John 15:7
Stay joined to me and let my teachings become part of you. Then you can pray for whatever you want, and your prayer will be answered.
Scripture taken from the Contemporary English Version © 1991,1992, 1995 by American Bible Society, Used by Permission.
A few years ago on Valentine’s Day, my husband gave me a planter filled with beautiful red tulips. After the blooms had faded, I planted the bulbs in our yard. The following year, the flowers sprouted, and we once again enjoyed the bright red flowers… for about a day. One morning I walked out in the yard, and there were my tulip stems. It looked as if someone had taken scissors and snipped every single red bloom from atop its green stalk. The culprits were deer! Apparently deer LOVE tulip blooms, and they had neatly snipped away mine! I had a similar problem this past summer with a pesky squirrel and some begonias on my back porch. The squirrel wanted my ceramic pots full of dirt for his stash of hickory nuts, so he kept digging out the begonias and tossing them aside – and making a royal mess in the process!
Here’s my dilemma… I planted the seed, but apparently, I didn’t do enough to nurture and protect it. So these pesky backyard critters were able to have a field day! Isn’t this how we do in our Spiritual life? We join to Christ… we study His word and allow the seed of God’s wisdom to be planted in us… but then we don’t do enough to guard and nurture that seed. We allow pesky critters – a.k.a. the devil – to get into our heart and dig around… and often he creates a huge mess there.
In recent days, I’ve really tried to “pray the scriptures.” In other words, instead of asking for healing for my friend Joe, I’ve reminded God that Psalm 103:3 tells us…” The LORD forgives our sins, heals us when we are sick”… and I am asking Him to heal Joe according to His word. I have asked for strength and courage in my own life according to Philippians 4:13, which says that “Christ gives me the strength to face anything.” I have praised God with the words of Psalm 100:5…” The LORD is good! His love and faithfulness will last forever.”
By communicating with God in this manner, I am using the wisdom of His word to root the seeds of His promises deeply within my heart. I am not throwing God’s words back at Him… I am letting Him know that I am starting to “get it!” And I am asking Him to answer my prayers, because I have become a part of Him and trust that He will bless my faithfulness and commitment to Him.
I no longer try to grow tulips in the yard. Unlike my confidence in God to help me fight the devil, I don’t think I have the time and energy to guard a patch of flowers against persistent, hungry deer! I may take another stab this summer at growing begonias on the porch. If I do, I will be armed with some protective netting, or pepper spray… or maybe even a slingshot! After all, Ephesians 6:11 reminds us to…” Put on all the armor that God gives, so you can defend yourself against the devil's tricks.”
How deeply rooted is your “seed?” How fortified is your arsenal of tools to fight the devil? How confident are you that what you have planted comes from God’s word and will bear “good fruit” in the form of answers to your prayers? Our prayer life should be based on confidence that when we ask God for something, “it shall be done,” according to His will. When we plant the seed of God’s wisdom in our heart and keep it there, we should have no trouble accomplishing all that He desires for us… and more than we could ever imagine on our own!
©2012 Debbie Robus
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