Unanswered Prayer

I’ve been in Kansas City now for three and a half months.  My first semester ends in eighteen days.  It’s surreal that so much time has gone by already!  Since coming here I’ve been praying for my jaw to be healed.  I have TMJ, so when I chew my jaw usually pops out of place.  This is marked by a very audible popping sound.  This has been going on for a little over a year now, but it’s interesting to note that I had NO pain until I came to IHOP.  Suddenly the pain began to explode in the prayer room… in class… anywhere!  I also began to suddenly clench my teeth again (something I had only done previously when I was really stressed out).  But I’m not stressed here and I’m not anxious about much of anything (because I can’t stop reading Matthew 6:25-34)!  While we were in Detroit for TheCall there was a two-day period where I had to blend everything I ate into smoothies because the muscles around my jaw were so tight and sore that I could hardly open my mouth.  It was miserable.  My frustration only increased when no healing came, as I had expected it to.  Sitting in Ford Field I only became more irritated with God and began to cry out, “God, why aren’t you healing me?!  I’m sick of this pain and just want to feel better!  This is a crummy way to begin TheCall and I’m sick of this!  You promised healing, and you’re giving it to other people, so why not me?  Why am I feeling nothing?  God, what are you doing?...”

In that moment He answered me, but I’ll get to that in a bit.  The point is that I was offended with God and incredibly frustrated, even though my issue is remarkably small!  There are even things I’ve been praying for since high school, but that is only a few years.  Imagine people who spend decades of their lives praying for healing from cancer or those who pray against their barrenness simply because they yearn for a child.  That is persistent prayer!

So what do we do when our prayers aren’t answered when we want them to be?  This seems like a common question that many people in the church have.  What do we do when God doesn’t answer?  Why doesn’t He answer?  I’ve heard of a great many people who have left the faith simply because God doesn’t answer a certain prayer.  In these past months, I’ve learned five major things about unanswered prayer.

1. Seek God’s face, not His hand.
This was God’s answer when I was discouraged and complaining at TheCall.  Someone on stage began to declare how everyone in Ford Field was going to pursue the face of God together, and then I suddenly remembered something I had heard or read weeks earlier, “Seek God’s face, not His hand.” 

Basically what that means is to seek intimacy and increased love for God, not only what He can do for you.  Look God straight in the face and declare your love for Him!  Dwell in His love for you and reciprocate that love.  Obey the first and greatest commandment: LOVE GOD ABOVE ALL!  Don’t stare at His hands and wait in expectation to see what He’s going to give you.  I had gotten so caught up with seeking healing that I had forgotten that intimacy was supposed to be my first priority. 

When you can grasp this realization, you will not be discouraged over the months or years of praying for that specific thing.  When the answer doesn’t come, you won’t be upset because the answer wasn’t your first priority!  You will be sustained by the knowledge of who God is, who we are in Him (children and heirs with Jesus—see Romans 8:17), how He loves us, and how we love Him…  You will be so enraptured with God that you won’t be offended when the answer tarries, because the answer was on the back burner, so to speak.

Only in the times of barren, weary unanswered prayer does God transition us from finding our reward in answers to finding our reward in Him.

Read that again.  Wes Hall told us this just yesterday in class, and it has acted as the springboard for this blog.  Where is your reward?

2. Unanswered prayer does not mean God is punishing you.

The second thing I’ve learned is remarkably evident in scripture—look at Luke chapter one.  A priest by the name of Zechariah and his wife, Elizabeth, were old and childless.  Imagine a cute, elderly couple around your grandparents’ age.  But these old folks are childless because Elizabeth was barren and unable to conceive!  No doubt they had spent much of their marriage praying and crying out to God for a child, but they never got one.  That certainly looks like an unanswered prayer!  If they got married at 20, and now they’re around 70 (I’m making these numbers up), then that’s 50 years of waiting for a child.  50 years.  I recently heard a testimony of a man who has been paralyzed for 53 years. The doctors said he would live a maximum of 17 years after the time of the accident and that he would spend much of his remaining life in the hospital, but it’s been 53 years now and he hasn’t spent a single day in the hospital!  Here’s the crazy point—God promised this man shortly after the accident that He would heal him, and that man is still clinging to that promise with full faith and expectation!  I’ll be sure to post a blog when he’s healed!

Anyway, Zechariah and Elizabeth.  50 years without an answer.  I’m certain they were discouraged—we don’t even know if they were given the promise of a child.  They probably weren’t.  Besides that they were barren and by the standards of science and logic, they would have no children! 

So Zechariah, a priest, gets selected to do some priestly prayers in the temple.  He goes in and suddenly an angel appears to him!  Surprise!!!  Zechariah instantly is filled with fear (probably thinking, “Crap, what did I do wrong that God is sending an angel to chastise me?”) but the angel says, “Do not be afraid, Zechariah, for your prayer has been heard, and your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you shall call his name John!”  But Zechariah responded, “How shall I know this?  For I am an old man, and my wife is advanced in years.”  Basically he was saying, “Sorry, Mr. Angel, you must be wrong because, you see, scientifically that’s not possible!”  The angel scolded him for his doubt and made him mute until his son, John (the Baptist and forerunner of Jesus) was born!

I’m going to read into the text a little bit, but bear with me.  When Zechariah was in the temple offering up his priestly prayer, I doubt he was praying for a son.  He was so old that he had probably given up!  So when the angel came and told him his prayer was answered, he probably thought that the angel meant the prayer he had just prayed!  But no!  The prayer for a son that Zechariah prayed for decades (but had likely stopped praying) was suddenly going to be answered! 

