October 27th, 2010 by Kristi Stephens

Missed any of our Revelation series? You can catch up here!

Last week we spent some time considering Revelation chapter 8 and the lessons it holds for us regarding the potent force of prayer. Today I wanted to share with you a bit of a tangential post. :) It’s not exactly part of our Revelation series, but it relates well to that discussion.

In my personal devotion time I’ve been reading through the book of Daniel. It has been years since I really studied this book and I forgot how much I love it! Daniel is one of those rare individuals that I would truly consider a hero of the faith – this man is a faithful follower of God, even when thrown into a den of lions or put into a position of great power under multiple kings (a situation that would probably destroy most of us much faster than facing hungry lions!)

Yesterday and today I’ve been reading Daniel chapter 9. The chapter opens for us with Daniel studying “the books” – the portion of Scripture that was written down at the time. He’s not just casually reading, he is studying, and God reveals something important to him through the text.

I, Daniel, understood from the Scriptures, according to the word of the LORD given to Jeremiah the prophet, that the desolation of Jerusalem would last seventy years. (9:2)

Daniel is diligently studying the text. He believes that the Scriptures are literally true and expects that prophecy will come to pass. He realizes that the Scriptures indicate that Jerusalem would be desolate for 70 years… and he also realizes that the time is almost up. His response?

So I turned to the Lord God and pleaded with him in prayer and petition, in fasting, and in sackcloth and ashes. I prayed to the LORD my God and confessed: “O Lord, the great and awesome God, who keeps his covenant of love with all who love him and obey his commands, we have sinned and done wrong. We have been wicked and have rebelled; we have turned away from your commands and laws. We have not listened to your servants the prophets, who spoke in your name to our kings, our princes and our fathers, and to all the people of the land. (9:3-6)

Daniel falls before the Lord with humility and passion, entreating God for mercy on the basis of His character and promises – fully acknowledging that they deserved punishment.

“Now, our God, hear the prayers and petitions of your servant. For your sake, O Lord, look with favor on your desolate sanctuary. Give ear, O God, and hear; open your eyes and see the desolation of the city that bears your Name. We do not make requests of you because we are righteous, but because of your great mercy. O Lord, listen! O Lord, forgive! O Lord, hear and act! For your sake, O my God, do not delay, because your city and your people bear your Name.” (Dan. 9:17-19)

Now, the kicker of this passage for me is what happens next. Talk about answered prayer!

While I was speaking and praying, confessing my sin and the sin of my people Israel and making my request to the LORD my God for his holy hill- while I was still in prayer, Gabriel, the man I had seen in the earlier vision, came to me in swift flight about the time of the evening sacrifice. He instructed me and said to me, “Daniel, I have now come to give you insight and understanding.  As soon as you began to pray, an answer was given, which I have come to tell you, for you are highly esteemed. (Dan. 9:20-23a)

Oh, that is so rich! I just keep coming back to these verses and turning them over in my mind. Questions I’m pondering:

• Do we study the Scriptures with this type of intensity and faith? As we continue on through the prophetic visions in Revelation, do we believe that these things will actually happen? I know that there are many Christians who would say that I go a little too far in my literal interpretation of Scripture – that’s fine with me. I’m not going to be dogmatic about things that aren’t clear… but so, so many things ARE clear. Like Daniel, I want to read the Bible with eyes of faith, expecting God’s Word to be fulfilled exactly as He said it would be!

• If I really believe these things will happen, what will be my response? How should it change my prayer life? How should I intercede on behalf of so many who have fallen away from truth or rejected it altogether? Notice when Daniel realizes where they are on the prophetic timeline that he doesn’t immediately head out to the street corner to yell at people to repent or arrogantly flaunt his Biblical knowledge. He humbles himself, repents personally, and prays with intensity on behalf of God’s people.

• Do I expect God to answer my prayers? I love the wording of Verse 23 in the ESV – “At the beginning of your pleas for mercy a word went out, and I have come to tell it to you, for you are greatly loved.” Have I built the kind of relationship with God where I am praying so in tune with His will (and I could only be that in tune with His will if I know His Word this well!) that I expect Him to respond to my prayers with this type of answer?

I pray that as we continue on through this Revelation study that this will not be an academic or mental exercise for you or for me. If God’s Word says these things are so… do we believe it? And if so, what will we do? How will we pray? How might God respond?

