Walking on Water (iii)

In past weeks, we established the need for being specific when dealing with matters of faith, understanding that there is no power in generalisations and that truly, specificity sparks engagement (Mark 11:23! Now, having met these conditions, we consider the end of the Lord’s words, “… therefore I say to you, whatever things you ask when you pray, believe that you receive them, and you will have them” (v.24); wherein the term ‘desire’ relates to placing a demand on a specific outcome that is already in God’s prepared grace package. This is key, noting that we do not pray to get God to action, but we pray simply as a polite way of receiving that which God has already provided. We are not the ones coming up with a to-do list for the sovereign God, He knows all things and has already prepared all things for all the infinite possibilities; that is what makes Him God – He does no half jobs! From the words of the Lord, we see that it is during prayer that we are expected to believe for the outcome we are praying for; it is not after, it is at that point and place of prayer! This indicates that it is not God who is responsible for our receiving – we are the ones who determine the outcome! He then concluded by saying ‘… and you will have them’, showing us that the manifestation happens at a later stage, after the believing and receiving in prayer – we pray, believe and receive, then later see the fruit of our petitions. 

One such example that shows us the practicalities of the principles taught by the Lord is the man Daniel, who stood interceding for Israel in prayer while they were in exile after rebelling against God (Daniel 9:1-19). His prayer is outlined for our benefit, and after what appears to be a few minutes of him praying, we read, “while I was speaking in prayer, the man Gabriel, whom I had seen in the vision at the beginning, being caused to fly swiftly, reached me about the time of the evening offering” (Daniel 9:21). The angel told him, “At the beginning of your supplications the command went out, and I have come to tell you, for you are greatly beloved…” (v.23). Do we see? It was at the beginning of Daniel’s petition that his answer was released from heaven, God did not hog the solution so Daniel could grovel some more, no! He had already prepared for this moment and was ready to come to man’s aid at the moment that man called to Him. As Daniel continued building himself up on his most holy faith and increasing in spiritual sensitivity, he then perceived the angel of God and received his answer, all in good time! As believers, we need to then understand that the prayer time is not just time for asking, but the opportune time for receiving as well. We do not receive after, but we receive at the exact moment. Afterwards, we turn our attention to confessing the Lord’s Word and thanking Him for His faithfulness until we have in our hands that which we asked the Lord for!

Considering another example of Daniel praying, we read, “In those days I, Daniel, was mourning three full weeks. I ate no pleasant food, no meat or wine came into my mouth, nor did I anoint myself at all, till three whole weeks were fulfilled” (Daniel 10:2). Here we see that Daniel had separated himself in fasting for the sake of his prayers. We then read that after this time, Daniel and his companions were at the bay of the Tigris river when he saw a vision of the Lord Jesus in glory (v.5-6), and after beholding of the Lord in this strange visitation, the hand of an angel touched him and he said, “Do not fear, Daniel, for from the first day that you set your heart to understand, and to humble yourself before your God, your words were heard; and I have come because of your words. But the prince of the kingdom of Persia withstood me twenty-one days; and behold, Michael, one of the chief princes, came to help me, for I had been left alone there with the kings of Persia..” (v.12-13). The angel made clear to him that it was from the very first day of Daniel’s 21-days of fasting and prayer, that God heard his prayers and released angels for his cause. Yes, angelic ministry is activated by the words we speak church! The angel noted that he was commissioned on the first day but then faced resistance along the way from the enemy’s camp, which then ultimately delayed the deliverance of Daniel’s answer. This was not God’s intention, the Father was ready from day one – and this is what we need to understand about the God we pray to! Daniel continued to pray, and further reinforcement was released by way of Michael the chief angel. However, we must note – if our heavenly angels are activated by our words, we can be sure that demons are also activated by the frequency of our words. They lurk around attentively looking for whom they may devour on account of such words, or even in some instances, the lack of! 

In conclusion, let us consider a priest named Zechariah, whom we find in Luke 1 and who is defined by the scriptures to be righteous and blameless before God (Luke 1:6). Zecharias and his wife had been praying for many years for a child, and because they had not yet seen the manifestation, they had given up on their own request. This pair was chosen by God to parent John the Baptist, who was instrumental in the plans of the coming of the Messiah, an event most critical to the heavenly agenda and very time specific. This is true today as well, there are things that are time specific according to the divine and sovereign plan of God, and we should know that any apparent delay ought to be assessed through the lens of God, who quickly answers the prayers of His people and plans nothing but good for them! But Zechariah, considering his own past age, doubted the words of the angel who then shut his tongue until John was born (v.20), because it is possible for us to abort the working of God by the wrong words that we speak. Words matter church! The words we speak to God activate the response of heaven and the movement of angels, and this can either be to our good or our bad! Let us always be mindful!

Prayer

Father, we thank You for Your Word and the testimony of Your Spirit, that teaches and assures us of who You are. You are a good God and father, who loves His children endlessly and without reservation. We thank You for giving us the Spirit of power, self-control and love. We choose to exercise this self-control by taming our tongues in love and truth and according to You Word, and we thank You for making us more than conquerors in Christ Jesus. Amen!