Yes, and I will continue to rejoice, for I know that through your prayers and God’s provision of the Spirit of Jesus Christ what has happened to me will turn out for my deliverance. ~Philippians 1:19 (NIV)
It’s very comforting to know that people are praying for you and your loved ones. We all need deliverance at one time or another in our lives and sometimes regularly. We need deliverance from the bondage of sin, deliverance from sickness or disease, even deliverance from trying to do things in our own strength. Paul tells the Philippians that he rejoices because he knows that through the combination of their prayers and God’s provision of the Holy Spirit, he is confident that everything is going to turn out for the best. Do you have that confidence? Or do you worry about what tomorrow will bring? The Lord tells us in Proverbs 3:6 “In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make straight your paths.” (ESV) We can be confident about a lot more when we have made up our mind to honor God in all we do. We can cling to His promise to make our paths straight, giving us divine direction that overrides our imperfections because Gods promises are not dependent on our abilities but on His abilities. Do you seek to honor and bring glory to God with your life and in all your decisions? Then be confident that the Lord is going to make up the difference in what you are not able to accomplish perfectly. Trust that through prayer and Gods provision everything will turn out for your deliverance, just as Paul did.
Scripture teaches that God is always looking out for what concerns us. Our job is to be looking out for what concerns others. That means getting our eyes off ourselves and on to the needs we see around us every day. It is actually a welcome distraction to be able to think about what others may need instead of spending our time and energy trying to meet our own needs. We are called to be “need meeters” all the while trusting God to meet our needs. When we have God, we have everything we need but that does not mean we can be selfish with our time and energy. It is supposed to be used to advance the Kingdom of God and one of the ways we do that is by interceding to God on the behalf of others. In James 5:16 God tells us “pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective.” (NIV) If you have received Jesus as your Savior, you have been made righteous by His blood and your prayers are powerful and effective. We are all surrounded by needs that God has blessed us to be able to meet every day. We should see other’s needs as an opportunity to be the hands and feet of our Lord in the earth. But some of the needs we encounter we are not in a position to meet. Those are the ones we need to bring to God on behalf of others. Praying for people is our responsibility and there is no good excuse for not making the time to intercede for them. God tells us “we reap what we sow”, so next time you are made aware of a need that you cannot directly meet, think about this: would you want someone praying for you if you were in that situation? A fulfilled life starts and ends with the giving of yourself, your time, and your resources!
I urge, then, first of all, that petitions, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for all people…I want the men everywhere to pray, lifting up holy hands without anger or disputing. ~1 Timothy 2:1, 9 (NIV)
What needs surround you today? Have you identified which ones you have been blessed to be able to meet?
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