21 Days of Prayer

“In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.” (Genesis 1:1)

My mother was an artist. Her little sketches on pieces of blank scripts and scraps of paper were magic. As a young child I’d ask her to draw a dog or a sailor, and she’d sketch the face of a mutt or a young looking fellow in a sailor’s hat. I only wish I’d kept some of those treasures. Later in her life, her gift turned into watercolor portraits and paintings. I’ve pieces she painted hanging in our home today. I also have a large leather pouch filled with unfinished pages of pieces she’d started and left incomplete for a variety of reasons.  

The first miracle God ever did happened in the very first words of our history; God created… God created “ex nihlio” which is Latin for “out of nothing”. He who had no beginning and has no end put a “stake in the ground” and created time. And in the beginning of time, he created something out of nothing. The amazing thing is He has been creating something out of nothing ever since. He gave Noah an ark and shut the door, when Noah had nothing to give him but years of trusting enough to build a boat when there was no rain. He gave Abraham thousands of generations based on God’s own covenant keeping love, while Abraham took a nap. He gave David royalty, when all David had to offer was a smelly passionate devotion and a harp. 

Romans 5:6 reminds us that “when we were utterly helpless (with absolutely nothing to give), Christ came at just the right time, and died for us sinners”. 

We hand him our blank scripts and scraps of paper, and he creates… a way when there seems to be no way; a second chance when there’s no way we deserve it; love when we’re unlovable; mercy and grace when we deserve it the least. And he never leaves you, his greatest masterpiece, incomplete whether you’re a prodigal or a lost sheep. And here is where we begin our 21 days of prayer. Right now, this morning, or afternoon… whenever, wherever you are…. right in the beginning of the miracle where he creates everything out of nothing… right now.. Give him the scrips and scraps of your life and ask him to create. Give him your hesitations and fears. Give him your sin and your self righteousness. Give him your “too busy”, or too “whatevers”, and ask him to create. Give him your “I don’t even know where or how to begin to pray”. He is in the business of creating “ex nihlio”. 

We praise and abandon ourselves to you Elohim, creator God, to do what you did from the beginning of time, in our own lives; create in us a heart that knows and rests in your ex nihlio. 

“In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. The earth was formless and empty and darkness covered the sea waters. And the spirit of God was hovering over the surface of the waters. Then God said, “Let there be light, and there was light”. (Genesis 1:1-3) 

Formless, empty, void, chaos, waste, dark, unformed, a soup of nothingness, a bottomless emptiness, an inky blackness; these are all words used in different versions of scripture to describe earth at its birth. In this darkness was there sound? Or was the first sound waves bursting into existence the actual voice of God, speaking all into existence? God is eternal. The beginning in Genesis is not HIS beginning. God is preeminent, meaning He is the first and the foremost. He is first in honor, first in power and first in worth! 

And He, being eternal and preeminent, speaks over the chaos and creates! Psalm 19:1-2 says, The heavens proclaim the glory of God. The skies display his craftsmanship. Day after day they continue to speak; night after night they make him known”. 

The second miracle God did was to speak over the darkness and from it create order and beauty. He who later would stand up in a rocking boat and speak “Peace be still” to swirling, stormy waters. Should the disciples have wondered that even the winds and waves obey him? He is the one who spoke them into existence! He, in his preeminence, spoke over the formless, empty, void, waste, dark, unformed, nothingness, emptiness, and inky blackness, and made everything and anything that was created. In revealing what he’s done, he reveals who he is. God’s own self revelation is our entire basis of worship. The miracle that he pulls back the curtain, creates order out of chaos and gives us a front row description of what he has done and who he is, should cause us to stand in awe; we- the only part of creation made in his image. 

To ascribe to the Lord the glory due his name is not to assign, for to ascribe is not to assign. To ascribe is to acknowledge. It’s an active act of worship, recognizing his holiness, his worthiness, his being foremost and preeminent. 

Perhaps today you are standing over circumstances that seem chaotic. Maybe your emotions are chaos, or your body is in chaos, or your emotions are in chaos. Ask the Lord in your rocking boat to stand and speak! Ask! Pray! Prayer is an act of worship. CS Lewis says, “we delight to praise what we enjoy because the praise not nearly expresses but completes the enjoyment. The delight is incomplete till it is expressed. The Scottish catechism says that man’s chief end is ‘to glorify God and enjoy him forever.’ But we shall then know that these are the same thing. To fully enjoy it is to glorify him. In commanding us to glorify him, God is inviting us to enjoy him”. 

Prayer is an act of worship. And praise is an act of worship. So take a few moments and ascribe to him the glory due his name. As we praise, he speaks over our chaos. 

Then the Lord said to Moses, “I will rain down bread from heaven for you. The people are to go out each day and gather enough for that day. In this way I will test them and see whether they will follow my instructions. On the sixth day they are to prepare what they bring in, and that is to be twice as much as they gather on the other days.” (Exodus 16:4-5) 

As we launch into our 21 days of prayer, it’s so poignant that we would choose to pray through the miracles in the Bible. The miracle of manna challenges us to pray for God’s provision in the midst of life’s trials and circumstances. 

Often there are times in our lives when we ask the question: What is it? What’s going on? How come I can’t get a breakthrough or why is it that I’m living from hand to mouth, can I ever get ahead, and nothing seems to get accomplished? You take two steps forward and three steps back. It seems like you are literally taking it just one day at a time, just barely keeping it together. So you ask yourself the question, what is it? This is temporary. This is not permanent. This is just for a season and not a lifetime, but regardless of the outcome you must remember that this is temporary. Therefore, it is important for you to know that although you may be in the wilderness do not let the wilderness get in you. This is not your final destination. This is not the fulfillment of God’s eternal promise to your plight. This is a temporary condition that requires temporary sustenance- a temporary solution. That is what manna is.  

