Is Serving God an Honor or a Sacrifice?

Joel 2:17-18 says, “Let the priests, the ministers of the LORD, weep between the porch and the altar, and let them say, Spare thy people, O LORD, and give not thine heritage to reproach, that the heathen should rule over them: wherefore should they say among the people, Where is their God? Then will the LORD be jealous for his land, and pity his people.”

Our world is in distress. Our church is in distress. We need to be weeping, we need to be praying, we need to be in anguish (in heart) pleading that God will spare His people!

“An appeal to Heaven by the humblest saint is more to be dreaded by Satan than the decrees of cabinets or the mandates of kings.” [i]

Have you ever thought about the fact that your prayers are more impacting in this spiritual warfare than the decisions of courts and kings? This is serious business. We may not all be called to positions of leadership in the church or to stand on a large stage to lead massive evangelistic campaigns. But all of us are called to work for God, and all of us are called to pray. God has given us a holy commission. But all to often our perspective is backwards regarding this commission!

David Livingstone, a man of prayer known for being a champion of slaves and passionate about sharing the gospel, set the continent of Africa ablaze and left a legacy of devotion that is still remembered to this day. Traveling over 29,000 miles through Africa, much on foot, and surviving the attacks of lions and the rampage of disease, He continued to press forward determinedly. When he died, he died upon his knees serving the people he had grown to love. Although his body was returned to the states, per his request, his heart was left in Africa.

Before Livingstone died, seeing the spiritual apathy among so many westerners, he once exclaimed in amazement, “Why is it that the commission of an earthly king is considered a privilege while the commission of a heavenly king is considered a sacrifice?”

This same amazement should mark our lives today. If we truly understand what Christ has done for us, giving our lives and prayers for other’s salvation will be no sacrifice. Instead it will be the highest honor!

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[i] In Heavenly Places, p. 82

God will tell "indite" our prayers!

We are told, “Not one in a hundred among us is doing anything beyond engaging in common, worldly enterprises. We are not half awake to the worth of the souls for whom Christ died.”

However, just because we’ve wasted a lot of time,  it doesn’t mean we need to keep wasting time. He is trying to wake us up, and He is ready even now to build us into strong houses of prayer for His glory!

"For what nation is there so great, who hath God so nigh unto them, as the Lord our God is in all things that we call upon Him for." If we will draw nigh to God, He will draw nigh to us, and His glory will go before us. He will indite our petitions, teaching us to ask for the very things that He has pledged Himself to bestow on us.”[i]

“Indite” is a legal term which means that He is going to arrange things in such a way that the answer will be yes. As we pray in His name, He covers us with His blood, and then His will becomes our own. Thus we will receive answers, for we are praying according to His glory. “And whatsoever ye shall ask in my name, that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If ye shall ask any thing in my name, I will do it.” (John 14:13-14)

“[The will of man] is to be united with the will of God. Then the Lord can use it to bring honor and glory to His name… If we will consent, God can and will so identify us with Himself, so mold our thoughts and aims, that when obeying His will, we are only carrying out the impulse of our own minds.” [ii]

I’m ashamed how often we make our prayers just about ourselves. Of course, every detail that affects our lives, God cares about. And we need to share these things with Him, after all, as we already discussed, He wants us to talk with Him as a friend. But praying for our own needs is just level one praying. God wants us to advance to level two, to level three, to level four. He wants us to share our heart with Him, and He wants to share His heart and His passions with us. His greatest burden is to see more souls brought into the Kingdom. He wants us to be praying and interceding for the salvation of the many lost in darkness. He wants us to be agonizing and weeping for the salvation of nations.

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[i] General Conference Bulletin, April 2, 1903 par. 6

[ii] Pacific Union Recorder, February 16, 1905, par. 4

Breath in, Breath out…

As we draw closer and closer to the Lord, our relationship with Him should become as natural as the physical phenomena of breathing. 

He not only breathes His Spirit and life into us (John 20:22), but prayer is the very breath of our soul, breathing our desires and needs back to Him. 

I like to compare this with the mechanics of breathing:

Breathing consists of two phases,  inspiration and expiration.  During inspiration,  the diaphragm and the intercostal muscles contract. The diaphragm moves downwards increasing the volume of the thoracic (chest) cavity, and the intercostal muscles pull the ribs up expanding the rib cage and further increasing this volume. This increase of volume lowers the air pressure in the alveoli to below atmospheric pressure. Because air always flows from a region of high pressure to a region of lower pressure, it rushes in through the respiratory tract and into the alveoli.  This is called negative pressure breathing,  changing the pressure inside the lungs relative to the pressure of the outside atmosphere.  In contrast to inspiration, during expiration the diaphragm and intercostal muscles relax.  This returns the thoracic cavity to it's original volume, increasing the air pressure in the lungs, and forcing the air out.