Why the delay for this elderly couple?  God’s timing simply is not our own.  There was a divine delay.  Zechariah and Elizabeth were doing nothing wrong—Luke 1:6 says they were both righteous and blameless before the Lord!  Their unanswered prayer was not a punishment; the answer was simply delayed because God’s timing is perfect.   

3. God wants you to cling to Him alone. 
I really believe God tarries in answering out prayer to show us where our dedication and commitment is.  If we pray for something, and that prayer goes unanswered, do we just give up?  If we give up, what are we saying we believe about God?  We’re saying we don’t believe He cares, or we don’t believe He wants to act.  But God wants to teach us to rely fully on Him.  Look at the promise in Luke 18:7, “And shall God not avenge His own elect who cry out day and night to Him, though He bears long with them?” (NKJV)

We need to stop whining and telling everyone our issues (not that it’s bad to tell other people, but we need to go to God before we go to men)!  Cry out day and night to GOD!  He will bring about justice for us (in whatever our situations are, whether it is financial, physical or spiritual).  He will answer, but He might “bear long with us” and be a little slow to answer!  In Jeremiah 33:3 God says, “Call to me and I will answer you, and will tell you great and hidden things that you have not known.”  THAT IS A PROMISE!

Corey Russell has a powerful section in his book, Pursuit of the Holy.  The following is an excerpt from chapter seven.

“Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you.  For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened” (Luke 11:9-10). 

The Father loves to give good things to His children (Matthew 7:9-11), but He wants us to ask and seek.  He’s not being stingy or manipulative.  He wants us to ask and seek, because when we do so, we are communicating with Him.  Communicating with Him causes us to intimately know Him, which is what God desires.  Through the story of the friend and the bread [Luke 11:5-8], Jesus was showing us that sometimes God uses seemingly impossible situations to teach us how to consistently and persistently cry out… 

We live in a passive society, even in the Church.  We tend to wait until “God’s perfect timing” is revealed for the release of prophecies, healings or other promises.  Our wrong ideas of sovereignty keep us sitting around doing nothing.  Isaiah said, “There is no one who calls on Your name, who stirs himself up to take hold of You” (Isaiah 64:7).  We can have as much of God as we want.  Those who cannot live without God, do not live without God; those who [think they] can live without Him, do.  It’s that simple.  God is not complacent, apathetic, detached or unemotional.  He longs for us to come after Him—because we want to, because we long to (Pursuit of the Holy, 97).

4. Don’t dwell on your feelings, but on God’s constancy.

In my last blog I touched on this, but this is such a pivotal revelation for me that I have to share it again.  There are so many instances when I become discouraged because I feel bad or I feel distanced from Him.  But the truth is that regardless of what I am feeling, God is still the same.  I might feel sick and therefore not pray as intimately as I ought to.  I might feel frustrated at a lack of answers and because of that I might watch a movie instead of praying.  But these feelings change NOTHING.  God still sent Jesus to die on the cross.  God still delights over me and loves me.  I still have the Holy Spirit burning within me.  Our circumstances in the moment cannot change the truth of who God is.  He is good and faithful; He loves us!

Whenever I realize this truth I snap back into perspective.  If God is not swayed by my temporary situations, why should I be so shaken when I have a sore jaw?  My sore jaw does not make God any less awesome and it doesn’t mean I’m suddenly not a believer anymore.  So I commit to be UNSHAKEN by my circumstances.  I will constantly walk in the full authority of what He has given me, even when I don’t feel that great all the time!

5. Unanswered prayers increase our faith in God.

Faith has always been a huge thing on my heart…  Now as I face so many currently unanswered prayers, I can see a shift in what I am putting my faith in.  What are we holding onto?  What are we putting our faith in?  Are we clinging to our expectations of revival or healing or finances or stuff like that, or are we clinging to the God who promised?  When we put our faith in the natural, our expectations will fail us.  I can expect certain results and when those results don’t come, I will be discouraged and fall away from my faith in God.  BUT IF I PUT MY ENTIRE FAITH IN GOD, I WILL NOT BE DISAPPOINTED!  When I don’t see certain circumstances coming to pass, I won’t lose heart because I know that I serve a good God who fulfills His promises in His timing!  Faith is increased in the furnace of unanswered prayer!

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These five truths have really helped me to remain persistent in my prayers.  There are still moments when I’m discouraged (really it’s a daily struggle), but I continually remind myself to set my mind on these truths!  So what are your unanswered prayers?  Everyone has them.  Have you given up on them, or are you committed to continue in prayer until you see them fulfilled?  KEEP PRAYING!  Never give up!  1 Thessalonians 5:17 says, “NEVER STOP PRAYING.”  It’s as simple as that.

Anyone interested in learning more about persistent prayer, let me know.  We had to read a book called “Unrelenting Prayer” by Bob Sorge, a man from IHOP who has been praying for years for a specific issue that is still currently unanswered.  I would definitely recommend this book to everyone! 

Be blessed, guys! 

Rachel

TheCall Detroit Part THREE

Well, we have returned to Kansas City!  Our group got back last Sunday (the 13th) evening around 9:30.  When I stumbled out of the car at my house I was met by two of my housemates who serenaded me with a song.  It was super cute.  :D  ANWAY.  It’s remarkably good to be back—we had a long week in Detroit, but it was phenomenal.  God moved powerfully while we were there, and I’m going to try to summarize the most impacting parts for me personally, as well as examine what happened during and after theCall.

Ford Field packed with thousands of people!

