God put you here, right now, in order to be a blessing for the people out there. That is your mission! But so often, we get tangled up in the how and the when of that blessing. We start worrying about the results, judging our progress, and frankly, judging God's speed. We need a perspective check on what our true job is in the Kingdom.
In the Bible in a Year, we are in 1 Corinthians. The Apostle Paul gives us that check in his letter to the church at Corinth. Let's see what he has to say about how we should operate. 1 Corinthians 4:1-5 "This, then, is how you ought to regard us: as servants of Christ and as those entrusted with the mysteries God has revealed. Now it is required that those who have been given a trust must prove faithful. I care very little if I am judged by you or by any human court; indeed, I do not even judge myself. My conscience is clear, but that does not make me innocent. It is the Lord who judges me. Therefore judge nothing before the appointed time; wait until the Lord comes. He will bring to light what is hidden in darkness and will expose the motives of the heart. At that time each will receive their praise from God."
Look at verses 1 and 2 again. Paul says we are just two things: Servants of Christ and Stewards of God's mysteries.
You are managing the most valuable thing in the universe: the mysteries God has revealed, which include the power of prayer and the Holy Spirit! And look at that clear requirement in verse two: "Now it is required that those who have been given a trust must prove faithful." That's it! There is no requirement to be a spiritual hero. There is no requirement to see immediate change. The only requirement God places on you is faithfulness.
Here's why this matters so much to our prayer time: Judgment is the enemy of faithfulness. When we judge, we get stuck. We look at a tough situation-maybe a family member hasn't changed, or a medical situation looks grim-and we are judging the lack of results. We start to judge ourselves: "My prayers aren't powerful enough. I'm not doing this right."
But Paul gives us the release in verses 3 and 5: "I care very little if I am judged by you or by any human court; even I don't judge myself... judge nothing before the appointed time." The job of judge belongs to the Lord. He sees the hidden things, He knows the perfect timing, and He knows the motives of the heart. We have to stop trying to do God's part. The minute we choose to stop judging and simply commit to being faithful in prayer, we gain an incredible spiritual freedom. It frees us up to fully embrace our calling: God put you here, right now, in order to be a blessing for the people out there. Your faithfulness is the blessing!
And Jesus gives us the perfect example. He is the only one who was perfectly faithful. He didn't judge the unfairness of the cross. He simply fixed His eyes on the mission the Father entrusted Him with, and He was faithful to complete it. Because He was faithful, we have access to this incredible power! We don't pray for victory; we pray from the victory Christ already won. Our prayer is simply an act of showing up in obedience to the Faithful One.
So, as we head into our individual prayer time, let's choose faithfulness over judgment. Ask the Lord, "Am I judging the lack of immediate results, or am I being faithful with the time and trust you gave me?" Lay down the need to see the whole blueprint and surrender to the simple call: Be faithful.
As you pray for Others: Ask God to give them the Spirit of Faithfulness this week. Pray that they would refuse to judge themselves, their situation, or God's timing. That they would rest in the peace and patience that comes from faithfulness.
God put you here, right now, in order to be a blessing for the people out there. Let's be faithful.