I believe God hears me.
I believe He not only hears me, but sends all the resources of Heaven to respond to my prayers.
“And my God will supply every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus.” Philippians 4:19(ESV)
So I am confident that He heard me pray for our nation. I am sure that He is fiercely at work. I can’t speak for anyone else on the planet, but I know that I prayed. Fervently.
“…The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective.” James 5:16(NIV)
So if you prayed and feel like nothing changed, but instead got worse, just know that God is not deaf to your requests. He is not ignoring you.
I believe that God wastes nothing. All this unrest, chaos, and mourning is just one of the many ingredients God is working with to bring revival to our nation.
When Jesus was about to be crucified they brought Him before Pilot. Pilot said they could exchange Jesus in the place of a prisoner. Barabbas was his name. He was a murderer. A real criminal of a man. And they screamed, “We want Barabbas.” They chose the criminal and captured Christ. They were wrong, really wrong. But as Jesus lay dying on the cross He prayed,
“Jesus said, ‘Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.'” Luke 23:34(NIV)
He knew the fight was not with men, but with Satan. He asked that God have mercy on the men. And with kindness, He died.
And things looked like they got worse. For three whole days, there was no Jesus in the world. The powers of Hell were left unchecked. Free to do as they pleased.
But then the ground began to shake. A great roaring came from the bowels of the Earth. And Jesus rose again. Resurrection. Revival.
You see, God used every ounce of deception the people were under. He used the mob, the accusers, the angry, spiteful hearts. He used the pain, the death, the sorrow, the mourning, the ashes, the ugly, the blood – all of it. And with it, He brought beautiful resurrection and eternal life.
Please hear me, this is not a political post. But regardless of who you voted for, I’m sure we can all agree that what’s happening among people in America right now is less than admirable. I don’t mean your political opinion or candidate, because God has been using messed up, imperfect men and women from the beginning of time to fulfill His will in the Earth. I mean the way we’ve begun deeming it acceptable to treat each other.
Listen, you’re not angry at the people you disagree with. You might think you are, but you’re not. Because the Bible says in Ephesians 6:12(KJV),
“For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.”
We do our warring in prayer- not in words against other people.
You’re mad at the enemy. But the enemy is not your fellow man. It’s Hell and all the powers of darkness. People may be deceived and furthering the will of the devil, but I promise that arguing and slandering is not the way to fix it.
“Or do you show contempt for the riches of his kindness, forbearance and patience, not realizing that God’s kindness is intended to lead you to repentance?” Romans 2:4(NIV)
The kindness of God leads men to repentance. Kindness.
And in this kindness, God has room to work in your life. In this submission of your pride, your will, and what you think has to happen, God does above and beyond anything you could ask or think.
“Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us,” Ephesians 3:20(NIV)
I sincerely believe God is up to something. Something good. He is building, creating, and molding the plans of the enemy into something good. I can feel it.
So my message to you today is to just hang on. Don’t lose hope. Don’t give up on humanity. Don’t write off the people around you with different opinions. Don’t be afraid.
“And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.” Romans 8:28(NIV)
No matter what is happening in America, or the world, God is working it for your good.
As believers we stand on the side of victory regardless of politics, opinions, or the word of man. We stand on the Word of God that is eternal and never failing.
We put our hope in God and not a political candidate. We love people because God told us to, not because we like what they do.
We rest. Because we know God is fighting our battles.
Church, rise up. Keep praying. War in the spiritual realm. Command righteousness and justice be done in the Earth. But then allow God to bring those requests to pass the way He sees fit- even if it’s not what you were expecting. God knows more than we do. Trust Him.
Be Blessed!
Jordan W. Smith 