Bill Johnson - How to Pray and Dream According to God's Will
Hello. Nice to see you. Thank you. You and I. Thank you. I think I asked this a few weeks ago, but I’ll ask you again: If you are filled with beauty, are you beautiful? If you are filled with wonder, are you wonderful? If you’re filled with insight, are you insightful? If you’re filled with awe, just wondering just one thing: why don’t you grab your Bibles and open to John chapter 12? It’s going to take me a few minutes to get there, so I need to set the stage. Sunday nights are where I can take time. That’s not a threat. That’s not a threat. But, yeah, Sunday night is when I get to mess with you a little bit more than normal. Last Sunday morning, I spoke a week ago on Sunday morning. By the way, I was in so many different countries— from Indonesia to all over Europe, including England, France, Norway, and Spain. God is doing outrageous things everywhere. I was in Canada last week, and it was just fun. So, now I’m at my favorite place, and it’s so fun to be here. I love having the chance to do Sunday night too. So bear with me.
Last Sunday morning, I mentioned this concept from Genesis chapter 1. The Lord says that He made man in His image. In His image, He created them male and female. It takes two to reveal one. Male and female. It takes two to reveal one. It is in the partnership together that He is more completely revealed. When it says the woman is created as the wife, the term «helpmate» has been misunderstood for all my growing up years. She has often been seen as having a subservient role to support his destiny, which isn’t really what the word means. The word means one fully qualified to stand face to face and make up everything that is lacking in the other. To show you how significant the word is, God actually identifies Himself as Israel’s helpmate. I think it’s twelve times He reveals Himself as that for Israel, making up for everything that is lacking. So, if you can imagine a husband and wife making up for what’s lacking together, in that unity of heart and mind, they give a clearer picture of what God is like, what the Father is like.
Jesus came with a specific assignment, especially in the Gospel of John. We know He came to die; obviously, He came to atone for our sins, to release the reality of the Kingdom of God, and to destroy the works of the evil one. He came for many different reasons that are listed, but the ultimate reason— in fact, the one under which everything else is listed— is that He came to reveal the Father. The Old Testament did not have that responsibility; it had a different assignment and purpose. It was not wrong; it was to set the stage for what would be revealed and opened up in the New Testament through Jesus Christ. The Old Testament reveals the severity of sin, the absolutely lost condition of humanity— a hopeless condition.
The only possible answer and solution would be Jesus as the Savior, that He would come as the Messiah. So, the Old Testament serves that purpose. It reveals the severity of sin, highlighting concepts such as, if you were carrying a sacrifice to the Lord and an unclean person touched your sacrifice, their uncleanness made your sacrifice unclean. If they spit on it, for example, it becomes unclean. You can’t offer it to the Lord. There are things that emphasize the severity and contagious nature of sin. In the Old Testament, if you touch a leper or a dead person, you become unclean, and you must go through a certain process of cleansing. All of that emphasizes the severity of sin.
In the New Testament, Jesus comes along and instead of touching a leper and you becoming unclean, He touched the leper, and the leper became clean. So things have changed. The stage was set for Him to come and reveal the Father. He touches the leper, and the leper becomes clean. In the Old Testament, if you hang around ungodly people, you become like them. But there is actually a concept in the New Testament that a believing spouse can sanctify the rest of their household. In other words, just the presence of righteousness in a home has a righteous effect on everyone else in the household. So the tables have turned, revealing more of what God intended in the first place.
Now, let’s back way up in the story. There were three archangels: Lucifer, Gabriel, and Michael. Lucifer wanted to be like God. Some scriptures imply he had musical instruments in his being. Some have thought he led the music realm of heaven, which might give us a clue as to why he uses that area to undermine and brainwash culture and instill evil values through music. I remember one musician, goodness, 40 or 50 years ago, said, «If I can get you to tap your foot, I can get you to throw a brick.» The whole concept was if I can just draw you in. If you notice the theme of music through the ages, it started physically, moved to emotional, and then went to spiritual. If they got you with the physical, then they could teach you how to think, eventually leading you into spiritual corruption.
