Today there is a fresh awakening of desire to see God move in powerful ways. This awakened desire has led to people praying for God to act on our behalf in many differing areas of our ever-changing culture. We are seeking His Hand of power. This is good… but it comes with a price of personal sacrifice that we must prepare for and anticipate to see God’s answers fully realized.
“You don’t know what you are asking.” (Jesus in Matthew 20:22)
There are times we ask, but our prayers reflect a deep ignorance to what we are asking. If we knew the personal consequences of God’s answer, we would be more prepared to ask in the first place. If you want to influence the world for Christ, then there is a cross to bear, scorn to receive, rejection to withstand, and suffering to endure. Unfortunately today there is a culture of Christian commercialism that dangerously treads the world’s path of fame, attention, and notoriety rather than sacrifice, death-to-self and humility. Deep praying that unearths deep answers will do deep internal work within you before it produces the big results outside of you. Peter raised the dead and yet was crucified upside down.
“I will show him how much he must suffer for my name.” (Jesus in Acts 9:16)
Jesus was speaking to Ananias about Saul of Tarsus and the coming suffering that would accompany his life of mission, travel, evangelism, miracles, signs, wonders and power. Saul would see great things and be used to perform great miracles, but he would suffer for it. This suffering was not the punishment of God for Saul’s sin, but rather the inevitable result of what happens when the light of God makes war with the powers of darkness in this world. If you are praying for great power, are you awakened to the reality of great suffering? Do you want the benefit without the personal payment of the price?
Deep cries to deep.
Deep prayer cries out inside us for deep sacrifice. We must be ready to act and serve in total alignment and agreement with the answer to that prayer. When you pray, surrender yourself to be part of the answer. Do you want to see the world changed for Jesus? Then you must step up in surrender of your own life to be part of the solution. Do you want to see miracles burst forth in our day? Then you need to seek the deep internal work of personal sanctification that must come before such power is released.
God is calling forth a new season of intercessory prayer that is to be taken up by people who are ready for the answers and the personal sacrifice that it will take to be part of the answer. God is not waiting for our prayers so He can perform great deeds for us to watch and be amazed by. No. Rather, He is ready to answer our prayers by first asking us the hard questions, then doing the deep internal work so we are fit servants, ready to answer the Lord.
Are you ready for the answer you seek? Are you prepared to hear God speak? Are you ready to surrender your life to Jesus in even greater ways so He can do mighty work IN you?
Are you one of the intercessors God is calling?
Amen.
Written by Brett Heintzman, August 8th, 2017