Good morning…
When I juggle too many balls at once, just before a deadline strikes midnight, the eleventh hour is usually very spiritually productive. Unfortunately, I am overwhelmed by the eleventh hour striking me right now. Because God often wakes me in the middle of the night to teach me something fresh and new, I thought the “fresh and new” for this eleventh hour would be the lesson I need to teach at 10:00 am this morning for the Genesis Sunday school class at Northside Church. My mind just panicked when I looked for the first time at my assigned scripture passage for the morning. Oh my gosh, what would you do with this challenging verse?
Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours, Mark 11:24 (NIV).
I think our human nature zeros in and reduces this scripture into two short phrases: “whatever you ask” and “it will be yours.” How does this biblical promise really work?
I have no idea how to teach something I do not personally understand. So I am leaning into the power of the Holy Spirit right now to teach me the message needed for each person who walks into the classroom six hours from now. I am believing Jesus’ promise in John 16:12-14 (CEV): I have much more to say to you, but right now it would be more than you could understand. The Spirit shows what is true and will come and guide you into the full truth. The Spirit doesn’t speak on his own. He will tell you only what he has heard from me, and he will let you know what is going to happen. The Spirit will bring glory to me by taking my message and telling it to you.
I find it very interesting that Jesus knew before he left the earth that he had not told his followers every single thing they would ever need to know. If he tried to cram all divine wisdom into the hearts and minds of people before his death and resurrection, he knows it would have been more than humans could understand. So, Jesus and our Father concocted a plan to send their living Spirit into the heart of each one of us to show us what is true, to guide us into the full truth, and to let us know what would happen after Jesus’ time on earth struck midnight. With the Spirit of God as our messenger every hour of every day, we will receive the full living truth, and the LORD will be brought great glory.
I feel inspired to shift my teaching focus from our two self centered phrases “whatever you ask…it will be yours” to four God centered words: “…in prayer, believe…receive,”
Sue
