Monday, November 1, 2010

A Great Big God

I just had a conversation where the story behind the book "90 Minutes in Heaven" was explained to me. There are some theological questions that I won't address but the facts of what happened are undisputed. Don Piper was pronounced dead at the scene of a horrific accident, having been hit head on in his Ford Escort by a semi-tractor trailer. The extent of his injuries are brutally graphic. He has just left a pastor's conference. The paramedics worked on him to no avail and declared him to be dead. 90 minutes later a pastor who had been at the conference came upon the scene, got out and asked if there was anyone there he could pray for. The attendants told him no, they had one fatality. He then heard an audible voice telling him to pray for the man in the car. He then squeezed his way into the backseat of the mangled vehicle and laid his hand on the only appendage that was attached to the dead man. He prayed then started singing the hymn "What a Friend We Have in Jesus." After a few minutes, the dead man, Don Piper, started singing along. Ummm...this "dead" guy isn't dead anymore!!!

Okay. Truth time. Do we stop praying sometimes because we resign ourselves to "God's will"? Is that it? Or do we give up because we don't trust Him enough? It would require us to be vulnerable, to keep praying when we feel like it's a done deal. Well, you can't get more done than DEAD!!!

God does POWERFUL things when we pray. Check out James 5:17-18 "Elijah was a man with a nature like ours, and he prayed fervently that it might not rain, and for three years and six months it did not rain on the earth. Then he prayed again, and heaven gave rain, and the earth bore it's fruit." That is supernatural. Here is some homework for you...read 1 John 5:14-15, Philippians 4:6-7, James 5:16, Romans 8:26, Matthew 17:15. Just for starters.

You know why I think David was a man after God's heart?? Think about it. He was a young shepherd, the youngest son of King Saul, his oldest brother Eliab was the general of Saul's army. There was David, a KID!! But he was indignant that any giant would cast dispersions on the God of Israel!! He refused Saul's armor and walked up to Goliath with a rock and CRACK. GRAVE YARD DEAD, as Jerry Clower would say....David knew his God. David knew what God could do. David knew that God would get the glory because the battle belonged to God ALONE!!

When we give it up to God and lean on His power all we have to do is ask. God knows that our greatest joy, our greatest satisfaction will come when God alone is glorified in us. So let's just pray and allow God to be our Giant killer!!

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