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The Moment That Matters Most
Jon Burgess“I went on praying and confessing my sin and the sin of my people, pleading with the LORD my God for Jerusalem, his holy mountain. He explained to me, “Daniel, I have come here to give you insight and understanding. The moment you began praying, a command was given. And now I am here to tell you what it was, for you are very precious to God. Listen carefully so that you can understand the meaning of your vision.” Daniel 9:20, 22-23
There would not be a single salvation without this moment. No blind eyes opened, no broken bones healed, no demons cast out without this moment. No miraculous provision, no impossible interventions, no visions or revelations without this moment. No marriages kept together, no wayward children brought home, no deliverance from addiction without this moment. No intimacy with The Almighty, no inspiration from Scripture, no new songs for the Savior without this moment. The angel made it clear to Daniel that "the moment" he began praying an answer in heaven was set in to motion. This one moment changed everything. Daniel stayed in that moment for 21 Days! The angel Michael clarified for Daniel that even though he didn't see anything change in the natural while he was praying, there was a battle being raged in the supernatural. "Then he said, "Don't be afraid, Daniel. Since the first day you began to pray for understanding and to humble yourself before your God, your request has been heard in heaven. I have come in answer to your prayer" (Daniel 10:12).
Maybe that's why we don't think much of that moment. Why does this moment gets pushed down to the bottom of the priority list? We don't see anything happen the moment we pray so we automatically assume nothing is happening at all. So then we move into working out a natural solution instead of contending for a supernatural one. Then we miss the moment where everything would have changed. I'm honestly asking myself how many life changing moments I've missed because I refused to stay in the moment of prayer. I didn't have the patience to "pray through" so I just stopped. I too often judge the effectiveness of prayer on the immediacy of the results. What change do I cut short in my life when I refuse to remain in the moment of prayer?
Lord, forgive me for my prayerlessness. You have caught my attention through the scripture this morning and I can't wait to see what happens next. I guess that's it isn't it? Am I willing to wait to see what happens next? This moment right here above all else that happens is the one that matters most. This is where it starts and I want to see it through in prayer. Forgive me for impatience and for my pride. As if I could ever come close to doing with my hands and my strength what You can do through Yours! I pray that You would stir in the hearts of New Hope a hunger to pray like never before so that we could see You move like never before! As we have committed a church to united prayer at noon for five weeks I pray that You would meet us here! As we gather tomorrow night for a Night of Prayer I pray that you would ingite a passion for prayer that's not dependent upon convenience, but on the conviction of Your Spirit stirring within us!
