Peter went to sleep in the Garden of Eden when Jesus asked him to pray for one hour. Peter was not alone. The rest of the disciples went to sleep too. Jesus rebuked them all and asked why they could not pray with him for at least one hour. Jesus knew there was a time to sleep and a time to take care of business.
In Acts 12, Peter was asleep between two guards who were going to deliver him to be executed the next day. The angel who came to deliver him had to hit him on the side to wake him up. Peter was a great example of faith in this story. We commend him for sleeping this time. What’s the difference? Jesus stayed awake and prayed in the garden, yet he slept in the boat during the storm. The disciples had to wake him up to save them from drowning.
When praying, asking God for deliverance, we need to remain awake and alert. Yet, once the prayer is made and trust has been placed in the Lord, it is time to rest. In other words, after prayer, take a nap. Resting in the Lord could be a great example of the works which should accompany faith and being a doer of the word. Nothing could be more irritating to the devil than for God’s children to be asleep when they should be worried about the answer or the griping about the timing of God’s manifestation. Have you sown a prayer or financial seed in faith? Go to bed (Mark 4:26,27). Have you trusted in the promise that God will take you “to the other side”? Go to sleep in the boat (Luke 8:22). They that have believed have entered into rest (Hebrews 4:3).
It has been raining so much in Tulsa the past two months it has brought rivers, streams and lakes to new high levels. The radio reported that only one year ago, we were in drought and all bodies of water were at near record lows. It is amazing how quickly situations can change in life.
A friend of mine in Colorado had forest fires outside of his home two years ago and the news was reporting that the rivers, streams and lakes were so low it would take ten to fifteen years to replenish them. A record rain fell a few weeks later and replenished the water in one week. Even nature tells us of the power and suddenness of God in being able to meet needs. Man looks at nature through his own eyes and with his own strength. We need to remember, we did not create the earth or nature, God did. We need to see needs through His eyes and not ours.
A man in our congregation was diagnosed with leukemia and told he would not live out a full life. He came to my office for prayer. I anointed him with oil and commanded the leukemia to die. He went back to the doctor and was told they may have misdiagnosed him. There was no leukemia to be found. God had healed him. I know that often healing manifestations take time. But, thank God we also serve a God who can come on the scene suddenly and change the impossible situation in a moment.
In Tulsa this week a car is being unearthed, which has been buried for fifty years. It was put into the ground in 1957 with memorabilia from that year. It was to commemorate the fiftieth year of statehood for Oklahoma and be dug up at the 100th birthday. This week is the week. You can see the information on buriedcar.com.
Well, the car vault was opened and water was found in the vault. Mud was found inside the vault too and the future of the car looks bleak. All were disappointed when the vault was opened and three feet of water was found standing in the bottom.
The best attempts of man are usually futile. These are the same ones who today want to save the planet. They cannot even save a car. I am glad my salvation is more secure than that. Man is not watching over my eternal life, God is. His universe has run for billions of years and is still intact. God does not have to encase His children in plastic to preserve them, but seals us in His own Holy Spirit. My eternal life will still be intact throughout all eternity. That information should be enough to send us rejoicing for the rest of the week.
I have just returned from a ministry trip to London, England. I was asked to speak to a family conference at a church in North Central London. My son, Robb, went with me and spoke to the youth of the church who hosted the conference. The city is in great need of teaching on family. The problems the nation faces on family is as bad as in our own country, the United States, but they have little or no teaching on the subject. I could not make the conference last year, but the pastor told me it was the first he knew of in the country on the subject of what the Bible had to say about marriage.
As I spoke, I found through the time of questions and answers, the people faced an assault on traditional marriage through the television, publications, and movies. The nation is struggling with homosexual marriage, pornography and a rising number of abortions and divorce. Books, C.D.s, and other Christian literature are scarce in the U.K. So, the work is cut out for pastors and Bible teachers to change the thinking of Christians in the nation. Our work is cut out for us to pray for the nation of England to have a revival to bring people to Jesus and change their family values to line up with God's Word.
I have made it a point to pray more for the people of England. Will you join me?
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