Regardless of whether he actually had musical instruments in his being— which is a personal conviction— what do I know? There is a verse that implies it. When he wanted to be like God, he got caught up in his own beauty, in his own gift. God created him beautiful and spectacular, but he got caught up in his own beauty and wanted to be worshiped like God. When that happened, he was kicked out of heaven and landed on planet Earth. God decided to make people in His image and created a garden on the very place that the enemy landed.
The name that’s not often used for God, which isn’t even in the Bible but I think it should be, is Jehovah Sneaky. He decided to create a garden in the very place where the enemy landed. This garden was a place of open heaven, a seamless connection between heaven and earth. Adam could walk with God physically and tangibly in the garden in the cool of the evening. There was unbroken fellowship. It illustrated God’s intent for the entire planet. The garden was whatever size it was— who knows? But it was a size they could manage together, Adam and Eve. Then He gave them an assignment, saying, «Be fruitful,» which means to have children. Be fruitful is also to be productive with your work. There’s a place in the Kingdom where work is an expression of worship; it’s not just something that exhausts you. We need to rediscover that.
Be fruitful, multiply; that is, have children who have children. Fill the earth. In other words, take your work and your children and expand until you increase the borders of the garden. Then He says, «Subdue the earth.» Subdue implies there is conflict involved in establishing this Kingdom. Are you with me so far? Lie to me if you have to.
He gives an assignment, saying, «I’m going to make man in My image.» Now, in ancient times, you would have a king who reigned over multiple nations but lived in one. He would take a statue— an image of himself— and put it in each of the other three nations. That statue reminded the people they had a king and, number two, illustrated what he looks like. When He made you in His image— come on— you are an image bearer. Your very existence reminds the planet, «We have a king, and this is what He looks like.»
Sin entered the world, and as a result, man lost his place. The Bible says we are slaves to the one we obey. Adam and Eve had keys of authority over the planet, but they forfeited those keys when they obeyed the serpent. The possessions of a person belong to their master, and the slave master became the serpent through man’s rebellion. The Bible describes Satan as the prince of the air.
When Jesus died, He went into the lower parts of the earth. He didn’t suffer in hell on your behalf and mine; He suffered on earth in the crucifixion. He went to hell only to take possession of what He had purchased with His blood: people who lived by faith in the Old Testament. Am I confusing everyone yet? So, He went down with the payment and made the announcement that He took captive a host of captives, as the Bible says. He took those whom He had purchased and ascended, presenting them to the Father.
It’s a much bigger story, but the point I want to make is when Jesus, after His resurrection, stood before His remaining 11 disciples, He told them, «All authority has been given to Me,» which means there is someone out there who has no authority. He used the keys of Adam and Eve, but someone died in Adam and Eve’s place, went down, and took hold of the keys, and now they’re back. He presents them to the disciples, saying, «All authority has been given to Me. Therefore, go.»
What happens is He brings man back into our purpose. I’m jumping around a bit, so I hope you can follow me. That purpose is through prayer to bring about the restored reality of heaven and earth. Yes. Prayer makes things available that must be apprehended through obedience. Come on. Prayer is where things are birthed. Prayer is where things are obtained. Prayer is where obstacles are removed. But then obedience enables us to take hold of what we fought for in prayer.
Yes, so good! In the lordship of Jesus, as we live in and express function in the actual lordship of Jesus, we represent the Father on earth. We remind the nations, «We have a king, and this is what He looks like.» Outside of the lordship of Jesus, that image is distorted. God created a system to restore what was destroyed in the fall of man. When sin entered the world, it was no longer, «Subdue the earth,» until Jesus came. He comes and says, «All authority has been given to Me. Therefore, go and disciple nations, teaching them all that I taught you. I’m with you to the end of the age.»
