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Your life will be as bright as the noonday sun. Job 11:17

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None of Your Business

Too often we let how get in the way of what God has called us to do.  For the life of us, we cannot figure out how a thing is going to happen.

You know, too much month and too little money.  How will you ever make it to payday?

The school has called you six times this week, and it’s not Friday, yet. How are you going to survive this thing called parenthood?

A spouse that has a taste for too much drink, eyes for another and a passion for gambling.  How can God fix this mess of a marriage?

Negative doctor reports and a truck load of confirming symptoms.  How on earth can God heal you?

How?  That’s God’s business.

Impossible?  That’s His specialty.

The Scriptures are full of examples.  Consider one – the story of Elijah (1 Kings 18: 23-24, 31-35 ESV) and what we can learn from him.

“Let two bulls be given to us, and let them choose one bull for themselves and cut it in pieces and lay it on the wood, but put no fire to it. And I will prepare the other bull and lay it on the wood and put no fire to it. And you call upon the name of your god, and I will call upon the name of the Lord, and the God who answers by fire, he is God.” Elijah took twelve stones, according to the number of the tribes of the sons of Jacob, to whom the word of the Lord came, saying, “Israel shall be your name,” and with the stones he built an altar in the name of the Lord. And he made a trench about the altar, as great as would contain two seahs of seed. And he put the wood in order and cut the bull in pieces and laid it on the wood. And he said, “Fill four jars with water and pour it on the burnt offering and on the wood.” And he said, “Do it a second time.” And they did it a second time. And he said, “Do it a third time.” And they did it a third time. And the water ran around the altar and filled the trench also with water… “

You don’t have to be very smart to understand that wood plus water is not a formula for fire.  Elijah had the people fill four jars with water and douse the wood.  He then had them repeat it two more times for a total of twelve jars of water.  Now, we don’t know the size of the jars, but the Scriptures tell us that there was so much water that it ran around the alter and filled the trench that had been dug around it.

You know the people thought Elijah was crazy.  First,  a “burnt” offering with no fire.  And then, wood doused with twelve jars of water.  How will God ever answer this prayer?

Elijah wasn’t worried.  He knew that the how was God’s business.  His business was to be obedient.  And when he had constructed the altar and commanded that the wood be doused, he simply prayed, “O Lord, God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, let it be known this day that you are God in Israel, and that I am your servant, and that I have done all these things at your word. Answer me, O Lord, answer me, that this people may know that you, O Lord, are God…” (1 Kings 18:36-37 ESV)

And God answered as only God can for in verse 38 we read, “Then the fire of the Lord fell and consumed the burnt offering and the wood and the stones and the dust, and licked up the water that was in the trench.”

What has God called you to do?  That’s YOUR business.  How will it happen?  That is none of your business; THAT is God’s business!

THIS WEEK reflect on your business for God – what He has called you to do that you are not doing.  Mind your business, and get started – on your knees.  Look at Elijah’s prayer as an example.  Pray, believing and asking God to provide what is needed and that He be glorified, and He will answer as only He can.  THAT is His business!

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Big Hairy Audacious Prayers

Exodus 14:21-22 (NKJV)

“Then Moses stretched out his hand over the sea; and the Lord caused the sea to go back by a strong east wind all that night, and made the sea into dry land, and the waters were divided. So the children of Israel went into the midst of the sea on the dry ground, and the waters were a wall to them on their right hand and on their left.”

Joshua 10:12-14 (ESV)

“At that time Joshua spoke to the Lord in the day when the Lord gave the Amorites over to the sons of Israel, and he said in the sight of Israel,  “Sun, stand still at Gibeon, and moon, in the Valley of Aijalon.” And the sun stood still, and the moon stopped, until the nation took vengeance on their enemies.

Is this not written in the Book of Jashar? The sun stopped in the midst of heaven and did not hurry to set for about a whole day. There has been no day like it before or since, when the Lord heeded the voice of a man, for the Lord fought for Israel.”

2 Kings 6:1-7

“The disciples of the prophets said to Elisha, “The place where we’re staying is too small for us. Let’s go to the Jordan River. Each of us can get some logs and make a place for us to live there.”

Elisha said, “Go ahead.”

Then one of the disciples asked, “Won’t you please come with us?”

Elisha answered, “I’ll go.”

So he went with them. They came to the Jordan River and began to cut down trees. 5 As one of them was cutting down a tree, the ax head fell into the water. He cried out, “Oh no, master! It was borrowed!”

The man of God asked, “Where did it fall?” When he showed Elisha the place, Elisha cut off a piece of wood. He threw it into the water at that place and made the ax head float. Elisha said, “Pick it up.” The disciple reached for it and picked it up.”

Parting seas, suns that stand still, ax heads that float? Yes…because they dared ask; they dared believe.

Mark Batterson says, “If your prayers aren’t impossible to you, they are insulting to God. Why? Because they don’t require divine intervention.”

Business leaders, Jim Collins and Jerry Porras, in their book Built to Last: Successful Habits of Visionary Companies, said successful organizations set Big Hairy Audacious Goals. They called them BHAGs. They were designed to focus an organization on a single goal – one which outsiders would think impossible but would stir within those in the organization belief and momentum

Our God is the God of big, hairy, audacious prayers – BHAPs. Jeremiah 33:3 (ESV) tells us to call to Him, and He will answer. Pastor Ray Stedman says, God is “absolutely available, absolutely approachable, gracious, merciful, compassionate, kind, and you can go into His presence boldly and ask for whatever you want.  You can go into His presence any time and not interrupt Him.”  Genie in a bottle?  No, but a compassionate Father who loves His children, a powerful King who is merciful and gracious  and a faithful God who answers prayers.

What is your Big Hairy Audacious Prayer?

THIS WEEK:  Search the Scriptures for other examples of bold prayers and God’s response to them. Some examples might include the prayers of Hannah, Jehoshaphat and Daniel. Pray to know God’s will and that His will is your sanctified wish, then pray your biggest, hairiest, most audacious prayer!