A Matter of the Heart

Then the Lord said to Moses, “Leave this place, you and the people you brought up out of Egypt, and go up to the land I promised on oath to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, saying, ‘I will give it to your descendants.’ I will send an angel before you and drive out the Canaanites, Amorites, Hittites, Perizzites, Hivites and Jebusites. —Exodus 33:1-2 NIV

Then Moses said to him, “If your Presence does not go with us, do not send us up from here. —Exodus 33:15 NIV

Writing a brief reflection on Exodus 33 is an exercise in discipline. The wealth of wisdom and symbolism contained in this chapter make it difficult to focus on only one idea. Yet it seems appropriate at this time to let this chapter provide guidance on how Godly people navigate a season of transition. I would suggest reading the entire chapter if you’re interested. The few highlights I’ve put here are useful, but they lose much of their impact when taken out of context. 

PRAYING THROUGH TIMES OF TRANSITION

In Exodus 33:1-2, God gives the Jewish people a green light to go forward. They will finally get the land promised to their ancestors as a mighty angel goes before them in God’s place to ensure success on their journey. 

Ten verses lye between God’s command for the people to move on and the response of their leader Moses. These verses show Moses leaving the camp to spend time face to face with God in the secret place of prayer. Yet he doesn’t focus his prayers on the command to go forward. Moses is much more interested in the presence of God remaining with them, and being allowed to grow in his knowledge of God’s nature and how he can love Him more. 

I believe these verses reveal to us that seasons of Godly transition are much more a matter of the heart than they are of circumstance. I’ve recently been blessed by two people who have displayed this truth with their lives.

GIVING UP THE GOOD TO SEEK THE BEST

My friend Karen Sergey was badly injured at work. The injury has affected every area of her life, resulting in great loss. Rather than spin around her circumstances, Karen chose to seek God’s face with a laser focus. 

Recently Karen gave up a leadership position on the church’s prayer team, one that she held and executed with excellence for many years. Karen did this not because she was feeling overwhelmed. She sensed in her heart that this is a time for her to grow in knowing God, setting aside even good things in order to have what’s best. 

CALIBRATING THE HEART FOR A NEW SEASON

Pastor Brian Mowery was given a significant promotion in the church. That would tempt most people to throw themselves into work, with all energy and focus on the job at hand. Instead, he took a step back to calibrate his heart to what is most important by taking a sabbatical. 

We are in a time of transition as a church family.  Our temptation will be to focus on what’s next. To forge ahead into the great things God has for us. Moses reminds us that transition really is a matter of the heart. Growing in our knowledge of God and in our love for Him is the most important priority at a time like this. 

YOUR PRAYER LIFE IMPACTS THOSE AROUND YOU

Moses desired to know and love God, and his pursuit became intercession for his nation. As a result of the desires of Moses’ heart, the presence of God remained with them throughout the journey. When we grow in our relationship with God, not only does it change us, but everything around us is impacted as well. 

In this season of transition, each one of us can grow to know God like never before. But we, like Moses, must enter our own secret place to seek His face and listen for His heart. The good news is that God is already waiting for us there.

HONORING GODLY LEADERSHIP IN TRANSITION

Lastly, let’s pray great blessings over Clive and Ruth Calver as they enter their next chapter in Christ and move to a new place to continue doing the good works God has prepared for them. We are so grateful for the way they’ve poured out their hearts and lives over the past eleven years on our behalf. May the presence of God go with them.

Our God Hears,

Joe Halpin

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Prayers that Move Mountains

“Now when Daniel learned that the decree had been published, he went home to his upstairs room where the windows opened toward Jerusalem. Three times a day he got down on his knees and prayed, giving thanks to his God, just as he had done before.” Daniel 6:10 (NIV)

“And Jesus answered them, ‘Have faith in God. Truly, I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, ‘Be taken up and thrown into the sea’, and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that what he says will come to pass, it will be done for him. Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours.’” Mark 11: 22-24 (ESV)

Only God can move mountains, but we have the privilege of moving the heart of God through prayer. 

God is always good and He desires to bless us beyond our imagination. When we pray fervently into His goodness, God is delighted to graciously give us more. God is always working out His best for us, even moving mountains we may not see.

Daniel’s prayers moved mountains. He was mighty and faithful in prayer throughout his life. Understanding the righteous and unchanging character of God, Daniel trusted His word and His promises. His confidence rested not in his prayers, but in the One who answers prayer. Daniel demonstrated his humble posture in prayer on his knees with reverent submission to the Most High God. Surrendering to God, he was completely open to hear what God was saying to him. Daniel prevailed in prayer by depending on God for wisdom and strength, persevering until the answers came and trusting God with the results.

To remain faithful in prayer like Daniel without giving up, it becomes necessary for us to spend time separated from the world’s distractions. By committing to being consistent in setting apart daily time alone with the Lord, we’re showing Him that our heart is open to His. Then when we pray, hope fills us with the assurance of the Lord’s presence. We may enjoy His fellowship in the early morning hours, in the evening, or maybe even during the night watches when He reminds us to seek Him and trust His promises. Jeremiah 33:3 is a powerful Scripture at 3:33 a.m.!

Being faithful in prayer is a sacrifice rooted in Jesus’ ultimate sacrifice. Just as He gave up everything when He prayed in the garden, “Your will be done,” so we must also give ourselves up to God. When we come to a place of surrender, so grateful for God’s grace to us, we begin to discover what He wants and are given the strength to prevail. As we persist in prayer in agreement with His will and wait patiently, we learn more deeply about God’s grace. Perhaps we are praying for a loved one to surrender to Jesus, so we watch and wait expectantly for God to move this mountain through prayer.

