This message was sent as a prayer for healing and wholeness. What I liked about it was that it was filled with Scripture. Included in this prayer was Psalm 91, which was a sweet reminder of the shelter we have when troubles are buffeting us on every side.
1 Those who live in the shelter of the Most High
will find rest in the shadow of the Almighty.
2 This I declare about the Lord:
He alone is my refuge, my place of safety;
he is my God, and I trust him.
3 For he will rescue you from every trap
and protect you from deadly disease.
4 He will cover you with his feathers.
He will shelter you with his wings.
His faithful promises are your armor and protection.
5 Do not be afraid of the terrors of the night,
nor the arrow that flies in the day.
6 Do not dread the disease that stalks in darkness,
nor the disaster that strikes at midday.
7 Though a thousand fall at your side,
though ten thousand are dying around you,
these evils will not touch you.
8 Just open your eyes,
and see how the wicked are punished.
9 If you make the Lord your refuge,
if you make the Most High your shelter,
10 no evil will conquer you;
no plague will come near your home.
11 For he will order his angels
to protect you wherever you go.
12 They will hold you up with their hands
so you won’t even hurt your foot on a stone.
13 You will trample upon lions and cobras;
you will crush fierce lions and serpents under your feet!
14 The Lord says, “I will rescue those who love me.
I will protect those who trust in my name.
15 When they call on me, I will answer;
I will be with them in trouble.
I will rescue and honor them.
16 I will reward them with a long life
and give them my salvation.”
I wonder if Jonah was recalling David's words as he was stuck in the belly of that old whale. Even though we may feel as if we are in the darkest of places with life's circumstances squeezing us, surrounding us and crowding out the light, we have a place of refuge....Jesus, and we will be victorious as we remain in Him.
In this prayer was also included Isaiah 55:11. It is the same with my word. I send it out, and it always produces fruit. It will accomplish all I want it to, and it will prosper everywhere I send it.
Last week I was given as an admonishment Isaiah 55:8-9. “My thoughts are nothing like your thoughts,” says the Lord. “And my ways are far beyond anything you could imagine. 9 For just as the heavens are higher than the earth, so my ways are higher than your ways and my thoughts higher than your thoughts. Can you just see the Lord bringing this all together?!?!
We may not understand the reasons for our struggles. God's ways are not our ways. Sometimes it seems like we are stranded amid the ruin in our life, some of our own making, some of forces beyond our control....all painful, all difficult. But like Jonah, we can call out to our Father for help, even if we are so far down that we can no longer see any light. Deliverance may not come instantly...I've found it usually doesn't. It may not come in the form we believe it should...I've found that to usually be the case. His thoughts are so much higher than ours. But victory will come if we keep hanging on to Jesus. His Word to us will never come back empty. Salvation comes to those who wait patiently and in faith while God is doing His work.
Lamentations 3:26 So it is good to wait quietly for salvation from the Lord. I'm beginning to think waiting quietly means maybe we need to not talk so much about how bad our problems are, it causes us to lose faith when we do that.
Lord, help us to wait on You. Not just wait, but wait well. I know You are the God who saves, who delivers, who loves and who works in us Your perfect plan. If our difficulties have come through our own making, show us so we can repent and turn to You for forgiveness and restoration. I myself have made mistakes that have caused consequences in my life. I ask that You help me to make right choices. Let me humble myself before You, submit to You and resist the temptation in my life. Lord, I just want to pray for those who feel like they can't see any way, any hope....Lord reach them, wherever they are right now. Help them to take the first step of crying out to You. I've been down to that place, to the belly of the whale...it's terrible, and my heart breaks for anyone who is there now. Lord, please help them. If they can't even pray for themselves right now, let me and those who read this be the ones to pray for them...We don't have to know one another to pray for our family in Christ. We know that You know them and You will direct our prayers in the right way. Surround us with Your love as we go through this life, storms and all...Lead us on the correct paths, help us to choose Your ways above all else and thank You that You will never leave nor forsake us. After the test comes the testimony....let us and everything we go through bring glory to Your Name. Thank You for the work You are doing, even and especially when we don't see anything. Increase our faith that we may believe that You are doing good in our lives even when things feel terrible. Feelings are not fact. Your Word is fact. Your love is fact. Lead us in the next step for today. In Jesus' saving Name. Amen.
Look for ways to praise during difficulties. And remember, you have prayers from here!
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