Won’t work in theory, only in practice
With people, it is impossible, but not with God, for all things are possible with God. – Mark 10:27
1 Faith is the confidence that what we hope for will actually happen; it gives us assurance about things we cannot see.
2 Through their faith, the people in days of old earned a good reputation.
3 By faith we understand that the entire universe was formed at God’s command, that what we now see did not come from anything that can be seen.
6 And it is impossible to please God without faith. Anyone who wants to come to him must believe that God exists and that he rewards those who sincerely seek him.
David Boggs went to work at Xerox PARC laboratory. He was tasked to solve a complex and seemingly impossible problem. His solution would change the world. He spent two years inventing the technology needed to send electrical pulses from a computer to other devices like a printer. His invention was Ethernet. Ethernet, in turn, became the basis for Wi-Fi. He later developed the mouse, word processor, and laser.
In the process, he had to overcome skepticism and ubiquitous naysayers. He was told that Ethernet could not possibly communicate with most machines. Boggs’s retort was, well, it seems “Ethernet does not work in theory, only in practice.”
Without God, in theory, miracles cannot happen. But, in practice, they do anyway.
The Scriptures are replete with miracles: the opening of the Red Sea, a long day of Joshua, walking on water, healing the blind and lame, and the resurrection of the dead.
Matthew 17:20 Because of the littleness of your faith; for truly I say to you, if you have faith the size of a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, “Move from here to there,” and it will move, and nothing will be impossible to you.
Through faith, children of the King, the impossible becomes possible with the Father.
However, to do the impossible, it must coincide with the Father’s will and purpose. How can we possibly know the Father’s will and purpose? Such knowledge grows out of a personal relationship with the Father through the Lord Jesus Christ. As we pray about something, the Father will often affirm that it is His will and purpose it to be done. However, we must be sure that we have no selfish motive or impurity within. Effective prayer is a science whose laws can be learned. Effective prayer is praying the Father’s will into existence. To pray effectively, we must know what the Father wants to accomplish and pray towards that end.
James 5:16-18
16 Confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The effective prayer of a righteous person has great power and produces wonderful results.
17 Elijah was as human as we are, and yet when he prayed earnestly that no rain would fall, none fell for three and a half years!
18 Then, when he prayed again, the sky sent down rain and the earth began to yield its crops.
REFLECT & PRAY
When was the last time you moved a mountain or made it rain or stop raining?
Father thank You that the impossible is possible with You. Teach me to pray as the Lord Jesus Christ prayed so that Your will is done even though it seems impossible.
INSIGHT
How did Elisha know what to pray? The Father told him.
1 Kings 17:1 Now Elijah the Tishbite, who was of the settlers of Gilead, said to Ahab, “As the LORD, the God of Israel lives, before whom I stand, surely there will be no dew or rain in the years ahead unless I give the command.”
1 Kings 17:2 The word of the LORD came to him, saying . . ..
1 Kings 18:1 Now it happened after many days that the word of the LORD came to Elijah in the third year, saying, “Go, show yourself to Ahab, and tell him that I will soon send rain!”
Prayer isn’t a request line or a magic lamp. The purpose of prayer is to develop a closer personal relationship with the Father God.
The disciples watched the Lord Jesus Christ pray and the results. Consequently, they made a simple request.
Luke 11:1 Lord, teach us to pray.
He responded.
Luke 11:2-4
2 Jesus said, “This is how you should pray: “Father, may your name be kept holy. May your Kingdom come soon.
3 Give us each day the food we need,
4 and forgive us our sins, as we forgive those who sin against us. And don’t let us yield to temptation.”
The Greek term translated as Father is pater. Pater is equivalent to the Aramaic term Abba. Abba connotes an intimate, warm, close relationship. In English equivalent would be daddy or poppa. He uses the word combination abba, pater, in his agonizing prayer to the Father in the garden of Gethsemane.
Mark 14:36 “Abba, Father,” he cried out.
Paul elaborates on the importance of calling the Father Abba in Romans and Galatians. It is incumbent upon children of the King to address their heavenly Father as Abba, daddy, or poppa. The Father has adopted us into His Forever Family.
Romans 8:15 So you have not received a spirit that makes you fearful slaves. Instead, you received God’s Spirit when he adopted you as his own children. Now we call him, “Abba, Father.”
Galatians 4:6 And because we are his children, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, prompting us to call out, “Abba, Father.”
The Father wants us to be intimate with Him and approach Him in prayer as our daddy.
The Greek word translated as keep your name holy or hallowed be your name is hagiazo. Hagiazo means to make holy, consecrate, or sanctify. “Hallowed be your name is a request that God’s name would be honored and treated with reverence. His name includes his reputation and all that is said about him” (ESV, Notes). What an intriguing convergence of concepts. Our relationship with the Father is simultaneously intimate yet sacred.
Next, the Lord Jesus Christ tells us to ask for forgiveness for our ongoing sins that haunt us. But He adds an odd twist. We will be forgiven to the same measure that we forgive others. In other words, asking for the Father’s forgiveness requires that we actively forgive others. Pause and ask yourself, “Will I receive forgiveness if I do not forgive others?”
He ends by saying, lead us not into temptation. In that the Father is holy, why would He lead us into temptation. The answer is simple. Frequently, the Father leads children of the King into temptation, trials, hardship, and testing to purge us of our sin, test us, and approve us for further service.
Matthew 4:1 Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted there by the devil.
The tests and trials that the Lord Jesus Christ endured in the wilderness were not intended to defeat Him. Instead, they demonstrated that He was approved and ready for service. The Lord Jesus Christ successfully passed all the tests. When He did, He was approved for service. He began His work as the Messiah of Israel, the Savior of the world.
Indeed children of the King can do the impossible through effective prayer. Such prayer only comes when our hearts are right within us, and we forgive others.
¯\_(ツ)_/¯ 4-04-2
© Dr. H 2022
Dr H Reflections 