Whether an answer is delayed for 21 days (Daniel 10:13) or for 32 years, the answer that comes may be more than we could have asked for or imagined. So in the waiting, keep praying confidently that God hears. Keep watching expectantly for His good plans to unfold. Keep trusting in His power to move mountains. His timing is always perfect in our lives.

Our God Hears,

Barb Wibling

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Throne of Grace

“Your throne is established from of old; you are from everlasting.” Psalm 93:2 (ESV)

“Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.” Hebrews 4:16 (ESV)

“Also before the throne there was what looked like a sea of glass, clear as crystal … Day and night they never stop saying: ‘Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God Almighty, who was, and is, and is to come.’” Revelation 4:6, 8 (NIV)

The course of history was changed by two courageous and humble intercessors of extraordinary prayer. Recognizing their divine appointments as a kairos window of opportunity, Esther and Nehemiah obediently stepped into the call to intercede on behalf of others. God demonstrated His grace by granting these godly children the unexpected favor of two powerful Persian kings. Their prayers resulted in God’s people being delivered from destruction and, about 30 years later, Judah experienced a spiritual awakening.

As the Lord’s redeemed, we can freely enter the King’s presence with limitless access. Recognizing the truth that God is sovereign, and that all things and people are subject to His authority, we come into His presence in the hope that He always holds out His grace to us and, in His mercy, receives us. Partnering with the Lord, we trust in the powerful promise that the Spirit and the Son are interceding for us. (Romans 8:26, 34) Lovingly bringing the burdens of others to God’s throne, our prayers become one with His, as we seek His will to be done on earth as it is in Heaven. In living to please God by listening to His still, small voice, we grow in the knowledge that our intercession is used powerfully by God to show forth His glory.

Covered with garments of salvation and clothed in Jesus’ robe of righteousness (Isaiah 61:10), we will be gathered one day in Heaven with all the saints. Standing on the vast sea of glass before the throne of unfathomable grace, we’ll be in the presence of the Father and Jesus, worshiping them forever. In the lyrics of his 1779 hymn, John Newton wrote, 

“Behold the throne of grace! Your promise calls me near:

There Jesus shows a smiling face and waits to answer prayer.”

Therefore, let’s keep filling up Heaven’s golden bowls of incense with our prayers of intercession. (Revelation 5:8)

Our God Hears, 

Barb Wibling

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Keep Watch With Me

“The eyes of the Lord search the whole earth in order to strengthen those whose hearts are fully committed to Him.” – 2 Chronicles 16:9

This statement was originally given to King Asa as part of a rebuke for compromising his reliance on God. I am using it out of the context it was given in 2 Chronicles 16. With this disclaimer out of the way, I believe God is speaking to me through this verse. 

We often view intercession as warring against evil, working through prayer to change a situation, or pleading with God to bring about justice or mercy to the earth. As I pondered this line from Scripture, I felt drawn to view intercession as the marriage of our hearts to God’s, with our hearts resting in His and our prayers giving expression to the longings of His heart. As with any marriage, the bond of unity can be undermined by infidelity. Wounds and sin can produce shame and tempt us to close part of ourselves to God. The worries of life draw our attention away from prayer. These situations can be distractions from living in Jesus. Or we can use them as reminders that, in our weakest moments, we are fully loved by God, completely accepted in the Beloved, and turn our hearts more fully to the one who saves us. 

Paul’s words to the Philippians can provide guidance to us in fixing our eyes on Jesus and growing in our love and fidelity toward Him:

“Not that I have already attained it but I press on so that I may lay hold of that for which also I was laid hold of by Christ Jesus. Brethren, I do not regard myself as having laid hold of it yet; but one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and reaching forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.” – Philippians 3:12-14 (NASB)

May each of us grow in love and fidelity for our God, and may our petitions be echoes of the desires of His heart.

Joe Halpin

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Holy Fire

Photograph by Barb Wibling

“When Solomon had finished praying, fire came down from Heaven and consumed the burnt offering and the sacrifices; and the glory of the LORD filled the temple … When all the children of Israel saw how the fire came down, and the glory of the LORD on the temple, they bowed their faces to the ground on the pavement, and worshiped and praised the LORD saying: For He is good, For His mercy endures forever.” 2 Chronicles 7:1,3 (NKJV)

“Keep the fire burning on the altar continuously. It must not go out.” Leviticus 6:13 (MSG)

Throughout history, God has demonstrated His approval of people devoted to prayer by sending fire from Heaven. At the dedication of the Temple, this fire burned continuously under the altar of burnt offering, symbolic of God’s presence. Are your hearts burning as you seek Him in prayer and worship?

God lights the fire when the Holy Spirit comes to live in us, and then He tends it so that we will grow in grace as we walk with Him. We can also do our part to cultivate an awareness of His presence in our lives. By sitting often in silence, stoking the embers with His Word, and by seeking Him regularly in solitude, our hearts become one with His, and we can pray without ceasing. If our hidden life with His inner fire is cared for faithfully, it can offer warmth and light to others. Spending frequent time alone with Jesus gives birth to compassion, and we discover our life is a gift to be shared.

The Lord is calling us to carry the holy fire of His presence to the lost of our generation for His glory. Let’s set apart seasons to pursue His power passionately in extraordinary worship and prayer with gratitude for His goodness and grace. Then may there be fire on the altar of our hearts that never goes out.

Barb Wibling

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