Just as we cannot live without air, we cannot live without prayer. It’s not an optional amenity that we grab when needed in an emergency, it is the vital force that gives life and vigor to our spiritual walk, and it’s the secret of our spiritual power. We are told:

“No other means of grace can be substituted, and the health of the soul be preserved. Prayer brings the heart into immediate contact with the Well-spring of life, and strengthens the sinew and muscle of the religious experience. Neglect the exercise of prayer, or engage in prayer spasmodically, now and then, as seems convenient, and you loose your hold on God.” Gospel Workers, p. 254

Are you breathing today??

Set-Apart for His Glory

Have you thought about the fact lately that God has called us to be “holy” and to be “wholly like Him”??

To be honest, most of us would not use the adjective, “holy” to describe ourselves, let alone our life, or our heart. That description seems to fit God alone. 

“Who is like unto thee, O LORD, among the gods? Who is like thee, glorious in holiness, fearful in praises, doing wonders?” (Ex. 15:11)

But God seems to believe that this should fit “us” too, because it’s quite plain in Scripture that we are to be “holy” like Him! 

“Sanctify yourselves therefore, and be ye holy: for I am the LORD your God.” (Lev. 20:7) 

But what does it mean to be “holy”? Isn’t this quite impossible for us today?

We wont go into the full study of this here (for it’s much broader than I could begin to write in a book, let alone on a blog), but if you look up the word “holy” from Lev. 20:7 in the Hebrew, it means not only to be the “Holy One,” as referring to God, but it means to be “sacred, to be separate, to be set-apart.” In the New Testament, it means to be "mature" or "grown up" in Him!

“Holiness is not rapture: it is an entire surrender of the will to God; it is living by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God; it is doing the will of our heavenly Father; it is trusting God in trial, in darkness as well as in the light; it is walking by faith and not by sight; it is relying on God with unquestioning confidence, and resting in His love.”[i]

In God’s call for us to be “holy,” it simply starts with His call to set-apart our heart for Him alone just like we set-apart our heart for the one we marry. And as we set-apart our heart for Him alone, as we surrender our lives to His plans, He promises to dwell within us and listen to us when we call.

"But know that the LORD hath set apart him that is godly for himself: the LORD will hear when I call unto him." Ps. 4:3

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[i] Acts of the Apostles, p. 51

Greater works than Christ??

One of the quotes that has really impacted me comes from the book Christ Object Lessons.

“It is the privilege of every Christian not only to look for but to hasten the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, (2 Peter 3:12). Were all who profess His name bearing fruit to His glory, how quickly the whole world would be sown with the seed of the gospel. Quickly the last great harvest would be ripened, and Christ would come to gather the precious grain.”[i]

From this passage it doesn’t appear that the preaching of the gospel should take a long time, but that it should be completed quickly. But what is the hold up? We all believe that God has the ability to finish the work, so if this is the case, why aren’t we seeing this happen quickly as it should? Could the answer lie with us...that we simply are not bearing fruit for his glory?

In John 14:12 we are told, “Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater works than these shall he do; because I go unto my Father.”

It’s important to note here that when Jesus really wants to insist on something, although every word that He speaks is truth (it can be nothing else), He still adds emphasis by saying, “Verily verily,” which means “truly truly!” Here He tells us, with the added emphasis on “truthfully,” that anyone who has faith will not only do what He has done, but will do greater things.

Obviously, we cannot be the Saviour for the world, only Jesus could accomplish this. But because He is now standing at His father’s throne, interceding on our behalf, He promises that even greater works than His will follow our lives if only we believe. Anyone who has faith in Christ can do what He has done and more!

This is a pretty gigantic promise. If you read the gospels, you quickly realize the magnitude of the possibilities. To do what He did would already be great indeed. But to do greater??? How could this be? I sure haven't seem this promise come true in my own life yet! And yet, this is what God promises, and He does not lie, nor does He change. We are told:

“The gospel still possesses the same power, and why should we not today witness the same results?”

Hmmmm…..that's pretty mind boggling, don't you think? I'll let you chew on that thought for a little while. 

Why do I share this? Not to discourage you (for I'm in the same unproductive boat) but to challenge you to DARE to ASK GOD for more! If He intended more, we should seek more…so let's keep asking for more of His Holy Spirit. We need sooo much more!!! 

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[i] Christ Object Lessons, p. 69

When God is Amazed!

There are many times throughout Scripture where we find God’s people filled with wonder and amazement as they behold the mighty power of God at work in their lives. But as for God, well, in the whole history of the world, there are only two things that God has found truly amazing. The first is our lack of faith (Matt. 8:10). The second is our lack of willingness to intercede and stand in the gap on behalf of others (Isa 63. 4-6).