There were about thirty of us who drove up to Detroit—about four people in each vehicle.  We all made it there safely and promptly, praise the Lord!  We stayed in Dearborn, a suburb of Detroit, at a phenomenal and gracious church.  We were well supplied by dozens of people who wanted to serve us and bring us meals and clothes and whatnot.  We didn’t have to pay for anything other than gas on the entire trip!!!  It was amazing how richly we were supplied—people came and cooked us dinner constantly and almost every church we went to fed us! 

Us girls stayed in the church basement, which had a kitchen, two showers, a gymnasium (which served as our bedroom) and lots of other rooms where other people from IHOP were staying.  A group from the Gateway House of Prayer in St. Louis joined up with us, as did a few people from the Justice House of Prayer in Washington D.C.  It was crowded, but wonderful.  There was never any drama, gossip or dissension because we were all rooted in unity in the Lord.  It was amazing.

In the week we were there we had various prayer meetings at the brand-new Dearborn House of Prayer, heard a few guest speakers, listened to area pastors share, went to three different churches for pre-call rallies (at these our teacher, Sam Cerny, would share a message and then those of us in TCI would minister to the congregation by praying for them one-on-one), evangelized in Hamtramck (the predominately Muslim suburb of Detroit where the call to prayer is broadcasted over loudspeakers five times a day), talked to students at college campuses, prayed over Ford Field…  Yeah.  Stuff like that.  We prayed a lot.  Haha…  Our days usually began around 8 or 9 AM and ended around 10 PM.  We were busy, but nothing was too hectic and we all got enough sleep, praise the Lord! 

The actual call event began (for me) at noon on the 11th, when we began helping out with registration, picking speakers up from the airports, setting up, organizing and doing random stuff to help out.  The doors to Ford Field opened around 5 PM and droves of people flooded the stadium.  I would estimate 20,000 people were there that first night.  Anyway, at 6 PM the event began.  We went all through the night with worship, prayer and corporate repentance.  Morning came and we spent six more hours doing volunteer work.  Finally TheCall ended at 6 PM on Saturday, the 12th.  Our group was up for about 36 hours total—after TheCall ended we went out to eat and then rushed back to the church to clean it intensely.  We then got a few hours of sleep and left on Sunday at 8:30 AM. 

TheCall event itself was totally different than I had expected.  I thought there would be hours to just minister and pray for other people.  I thought we would see massive healings break out in the entire stadium.  I thought my TMJ jaw problem would be healed in an amazing encounter with the Lord.  I thought we would see the presence of God tangibly in the form of a “glory cloud” or angelic visitations.

But TheCall came and went suddenly, and none of those things happened.  In fact when midnight rolled around the majority of the people left, and the morning of the 12th dawned with a sad realization that very few people had stayed; maybe half remained through the night hours.  Around 2 or 3 AM I began to feel irritated—partially because of a lack of sleep and partially because my expectations were not being met.  I wondered why we were doing this and what the purpose was.  I began to lose vision.  We had amazing worship music and a great time, but to me all it really felt like was a Holy Spirit dance party (which was wonderful!  Please don’t misunderstand me; I’m just being honest here).  I wanted to see the visible glory of the Lord.  I wanted healing.  I wanted great revelation of God’s nearness.

But it didn’t come.

So I was left wondering, as I’m sure you may be wondering now as you read this, “What was the point?”

The answer to that lies in my personal revelation as well as the mystery of how God pours out revival. 

TIMING

God’s timing is something the world has always been baffled by.  God says He will do something, and then takes ages to do it, and in the wait we lose heart, backslide and become bitter and angry.  The reason the church so struggles with this is because we don’t understand His timing.  Now, I’m not claiming to fully understand this, but we talked about it in TCI class after TheCall and a LOT of clarity came.

Throughout the Bible the return of Jesus is likened to giving birth.  His return is the great culminating moment that comes after much labor and intensity and preparation—like a woman has to go through 9 months of waiting before she can actually hold that baby in her arms.  The church similarly has to wait and watch for the Lord’s return, and sometimes we get a rush within us that says, “SOON!  HE’S COMIN SOON!” and we all get excited and think that tomorrow is the day… and then tomorrow comes and nothing happens.  It’s like we feel a contraction and think that the baby is about to come—we rush to the hospital and sit in the waiting room, feeling the contractions and thinking, “YES!  TODAY IS THE DAY!  IN JUST HOURS I WILL HOLD MY BABY!!!” and then the nurse comes over and says, “Nope, it’s a false alarm; go home.” And then there is a remarkable amount of disappointment. 

This is an incredible image of the Lord’s timing.  You see when we get a little taste of revival or when the Holy Spirit moves in a little way, we expect a great awakening to come right after.  We expect that the culmination and the return of Jesus is right around the corner, so we build up our expectations and then… nothing happens.  We’re left confused and frustrated with God because He didn’t meet our timing.

To put it simply, TheCall Detroit was a contraction, not a birth. 

But does that mean nothing happened?  NO.  Each contraction pushes a pregnant woman closer and closer to giving birth.  TheCall Detroit has pushed us closer to a great, worldwide revival, and we cannot be disappointed with that!!!  There was no glory cloud; I personally wasn’t healed, but mountains were moved in the Spirit and the world saw an incredible gathering of people committed to fast and pray.

Another important thing to consider with the timing of God is this: God will sometimes give an amazing promise and then wait a long period to answer; moreover, He will sometimes do the POLAR OPPOSITE of what He has promised.  Let’s look at Joseph as an example of this:

God told Joseph that he would be a ruler.  Joseph gets excited and tells his brothers.  They are not too keen on this thought, so they throw him into a pit.  Then they sell him, fake his death and Joseph ends up hundreds of miles away from his home as a slave in Egypt.  Not very ruler-like.  Then Joseph ends up in prison when his master’s wife, who was upset that Joseph wouldn’t go to bed with her, lies and claims Joseph tried to rape her.  Again, prison isn’t the place for a ruler.  Joseph has to wait in prison FOR YEARS until suddenly he takes a place of authority when he interprets the dreams troubling the pharaoh.  There was a long season of trial, tribulation, suffering and pain before the promise was quickly fulfilled.

