I experienced one of those “ah ha” moments this weekend. I was speaking with a new friend about God’s goodness and blessings. We had taken turns sharing how God had, in His grace, provided healing and protection at different points in our life. It is good to take time to remember God’s faithfulness in the past because it is a helpful reminder that when we face a trial of any kind, that God, Who has been faithful before, will be faithful in the future.
My eyes were opened to a new perspective when she shared about praying for a woman for healing on multiple occasions. The person was very vocal about her need. She carried her pain and woundedness around constantly asking for prayer and comfort. My friend had prayed for her and had even gathered a group together to pray for the woman. After some time of praying though my friend sensed the Holy Spirit tell her that it was time to stop praying. That the woman being prayed for didn’t really desire to be healed, but rather she wanted the attention and sympathy her illness brought her.
When she said that I suddenly realized what a big truth that is. ‘When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures. ‘ James 4:3 What pleased this woman more than receiving God’s healing was being the center of attention. She had become comfortable in her condition and was satisfied with the sympathy of others.
The picture that came into my mind was of a person lifting their hands to God in supplication asking for a gift from Him, but their hands were full of tightly clenched “other stuff”. Even if God offered to give what was requested they would have to release what they currently had to receive the gift from the Lord. And many are not willing.
Lest you mistakenly think I am condescending in this, please know that the hands I am seeing are my own. This is not simply a believer versus non-believer issue. This is true of all gifts and all growth in faith. As a believer I have grown by steps and stalls. I can see that some of the stalls have been when I have tightly held onto a thing, a desire, a belief, that the Lord wanted me to lay down. And the steps have been when in obedient trust I have released and lifted open hands to Him for whatever He has in store. In some cases it was a blessing pure and simple. In others it was a blessing disguised as a trial, but a blessing none-the-less.
For the person who does not yet know the Lord, the things they hold onto can cause them to miss out on the greatest gift of all, a relationship with the living Lord. Holding onto pain from the past, unforgiveness toward someone, lifestyle choices contrary to God’s plan are all abundant life limiters. The Lord is a good, good Father. He is perfect in how He parents. He is neither over-indulgent nor overly stern. And like any good Father, He enjoys blessing His children.
Today, I encourage you to ask the Lord, “What is it I’m holding onto that I need to release?” And then listen… and obey. The second question is then totally appropriate. “Lord, what do you want me to receive?” The follow up to this question is a bit more open-ended. He may answer that long requested prayer… or put a new desire in your heart… or simply bless you with His overwhelming peace. Regardless, you can know that in releasing what’s in your hand, you make room for God’s “something better” in your life. And that’s the path to the abundant life He desires each of us to experience.
areliablefaith 