He makes this commissioning announcement. When He said, «Teach them all that I taught you,» we must remember that some of the most impactful things He trained His disciples in included healing, deliverance, and cleansing lepers. But the only thing the disciples asked Jesus to teach them was how to pray. They somehow, in three and a half years of being with Him 24/7, caught the fact that it was when He went up to the mountain and came down that He got something.
Now I realize Jesus is eternally God, but I think when we get to heaven, we’ll be shocked at how much He functioned as a man yielded to God. This doesn’t contradict His divinity, but He chose to live as a man dependent upon the Father through the Holy Spirit. That’s why He would call Himself the Son of Man. He would say, «The Son of Man can do nothing of Himself.» The Son of God would never make that statement. He’s both at the same time. But He chose to submit Himself to become the sacrifice to redeem humanity and put us back on the path of being image bearers to remind the planet, to remind nations, «We have a king, and this is what He looks like.»
Learning to walk in that lordship, learning to walk in that place of surrender that Jesus illustrated for us— He said, «I don’t do anything except I see My Father do it first. I don’t say anything except that I first hear Him say it.» He illustrates the concept of lordship that we would inherit. This is what we do: We live to reveal Him.
How many of you understand we can have all kinds of wonderful ideas that are not God ideas? While they satisfy our religious curiosity, they don’t reveal the Father. The Lord, while He invites us to pray the wildest and most extreme prayers, reserves the right not to answer any prayer that would undermine our purpose. He will not, He reserves the right to decline to answer prayers offending to His character.
He said, «Son, ask for anything and I’ll do it.» And if I pray for something that works against my identity, He says, «Son, I can’t do that. It violates who I am. If I allow you to pray a prayer that violates who you are…» The prayer He taught the disciples to pray is: «Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be Your name. Your kingdom, King’s domain, the reality of Your dominion come. Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.»
The Garden of Eden exemplified that. I’m not saying we are somehow rebuilding the Garden of Eden. I’m just saying there was a reality there that we have the opportunity to see restored here. It is more available than you can imagine.
If you read history, some things that have happened throughout church history reveal that there have been periods where the saints experience things that are so mind-boggling you almost reject them because they are too grand. There have been realms of heaven that would fill a room, a person’s encounter with the Almighty God, things happening at various times throughout history where every single person in a hospital ward, filled with those believed to be dying, gets up. Times when people would float in the air from the glory entering a room; others had to pull them back down. I’m afraid I would need something protective if that starts happening.
The point is it’s not that I seek strange or exotic things; I’m just looking for Him. When He shows up with increased power, things happen outside our expectations, our understanding, and our control. People ask, «How do you know this is the Lord?» That’s a valid question, but sometimes it’s just a foolish one. If a person has a strange experience that leads them to be more tender-hearted, more in love with Jesus, and wanting to study the Scriptures more— I remember a conversation with a guy in a coffee shop. He was reading the Bible, studying with books laid out all over. I was excited and said, «Hey, what are you reading?» He replied, «I’m reading the Scriptures.» I said, «I’m sorry. I can see that. I’m just curious where you’re reading it.»
So, we talked for a moment, and I thought I’d share some good news. He then said, «We have to be careful; in the last days, there’s a deceiving spirit released.» I responded, «Alright.» He continued, «We have to be careful.» This went on, and I said, «You mean to tell me that the devil works in such a way that people fall in love with Jesus more, study the Scriptures more, and have their marriages healed? That’s the devil?» I said, «Forgive me, but you have too big a devil and too small a God.» No punches were thrown.
It’s fascinating to me that before there was sin, Jesus was the Lamb of God for eternity, and He had already purposed to die on our behalf long before there was a need for redemption. In other words, there was a solution before there was a problem. God anticipates and fully sets the stage for us to experience His love.
Now, what I want you to see— I said all of that to bring you to John chapter 12. I didn’t mention some things, but that’s good enough.
