Unseen Faithfulness & Provision

"And Elisha prayed, "O LORD, open his eyes so he may see." Then the LORD opened the servant's eyes, and he looked and saw the hills full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha."

-2 Kings 6:17 (NIV)-

Before we start today, let's worship. Give your heart, mind and spirit a six minute break. Close your eyes and listen to this song. I'm already praying for your heart to be opened and for your spirit to be renewed.

Lately, I've had the greatest blessings. I have been able to listen to my closest friend's hearts and worries. And here's what I've learned from their courageous examples of opening up about their weaknesses and their struggles:

The less we hide, the less the enemy has to work with.

The more we truly confess our struggles and hurts to each other, the more room Jesus has to move in for healing and restoration; the more power the Holy Spirit is given to renew us and defeat lies we so easily accept in our minds; the more opportunity God is given to prove His faithfulness.

It's amazing.

This is also something else to keep in mind:

Your seemingly cold, icy, isolated mountain(s) you're attempting to tackle? They only seem that way because the enemy so desires to convince you that you are alone, that you are left out in the cold, and that nobody can relate to you.

Guess what? FALSE! Hugely false.

You are a son or daughter of the King who fights for you moment-to-moment. You are a child of God's own family. Your brother and LORD defeated the enemy and has already prepared a place for you when you're called Home. You are dearly loved in such a powerful way. AND, you have brothers and sisters right here who would love to pray for you and help you in any way they can.

We're Family.

And God's family doesn't back down to challenges; we encourage, we provide, we listen, we inspire, we love, we act, we teach, we heal, and most of all, we turn each other right back to God so the enemy doesn't stand a chance.

In fact, I'm praying right now that as you are reading this post, you are being filled with the Holy Spirit's power which is mighty in pulling down strongholds; that you are being reminded powerfully of just how much God loves you; that you feel Jesus with you in these moments.

When Elisha prayed that his servant's eyes be opened and his servant was able to see the horses and chariots ready for battle, I bet his servant was first, shocked and second, assured. Are you in need of some assurance today?

Let us act as Elisha for each other today:

Heavenly Father, we praise you and thank you that you are able to accomplish infinitely more than we could ever ask or imagine. We pray for our brothers and sisters in Christ (name them) that they would experience just a tiny dose of vision that You blessed Elisha's servant with. Sometimes, we need to be reminded of how hard You are fighting for us and just how incredible You are.

Father, we are grateful and joyful to admit our weaknesses to each other because You promise us as Your Son, Jesus, promises us that Your strength is made perfect through our weaknesses. Therefore, we boast all the more gladly about our weaknesses:________ today. Thank you that you will strengthen us in these ways today.

We also confess and are grateful for our brokenness. If we were not broken, You would have no room to transform us into the people You created us to be way back before You placed us in our mother's wombs. We are in awe that You accomplished such an amazing micracle, and we humbly submit our desires to You. Shape us how you want. Transform our minds in Christ Jesus. Heal our hearts and renew our spirits. We need You.

Jesus, thank you for being with us even as we go about our day-to-day routines, jobs, schooling - whatever it is that we are doing, we thank you that you are there with us. We pray for each other all over the world that we would encourage each other to remember how faithful You have been to us Father.

Jesus, we invite you in with a feast of thankfulness and gratitude. We are thankful today for:____________. We are grateful that:__________. We praise you because You are the only One who __________. We love you. Use us to fulfil your mission.

Father, in Jesus' name we pray. Amen.

Let's end together: Hillsong's "From the Inside Out"

Praying for you!