Week One-God's Timing

I have been kicking around the idea of this course for almost a year. An online, interactive course that was facilitated (led), discussion (fed), on the book "The Prayer of Jabez" (read) and wholly given to God (Dad).

In His own, amazing timing, God brought His kids together in the place He chose, for His purposes. A year ago, I didn't even know that this group existed, and was more or less happily "droppin' gears" across the length and breadth of America's highways in my big truck.

Lent began yesterday. For forty days (not counting the traditional "feast" days of Sunday), the entire Church "season" is about reflection, abstinance, repentance, and forgiveness. It ends on Palm Sunday, which is the beginning of Easter Week. Easter Sunday begins a forty day cycle, which ends on the Day of Pentecost.

There can be no Easter without Lent, just as there can be no Easter Sunday without Good Friday, and the vigil of Saturday.

In "The Zero Week" lesson, I said there is nothing after Genesis 1:1. to get us across the chasm but God-everything else comes after that.

I really like the linear nature of this thinking, and I like to think of it as entirely God-like. I found today a site that discusses Seven Prayers by Paul McManus. It is here. He gives an entire course of study on seven simple prayers.

These are seven very effective prayers, if you use them correctly.

Notice the first one. "I love You, God!"

The significance of this prayer is, I hope, very clear to you. From across the reaches of the electrons, someone else believes that this must be the first prayer.

We will spend Lent together in this course. We will spend Easter Week together.

If, at the conclusion of this amazing journey, we were able to experience these events of Lent, and Easter in an entirely new way, with an entirely never-before experienced understanding, would that be a Blessing? Indeed!

There is a cute story making it's way across the electrons this week that is roughly going by the name of "Getting Into Heaven".

In the story, a Third grade teacher is asking his students questions about Heaven in their Sunday School class.

"If I sell all my stuff, and give all the money I make to the poor--then will I get into Heaven?"

"NO!" His class replied in unison. This made the teacher very proud.

"Well, if I clean up my room, and do all my chores, and mind my Mommy and Daddy--then will I get into Heaven?"

"NO!" Again the teacher was very proud of his class. They were understanding!

"Well, if I move to a far away land, and teach strangers about God, and Jesus--then will I get into Heaven?" There was a slight pause of silence in the classroom.

"NO!" The class resounded. The teacher was beside himself with joy.

"Well then, how do I get to Heaven?" The teacher asked his class.

From the back of the room, little Tommy piped up and said:

"You've gotta be DEAD!"




(It's okay, you can laugh now. That's the joke.)


But, isn't it also completely true?

Remember the chasm?


The "I" in us can only make it across the chasm when we are dead.
We must be dead to ourselves, and to the world, with only one verse in our heart, mind, and soul. And there is only one way across the Chasm, remember?

And, it's not about us.

The focus verses this week take us one step further along the journey. In the zero week activity, our verses taught us that we are commanded to pray, to God alone. It is He who comes and carries us across the chasm.

When we cry out to Him, and He alone, from the center of our soul, He will come to us, and transport us in His Love from the Genesis 1:1 side, safely across the chasm of Genesis 1:2, until we land safely into the beginning of Genesis 1:3. Only from that side of the Chasm can we ever have any hope of every verse that follows. God becomes Dad, and had written to those of us who are safely on the Genesis 1:3 side of the pit a very personal love letter.

He shows us around the place He built for us, and introduces us personally to some of the friends He has made who are playing around in the garden with Him. Only on the Genesis 1:3 side of the hole do we find those folks that our focus verses refer to. And, unless we unceremoniously fling all that we are into the chasm, God just does not appear.

The "I" in us must be dead. That's the whole point. And that's why it's never about us. It is only about God. God alone answers prayer.

"Well", you say, what about Jesus? Does Jesus answer prayer?
Nope. That's not His job.

Jesus has one job to do in Heaven. His job is the intercession to God for those who are identified with Him by the blood of Salvation, given at Calvary. He is, forever, praying to the Father. That's what He did when He was here. He either talked to Dad, or talked about Dad. Everything Jesus did for the thirty-three years of his Earthly Ministry was about Dad--His Dad.

And the very first thing Jesus did was to stand by the edge. For forty days, he looked back toward the "big house", and thought about the decision He had made. And He threw all his glory, his position, and his rightful place--into the chasm. The promise that His Dad had given him was that it wouldn't stay there. And, only when every last possible ounce of Glory was out of him, God brought him from Genesis 1:3 to Genesis 1:1.

He spent forty days remembering, learning from our standpoint, and seeking to be worthy. Not because he was unworthy, but because He BECAME unworthy. He came to show us the way across the pit. He came to love us across. And, He taught us that we have to die before we can make it.

