Fasting & Prayer - Day 16 - Unlimited Power

Unlimited Power - Today's Theme.  January 30, 2013 in Alabama a 5-year old boy named Ethan is taken hostage - dragged off a school bus by the gunman and held in an under-ground bunker.  Horrifying.  Obviously most traumatic to his family, friends, and community.  But also to mothers of 5-year old boys everywhere.  My Timothy was 15 days from turning 5.  My sweet, happy, beautiful, prayed-for boy.

Many prayed for little Ethan - as did I.  Praise the Lord, the boy was rescued a few days later.

In one instant - seeing the initial report scroll across the computer screen - God gave me clarity.  I have no guarantee bad things won't happen to my son.  What if that had been my child?  Have I prepared Timothy to emerge from a traumatic experience either to see Jesus face-to-face or to return to my loving embrace with his faith strong in Jesus?  Living 'successfully' by society's standards - even within the church by 'congregation' standards - is not living from a Biblical perspective.

Take the couple Amram and Jochabed - descended from arguably one of the worst sons of Jacob - Levi.  Jacob called Levi cruel, violent and, well - you can read about that here.  Through the mercy of God, during the 400 years of darkness prophesied and experienced by Abraham's descendants, Amram and Jochabed broke the generational curse of Levi by responding to God's mercies in faith.

Centuries later, Hebrew royalty was - well - Hebrew.  They were ALL 'churchgoers', part of the 'congregation', members of the 'chosen'.  And yet, there were Hebrew royalty who rejected the prophets.  Hallelujah - not all.  Certainly not the royal families that included Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah.

What these 2 examples have in common is this:  individual families fully embraced the society (e.g. they understood the politics, the culture, their personal financial status...) surrounding them and yet lived their lives consistent with their biblical understanding of events.  In fact, you could even say they lived informed and forewarned BY their religious life and with specific, explicit faith.

Jochabed knew the prophecies concerning a coming deliverer SO WELL that she ENACTED the prophetic deliverance of Noah upon her son thereby fulfilling God's promise to Abraham of a deliverer.  Blows my mind.  She didn't succumb to fear and anxiety.  Have you wondered about the conversations she and Amram must have had as her time to deliver the child drew near?  That sister MADE an ARK!  With her knowledge of the prophecies - that the time for deliverance drew near - she put God's Word to the test.  She daubed her ark with PITCH!  You did it once Lord, You can do it again!  Wow.  She put her baby in it and trusted God for deliverance.  How could God not respond to faith like that?!  We know that is only the beginning of the story.

The fast in Jeremiah 36?  If you review the timeline of events, Daniel would have been about 13-15 years old.  He was of the royal household which certainly meant a level of physical prosperity.  Sure - most of the royal household was corrupt - but not all.  The Bible makes that clear.  Imagine Daniel and his friends.  Imagine them ripped away from their families.  Imagine the wretched journey as slaves all the way to Babylon.  Imagine their imprisonment.  Imagine their being made eunuchs.  (Do not forget the Biblical pile of blessings tied to a man having children, much less a man of the royal household.)  In fact, the Bible records Daniel coming into FAVOR with the HEAD of the eunuchs!  Hey - clearly these young men owned their walks with God.  It is likely they knew the prediction of their fate from their knowledge of Isaiah 39:7.  They likely took comfort in the Isaiah 56:4-5.

Praise God they had clearly been spiritually, mentally and physically prepared to endure the trials which soon fell upon their lives of privilege.  They didn't just endure, they thrived - God used their willing hearts to shape the eternal destiny of a despotic ruler, their own people's history and the world.  Wow.

Dear Jesus - I want that for my family, especially for my child.  Please, oh please, take away my comfortable habits, routines, and entertainments before I entirely lose my ability to cry out to You with a sense of my great need.  Remove every power source in our lives until we regain our firm handhold on You - the only Source of power...  Cause me to be the parent You desire me to be and to give my child to You daily.  I praise You for Your promises and that You have the power to fulfill them in the lives of my family today...