are worshipping him when they give-in to and are dominated by the fear and terror he inspires.

I say “Ouch!” because I have realized that when I give in to fear, to panic, I am participating in worship of a false god. God’s Word says, “For God has not given us the spirit of fear, but of power, and love, and self-control” (2 Timothy 1:7).

As I thought back to the moment of decision to pick up the large bag of flour or not, the Holy Spirit was reminding me of His prompting and my choice to walk in faith, not in fear.  By leaving the flour behind, I was rejecting the work of this demonic spirit and the temptation to join with him in the panic he was trying to raise in me, as well as the panic he is inciting within the world. I was taking a stand in the faith of my Almighty God.

I am not saying that we should not pick up important items. I am saying that it is time for us to check our thoughts, feelings and motives, to trust in the Lord with all of our heart, to lean not on our own understanding. It is not time to react in ungodly fear. It is time for us to acknowledge the Lord in all of our ways, and then He will make our paths straight in this crooked world (Proverbs 3:5-6). “Do not be wise in your own eyes; fear the Lord and depart from evil. It will be health to your body, and strength to your bones (Proverbs 3:5-6).  Amen!

It is time to listen carefully to the Holy Spirit, to remember the truth of God’s Word, and then to respond in trust, in the obedience of faith.  After all, as Paul so beautifully reminds us in Philippians 1:21, “to live is Christ, and to die is gain.”

The following is an image of Pan, contributed by Connie Stoffel, The Tameion Chamber

Sermon: THIS IS NOT THE END!

Pastor Greg Stoffel of Ignite Revival Ministries states, “This is not the end.  It is the end of the way we’ve done business with God.  Things won’t be the same after this.”  Please watch and share.

THIS IS NOT THE END!

STORYTIME With NONIE:

The Lord has impressed on me to begin recording stories that my mother told to me and many other children through Good News Clubs and Junior Church.  The pictures may look dated, but the lessons are timelessly valuable in training up our children as followers of Jesus Christ.

In trying to determine a target age, I am at a bit of a loss, for while I speak in a way that three year olds could understand, I believe that the story holds the interest of any who choose to listen, no matter the age.  For ongoing stories, go to “Storytime with Nonie” on this site and see “Stories with Love and Lessons;” or visit my youtube channel Nancy Bowser Youtube and see Playlist: “Stories with Love and Lessons.”

The first of these stories is called, Little Boat Twice Owned, and teaches about redemption, even though I did not use that word in the telling of it. ENJOY and SHARE!

STORYTIME With NONIE: Little Boat Twice Owned

The Church and Social Distancing

Tags

Coronavirus, Covid 19, Social Distancing

As the world is facing the effects of Covid 19, the Coronavirus, Pastor Greg Stoffel of Ignite Revival Ministries has a message that we all need to hear. I hope you’ll listen in.

The Church and Social Distancing

The Season of Miracles

We pray for miracles, especially this time of year as we remember the miracle of our Lord and Savior’s birth, life, death and resurrection.  I’m going to tell you a story of an answered prayer, although it was not recognized until many years later.

Amy Carmichael was born in Ireland in 1867.  As a little girl with brown eyes, she desperately wanted blue ones.  Her parents had told her that God answered prayer, and so one night as she was preparing for bed, she got on her knees and she asked God to change her eyes so that they would be blue.  Her mother tucked her in as usual, and Amy could hardly wait for morning so that she could see her beautiful new blue eyes.  As she awoke that next morning, her first thought was of blue eyes.  She jumped out of bed and ran to a mirror in hopeful anticipation.  There, looking back at her, were her own two brown eyes.  Disappointment and hurt that God had not answered her prayer caused her to run to her mother in tears.  I often consider the mother’s wise answer as she explained, “Amy, God always answers prayer.  But sometimes He says no.”

