Wednesday, May 02, 2007

Half-baked prayer

Grand Sweep Daily Reading: 2 Kings 12, 13, 14; Psalm 74

2 Kings 13:18-19 (NIV)
18 Then [Elisha] said to [Jehoash], “Take the arrows,” and the king took them. Elisha told him, “Strike the ground.” He struck it three times and stopped. 19 The man of God was angry with him and said, “You should have struck the ground five or six times; then you would have defeated Aram and completely destroyed it. But now you will defeat it only three times.”

James 5:16 (NIV)
16 Therefore, confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective.


Good morning!

Have you ever attempted a task half-heartedly? When my children were younger, the phrase “clean your room” was heard at least once a day. Two of my three children just didn’t seem to get it. They would shuffle back to their bedroom, shut the door, and commune with their dirty laundry, loose school papers, an unmade bed, and snack food wrappers. They were not supposed to eat snacks in their room, and yet, those infamous wrappers would suddenly appear from out of nowhere. One of my boys, however, was meticulous with his room. He would spend hours organizing and straightening his stuff. His clean room may not have been exactly the way I would have liked, but the thought and effort he put into it meant more to me than the end result. I rewarded his ability to see the bigger picture, capture a vision in his head, and run full-steam toward it.

Do you ever pray half-heartedly? Scripture is full of promises from our Lord. If we pray a prayer in faith, standing upon His holy Word, and believe that He will do what He says He will do even in an adverse situation, we can live a life of victory rather than defeat. Isn’t it ironic how we may choose to simply pray the prayer with our feeble words and not put our faith muscle behind it? When Jehoash met with Elisha for the very last time, Elisha became angry with his obvious lack of faith. Elisha commanded Jehoash to take his arrows and strike the ground. He did what he was told, but only in a half-baked manner. Jehoash struck the ground three times. As Elisha lay on his death bed, he knew this boy just didn’t get it. God was willing to give the king a landslide victory over the Arameans at Aphek. Because of the king’s lack of vision and faith to trust God’s promises, the victory over Aram would not be complete. If we want victory over the evil that surrounds our life, our family, our community, and our denomination, we absolutely must obey God’s Word completely. A half-hearted effort will not bring forth the benefits and blessings of the Lord. It is not enough to bury ourselves inside the walls of our churches, praying half-baked prayers and not standing upon His Word in all things. It’s time to sound the prayer trumpets. It is time to take a step up in faith.

My friends, this is the time to get serious about what we say we believe. Will we have victory through Jesus today? Or will our prayers lack the power and stamina to see us through the tough stuff of life? Will we fight for our Lord’s honor today or will we utter a few pretty words and leave them strewn, like snack wrappers on the floor, for someone else to sweep up? Are we tired of the hemmorhage of people from our churches? The bleeding needs to end now. So many people are falling away. Who will go and speak to them? If it is not you, then who will go for the Lord?

May Jesus Christ give you wisdom and a clear vision today, as you pray your prayers this morning. Do not be afraid to stand on His Word! He is sure to hear and answer your every petition. God’s truth will never fail. Are you willing to trust Him completely this day?

Grace and peace,

Deb Spaulding
www.songofdeborah.com


Pray for: courage to trust and obey the holy Word of God. Get down on your knees and pray like you’ve never prayed before. Things are about to change! If you believe that you stand today covered in the righteousness of Christ alone, then claim His promise and believe that the prayers of the righteous are powerful and effective.
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