The Senior Pastor hired a young couple who had recently relocated from Dr. David Yungi Cho’s church in South Korean as our Prayer Pastors. Their home church was noted worldwide for their emphasis on prayer. After a year, the couple expressed a desire to relocate to Atlanta and plant a church. So, our church assisted them in finding an apartment, moving, and gave them monthly support. The pastor kept in touch wanting updates on the progress of the church plant. Each time the response came, “We are praying.” After several months, the Senior Pastor decided it was time to go to Atlanta and see firsthand what was happening. He soon learned the problem. “Are you going out in the streets and meeting people?” “No, we are praying.” “Are you doing anything, phone calls, brochures, emails, to contact people concerning a new church?” “No, we are praying.” The pastor discovered the couple believed if they prayed long enough that potential members would come and knock on their apartment door. Despite his counsel, they refused to change their strategy. The church decided to stop supporting this misguided couple. A church never developed. No limit exists on what God can do through prayer. However, we must follow many of our prayer requests with our actions. Praying and then moving forward demonstrate faith.
The Lord not only honors prayers and action, He responds to our commitment and obedience. Daniel and his companions were among the young men of Israel deported to Babylon, who were born into the royal family or the nobles having the ability for serving in the King Nebuchadnezzar’s court. The King instructed that for three years they were to be educated and re-cultured in the literature and language of the Chaldeans. One part of this process was changing their names to reflect Babylonian deities. They couldn’t control what someone called them. However, when they were ordered to eat the king’s choice food, which had been first offered to the idol ‘Bel’, Daniel made up his mind he would not defile himself with this food (Dan 1:8). According to Jewish Law, eating certain food would have made them unclean and unable to approach the Lord. Daniel and his companions made a commitment to obey the Lord’s commandment. Note God’s response, Now God (v9). Daniel’s stand against breaking the Law moved God into action. Now God granted Daniel favor and compassion in the sight of the commander of the officials. The Overseer appointed to care for Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah permitted them to eat vegetables and to drink water. In addition for their commitment, God gave them knowledge and intelligence in every branch of literature and wisdom; Daniel even understood all kinds of visions and dreams (Dan 1:17). Scripture doesn’t mention prayer, yet God responded to their commitment and obedience.
When Israel arrived at the banks of the Jordon River ready to enter their Promised Land, they encountered their first obstacle. The Jordan is at flood stage all during harvest time (Josh 3:15). I’m sure some of the people began speculating they would be camping there for a number of weeks until the waters subsided allowing them to wade across. Boats were out of the question with this large group of people. None of them could swim because they had lived in the wilderness. At the end of three days the officers went through the midst of the camp (v2) telling the people to be prepared to cross the next morning. For their entire life, the people would have heard the story of Moses lifting up his staff and then the Lord sweeping the Red Sea back making a way for their parents and grandparents to walk across on dry ground. Would Joshua repeat this miracle? No, for this miracle, Israel needed to demonstrate their faith by action. They chose a man from each tribe as a representative to accompany the priest carrying the Ark. The Lord gave Joshua instructions that the priest must wade out and stand in the Jordon.
As I thought about this scene from a human perspective, I can visualize a ridiculous looking sight. With the floodwaters raging, priest carrying the ark standing with their feet wet and a multitude of people behind them with their tents and possessions packed up just standing around waiting. Any non-Jewish observers might be laughing and asking, “Ok, what are they going to do now? Don’t they realize this water is over their heads, they will be swept away, and drown?” However, their action of faith and obedience released the power of God. Now the Lord cut off the water causing the river to recede until Israel walked across on dry ground.
This week consider the widow Elijah approached and asked for bread. She was gathering sticks to cook her and her son’s last meal with her remaining flour and oil. The Lord spoke through Elijah, “For thus says the Lord God of Israel, ‘The bowl of flour shall not be exhausted, nor shall the jar of oil be empty, until the day that the LORD sends rain on the face of the earth (1 King 17:14).'” She committed and obeyed; now the Lord responded and she and he and her household ate for many days (v15). Put yourself in her place. What would you do?
Sustaining Word for the Week: Prayer and action, commitment, and obedience release God’s power.