Seeing the world differently

In the early days of World War II, Germany was sweeping through Europe and Britain was on the endangered list.

If you asked a reasonable observer at the time, he would likely have said that Britain was finished and should sue for peace.

But Winston Churchill did not see it that way.  He believed Britain could win.

The difference between the reasonable observer and Winston Churchill is the way they look at the world.  Churchill did not accept the supposed overwhelming evidence - he looked beyond that to what could happen with a people willing to give everything to defend their country.

Churchill's great weapon was his force of will and his inspiring words and personal example.

Equipped with the weapon of prayer, Christian believers can accomplish much by trusting that God can do impossible things in the darkest situations.

We just have to see the world the way it can be under God - not the way it is.

Rees Howells prayed with that kind of faith through the worst days of World War II.

Howells was a Welshman who took part in the Welsh Revival of the early twentieth century.  He went on to become a powerful man of prayer, creating a Bible college where prayer played a central role.

During World War II, Howells and many young men in the college spent long hours praying against the German war machine and saw dramatic turns in the tides of battle.  They helped pray the allied forces to victory.

There are examples from scripture, too.

Joshua and Caleb entered Canaan with a number of other Israelite spies to see how the land could be conquered by Moses and the Israelite army.

The other spies saw nothing but doom, talking about the huge men in Canaan.  But Caleb and Joshua believed the Israelites could win because God was on their side.

Unfortunately, the Israelites believed the nay-sayers and Israel's entry into the promised land was delayed for another 40 years.

How do we see the world around us?  Do we believe God can do the impossible?

If our answer is yes, we must pray that way.  We must pray that God will transform our world.