So why would God do this to Joseph?  Why would God do this to us?  I believe it’s a test of our faith.  What was Joseph putting his hope in?  What are we putting our hope in?  Are we clinging to our expectations of a coming revival, or are we clinging to the God who promised?  You see, our expectations will fail us.  I can expect certain results and when those results don’t come, I will be discouraged and fall away from my faith in God.  BUT IF I PUT MY ENTIRE FAITH IN GOD, I WILL NOT BE DISAPPOINTED!  When I don’t see certain circumstances coming to pass, I won’t lose heart because I know that I serve a good God who fulfills His promises in His timing! 

So that’s that.  Immediately after TheCall this stirred us up, because we know that things are going to change.  We haven’t seen an immediate change yet, but just you wait until a few years from now.  Keep Detroit and Dearborn on your radar and watch to see how massive change comes…  To all of you who partnered with us in prayer and fasting, thank you.  Detroit is a gateway to the rest of the nation and ever second of every prayer made an eternal impact.  The promise might not be fulfilled for a few years, but THEY WILL BE FULFILLED. 

Ehehehe… this blog is already way longer than I intended.  Thank you guys for bearing with me.  We’ll see how much longer it goes!

PERSONAL REVELATION

What God revealed to me during TheCall and the days leading up to it was quite phenomenal.  I’ll actually briefly mention how He spoke to me during my 40-day fast, as well…

The Prophetic

Halfway through our 40-day fast I had three prophetic encounters, all within about a week of each other.  Two of these were dreams that were very clearly from the Lord.  The first was immediately after an evening prayer rally among the students at IHOPU where we talked about compromise.  That night I had a vivid dream about compromise.  The second dream was an answer to one of my prayers—I had been asking God for encouragement or a prophetic word for a certain person, and in a very roundabout way He answered my prayer in a dream, which I was able to share with that person.  My third encounter came at the prayer rally I mentioned earlier—one of my friends walked past me and I heard God speak clearly within me.  It wasn’t all big and powerful like, “TELL HER TO GO TO AFRICA FOREVERRRRR.” But it was a little word from the Lord; He just wanted me to tell her how much He liked something she was doing.  I was obedient and told her, and it remarkably impacted her because it affirmed what she had been going through for a few days!  It was so wonderful to see the Lord using me to speak truth to people.  My prayer has long been, “God make me into your mouthpiece.  I want to be used by you to simply get your word from Heaven to earth!” 

This was really encouraged when we were witnessing in Detroit.  Our evangelism tactic is basically what we call a “treasure hunt.”  Before going out to evangelize, we ask God to highlight people to us by giving us bits of information.  God might tell us to go to a coffee shop, or to find someone with a red shirt on, or to find someone with the name Caleb or anything like that.  It’s amazing how the most random pieces of information (that sometimes we think we’re just making up) are actually from God and how He leads us to the exact person He wants us to speak to!  Before my group left on our first treasure hunt I was encouraged by a few older students to be bold when approaching people.  Usually when my group approaches someone to talk to them about the Lord, I’m the one standing a bit behind everyone just to pray.  I usually don’t speak except to confirm something the ‘leader’ is saying.  But on that day the older students began to tell me that it was my assignment to prophesy and start up conversations, too!  I was made to hear the voice of the Lord, too!  It emboldened me and since then I’ve been seeking opportunities and stepping out in faith.  Sometimes God highlights a person to me, but sometimes I just end up praying to myself. 

I have not arrived and I still feel remarkably naïve and weak in the prophetic.  The more I learn about it the more I realize I know so little, but that’s okay.  The fast and TheCall have given me a fresh desire to pursue the Lord in this area and to boldly declare His word!

Voluntary Weakness

There is a prayer I pray every morning.  It’s about a page long and one part that strikes me afresh every day is this: “I commit to voluntary weakness through radical prayer, fasting, giving, serving, forgiving and confessing.  Give me grace, Lord!”  It’s really simple, but it basically encompasses Matthew 6, in which Jesus gives a remarkable exhortation.  When we do those six things mentioned in the prayer, we become voluntarily weak by giving up something.  By fasting we give our physical strength; by praying we give our time; by giving we give our resources (especially our finances); by serving others we give our honor and reputation; by forgiving we give our reputations and by confessing we give up our pride and are humbled.  So why is voluntary weakness important?  Because God uses us in our weakness!  When we are strong and powerful we think we can do everything in our own strength, but when we are weak we rely FULLY on God.   In 2 Corinthians 12:9 Paul says, “Each time he [Jesus] said, ‘My grace is all you need. My power works best in weakness.’ So now I am glad to boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ can work through me.”

This came to life for me on the fast and especially the 36 hours we were awake for TheCall.  There were times when my physical strength was sapped and when I was exhausted from lack of sleep.  I sat there in my chair at the stadium feeling tired and useless and pathetic, but I knew that God was delighting in my weak prayers.  As I struggled to engage in corporate prayer, I knew God was smiling because I had to work out of His strength and pray for His grace to sustain me.  By my own strength I was basically useless, but when I gave Him my feeble, exhausted human frame He used my prayers to establish His purposes! 

