Implore!

First things first, please forgive me for not getting a weekly encouragement out to you all last week!! I apologize immensely for that.

Now, hold on…b/c God is huge and mighty, and faithful!!

Several times throughout the last couple of weeks, faithfulness and persistence has become a common theme being put right in front of me and piercing my heart. It seems that either I’m getting emails, having conversations or witnessing situations where these are so prevalent. So, I get it! It’s time to discuss this.

I want to share two passages with you….the first, a good friend shared with me, and it fits perfectly!

Luke 18: 1-8
1Then Jesus told his disciples a parable to show them that they should always pray and not give up. 2He said: "In a certain town there was a judge who neither feared God nor cared about men. 3And there was a widow in that town who kept coming to him with the plea, 'Grant me justice against my adversary.' 4"For some time he refused. But finally he said to himself, 'Even though I don't fear God or care about men, 5yet because this widow keeps bothering me, I will see that she gets justice, so that she won't eventually wear me out with her coming!' “6And the Lord said, "Listen to what the unjust judge says. 7And will not God bring about justice for his chosen ones, who cry out to him day and night? Will he keep putting them off? 8I tell you, he will see that they get justice, and quickly. However, when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on the earth?"

Next…

Job 12: 10-16
10 In his Hand is the life of every creature and the breath of all mankind.
11 Does not the ear test words as the tongue tastes food?
12 Is not wisdom found among the aged? Does not long life bring understanding?
13 "To God belong wisdom and power; counsel and understanding are His.
14 What He tears down cannot be rebuilt; the man He imprisons cannot be released.
15 If He holds back the waters, there is drought; if He lets them loose, they devastate the land.
16 To Him belong strength and victory; both deceived and deceiver are His.


There is SO MUCH in both of these passages, but, I am going to focus on a few key points. First of all, the first passage from Luke, with the parable of the persistent widow, is pretty obvious! But, as obvious as it seems, we so rarely apply this to our lives. Think about the prayer requests you submit to others; how regularly were you lifting those up prior to sharing with your brothers and sisters, and how regularly have you been lifting them up since? How many things in your personal life do you want to change? How many people do you love and care for, and you want to see come to Christ? How many people do you know are sick and hurting? How often are you bringing all of these burdens of your heart before the throne? Depending on which version of the Bible your reading, one common word that comes up is “implore”. I love this word! The literal definition is: “to beg urgently, as for aid or mercy.” Prayer is revrent, yes. But, revrent does not mean quiet and subdued at all times. These are the burdens of our hearts, why we are crying out to Abba, what we desperately desire to see change and be moved within our lives and the lives around us. Not only should we remain persistent, but we should be imploring; begging urgently for His aid and His mercy!

What if you submitted a very “near and dear”, very serious, prayer request one week…it ran in the bulletin for one Sunday. Then, it was taken off…but, your need was still there. But what if you were told “Sorry, we only do this once for each need.” You’d be hurt, I’d imagine. But, where is your accountability with yourself? Do you just have that one intense time of prayer about something, then spend the rest of the time worrying and fretting. Worrying is not the way to go, nor is it what we are to be doing. We are to be taking our burdens, our lives, our hearts, our purpose, before the throne, consistently and earnestly. You have the priviledge, as a child of the Most High and Powerful God, to be able to come to Him with whatever is on your heart. So, why am I emailing or calling my friends to vent 25 times a week, but only praying along with the assembly prayer on a Sunday morning. Relationship! That’s where it’s at. He is your Abba Father. Bring your cares before Him, and remain steadfast. “He will see that you get justice, and quickly.” With all going on right now in our lives, we need to remain persistent in bringing everything before God. Answers come in His time, not ours.

A quick jaunt to the Job passage…There is so much here!!!! I cannot possibly cover it all in one devotional, but please note verses 10 and 16. He has every living creature and the breath of all mankind in His hand. EVERY and ALL! No one is left out! He has our breath in His hand. When our breath stops, our lives stop. For everyone, believers and non-believers. Again, are you remaining persistent in your life, to give glory with every breath that you take?!

Verse 16: Both deceived and deceiver are His. What an awesome promise! Comfort and justice, all in one sentence! The deceived, the ones who are hurt, are His! The deceiver, the ones who are doing the hurting, are His. Not our’s! Take comfort in that sisters. So much in life, so many people, hurt us along the way. We hurt others when our flesh takes over, as well. That is in God’s hands! We will be accountable for everything. As will those who hurt us. This life is not easy, no. But, rest in the fact that you again do have the PRIVILEDGE of bringing your heart before God and begging for His power within your life and the ones around you! And that you have the promise that He hears and will answer, just remain persistent!

As I shared with a dear sister this week, I would rather stand before the Lord beaten and bruised by those who hurt me, knowing I did all I could for His glory…than to stand there shiny and polished, knowing I did nothing to further the cause and only brought others down with me.

Be persistent this week, dear sisters!