The eyes of the Lord are upon the righteous, and his ears are attentive to their cries. But the face of the Lord are against those who do evil, to cut off the memory of them from the earth. –Psalm 34:15-16
At the time of this writing, 77 people have signed up for Rise Up Fast! That is incredibly encouraging and incredibly powerful! To know that 77 people have set their hearts before the Lord and are willing to do more than give lip service toward their devotion, but are willing to set themselves apart for 50 days to seek him with fasting and with prayer. Amazing!
I’m more convinced than ever before that what is needed in the body of Christ more desperately than anything else is a new revelation of the power of our prayers. We are powerful!
The purpose of our fast is not to get healthier (although we will). The purpose of our fast is not to exercise more discipline (although we are). The purpose of our fast is not to lose weight (although I am, at least).
The purpose of this fast is to see God change some things in the earth!
I believe we will see some big things change as we seek the face of God together with fasting and prayer! I believe that God has called this fast . . . that he has ordained it! And I believe that he will mightily respond by showing himself strong on our behalf!
We are fasting and praying for four things:
- The complete destruction of Isis
- Revival in the Bay Area
- An increase of commitment to covenant community among us
- God’s favor and expedited provision for our new building
That’s quite a list, isn’t it? Especially the first one! Christians rarely pray fervently for world events. We may pray fervently for small stuff that effects our personal lives, but praying for big stuff just seems so . . . so useless, doesn’t it? That’s where we’ve been missing out on the next level of authority that God has been so ready to invite is into!
God said that his house would be called a house of prayer for all nations. That means that if we are to be called the house of God, we must pray for the nations! And God would not call us to pray for the nations and not give us the authority to change the outcome of international situations with our prayers!
It is not we who should feel powerless; the eyes of the Lord are upon us, and his ears are attentive to our cries! Why should we feel powerless in the face of a company of meager men when we stand before the face of a great and mighty God?
It is they who should feel powerless! Has not history demonstrated that the Church of Jesus Christ has been built upon the rock, and the gates of hell will never prevail against it?
The face of the Lord is against those who do evil. He will cut off the memory of them from the earth!
Isis is cutting off the heads of children who believe in Jesus. God will cut off the head of Isis!
Just a little while, and the wicked will be no more. – Psalm 37:10
This is so good! The enemy tries to attack us with lies that we are weak and that our prayers are powerless, but the truth is we are mighty because God is mighty! Let us not make Him small as we are, but let us grow our hearts wide as His is wide. This devotional really encouraged and invigorated me this morning.
Amen!