God’s Constancy

This truth held me up during the 40-day fast.  There would be moments when I would be irritable or hungry or tired; in those moments I got snappy at people and did not carry myself like a child of God should.  The truth is this (it’s also a part of the prayer I pray every morning): God doesn’t change.  Even when we feel crummy and irritated, God is still the same.  Even when we feel like He is far off and distant, He is still the same being.  Our circumstances cannot change the facts of God.  Those facts are these: God loves us even in our weakness, God rejoices over us, God wants us to partner with Him by prayer, God has saved us by grace through the death of Jesus, God is good and faithful, God is loving… and on and on and on. 

Something about these just snaps me back into perspective when I’m feeling irritated.  God is still the same.  My circumstances cannot change Him, so I shouldn’t be swayed by my circumstances, either.  Just as God is still the same, my identity is still the same.  When I am feeling down I am still: A child of God, loved by Him, seated with Him in heavenly places, walking in the full authority of what He has given me, a vessel of the Holy Spirit… and on and on and on!

Endurance

This was the final thing that was a subtle focus of all the time leading up to TheCall and at the event.  Before we began our 40-day fast, we watched a documentary called “The Endurance” about Ernest Shackleton’s ill-fated expedition to Antarctica in 1914.  Basically he and his crew were stranded in Antarctica for two years before they were able to make it back to England (amazingly not a single one of the men died).  Two years.  In Antarctica.  In the early twentieth century.  Our teacher then told us that we would similarly have to endure.  That there would be times and opportunities to give up and stop fasting and stop praying, but how we are called to be those that do not lose heart!  This culminated in the 36 hours of being awake for TheCall, one girl looked at me and remarked, “Remember that movie?  Now is really the time to endure!” And she was right.  We pressed on and finished well. 

So now that TheCall is over we’re all resting.  It’s baffling to think that it’s really over.  We spent months preparing for it and now we’re simply waiting to see what comes of it.  There will be change; we’re certain of this. 

Thank you again, everyone, for all of your prayers and for joining in with us as we prayed, fasted and helped spur the nation back to God.  Thank you for bearing with me on these long blog posts as I ranted and raved about everything you could ever imagine.  Thank you for every fifteen-second prayer given on our behalf!  

May God bless each and every one of you!  May you all have a wonderful, love-filled Thanksgiving!

Blessings

Rachel

(Originally posted November 20th on Tumblr)

TheCall Detroit Part TWO

I remember people talking about 11/11/11 months ago.  It seemed like everyone was wigging out and talking about making the best wish ever.  For some reason the world has dubbed the time 11:11 incredibly significant, and many people say that 11:11 is the best time to make a wish.  This means that 11:11 on November 11^th, 2011 will be supremely awesome, apparently.  There will never be another 11:11 on 11/11/11. 

But I think it’s sad that we’ve relegated such a neat date to just making wishes.  What’s in a wish?  A wish is a nice thought you send into the air and it dies there.  I realize this sounds somewhat harsh and maybe pessimistic, but if you really want to change something, PRAY ABOUT IT.  James said that the prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective(James 5:16)

So how about on 11/11/11 you do more than just wish.  How about you pray and fast and contend with believers around the nation, around the world, for a fresh outpouring of God’s Spirit!  Pray for revival!  Repent on behalf of our nation!  Seek the face of the Lord with sincerity!

I wanted to write a (much) shorter blog for today and give some more encouragement to fast and pray.  To begin I wanted to share some powerful thoughts from a book I just finished reading, A House That Contends, by Lou Engle and Sam Cerny.  The final two chapters were all about what makes up a contending house of prayer (elements such as: a unified community that does not gossip or slander, commitment to night and day prayer, boldly declaring scripture and the prophetic words of the Lord and commitment to victory at all costs).  The component of a contending house of prayer that struck me the most was “sieging the gates of hell until victory comes.”  What powerful language and truth!  The following is a quote from that chapter,

“To lay siege is to abandon the right to quit.  A siege by definition is a long-term offensive strategy to compel an enemy to surrender.  When a siege is lifted, there can be no victory, for the enemy is then prematurely loosed from the vice grip of God… The following quote became our siege battle cry, ‘When the victors when they come, when the forts of folly fall, find my body near the wall.’ I don’t want to be one who just simply enjoys the spoil of war.  I want to be a part of a company who sacrificed everything to prevail against the gates and stood until the powers were compelled to surrender” (A House That Contends, 75).

Read it again.  There’s just power within that paragraph…  To stand firm and prevail against the powers of the enemy…  I want to be one of those people.  It is my heart’s desire that you, too, would stand with us in prayer.  To unite the nation with prayer!  That people from Kansas City, Detroit, Dassel-Cokato, Minnesota and all around America would join hands in prayer and fasting. 

So come.  Join the siege with us.  Arm yourself with the word of God, with fasting and with prayer.  We will lay siege until the gates of Hell fall and victory comes through Christ!

I really want to give some more encouragement and practical information for those of you reading who are planning on joining with TheCall in fasting or prayer.

Know your identity.  As a Christian you have the Spirit of the living God within you.  Try to wrap your mind around this—the God who created the world and raised Christ from the dead is now living inside of you.  You have the uncreated, unfathomable, most glorious being of all time INSIDE OF YOU.  Imagine taking the universe and stuffing it into a tissue box and the tissue box not exploding!  THAT IS US!  How can we have such power within us and contain it?  God certainly made us special—we are vessels for His glory and power.  Imagine how demons feel when you enter the room?  They shirk back and say, “Oh, there’s one with GOD inside of them!”