Likewise, the Holy Spirit is with us as teacher, guide, and comforter. But, His communication is to, and from God. He then helps us, doesn't he?

He takes the innermost longings of our heart, and utters them in a language we do not understand, and places them before the Mercy Seat of God. He also brings to us the thoughts of God as regards our journey back home to Him. When?

When, and only when, we are across the chasm. Unless, and until that happens, the Holy Spirit cannot enter the throne room of God wearing our filthy wrags. The Holy Spirit is Holy, even as God is Holy.
He won't go trackin' our ugliness around the throneroom of Heaven. Those are golden floors! From the Throne of God flows a river. Nobody's going to let it get polluted just because you haven't quit dancin' yet. Only when we die, and God Himself agrees that we have died to ourselves, will the Holy Spirit be empowered in, through, and for our lives. We must be dead.

It's important to note that we are told in these verses that, when we are across the chasm, we have the full fellowship of Jesus, the Holy Spirit, and God to look forward to. That should make us desire to do whatever it requires. That's a pretty good payoff, don't you think? That's some pretty big stuff.

When will we get it?

Jabez needed it NOW!

Whether, as some have speculated, he was on the verge of a military campaign regarding the Caananites, or whether this prayer was first uttered as he was beginning his adult life, we do not know for certain. But, we do know that when he said it, he meant it. And, in a truly Genesis 1:1 moment, he dared to utter the only prayer that mattered. It was then, and is now, the only effective first prayer.

"And he cried out..."(1 Chronicles 4:10)NKJV

The overwhelming sense that I draw from these four words is explained in my story about the chasm. The moment that you reach that point of utter hopelessness, when you are all danced out-when the air is so thick you can barely breathe it--and then, with the very last breath you will ever breathe in this life, that is the moment you will cry out.

And if you have ever done it, there is no doubt in your mind that what I am saying to you is true. If you are reading these words, and you have no personal knowledge of this moment I am describing, then I would truly suggest to you that you are on the wrong side of the chasm. That is not for me to know. That IS for you to know.

I can testify to you, with all that is within me, there is such a moment. And, there is that same moment, no matter how you get there, or what you bring with you, for you, too.

If you can relate to my friend, sitting by the abyss, and have felt the rushing, mighty wind of God clamoring out of Heaven in His Chariot of fire, just to reach you, then you are probably safely across the chasm. The truths of our focus verses will not only make sense to you, but you will find them worthy of your study.

When you are safely across the chasm, it then, and only then, becomes possible to fully enjoy the handiwork of God. Once you have entered into a covenant relationship with him, He alone opens up the storehouse of Heaven to bestow His gracious, and un-ending mercies down upon you.

We really need to understand the basics here. First, you are alone. Many, many live their entire lives alone, and die truly alone. I am not talking about family, and friends, and lives, and stuff. I am convinced that, if you are on the Genesis 1:1 side of the chasm, you are as alone as alone can be. To dance your life completely away is the saddest statement of a life that can ever be given. And, every moment you are dancing, you are saying "No!" to God. Every single instance which leaves you without God, you are! I know that people live their entire lives dancing away their forever, but I must admit to you that I simply do not understand it. It is a simple formula, with a simple decision.

But, when you follow the commandment of God, the instructions of the ages, and the example of one simple man named Jabez, the possibilities are endless. When you get "the grand" tour, by the Creator Himself, verse by verse through the love story which He has specifically written just for you, you cannot help but get a real sense of the love He has for you.

All of Heaven's treasures are submitted for the approval of the King of Creation. He smiles, full of His love, and puts His stamp of approval on the requistion. Then, the Son of the Most High God steps up, and marks it "Paid In Full". Finally, the Holy Spirit packs up the incredible gifts of Heaven, and delivers them, in person. Blessing upon immeasurable blessing comes to you in the most incredible parade ever assembled. Spiritual Blessings that keep you safely beside the Father. Physical Blessings of health, vim, vigor, and vitality rain down upon you at the pleasure of the Father. Emotional Blessings to keep your mind and heart on those things of the Father abide within you. Financial Blessings to keep Ole Clubfoot at bay, leaving you no reason for fear, or doubt--these amazing blessings are all around you.

Spiritual Blessings. Personal Blessings. Emotional Blessings. Physical Blessings. Financial Blessings.

Or, nothing.

What God measures, in each of His Children, is the heart. To the child of God, the expectation of Blessing just never exists. To the child of God, it is always about Him. Your heart is a never-ending song given only to the Praise and Adoration of the Father. Your relationship with Him is a never-ending song.

