N.B This post was first published on this blog in December 2014. Issa blast from the past lol but still very relevant for today, ENJOY!
Hey guys, how is everyone doing? This year has been quite the year for me. I have learnt and achieved sooooo many things but the biggest of it all has to be learning to LIVE BY FAITH in the true sense of the Word. Oh wells, this is not what the post today z about so let’s get right to wazzops.
Of unanswered prayers, seeing God in hindsight, and tiptoe-ing around His promises…
Of unanswered prayers, seeing God in hindsight, and tiptoe-ing around His promises…
That is the real title of the post but I had to cut it short for blog title purposes.
How did this all start? Quite some instances but the main one was talking to a younger friend of mine who wanted me to join her in faith for something. The moment she shared it with me, my spirit no gree. I knew yes, this was something to pray about BUT the kinda prayer she wanted us to pray about that situation just didn’t seem like ‘God’s will’ . So I told her to gimme sometime to muse on the matter. Personally, I just wanna be sure before I join you in faith for anything. My faith is not for wasting biko. Lol. Plus this matter involved other persons with their own freewill and stuff. Since it wasn’t an Eph 1:19 prayer(open ya Bible) , I decided to be wise lest we go on a wild goose chase and at the end of the day, we end with unanswered prayers and a tad frustrated.
The HS led me to speak to my dear dear pastor so I went to him and asked how he managed to deal with these kinda prayer requests without hurting the person. And he shared something profound with me. He said of course there are some people that come to him and he just doesn’t jump into prayers with/for them. Rather he pulls them a seat and asks for DETAILS. A bit of the back story won’t hurt so that you know exactly what you are up against especially in a case that involves other persons. Interestingly, I recently heard Kenneth Hagin tell this story that drove it home. He was praying for some sick dude and then he heard the HS caution him with these words
‘…Words have been spoken. Spiritual laws have been set in motion which at this time cannot be reversed…’
Strange as that sounded, he heeded and stopped praying and didn’t even tell anyone what he heard . The dude died and it was later on that his brother now told him that for a long time, the guy had been saying he would die by or before a certain age. That age was beckoning and having spoken those words for so long, even KH’s prayers could do nothing to change it.
So if for instance, my parents or any couple i know and love are going through a turbulent time in their marriage, maybe what I need to pray for is that God gives both of them the humility and wisdom to go and seek spiritual marriage counselling not just praying that my mom won’t move out or get a divorce but stay in the marriage where she is being both physically and mentally abused, not forgetting fidelity issues too.
Maybe instead of praying that my sister/brother gets married by the end of the year, I should be praying that the HS continues to work in them making them ‘godly marriage materials’.
You get the point?
You don’t want to just be firing prayers and at the end of the day when they are not answered, you start feeling ‘somehow’
Moreover it is also important that when we pray for people and stuff to happen in their lives, it is not a bad idea to have them keep their confessions straight too. I can’t be praying for someone and marriage and all she keeps saying is
‘all men are bad/useless,etc’
or praying for someone to pass an entrance exam and all he keeps repeating is
‘walahi that exam was just useless, I know I have failed it already…’ And so on.
I dunno about you but I don’t like unanswered prayers abeg. If we are in faith for something/someone, then let’s do it right.
Now what happens in instances when you are the one praying for yourself? Your prayers, confessions and actions all check!!! You really REALLY stayed in faith with the Word and you were super sure you were praying God’s will yet the answer that came wasn’t quite what you were expecting?
Happened to me very recently and in that period, God taught me some of my most profound truths ever.
Now it wasn’t just not getting what I expected that was the issue, it was the ripple effect that ‘let down’ was looking like it was about to have in my life that bothered me at first. It didn’t help that the first question some people thought to tension me with was ‘Ewooo, so what are you going to do about so so and so…?’ Hiss.
ROM 8:28
We can be so SURE that every detail in our lives is worked into something good… MSG
And we KNOW that in ALL things, God works for the good of those who love Him… NIV
And we KNOW that ALL things work together for GOOD to those that love God… KJV
And my personal favourite AMP
We are ASSURED and know that ALL things work together and are fitting into a plan for good to and for those who love the Lord.
That was the scripture that jumped out into my spirit man when questions started to rise in me. That was the exact scripture my darling Sister kept repeating to me as we spoke.
You see, it is so easy to see God in hindsight…
So your relationship broke 5years ago and you were a hot mess. Today, the guy you have landed is literally King David while the one you lost then is Palti (Yea one of those forgettable Bible characters lol). Of course when you look back, you can say AHA!!! So that was YOU God….
You failed outta school at some point in your life and today, you graduate top of your class, with a dream job to boot… Of course, you can look back and say Wow, that was God.
But the real deal is when you KNOW immediately and can confess same that EVEN this is working together for my good even in the face of contrary evidence in the physical. You don’t know how but you have enough faith to believe that it is…
Yes honey, say it immediately out of your own mouth… I KNOW THAT ALL THINGS INCLUDING THIS IS WORKING TOGETHER FOR MY GOOD…
And that is exactly what I chose to confess and believe. That even this, God would make work together for my good so I see HIM in the present and not wait for hindsight vision.
That my darlings is too liberating. Instantly you take the power outta the devil and give him absolutely NOTHING to gloat about even for a second.
That scripture is really amazing. You know, if everything were going well, you wouldn’t need it. I strongly believe that the ALL things there meant and included our seasons of contradictions.
Now there is something else the devil tried to do with me.
As I tried to pray for some other things I had on my Faith list, they were physically heavy to roll off my tongue. The devil would try to remind me that
‘shebi that is how you prayed and confessed for so so and so and it didn’t happen so you better start adjusting some stuff there ooo…’
Bless God for the Word.
Instantly like something highlighted in a book, this phrase was highlighted in my spirit. Interestingly, Romans 4 is a scripture that features a lot in my quiet time with God and I have always been fascinated by.
ROM 4:20
He didn’t tiptoe around God’s promises asking cautiously skeptical questions. He plunged into the promise and came up strong, ready for God, sure that God would make do on what He had promised… MSG
Mehn!!!
If I had been looking for a revelation on this verse, I got it straight from the school of the spirit.
I believe it is OK to ask God questions. Abraham did in Genesis 18. But where the issue lies is when our questions are ‘cautiously skeptical’ that is, doubtful. We begin to wonder,
hmmm but this other one didn’t happen, how am I sure the others will? Maybe I should adjust this thing ooo so that it would be easier to achieve etc.
I had to give God some serious twale after He explained this verse to me.
You can’t be tiptoeing around His promises mehn!!! Till tomorrow, I still marvel at Father Abraham!!! How in God’s name does anyone have such faith and patience until the promise comes even in the face of hopeless circumstances? Just how???
Because I am on a Genesis study, I can imagine a little just how crazy Abraham was. Dude didn’t stop worshipping and giving thanks to God….
The Good news version says something like ‘His faith in God gave him power/strength…’
As in dude didn’t ask any stupid questions. He just believed!!! There were several times things didn’t go as nne planned ooo but dude kept on believing that he would be a FATHER OF NATIONS!!!
*exhales*
Tz the same thing God told me mehn… Don’t now be tiptoeing anyhow around my promises abeg. Only BELIEVE baby!!!
And that was it. Battle won. Devil defeated.
Winning ways restored immediately.
Crazy faithmode reactivated!!!
Oh my, Can God? Of course, God can!!! Even exceedingly above all we can ask, think or imagine.
So keep on believing baby…
Eziaha.