This is ‘manna’ which literally means, ‘what is it’. For the Israelites this manna manifested itself in the desert as small white flakes or grains that resembled coriander seeds. It tasted like flour with honey. God gave it to them with clear instructions for its gathering. They could only collect one day’s portion for each person. This is daily bread. This is manna. This is what God is providing to you that you may survive during your wilderness experience. Manna is what God is giving you during your times of trial and testing. Manna is what he will provide that will help you cope-your daily bread which is temporary. It is not your final place of destination. The miracle of manna is God’s provision for all your needs today. Trust God with the details today. Pray for manna today. Jesus said, “I am the bread of life”. God promises to meet our needs today. 

And the sun stood still, and the moon stopped, until the nation took vengeance on their enemies. (Joshua 10:13)

How big is the God you serve? The question really is, how big is your concept of God? Is the God you serve big enough to perform miracles on your behalf. Or does your faith limit what God is able to do for you? 

You will remember that the Gibeonites had deceived their way into a treaty with Israel, thus saving their lives. But when the hill tribes heard of it they looked on the Gibeonites as traitors and quite understandably decided to move against them. By the same token 

We have chosen to follow Jesus Christ; we are a threat to those who oppose His kingdom. And just like Israel, every one of us who wants to be a faithful servant of Jesus Christ will face strong opposition. 

The Gibeonites quickly sent word to Joshua, “Do not abandon us but come to our rescue.” What would you have done? Had Joshua not been a man of principle he could have used this a way to escape from the consequences of his rash treaty with the Gibeonites. After all, they had tricked him! But Joshua did not think that way. He had made a commitment in God’s name with the Gibeonites and he intended to honor it. Verse seven says, “So Joshua ascended from Gilgal, he and all the people of war with him, and all the mighty men of valor.” Oh, if men and women today still understood the value of giving their word and then standing behind it. 

Armed with the command and promise of the Lord Joshua lead his men into battle. They marched the 25 miles from Gilgal to Gibeon under the cover of darkness. They covered the same distance in eight to ten hours that had previously taken three days at a more leisurely pace. Joshua’s long night march to Gibeon took the enemy completely by surprise. Notice with me that it is the Lord doing the fighting. We are told the Lord routed them (v10), the Lord chased them, and the Lord struck them down. Think of the excitement of realizing that God is fighting for you. We have all been decimated by the enemy, beat up by circumstances and wearied with our obligations. How wonderful it would be if God came to our rescue, took up our cause and defeated our enemies. The miracle is God defends, protects and chases down the enemy in our lives. God fights for us. Thank God this morning for His protection over your life. Praise Him for defending you. He will do whatever it takes to chase down the enemy in your life. Nothing is too great for our God. 

Elijah the prophet came near and said, “O Lord, God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, let it be known this day that you are God in Israel, and that I am your servant, and that I have done all these things at your word. Answer me, O Lord, answer me, that this people may know that you, O Lord, are God, and that you have turned their hearts back.” Then the fire of the Lord fell and consumed the burnt offering and the wood and the stones and the dust, and licked up the water that was in the trench. And when all the people saw it, they fell on their faces and said, “The Lord, he is God; the Lord, he is God.” (1 Kings 1 18:36-39) 

Danny Simpson, a 24-year-old Canadian, was sentenced to 6 years in jail for robbing a bank in Ottawa, Canada of $6,000. The gun he used in the robbery, however, ended up in a Canadian museum. The .45 caliber Colt semi-automatic turned out to be an antique made in 1918 by the Ross Rifle Company of Quebec City. His pistol was worth up to $100,000. If Danny Simpson had known what he had in his hands, he would not have ended up in jail.  

During the days of Elijah, if the nation of Israel had only known what they had in their hands, they wouldn’t have ended up in spiritual slavery, held captive by Ahab and Jezebel in their own land. It was the same song, second verse – they had come of out Egypt but Egypt had not come out of them. 

We know that God is powerful and that mankind is weak, but did you know God wants to fill your powerless life with His power and strength? Many Christians spend their lives searching for God’s power and presence, not realizing it is already in their hands. Do you know what you have in your hands? Elijah went before the people and said, “How long will you waver between two opinions? If the Lord is God, follow him; but if Baal is God, follow him.” (I Kings 18:21) God never has been and never will be pleased when His people waver between serving Him or the world. During such times, God is more than willing to reveal Himself in a way that erases all doubt of His power. And when God reveals Himself, our most natural response should be a full commitment of faith. The miracle of God’s power demands a response. What is your response? Are you willing to trust Him with all your heart, soul and life today? If Danny Simpson only knew what was in his hands, he would never have ended up in jail. Turn to Jesus today.

For this is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: There will always be flour and olive oil left in your containers until the time when the Lord sends rain and the crops grow again!” So she did as Elijah said, and she and Elijah and her family continued to eat for many days. There was always enough flour and olive oil left in the containers, just as the Lord had promised through Elijah. (Exodus 17:14-16) 

Have you ever been broke? I mean really broke? This widow was and she couldn’t believe her ears! She was at the end of her rope. Life was hard enough for a widow in that day and age, but the drought that they had been experiencing had been the straw that broke the camel’s back. Well she should have been lucky enough to have a camel with a broken back. She was out of food, out of money and was so broke that she couldn’t even afford to pay attention. She had enough food at home to make one last meal, and she figured if we’re going to starve we might as well have a hot meal first. So out she went to collect some fire wood and it was at that point that into her life comes the prophet Elijah, who like a typical preacher was asking for something. Now the first request was fairly simple, he said “Would you please bring me a cup of water?” Well, that wasn’t all that tough, even she could afford to give someone a drink of water, but as she turned to walk away it got a little tougher because he said “oh by the way could you grab me a sandwich as well” Her response to this man of God would not only have an immediate impact on her life but it would ultimately be a life changing impact. The miracle of God’s provision can change lives. It changed the widow’s life and it can change yours as well. Run to the God of miracles all day today. 

Praise God for your salvation in Jesus Christ this morning. I’m praying for you this morning, NewLife! 

The Lord said to Moses, “Make a snake and put it up on a pole; anyone who is bitten can look at it and live.” So Moses made a bronze snake and put it up on a pole. Then when anyone was bitten by a snake and looked at the bronze snake, they lived. Numbers 21:8-9 Let’s go back to the original story and look a little closer at, how God punished the people for their disobedience, and the method He used to save them. The people sinned in their discontentment by rebelling against Moses and against God. It is probably quite fitting then that God should use serpents to punish the people. It was a serpent that was present when Adam and Eve committed the first sin by rebelling against God. The serpent had grown to represent that sin. 

As somebody once said when it came to the first sin; Adam blamed Eve, Eve blamed the Serpent, and the Serpent hadn’t got a leg to stand on. It is no wonder then that God uses snakes to punish this rebellion. 

It is pleasing to see that the first thing the Israelites do is repent. They don’t try and deal with the problem their own way by using extra thick leggings or ringing their tents with fire. Moses then intercedes on their behalf. Here we see a little of the character of Moses. The people had been rebelling against him and not just God. 

The method that God uses to deal with the problem is quite extraordinary. He tells Moses to make a bronze serpent and to lift it up. Anybody who is bitten, but looks at it, will live. Why would God choose to use something that represents sin to save the people from it? The answer we discover is that it is a prophecy to the very method that God would use to deal with all sin and its consequences. 

The disciple John writes, “For God so loved the world, the He gave His only begotten son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish but have everlasting life” (John 3:16). The miracle of repentance leads to eternal life. Praise God for the cross. Praise God for our redeemer on the cross. 

Our sin caused the judgment of the fiery serpents poison and curse; yet at our repentance God’s love provides an antidote for our sin. Jesus is the atoning sacrifice. The antidote is not an injection (works) but a beholding (faith) — it is something that even the one closest to death can do — believe enough to turn your eyes to the cure You just need to see Jesus and “behold the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world.” Pray for the miracle of grace this morning. God’s grace is amazing.

The Lord said to Moses and to Eleazar the son of Aaron, the priest, “Take a census of all the congregation of the people of Israel, from twenty years old and upward, by their fathers’ houses, all in Israel who are able to go to war.” Moses and Eleazar the priest spoke with them in the plains of Moab by the Jordan at Jericho, saying, “Take a census of the people, from twenty years old and upward,” as the Lord commanded Moses. (Numbers 26:1-4) 

Some people think Numbers is rather boring but it records some dramatic miracles. All of this is a quiet but powerful miracle that is easy to be overlooked. Just think, a whole nation moved from one land to another, lost its entire adult population, yet managed to maintain its spiritual direction. 

Even though Moses was not allowed to go into the Promised Land he spent the closing weeks of his life preparing the new generation to enter Canaan and claim the land God promised to give them. In this portion of Scripture a new census was taken in anticipation of assigning land to the families of the tribes, a new leader was identified in Joshua, and the law of God concerning offerings was brought into focus. But the primary purpose of the numbering was to ascertain how the land of Canaan would be allotted to the different tribes. Thirty-eight years had passed since the first great census. During this time every Israelite man and woman over 20 years of age, except Joshua, Caleb and Moses, had died and yet God’s laws and spiritual character of the nation were still intact. The miracle is Joshua and Caleb survived. They not only survived, but they thrived in the wilderness. They were ready to lead the people into the promised land. The first census counted the Hebrews who left Egypt. But when the old generation died in the wilderness another census was needed to count the Hebrews ready to enter the Promised Land. The first census revealed a total of 603,550 soldiers were available (1:45-46). This new census revealed that although over 600,000 men (not counting women and children) had died in the wilderness the male population of Israel now numbered 606,730 (v. 51). When you consider that every man had now been replaced who had died during the previous thirty-eight years except for only 1,820 men, this total is quite remarkable. Just as God had multiplied His people during their years of suffering in Egypt, so He made them fruitful during their years in traveling in the wilderness. Now that is a miracle of miracles. Sometimes it may seem like God isn’t doing much in my life but I must remember that God is still in the miracle business and works in quiet ways to bring about his long range purposes. Pray for a miracle today! 

“So Joshua told the Israelites, ‘Come and listen to what the Lord your God says. Today you will know that the living God is among you. So the people left their camp to cross the Jordan, and the priests who were carrying the Ark of the Covenant went ahead of them. It was the harvest season, and the Jordan was overflowing its banks. But as soon as the feet of the priests who were carrying the Ark touched the water at the river’s edge, the water above that point began backing up a great distance at a town called Adam, which is near Zarephath. And the water below that point flowed on to the Dead Sea until the riverbed was dry. Then all the people crossed over near the town of Jericho. Meanwhile the priests who were carrying the Ark of the Lord’s covenant stood on dry ground in the middle of the riverbed as the people passed by.” (Joshua 3:9,14-17a) 

My grandfather was one of my most favorite people in all the world. He was a farmer and a mailman. He was well known in the little town of Wilmington, Ohio because he lived in a time when life moved a little slower. He’d deliver mail right out of his truck and spent many days meeting and talking to people at their mailboxes. As a child I’d sit on the big wide porch that covered the front of my grandparents farmhouse and “snap” freshly picked green beans, watch storms roll in or look at birds through binoculars. He was a great storyteller. My dad inherited his sense of humor and his ability to tell a great story. The stories they told often were about their childhoods and life on the farm. I grew up in the suburbs, and even though we’d go to the farm to be with my grandparents, what I know of life on a farm, I know through the stories of my grandparents and my dad. 

This messy group of Israelites who were crossing over the Jordan River weren’t the same messy group of Israelites who’d crossed over the Red Sea. Like me, they knew the stories of how Moses had stretched his rod over the sea and the great sea rolled over to provide them a path to go straight through. They’d heard the stories of life in Egypt filled with bondage and pain. But this was a new generation. This was a sojourning generation that knew about wandering and eating manna. But here they were. Right at the banks of another river. Now the depth of the portion of the Red Sea that the Israelites passed through with Moses would have been “vastly deep”; or thousands of feet deep. But for this generation standing at the bank of the Jordan, the depth would have been more like 10-15 feet in depth. And in this specific time of the year, it would have been a turbulent, impassable flood that God pushed a path through, pushing the waters 20 miles away to the town of Adam. Not as deep, but challenging to day the least. But God… God pushed the waters apart and didn’t just provide a little path. He pushed the waters some 20 miles down the bank. 

And the impetus for the movement of the waters lie in the feet of the priests. All that God asked was that they step. But the power, the true impetus lie not in their feet, but in what was in their hands. The priests carried the Ark of the Covenant. The Ark was the most holy thing that Israel had. It was called the Ark of the Covenant because it was a symbol of God’s covenant bond. It was the physical token of his faithfulness. It held his law and it held his presence. Reflected in every miracle prior, and every miracle to come; the impetus for every miracle is HIS presence! 

As I sit in my chair writing this devotional, and you sit in yours reading it; we carry within us the same power and presence that dwelled in that Ark! He dwells in you! His word dwells in you! His holy presence dwells in you! His presence goes with you wherever you set your feet!! I’m praying you begin to fathom the magnitude of this reality! I’m praying you can rest in this reality! I’m praying this reality causes you to praise the one who’s given it! Prayer is praise! Prayer is worship! Look at your feet! Think of the places your feet have taken you and where they may take you even today. In every step you’ve taken and ever will take, you carry and are filled with the very presence of God! 

Daniel was lifted up out of the den, and no injury whatsoever was found on him because he had trusted in his God. (Daniel 6:23) 

Prayer is the preparation for any encounter in the lion’s den. There is power in prayer.

The lion’s den was most likely seen less as an execution and more as a trial by ordeal – trial by ordeal is simple – you placed a person in great peril, if they survived, it must be

because the gods intervened and you are innocent. If the lions eat you, you are guilty, and if they don’t, you are innocent. Most people were found guilty.

The king who made the law spends the night in agony – he has just thrown his most trusted leader to the lions, Daniel on the other hand, was relatively comfortable – I have this illustration of Daniel earnestly praying in the den surrounded by lions – I think it is a better picture of Darius that night. Daniel was either sleeping or singing praises and thanksgiving to God who had sent an angel to shut the lion’s mouths.

What the leader of much of the known world could not do with all his power, God did with one angel – he saved Daniel from the lions.

In the lion’s den, God shows that His Kingdom is so much more powerful than any human empire. In spite of present appearances, God is in control.

Darius comes to the den in the morning with the faint hope that Daniel’s God has saved him. And his hopes come true. Daniel survives the ordeal, is proved innocent, and his conspirators proved guilty.

Jesus is our representative. So that when we give ourselves to Jesus, and we place our lives in Him, the Spirit unites with Him, so that His victory over sin and death becomes our victory over sin and death. His proven innocence (by coming through the ordeal) becomes our innocence, and His goodness is applied to our lives. So in His victory we are victorious, in His exaltation, we are exalted with Him up into the highest heaven! Do you want Daniel’s character and relationship with God? Do you want to end well as He did? The first step is to join in the victory that Jesus won. Give your life to him, and you too will have victory over sin and death. You too will have a restored relationship with the King of Heaven!

If you have already been united with Jesus in his death and resurrection, then I invite you to live in the victory that he won. Build an excellent character by following his way, pray regularly and daily, and make plans to end every day with prayer.

Now Moses was keeping the flock of his father-in-law, Jethro, the priest of Midian, and he led his flock to the west side of the wilderness and came to Horeb, the mountain God. And the angel of the Lord appeared to him in a flame of fire out of the midst of a bush. He looked, and behold, the bush was burning, yet it was not consumed. And Moses said, “I will turn aside to see this great sight, why the bush is not burned.” When the Lord saw that he turned aside to see, God called to him out of the bush, “Moses, Moses!” And he said, “Here I am.” (Exodus 3:1-4)

The entire key to Moses’ greatness lies in the fact that he took his sandals off and that he initially hid his face from God. These are marks of reverence, humility, and honesty–the three things God most requires of us in our lives with Him.

For you see Moses and we have to deal with a great tension. That God came down to us, to our level in Christ Jesus to make Himself known to us. That he became human to redeem humanity. He came to redeem our own humanity. 

On the other hand, that God is Holy and is totally other. That He stands as our judge and we need to have an attitude of awe and wonder toward Him. The great tragedy of our time is that we run the risk of losing our reverence toward God in how we live our lives.

We think of Him as the big guy upstairs, the great Granddad who’ll not hold us responsible for our actions. God is not someone to be chummy with. And in our effort to make Him less offensive to non-Christians we have domesticated Him.

With the result that people think His only business is to do things for us–that He guarantees success and happiness and prosperity regardless of how we live our lives.

And like Moses at first, people think they can come to God and deal with God on their own terms. And when we finally respond to Him, we go charging at Him, but He says stop. Remove your shoes for I am holy God and there are a few things you need to understand–you are on Holy Ground because you are in My presence.

Holy Ground for me is at Indiana University under a tree in the lawn of the university president. Because it is there that I finally noticed the burning bush God was using to get my attention. He called to me–I said “Here I am”. I had said that before, but this time it was different. This time, I came to God on His terms. I was humbled and honest and open. IN a sense, I took off my shoes, I revealed myself, I laid my heart and my life bare before Him who already knew it all.

It’s the same for all of us. He calls to all of us “take off your shoes, you are in my presence and it is holy.” No more games, lay your life bare before me, confess all the sin you’ve been walking through. Fess up to all the dirt on your shoes–the sin and unrighteousness you’ve been living or thinking.

We all know how dirty shoes can get. They pick up everything we walk through. And everywhere we have been and everything we have done can be found on the bottom of our shoes. It sticks. It’s like stepping on gum on a hot summer day. You can’t get it off, little strings of it just keep following you. Everybody who sees you knows that you stepped in gum.

God knows every sin we’ve ever walked through, and He tells us that if we want to come to Him, we’ve got to admit it to Him and confess it. Take off your sandals, I don’t care what’s on the bottom of them, just be honest and do it, for I am God.”It’s all about humility and reverence. God knows if we’re just playing games with Him. 

At PromiseKeepers a several summers ago, it was a holy moment in Neyland. Jack Heyford was talking about this passage, and concluded his message by asking us all to remove our shoes in worship. And that place which had been used for a hundred other things was Holy ground because God was there. And 70,000 men worshipped God by removing their pride and laying their hearts bare before God.

That’s all He wants from us. Take your shoes off the place you are standing is holy ground. Pray for Holy Ghost revival in our city today.

So the people shouted, and the trumpets were blown. As soon as the people heard the sound of the trumpet, the people shouted a great shout, and the wall fell down flat, so that the people went up into the city, every man straight before him, and they captured the city. (Joshua 6:20)

Have you ever discovered walls in your life? Or, have you faced an obstacle that you thought would never leave you? I also would like to know, is there anything in life that has ever stopped you from reaching to the place in life that you wanted to get to?

In this walk of life, we need to understand that the walls must come down. In defining walls, it leads me to understand that walls are signs of protection and they are signs of sheltering. It leads me to draw a picture of a house. In building a house, you must understand that the wall is a sign of privacy and it is a sign of protection. I have never seen a house without walls. For if we understand this walk of life, we will understand that in order to reach the places that God has called us to, we must not allow our walls to burden us down and lead us to places that the enemy wants us to be.

I want everyone to know, whatever wall you may be facing in your life, I want you to know that the walls must come down. If you would finish reading Joshua, you will find that they marched on the first day and nothing happened, they marched on the second day and nothing happened. They marched until they got to the seventh day and nothing still happened. I want you to know, when you’re marching, don’t just march, praise God while you’re marching because your deliverance is in your praise. I don’t care what the doctors, or the bill collectors may say, “Your deliverance is in your praise. ” As a matter of fact, you ought to go to the doctor’s office and let the doctor know just how confident you are that God is a healer. You should go to the bill collectors and shout in their building and let them know how God is Jehovah-Jireh. I am here to let you know that God will be whatever he needs to be when he needs to be it.

However, when they began praising God, the walls came down, and I want you to know that your deliverance is in your praise. I don’t care what you’re going through; let the devil know, I am coming out. It may not look like it right now, but I am coming out. It may be a while from now, but I am coming out. I may have to cry a little while, but I’m coming out. I may have to suffer a little while, but I am coming out. Pray for the walls to fall down in your life today.

Everything you need is on the other side of fear.

“A father, His son, and a friend of his were sailing off of the Pacific Coast,” He began, “When a fast approaching storm blocked any attempt to get back to shore. The waves were so high, that even though the father was an experienced sailor, he could not keep the boat upright and the three were swept into the ocean as the boat capsized. The old man hesitated for a moment, making eye contact with two teenagers who were, for the first time since the service began, looking somewhat interested in his story. The aged minister continued with his story, “Grabbing a rescue line, the father had to make the most excruciating decision of his life: to which boy he would throw the other end of the lifeline. He only had seconds to make the decision. The father knew that his son was a Christian and he also knew that his son’s friend was not. The agony of his decision could not be matched by the torrent of waves. “As the father yelled out, ‘I love you son!’ He threw out the lifeline to his son’s friend.

By the time the father had pulled the friend back to the capsized boat, his son had disappeared beneath the raging swells into the black of the night. His body was never recovered.” By this time, the two teenagers were sitting up straight in the pew, anxiously waiting for the next words to come out of the old minister’s mouth. “The father,” he continued knew his son would step into eternity with Jesus and could not bear the thought of his son’s friend stepping into eternity without Jesus.

Therefore, he sacrificed his son to save his son’s friend… With that the old man turned and sat back down in his chair as silence filled the room. The Pastor again walked slowly to the pulpit and delivered a brief sermon… Within minutes after the service ended, the two teenagers were at the old man’s side.