The Bible tells us:

“And he saw that there was no man, and wondered that there was no intercessor.” Isa. 59:16 

“And I sought for a man among them, that should make up the hedge, and stand in the gap before me for the land, that I should not destroy it: but I found none. Therefore have I poured out mine indignation upon them; I have consumed them with the fire of my wrath: their own way have I recompensed upon their heads, saith the Lord God.” Ezek. 22:30

God is looking for intercessors. He needs people to stands in the gap for those who cannot stand for themselves. He needs intercessors to speak faith for those that cannot speak faith themselves. He needs intercessors to pray for those that cannot pray for themselves! This is what Christ has done for us on Calvary, reconciling us to His Father, and now He has given us the ministry of reconciliation for our brothers and sisters. 

“Therefore if any many be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new. And all things are of God, who hath reconciled us to himself by Jesus Christ, and hath given to us the ministry of reconciliation.” 2 Cor. 5:17,18

Created to be God's House of Prayer…

In the Old Testament, God’s house was the Sanctuary and temple. Now the Bible tells us, we are God’s temple. We are His house. (1 Cor. 6:19) The Bible tells us, we are the habitation in which God’s Spirit dwells. “In whom ye also are builded together for an habitation of God through the Spirit.” (Eph. 2:22) What an amazing privilege! But as His house, what are we to be? Mark 11:17 tells us, “My house shall be called of all nations a house of prayer.” We have literally been given the privilege of being God’s house of prayer on earth! He’s called us and set us apart for this purpose! Isn't this amazing?

But what have we done with God’s Holy Temple? Rather than allowing Him to use us as His house of prayer, we’ve made it a house of business, or maybe more accurately termed: a house of busyness. Oh, we may justify ourselves by saying, “Well, after all, it’s the Lord’s business. But you know what God’s response is? “Hath the LORD as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the LORD? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to hearken than the fat of rams.” (1 Sam. 15:22)

We have been set-apart for God’s glory that the world may see in us a picture of who God is. We have been called to be the stewards of the gospel and this great privilege we can carry only as we consecrate ourselves to Him. He has commissioned us as His intercessors here on earth. Yet all around us spiritual Israel is falling. Homes are being broken apart by the power of the enemy, and God’s Holy Temple has been desecrated. God’s people and His church are supposed to stand in the gap where others are weak. However, the problem is, we are all weak. So no one is standing and the enemy is having a party while God is up in heaven looking down with amazement as He sees His sleeping houses of prayer. “Where are my intercessors? Why aren’t they praying?”

However, take courage!! Although we've been sleeping, it's not too late. God has a promise for us…

"If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land." 2 Chron. 7:14

Prayer Plans Moving Forward…

Thank you to all those that have responded regarding the 3-month prayer initiative, praying for greater revival and reformation for our church, ourselves and our leaders. :-) I will e-mail each one of you personally and share more details in the next couple weeks regarding our plans. (We will officially launch in mid-July - which is 3 months pre-Annual Council.) 

In the meantime, two of the books beyond the Bible and SOP that I'm going to ask you to read during this 3-month prayer plan is: Mighty Prevailing Prayer by Wesley Duewel, and Rees Howells: Intercessor by Norman Grubb. So if you don't yet have these books, please work on ordering them. We will read Mighty Prevailing Prayer first. (Feel free to start reading whenever!) Also, if you have any friends that you think would like to be part of this prayer initiative, please have them contact me. :-) We have a good group, but I still need a few more.

I will start posting "Morning Sonshine" thoughts again tomorrow on a daily basis, as I'm able. I will probably keep posts a little shorter, but I pray that these will continue to be a blessing to all!

Happy New week as you walk with the Lord!

- Melodious Echo

Praying for the Unborn… Will you JOIN ME????

"Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me." Matt. 25:40

Several months ago, a friend called me in distress asking for prayer. His wife was 5 months pregnant and it seemed that she was about to miscarry. He asked if I would pray for a miracle. I prayed with he and his wife on the phone that day, and gave them promises of encouragement. It could have stopped right there, and I could have just continued on with my work, but I just really felt compelled to "carry the prayer burden" and keep praying until we saw God bring the victory. So I set my alarm and every hour through the day, I would stop and pray for them.

At this point, I had never prayed through the entire night alone. I've done it more times than I can count with ministry events, different church groups etc, but NEVER alone. At yet I had just recently been studying about Christ and how He often prayed all night on behalf of lost humanity. 

Inspiration tells us: 

"We must look to Christ; we must resist as He resisted; we must pray as He prayed; we must agonize as He agonized, if we would conquer as He conquered." That I May Know Him, p. 34

As I thought of these things, the Holy Spirit spoke to my heart. "Are you willing Melody, to sacrifice a night of sleep on behalf of this unborn child? Are you willing to pray thru the night for the least of these?" Normally I would not have even considered this, and especially not alone, but suddenly I knew what God was asking me to do. When He speaks to my heart, it doesn't take long to be so convicted that I can do nothing else except obey. 

