I
know God can do anything, but my faith was not hot at that moment. Fortunately my commitment to obedience was
stronger. The instant the doctor spoke I
heard in my head, “Pray reverse.” I told
the doctor what I was hearing and we began to pray. Two hours went by before Rachel began to
breathe. In a few more moments she
opened her eyes and was soon fully conscious.
Later tests showed no damage whatever to her heart. The Lord had reversed her injuries.
I
believe with all my heart that had I failed to follow protocol – the common
courtesy of asking the person in charge what he wanted me to do before doing
anything – the result would have been very different. The prophetic instruction of what to pray
followed immediately the practice of that protocol.
Jesus
is so committed to protocol that He washes the disciples’ feet before feeding
them with His own hands on the night He knew they would all desert Him to the
torture and death of the Cross. Paul
shows respect for the high priest who has just ordered him struck across the
face. Even Moses never appears before
Pharoah without an appointment. Our God
– and His faithful servants – practice warfare by honor. He is determined to honor people into the
Kingdom. He expects His people to
practice honor as ambassadors of reconciliation made in His image. Prophecy dons power when we do.
God
never speaks – even a hard word – without the intention to bless. Yet some prophetic types – and some
self-appointed prophets – sometimes imagine that because they speak truth they
are entitled to an abusive or insensitive manner. I know one man who is very gifted in words of
knowledge – supernatural revelations of personal information about people. One day he entered a local business and began
telling people about themselves in front of others and without seeking
permission to do so. He so frightened
and offended the staff that it took months of gentle healing conversation from
my wife before they would even hear from another Christian on any topic. Reality is that truth absent honor and love
may be fact but it is not really truth.
“But
sometimes we have to confront, don’t we?”
This is true, whether we are addressing personal relationships or the
critical issues facing our churches, state, and nation. But there is a world of difference between
I-told-you-so and I-need-to-tell-you-something.
It is the difference between approaching, for example, traditional
marriage versus marriage alternatives with an attitude of us-versus-them and
showing the genuine love and concern for all parties – including the gays and
their lobbyists – that resulted in turning a pending (according to all the
polls) loss for California’s Proposition 8 into a victory. I remember the time I was in a debate during
the campaign on National Public Radio and was approached after the broadcast by
several people who said they had decided to vote for the proposition after
hearing the presence of love and the absence of hate in my presentation.
Readers
are aware of my conviction that Barack Obama is the most corrupt president in
American history. Yet I pray for him
daily, and for an encounter with the living God for all leaders, beginning with
me. I hope that shows should I ever meet
him.
Protocol
– when it precedes – empowers prophecy.
I make periodic pilgrimage to the Little Bighorn Battlefield. Although the land is a national park, it is
still the proper possession of the Crow People.
When I go onto the land to pray for healing and reconciliation between
our peoples I always obtain the blessing of the Crow elders first. As a result I have been escorted onto the
battlefield by these elders and have prophesied that when their free-grazing
buffalo herd reaches this land there can be authentic peace. The herd had drifted to within a couple of
miles of the site at my last check-in.
The elders believe the prophecy; they and I can hardly wait to see what
will happen when the herd arrives.
Protocol precedes authentic prophecy.
James A. Wilson is the author of Living
As Ambassadors of Relationships and The
Holy Spirit and the End Times – available at local bookstores or by
e-mailing him at
praynorthstate@charter.net
No comments:
Post a Comment