When God says "Yes"

Sometimes God gives such a clear answer to prayer that your heart leaps with joy.

It may be a miraculous healing.  Or, an unexpected cheque in the mail that is just enough to cover a crippling debt.  Or, a loved one turns away from a destructive life-style to find Jesus.

I believe God drops these wonderful moments in our lives to boost our faith when we need it.

Occasionally, he answers "Yes" after years of praying.

George Muller, who lived by faith in caring for many thousands of orphans in Britain in the 1800s, prayed for one friend to come to Christ for many decades.  He gave his life to Jesus at Muller's graveside.

My wife and I are confident that the Lord will answer "Yes" to our years of praying for an elderly friend who turned sour on God years ago for various reasons.

Yesterday, I prayed in the morning that God would give us an opportunity soon to talk about Jesus with him.  At dinner in the evening, he opened a discussion about God, telling us he was reading a Bible we gave him years ago and asking us questions about faith in Christ.

I believe that was a downpayment on a "Yes" answer.

Why is the Lord answering that prayer now and not earlier?  I don't know.  I just believe that God knows when the time is right.

I am convinced that he is saying "Yes" to our prayers all the time - but we don't see them.

But when he gives an obvious answer to prayer, it can have a great impact on us and those around us.

Think of King Hezekiah who was told by the prophet Isaiah that he would shortly die.  Hezekiah wept and prayed to God for more life and God answered "Yes".  He gave him a physical sign and told the prophet Isaiah that the king would live 15 more years and prevent the Assyrians from taking Jerusalem.

The king rejoiced and Jerusalem was spared during his lifetime.

Jesus prayed before venturing out to the crowds in Judea.  And then he performed miracles, lending power to his words. The combination of Jesus' miracles and his words touched the minds and hearts of multitudes.

Store these obvious answers to prayer in your heart.  Feed on them when you feel low.  God hears you and is at work in your life.

Chewing God's words

I like to chew on the words of God.

The more I chew, the more I get out of a Bible passage that catches my eye.  These thoughts help fuel my prayer life.

I was led to this approach some years ago by someone speaking in a video about meditative prayer.  I have since forgotten his name.  But it is a practice that goes back centuries.

I tend to move slowly through the scriptures, stopping at a verse that I wish to explore further.  Recently, I have been going through the gospels this way and have reached Luke 21 where Jesus is speaking of the end times.

My method is very minimal.  I read the passage just before bedtime and choose a verse to memorize.  As I read it, I imagine Jesus speaking the words and the people listening.  And I think in pictures of the words he is saying.

Last night, I settled on Luke 21: 12-13 where Jesus is speaking of coming persecution for those who follow him.  Not the happiest portion to contemplate before sleeping.

But these verses made me think about Jesus' honesty, the cost of following him, and God's great plan for the world.  Jesus did not sugar-coat the future for his disciples.  But he prepared them for what was to come.

What struck me was how the plan of God would unfold as the disciples were hauled before the authorities, accused of being followers of the hated Christ.  This, Jesus said, would give the disciples the opportunity to witness to kings and governors.

Persecution would be an opening to spread the message of hope - the good news of salvation through Christ.

These verses can lead to personal prayer.  Prayer for courage in the face of opposition to Jesus.  Prayer of thanks that the Spirit is there to guide us when we are attacked (see Luke 21:14-15).  Prayers of praise that God is working out his plan in times of trouble.

This passage left me with the feeling that I am not alone when I stand up for Jesus.  God is with me.  And any troubles I face by following Jesus are for a purpose that God has already determined.

There are many ways of meditating on scripture.  Paul Covert touches on quite a number in his book Threshold: Transformational Prayer, Transformational Prayer Ministry.  Covert's book is filled with great ideas on prayer.

Meditative prayer is nourishing - deepening our understanding of God.

Fighting the enemy

How do we fight Satan, our great enemy - the enemy of God?

As believers, we can make two big mistakes - overlooking the power of Satan altogether or giving him too much attention.

If we forget Satan, he can insinuate himself into our lives and destroy churches and render believers impotent.

If we give him too much credit, we can spend all our time fighting the enemy without paying attention to our great Saviour and Lord, Jesus Christ.

I really like the approach taken by Guy Chevreau in his book Spiritual Warfare Sideways: Keeping the Focus on Jesus.

As the title suggests, Chevreau says we should concentrate on our victorious God in praise and worship.  Satan can't stand worship of the Lord.

Many of David's psalms are prayers of worship to God.  They have the power to strengthen us and to force the Evil One to flee.

Chevreau tells a story of missionaries Nev and Mo in Malawi praying for sick people in a village.  One of them was a young teenager, drooling at the mouth and evidently afflicted by epilepsy.

It turned out the boy was wearing a witch doctor's charm.  So Nev and Mo insisted that he remove the charm and, reluctantly, his family agreed.

"Nev declared the victory of Christ over the destroyer," Chevreau says, "and spoke freedom from all that was cursed in [the teenager's] life, blessing him in the name of Jesus."

The boy's eyes came into focus, he smiled, and he said: "Jesus loves me."

The family was overjoyed.  The local village pastor later reported to the missionaries that the teenager remained in good health.

Chevreau's book is sprinkled with other stories of the power of praise and worship in combating satanic attacks.

The apostle John says in 1 John 4:4 that "the Spirit who lives in you is greater than the spirit who lives in the world".  The Spirit of God is within us and Jesus triumphed over Satan on the cross.

People often talk today about "our identity in Christ", the privileges of being a child of God.  We are justified, united with God, forgiven of our sins, citizens of heaven, God's co-workers.

We can spend time reflecting on these truths daily, praising the Lord and worshiping him.

And, as Chevreau suggests, we can declare God's victory when we face satanic attack.

I am aware that I need to use these weapons in times of trouble - trouble seemingly created by Satan.  It is even better when I can band together with others in this fight.

After all, I am "more than conqueror" (Romans 8:37) because God is on my side.

Dreaming God's dreams

If we live close to God, we will want to do what he is asking us to do.

Learning to come before him with open hands and a willing heart is essential to drawing close to him.  That is the first step in following the path he has laid out for us.

In her book Enjoying the Presence of God, Jan Johnson says that God's overall purpose for us is simple: He wants people to come to know Christ.  Our task is to draw near to God and to help others do so, too.

"Within that large envelope," she writes, "are the dreams he has for each of us and the moment-by-moment versions of that dream.

"We open that envelope every day and tune into the ins and outs of conversations until we have a sense of God reaching back to lead us with one hand while his other hand stretches forth unseen into his will."

As she says, we begin to ask ourselves: "Do I really need a new shirt or should I  enjoy some solitude with God, meet a struggling friend for lunch, or mow my neighbour's lawn?"

"More of our days begin with questions like, How do your purposes for me in this world fit in today's agenda?  Am I focusing on the dreams you have put in front of me?"

She has used that approach to settle competing demands for her time as a lecturer and speaker.  She turns down some opportunities because they do not fit with the dreams God has given her, even if they offer more money than the ones she accepts.

God's hand leads us as we spend time with him in prayer and meditation.  We ask God questions and listen to his promptings in our hearts.  We ask him what he is bringing forth in our lives.

Then, when thoughts spring into our minds about the needs of our families, our churches, or our hearts, we know whether they are in line with what God has been telling us.  That makes decisions easier.

I cannot say I am consistent in following Jan Johnson's counsel.  But I have followed this path in different ways for some years.

When I do have this conversation with God,  I find peace and confidence in making decisions about what particular turn in the road I should take.  The promptings I receive from him are always in line with his character as outlined in his word.

God wants me to make this a habit.  He loves it when I talk with him.