That night as I prayed, God took me deeper into His heart of love for the "least of these" and He also showed me that I wasn't just praying for the life of this unborn child, I was praying for the many "unborn children, adults, and people" around the world who had never been "born again" and come to know Christ spiritually. As I thought of this, and realized the significance of the need for the many spiritually unborn, I wept and wept. 

I am weak!! I would never have thought I could pray thru the night alone, just God and I, but it was a beautiful night of prayer, and God brought me through much stronger than I imagined possible! (The next day, after only resting for a couple hours, I began working again, continuing to stop every hour or so to pray. The amazing thing is that I wasn't hardly tired the entire day despite getting no sleep thru the night! God is so good! Surely "they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength!")

The battle was not won the next day though, nor the next, nor the next. While I only prayed thru that first night, I continued to fast and pray throughout the day for the next 5 days…even thru a ministry speaking engagement that I had, which meant I could not enjoy a very scrumptious meal that many others enjoyed, and probably as a result to many, I seemed very odd. (What is "love of food" and a little humiliation though, when you consider the price of a soul…one whom Christ has died to save? Am I willing to fast for them, for those that have not yet tasted the bread of life?) 

As I continued praying for this unborn child (and the many that she represented spiritually), I was pretty convicted that, as I know God does NOT come to steal, kill or destroy (see John 10:10), that it was NOT His will to allow the life of the child to be taken. In my heart I just knew God would deliver. And throughout the entire week, mom and baby stayed stable. Things did not get worse. (And yet, God is God, so I can't claim to know all. I just was seeking to pray according to His character as revealed in His Word. For Biblical clarity on this topic, read the short handout "God's pain VERSUS the Enemy's torture.")

However, on the afternoon of the 5th day, my dear friend Kim joined me in prayer. She prayed that if the child might have deformities or complications, that God would do what was best for the child and parents as she knew they would be able to raise that child in heaven. She also prayed that God would give the parent's peace. While I was praying for a miracle, we both agreed that we wanted God's will. 

That night the child died in the womb, labor was induced, and the child was still born. 

God did give the parent's peace and strength as they walked through this heart break, and I was so thankful for that. In fact, the baby's father wrote me not long after: 

"We cannot begin to thank you enough for standing with us in prayer and fasting for our daughter’s well being. Your prayers have been a tremendous source of inspiration and comfort to us during this trying ordeal. We do have God’s peace and have felt His presence throughout this testing hour. Following is a quote that has brought us a lot of comfort regarding the outcome. 

"Above the distractions of the earth He sits enthroned; all things are open to His divine survey; and from His great and calm eternity He orders that which His providence sees best." Ministry of Healing, p. 417

I was so thankful they had peace, but I cried and cried in my own heart. With what looked like apparent loss and failure in prayer, I struggled with why God had impressed and allowed me to take this prayer burden if He wasn't intending to bring victory. I had seen the victory in my heart by faith…I saw that baby being born alive and healthy, I saw our prayers answered. So why did this victory NOT come to place in the physical natural realm? What was God doing in this situation for His glory?? 

In reply, although I still didn't understand what God was doing, I sensed His reply: "Do you know how much I weep when my unborn do not come to life? Do you understand the pain I bear? Even if you do not understand, will you weep with me?"

As a believer in the power of prayer, and in the power of the God of the Bible who has not changed, I began to pray that God would show me the deeper lessons I needed to learn thru this experience. I also prayed that the apparent loss of life this side of heaven would not be in vain. 

The following weeks and months were not easy for me. I trusted God, I was willing to weep with Him, but I didn't understand. Of course, it wasn't my child I was crying for, but it was His and I knew He cared. So if He cared and if it's not in His nature to rob the cradle of new life, why hadn't He answered, counteracted the power of the enemy, and worked a miracle on our behalf…especially after all the agonizing prayers of the parents, and after my earnest prayers? 

It wasn't until this last week (almost 3 months later) that I began to have more clarity on this "unanswered prayer." 

As I was re-reading the life testimony of Reese Howells in the book Intercessor, I felt God telling me thru his story that sometimes initially although the victory is gained in Heaven, He allows the "prayed for miracle" to go to the altar so that there will be no self glory. Otherwise, we may think we are responsible for the miracle and we may rob God of what only can belong to Him. (We are not capable personally of carrying God's glory!) 

Also throughout the Bible you see that the first fruits MUST go to the altar, and until God can trust us with the answers to our prayers, He may be slow in giving them. Our lives and our prayers must be for His glory, not our own. They must be for His purposes, not just our own!

Furthermore, while God is more powerful than the enemy who comes to kill, steal and destroy, we must remember that we live in a world of sin, we are still in the midst of the great controversy, and even when we pray, we cannot always escape the effects of this sinful world. That's why this world is not our home. Heaven is our home. While the battle may look like it is lost here, ultimately, Christ has gained the victory in Heaven, and we must trust Him even when we don't understand, and someday we will see the answer to our prayers. In the meantime, we must not get discouraged. We must keep praying!!

