Only God (He Hears You part 2)

We know, deep down, that God has more for us. He’s breathed His word into our hearts. He's spoken His promises over us. And we have this unexplainable yearning within us, to see those promises come to fruition. And so, every move that we make, is to that end. We live in pursuit of His promises, because we've vowed that we will not relent in this journey that He's taking us on. Only, no matter what we do, there are some walls that we just can't break through. There are some patterns and circumstances that we’ve been in so long. And we are exhausted, because His promises have yet to come true. And no matter what we do, that immoveable mountain still stands. So we pray and pray, but we wonder whether He has heard our pleas. And if He does, why aren’t we able to attain the promise that He has put into the depths of our souls? Why aren’t our actions producing the kind of fruit that we desire? We’ve moved in faith, but at some point, we come to the realization that our vision is beyond us. But we don’t know what to do with that realization, because up until this point, we’ve carried the weight of those dreams on our own shoulders. But we haven’t paused to realize that the burden is not on us to achieve anything. When God gives us a vision, He is showing us all the things that He is going to do in our lives, and all we are asked to do is follow Him. And I think that this is where the striving comes from. We feel like we must make His vision come to pass. We feel like He’s given us a task, and we must do the heavy lifting of accomplishing it. We carry the burden of moving any obstacle that stands in our way. But that is not what He asks of us. He doesn’t want us to work to bring His vision to life, He wants us to believe Him for it. There are some mountains that only God can move. And this is why the promises of God seem so out of our reach. When God gives us a vision, it is always bigger than us. He doesn’t just want to transform our lives, but He wants to transform other people’s lives, through the work that He has done in us. And this is what we must remember. When God asks us to do something, He never expects us to know what it takes to get it done. He never expects us to have all the knowledge, or wisdom that we need when He calls us. He never expects us to have the strength to get it done. If we did, we wouldn’t need Him. But God expect for us to remember who gave us the vision. And He expects us to draw on Him, to bring that vision to pass. For I can do everything through Christ, who gives me strength. (Philippians 4:13 NLT) As Paul states, we can do all things, only through the power of Jesus Christ. He is the One that is strong enough. He is the One that has all wisdom and knowledge.

So when we are at the point of disappointment, we need to remember that the purpose of the moment is for Him to be the strength that we need. And it is only His strength, that can get us to the place that we are believing for. Our valleys are necessary for this purpose. Without them, we never get to experience His greatness that moves mountains. His word says that only when we are weak, can He be the strength of our lives. So when we are at our low, the place where we are exhausted, and don’t know what to do, we must know that He isn’t worried, as we are. In those moments, when we bow down, and cry out to Him, He stands up. He stands up when He hears our prayers. He is tuned into every plea, and He intends to move on our behalf. God heard their groaning, and he remembered his covenant promise to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. He looked down on the people of Israel and knew it was time to act. (Exodus 2:24-25 NLT) But when we are going through the valley, and the season of waiting on prayers to be answered, it is very easy to feel like He hasn’t heard us at all. We feel like if God hears us, why are we still hear, in this place? But in those moments, after we have wiped the tears from our eyes, we must remind ourselves of what He has said. We must remind ourselves of who He’s been to us, and every thing that He has kept us through in the past. Because He is the same; His character never changes. And we are confident that he hears us whenever we ask for anything that pleases him. And since we know he hears us when we make our requests, we also know that he will give us what we ask for. (1 John 5:14-15 NLT) So when we remember who He is. When we remember those prayers that He has answered before, we must now be confident that He hears us. Even when we don’t see the proof, we have to remind ourselves that He is a God that protects us. He is a God that has a plan for us; He is a God that provides for us; and He is a God that responds to the needs of His children. So, as we are confident that He hears our prayers, we must also have that same confidence that He has a response. Our heavenly Father fights the battles that we are too weak to conquer. And when there is an obstacle, preventing us from seeing His promise, He moves it out of our way. And this is why we pray. This is why we seek His help. We go to our Father because He parts red seas, He provides supernaturally, and He works in the hearts of those that oppose us. This is who He is. And He’s shown us this over and over again in scripture. Our prayers can accomplish more than any amount of effort in our own strength. Our God has an unlimited amount of resources, and His sovereignty is never ending. This means that He can use whatever and whoever He wants, in order to make good on His promises to us. One of the stories in the bible that I believe illustrates the sovereignty of God so powerfully is the story of Esther. She was a descendant of exiled Jews, and she was the queen of Persia during the reign of Xerxes I. Although many Jews had returned to Judah, many others chose to remain in Persia. Esther, and her uncle Mordecai, were among the Jews that remained. The book of Esther details a plot to kill the Jews in Persia. In this account, the king commanded everyone to bow down to the most powerful noble in the empire, Haman, whenever he passed by. But one man, Mordecai the Jew, refused. Once Haman found out that Mordecai refused to respect him, and that he was a Jew, Haman was so enraged, that he sought out a plan to destroy every Jew in the empire. Then Haman approached King Xerxes and said, “There is a certain race of people scattered through all the provinces of your empire who keep themselves separate from everyone else. Their laws are different from those of any other people, and they refuse to obey the laws of the king. So it is not in the king’s interest to let them live. (Esther 3:8 NLT) At this time, the king was unaware of Esther’s ethnicity, because she had kept her true identity a secret. So the king agreed to Haman request. With King Xerxes’ approval, a decree was sent out to all the providences, ordering the annihilation of every Jew. When Mordecai found out about the decree, he tore his clothes and put on burlap and ashes, and he wept bitterly in front of the palace gate. In fact, once all the Jews learned of the decree, they all fasted, wept, and wailed, as Mordecai did. When Esther found out that her cousin, Mordecai, was in distress at the palace gate, she sent someone to ask him why he was so troubled. And Mordecai shared the details with her. He told her about Haman’s plot and the king’s order. He also asked Esther to go before the king, and plea for the lives of her people. But Esther replied that she would be risking her life if she were to go before the king without being invited into his presence. Then Esther told Hathach to go back and relay this message to Mordecai: “All the king’s officials and even the people in the provinces know that anyone who appears before the king in his inner court without being invited is doomed to die unless the king holds out his gold scepter. And the king has not called for me to come to him for thirty days.” (Esther 4:10-11 NLT) But Mordecai responded that Esther would not be able to escape the decree. He reasoned that she was given her position, as queen, for a reason. If anyone had the ability to intercede for the Jews, it would be her. Mordecai sent this reply to Esther: “Don’t think for a moment that because you’re in the palace you will escape when all other Jews are killed. If you keep quiet at a time like this, deliverance and relief for the Jews will arise from some other place, but you and your relatives will die. Who knows if perhaps you were made queen for just such a time as this?” (Esther 4:13-14 NLT) But Esther realized that her position alone, could not save her people. She knew that only the hand of God, could save her life, and the lives of those facing death. Esther would not make a move without interceding for the power of God to come into the situation. “Go and gather together all the Jews of Susa and fast for me. Do not eat or drink for three days, night or day. My maids and I will do the same. And then, though it is against the law, I will go in to see the king. If I must die, I must die.” (Esther 4:16 NLT) As Esther and the Jews seek intervention from God, through prayer and fasting, they are acknowledging that He is the only One that can save them. And Esther knows that she is facing and uphill battle. She knows that God will have to exercise His providential power, in order for them to be saved. And she puts her complete trust in Him. Once the time of prayer and fasting is complete, Esther goes before the king. From the time that Esther enters into the kings courts, we can see how God worked to soften his heart. When he saw Queen Esther standing there in the inner court, he welcomed her and held out the gold scepter to her. So Esther approached and touched the end of the scepter. Then the king asked her, “What do you want, Queen Esther? What is your request? I will give it to you, even if it is half the kingdom!” (Esther 5:2-3 NLT) Esther replies that she would like the king and Haman to attend a banquet that she has prepared for them. She tell the king that she will explain her request at that time. And the king agrees. Once they are at the banquet, the king asks Esther what she wants. And her response is surprising. Esther replied, “This is my request and deepest wish. If I have found favor with the king, and if it pleases the king to grant my request and do what I ask, please come with Haman tomorrow to the banquet I will prepare for you. Then I will explain what this is all about.” (Esther 5:7-8 NLT) We don’t know for sure the reason why Esther delayed her request to the king, but as I read her story, it’s almost like she received discernment in that moment. She had spent three days praying and fast. She was seeking God’s hand in the situation, but I also believe that she was asking God to tell her what to say, and she wanted Him to show her what to do, and when to do it. I believe that Esther was completely submitted to whatever God asked of her. And in that moment, I believe that God whispered to her, “Not yet, tell them to come back tomorrow.” I believe that God wanted to set the stage for Esther’s request. God wasn’t done preparing the king’s heart for the matter. That night the king had trouble sleeping, so he ordered an attendant to bring the book of the history of his reign so it could be read to him. In those records he discovered an account of how Mordecai had exposed the plot of Bigthana and Teresh, two of the eunuchs who guarded the door to the king’s private quarters. They had plotted to assassinate King Xerxes. (Esther 6:1-2 NLT) Only God could have orchestrated this so perfectly. He caused the king to have trouble sleeping, and led him to desire to hear about the history of his reign. He ordered the reading of the very book that contained the account of how Esther’s cousin, Mordecai, saved the king's life. And in that moment, the king realized that Mordecai was never rewarded. So the king calls in Haman, and asks him what should be done for a man that the king wishes to honor. And Haman replied that the man should be