In Matthew 6, we have the Lord’s Prayer, «On earth as it is in heaven.» I want to remind you— I’m going to remind you of stuff you already know, but it’s important— He doesn’t give us outrageous prayers to keep us busy; He gives us outrageous prayers because He is positioned to outrageously answer them. When He assigns us to pray, «On earth as it is in heaven,» it’s because everything in heaven waits for the opportunity to answer such a prayer.
If there are no answers to the specific prayers we pray, the problem is never on His side. He is not the problem. I don’t want to sponsor guilt or shame that introspection brings, but we have to face the fact that He is not the issue— He’s not a liar. He doesn’t make promises He’s unwilling to keep. Sometimes the answers come in seed form, and we lack the wisdom to recognize them.
Sometimes we pray for oak trees, and He gives us acorns. Because we fail to recognize the potential of the seed, we don’t steward it well. If we don’t steward it well, it won’t develop into the full-blown answer we cried out for. The Lord often answers us in small ways.
Let me make a quick reference. In Luke 19, there’s a parable about the minas. You remember there’s a parable about talents and minas; both are sums of money. The story is about the faithful use of the talent or mina, which brings increase, leading to appropriate rewards. The interesting thing with the minas is they were asking the Lord if this was the time when He would restore the kingdom to Israel.
Jesus was there with His disciples, and they asked, «Hey, things are going so well with the miracles, the food, and all the things going on. Is this the time that Rome will be put in its place, and Israel will be restored?» Jesus said, «It’s not for you to know the times.» He then shares a story about the minas.
He took ten servants, gave each a mina, and said, «I’ll be back later. Use this, invest it. Get some increase for me.» When the landowner returns, the first servant reports, «I invested your mina, and I have ten minas for you.» The next one, I forget, made five. The third returned with nothing.
But let’s talk about the one who made ten. The servant said, «Look, your thousand made you ten thousand. I invested it well. Here it is.» The landowner, a picture of Jesus, said, «That’s amazing! Now I want you to be governor over ten cities.»
What were the disciples asking for? They were inquiring about the influence of God’s kingdom over nations. Jesus’s response was essentially, «What’s in your wallet?» This is just a seed for greater influence. They were asking, «Is this when Messiah restores order over the earth, and the cities of the nations recognize who You are?»
Jesus responds, «Let me tell you a story.» The faithful servant received an inexplicably peculiar reward for making ten thousand dollars: he would now govern a region encompassing ten cities.
I’m not sure this is working, but what’s being asked is related to influence of the Kingdom over the planet, and here’s Jesus saying, «Be faithful with what’s in your hand.» If you want to know how God will restore rulership, that’s it.
They question when He’s going to restore the nations and Jesus says, «Here’s some money.» In other words, whatever you’ve been given— a talent, favor, or skill— doesn’t matter what it is: faithful use of that for His glory positions you to influence five or ten cities.
They asked about God’s restoration of ruling over nations, and Jesus said, «Be faithful with what’s in your hand.» Did that make any sense, or did I lose you? Alright.
Now, go to John chapter 12. We will finally get to where I intended to take you a while ago. Jesus is about to be crucified, and He knows it. He is talking to His disciples about this process.
In verse 27, He says, «Now My soul is troubled, and what shall I say? Father, save Me from this hour? But for this purpose, I came to this hour. Father, glorify Your name.»
Then a voice came from heaven saying, «I have both glorified it and will glorify it again.» Therefore, the people who stood by heard it and said, «It thundered.» Some said, «An angel spoke to Him.» This is fascinating. The people who witnessed the miracles of Jesus— they were involved in seeing miraculous interventions— but they didn’t follow where the sign was pointing.
The exit sign points to an exit; it indicates something real. The signs and wonders point to a person. Miracles are supposed to direct our hearts to encounter the love of God so that we walk in a place of surrender.
