When The Door Slams
Happy is the one who cares for the poor; The LORD will save him in a day of adversity. The LORD will keep him and preserve him; he will be blessed in the land. You will not give him over to the desire of his enemies. (Psalm 41:1-2 HCSB)
Recognition and acknowledgment of our helplessness is also the quickest way to that right attitude which God recognizes as essential to prayer. It deals a mortal blow to the most serious sin of all--man's independence that ignores God.
Another reason is that we cannot learn firsthand about God--what He is like, His love for us as individuals, and His real power--so long as we are relying on ourselves and other people. Fellowship with the Lord Jesus is the true purpose of life and the only foundation for eternity. It is real, the daily fellowship He offers us.
So if your every human plan and calculation has miscarried, if, one by one, in your human understanding which props up, self-delusion and wishful thinking have been knocked out, and the doors slams in your face over the years, think about this: God is trying to get a message through to you, and the message is: "Stop depending on inadequate human resources. The Lord God said let Me handle the matter."
"The polite part of speaking with God is to be still long enough to listen." If our hearts are listening as we pray, we will from time to time, hear "Why are you praying? Do something!" And we will know what it is that we must do. A wrong to put right, repent of a sin to confess, a letter to write, a friend to visit or a family member to call.
Think about this: Here are three suggestion for presenting to the LORD Jesus the Prayer of Helplessness and Repentance. First, be honest with God. Tell Him that you are aware of the fact that in His eyes you are helpless... Second, take your heart's desire to the Jesus. You have accepted your helplessness. Now with all of your strength, will and belief that God can do through you what you cannot... Third, watch now for opening doors.
Renewal: But what does it say? "The word is near you, even in your mouth and in your heart" (that is, the word of faith which we preach): that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes to righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made to salvation. (Romans 10:8-10 NKJV)
Ask the Holy Spirit to search your heart and reveal any areas of unconfessed sin. Acknowledge these to the LORD and thank Him for His forgiveness.
Never Rest Ministries
