Something happened to me this week that made me take a closer look at my prayers.
I have a hearing disability that seems to have gotten worse within the last few years. I wear hearing aids but they don't seem to be helping too much. The loving people at our church have been praying for me and one lady in particular says that the Lord has told her that He will restore my hearing.
I have been struggling with that thought - doctors have told me that once your hearing is gone, there is no way to get it back. The loss is permanent and irreversible. I have asked my sister and prayer partner, Rhonda, to pray for me about this and she says that nothing is impossible for God. He can restore my hearing.
As I pondered that thought, I decided to pray in color and take my focus off myself by praying for the needs of others. As I began to pray for other people, my prayers suddenly grew large. Instead of asking God to heal someone of the cancer they are enduring, I prayed for God to eradicate cancer completely. Instead of asking Him to help someone with poor eyesight, I instead asked Him to give them new eyes. He is, after all the creator and Jesus made the blind to see. He created a new hand for the man with the withered hand.
I not only prayed for cancer to be eradicated, but also liver disease, heart disease and every type of disease I could think of. As I prayed for these things I realized that I have been limiting God. Jesus said we have not because we do not ask and God knows the motivation behind our asking. Are our prayers selfish or are they heart-filled? The Bible says that the prayers of a righteous man are powerful and effective.
Years ago the Holy Spirit placed in my heart a desire to pray for the lost people of the world. I use the Every Home For Christ world prayer map and each month I pray around the world, lifting up the nations and praying for my brothers and sisters who live there and those who do not yet know Jesus. I have done this for years, not really knowing the outcome of those prayers, but asking God to reveal Himself to those who do not know Him. I trust Him to do what He deems best. I'm just an intercessor.
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| Marsha Mundy praying during a National Day of Prayer event in Brown County Ohio. |
Tonight I asked myself, "What is the difference between praying for the lost people of the world and praying for God to eradicate cancer?" God is a huge God, He is the one who created heaven and earth and He is quite capable of giving people new eyes, new ears, a clean bill of health - whatever He chooses to do for them.
We are living in a fallen world and Satan is working overtime trying to steal, kill and destroy - especially those who are in the body of Christ. I also know that God allows Satan to cause harm, (the book of Job is an example of what God allows) but Satan is still subject to God and if God chooses to stop Satan, He has the power to do so. I also know that God hears the prayers of His people and He knows why we are praying.
When Daniel fasted and prayed for the nation of Israel to be released from captivity, an angel told him (21 days after he began to pray) that since the first day he prayed, God had sent him in response to Daniel's prayers but that he had met resistance from the prince of the Persian kingdom (or Satan). It took the angel Michael to come to the rescue and fend off the enemy attacks. (Daniel 10) Daniel's prayers were heartfelt and righteous - he was an intercessor for the land of Israel and Satan did not want his prayers answered.
If you are praying "BIG" prayers and they haven't been answered, keep on praying and don't give up. The enemy will use many tactics to try to stop you from praying but God will hear your prayers and He will respond in His time using whatever means He chooses.
My brothers and sisters, I urge you to pray "BIG!" I'm believing in God to restore my hearing and eradicate cancer. Give Him the biggest request you can think of and watch for miracles.