Beyond what I can see

I was discouraged at the start of the year by the difficulties that some of the close individuals in my life were experiencing. A few months prior, at a conference, the Lord encouraged me to stop praying for myself and start praying fervently for the hearts of others. Later, when I was thinking about why I was going to fast, I sensed the Lord telling me that the reason I was always discouraged was because I was depending just on what what my eyes could see. I felt compelled to concentrate myself in order to pay more attention to the spiritual side of all this. Even while I understood the essential facts about God's character, my identity in Him, and the Church's mission—truths that are crucial to remember— I felt that the Lord was inviting me to go more into my spiritual desire to see His kingdom grow.

My attention had been fixated on what I could see with my eyes: the growing difficulties that folks I prayed for were experiencing, or the seeming lack of behavioral change. But then I realized that it didn't mean the Lord wasn't actively involved, even if I wasn't able to see His activity directly or in the way I had thought it was needed.

I was reminded of Isaiah 55:8-9:

“For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,” declares the Lord. As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.”

Because the way God is working in these people's lives is different from what I expected him to, who am I to say that God isn't at work at all?

Then I was drawn back to the first night of that conference where 7,000 people joined together and sang:

“Ningún principado
Ni las potestades
Ni armas forjadas
¿Quién podrá? ¿Quién podrá? Y no han prevalecido
Ha caído el enemigo
El infierno has vencido
¿Quién podrá? ¿Quién podrá?”

(Here’s a link to the meaning of this song: https://www.songtell.com/averly-morillo/quien-podr)

In English, these lyrics are translated to:

No principality

Nor power of the enemy

Nor forged weapons

Who? Who can?

And they have not prevailed

The enemy has fallen

You have conquered hell

Who can? Who can?

(When we ask “who can?”, we are referring to the question: “who can stand against God's power?”)

I am sure that I am not alone in my prayers for an individual or individuals who are facing obstacles.

Perhaps you are having difficulties yourself.

It's possible that individual—or you—are having trouble recognizing God's purpose and identity in your life.

Perhaps they are running from God.

Perhaps you are in pain and you feel like giving up.

Perhaps they walked away from their calling, ministry, or relationship with Jesus.

Maybe your parents, friends, siblings, or children seem to be too far gone

Whatever it is that you are wrestling with, I want to encourage you with Philippians 1:6:

“He who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ.”

HE WHO BEGAN A GOOD WORK WILL COMPLETE IT.

That person we are praying for was chosen since they were in their mother's womb (Jeremiah 1:5).

Whether they recognize it or not, they have been called

(2 Timothy 1:9).

Whether they receive it or reject it, they have been given a joint inheritance with Christ (Romans 8:16-17).

They already have a seat at the table

(Psalm 23:5).

The beloved of heaven is absolutely in love with them

(Romans 5:8).

So if the Lord has begun that good work in them, there is no principality, there is no power from hell, there is no formed weapon that can stand against God's will for their life

(Romans 8:38-39):

“For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.”