It’s Clear – Confusion is Gone
How merciful God is towards us – towards me! So many times I have allowed myself to be pulled back into the familiar place of confusion with all its unrest; yet, He lovingly leads me back to the place I belong in Him, where there is peace and order and clarity. My prayer is that as you read this month’s Prayer Nuggets, you will see how He is working to keep you in that same peace, order, and clarity.
I believe God put something in each one of us, when He created us, that is the north arrow, if you will, of our lives. Jesus Christ is certainly the compass of our lives, but there is a clear direction He puts in each of us. This north arrow, as I see it, supports whatever His call is. For instance, one person is called to be an evangelist, but where they function with the most passion, where their heart really is focused, is in the inner city; while another aches for the lost in India. These two evangelists with the same call have two very different, but God-given, directions in following the call. They will gladly share the gospel with people wherever they are, yet their hearts are always pulling them toward those in the inner city, or those in India. This is what I call the north arrow. The arrow in a natural compass always points north, no matter in which direction it faces. It is the same with the call to pray.
My God-given passion, my north arrow, is to help the body of Christ grow up and look like the church in the Bible, living in the fullness of what Jesus has already done for us, so that non-believers will be hungry for Christ. I can be in the midst of praying for souls, but the Spirit leads me to pray for the body of Christ to shine forth His glory so those lost souls will see their need of the Savior. I can pray for the United States or any other nation, and my north arrow guides me to 2 Chronicles 7:14, for the people of God to humble ourselves and pray and seek His face and turn from our wicked ways so that God will hear from heaven and forgive our sin and heal our land. If I pray for believers who are facing persecution, time and again I cry out for them to take their rightful position of authority in Christ, doing the battle in the spirit realm first, in taking back their land for Christ from all the spirits of darkness that now hold it in bondage. What about you? What is your north arrow in prayer? Perhaps you always are drawn to pray for our authorities, a particular people group, souls, or your neighbors. Maybe your north arrow is strictly to pray whatever God’s direction is for you that day, which could take you in any direction in prayer.
If I know so certainly the north arrow that God has given me, undergirding all that I do in prayer, how did I get into confusion? I had begun to look around again at all the natural issues that need prayer. There are so many critical issues in need of strong intercession for God’s plans to be accomplished on the earth in these last days. When a ministry with a different north arrow than mine sent out an alert to pray about this or that, rather than just agreeing in prayer with them, I tried to take on the burden myself, and it became increasingly heavy for me. Confusion entered, and the effectiveness of my prayers decreased. I had no focus. Like the man in James 1:8, I was double-minded and all parts of my life were becoming unstable!
Finally, it occurred to me to ask the Lord for His wisdom for my prayer life. What exactly was it He wanted me to pray about? What He spoke to my heart was a part of Ephesians 6:18: ”be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints.” He went on to say, as I wrote in my journal, “I have never changed your call, Kay. It is for the body of Christ. The confusion has come as you’ve tried to take on the burdens I have given others. Certainly, you can pray with others for those issues and burdens, but they are not yours to take on. You are not single-focused, but the main pull I placed in you (Yes, I placed it in you!) is for the body of Christ. That’s why you always see that aspect in the midst of all the other issues you pray about. You don’t make it up. It helps make you up. It is in your make-up, because I made you that way. Clarity, Kay. No more confusion!”
How I rejoiced to hear those few words, for they brought such clarity! With His Word, He brought me back where I belong, where He created me to be – praying for the body of Christ. The confusion left immediately, and I could see clearly once again. I quit trying to pray according to someone else’s north arrow, instead of the one He has in me. The peace has returned, and my prayers are much clearer and more effective now. I pray that you will hear the Spirit speak His Word to you today that will help you see the true north He has placed in you, so that you will walk free of confusion and with greater clarity of vision and purpose.
© Copyright 2008 Kay V. Stocking