Do you realize the sheer power you have and the authority Christ has given you?!  Satan has fed us so many lies to keep us from walking in the authority of Christ.  We think we’re disqualified because we aren’t perfect; we think that because we fall, we cannot be used by God.  NO!  God loves us and wants to use us even in our moments of weakness.  He sees our hearts and the way we want to pursue Him with everything and He LOVES US.  And He has given you all authority over demons and oppression because He lives in you. 

God already conquered Satan with Christ’s death, resurrection and ascension.  Now we need to walk in such a way that reminds Satan that he has been beaten.  Satan wants to have one last crazy party on earth and he wants to take millions with him to Hell.  But we will not stand for that.  No, we will firmly grasp the authority given to us by Christ and we will cast off all that hinders us. 

Walk in your identity, child of God.  I have an infinitely longer blog coming about this, but this is my short overview.  Haha…  Let me know if I need to clarify anything!

Here are some more suggestions for those of you wanting to fast but not really knowing what to do:

• Do a media fast for a day—this could be everything on your computer, television, your phone, texting, etc.  Or do a partial media fast for an extended period.  For example, I’ve been doing a Facebook fast for over a month, but I’m letting myself get on Facebook twice a week primarily to update my blog!
• Prepare for spiritual warfare.  Fasting does not feel easy—it’s hard.  If it were an easy practice, more Christians would do it!  Because of its difficulty, Satan has made it a “radical thing.”  When you realize that fasting is a normal Christian practice, Satan gets upset.  He sees you being stirred to pursue God with everything, so he attacks you harder and stronger.  THIS is when you need to remember to walk in your identity and rebuke him in Jesus’ name!  You are a child of God who is seated above every demonic power.  They must submit to God within you!
• Do not disqualify yourself if you mess up.  I said this in my last post, but I need to reiterate it.  Stumbling does not make God love you less.  He is not disappointed with you.  The only one keeping you from finishing the fast after you’ve stumbled is yourself.
• Remember that every prayer makes a difference.  Even five-second prayers can move mountains.  Even when you don’t feel super anointed and when you feel like you’re just speaking into the air, know that God is listening.  

So that’s that.  It is Wednesday when I post this.  We leave on Saturday at 3 AM.  I may or may not be posting something Saturday night before we leave, but I’m not sure if I’ll have time.  Tons of homework to do before we leave!  Keep our company in your prayers, please. Pray specifically for:

• Safe travels to Detroit.
• A spirit of complete unity among us.
• Total health and absolutely no sickness.

Thanks guys!  Be blessed!

Rachel

(Originally posted November 2nd on Tumblr)

TheCall Detroit Part ONE

All right, guys.  Saturday, November 5^th is the day.  That’s one week from the day I post this blog.  I’m sure most of you know one major event that will be happening on that day (my birthdaaaaay!), but I would like to draw your attention to something just as exciting—that is the day my class at TheCall Institute will be leaving for TheCall Detroit! At 3 AM on that day, about 30 of us will stumble to the IHOP University building and pack into a series of cars with our tiny bags of clothes and sleeping bags; then we’ll head off on a 12-hour trek until we arrive in Detroit, Michigan.  That city is the site of what will be an enormous assembly of thousands of people gathered to seek the Lord through prayer and fasting.  11/11/11 is the date to remember.

Words cannot express how excited I am to be a part of this.  As tired as we will be, and as long of a drive we’ll have, I’m certain this will be one of my best birthdays ever… And I have a request from all of you, but I’ll get to that at the end.  Let me begin by explaining more about the Biblical basis for TheCall.

I’ve explained my school a few times before—I’m in a small one-year program called TheCall Institute led by Sam Cerny and inspired by Lou Engle.  The school is focused on radical dedication to the Lord like the Nazirites of the Old Testament.  I’d love to get into the history of TheCall, but there isn’t time for that in this blog!

The Biblical basis for what we are about to do in Detroit is incredibly important.  We aren’t just doing an assembly because someone thought it would be a good idea; we are gathering because it is Biblical.  For over ten years TheCall has rallied hundreds of thousands of people in the spirit of Joel 2.

The context of the book of Joel is important as we look at the basis for TheCall. Basically, the context goes all the way back to the book of Deuteronomy.  In Deuteronomy 28 God speaks to His people and tells them how He will bless them if they are obedient, and also how He will punish them if they are disobedient.  He says if they do not obey the voice of the LORD or if they are not careful to do his commandments, curses shall come upon them and overtake them (28:15).  These curses are remarkably intense and include physical sickness, slavery, the rule of foreign nations, losing every battle against their enemies, famine and economic disaster, which we see focused on in Joel. 

Joel was a prophet to Judah during a terrible time when locusts were invading the land. You may wonder how this relates to economic crisis, but you must understand that the livelihood and economy of Judah was based on crops.  Locusts came and devastated the land, thereby wrecking the economy.  With this came famine, starvation and disease.

You may also be wondering why God would punish His chosen people so ferociously. You must understand He is not acting against them out of anger, but out of incredible love.  God laid out his curses way back in Deuteronomy so that Judah would be able to look back and say, “Oh, we are having trouble winning our battles—perhaps it is because we are being disobedient!”  The curses are like a sign, or a red flag, that is screaming, “TURN BACK TO THE LORD AND THE PUNISHMENT WILL BE LIFTED!”  God clearly told the nation what He would do when they were disobedient so that they could repent and turn back to Him.  So you see the curses were not from an angry God looking for a way to hurt people—they were gracious and kind signs meant to turn His people back to Him.

