Yesterday during worship, I was thinking, while playing bass, which is sometimes difficult to do, but I was thinking about issues of unbelief present in my own heart. I found myself reflecting that its more of a personal unbelief, not a general unbelief. What I mean by that is that there are things I do believe God does, just not through my prayer. For example, I believe that God heals people in this day, and even does miracles, I just don't think they will likely happen as a result of my prayers. Thus, while praying for people, I often don't think that God will answer "my" prayers, although He certainly might move in the situation. I pray for people all the time, but I guess in my mind, its more like making God aware of the situation, believing He is a good God and Father and that He will take care of it.
The reason I bring it up is that the Lord was addressing something in me, and calling me to press past that point of unbelief, to contend for the Truth. I felt like it might be an issue others struggle with as well, and felt it was more of a corporate opportunity to press in, and press past.
In the midst of that interchange the Lord reminded me of something I had read years ago about John Wimber, founder of the Vineyard churches, hopefully my memory of it is accurate. As an organization, they were known for seeing regular healing, miracles, and all sorts of "power" encounters. When they started out, they weren't known for this and the Lord had John teach on healing for a year. Every Sunday he would teach and they would pray for people, and it was a solid year of frustration, as there were no healings. However, John kept preaching and praying, and one day he was asked to pray for one of his board member's wives, who was REALLY sick, in bed and unable to do anything. He went to pray, and said a short prayer and immediately turned to the husband and was explaining to him why sometimes people don't get healed when we pray for them, when suddenly the man's eyes got real big. John turned around and looked and the wife was getting out of bed. He asked her what she was doing?? He had no idea! She replied that God had completely healed her!! That healing was the first of literally millions of healings seen in the worldwide Vineyard churches.
I felt like the Lord reminded me of this, to let me know that unbelief, caused by lack of answers is something He doesn't have a problem with, but that the requirement is to keep pressing forward. There is something in the perseverance, in understanding that the prayer's success has nothing to do with you, other than obedience. There are people who have the gift of healing, but it is because of God, not them, other than their obedience. Randy Clark says something like "the best thing to do if you aren't seeing results to your prayers is to pray for more people, and look back after a year and count again."
This morning as I was reflecting on this, the Lord reminded me of the story found in Luke 10, where He sent out the seventy-two. This story follows him sending out the twelve, found in Luke 9:1-2 NIV: "When Jesus had called the Twelve together, he gave them power and authority to drive out all demons and to cure diseases, [2] and he sent them out to proclaim the kingdom of God and to heal the sick." He gave the seventy-two slightly different directions, as recorded by Luke, in chapter 10, but the command was the same to proclaim the Kingdom of God. After they returned, Luke added the following - Luke 10:17 NIV: "The seventy-two returned with joy and said, “Lord, even the demons submit to us in your name.”
What I believe is the case here, is that the seventy-two came back and were exceeding joyful because they saw God working through them! I think that part of the reason for this joy was that they weren't sure, going out, that they would be able to work the greater miracles, like casting out demons. None of these seventy-two are named, so we don't really know who they were, but one thing is clear, they weren't the Apostles, the close followers of Jesus. These were like the second and third string people, who might have seen Jesus pray, possibly even the Apostles, but had rarely had the opportunity themselves. These were people pushing into a realm they had not entered before, and I am sure there was a certain amount of doubt, even personal unbelief in their own abilities.
This brings me back to my own situation, God is calling me to press past that point, and to be obedient, and be believing. It is not about me or my gifts, and never has been. If God can heal someone like he did with the twelve or the seventy-two, then He can do the same through me. It is about His power, still alive today, His ability, not mine. John Wimber never struggled with pride in the area of healing, that I am aware of, for God had made it perfectly clear it had nothing to do with him!
So my question this morning is will I press in, and press past my own limitations and personal unbelief? My answer today is yes, the question is will I keep answering yes tomorrow and the next day, and so on? My prayer is that I will, it is certainly my heart to do so! My prayer is that you too, will be so moved and press in! Let us be about the Lord's ministry, let us proclaim the Kingdom and let Him demonstrate it!
Peace, Blessings and the Power of God be with you,
Sam
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