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October 21st, 2010 by Kristi Stephens

Missed any of the Revelation posts? You can find them all indexed here.

On Tuesday we looked at Revelation 8:1, when silence fell in heaven in anticipation of the judgments to come. After this half hour of stunned quiet, the next portion of God’s plan begins to unfold.

And I saw the seven angels who stand before God, and to them were given seven trumpets. Another angel, who had a golden censer, came and stood at the altar. He was given much incense to offer, with the prayers of all the saints, on the golden altar before the throne. The smoke of the incense, together with the prayers of the saints, went up before God from the angel’s hand. Then the angel took the censer, filled it with fire from the altar, and hurled it on the earth; and there came peals of thunder, rumblings, flashes of lightning and an earthquake.

Revelation 8:2-5

As the stage is set for the trumpet judgments to come, we find this interesting scene of an angel hurling incense from a censer to the earth below, triggering thunder, lightning, and an earthquake. What is going on here?

The Bible equates incense going up before the Lord with the prayers of the saints.

May my prayer be set before you like incense; may the lifting up of my hands be like the evening sacrifice.

Psalm 141:2

And when he had taken it, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb. Each one had a harp and they were holding golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints.

Revelation 5:8

Prayers of the saints – prayers for God’s judgment to come and finally triumph over all the evil and injustice prevalent on the earth below – are strengthened with “much incense” provided by God Himself. Millions of prayers that echo Jesus’ words of “Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven” are joined in common purpose with the will of God – He has heard, His will will be done, and He will act.

Let me tell you something in all honesty – I don’t understand prayer. I really don’t. I can give you no eloquent explanations about how our requests intersect with the will and sovereignty of God Almighty. I don’t understand why, how, and when He listens to us. But I know this: He tells us to pray, He tells us He will hear us, and in some amazing way that I cannot comprehend, our prayers make a difference.

The prayers of “all the saints” are gathered up in these verses and join with God’s own plan.

What a potent force is prayer! The saints go into their bedrooms, close the doors, kneel down, and pray. They spread out before God their petitions, and God hears. The prayers are placed in the scales of judgment. In some mysterious way not explained to us, prayer changes things. This is true in every age… For prayer never reaches God in the clumsy, inept, feeble way it leaves our lips. So then, there was silence in heaven for half of hour (of heaven’s time) while God graciously takes into consideration the prayers of His own. (Phillips 128)

Do we take prayer as seriously as we should? The Bible describes prayer in terms of warfare, and these verses in Revelation remind us that our prayers are heard and do carry a great weight – and yet, we yawningly pray before bedtime and recite trite prayers before our meals.

What a potent force is prayer! I find myself together with the disciples asking, “Lord, teach me to pray.” To really pray… to pray like it matters, like it impacts eternity.

September 3rd, 2010 by Kristi Stephens

As you probably know, the Muslim observance of Ramadan began in the middle of August and will continue through late next week. These next few days of Ramadan are particularly significant, as Muslims are seeking to hear from God – I urge you to pray over the next few days for God to move powerfully and tangibly in the Muslim world, and that as they seek Allah that they would hear unmistakably from Jesus Christ!

Please take a few minutes to watch this short video from Voice of the Martyrs – it is an interview with Heather Mercer, former prisoner for Christ in Afghanistan, as she shares about Ramadan and how to specifically pray:

More resources I would encourage you to explore:

Listen online to Janet Parshall’s interview with Todd Nettleton from Voice of the Martyrs regarding praying during Ramadan (this interview is the 2nd half of the 1st hour)

Prayer for Muslims during Ramadan from Nations4Jesus

Information about “the night of power” and specific ways to pray

Prayer calendar and other resources to aid you as you pray through Ramadan from Open Doors

August 25th, 2010 by Kristi Stephens

We serve a holy God.

In our day, so far removed from bloody sacrifices and curtains and priests, we sometimes overlook the true weight of our sin and its consequences. Our God is holy, holy, holy – and we are oh, so very sinful. God, in His incomprehensible grace, has offered us spiritual restoration through Jesus Christ – but sin still has consequences.

I am often burdened by the glib way we approach our holy God in prayer. We have been taught that we can have intimacy, access, friendship with God – and these things are true. However, our God is still holy, and sin is serious.

Read the rest of this post over at Scripture Dig today: