We cannot anticipate which of our daily acts of faithfulness will be
used by God.
But we can be encouraged by the knowledge that God can
and does use
acts of seeming insignificance to accomplish great things.
Upper Room
When we choose to do what God has given us to do and to do
it His way, we will not fail because our faithfulness will be used by God. We may not know our part until we leave this
world—or we may actually see the results as did Joseph.
Joseph, a favored son turned slave, had a heart to partner
with the Lord. Whether in the pit, in chains, as a household servant, or a
prisoner, God went before Joseph. And even though he cried out to his brothers
and told Pharaoh's servants to remember him because he was a captive unjustly
imprisoned, we never read that Joseph rebelled against where God had placed
him. And because of Joseph's faithfulness to Him, the Lord used him not only to
save the nation of Egypt but Joseph's own family.
Jack Hayford wrote that God's powerful purpose is to use
individuals to make a difference, individuals like Joseph, whose hearts are
willing to partner with Him.
Praying moms, through your persevering prayers, you individually partner with the Lord of
hosts, the One who rules angel armies. Once
spoken, your prayer is before the Throne of the King and becomes an obstacle in
the face of the enemy.
Our culture, though, seems more concerned with gaining workers
than pray-ers. Spending time in prayer, being seemingly idle, is often given
less priority than using hands and feet to serve.
However, in the Kingdom of God, prayer owns priority. That
is because prayer brings God's powerful presence into play. It must be
the backbone of any "work" done for the Lord, because prayer is how we
know our work is not only of the Lord but how we know we are doing it His way.
What you DO is vital to God's kingdom rule on earth. God
will use what may seem as insignificant to some to accomplish great things.
I can't help but think of the mom who spent many hours
praying for a troubled teen classmate of her child. Time passed, her child
graduated, and she didn't hear anymore about this young man. Several years
later, though, she actually came across this teen turned adult in a church
parking lot. She was there to attend a meeting. She asked what he was doing
there thinking perhaps he was a groundskeeper. No, he was the youth pastor!
Never, never let anyone convince you that what you do is
insignificant! Your prayers are obstacles to the prince of this world because
you have gone over his head to the ear of the King!
We don't become discouraged, since God has given us this ministry
through his mercy.
2 Thessalonians 3:13
(GWT)
Insightful and so true.
ReplyDeleteI became very intentional with prayer, with scripture with all the areas of my life a little over a year ago as we began preparation for an international mission trip to Zambia that I felt totally inadequate for in my own strength.
God's provision was complete and continues to be today.
Thank you. I think when we are not intentional about prayer, especially partnered with the Word of God, that it will be pushed to the side just like anything (and any relationship) we are not intentional about. Then, we will find ourselves as you wrote, totally inadequate in our own strength. I know that to be true when I let busyness overwhelm my time. It is much better, so much better, to know the Lord's provision. He offers to supply sufficiency in everything, an abundance for every good deed. (2 Corinthians 9:8 NASB)
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