Our Great Helper

For the past few months I have felt a great deal of sadness for people in my life that have been struggling with the "mountains" in their lives, and when I read this last night, it made me feel a lot better. Hopefully it will make you feel better too. 

NIV Women's Devotional Bible, Classic Edition, page 1090:

While Searching for a book I wanted to buy recently, I heard a pleasant voice ask, "May I help you?" Once I described the book we soon found it. I left the store with my requested treasure happily tucked under my arm, and I thought, "I wonder how often God asks me this same question, but I'm too busy to hear?"

Maybe he's asking if there are any mountains in our lives that we need help in moving today - mountains of disappointment, heartache or fear. Sometimes these mountains can loom so large before us that we are no longer able to see Jesus. Yet it's here, while sitting in the shadow of our dark, cold mountain, that we can turn to Mark 11 and read what Jesus said. he gives us his pattern for prayer and sums up all we will ever need to know about it. The pattern is this: pray, ask, believe, forgive. 

To pray is a supernatural way of getting to know the supernatural God. When we pray, God makes us his partners! He chooses us to be come part of his ministry here on earth. 

When Jesus inquires, "May I help you?" he wants us to respond in childlike trust. He wants us us to ask. Sometimes he answers in a miraculous way, but most of the time he simply opens our spiritual eyes and shows us what we can do to bring about the answer. Then he gives us the ability to do it. 

To believe is to give God the right to answer our prayer in the way he sees best. Remember, Jesus never gave a sermon on unanswered prayer because, from his viewpoint, all prayers are answered. When we learn to believe God, we find our attention is no long on our mountain. It becomes focused instead on Jesus, who alone is worthy of our trust. 

When we forge, we open a channel go God. Jesus asks us to forgive others "so that your Father in heaven may forgive your sins" (Mark 11:25)

God longs for us to live in the joy of walking by faith - praying, asking, believing, forgiving. When we do, we find we're no long sitting alone in the shadow of the mountain.