Providence

One thing I struggle with is prayer. In a culture where we often seek immediate results, I struggle when I don't see immediate results in my prayers, and maybe more often than I should, I stop praying when I should pray harder. Even when I do see results, I do not marvel at the results like I should. Father, forgive me for not glorifying You or falling on my face in awe for answered prayers.

I do not want to get real specific here, but I have a dream, a vision, and I have been biding my time waiting for God to give birth to the reality of the dream. This is a dream I believe He has given me, but instead of praying daily for fulfilment of the dream, I waiver in my hope for it to come to pass. I say to myself, "Self, your dream was just a dream. Maybe it was not from God afterall."

Last night was the opening of the WorldReach conference at my church. I was reminded yet again that this dream was not just a dream but something God wants to see come to pass. Vance Pittman spoke from Hope Baptist Church, NV, and again he mentioned that power of prayer that I wrote about here. This time I learned a new twist. Three years after he started his church in Las Vegas, he went to Egypt, and he formed a partnership with a fellow believer in governmental leadership in Egypt. The Egyptian man told him that he had been praying for Vance's church for 10 years, yet it was only 3 years old. That is the power of prayer.

I need to follow through with my prayers. Do you have something you long to see change? Assuming it is a godly desire, God is saying that it can be done through faith in Him.

Vance spoke to us about the fact that when God births a church, He does it with the nations on his heart. I think when God starts any new work in us, He has more than just us in mind. He sees something greater and more multifaceted than we often see. As I study Esther, one thing keeps coming to mind - If God uses ordinary individuals who do NOT know Him to advance His plans and purposes, how much more does He want to use us who do know Him? God has special, beautiful, wonderful plans to use YOU! Let Him! God already knows how you were designed (He's the designer), so don't let that be the excuse that stops you from being used mightily by Him.

How are you allowing God to use you to advance the kingdom of God?