“That was a nice story,” Politely stated the boys, “But I don’t think it was realistic for a father to give up his son’s life in hopes that the other boy would become a Christian.” “Well, you’ve got a point there,” the old man replied glancing down at the worn Bible. A big smile broadened his narrow face, he once again looked up at the boys and said, “It sure isn’t realistic, is it? But I’m standing today to tell you that the story gives me a glimpse of what it must have been like for God to give up His only son for me. You see… I was the father and your Pastor was my son’s friend.”

Listen, everything you need is on the other side of fear. Give God your greatest fears today. Let God take those fears that keep you from being all in for Jesus!

I have gone to a basketball games to watch some of our guys and gals play. Just before the game starts, the guys all get into a huddle a mid-court, with their hands locked together moving from side to side with their arms and upper body. Now if you did notknow they were playing basketball, you’d wonder what they were doing. But each guy or girl is expecting to make something happen the moment of the prayer time They are attempting to put themselves in the best position possible to make something happen.

They do not have any control over how the game is going to approach them, but they are doing their best to make the most of whatever opportunity may come their way.

Often times, people will make the comment “I’m waiting on the Lord” for such and such. But waiting on the Lord does not mean you sit back and see what it is God might do for you. In the verse those that “wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength.” The word wait does not mean to sit down. It’s the word which means to wait on a table as a waiter or waitress would do at a restaurant. A good waiter or waitress is moving about quickly to serve the person he or she has been assigned to serve. Good waiters or waitresses know how to position themselves in such a way as to respond to your needs before being asked. To wait on the Lord means to position yourself to be ready to respond to what the Lord desires to send your way.

In order to receive a miracle from the Lord, sometimes we have to position ourselves to receive the miracle. If all we do is talk, without filling out an application, or making a change, or going to find somebody who can show us the right direction, we never will get beyond where we are today. Just waiting on the Lord is not enough. Do something in the waiting period. Getting in the right position requires some effort on our part.

Go back with me in history when King Ahab and Queen Jezebel were leaders of the country of Israel. Now this couple were famous for all the evil deeds they did. King Ahab was a pretty wicked fellow by himself, but that he was egged on to do even more evil by his wife Jezebel. They rejected the true God of Israel, and started to serve a god by the name of Baal. Now Baal was believed to be the god of fertility who made things grow and who controlled the weather to produce all the food needed. If you needed rain, you simply asked Baal for it.

Now God contacted Elijah the prophet, and let him know, “I’m about to position you for a miracle. I want you to go and tell King Ahab, that I said there will be neither dew nor rain for the next few years except at my word.” God told them He would provide. The woman and her family were completely dependent upon God for their daily provision. I want you to notice, Elijah made it clear that God knew exactly what she had. He also made it clear, it was not the amount of oil or flour in the jar that was the key issue, but rather God’s ability to replenish it. Our God is able to stretch our supplies to meet our daily needs. Jesus taught us to pray, “Give us this day our daily bread.” We do not have to have a lot to give a lot. We have to have faith in God being the supplier of our needs. Once we understand this, we will feel free to give ourselves to God, because we know He will give back much more to us. God will always provide. Pray for your provision today.

(John 18:2-5a,10)

They’d plotted, schemed, and waited for this day for a long time. There he was kneeling in the garden. Alone? Or were his friends close by? We only know they were asleep! Imagine the scene. Judas, a disciple, a follower of Jesus. Not one from a distance as many, but one of the hand-selected few who walked up close and personal to the one who threw stars into place and gave oceans their borders. Judas saw him love and forgive. He saw him hungry as fully man, and holy as fully God. This Judas came to betray the one who had only shown him love. And he betrayed him not with a shout or a pointing finger, but with a kiss. Imagine the shouts and the chaos that followed. A band of soldiers and priests raising voices and hands to seize and punish this man they had plotted and schemed against. And in the chaos and confusion, one man gets what he may or may not have deserved. In a moment of fiery loyalty, Peter reaches for a sword and slices off the ear of Malchus. Who is this man named Malchus? We know very little other than he was a servant who served the high priest Caiphas. As a servant of a high priest, he would have an element of status and prestige, but nonetheless, he was a servant. A servant of the high priest would have to be unblemished, so this mutilation would instantly disqualify him from this place of consolation in being a slave. Malchus in this setting should have just been collateral damage in the panic of this moment.

But in the moment, in the midst of the panic and the chaos, Jesus saw Malchus. He heard the cry above the shouts and the confusion. He heard the cry of Malchus. His gaze didn’t go beyond the slave of little account in the context of the moment. Jesus saw. Jesus stopped. Jesus reached. Jesus, in the face of betrayal, reveals his mission to love and restore. I wonder if Malchus heard things he’d never heard before because Jesus touched and healed his ear?

We only hear of Malchus this one time in scripture. But Malchus would have been the Last to be healed, the last of the miracles Jesus would perform before he walked the road to redeem us all. This marginalized man of no real account by the standards of the world he lived in, was the man Jesus saw and chose in the chaos.

Maybe your mind feels like chaos. Maybe there’s chaos in your heart or in your life. We certainly live in a day of chaos. And yet Jesus still sees and hears in the chaos. In the midst of the chaos, Jesus reaches through the chaos. Maybe you need him to reach through your chaos. Know that He STILL sees! He still reaches! He still restores! His mission remains the same to love and restore.