These people who watched all the miracles could applaud the miracle but never repented, so they were predisposed to unbelief. Are you with me? They had been in this process for a while. I would suggest that when Jesus said, «Father, glorify Your name,» the heart condition of the people determined how they heard His voice.
The Father wasn’t confusing in His speech. Some heard it as thunder, attributing the voice to something natural, while some thought it was angels talking, attributing it to the supernatural— just not for them.
The Father spoke in a way everybody could hear. Why would God prevent them from hearing what He said? Because increased knowledge means increased responsibility. Yes. It’s the mercy of God to conceal truth. Parables were taught to conceal truth for those who were hungry.
If He just throws out random revelation to everybody, he increases everyone’s responsibility, and they won’t have the heart to obey. It’s the mercy of God to withhold from those who are not hungry. Yes, sir.
At one point, Jesus said, «It has been given to them to know,» and then they would discover what was hidden behind that truth. We will follow this concept throughout this chapter.
Jesus hears the voice of the Father; it says the people who stood by, in verse 29 again, heard it say it thundered and others said an angel has spoken.
Jesus answered, «This voice did not come because of Me but for your sake.» It’s fascinating that God spoke audibly for the sake of the people, and they didn’t get it.
I’m making you work or you’re making me work; it might be both. I want you to go down to verse 37 now.
Although He had done so many signs before them, they did not believe in Him, that the word of Isaiah the prophet might be fulfilled, which he spoke, «Lord, who has believed our report, and to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed?»
Therefore, they could not believe because Isaiah said again, «He has blinded their eyes and hardened their hearts, lest they should see with their eyes, lest they should understand with their hearts and turn, so that I should heal them.»
Are you breathing? Is this not a very offensive verse? God says, «Of course, I blinded their eyes. If I didn’t blind them, they would ask for healing, and I’d have to heal them.»
In the book of Romans, the Apostle Paul made a statement: «I say then, have they stumbled that they should fall? Certainly not. But through their fall, salvation has come to the Gentiles to provoke them to jealousy.»
It was in the Jews' rejection of the Gospel that the Gospel was made available to the Gentiles. It was always God’s plan to incorporate the nations into the plan of salvation. You’ll see it in Isaiah 49.
So here God takes Israel. They are watching Jesus perform His works, hardening their own hearts and moving in unbelief. The Lord locks them into that position.
He blinds their eyes so they cannot see the depth of what they’re watching. Why? Because even in their hardened condition, if they were to see what God had planned for Israel, they would ask for it in that moment. Because He has a covenant of answering prayers, even if they’re not in the right place, He would have to answer the prayer.
So, He blinds their eyes so they won’t pray the right prayer, allowing the Gospel to be presented to the Gentiles.
God didn’t harden their heart. He didn’t inspire their disobedience. He didn’t create in them unbelief; they did all that on their own.
But God used their unbelief and hardness and resistance to the Gospel as an opportunity to bring the Gospel to the Gentiles. Why is this important? There is a principle involved: God is so, I don’t want to say bound by covenant, but He makes agreements with people.
He is so bound by covenant to His people that whatever you ask for will be done that He has to control the context in which you ask so that you don’t pray things that undermine your purpose.
Wow. Let me put it differently— Israel, even in rebellion, if they see what God has planned, can ask for it, even if it’s not in God’s timing.
This is the point. Even though they’re in a moment where it’s not in God’s timing to complete what He wants for Israel— that won’t happen until after the Gentiles are added to the Kingdom— if they see it, they can have it.
Let’s set that illustration aside. In the Old Testament, there’s the Tabernacle of Moses. Picture we are in a helicopter over the wilderness, observing the tabernacle. There’s an outer court divided by a tent curtain surrounding it.
Right at the entrance is a brazen altar; that’s where blood was shed. The first thing you encounter is the shedding of blood. The only way you can access the presence of God is through blood.
