Ask For A Word

Ask for a Word

Take heart, men, for I believe God that it will be just as it was told me. Acts 27:25, NKJV

PAUL WAS ON HIS WAY TO ROME in a ship destined for disaster. He knew that from the beginning. He had warned the helmsman that things wouldn’t turn out well. But even though Paul had foreseen a violent storm, he was not able to assure his fellow passengers that their lives would be spared until he heard from God. And once God revealed the outcome of their safety and survival, Paul counted on it. He declared it boldly. He rode out the remainder of the terrifying storm without being terrified because he had confidence in what God had said.

You will need that kind of confidence to weather your storms. Otherwise, every shift in the winds of circumstance will shake and rattle your faith. You may not need to speak out as boldly as Paul did—God’s words to you may not necessitate warnings and assurances to others—but you will need to cling to whatever he has revealed to preserve your own experience of it. And the only way to do that is to begin your adventures of faith by asking him what to pray for and listening for his answers. You can’t cling to a word from him unless you’ve received one.

There’s a huge difference between praying for God to do what you think is good and praying for him to do what he said. Sometimes a general prayer based on your understanding is fine, but sometimes you’ll need to hear from him first. Mine his Word for his promises. Ask him for direction, just as if you were seeking him for a major decision. Ask how to pray and then pray how he leads. That does two things: It aligns your prayers with what he is doing in the situation, and it solidifies your faith so you can pray confidently. After all, if he has given direction, he has done so for a reason. You know he is planning to respond. When you align your prayers with his will, you can weather any storm with the confidence that he will accomplish it. You can plant your faith on the word that was planted in you and trust that it will be just as he said.

The voice of God, having once fully penetrated the heart, becomes strong as the tempest and loud as the thunder.