So that is where Joel comes in.  The locusts are ravaging the land and the economy of Judah is falling apart.  Joel, an unknown, random man, hears from the Lord and recognizes that the curse is a sign of disobedience, so Joel gets out his soapbox, puts it on the corner of the street and begins to call aloud for repentance.  Joel also knows from Deuteronomy 28 that, unless the nation repents, something far worse will come upon them—a military invasion.  God speaks and says, “Yet even now… return to me with all your heart, with fasting, with weeping and with mourning; and rend your hearts and not your garments.” (Joel 2:12-13)  Joel continues and pleads with Judah, “Return to the LORD your God, for he is gracious and merciful, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love; and he relents over disaster.  Who knows whether he will not turn and relent, and leave a blessing behind him, a grain offering and a drink offering for the LORD your God?  Blow the trumpet in Zion; consecrate a fast; call a solemn assembly; gather the people.  Consecrate the congregation; assemble the elders; gather the children, even the nursing infants.  Let the bridegroom leave his room, and the bride her chamber.” (Joel 2:13-16)

The very end of these verses outlines the steps to repentance.  In a nutshell Joel calls the people to gather together and fast.  The call is for everyone—the old elders and the young children and the newlyweds on their honeymoon.  There is such urgency in the gathering that it takes first place—even the honeymoon will have to wait!  Judah had a great need to call on God through fasting, prayer and repentance.  They had to return to the Lord, and the way to do that was through a public, solemn assembly. 

In the book of Joel, God says He will hear their crying out to Him.  He says that He will turn away His wrath and heal their land.  Verses 18, 22, 24 and 26 of chapter two detail this, “The LORD answered and said to his people, ‘Behold, I am sending to you grain, wine, and oil, and you will be satisfied; and I will no more make you a reproach among the nations… The tree bears its fruit; the fig tree and vine give their full yield… The threshing floors shall be full of grain; the vats shall overflow with wine and oil… You shall eat in plenty and be satisfied, and praise the name of the LORD your God, who has dealt wondrously with you.  And my people shall never again be put to shame.’ ”

God says He will restore what He took away from His people and give His blessing. Provision will return; the economy will take a turn for the better and God will take His place as the first love of His people!  The most amazing thing will then happen…  After the solemn assembly, after the fast, after the mourning and weeping and prayer…  God says He will pour out His spirit.

“ ‘And it shall come to pass afterward, that I will pour out my Spirit on all flesh; your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, and your young men shall see visions.  Even on the male and female servants in those days I will pour out my Spirit.’ “ (Joel 2:28-29)

Not only will the solemn assembly stop the curse and restore what was lost, but also it will lead to a massive outpouring of the Holy Spirit—the part of the triune God that dwells within all believers.  That outpouring shall come with a noticeable increase of the prophetic, and the outpouring shall be for every nation, people group and language (“all flesh”).  Oh, what an amazing promise!  Even greater wonders will occur in that day, which can be noted if you continue reading Joel 2. 

So that’s really the Biblical basis for TheCall.  The very namesake comes out of these passages.  TheCall event is basically a solemn assembly dedicated to prayer and fasting.  It’s not a music festival or a youth gathering with lots of musicians or vendors or food.  The fact is concessions probably won’t even be open because the majority of people will spend the day fasting!  This is a solemn gathering of people (of every age, race and language) who want to repent on behalf of our nation, which has turned remarkably far from God. 

We must learn from the mistakes of Judah, which did not heed the warning signs.  They did not listen to Joel.  It’s a disheartening truth—they were given the opportunity for mercy if they could have simply recognized God’s discipline in the economic shaking, but they didn’t.  So God had to take the next step and send a military invasion because Judah would not turn from their obvious sins.  Babylon comes into the picture and Judah is led into captivity for seventy years. 

But enough about Judah.  How is America faring?  The whole earth for that matter?  It doesn’t take a genius to note that America is in a rough spot.  Immorality is rampant. Death is pervasive.  Foreign gods have invaded.  We worship entertainment and sex above God.  We are prideful, selfish and arrogant.  Humility is a rare trait.  Our economy is failing.  Our government is tainted.  The sex trafficking industry is seen in every major city.  Secular beliefs have invaded a culture that should be rooted in God.  Even “Christians” don’t seek after God with passion.  We have downgraded God to nothing more than an invisible guy in the sky who hates humanity and wants to find all of our sins so that He can send us to Hell.  If we even believe in God, that is. 

Like I said, we’re not exactly in a great spot.

So we’re going to fast and pray, specifically in Detroit on 11/11/11.  Why Detroit, you may ask? 

Detroit is one of the great remaining strongholds of racism in the United States—the division between the African Americans and the whites is still remarkably prevalent, even among churches.  Abortion is consistently chosen over life.  Islam is predominant—Dearborn, Michigan (a suburb of Detroit) boasts the Islamic Center of America, which is the largest mosque in the western hemisphere, as well as the largest population of Arabs outside the Middle East.  Certain mosques in Detroit, Dearborn and Hamtramck (another Detroit suburb) have minarets that will sound the call to prayer five times a day (but ringing a church bell in the city of Hamtramck is not allowed because it violates the sound ordinances).  Detroit also has a ridiculous crime rate—murders and sexual assaults and theft…  Overall Detroit is a spiritually dark place…

That is why we are going to Detroit—to bring it the light of Christ.  We want to take hold of these issues and bring them before the LORD… to implore Him to turn away His wrath and send a blessing instead… to pray for Christ to again become the focus of governments… to break down every attack of Satan against Detroit and the United States…  We are going to Detroit TO FIGHT.  It’s going to be an incredible battle—we’ll be fasting intensely and praying for hours each day.  Sleep will be relatively minimal and will be on a concrete floor of a gracious church that will be hosting us.  The days are going to be packed with ministry events.  There will hardly be a moment of down time. TheCall event goes for 24 hours straight with no sleep. 

