That spurred him into action. Putting his plans aside, he
turned and drove to what turned out to be an apartment building. He quickly got
out of his car and started banging on doors. Because of his action, everyone
became aware of the danger and got out safely.
Are you one who sees the smoke?
What if you are the only one?
Are you willing to act?
We live in a world predominantly unaware of the smoke and of
the fire it hides. It really is a matter of life and death. The present tense
"is" indicates urgency.
Everyone who sees the smoke has a responsibility to act. But,
we often think we don't have the resources or the power, even the authority, to
act. If that is our thinking, we are dead wrong.
The Lord Jesus through His Holy Spirit has given His
followers great resources, power and authority. Significantly, those resources
come alive through the action of prayer.
Jesus' words tell us, “If
you live in Me [abide vitally united to Me] and My words remain in you and
continue to live in your hearts, ask whatever you will, and it shall be done
for you." (John 15:7 AMP) And, “I
assure you: The one who believes in Me will also do the works that I do. And he
will do even greater works than these, because I am going to the Father. Whatever you ask in My name, I will do it so
that the Father may be glorified in the Son." (John 14:12-13 HCSB)
Now, that's the powerful influence of asking—of prayer.
May the Lord's words to Ezekiel (22:30, HCSB) not be true of
us, "I searched for a man among them
who would repair the wall and stand in the gap before Me on behalf of the land
so that I might not destroy it, but I found no one."
Instead, may we be like Moses, God's chosen one, who "stood in the breach before Him to keep
His wrath from destroying..." (Psalm 106:23 RSV)
For those of us who see the smoke, may we turn from our own
plans to action in powerful prayer to rescue those in danger from the fire.
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