Next to that is a labor made from women’s mirrors filled with water. Blood deals with sin, but water deals with uncleanness. Sometimes you feel unclean without knowing what you did wrong; we live in a world filled with sin.
Does that make sense? Because there’s the washing of the water of the Word of God; that’s the role of Scripture in our lives. We continuously feed ourselves on the Word, which cleanses us.
It’s not that sin needed atonement; that’s already been done. It’s not that I need to repent for anything; I didn’t do anything wrong. We live in a contaminated world, and we continuously feed on the Word of God, which cleanses us.
So we’ve got this brazen altar for blood, the labor filled with water; priests would wash there before attending to things.
Then there’s a building structure that has a holy place and a holy of holies. The holy place contains a table of showbread, an altar of incense, and a candlestick. Jesus is the blood sacrifice, the Word of God, the bread of life, and the great intercessor.
The ark of the covenant is where the actual presence of God dwells. One day a year, the high priest would go in before that ark with a basin of blood to atone for Israel’s sins, postponing the penalty of sin for one more year.
David came along and said, «God is not interested in the blood of bulls and goats; He wants the sacrifice of a contrite heart.» He converses with three prophets— Nathan, Gad, and another— who affirm that this is from the Lord.
Now, picture for a minute that if you go before the ark of the covenant outside of God’s timing, according to the law, you will die. Literally, you die. You are not just going to have a bad day; you are dead.
David learned, as a young man with his harp on the backside of the wilderness, that when he worshiped the Lord, the presence of God rested upon him. He learned to understand that God inhabits the praises of His people.
As king, he realized that since God is not interested in the blood of bulls and goats, there had to be something more. He picked up something in the spirit that was supposed to be reserved for New Testament Christianity, but he foresaw it.
He doesn’t know how or when, but the prophets affirm this with him. So David builds a tabernacle, a simple tent with the presence and musicians— priests worshiping God for 24 hours.
The priesthood is continually before the Lord with worship. That violates the law they were under, but it’s the fulfillment of their priestly ministry. Is this making any sense?
So here’s the point. Israel was prevented from seeing what God intended to do because if they prayed for it, He would have to answer it, and it wasn’t time.
What isn’t God blinding you to? David saw it— in an Old Testament context— what was coming where the people of God would freely come into the presence of the Lord and worship continuously.
We take for granted the privilege we have daily, together, as the priests of the Lord— a royal priesthood— to come before Him to minister to Him. This was forbidden in the Old Testament until David came.
The difference between before and after David is as significant in Israel’s history as Old and New Testament.
Jesus said He only did what He heard His Father say. Correct? Did I exhaust you? Are you all alright?
I’m going to land the plane soon, I promise. He only said what He heard His Father say, so a Syrophoenician woman comes to Him and says, «My daughter is terribly tormented and needs healing, needs deliverance.»
Jesus said, «I can’t give the children’s bread to dogs.» Churches have split over much less offense than being called a dog, you know?
Someone might say, «Well, He meant puppies.» Same thing. Jesus called her a dog or a puppy. I’m bothered either way.
He said, «I can’t give the children’s bread,» referring to healing— that’s your food— to dogs, implying that as a non-Jew, she was outside the immediate plan of God, which would later include her.
She replies, «But even the dogs get the crumbs from the table.»
That word, now this is just my opinion: I believe it came from the Father to her. When she spoke it, Jesus realized the source of the word and what the Father was doing.
Jesus had told His own disciples, «Don’t go to the Gentiles; we are to go just to the Jews.» So He’s on a mission the Father gave Him. Now, He’s with the Syrophoenician woman and says, «I can’t give the children’s bread to dogs. Not the time.»
Where did He get that? From the Father. Then she says, «But the dogs get the crumbs from the table.»
Jesus recognizes that could have only come from the Father. Guess what the Father is doing? What did the Syrophoenician woman do? She somehow glimpsed what would be available to all Gentiles ahead of its time.