Finally… after three months, God gave me the peace I was seeking. While that child was not allowed (for whatever providence of God) to be born to live in this world, I finally have peace about her loss.  And her loss has not been in vain! In fact, I now feel stronger spiritually for having prayed for her…even though I won't get to meet her on this earth. When I finally get to meet her and hold her in heaven, with tears of joy in my eyes, I'm going to say, "thank you" to that little girl, for it's because of HER that I was convicted to really pray through the night, to weep even more on behalf of the least of these, and even to sacrifice sleep in order to pray on behalf of the spiritually unborn children of God. ("Thank you Lord, and to think that this is only the beginning of my journey…")

The Prayer for The Unborn Continues…

Well…the same week that God gave me peace about this previous prayer loss, God brought another prayer burden to me. How ironic, and yet, it seems this is the way God often works. When one mountain peak has been successfully reached, He brings greater mountains to climb. 

This time another friend called, and she was calling on behalf of an unsaved family member who was facing a life threatening health emergency, and the salvation of other non-believers in the family hung in the balance. I had been notified of the situation the week before, and I had been praying, but I hadn't fully taken on the "prayer burden." Many people were already praying and through a very serious surgery, God had already been working and sustaining. But now she notified me that things were getting worse. The situation was urgent. They needed God to intervene. 

After praying with her and encouraging her, I was again convicted that God was calling me to pray through the night. (Although I've been praying more and more into the night the last few months, as I'm pleading for unsaved loved ones, I had not prayed all night in prayer since 3 months previously when praying for the "unborn child.") So here I was again for round two!

This time God showed me that while this may be a full grown adult that was lying at death's door, it was actually still an "unborn child" that had never been born to taste spiritual life. And that this "child" was of infinite value to Him. And so I began to pray. However, although I was sincere in my prayers and prayed earnestly, as I prayed, I felt something holding me back, and I found myself fighting sleepiness more and more the later the night got. I gave up the prayer battle and wilted about 2 a.m. simply because I could not stay awake another moment! 

The next day I did not communicate with my friend. And I went back to work on the writing projects I had been working on. However, I began to search my heart asking myself questions. "Why didn't I have the same peace and strength that I'd had previously in that first night of all night prayer? What was different this time?" As I asked God these things, He kept bring something to my mind. It was a little area of compromise that I'd allowed in my life. It wasn't anything big, in fact, if I shared it here, most people would laugh and say, "What's wrong with that?" 

Truthfully, I can answer that there is nothing wrong with "that." The point is, God had asked me not to do it, at least for this time, and I had disobeyed. As He brought this to my mind, I kept arguing with Him. "This is ridiculous God, this can't be a big deal to you right now!" But His finger stayed upon this specific sin issue in my heart. 

All that day as I worked, and into the next day I battled with this issue. Then my friend texted me again, "The doctors said that the prognosis for our "loved one" is not good. We've decided to allow them to pull the tubes and life support. Please pray for God's will and the salvation of all involved."  

As I read the text message, my heart pricked me as God spoke… "What is the value of a single soul worth to you Melody? Are you going to allow your love of pleasure, are you going to allow this tiny area of compromise to keep you from fighting for the salvation of this soul and the family? Don't you realize that in eternity you are going to find that there's NOTHING sooooo valuable and precious as the life of a single soul?" 

Honestly, I didn't want to take on the prayer burden because I knew what that meant. That meant surrender of my "sin," and it also meant that I had to pray until we saw God work a miracle or put the "loved one" to sleep. I was busy. I was actually in the process of writing on the topic of "Intercession." How ironic, right? And yet, could I put this aside just to pray, to pray for someone I didn't even know? 

The battle was fierce but short. Finally, I submitted my "sin" to God, and asked for His forgiveness. What peace flooded my soul!

After this, I asked God what would He would have me do? And His answer, was… "Put everything aside. Put that chapter aside that you planned to write today. Put your e-mails and business aside, put your blog and "Morning Sonshine" devotional aside. Don't worry about your reputation or about what people will think. Just put everything aside and just FAST and PRAY until you see the answer or until I show you what to do next. 

With the "unborn little girl," besides that first all night prayer, I'd kept working and just stopped and prayed throughout each day. But now God was asking me to JUST PRAY continually???? I can imagine praying for a few hours at a time - this is not difficult, especially if you have a long prayer list, but to keep praying as continuously as possible until the answer comes??? What if that meant days??? Could I do this?? 

Well, I'm not the expert in this field, and I didn't even know what it would look like, but my journey began. 

Claiming the promises, reading God's Word, at times with agony and tears, and at times with silent pleas, I prayed and prayed and prayed. Sometimes I knelt, sometimes I walked, sometimes I lay across my bed, and sometimes I sang songs of "thanksgiving and praise,"but I continued to pray. My friend and I continued to text each other promises. I told her I could not move forward unless we were in agreement in these prayers (Matt. 18:19), but we were. So I prayed. All afternoon, and all night. By the time I finally stopped to get a couple hours of sleep, I'd been praying for almost 15 hours straight. (I do not share this to boast, for I still have no idea how I managed to keep praying this long, and besides sharing a prayer room with others, I've never done anything like this in my entire life!!!!!! But God miraculously sustained me and gave me strength. And He kept giving me the words to pray! I couldn't believe it!!!! And miraculously, He also sustained my friend. She too, hearing my plans to pray through the night, although already exhausted and having lost much sleep in the last 10 days, stayed awake praying through the entire night by her loved ones side. Although we did not pray together, it was comforting to know we were praying together and in unity in Spirit.)

And so began the second next day. After several hours of rest, I got up and walked 5 miles, praying all the while. By the afternoon, I felt like I'd been hit by a train and the enemy was really attacking me spiritually. "Who do you think you are Melody, to pray for such miracles, to pray for salvation of people that have never believed? Who in the world do you think you are???? You aren't any Reese Howells! You aren't George Mueller, or Hudson Taylor!! You aren't a Pavel Goia, or any other of the modern day missionaries! Who do you think you are to make such bold requests?" 

Crying out to God, I sought to rebuke the power of the enemy. "It doesn't matter who I am! I am no one! What matters is who Christ He!!! He is everything, and I believe through His power we can gain the victory on behalf of these unborn who do not have strength to pray for themselves." 

Although exhausted and discouraged for a time, I finally got up, took my Bible and set out to walk and pray some more. I walked another 5 miles! 

That night, I slept, just waking up at different times to pray. But my friend stayed by her loved one's side, continuing to pray through another night. 

The third day, I woke up more confident and continued the prayer battle, singing songs of praise for the victory I felt God would bring. 

That morning my friend and I both heard God speaking the same thing to us through His Word. It was VICTORY! Both for the one struggling for life, and for the loved ones who were not yet seeking life. It's hard to describe the overwhelming peace that you receive after such a battle, a peace of assurance that God has heard and answered our prayers. However, once you've heard it, you can never doubt again that God's will has been accomplished in Heaven, even if you don't see all the fullness of answers on earth. (For the sake of personal privacy of all involved, I will not share further details at this time, but God worked, and for that, all I could do was praise God. I must have cried and praised God for 2 hours after assurance of victory came!) 

With the purpose of our intercession achieved, and with peace in our hearts, we knew it was time for the loved one to go to rest. The battle was over! Thus we prayed that God would end the battle quickly, so that suffering could be ended. Within a few hours, although God had miraculously sustained this individual for several days beyond life support and expectations, their condition was drastically worsening and by that night, God allowed them the sweet relief of sleep. Sleep until that great resurrection morning.  

As I look back on these 3 days of prayer, I'm so thankful that God convicted me to not just pray that one time with my friend, but to really pray…to PRAY with her until the victory was achieved!!!!

The Bible tells us:

"Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends." John 15:13

What does this actually mean?? Does it mean jumping in front of the firing squad to take the bullet so our friend can go free? And if so, how do we ever expect to have the strength to do this, if we can't lay down our lives now…today? If we can't give up some sleep for a friend in need, if we can't give up some food or some luxury to see a soul saved, can we really give up our lives when the greater test comes?

What if I'd allowed that "sin issue" in my heart to stay unresolved? (My heart breaks at the thought!) What if I'd allowed my own agenda and schedule to dominant and I'd told my friend, "I really don't have time for this. I care yes, and I want to see your family brought into the kingdom, but I really don't have time to go to battle with you! I have my own work to do. I have my own personal requests I'm praying for! I will keep praying, but I can't help carry this burden!" What would God have thought if I'd said this? 

Of course, we would NEVER say such a thing to our friend! What we would do is say, "I'm praying for you!" Then offer a 30 second prayer, and then go back to living life as normal. That's what we usually do! All of us. I've done this a thousand times. Someone asks me to pray, and I say, "Ok, I'm praying." I pray 30 seconds and then I go on, forgetting the request unless they bring it up again! Is that really praying? Is that laying down our lives? Should we be surprised that God isn't answering our prayers when we pray and fight so superficially?????

I'm ashamed that as much as I love God and I love prayer, these are the natural tendencies of my heart. I'm selfish. I care first and foremost about me, mine and my own. And I have a lot to do, I really can't be distracted, so don't try to detour my plans!!!!!! (Does that sound familiar?????) And yet God was challenging me this past week… the very week that I was intending to write on the topic of intercession…that it's not just my own prayer burdens I am to carry! It's His! And only He can show me what these are. I didn't ask to pray for that unborn child three months ago! I didn't ask to pray for a stranger that I've never met this past week! And yet, these are the kinds of things that are so important to God. It's not that He doesn't care about my needs to. It's not that He doesn't care about the unborn loved ones in my own family, or my friends that I'm pleading will come back to Him. He cares, yes. But He has many unborn that I may have never known, and He's asking me and you to care too - unselfishly, even when these prayers will not benefit or bring us any glory! 