There’s an old story about a town that was experiencing extreme drought. In an act of desperation, the people of the village decided they’d gather to pray for rain. They came from far and wide to gather in the little country church in the middle of their town. Young and old came, and once gathered, they prayed desperate and passionate prayers. The young pastor, encouraged by the turnout,left the gathering discouraged. He saw hope in the crowd, he saw passion and desperation in the crowd. But only in one small boy did he see evidence of real faith. How did he know that this one small boy truly had faith? He was the only one to show up with an umbrella!

The story in this gospel is about a desperate woman. Having been shamed and shunned for years, she was desperate enough to go against what would have been required of her. She was to stay away and remain distant because she bled. But instead, she pressed in through the crowds and made a desperate leap of faith. She just knew if she could touch The hem, the fringe of his garment, she would be healed. It was an act of desperate faith. Jesus, being a Jew, would have worn a full tallit (gown or cloak) with long tassels or tzitzit on the ends. The long tassels were to remind the one who wears the tallit of the commands of God given to Moses. But there’s more spiritual significance to wearing the tzitzit than just remembering the commandments. It would have been like wrapping oneself in the glory and the splendor of the Lord. The tassels on the corners were given the name “kanaph,” which also means “wings” like a bird or an angel. Psalm 91:4 says, “He will cover you with His feathers, under His wings you will find refuge. The tassels would have been woven with blue thread. Blue was considered the color signifying the glory and the authority of God. This woman’s reach wasn’t just a reach for healing. It was an act of desperate worship in seeking to connect with the authority and the glory of God. It was a desperate reach in total, unguarded faith. She knew the authority and glory of the Lord would be where she’d find her healing.

When you pray, is it an act of half skeptical, half believing hope? When you pray, is it an act of a last-ditch kind of desperation or passion? Are you showing up this morning in prayer out of obligation or out of faith? Reach your hand out right now. Reach out to the Lord. Reach out in faith to the authority and glory of the Lord. Show up with so much faith in the glory and the authority of the Lord that you dare to bring an umbrella!!

followed Jesus down the road.” (Mark 10:46-52)

I love books written for children. They’re simple, and the illustrations are lighthearted and, in some cases, beautiful. We kept a good deal of our favorites read over and over again to the delight and requests of our children. We’ve found one book of stories in the Bible that contains the story of Blind Bartimaeus. The illustrations are simple and unique, for the pictures don’t just illustrate what man would have seen looking at the story of Bartimaeus, but what blind Bartimaeus would have seen. One page just shows darkness, but after Bartimaeus is given the gift of sight, we see through “eye-shaped” figures a picture of Jesus, for HE would have been the first object he beheld.

There are about thirty stories of healing in the four gospels. The recipients of the glory of God in being healed are anonymous except for two. One was named Lazarus, and the other was Blind Bartimaeus. As a man struck blind, he would have been marginalized and outcast in the world he knew. The name Bartimaeus means “Son of Timaeus,” and Timaeus means honored or valued one. His fate of physical blindness, outcasting him, is sharply contrasted to the “inclusive honor” that must have been bestowed on his father, Timaeus. So, why the name dropping here in the book of Mark? As you know, the only reason for name dropping is because this was someone who would have been familiar to the readers of this gospel. You don’t “drop a name” of someone that nobody knows. So the nobody Bartimaeus became as “somebody”. Isn’t it interesting this marginalized outcast, relegated to the outskirts of the town?

Wasn’t he quiet and mindful of his place in society upon encountering Jesus? This man who was could see, immediately saw what others didn’t, for he calls out to Jesus, “Son of David”. This was a name familiar to the hearers of his shouts and the readers of this gospel. Bartimaeus was recognizing the deity of Jesus; Bartimaeus was calling out to the Messiah! Before anyone shouted Hosannah and waved palm branches, Bartimaeus sees that this man walking down this dusty road is none other than the Son of David, the long awaited Messiah.

Isn’t it interesting that after Blind Bartimaeus is healed, Jesus tells him, “Go your way”? But the gospels tell us he didn’t go his way. Bartimaeus followed Jesus. Whatever life he’d led, prior to being struck blind, he abandoned for following Jesus. Maybe this is why his name was known. He’d lived in the shadow of one who was honored his entire life, but chose to live in the shadow of the only one worthy to receive all honor. Did he follow him into Jerusalem? Did he follow him on the road to Calvary? Was he one of the ones who once again saw him after his resurrection? All we know is that he was given a choice and he chose to follow Jesus.

I have sat in this story for a while, asking the Lord what He wants me to see in this encounter. I wonder if you’ll ask the Lord today what it is He wants you to see? I wonder if given the choice to “Go Your way” or follow Jesus, how you’ll respond? Oh Lord, give me spiritual sight today to see you and only you, Jesus! I confess there are places in my life where I choose to “go my way”. Today give me vision to see those places and to follow only you!

Where are the limits of your comfort zone?

During the time Jesus walked the earth, the biggest boundary separating people was the boundary between Jew and non-Jew. This boundary was an impassable boundary for many people. You see, the Jewish people had faced extinction many times in their long history as a people. As far back as the Jewish exile to Persia, a man named Haman had tried to exterminate all the Jewish people. And of course we saw the same thing in the twentieth century in Germany under Hitler. Hatred has for generations fueled a desire on the part of some people to completely destroy the Jewish people. And if they couldn’t be destroyed by killing them, some people who hated Jewish people tried to erase Jewish people’s identity. If Jewish people could be persuaded to intermarry with non-Jews and let go of all their distinctiveness as Jewish people, they could be destroyed.

So the Jewish people at the time of Jesus held on to their uniqueness for dear life. In their minds, their very existence as a nation relied on their uniqueness.

But when he began his ministry, he questioned and challenged many of the traditional ways of understanding what it meant to be part of the people of God. For Jesus, being the people of God wasn’t about maintaining these badges of uniqueness.

