My family and I have been incredibly blessed to be part of what God has been doing in Utah for the last 24 years. So many lives have changed. We’ve had the privilege of working side-by-side with Gospel-minded people daily; and the Spirit of God continues to move in extraordinary ways. I certainly believe we came here on the wings of prayers from the faithful saints before us. They were people who recognized the need for workers in this place. Prayer warriors, maybe even some of you reading this? It reminds me of this verse.
“These were his instructions to them: “The harvest is great, but the workers are few. So pray to the Lord who is in charge of the harvest; ask him to send more workers into his fields.” — Luke 10:2
I recently read the story of the blind man’s conversation with Jesus (Mark —Chapter 10). Basically, the blind man called out to Jesus, and Jesus asked him a great question: “What do you want me to do for you?”
I bet Jesus was smiling at the man who couldn’t see. The Lord knew what he wanted — it was obvious. He just wanted the blind man to verbalize it. “Rabbi, I want to see!” blurted the blind man without hesitation. Probably laughing with joy, Jesus replied, “Go, your faith has healed you.”
Immediately, the man (named Bartimaeus), received his sight and began following Jesus.
Isn’t that great?! Do you think Bartimaeus was shy about telling his story? Do you think his life was ever the same?
I was challenged as I meditated on that amazing scene. The compassionate Jesus joyfully took the opportunity to help a desperate man with an obvious need. I wondered, “What would I say if Jesus asked me, ‘Bill, what do you want me to do for you?’ What is on my heart? Would I hesitate? Do I even know what I want?
Some of Jesus’ Amazing Promises
“If you believe, you will receive whatever you ask for in prayer.” — Matthew 21:22 (NIV)
“Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours.” — Mark 11:24 (NIV)
“If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you.” — John 15:7 (NIV)
“Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened.” — Matthew 7:7-8 (NIV)
Isn’t it incredibly good to know that every day Jesus asks us, “What do you want me to do for you?” He already knows exactly what we need … what we want. And He smiles. He loves answering the prayers of desperate and needy people.
What would you say to Jesus? He’s willing and able to answer. When He does, will you follow Him?
I recently read Philippians 4:6-7 in a devotional. The NLT said it this way, “Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus.”
As I read this familiar verse, a few key phrases jumped out at me.
Have you ever prayed to God and seemingly nothing happened? How about praying 10 times? 100 times? Maybe you felt like you didn’t even deserve the gift you asked for? I recently read the first chapter of Luke and empathized with Zechariah. God spoke to me in a new way — to not lose heart when I pray. I had three takeaways I wanted to share with you.
Remember These Things:
1. Be faith-filled and pray continually.
Think about how long Zechariah and Elizabeth prayed for a child. Being advanced in years and well beyond the age of having children (Luke 1:18), they must have prayed thousands of times to have a child. They continued to have faith and pray even though their prayers seemed unanswered (Luke 1:6).
2. Gifts from God are good.
When God answered their prayer for a child, Zechariah didn’t believe it. I can certainly empathize with that feeling! There are times I feel like I don’t deserve a blessing from God. In fact, it leads me to doubt the prayer will be answered. God shook Zechariah a bit by removing his voice until his son was born. It was as if God needed to get his attention (in a drastic way) for him to understand the depth of the gift he was about to receive. Being mute drove Zechariah to an even closer relationship with God than he had before (Luke 1:67–79). Take heart, even when things seem like they are “bad”, God is working it for good.
3. God loves us and will answer us.
He hears us and answers according to His will for our lives (Luke 1:13). Certainly, our prayers aren’t always answered the way we want. That’s because our Father knows what’s best for us. I know there have been times I’ve specifically prayed for something and it didn’t happen the way I wanted. But God knew what was best.
When we faithfully pray, we are heard and loved by Him. He will answer us according to His will for our lives. With this in mind, don’t lose heart while you’re waiting. Sometimes, just like for Zechariah, God needs to grab our attention during the process. Take heart.
God answers prayers. Certainly, we’ve all experienced Him answering specific prayers in the past. In faith, we eagerly wait for unanswered prayers in the present. This verse helps me; the Bible says that God not only hears our prayers but actually listens to them.
“But God did listen! He paid attention to my prayer.” — Psalm 66:19 (NLT)
Recently, I spoke about prayer at our monthly meeting for The Rock Men. Preparing for it reminded me how important prayer truly is. I was challenged by this question, “What is one thing I can set in place to pray more?”
Prayer really is a lifeline for Christians. Martin Luther said, “To be a Christian without prayer is no more possible than to be alive without breathing.” It is such an essential and powerful part of our lives. Sadly, it can too easily be put on the back burner in the craziness of life. Simply put, we live in the most distracting time in the history of the world. We have enough content in our phones to fill multiple lifetimes. So, how do we pray more? How do we implement that “one thing”?
I really love serving God. I absolutely mean it. My heart longs to do more for Him. I love serving His people and playing music for Him. I love knowing Him more and more. Each day, I seek to bring honor to God by serving Him.
That being said, this verse in Psalm 50 has recently really impacted me. Prior to verse 23, God reminds His people that though they “sacrifice” to Him, what really brings Him honor is giving thanks to Him.
“The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working. Elijah was a man with a nature like ours, and he prayed fervently that it might not rain, and for three years and six months it did not rain on the earth. Then he prayed again, and heaven gave rain, and the earth bore its fruit.” — James 5:16b-18
Utah is experiencing a severe drought. In fact, 88% of our state is under extreme drought conditions. Due to this, back in June, Governor Cox said, “Because there is power in prayer, we are asking all of you and your congregations to join us in a weekend of prayer this coming weekend, June 4-6.” (On a side note, when I mentioned the governor’s prayer request to pastors in other states, they found it remarkable.)
Show me the right path, O Lord; point out the road for me to follow. Lead me by your truth and teach me, for you are the God who saves me. All day long I put my hope in you. — Psalm 25:4-5
As Christians, we are commanded to prepare our minds for action, as a soldier prepares for battle. In light of this, here are a few simple, daily practices to help you be mentally “battle ready” for whatever arrows may fly your way.
Read God’s Word Daily.
“Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.” — Psalm 119:105
