This week, I have more of an interesting testimony to share than a really 'teachy' post, but I think it's worth bringing attention to it because it highlights the real power of prayer. Recently, my family and I were invited to visit the home of a family of another faith. I smelled burning incense the moment I walked through the door, but I didn't really think about why (plenty of people burn incense or candles to make their air smell nice). That is, I didn't think about it until I sat down on the far side of the room and realized I'd chosen a seat next to a shrine. In the corner of the room, there were some idols and incense burning in front of it. (This particular religion believes in literal idols...I'm talking statues and photographs of statues that they actually worship.)
Oh boy, I thought. I would have to pick this seat. Although I know the Spirit who lives in me is greater than any other, I generally try to avoid unnecessarily tangling with the demonic. Unless you're called to that type of ministry (and there are people who are, and if you are, thank you), I figure it's not wise to borrow trouble. My next thought was to wonder what a follower of Christ should do if they encounter a literal idol set up in someone's home. I mean...in modern western culture, we just don't run into physical idols all that much, so I hadn't ever really given it any thought. For whatever reason, the answer that popped into my head was to pray in tongues. Thinking back on it, I'm not sure why that answer came to mind; my conclusion is that it must have been the Holy Spirit given what happened next. I prayed briefly in tongues under my breath - as usual, I had no idea what I said (interpretation of tongues is rarely a gift I operate in), but I know God knew and was guiding my tongue to speak the words He wanted me to say. At any rate, I didn't pray long - maybe ten or fifteen seconds; thirty at the longest. After a minute, I became aware that the overpoweringly pungent smell of incense had dissipated a little. Since I was sitting right next to it, I was very aware of how strong it smelled. I let my eyes slide in the direction of the shrine out of curiosity. The incense candle had sputtered and gone out. I instantly knew there was a connection between my brief prayer and the candle suddenly being snuffed out. It's not that I ever especially doubted that praying in tongues was powerful - I have developed a habit of praying in tongues when I'm in any kind of situation because I can feel the power of them. But I don't often get to see a direct, sudden, and very physical result so quickly. Sometimes, we need these reminders, especially when we're praying for a lot of things and not seeing a lot of fruit (yet!). I think this is especially true for people with the gift of faith, who pray and pray and pray with great faith but sometimes don't see what they're praying for very quickly. They might even be close to the only person believing for that thing anymore, but because t hey have been given a gift to have faith, they're still trusting. It's just a good reminder when you're praying for big stuff that God cares about stuff you'd consider little too. It's also a good reminder that lesser power always bows to greater power. And since the power of the Almighty (read "All Mighty") lives inside of us, we shouldn't be surprised when the lesser power of the world bows to the greater power of God. Really, the devil is a puny little bully who looks big but is, in reality, small. Don't be intimidated by the enemy - fear God instead!
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Sarah GraceHi! I'm Sarah Grace, and I'm so glad you stopped by the Wings of Heaven blog! You can find short posts for easy reading or longer, more in-depth musings! I hope you're blessed! Archives
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