The Impact of Prayer

On January 1, I read and studied about the story of Jacob wrestling with God in Genesis 32. I knew that it was time for me to wrestle with God. And not in a bad way, not in a "I'm shaking my fist at God and blaming Him for all my problems" type of way, but in a way that digs in to the unmet desires of my heart, the season(s) of life I'm in, the circumstances I'm in, where my heart is at. That meant carving out significant amounts of time from what I usually do, cutting back on things that were wasteful, etc.

So it's been two months. And two months sounds so short! But it's felt so long. I've seen God's hand move in cool ways though. 

Tonight I got my book out that I'm currently reading, "The Power of Persistence" talking about prayer, and my notebook and pen. I sat down on my bed, but before I could even settle in, I heard God say, "Go get Streams in the Desert." (A devotional book I have.) Pause. Let me try to explain what I mean when I say I heard God say something like that. It was a random thought, completely unrelated to what I was about to do, and it was something that was like a command to do something that didn't really make any sense. HA. Just a prompting that was not of my own thoughts. And then it followed up with something that made sense, so I knew it was from the Lord. 

The reason it was random was because I got this devotional, "Streams in the Desert" in 2006. One friend had told me about it and another friend got it for me for Christmas. I loved that book/devotional, but I haven't touched it in years. It's marked up heavily with underlines, circles, stars, brackets around paragraphs or entire pages, and lots of pages folded down on the corners. But again, I haven't touched it in years. So I went and got it off my bookshelf and opened up to today. The opening verse was, "So Jacob was left alone, and a man wrestled with him till daybreak. Genesis 32:24" Ah, see there what God did? So let me just write some of the things from it that were good. 

"Left alone! What different emotions these words bring to mind for each of us! To some they mean loneliness and grief, but to others they may mean rest and quiet. Being left alone with Him though is a taste of heaven! 

"The greatest miracles of Elijah and Elisha took place when they were alone with God. Jacob was alone with God when he wrestled with Him (Gen. 32). Gideon and Jephthah were by themselves when commissioned to save Israel (Judg. 6:11, 11:29). Moses was by himself at the burning bush (Ex. 3:1-5). No one was with Peter on the housetop when he was instructed to go to the Gentiles (Acts 10:9-28). 

"Earnestly desire to get alone with God. If we neglect to do so, we not only rob ourselves of a blessing but rob others as well since we will have no blessing to pass on to them. It may mean that we do less outward, visible work, but the work we do will have more depth and power. The impact of being alone with God in prayer cannot be overemphasized." 

Better Together

Some things you just don't eat by themselves, but when they are added with other things, it's great. Mayo, salt, spices, jelly, salad dressing, mustard, lettuce, etc. Other things you do on a day-to-day basis have things that go together, that without it would make both useless. Toothbrush and toothpaste - you can't just use one. You can't use shampoo without water - unless you use dry shampoo. Coffee grounds and water - you can't just scoop some coffee grounds into your mouth and swallow it down. And other things are good by themselves, but are better together, like macaroni and cheese, chocolate and peanut butter (Reese's), smore's, books and coffee, mountains and beaches. 

Do you already know where I'm going with this? 


"Two people are better off than one, for they can help each other succeed. If one person falls, the other can reach out and help. But someone who falls alone is in real trouble. Likewise, two people lying close together can keep each other warm. But how can one be warm alone? A person standing alone can be attacked and defeated, but two can stand back-to-back and conquer. Three are even better, for a triple-braided cord is not easily broken." - Ecclesiastes 4:9-12


"As iron sharpens iron, so a friend sharpens a friend." - Proverbs 27:17


You might be as good as chocolate without the peanut butter or cheese without the macaroni. You can stand alone and do just fine. But you won't be great until other people are in your life, deep in your life. No, that's not just my opinion, it's what the bible says. Eventually we all fall. Eventually we're all cold. Eventually we're all attacked. And sharing in something joyful with another person just multiplies the joy! So why keep all the good stuff to yourself?

I read the other day something that was interesting - when everything was perfect in the world and no sin had entered in yet, God still looked down and saw that Adam needed a person to be with him. Even though things were "perfect." Even when Adam could have done "fine" on his own. But he wasn't fine because God created him to need another person. So God gave him Eve. If Adam was in a perfect world and was just fine, but he was better together with Eve, then certainly we, living in a non-perfect world, need other people. 

On the flip side, you might fee like your life is too messy to involve other people in it. Like when you get it together, then you'll have friends or invite people into your life. But that's not what Ecclesiastes says there. It says when you fall, others can reach out and help. "But someone who falls alone, is in real trouble." That means people have to be around before, during, and after you fall. And in Proverbs, when you're dull, another person can come along side and encourage you, and you them, or see things from a different perspective, or use their strengths in your life where you have weaknesses, or at the very least lift you up in prayer that you don't feel like you're able to pray for yourself. And news flash - nobody's life is perfect. So even if you're a hot mess, chances are, most people around you are too. 

Yesterday at work, a friend came in that I haven't seen in a while, and I got to talk to her on my ten minute break. Knowing my time was short, I just poured out what was on my heart and said, "Well, there's my 60 seconds of the anguish of my heart." We laughed. And she was on a similar page as me.

This means you have to go - act - try - pursue - to have friends and spend time with them and keep in touch with them.

"But I'm too busy." Then cut something useless out of your life. "But I'm too lazy." Don't let that be a cop out. "But I'm an introvert." Cool, but that doesn't exempt you from having friendships. It might just mean you have less close friends, or you spend a little less time with them, but they're still there. "But I'm focused on work and/or school." Work and school won't nourish your soul or help you walk with the Lord better (unless you work at a church or something), and if you realized you could have helped someone else who was struggling but turned your back on them then you will probably regret it some day.

Now imagine God asking you in heaven, "Did you love my people?" and your response being, "I was too busy. I was too lazy. I was an introvert. I was focused on work and school."

"After breakfast Jesus asked Simon Peter, 'Simon son of John, do you love me more than these?''Yes, Lord,' Peter replied, 'you know I love you.' 'Then feed my lambs,' Jesus told him. Jesus repeated the question: 'Simon son of John, do you love me?' 'Yes, Lord,' Peter said, 'you know I love you.' 'Then take care of my sheep,' Jesus said. A third time he asked him, 'Simon son of John, do you love me?' Peter was hurt that Jesus asked the question a third time. He said, 'Lord, you know everything. You know that I love you.' Jesus said, 'Then feed my sheep.'" - John 21:15-17