That does not mean that the life of us, as Dad's kids, is easier, or softer. In fact, it is most often quite the opposite. As badly as God needs us, we need Him even moreso. We live, as all of his kids have lived, in a hostile world. This is the world of Satan. And, believe me when I say to you that "Ole Ugly" is always on the hunt. Every time you are Blessed, He is slapped. Every time you choose to glorify the God of Creation, he is shamed. Every time you are successful, he fails.

Life is not about "stuff". It is about relationship. And, from our focus verses for this lesson, we find some really remarkable truths.

God is on a relentless pursuit. He has devoted every ounce of what can be known about Him to that pursuit. And He will move Heaven, and Earth, to achieve His Purpose. There is no thing that God has that He will not give for this purpose. We are the object of that pursuit. It is His sole desire to be in right relationship with His kids. There is nothing, save our refusal, that will keep Him from coming to where we are, or bringing us to where He is. To be in relationship with God is the most amazing adventure imaginable. Every ounce of our energy, every beat of our heart, and every electron of our intellect should be fueling our heart toward Him.

God commands us to pray-to Him. To talk to Him, and sharing the every moment of our existence here with Him. He shows no shortage of availability-we do. God shows no shortage of resource-we do. God shows no slighting of Blessing. We do.

God even encourages us to pray to Him through our direct access, at any moment, to Him. The Mercy Seat is always available to us. God tells us that we can utilize our salvation in Christ Jesus as access to Him. The verses we are studying this week tell us that both Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit are on the job 24/7/365, interceding on our behalf to the Father. We even learn in the Scriptures this week that when we are full of the Holy Spirit till we are overflowing, we can (and certainly should) access Him, and all the favor of Heaven for our daily struggles here.

So, what's all this going on really about?

What you are is of no consequence to God, save that you are His. Who you are does not impress Him; whose you are does. What you have does not give you a superior position, as far as God is concerned. Everything you have that is worth counting not only comes from Him, but it belongs to Him as well. There is no good thing you have which does not flow directly into your world from the Blessings of God. You don't barter with God for what you want, you simply ask. But, you don't ask for "stuff", because God is offended when we use our unique position only for ourselves. You don't ask for finances, because those are within God's providence in the first place. Do you see the difference? It's imperative that you get this, because you could really get into trouble if you misunderstand.

God is not an ATM. He is the Creator of the Universe. When you are using God as an ATM, or a mail order catalogue, you offend Him. He promises us that every single need we have in this world is provided to us, by Him. The challenge is to see who is faster. Is it you, in your fervent heartsong? Or is it Dad, and His unfailing love? And, here, with the Scripture verses for this week, we see that we are even empowered, through a righteous heart, mind, and Spirit, to accelerate our petitions to Him. Jesus Christ submits our petitions to the Throne, as does the Holy Spirit. All prayer flows to God. All Blessings flow to His kids, from their Dad.

God will, from time to time, test us. He will use these tests to correct us when we jump off the path He has set for us. He does not hesitate to reprove us when the choices we make direct us away from Him. He will give us discipline when we forget that it is all about Him, and our personal relationship with Him alone that is of any substance in the forever of Eternity. And God will sometimes use a difficult situation to prepare us for even greater Blessings. Faith is a muscle, it needs use to stay fit. Sometimes, we notice the flab. Sometimes God does, and there are even times when Satan sees us getting soft in the faith. But, in our faith, we not only share the wonderful relationship, we grow it. Regardless of the circumstance which causes it, our faith is the living tesiment of our relationship.

I have learned a few things in this life. For instance, I have learned that there are (so far) six things God does not know. I will share them with you as we go along, and I encourage you to stay tuned.

I hope that you, as you have read this, have come to know perhaps a little better, or even for the very first time, the reality lived out by one simple man. Jabez had many different Gods, Idols, and beliefs available to him where he was. But, from all of them, to whom did he cry out?

He knew that there was only one. I believe that, regardless of what caused it, he somehow found himself looking at the edge from the Genesis chasm. We are never told which side of the chasm Jabez stood as he was, most assuredly, staring into the pit. But, we do know what he did about it. We find it in the very first phrase of his little prayer.

"And Jabez called on the God of Israel..." 1 Chronicles 4:10(a) NKJV.

This IS effective prayer. The Scripture tells us that this is the only effective prayer. If we do not first call upon Him, there is no reason to believe that any good thing will come from our petitions. To tell Him that we love Him is to call upon Him, and Him alone. May you find yourself not only able, but willing to do the same.




May you be blessed, Indeed!

Unohu