dressed in one of the king’s royal robes, and that he should be paraded around the city square on the king's horse, with one of the kings officials shouting, “…‘This is what the king does for someone he wishes to honor!’” (Esther 6:9 NLT) “Excellent!” the king said to Haman. “Quick! Take the robes and my horse, and do just as you have said for Mordecai the Jew, who sits at the gate of the palace. Leave out nothing you have suggested!” (Esther 6:10 NLT) This is the favor of God at work. The man that was enraged by Mordecai’s unwillingness to submit, is no required to honor Mordecai, in front of everyone. The next day, Esther prepares another banquet for the king and Haman. This time, she reveals her request to the king. Queen Esther replied, “If I have found favor with the king, and if it pleases the king to grant my request, I ask that my life and the lives of my people will be spared. For my people and I have been sold to those who would kill, slaughter, and annihilate us. If we had merely been sold as slaves, I could remain quiet, for that would be too trivial a matter to warrant disturbing the king.” “Who would do such a thing?” King Xerxes demanded. “Who would be so presumptuous as to touch you?” Esther replied, “This wicked Haman is our adversary and our enemy.” Haman grew pale with fright before the king and queen. (Esther 7:3-6 NLT) In response to Esther plea, the king had Haman killed. Then Harbona, one of the king’s eunuchs, said, “Haman has set up a sharpened pole that stands seventy-five feet tall in his own courtyard. He intended to use it to impale Mordecai, the man who saved the king from assassination.” “Then impale Haman on it!” the king ordered. So they impaled Haman on the pole he had set up for Mordecai, and the king’s anger subsided. (Esther 7:9-10 NLT) As a result, Esther and Mordecai were able to counter the previous decree calling for the Jews the be killed. The new decree stated that the Jews were allowed to protect themselves from those that sought to kill them. And in the end, the lives of the Jews in Persia were saved. This story is so powerful. When I sit and think about the strength of our God, I am amazed by how sovereign He is. Your prayers are enough. God has to ability to work in the hearts of those that are needed to make His promises come true. This is my testimony. My marriage wasn’t saved because of my crafty works. My marriage was saved through prayer, and the sovereignty of God alone. All God required of me, was my obedience. Nothing that I did in my own strength worked, because there are some mountains that only God can move. In the book of Mark, there is an a account of a time that Jesus’ disciples were unsuccessful at casting out a demon. And as Jesus returned to them and heard of the matter, He cast the demon out and it left right away. Later on, the disciples asked Jesus why they weren’t able to cast out the demon, and Jesus replied that this type of demon could only be cast out through prayer. Afterward, when Jesus was alone in the house with his disciples, they asked him, “Why couldn’t we cast out that evil spirit?” Jesus replied, “This kind can be cast out only by prayer.” (Mark 9:28-29 NLT) We must not allow our striving to hinder our dependence on God. Because that is what Jesus is saying. He is saying that there are somethings that only God can do. And when we pray, and leave the matter in His hands, we are depending on the One that has the ability to do all things. If you are facing an immovable mountain, don’t underestimate the power that your prayers have. Don’t expel unnecessary energy trying to do something that only God can do. He wants you to come to Him with your burdens, so that He can do the heavy lifting for you. Your prayers are an exchange with the Father. When you tell Him the things that you need, leave the burden of meeting those needs to Him. When we wait on Him, we must obey the instructions that He gives us, but ultimately, the burden is on Him to deliver us. We have to know our place as children of God, because He is our Father, and He desires is to provide for all of our needs. There are times when my children will ask my husband and I questions, if they are concerned about a situation, and our response is always, “Let daddy and mommy handle it. Your job is to just be a kid, and our job is to take care of everything else.” We don’t want our children to carry the burden of taking care of themselves. That is our responsibility. And I believe that our heavenly Father feels the same way about us. He tells us to bring our cares to Him, because He takes care of us. He tells us not to worry about anything, but to pray about everything, and He will give us His peace. He tells us to seek first His kingdom, and He will provide for our needs. He is a good Father, that takes care of His children. Stop worrying about the things that God has already taken care of. He will provide for all of your needs, and He will be sure to restore and redeem the things that have been lost. Seek Him for the things that you need, and allow Him to take care of it. Your prayers have the ability to change your life. So keep praying. He hears you. Let Him do what only He can do.

Prayer Heavenly Father, thank you for lavishing your love on me today. I know that you care for me, and that you have amazing plans for me. Thank you for the call that you have placed on my life. Forgive me for the times that I have sought to bring your plans to pass in my own strength. I know that there are some mountains that only You can move. And today, I turn my face away from the obstacles that I am facing, and I look to you to be my restorer, healer, provider, and protector. You are a good Father, and you desire to see me free from the burdens that I carry. So I give it all to you now. Every weight that I carry, I give it all to the One that is strong enough to handle is all. And I know that in return, you are giving me your peace that surpasses all understanding. I trust You, and your process. I will rest in you. In Jesus’ name, amen.