Several years ago, God sent me a special friend—even before
I asked for one. When we first became acquainted, Roz and I were attending the
same church in Virginia.
Roz is not only a fierce intercessor and one of the godliest
women I’ve ever met, she is also a professional Christian counselor. She was
the answer to one of my unspoken prayers for a number of reasons.
I was in my early 40s, coping with seminary and graduate
school demands and battling chronic illness. I was hundreds of miles away from my family, facing major
surgery.
Roz, who barely knew me at the time, opened her home to me
while I was recuperating. Her incredible family surrounded me, prayed for me,
fed me and saw me restored to health—and hope.
Both Roz and I have long since moved away from
Virginia. I miss the closeness we
shared when she was just a few blocks away. But in 2004 when I needed her, the Lord sent her halfway
across the country for a different purpose, just so she could stop by and set
me straight on her way back home.
Five minutes into our talk she strongly suggested that I
read Bruce Wilkinson’s The Dream Giver (Multnomah).
A modern parable, the book tells the story of Ordinary, who leaves the land of
Familiar in order to pursue his Big Dream. Reading it according to Roz’s
careful instructions gave me a new perspective on how God uses us to answer the
prayers of others.
Various passages in the Bible refer to the fact that God
responded to mankind’s need for deliverance by sending a human deliverer (see
Judges 3:9).
Some cries for help are never uttered aloud. They are too
desperate for words, but God hears and answers them in spite of that fact.
An example of this is the work done by Heidi and Rolland
Baker among the children of Mozambique.
It is a striking demonstration of the fact that God visits the hearts of
His people with big dreams in order to reach those who are crying out in their
need.
Vision is about more than personal success. Purpose is more
than individual fulfillment. God’s dreams, when embraced by His people and
allowed to flow out through their lives, will bring both, but more importantly,
they will express His desire for oppressed people everywhere to know love,
freedom and deliverance.
This is what Ordinary discovered in The Dream Giver. His Big
Dream was directly connected to the needs of others.
God will manifest His dream through your life by making you
the answer to someone’s prayers. Allowing Him to do so is a costly way to live,
but it is clearly the pathway to reaching Moses’ loftiest goal (see Exodus
33:18) and our own—experiencing the fullness of His glory.
PRAYER POWER FOR THE WEEK OF 5/23/2011
This week ask God to make you the answer to someone’s
unprayed prayer. Ask Him to show you His dream (desire) for someone else and
make yourself available to work in partnership with Him to see it happen.
Continue to pray and seek ways to help those suffering loss of loved ones, jobs
and homes through recent floods, tornadoes and other natural disasters. Pray
for our military and seek ways to bless a military family. Remember Israel;
pray for its peace and protection. Lift up President Obama and those working
with him to secure our nation and the world. Ask God to send laborers into His
harvest fields, ignite revival in our churches, and expand His kingdom all over
the world. Matt 28:18-20; 1 Thes.
5: 17.18
To enrich your prayer
life and learn how to strategically pray with power by using appropriate
scriptures, we recommend the following sources by Apostle John Eckhardt: Prayers that Rout Demons, Prayers that Bring Healing, Prayers that Release Heaven on Earth and Prayers that Break
Curses. To order any or all of these click here.
