I will remember the deeds of the LORD;
Yes, I will remember your miracles of long ago.
I will consider all your works
And meditate on all your mighty deeds.
(Psalm 77:11-12)
As we wrap up the month of November, the scent of the Thanksgiving season still lingers in the air, and as I polish off the last of the turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes, and pumpkin pie leftovers, the words of the Psalmist come to mind: "Taste and see ..."
Except, he was talking about experiencing the goodness of God, not Thanksgiving leftovers.
"Taste and see that the Lord is good," he says, and the words from Psalm 77 invite me to go in a particular direction with this tasting - the "leftovers" that allow me to relive the goodness of the meal, the remembering and meditating on the miracles, works, and mighty deeds that God has already done. It is good to call to mind the feasts which God has spread for us, the tasting we have done in days past, because bringing those past events into present memory not only allows us to enter into a spirit of thanksgiving, it also allows us to renew our hope and expectation for the feasts we will enjoy in days to come.
Allow me, then, to remember and meditate for a moment on the works and mighty deeds of God that I've seen in the past three months of listening prayer meetings.
When we began practicing listening prayer, early in September, attendance at the Wednesday meetings was sparse and inconsistent. Three one week, five the next, four the following week. But in that time, God was speaking directly to us, and things were changing. People started looking forward to the Wednesday prayer time; people started seeing prayers answered in specific, direct ways. The result? In the past month-and-a-half, we have never had fewer than six participants, sometimes as many as eight or nine, even on nights when we had to move the prayer meeting to a Monday night or a Tuesday night.
We prayed for Pastor Youcef Nadarkhani in Iran, who had been sentenced to death for refusing to renounce Jesus - in fact, his execution was rumored to be scheduled within a few days. Instead, what happened in the next few days - I believe in direct response to those prayers - was that there was a sudden out-pouring of international outrage over what was happening. Pastor Youcef is still in prison, but he's also still alive, and the Iranian courts are re-trying his case.
We have prayed for several people in need of employment or with other job-related concerns - one person was offered a job three days later, another person was offered additional work opportunities within the same week, and another was suddenly notified of an open position with different company. God's name is "Provision" (Gen. 22:13-14), and He's been proving the power of that name for us.
We participated in the "40 Days for Life" prayer events, and we heard stories upon stories of how God was answering those prayers: many women decided at the last minute not to go through with their scheduled abortions; an ultrasound technician randomly showed up just as three women were asking for ultrasounds; the abortion clinic even closed for a day.
We have prayed for healing, and we have seen the first-fruits of what will surely be a rich harvest of healings: a painful sore on a girl's face that stopped hurting immediately after prayer, a young girl with allergy-related coughing fits that cleared up within 24 hours of prayer, young children being delivered of fitful sleep and nightmares, congested sinuses being cleared up as prayers are being offered, headaches dissolving mid-prayer. And we're still contending for even more healings in situations that God has placed before us: a defective heart valve, a case of dementia, heart tumors, a kidney infection, cancer ... God's name is "Healer" (Ex. 15:26), and we're starting to see more and more just how far His powerful healing touch extends.
We have been praying for unity and growth, and we're seeing both. We're talking to each other more, visiting longer, praying for each other in new ways; we're seeing new faces here and there, we're seeing some "old" faces perhaps in new places, we're seeing (and taking advantage of) more opportunities for outreach, and just speaking personally, I've seen a lot more faces reflecting a lot more hope and energy and excitement lately.
I hear more and more reports from people who are stepping more boldly into the realm of listening prayer, and finding that God does speak to them. I'm hearing reports of God opening all kinds of doors as a result, because the time we spend in listening prayer and "soaking" in His presence is rippling outwards and impacting those around us.
It's good to meditate on the miracles and mighty deeds of the Lord. It's good to remember those times when we've tasted and found that the Lord is good. And it's good to sit at this table and say, "another helping, please," because God promises us in His word that He can do a lot more than we can even imagine (Eph. 3:20), and that the only reason we do not have is because we do not ask (Jas. 4:2).
So here's my invitation to you for the coming month. Fill in the blanks below, truly believe the finished sentences when you're done (or ask for an increase of faith if you can't), and then bring it all with you to the next round of prayer meetings - we'll taste and see together that the Lord is good.
______________ can be healed.
The relationship between ______________ and ______________ can be restored.
______________ can obtain financial provision.
______________ can be set free from addiction.
______________ can have a relationship with God.
______________ can have life "more abundant."
______________ can rejoice again.
"What other nation is so great as to have their gods near them the way the LORD our God is near us whenever we pray to him?" (Dt. 4:7)
Jacob