Amy grew up with a heart of God’s love and compassion for India.  She went as a missionary, acquired property and started an orphanage.  One of the many disturbing things to her in that land of much suffering were the children, mostly girls, that were forced to live as temple prostitutes, and her seemingly inability to do anything about it.  As a white woman, she was not allowed inside.  After much prayer, she had an idea.  She would disguise herself as a native.  With the help of one of her Indian friends, she bathed her skin in the strong coffee of the land, and sure enough, it dyed her skin brown.  Being darker in color and dressed in the attire of the Indian women, she walked right into a temple.  With the Holy Spirit guiding her, she led her first young girl out of that temple and into the love and freedom of her compound.  After that, many young girls found their way to Amy, some on their own, and others that she rescued.  They were all drawn to her love, and Amy became known as Amma, Mother.

It was while Amy was preparing for another temple rescue that she became aware of how God had truly answered her prayer from so many years past.  As her friend was helping her with her coffee bath, she mentioned how lucky Amy was that she had brown eyes.  “Amma, if your eyes were blue like other whites, you would never be able to enter the temple, for they would know you didn’t belong even if your skin was brown.” 

Amy’s heart was full of thanksgiving for God’s wisdom and foresight in saying no to her request, and for preparing her to be a part of the miracles that He wanted to do in the land of India for so many.

God is always faithful and is looking for us to be faithful to Him in return.  When we are faithful and obedient to His Word, when we keep His commandment to believe in the name of Jesus Christ, to love one another, and to do what is pleasing in His sight, then we can ask for anything according to His will and we will receive it.  (1 John 3:22-23).  It may not look like we want it to, but He is all-knowing and can see the things ahead that we can not see, therefore we must have faith in Him even when He says “no.”

Our little two year old grand-niece was being reprimanded by her parents for telling them “no.”  She replied in tears, “But I love no!”  I couldn’t help but chuckle when I heard this, for that is such a good picture of how most of us feel even if we don’t express it out loud.  We want our own way, and in our fleshly nature, we want God to do our will instead of the other way around.  

Amy didn’t allow her disappointment in God’s answer to turn her heart from Him.  Instead she chose to trust Him and to serve Him in faithfulness.  She lived and worked in India for over 55 years without a furlough!  She was able to do this because her first priority was worship of God, and her second was service to Him.  Amy chose to say “no” to herself and “yes” to God.  He answered her prayers.  She witnessed miracles, for her faithfulness allowed the Holy Spirit to fill her and to use her in mighty ways.  

So many of us need God to answer our prayers.  We need miracles of various kinds.  God is faithful and will do His part.  Possibly we need to examine our hearts.  Do we “love no?”  I pray that this story will encourage each of us to live in faithfulness; in “yes” to Him even if it involves suffering, just as Jesus said yes to the Father’s will and chose to obediently give His life to save ours.  I pray that we will draw near to God and make worship of Him the number one priority in every area of our lives, casting away all of our presumptions and assumptions that deafen us to the Holy Spirit’s voice and that would hinder us from realizing God’s answers. 

May this truly become a season of miracles for you.

“And whatever we ask, we will receive from Him, because we keep His commandments and do the things that are pleasing in His sight.  And this is His commandment: that we should believe on the name of His Son Jesus Christ and love one another as He commanded us.  Now the one who keeps His commandments remains in Him, and He in him. And by this we know that He remains in us, through the Spirit whom He has given us.”  1 John 3:22-24, MEV.

Encounter THE LIVING WORD

I hadn’t intended to write another book, but then I had such an extraordinary vision which took me on an amazing spiritual journey, and I couldn’t help but write it down to share. It is available on Amazon @ Encounter THE LIVING WORD

Breakfast With Daddy

My dad and I have always been close.  When I was twelve years old, he asked me to go for a ride with him on his motorcycle.  We rode through the desert enjoying the serene wilderness and just being together.  And then he took me to breakfast.  He made me feel special.