Here was Jesus deep in non-Jewish territory, in the city of their most ancient enemies, among a people deeply committed to the paganism that was abhorred by Jewish people. Yet Jesus went there willingly, purposefully. That’s where he wanted to be.

If you think following Jesus is the best way to play it safe in life, you’re mistaken. If you think being a Christian and raising your children in a Christian home is the best way to keep your family together and happy, you’re mistaken. Following Jesus means going where Jesus leads you, and sometimes he leads us to places that are frighteningly out of our comfort zone.

I’m reminded of a scene from the C. S. Lewis books The Chronicles of Narnia. The Christ figure in these stories is a lion named Aslan, and when the children in the story first hear about Aslan, they’re afraid. They ask, “Is he safe?” The person telling them about the lion laughs, and says, “Safe? Of course he’s not safe. He’s a lion. But he’s good. He’s the Lord.”

Jesus is not safe, and following him is not safe.

and said, “Take heart; it is I. Do not be afraid.” And he got into the boat with them, and the wind ceased. And they were utterly astounded. (Mark 6:48-51)

Tim Tebow writes in his recent book, Finding Identity in the Storms of Life, “when your world starts to shake or fall apart, you can lean into Him for security, for safety. You can get through even the toughest of times.” Coach Tony Dungy writes, “we often can’t see what God is doing in our lives, but God sees the whole picture and His plan for us clearly.” Listen, tough conditions don’t cancel out smart decisions. The math still matters. What does it mean for God to calm the storms in our lives??

It means that God has the power and desire to bring peace into the chaos, fear, and pain You walk through, whether by changing your circumstances or by calming your heart in the middle of them. Listen, what is the picture behind “storms” of life?

In the Bible, storms often symbolize overwhelming troubles, losses, anxiety, persecution, or inner turmoil. Jesus calming the storm on the Sea of Galilee  is used to show how real-life crises can feel sudden, violent, and beyond our control.

How does God change the storms in your life? He sometimes changes external circumstances, providing rescue, guidance, or unexpected help so that the situation itself is eased or ended. He often calms us before He calms the situation: giving inner peace, courage, and strength so that fear no longer rules us, even if the outward storm continues.

The most amazing aspect of this story, to me anyway, is verse 51. What amazes me the most is that we are just like the disciples. Our storms rage, we finally call upon the Lord, He stills the storm, and we stand there with our mouths open and say “WOW!”. And, all the while, He is waiting on us to call on Him.

What is your storm today? Jesus can handle it! Come on, call on Him, and in His time, the wind will cease in your storm too.

Sometimes, He calms the storm, and sometimes He calms the person in the storm. He can still the storm in your heart right now. But, He can’t do it until you come to Him and ask! Won’t you call on Him today? The psalmist writes, “When my heart is overwhelmed; lead me to the Rock that is higher than I” (Psalm 61:2). Don’t let another drop of rain fall before you take refuge in the Rock. Take your storm to Jesus!!

We ask and answer hundreds of questions every day. What time do I need to leave? What will I have for breakfast? Is there enough creamer for my coffee this morning? What’s the weather look like today? What will I wear? What time is that appointment anyway? Some questions are harder to carry and harder to answer? Can I forgive? Can I forget?

Can I be forgiven? What do I do with the fear and the anxiety? What do I do with the hurt and the pain? What do I do with this loneliness?

We never really know her name. We never really know her story or her history. We just know she’s an outcast of the outcasts; considered unclean among the unclean. A good Jew knew to stay away from the Samaritans. Considered unclean as a Samaritan, she lived among Samaritans, but was still coming to the well at noon. The other women had come and gone. She knew it was safe to come to the well at noon. She’d not risk running into anyone. So when she asks Jesus, “why are you asking me for a drink”, she’s not asking Jesus why he’s thirsty. She’s asking why he’s asking HER for a drink! Didn’t he know? Don’t you know who I am? How she’d answered this question had determined and defined her whole life… her mistakes, her messes, her searches for belonging, her fear, her loneliness….Jesus never asked her who she was because he already knew! Jesus knew. He knew she’d be there. He knew this outcast of the outcasts would be drawing water at this well at noon. Being fully man, he was tired and he needed water. But being fully God, he could have drawn water from a rock! Jesus knew who she was, and so he tells her. Later, she’d tell the entire village, “He told me everything I ever did”! This woman at the well, this Samaritan woman, had been asking the wrong question her entire life!

It is here, to the Samaritan woman, that Jesus, for the first time in scripture, explicitly reveals himself as the Messiah. The great I AM says to this outcast of the outcasts, “I AM the Messiah”! The answer to every question she ever had was sitting on a pile of rocks right in front of her! The miracle wasn’t just that he knew everything about her; the miracle was and is this…that “while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us”. To this woman who felt like the sinner of sinners, Jesus didn’t say, “Go clean up your life and I’ll be your Messiah.” He said, “ I AM your Messiah…now go and sin no more.”

There’s only one question you’ll answer today that will make all the difference…every morning you wake up and answer the same question. Whether you realize it or not, you are answering the same question Jesus asked his disciple Peter: “Who do you say that I am?” Right now…with whatever you’re wrestling with or whatever choices you’ve got to make, how would you answer the question, “Who do you say Jesus is”? Is he the way, the truth, and the life? Is he more than able? Is he your rescuer and the one who redeems your life from the pit? Is he the one who binds up your wounds and heals your diseases?

Is he Jehovah Roi; the God who sees you? Meet him at the well this morning and tell him who you say He is…the living water!