On the radio.....

......riding into work one day this week, on some religious station I dropped by to check out, I heard some Babylonian minister expounding on .... oh, well, never mind that... what he was expounding on is not my point.

But somewhere in his rattlings-- and, sorry, that was what it seemed like to me-- he made this statement:

God doesn't move in great ways because men get under a burden and pray. When God determines He is ready to do a work among men, HE moves on men to have a burden to pray. Then they pray and He moves.

I am not saying what the man said was right.
I'm not saying it was wrong.
But it reminded me of something.

This is a personal experience.

Many, many years ago I was helping someone out who cared for her aunt (who had Alzheimer's). From time to time, I would sit with this aunt so her niece could go do errands... or whatever.

I had agreed to sit with her one afternoon. I wasn't particularly engaged in any significant activity. I had already done what needed to be done with the lady. I remember that I was sitting in a recliner-- perhaps even reading. I'm not sure.

What I DO REMEMBER is that a GREAT BURDEN to go pray came upon me. It was so heavy it scared me. I had heard tales of instances where people were in danger and later they found out that someone had a very strong burden to pray for them at just the time they were in the dangerous situation. I thought that perhaps someone near and dear to me was in danger somewhere. But I really didn't KNOW that.

I REALLY HAD NO IDEA WHY I WAS TO PRAY....
I just knew I HAD TO PRAY.

The burden upon me was SO HEAVY.

I went to a back bedroom and fell down beside the bed and prayed for what I did not know. That burden stayed on me like that for perhaps an HOUR. Then it lifted. I got up not knowing if I'd ever know why I had that burden.

We were in revival.

That night we had an altar service and many got saved. Some of those who sought God that night are still saved today. It was in 1987.

It was a service that has been referred back to for many years.

My point is. I did NOT decide to pray for souls that afternoon. I just obeyed the Spirit of God and prayed and prayed and prayed until that burden lifted from me. I have told only a few people about that incident. I have no way of knowing how many other people God may have burdened that afternoon as well.

But when I heard that man make the point that God will burden people to pray when He is ready to do a work, I remembered that afternoon and that night.

My attitude is: God, I want to keep myself in a spiritual position that You are free to burden me to pray when You are ready to do a work.

That means that every situation of life I face, I must stay submitted to God's will and to doing things God's way--even when it flies in the face of how I'd like things to be. It means I must not be earth bound or so busy I can't turn loose of [whatever] and go pray.

On the subject of moves of God: A few years back there was a lot of talk about "a great revival". Of course, we'd all like to see a great revival. But as I meditated on it back then, I felt God witnessed to be how to handle that thought.

He gave me two commands.
1. Be righteous.
2. Be ready.

That's the points in brief.

Elaborated on, it was this.
1. Maintain your own salvation. Keep it up to date. Defeat the devil in WHATEVER way he comes against you. Be righteous. I cannot use you if you are not righteous.
2. "Be ready always to give a reason for the hope that lieth within you". In other words, have a burden for souls to the extent that when a door is opened for you to share truth, you care enough for their lives and their eternal destiny that you take advantage of that opportunity.

I rested on that and I committed "the great revival" into God's hands.
As for me, I strive to be sure I'm always in a position spiritually that I can take advantage of whatever chances come up to reach out to souls.