My God Will Blow Your Mind...

Last week during Bible study when Melissa got that text from Kay that she was going to the hospital we stopped everything and did what we were supposed to do – pray.  Not a “general-all-encompassing-standard-lingo” prayer, but a specific, urgent prayer engaging in all of the authority and boldness that God gave us to come before His Thrown of Grace.  Hebrews 4:16 says, 

“Therefore let us draw near with confidence to the throne of grace, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.”

When we studied Ephesians chapter one we looked at definitions for both mercy and grace.  Mercy was defined as God’s kindness and goodness toward the distressed, the miserable, and the afflicted, and the original word also joins with that goodness a desire to relieve them (the miserable and afflicted).  Grace was defined as God’s goodness toward those who deserve only punishment.  The writer of Hebrews says that since we have this Great High Priest who knows everything and has experienced everything we do here on earth (without sin of course), since we have Him on our side we can approach His thrown with free, fearless confidence, and cheerful courage, knowing that His goodness and kindness are there for us.

But I digress...

The point I wanted to make was actually a confession.  See while we all bowed in earnest prayer for our dear sister, who was in fact in much worst condition than any of us really knew, my mind went to Acts 12.  There Herod had just killed the apostle James, the leader of the church (and the apostle John’s brother), then went and threw Peter in jail planning to murder him also after Passover.  But verse five is so powerful,

“…but prayer was being made earnestly to God for him by the church.”

Many of the saints (the church) had met at Mary’s house and were praying for God to miraculously deliver Peter.  This would've had to be an incredible miracle because James is dead, and Herod was on a killing spree in his quest to please the Jews.  Peter had 16 soldiers guarding him locked up in prison.  Everything was set for another funeral.  But the saints gathered at Mary’s house and prayed – earnestly.

If you aren’t familiar with the story, please read it.  God responded to their prayers and sent an angel that basically walked Peter right out of the chains, out of his cell, past the 16 soldiers, and right out of prison into the streets.  Upon being freed, he walked straight to Mary’s house where the saints were praying for God to deliver him.  He knocked on the door and a little girl named Rhoda heard Peter’s voice and ran and told the praying saints that Peter was actually at the door!  Their prayers were miraculously answered! God had showed up and showed out!  And what was their response?  Disbelief. They told little Rhoda that she had lost her mind.  I can see them now, shoo-wing her off to go back upstairs to play with her friends.  The very thing they prayed for, God did, and they didn’t believe.  It was as if they were praying, but were they really believing?

Back to me last week…

So as we were praying for Kay I thought of the church at Mary’s house praying for Peter.  And how we really needed God to show up and perform a healing in Kay’s life, right now; immediately!  My heart was heavy for Kay and I was thankful that we were together with the saints, all in one accord.  From what the texts were saying and after talking to Parilla I knew this was really bad.  But I knew that our all-powerful God knew the situation and was powerful enough to work.  After praying we went back and forth discussing driving out to the hospital, not driving out to the hospital, calling and texting Parilla all night.  About 4 am he texted that she was out of surgery and was going to go home in the morning.  My immediate reaction was, “what kind of cracked-out doctors are at this hospital???”  I mean this girl had been slowly dying since Thursday from internal bleeding and the doctor is talking about “she’s fine now and she’ll be home by breakfast”?  I just knew something was wrong with the hospital or something.  A second opinion, anything!  When I finally talked to Parilla Sunday morning he said they were about to release her and that the doctors were amazed at how bad she was prior to the surgery.  How that she should’ve been in much more dire pain, much less mobile and much less calm than she was due to what they found was going on inside of her.  But her she was now, on her way home after major, emergency surgery.

Then it hit me.  I was responding exactly like the saints at Mary’s house.  I prayed for an amazing miracle from a God that I knew was powerful enough to heal, and when He did the amazing miracle I was doubtful.  Not doubting God, but I guess knowing how detrimental and serious the situation was, I was expecting an equally detrimental and seriously long answer.  Not THAT quick, nor THAT final.  I then thought about my prayer life and what I “expect” from God when I pray.  Do I really believe, I mean REALLY believe that He WILL do what I ask Him in prayer?  I truly believe that He CAN, but do I believe that He WILL.  I asked for forgiveness for my subliminal doubt.  Not really doubt, but I guess not being “all-in” with both my belief and my expectation.

James says in chapter five verse 16 to,

"...pray for one another, so that you may be healed. The intense prayer of the righteous is very powerful."

That word for powerful literally means that it is able to exert ones authority by means of power, to have strength to overcome, and is shown by the occurrence extraordinary deeds. I've known this verse since I was a kid.  I've seen God answer prayer time and time again. Car loans? Oh, He can do that.  HOA bills, promotions at work, passing certification exams?  Cake work.  Bringing His child back from the brink of death to health in a few hours?  Yeah, that ain't nothing to Him either.  When we pray we exert that authority that God has given us, through the work of the High Priest Christ Jesus.  God, help me to truly believe that with all my being.  And help me to make prayer, intense prayer, not something I do, but a defining characteristic in my life.

Praise God that Kay is fine and every time I see her she will be a testimony to me of how mind-blowingly powerful my God is, and how He doesn’t need time or multiple surgeries, or medicines to do what He do.  Thank you Kay and Parilla for allowing God to use you to show me, me.  Thank you God for being You…