Expect Answered Prayers
The dream of God is to be discovered and embraced until it
becomes our dream. And at least in part, that dream is that Heaven
would come to earth. Sound impractical or impossible? Not to Him. It’s
in His heart, and it is well within His ability to complete, even
through the finite efforts of those yielded to His purposes. It is our
privilege to join in this endeavor by co-laboring with Him and watch Him
add His wisdom and power to our prayers that we follow with simple
obedience.Assigned by God
The Bible frequently speaks of the responsibilities given
to those who follow Jesus. But there is one assignment given that is so
large, so all encompassing, that every other commission aligns its
purpose to the fulfillment of that one. Perhaps we could call the other
assignments sub-points to one major point. Each commission is vital and
important because it serves the greater purpose. And the fulfillment is
the realization of God’s dream through the cooperation of those made in
His image.
Our assignment as believers is a mandated focus that is to
influence our relational journey with God. This becomes most evident in
the discovery that our commission is to pray. And that prayer has a
specific focus that is to become a vital part of our fellowship with
God. Simply put, in the context of drawing near to our Father in worship
and interaction, we are to lift up our voices, declaring, “Your kingdom
come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven” (Matt. 6:10).
The assignments to evangelize, to work miracles, to care
for the poor, the widow, the orphan, and the like are all practical
expressions of this one major task—God’s will fully manifest here, with
Heaven as its source, model, and inspiration.
This task is not possible if we only discover the
principles of God and follow them. Heaven itself thrives on the presence
of God. Our commission is only possible with the increase of the
overwhelming atmosphere of the glory of God that increases as we pray
our assignment with faith. Those prayers must be followed with the risks
necessary to display His will on earth. If there is any confusion on
what that will looks like, look at how Jesus displayed the heart of His
Father in His interaction with people in need, namely by eradicating
disease, torment, and sin. Jesus Christ is perfect theology. And it is
our privilege to illustrate the same reality that Jesus carried. Jesus
declared it so when He said, “As the Father sent me, I send you” (John
20:21).
The reality of His world is so great that its effects must
be anticipated in a way that can be measured. Our perception of unseen
realities is powerfully influenced when we experience His presence. For
this reason, He says, “Taste and see that the Lord is good” (Psalm
34:8). What and how we see will always be influenced by what we
experience.
We cannot allow ourselves to live in theory only. We do
this whenever we embrace a routine of prayer, without expecting an
impact on the here and now. It is not wrong to look for evidence that
our prayers are answered. If we become accustomed to praying prayers
that aren’t answered, we tend to settle for living in the realm of
theory. Many resort to pretending they are being effective in their
prayer assignment, looking only to eternity to measure success.
Heaven/eternity is far greater than our wildest dream. But because of
that greatness, we tend to hide our unbelief there, without any
expectation for breakthrough here in the present. Whenever we do this,
we rob ourselves of the personal strength and joy that was intended to
be our possession as the result of answers to prayer. Answered prayer is
God’s design. We suffer in the long run when we expect our prayer
assignment to be fulfilled in Heaven only.
Bill Johnson
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