journey onWord with us

This week took me to the sight of my most humorous appointment ever. It was five years ago, and I was in Tennessee for meetings (you will see the fuller context of my humor in the next paragraph). And wouldn’t you know, the culprits came to see me yesterday in coon skin hats! In the telling of my most “unusual appointment,” I trust you will also be challenged in your APPOINTMENTS!

Have you ever had an experience which left you absolutely speechless? I had one of those, “I can’t believe what I just saw!” moments on a business trip to Tennessee. It came as I was meeting with a great couple in their beautiful home nestled against a small mountain. We were working together at their dining room table when, out of the blue, the husband motioned out the window and his wife bolted to action. This normally calm, quiet and respectful wife grabbed a 22-caliber gun, slammed in a bullet clip and took dead aim on the squirrel that had appeared out the window. I was speechless, and even thought to myself, “at least open the window!” as the action unfolded. She didn’t shoot, but the moment was priceless.

It should be noted that the couple was passionate about eliminating the critters that were eating their vegetation. Their determination and passion challenged my thinking … and left me speechless! I wonder if you are experiencing any moments in your relationship with God that leave you speechless.

With relative certainty, I would surmise that you prayed last week. After all, isn’t that what “good Christians” do? It may have been a quick plea for help, an obligatory meal prayer, or maybe even a desperate cry for God’s intervention. But as the words left your lips, did you really believe they would make any difference? As a fellow journey struggler, I must confess that my prayers are too often littered with unbelief. Yet even in my weaker times, I have seen dramatic answers to heartfelt cries.

Books have been written about model prayers, mountain-moving faith, praying without ceasing, etc. My purpose here is not to answer all of your questions about prayer, but rather to challenge you to turn your heart back to the simplicity of seeking God through prayer and seeing Him to move on your behalf. If you are new to faith in Christ, please trust me when I say that prayer works and God does move mountains. If you have journeyed with Christ for many years, trust me when I say God still wants to move mountains for you … and maybe, in the process, He will even leave you speechless.

For just a moment, be honest with yourself. Do you really live with a confidence that prayer works? I mean, for you, and not just everybody else. I bet you can list several requests on your heart right now that you hope God will answer.  However, your hope is more like the kind surrounded by quotation marks, than that which ends with a period. It may not sound spiritual to say, but that is the way we too often live. With childlike simplicity and a passionate prayer life, you and I just may find ourselves in the middle of speechless moments. God would not challenge us with so much about prayer if He didn’t want it to be a fundamental part of our relationship with Him. But our lives get so cluttered that we pray amiss, and miss some speechless moments.

Lest my words be misconstrued, I am not advocating that God has to respond my way if I have enough faith, or that He always moves dramatically. He doesn’t heal our loved ones every time or remove every problem. In His wisdom, He allows difficulties in our lives. Remember, God is Eternal and Holy. He will choose to move in our lives according to His design and in His time, which are always good. But the truth remains that He wants us to pray with faith. History, Scripture, and my own life experiences have taught me that God will intervene when faith is present. And He does move mountains!

Then the disciples came to Jesus in private and asked, “Why couldn’t we drive it out?”  He replied, “Because you have so little faith. I tell you the truth, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there’ and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you.”
Matthew 17:19-20

This dialogue between Jesus and his disciples gives us powerful insight. We can come with faith as small as a mustard seed, and still see Him move mountains. Do you really believe those words … for yourself?  Is your faith simple and passionate, or tired and cluttered? Faith and prayer go hand-in-hand. I believe our Eternal, Loving God wants to move mountains for you. Would you simply trust Him?

I was speechless at my appointment in the mountains watching my friends’ passion and determination (and they did wear coon skin hats yesterday).  I trust you will be as speechless in your appointments with God when He moves a mountain for you!