Of course, that doesn't mean we can pray for every unborn child….nor can we pray every night. Only He alone came to save the world, and only He alone can intercede for everyone! (Heb. 7:25) 

But will we keep our eyes on Him? Will we be open to His agenda, even if it means giving up our own? Even if it means losing sleep or food, or some little pleasure that we want to indulge?? How much is the price of a single soul worth anyway? Will we ask to carry the burdens He wants us to bear?? If so, He will show us the specific ones we are to battle for! And wherever we are called to battle, He intends to answer. It doesn't mean it will be immediate…sometimes we can accept the victory only by faith, for "faith is the substance of things hoped for and the evidence of things not seen." But if He asks us to prayer, He will answer, and eventually His glory will be made known. "The honor of His throne is stacked for the fulfillment of His Word."

Although I'm still a child of prayer, I've seen God work in powerful ways. I've seen many answers, and daily He continues to show me that He's working and answering prayer. However, there are still many answers I have not seen…even after praying for years and years. Shall I give up, or shall I pray even more earnestly?? 

I've shared with many over the past few years that I'm praying for greater revival in our church. (Many are praying for this, and as a result, God is working!) But are we satisfied yet???? No!!! We want to see God do so much more!!!!!! 

Because of this, I'm working on forming another prayer initiative and challenge for the purpose of seeing God work in even more mighty ways in this coming year at the General Conference and in the lives of our many godly leaders which impact millions around the world. I'm looking for prayer warriors. I'm looking for Intercessors, for people that will be willing to stand with me in the gap and say, "I will pray and I will intercede, not just today, not just when I feel like it, but until the answer comes!"

In the 1700's there lived a German man named Count Zizendorf, who realizing what Christ had done for him on Calvary became convicted of what he must do for Christ. He began to minister and provide shelter for Moravian refugees, who were streaming into the country at the time, and soon they had established their own little community under his watchful care. After experiencing discord and division, which often springs up wherever people live and work closely together, in answer to Count Zizendorf's earnest prayers and efforts on their behalf, the community was moved to repentance and as a result they experienced a powerful outpouring of the Holy Spirit. As a result of this a 24 hour prayer chain was organized that lasted for over a 100 years. And while there had initially been fighting and discord, the Moravians became known as "God's happy people." Why were they happy? Because they prayed and as a result, God blessed.

We are facing a stupendous crisis on many levels: financially, physically, spiritually, politically, and morally, our world is in upheaval and caus. Already God's judgements are falling and natural disasters are occurring in rapid succession, one right after another as His nearing approaches. (And this has all been foretold in His Word. See Matthew 24 for more!) While the devil and his agents are working with increased effectiveness, God is also working and His Spirit is being poured out in greater and greater degree. However, we haven't received that full outpouring yet, and until we do, we need to KEEP ASKING FOR MORE!!!!

Listen to what is happening to us: This was written over a 100 years ago, but how true it is even today! 

"Minor matters occupy the mind and soul, but divine power which is necessary for the growth and prosperity of the church, which would, if possessed, bring all other blessings in its train, is lacking, although it is offered to us in infinite plentitude. Just as long as the church are satisfied with small things, they are disqualified to receive the great things of God."

Did you catch that?? As long as we are satisfied with where we are, we will NEVER receive more!! But we are to ask for more and keep asking until we receive.

The passage continues…

"But why do we not hunger and thirst after the gift of the Holy Spirit, since it is the means whereby the heart may be kept pure? The Lord designs that divine power shall cooperate with human effort. It is all-essential for the Christian to understand the meaning of the promise of the Holy Spirit just prior to the coming of our Lord Jesus the second time. Talk of it, pray for it, preach concerning it; for the Lord is more willing to give the Holy Spirit than parents are to give good gifts to their children."—The Review and Herald, November 15, 1892

“The descent of the Holy Spirit upon the church is looked forward to as in the future; but it is the privilege of the church to have it now. Seek for it, pray for it, believe for it. We must have it, and Heaven is waiting to bestow it.” The Review and Herald, March 19, 1895.

“Let Christians ... ask in faith for the promised blessing, and it will come. The outpouring of the Spirit in the days of the apostles was the former rain, and glorious was the result. But the latter rain will be more abundant.” The Signs of the Times, February 17, 1914.

