There is an increased attack on those of FAITH in recent weeks. We are not only facing cultural and political wars; the adversary is trying to destroy our homes, our marriages, and our children. For many who have been determined to stand in the gap and see things spiritually shift in our communities and nation, it’s been getting personal. There is a targeted attempt to come against our homes and families to such a degree we will lose hope and stop praying. The devil knows how to hit below the belt and attack our personal lives so that we will have no zeal or passion to focus on anything or anyone else, thus robbing our corporate authority in prayer.
I have been aware of many who are facing mountains of sickness and disease, wayward children, marital discord, and relational tensions. Though these may be ongoing issues through every season, there is an intensity in this season that is draining people’s energy of their endurance and spiritual stamina. The mountains of unbelief, rebellion, and anti-Christ agendas at the national level are also growing larger before our eyes. There is a growing sense of hopelessness and despair. The mountains just seem too big this time.
In the face of these mountains, what can we do? The psalmist expressed his own distress when facing insurmountable odds:
“You don’t let me sleep. I am too distressed even to pray! I think of the good old days, long since ended, when my nights were filled with joyful songs. I search my soul and ponder the difference now. Has the Lord rejected me forever? Will He never again be kind to me? Is His unfailing love gone forever? Have His promises permanently failed? Has God forgotten to be gracious? Has He slammed the door on His compassion? And I said, “This is my fate; the Most High has turned His hand against me.” (Psalm 77:4-10 NLT)
Thankfully, the psalmist didn’t end there. He caught himself and realized there was a solution to his dilemma.
“BUT THEN I RECALL ALL YOU HAVE DONE, O LORD; I remember your wonderful deeds of long ago. They are constantly in my thoughts. I cannot stop thinking about your mighty works. O God, your ways are holy. Is there any god as mighty as you? You are the God of great wonders! You demonstrate your awesome power among the nations.” (Psalm 77:11-14 NLT)
The psalmist realized that by magnifying the Lord’s faithfulness above the mountains of hopelessness and despair, his perspective would change and his faith renewed. By recalling answered prayers and past breakthroughs, he would realize just how true God is to His Word. Where the enemy wants us to think God won’t come through this time, God wants us to recite all the times He’s already come through!
I’ve been dealing with this personally as I’ve been battling for one of my sons who is walking away from the Lord. I’ve never been this way before. My heart breaks and I have little strength to intercede for anything or anyone else when my own child is lost. And yet…. God reminds me to look back. He tells me to remember all the times previously when I doubted His response and wondered if He was listening. As I recalled all those times of waiting and wondering, I realized that EVERY TIME, He came through! It wasn’t in the way or the time that I had hoped for, but He was faithful to His Word. Many times, it turned out even better than what I had thought should work.
My verbal litany of past breakthroughs shifted the atmosphere and brought me peace instead of fear. My prayers turned from petition to praise and from doubt to determination in standing strong before the mountains that once threatened me. By magnifying His faithfulness in my past and recalling His absolute commitment to His Word, my faith has been strengthened and my hope restored.
As we face the mountains before us, both personally and corporately, don’t keep magnifying them or reciting their size or strength. Determine to magnify the Lord by recalling previous answers to prayer and the ways in which He has already proven Himself. Don’t let discouragement or delayed promises keep you from standing strong. Rather than gazing on that mountain of seeming impossibility, fix your eyes on the Mountain of the Lord that is higher than any other. At the time of fullness when our prayers converge with His purposes, those mountains will be crushed by the weight of His glory and presence.
In the meantime, don’t move. It’s the mountain that must give way – not you.
Wanda Alger’s new book release is called PRAYER THAT SPARKS NATIONAL REVIVAL.
Wanda Alger
WandaAlger.me