This began a tradition for us that we have carried out all through my life, even though he was a very busy man.  Breakfast with Daddy has always been a time for us to talk about things we don’t talk about at any other time.  I don’t know why we don’t.  Maybe it’s because life is too busy, but when we go to breakfast, the other stuff is suspended somewhere in time waiting for our return.  Those couple of hours are always a special time.

Forty-seven years have passed since our first breakfast. It’s been many years since we rode his bike, and many things have changed.  This morning we went to Black Bear Diner, and this time we brought Mother.  Daddy had a stroke a couple of months ago.  Now I drive him.  Daddy can’t communicate like he used to.  He often feels frustrated and stupid when his words don’t line up with his intended thought, and when he has trouble comprehending and following conversations. 

As we pull into a handicapped parking space in front of his favorite restaurant, I wonder if he’s thinking about all the other times we’ve been there; of all the conversations we’ve had. 

Daddy slowly gets out of the car and shuts the door. Mother and I are waiting patiently.  Sort of.  He takes a few steps, I take hold of his arm.  “Watch the step up here, Daddy,” I warn as we approach the curb.

But Daddy has stopped.  He isn’t looking at the step up.  He’s looking at something else and exclaims.  “Oh how beautiful they are!  They are just beautiful!”

I turn to see the flowers in front of the building.  “Yes they are,” I reply.  “Watch the step up Daddy.”  I’m thinking that it’s getting hot and hope to hurry him along.

But he remains at a standstill admiring the beauty, unaware of the discomfort Mother and I are feeling.  Unaware of the heat.  Unaware of my prompting.  Another effect of the stroke is that it seems to have left him with the inability to focus on more than one thing at a time.  There’s no hurrying him.  When he’s finished drinking in the visual beauty, then he takes the step up and we slowly enter the diner.

Our booth is at the back of the restaurant. And Daddy slowly walks past tables of people enjoying their breakfast.  Being in the lead, I turn and see that Daddy has stopped to talk at one of the tables.  Mother looks at me apologetically, but there is little she can do to change his focus. When he gets past that table, there is another one with people that for some reason, he feels the need to stop and bless.

That’s what Daddy has always done.  He blesses people.  In doctors offices, the grocery store, in restaurants, on the sidewalk… And when they allow him to, he prays with them.  The stroke had not taken that away from him.  It just slowed him down.

I look at the time, and then I see that he’s moving again.  He’s almost to our table.  He orders a large breakfast, explaining that he’s going to take some home for his lunch. He is so happy to be at Black Bear Diner, drinking coffee and waiting for his chicken fried steak with all the fixin’s.  In his joy, he reminds me of a little boy.  

While we eat, we talk about trivial things. The big black stuffed bear sitting at the bar.  The sign that says, “Yes, you want pie.”  Daddy says he’s not ready for pie yet because he’s still eating his big breakfast.  We laugh.  But Mother must notice my impatience although I thought I was hiding it quite well because she says, “I’m sorry we are taking up so much of your morning.” I reply that it’s fine, that I don’t have other plans.  And that is true.  Although I can’t stop thinking about the phone calls I need to make, the bills to be paid, the weeds in the garden, and how I’m going to tell my husband that I just ran over a curb and tore the bumper off the car.

Much later after Daddy has eaten his whole breakfast, and drank a last cup of coffee, the waitress explains that someone paid our bill!  Oh my!

Daddy stands, and with his cane in tow, he begins walking past the tables, stopping to bless the people… He’s unaware of time. He’s unaware of the damage to the car. He’s unaware of the business and burdens of life.  

We arrive at the car, and as we head home, Daddy starts singing an old child’s hymn.  

“Rolled away, rolled away, rolled away.  All the burdens of my heart rolled away.”  He can’t remember all of the words, but he fills in the rest by humming the tune.

Perhaps Daddy is aware of more than I know!  This is exactly what I need to hear.  I need to remember the truly important things in life.  Do not hurry.  Stop and enjoy the beauty.  Focus on one thing at a time.  Make time to be with those I love and rejoice in the time we have together.  Interact with people and bless them.  Cast my cares on Jesus and watch the burdens of my heart roll away.

I smile to myself.  My Daddy is still teaching and encouraging me during our breakfasts together.  If I will take the time to listen.  I contemplate the reversal of roles in our lives, and I realize that I want to be as good at making him feel special during our breakfasts as he made me feel for all those years, even though I’m a busy woman.

As we pull up in front of his house, Daddy says, “I really enjoyed being with you today.  Thank you for taking me to breakfast.”  

Yes.  My Daddy is still here, even when, at times, his mind seems veiled.  My Daddy is still setting an example for me to follow.  My Daddy is not stupid.  My Daddy is the wisest man I know.

Rolled away, rolled away, rolled away
Every burden on my heart rolled away
Rolled away, rolled away, rolled away
Every burden on my heart rolled away
All my sin had to go, ‘Neath the crimson flow..
Rolled away, rolled away, rolled away
Every burden on my heart rolled away

Every burden on my heart rolled away

Salvation In JESUS CHRIST Alone

I testify that there is salvation in Jesus Christ.  He alone is the Savior of the world for all who believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; who willingly choose to humbly surrender to Him.  I declare the truth that the blood of Jesus cleanses us from all sin, transferring us from the kingdom of death to the kingdom of life,  No other blood sacrifice can lead to eternal life, and will instead lead to bondage in this life and eternal damnation in the next.

Scripture that testifies that there is salvation in Jesus Christ alone:  Acts 8:37; Hebrews 7:25; 1 Timothy 1:15; John 14:6; 1 John 1:5-10; Hebrews 10:4

The Shepherd and the Sheep

Tags

healing, Jesus the Good Shepherd, John 10:10, Prison, The Kingdom of God, The Sheep, The Wolf

I am not an artist, but I hope you can look beyond my childlike ability and see the point of the illustration from John 10:1-18 at the bottom of this post.  After reading this passage, look at the bottom of the picture beginning with the prison. 

Inside the bars on the left is a web of lies and deception, bondage.  These things keep us imprisoned.  When we see the truth of God’s Word, of who He truly is, of His love, power and ability to set us free, we then have a choice to make. Will we choose to believe the truth and to repent from the things that led us there, to renounce and reject them, then to act on and obey the truth which is unfamiliar but leads to freedom, or will we stay in the familiarity of bondage?  (John 8:31-32)

If we choose truth, we must be willing to walk out of the prison, Satan’s kingdom.  When Jesus rose from the grave, He opened these prison doors so that we can freely walk out of the prison in spite of Satan’s threats. (Isaiah 61:1-3.  Matthew 27:50-53 is a physical representation of this spiritual truth)

The square in the middle is the Sheepfold, and the area surrounding it is the world.  Jesus is the Shepherd and of course we are the sheep.  As we leave bondage and the prison behind, we must go directly into the Sheepfold under the care of the true Shepherd, Jesus, and His human pastor/shepherd (under-shepherd).  We can belong to the Shepherd and linger in the world, but the result will be that we will find ourselves once again in the same prison of bondage we just escaped, for in the world Satan has stationed his servants that are bent on recapturing us (Galatians 4:8-9).  These are represented by serpents, scorpions, roaring lions, wolves and even false teachers. We may encounter some of God’s sheep, His people in the world, for the Shepherd leads certain ones out into the world to minister salvation, hope, healing and freedom to those ready to receive it, and to lead them into the Sheepfold.

The only true way into the Sheepfold is through Jesus Christ, the Door, the portal or gate into God’s Kingdom.  Through Jesus’ cleansing, purifying, sanctifying, delivering and healing blood we are in Christand have been “brought near” to our heavenly Father.  Through Jesus we have access to Father God and invitation to join Him! (John 14:6; Romans 10:9-10; Ephesians 2:13,18).  When we confess that Jesus is Lord and believe (cling to, trust in and rely on Him), then we leave Satan’s kingdom of darkness behind and enter into God’s Kingdom of Light (Galatians 1:13).  Psalm 96:6b says that “strength and beauty are in His sanctuary.”

Only those who enter the Sheepfold through the Door of Jesus belong there with the rights, privileges and access to God’s Kingdom resources.  Often the sheep that enter through Jesus, are sick and wounded, weak and vulnerable.  We may wonder why it doesn’t always feel safe in this place of safety, and there are many reasons why.  It is my belief that there are many hurting sheep in the fold that don’t know how to apply the truth of the Word of God, and unfortunately, hurting, offended sheep tend to hurt and offend others.  We must be careful not to blame the Shepherd for this, for He faithfully makes His Word available for the sheep.  He knows that if they will feed on Him, they will be healed.  And yet, many of the sheep choose to feed on things that have no eternal, healing value and are starving to death in the midst of abundance.

Many times these hurting sheep are prone to wander and are used to relying on their own defense mechanisms of survival.  If they leave the sheepfold too soon, they most likely will not survive.  But if they will remain in the Sheepfold where they are fed with God’s Word, loved by His sheep, learn to know the Shepherd’s voice, and to trust and to obey only Him, then their wounds will be healed and they will grow strong and healthy, able to minister to other hurting sheep either inside or outside the fold. Sometimes because of the wounds or sins of the past, even though the sheep no longer belong to Satan’s kingdom, there may be demons that cling to the sheep and need to be recognized, renounced and cast off of the sheep and out of the sheepfold, for if these are allowed to remain, they will influence the sheep to walk back out the door and into the same bondage as before Christ.

We also see in John 10 that there is another way into the Sheepfold, for the wolf can jump the fence and enter the Sheepfold as well.  He is not there for relationship with God or the sheep.  He is a thief and a robber, who scatters the sheep looking for a vulnerable little lamb that he can steal, kill and destroy.

And there are times when familiar voices in the world call out to the little lambs who are in the sheepfold.  If the sheep listen to the old voices and leave the Sheepfold without the Shepherd leading them out, they will be placing themselves in great danger of being recaptured or destroyed.  The sheep in the fold must learn to discern these old familiar voices from that of the true Shepherd.  This is one of the jobs of pastors and teachers, to help train up the sheep to know the Shepherds voice through His Word.  But again, we must be on guard, for there are some “pastors,” hired hands or hirelings who are not in the role God has called them to be, and therefore do not have the power or authority to raise up healthy sheep, or to protect them in the face of danger.  We must be careful who we allow to have influence over us, even in the sheepfold. But the Holy Spirit is our guide, Counselor and Teacher, and if we continue in His Word that is alive and powerfully active, we will know the truth, and the truth will set us free (Hebrews 4:12; John 8:31-32).

The Sheepfold can be an awesome safe place when we keep our eyes fixed on the Shepherd who loves and cares for us in the confines of His Sheepfold. But herein lies a problem for many new sheep.  Many do not like the confines even though it is the only place of true hope, healing and freedom.  They miss the fleshly pleasures of the world, and if they do not choose to put off their old nature which is corrupted by deceitful lusts; if they do not allow the Holy Spirit to change their mindsets and work at renewing the spirit of their minds, and if they do not put on the new nature in God of righteousness and true holiness (Ephesians 4:22-24), they may return to the world and its ways. This truth is illustrated in the parable of sower in Matthew 13:1-23.

