The other day, I was flipping through my Contemporary English translation, and, on a whim, ended up looking at one of my favorite verses, Jeremiah 33:3. I’ve probably mentioned it at some point, but if not, it’s:
'Call to Me and I will answer you, and I will tell you great and mighty things, which you do not know.' (NASB)
I’ve heard many teachings on this verse. I could probably spend quite some time rehashing all of it. But here’s the part that struck me.
“Ask me, and I will tell you things that you don't know and can't find out. “
Those last four words stood out to me – “and can’t find out.” When I read that, it immediately came across to me as, ‘it’s a secret.’ And God is bursting at the seams to tell someone.
And it’s not just talking about His Kingdom. Sure, there is some of that, but it’s also more personal. Allow me to explain. All day leading up to reading this, and for a few days before, God had been dealing with me on the idea of destiny. Who I could be, what I could do, if I gave myself fully to His hand.
That’s the secret He wants to tell us, the secret he wants us to ask Him about.
He longs for us to ask Him, ‘Who is this person that You’ve meant for me to be?’ While I was working on this, I actually had to stop right here and spend time in prayer, asking God that very question, that’s how hard the idea struck me.
A common chord in several teachings I’ve been hearing/reading lately (John Bevere’s “Extraordinary,” Erwin McManus’ “Wide Awake,” and both “Wild At Heart” and “Captivating” by John Eldridge) is that all of us are meant for greatness. That’s what I believe was meant by the famous ‘life and life more abundantly.’
But we can’t tap into this greatness on our own. Our destiny, our fullest potential, is one of the ‘great and mighty things’ that we ‘don’t know and can’t find out.’ It’s only by seeking His face, intentionally encountering God, that we can hear God’s little secret for us.
Friday, May 14, 2010
Thursday, May 6, 2010
Come Boldly Before the Throne
“Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.” Hebrews 4:16
A lot of things about prayer bring ideas of surrender, or even helplessness. A person kneeling with their head down is in a very vulnerable position. And that is the point, for some prayers. That’s why in 2 Chronicles 7:14, God says “If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land.” The Israelites, quite honestly, got a little full of themselves from time to time, and need to be reminded of their place.
In all honesty, sometimes, so do we. True, sometimes we do need to be humbled. But we need to remember that we have been given authority equal to Jesus Himself when we pray.
In Ephesians 2:6, Paul writes: “And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus” What exactly does that mean? Well, let’s flip back just a couple of verses.
“That power is like the working of his mighty strength, which he exerted in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly realms, far above all rule and authority, power and dominion, and every title that can be given, not only in the present age but also in the one to come. And God placed all things under his feet and appointed him to be head over everything for the church, which is his body, the fullness of him who fills everything in every way.” Ephesians 1:19b-23
So if we’re raised up with Jesus, our authority is, at the very least, similar to His. Jesus Himself even tells us this.
“I tell you the truth, anyone who has faith in me will do what I have been doing. He will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father.” John 14:12
But as you read a little further, we see how this works out.
“And I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Son may bring glory to the Father.” John 14:13
There it is…it’s not us. It’s Jesus, acting on our behalf when we pray, the true meaning of the word ‘interceding,’ someone serving as a go-between for two negotiating parties.
There is a catch here, a caveat, which keeps us from running amok with this power.
“If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be given you. This is to my Father's glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples.” John 15:7-8
We must remain firmly planted within God’s word. If not, we run the risk of what James calls ‘asking amiss,’ asking for things for our sake, or our glory, rather than His Glory, or His Kingdom’s sake.
A lot of things about prayer bring ideas of surrender, or even helplessness. A person kneeling with their head down is in a very vulnerable position. And that is the point, for some prayers. That’s why in 2 Chronicles 7:14, God says “If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land.” The Israelites, quite honestly, got a little full of themselves from time to time, and need to be reminded of their place.
In all honesty, sometimes, so do we. True, sometimes we do need to be humbled. But we need to remember that we have been given authority equal to Jesus Himself when we pray.
In Ephesians 2:6, Paul writes: “And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus” What exactly does that mean? Well, let’s flip back just a couple of verses.
“That power is like the working of his mighty strength, which he exerted in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly realms, far above all rule and authority, power and dominion, and every title that can be given, not only in the present age but also in the one to come. And God placed all things under his feet and appointed him to be head over everything for the church, which is his body, the fullness of him who fills everything in every way.” Ephesians 1:19b-23
So if we’re raised up with Jesus, our authority is, at the very least, similar to His. Jesus Himself even tells us this.
“I tell you the truth, anyone who has faith in me will do what I have been doing. He will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father.” John 14:12
But as you read a little further, we see how this works out.
“And I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Son may bring glory to the Father.” John 14:13
There it is…it’s not us. It’s Jesus, acting on our behalf when we pray, the true meaning of the word ‘interceding,’ someone serving as a go-between for two negotiating parties.
There is a catch here, a caveat, which keeps us from running amok with this power.
“If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be given you. This is to my Father's glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples.” John 15:7-8
We must remain firmly planted within God’s word. If not, we run the risk of what James calls ‘asking amiss,’ asking for things for our sake, or our glory, rather than His Glory, or His Kingdom’s sake.
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