We heard a message on Acts 13 this past Sunday. It described how Paul and Barnabas were called to go out. How did they know what their life call was? As the pastor described it, it started in the "war room of prayer". "While they were worshiping the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, 'Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them.'" (Acts 13:2)
As I listened, I was trying to send telephathic messages to my son who was sitting closer to the front. My husband and I, along with the two little boys, sat further away. I would have elbowed my older son and whispered, "Listen to this!" But, when we all got home, he said it himself, "Mom, that really struck me. I need to be fasting and praying about my future." Yes! He got my telepathic messages after all! We aren't all Paul and Barabas, but we all are to be sent into the world. My son will hopefully one day be a provider in his own family. How will he provide? How will he know what he is to do?
Verse 2 says it all. We are to be in a group of like-minded people, worshiping, praying....and fasting. That is my favourite phrase....I'm still not convinced people think it is something you can do today, but I am more than convinced how important it is and something we definitely should be doing. I believe it breaks the power of confusion in decision making. It was in that time of worshiping and fasting that the Holy Spirit spoke to them, to all of them, and they were all in agreement. Then, the verse goes on, "after fasting and praying" some more more, "they laid their hands on them and sent them out." (verse 3). They didn't just hear God's voice and stop there. They prayed and fasted even more!
The pastor nailed it on the head. This wasn't a short 15 minute prayer meeting. He figured it was an all-nighter. It wasn't a fun, eat popcorn and chips youth night type of prayer meeting. This was an intense time of prayer.
It was good to keep reading though. After Paul and Barnabas get sent off, you would expect literally smooth sailing as the Holy Spirit had sent them, but they ran into conflict right away. They met a guy who went against everything they said and did. This was important to remember. Even if you are on a mission from God, you can still encounter difficulty. If my son somehow manages to get into some form of post-secondary, I am quite certain I will be relieved and then I will think to myself, "Whew! He's in! Now I can sit back and just relax!" Uh no. My parents can testify to the fact you don't stop praying and working through conflict on behalf of your children ever! They prayed us through the whole tower contract and all sorts of other ups and downs in our lives. We must anticipate that life will never go quite as planned, even when you are sent by the Holy Spirit.
Sermons are not supposed to be a pep talk, but it was in a way for me. I left encouraged and excited about the future. I long to hear the Holy Spirit's voice for me, for my family. The church service started off with a verse from the gospels that talked about how Jesus did not do miracles and mighty works in places where there was no faith. I'm praying God will not see our family in this way. That He will see us as a home of tremendous faith, waiting expectantly for Him to work.
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