God’s Kingdom is not confined to the Sheepfold, for His Kingdom lives in the hearts of His people (Luke 17:21).  Jesus came to give us abundant life, not as the world perceives abundance, but the riches and abundance of relationship with Him as we experience the fullness of God and all of His Kingdom treasures and resources that belong to His children which He lavishly bestows on us so that we can be lights in the darkness and can fulfill the great commission as we lead others into the Kingdom of God, His Sheepfold.  (Ephesians 1:3-14)

 

Knowing God’s Will

Tags

God's Will

God has made known His will to us, and it pleases Him to do so (Ephesians 1:9).  We must be close to Jesus, in an intimate relationship with Him so that we can know the Father and recognize His voice.   We can’t know God’s will without knowing Him.  When we believe that the Holy Spirit has told us something, we must test the spirits with examination to be sure we are hearing God and not a deceiving spirit (1 John 4:4).

Several questions that can help us evaluate God’s will are:

1.  Does it line up with scriptural principles?

2.  Does it line up God’s nature and character?

3.  Do other godly, mature believers confirm this?

4.  Does this draw me closer to God or pull me away from Him and His people?

5.  What are my thoughts?  Are they producing the fruit of the Spirit?

6.  What are my motives?  Do they reflect God’s heart and promote His Kingdom?

7.  Do circumstances confirm this?

Even when we believe that we know God’s will, we must return to the heart that Jesus had in prayer.  “Your kingdom come.Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven” (Matthew 6:10).  Only the Father knows the whole situation, and releasing what we believe to be the answer into His hands allows Him to do what He knows is best.

My daughter-in-law needed minor surgery. I know God as Healer, Jehovah Rapha. It is His nature and character and it is declared in the Bible.  I had boldness and faith to pray that God would miraculously heal her, and so that is how I began praying.  Reluctantly I added the “not my will, but Yours, Father,” for how could it not be His will to heal her?  I fasted and even told several people that I was expecting a miracle.  The day and the hour of surgery came, and still no visible miracle, but I was expectant and hopeful.  She went into surgery, and four hours later the doctor came out to say that she was doing fine.  And that’s when the miracle happened.

A woman had come in a moment before and sat down beside me.  After the doctor left, she struck up a conversation.  She explained that she had unexpectedly come that day because she was in a lot of pain.  I was wondering if I should ask if I could pray for her when she asked me what I did. When I said that I was a writer, she asked what I write about.  Unbeknownst to me, this was the first part of the miracle. 

I explained that I was just finishing a book about prayer and relationship with God through Jesus, but that the first two books were about overcoming Satanic Ritual Abuse.  Her eyes got very big and she said that she had been thinking about that very thing on her way there!  Almost in shock, I asked why she would be thinking about SRA, and she responded that she knew a wicked man who did those things a long time ago.  Then she began to adamantly question me about how to overcome. When I explained that it was through relationship with Jesus, she desperately asked how to have a relationship with Him!  She was called out of the office before I could give her much detail, but when I offered to pray for her, she grabbed my hand and sincerely asked that I would.  I was frustrated that we didn’t have more time.  I had offered her hope and directed her to the Gospels to learn about Jesus, but that didn’t seem to be enough. Then Jesus reassured me with these words.  “It was enough.  If she will seek me with her whole heart, I will be found by her. Now pray that she will seek Me.“

I suddenly realized that this divine appointment was the miracle!  Jehovah Rapha wanted to bring His hope and healing touch to a woman in emotional and spiritual need.  If He had answered prayer the way I wanted Him to, I would not have met this precious woman that the Father desired to reach through this meeting.  And if she had not been struck with pain, she would not have been in the office either.  I was in awe as I realized that the Holy Spirit had set up every detail of this divine encounter, the timing, even the preparation of her thoughts and the available chair beside me! 

God sees the whole picture.  We must be careful not to get in His way when we pray, even when we think we know His will. It was God’s will for me to have faith for a miracle.  God put that desire in my heart and I needed to believe it, pray for it, expect and declare it.  But I also needed to release it back to Him so that He could take it and fashion it according to His will.

(This is a portion on God’s Will from my book, “WATCHMAN WARRIOR, Intercessory Prayer,” page 193-194.)