amen.
I’m learning about prayer.
Prayer, though, is such an etherial thing. It’s not an etherial you can attain at random events out of the blue, like the connection with a long separated friend. It’s like someone socks you in your spiritual jaw. I attend a church called Freedom Life Christian Center pastored by Sam Mastellar (you can check out his blog here.). We recently wrapped up a series called, “Sun Stand Still,” based off the concept of Joshua praying to the Lord for the sun to stand still so that the battle ended on the up side for the Israelites. Whether or not you take it as metaphor or fact, either has an implication of the miraculous from God. You end up with two schools of thought:
1. Joshua had the audacity and then the ability to follow through with his prayer, making an action out of his hope.This is more towards the metaphorical school, which is fine. Let’s put this into perspective: Joshua is in the midst of a battle and it looks bleak. The enemy has a chance to escape once the sun goes down, but Joshua knows that God promised the nation of Israel something great. So, as the walls of failure are closing in on Joshua, he musters up the courage to ask God to help him. That hope for something greater, however, propels Joshua to somehow win the battle—against the odds. Hope does some dangerous and miraculous things. It pushes us for the greater, makes us stronger…even gets us out of bed after a long, hard night. It keeps us going.
A person who has hope does something. I pray I become like one of those that do.
2. Joshua had the audacity to believe God could do such a thing. This plays off of the more literal side of things. Joshua was able to grab hold of the thing that’s beyond hope: faith. Faith is the assurance of the things unseen. He can take this and run with it because Joshua has seen what God has done in the history leading up to this point for the people of Israel. He’s got the faith and the knowledge of what God has done. If he asks God to help him win the battle, he expects God and knows God will do it.
There is a God very alive, and very real. He is more than capable of the miraculous with plenty of strength to spare.
What I’ve learned lately is that prayer does things. I just did a Daniel Fast for three weeks to start off the New Year. I have never felt more clarity. I’m a man who happens to confuse himself and convince his better judgements for the less finer things sometimes. I do this well, and I talk myself out of some really great opportunities. But my prayers have been different. I’ve had clarity; direction. I’ve come to know peace with every thought of and toward God. I’m no longer hollering, “amen.”
I’m breathing it.
I don’t know know if you’re with the metaphorical or the literal when it comes to Joshua. Something is sure, though: prayer does things.
Amen.