Her hunger enabled her to grab hold of something reserved for another time and bring it into her moment. Yes, sir!
David did it with his Davidic worship, which by the way, in Amos 9 is prophesied that in the last days God will restore the tabernacle of David.
What’s common today is the restoration of Davidic worship. James quotes Amos 9 in Acts 15 when they are looking at Gentiles getting saved, saying, «Wait, this is evidence that this is what God is doing. He’s rebuilding the corporate worship expression.»
David pulls something into his time, the Syrophoenician woman pulls something into her time.
And throughout Scripture, there are stories where people pull things that seem out of sync or out of place. The woman at the well, for example— in her dialogue with Jesus, he opens up and gives her what I think is the most profound revelation on worship: the Father looks for worshippers.
The Father doesn’t just seek worship— He seeks worshippers. Why? Because you always become like whatever you worship.
For Him to want the best for you, because that’s what love does, He wants you to be a worshipper because that’s how you will be transformed.
He can want nothing better for you and me than for us to be like Him. The image He embeds within us is to announce to the planet, «You have a king, and this is what He looks like.»
This woman goes to her town and tells everyone to come see the man who told her everything she ever did, and they know what she’s done. They want to see this guy, so they come, sit at His feet, and spend two more days with Him.
He already told His disciples, «Don’t go to the Gentiles,» yet He ends up staying in a town outside of God’s plan fulfilled through this woman.
Why do you think Paul says in Colossians 3, «Set your mind on things above»? It’s verse two.
Set your mind on things above, not on things on earth. Why? If you can’t see it, you won’t ache for it. If you don’t ache for it, you’re not willing to fight for it. If you’re not willing to fight for it, you probably can’t be trusted with what is reserved for another time.
People often ask the question, «If God is a God of love, why do so many horrible things happen on earth?» It’s a great question, and I let smarter people fight about that one.
But I always return to who did He leave in charge? Who did He give His authority to? Just because something happens doesn’t mean it was supposed to happen.
This brings us back to why Jesus, four times in three chapters, would tell His disciples, «Anything you ask for will be done.»
I think everyone in the room knows He’s not trying to raise up a new breed of self-centered, egotistical, kingdom-building Christians.
He’s looking for a people that ache for what He aches for— that can see what He sees. This is the significance: not trying to put everything on some magical timing chart but to instead check what we need. What needs to happen here?
What does He have available for us? Set your minds on things above. Why? Because if you can see it there, it stirs your affections here, and you will ache for it and fight for it. Just maybe, you’ll have that special moment where God says, «I give you permission to experience what was reserved for another day.»
So, Father, I pray for this family of believers. I’m so grateful we get to do life together.
But I do ask that You expand the seeds of thought from tonight in our hearts and teach us how to ache for Your world, for what You’ve actually made available.
One warning in Scripture is not to limit God. I pray, Father, that You would help us not limit You through our unbelief, through our experiences, and disappointments— all the things that restrict us. Instead, help us not limit You but explore You.
Help us to join the adventure of discovering what Heaven on Earth is like. Your kingdom come; Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.
There’s a verse here I want to read. The lamp of the body is the eye. If your eye is good, your whole body will be full of light. The word «good» here is two words: it’s «one» and «voyage.»
If your eye is set on one voyage— in other words, one reason for life, everything about you will come into the light of the glory of God.
I think sometimes having many options dilutes our prayers. The kind of prayer I’m talking about is from the woman who says, «I refuse to be offended by being called a dog.»
The dogs get the crumbs, and I know they will do if you let me have them. It’s so narrow and single-focused that God can entrust us with things that would destroy us outside of that season but will establish us at the right time.
Father, I pray for a birthing of prayers that give birth— prayers in us that open us up to a new day, a new season, and a new era. Show us more clearly what Your heart is for us and what You have not blinded us to.
Awaken in us a passion for eternity. I ask this in Jesus' name. Amen.