And I want you to be a part of it.  It’s probably impossible for you to make it to the event itself, since it will be taking place in two weeks, but you can still participate. 

TheCall is rooted in two things: prayer and fasting.  What I want for my birthday(hahaha, you can’t say no to that) is for you to commit to do those two things.  With two weeks until 11/11/11 I’m going to give you a few suggestions, especially if you’ve never fasted before and think only insane radicals do that. 

MINI FASTING BLOG HOORAY!

Fasting is a normal Christian practice.  Jesus said to his disciples, “When you fast…” in Matthew 6: 16; Jesus did not say, “If you chose to fast because it fits your schedule…” In Luke 5:35 Jesus also said, “The days will come when the bridegroom is taken away from them, and then they will fast in those days.”  Jesus was the bridegroom, and he said that after his death his disciples would fast! Fasting was a very normal practice, especially in the early church.  Great revivalists of old also attribute much power in their ministry to fasting.

Fasting is not about not eating.  This may seem surprising, but God doesn’t want you to just not eat for a day—that’s just a hunger strike or a diet.  Those things don’t move His heart.  What God does desire is for His people to posture their hearts in such a way to receive from Him.  When we fast, we become physically or mentally weak.  Second Corinthians 12:9 states, “But he [the LORD] said to me [the apostle Paul], ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.’ Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me.”

Fasting is all about the principle of divine exchange—we give God our weakness and admit how feeble we are.  A day without food will incapacitate most of us, and we realize how little we can do by our own power—we truly need God’s salvation and strength in everything we do. 

That’s basically a mini run down on why fasting is important.  There are dozens of Biblical examples of fasting.

• Daniel fasted and prayed for 21 days and on the 21^st day was visited by an angel who basically told Daniel that his persistent prayer and fasting was what brought the angelic visitation. 
• Esther called a three day fast when her nation was threatened with genocide. 
• David fasted for seven days to plead with God for the life of his son. 
• When Jonah went to the city of Nineveh he cried out for their repentance combined with fasting. 
• Immediately after Jesus was baptized he went into the wilderness and fasted for 40 days. 

Time and time again fasting is included in the scriptures as something that is allowable, beneficial and vital. 

So what can you do?  You can fast and pray.  TheCall solemn assembly begins at 6 PM on 11/11/11 and goes until 6 PM on 11/12/11.  I am urging you to dedicate either the next two weeks, or the week leading up to TheCall or even the day of TheCall to fasting and prayer.

Here are the excuses I will be hearing: No, Rachel, I don’t have the time to fast and pray.  No, Rachel, I cannot physically go without eating for a week.  No, Rachel, I don’t think I’ll make any difference if I’m fasting all alone.  No, no, no.

And to those I say, “NO!”  The importance of temporarily satisfying your belly pales in comparison to the importance of turning this nation back to God.  And your fasting willmake a difference.  You may not see it that day, but when you join in this corporate fast God will see you.  Every individual, committed person is vital.

If you are still concerned by this and if it still makes you nervous, let me give you some practical suggestions regarding fasting.  Keep in mind that these are only suggestions—if God gives you clear direction on what and how long to fast, you ought to obey Him first and foremost.  Pray about what I’m about to lay out and see how God leads you. Also, don’t beat yourself up if you screw up while you are fasting.  Push delete on any mistakes you’ve made on the fast and keep pressing in.  Slipping up on your fast doesn’t disqualify you!  Anyway, here are some practical suggestions.

• Do not fast food.  This may surprise you, but it is a legitimate option.  Some people aren’t fazed by not eating, and since fasting is about weakness they have to do something else that makes them weak.  Perhaps this could be fasting from texting on your phone (it’s a challenge!) or fasting from Facebook for a period.
• Do a partial fast.  There are various kinds of fasts that are Biblical!  When Daniel fasted, he ate only fruits, vegetables and nuts.  Natural things.  A LOT of people take part in this fast, especially if you are going on an extended fast or fasting for the first time.  Another type of partial fast is a liquid fast, where you eat soup and smoothies and basically anything that can fit through a straw.
• Fast for the duration of time that God calls you to.  Some people have been fasting for 40 days leading up to TheCall, but some others I know fasted for 21 days.  Maybe fast just one day.  Whatever God speaks to you, be obedient!
• Do not fast without praying.  If you go about fasting grumbling and complaining and not having the right mindset, you aren’t going to make much of a difference. On any day that you chose to fast, give yourself an extra hour or two just to pray and read the word.  This gives you the right mindset.
• When you fast, pray for grace.  Grace is God’s supernatural power made available to His people.  When you are praying for grace, you aren’t asking for God to make you less hungry, but you are imploring Him, “God, make me desire intimacy with you more than I desire food!”
• Don’t quit if you mess up!  I’ve known people who have stopped the fast multiple times, but each time they start all over again, knowing that pressing in and being persistent is vital.  Don’t beat yourself up if you stumble and eat a hot dog when you said you’d only drink liquids—start over again.  Satan wants you to give up, but God wants you to keep going!

So with all of this in mind, I’m urging you to join us in Kansas City and in Detroit as we fast and pray.  We believe we will be changing the course of history by what we are about to do, and we believe the Lord WILL encounter us. 

Here are some resources…

IHOP Fasting Information/Guidelines

http://www.ihop.org/about/fasting-guidelines-and-information/

TheCall Detroit Informational Video

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=n335NYm8N_k

TheCall website

http://www.thecall.com/Group/Group.aspx?ID=1000080537 

Be blessed, guys!

Rachel 

(Originally posted October 31st on Tumblr)