https://www.youtube.com/watch?
Worlds Apart ~ Jars of Clay
Enlarge the place of your tent,
stretch
your tent curtains wide,
do
not hold back;
lengthen your cords,
strengthen
your stakes.
~ Isaiah 54:2 NIV
Have you ever experienced a time when, either during worship or prayer, you prayed a heartfelt cry to God having something to do with making a change? Then afterward, you realized what you just said, and it felt a bit unnerving, because you just surrendered control of your life. I’ve experienced that a handful of times, including the night before last, when Holy Spirit touched my heart and the prayer became, Take my world apart.
In the “after, after” moments, when the dust settled and I got to look back at what the Lord had done, both in and through me, I was so glad I was obedient. It’s the middle, the time of stretching and dross-burning, that causes me to be a bit unnerved, now. But the Lord gives us His promises, like Isaiah 54:2, that encourage us to enlarge and stretch what we can imagine, without holding anything back. And Isaiah 43:18-19, that tells us to forget the past—don’t be marked by it any longer—and to see what He is doing and is about to do in our lives. Those are the things that move us.
When we can already feel God’s Spirit moving in our hearts and lives, we are compelled to action and respond quickly and obediently to the Lord. I think that’s what emboldened Peter to call out, “Lord, if it is You, command me to come to You on the water,” (Matthew 14:28 NKJV). It’s what propelled him to jump out of the boat! It’s what propels all of us to jump out of our boats, out of our comfort zones.
Then, just like Peter, we find ourselves standing on water…but we don’t know how to walk on water! Before we panic too severely, the Lord promises to carefully watch over us and to tell us where to go, (Psalm 32:8). He challenges us to not be afraid, but to keep pressing forward, knowing He will be with us, wherever we go, (Joshua 1:9).
Did I pray a bold prayer when God touched my spirit? Yes! And it’s a bit unnerving. But if I’m going to do the big things God has planned for me, if I want to step into the vision He’s laid before me, then I need to let go of more of this world, and cling solely to Him.
If it’s been a while since you prayed a prayer that’s a bit unnerving, I challenge you to do it. Ask God to stretch you, to call you out of your boat and safety zone. Ask Him to lead. Then jump out of your boat and follow Him.
“For all the sons and daughters who are walking in the darkness…”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?
Tear Down the Walls ~ Hillsong United
©Heather Potts 2023
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