Rooted In God

“Behold, I am the Lord, the God of all flesh. Is there anything too hard for Me? Jer.32:27 [NKJV]

During my service year in Northern Nigeria, I used to go and pray for hours in some abandoned church hall. I would lie there and pray and I could touch the Presence of God. It was so real. The power of God was overwhelming on me. The villagers of course took note of this man who is always preaching and praying and so one day when one of them was dying they called on me to pray for him. And I said to God this is the time for You to manifest Your glory Lord. So I got there and sent all of them out of the room, that was what Jesus did right? And I prayed for this dying man. Of course I felt God’s Presence and God’s power, I prayed my heart out and the man died. You can say I prayed him to heaven. That experience almost made me backslide. So I left the place in shame meanwhile the people did not see it that way, it was just me feeling that way. And I said to God, You set me up, those were my exact words to Him. You set me up, You knew you were not going to heal that man and You now brought them to me. You just embarrassed me, in fact that is it, I am done with this. The first dying person I prayed for actually died. So I know what it is to be heartbroken, I was shattered. But God was taking me on a journey and the Holy Spirit comforted me and helped me through that deep depression.

Several other people I have prayed for, even in worse conditions than that first man, have lived and are still alive till today. Again the message is simply that faith that is rooted in God can handle a no from God. Faith that is rooted in God can handle a not yet from God because your faith is rooted in God and not in God’s hands. Faith that is rooted in the person of God can take a no from God and I needed to learn that. I also needed to learn that it is not about me. So when people come to me with very complex problems I say very simple prayers because I have learnt it is not my shouting that heals the sick. It is not my shouting that delivers the captives; it is the power of God. I just do my own part that is to pray and God does His own part, which is to heal. Faith that is rooted in God can handle a no from God. Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego were going to be thrown into the fiery furnace and they said to the king, the God that we serve is able to save and deliver us but if He does not we want you to know that we are still loyal to Him [Dan.3]. Is your loyalty going to change because what you have prayed for has not happened yet? I want to encourage you today let your loyalty to God be unshakeable and you will live to testify that God is faithful.

Thought: What bold things do you need to start praying for?

Prayer: Father, in the Name of Jesus, I declare that my loyalty to You shall be unshakable and I will live to testify that God is faithful, in Jesus Name