It just hit me! We could have had an ongoing prayer meeting for the last 100 years, like the Moravians, but we haven't. However, just because we've failed in the past doesn't mean we need to fail in the future!!! And I don't think we have 100 years left to pray anyway…

At the General Conference they've started the 777 prayer initiative. This stands for believers praying 7 days a week at 7 a.m. and 7 p.m. for the outpouring of the Holy Spirit. This initiative is so exciting, because as a result we now have a prayer circle going around the whole world. And so many lives have been impacted as a result. 

But what if we started praying, not just at 7 a.m. and 7 p.m. but for specific extended time throughout the week, or in specific periods of time each day (even through the night) simply on behalf of seeing God's Spirit poured out and our unsaved loved ones returning to the Lord before it's too late?? (Not just 10 minutes here, or 15 minutes there, but for as long as God leads.) I realize it would be difficult to orchestrate such a thing, and we all have a life, job, kids, families, and we cannot neglect these things, but think about it: How much time do we waste each week in the modern world on non-essentials (surfing the Internet, watching T.V. programs, browsing Facebook, browsing fashion stores, listening to music, working on hobbies, playing sports) when we could consolidate our time and devote a couple more hours here and there to pray. And not just to pray randomly, but determinedly, until God hears and answers. What if we said, I'm going to dedicate 2 hours every week to pray during this specific time until God's Spirit is poured out. I'm going to, in God's strength, dedicate this much time each day, to pray until my unsaved loved ones are brought into the Kingdom. (Is their soul worth this much? It is to God, but what about to us???)

In the compilation on prayer, author Ellen White writes:

“It was because Elijah was a man of large faith that God could use him in this grave crisis in the history of Israel. As he prayed, his faith reached out and grasped the promises of Heaven, and he persevered in prayer until his petitions were answered. He did not wait for the full evidence that God had heard him, but was willing to venture all on the slightest token of divine favor. And yet what he was enabled to do under God, all may do in their sphere of activity in God’s service… Faith such as this is needed in the world today—faith that will lay hold on the promises of God’s word and refuse to let go until Heaven hears.” Prayer, p. 138

As I already stated, I'm no expert in the school of prayer. I believe in prayer, but I'm just a child in faith myself with much to learn. However, I know that when we pray, God works, and not one prayer is lost. And although I cannot pray 24 hours a day, or even 8 hours a day every day, I am choosing to dedicate my life to prayer for increasing amounts of time as God leads and directs until I see God's Spirit being poured out as He promised, and until I see the fruit in my own life that He has promised to bring, I will not let go! And if other brothers and sisters around the world were willing to make the same commitment, we could form a continuous 24 hour chain that would circle the World.

Why is there no more power in the church today? It's because we have let go of the arm of the Lord too quickly. Let us hold on and pray!!!!

As already stated above, I'm working on another prayer initiative. For starters, it will be VERY SIMPLE!! It's not a commitment to a specific amount of prayer time each day, but just a commitment to pray! 

• It will be a 3-month prayer challenge (starting in early July of 2013) to see even greater blessings poured out at this coming fall Annual Council. 
• It will be accomplished in your own home, wherever you live around the world. 
• It will include praying for specific prayer burdens (conference, union, and world church leaders) that I will share with each member individually. (Two people, maybe more, will always be praying for the same thing, so there will be agreement in prayer!)
• It will include fasting (specifically and personally as God leads each individual)
• And it will include reading and learning more about the ministry of intercession. (I have a couple "heart challenges" as well as powerful books on Intercession that I want the prayer team to read over the 3 month prayer challenge.)
• Trust me, if you join this prayer challenge, you'll never see the ministry of intercession the same again. God will grow you so much!!!! I know because I saw how He grew all of us last year!

For this new prayer initiative, besides taking a small hand picked prayer team with me to the GC in October, I'm praying for 50+ prayer partners to join this "home prayer team" initiative! (If more join, that's awesome!) So if you would be interested in finding out more and possibly being involved, or you know someone that would be, please e-mail me at: melodiousecho@gmail.com - I'll leave this address up here for a limited amount of time only.

For now, let me close with this challenge:

How many "unborn" are there in your life? Are you willing to stand in the gap, whatever it takes, to see them brought to life? Listen to what Christ says in the Scriptures:

"How think ye? If a man have an hundred sheep, and one of them be gone astray, doth he not leave the ninety and nine, and goeth into the mountains, and seeketh that which is gone astray? And if so be that he find it, verily I say unto you, he rejoiceth more of that sheep, than of the ninety and nine which went not astray. Even so it is not the will of your Father which is in heaven, that one of these little ones should perish. For the Son of man is come to save that which was lost." Matt. 18:12-14,11

There are soooooo many unborn in need…let us put away the complacency of our hearts and pray without delay! Let's not waste another day! 

Please contact me and join this new growing prayer challenge! 

(This is the Morning Sonshine for this week as I must focus on some specific writing deadlines! This post is so long, you all probably will need days to pray over this and digest anyway! So be blessed and I will seek to pick up daily blogging again next week, Lord willing!)