What I Want to Remember

“Lord I have heard of Your fame;

I stand in awe of Your deeds, O Lord.

Renew them in our day,

In our time make them known;

In wrath remember mercy.”  Habakkuk 3:2

As I’ve mentioned already, I’m going through Beth Moore’s study on Believing God.  It’s my third time- either I’m a really slow learner or this study and His Word are so rich and deep they must be revisited and digested over time.  I prefer to believe the latter ;)  


Anyway, I just watched the Week 3 session, which focuses on Believing God Can Do What He Says He Can Do.  The session was brimming with wonderful expository teaching on this topic.  What penetrated my heart most, and what I want to share and remember, was Beth’s teaching on how to discern the difference between what we can request from God based on His Word and what we can claim. 

God’s Word is clear.  If we have the right heart, we can go before God with boldness and make any request of Him.  

"Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need."  Hebrews 4:16

And He is able to do anything- He is the God who performs miracles!  

However, there are certain things that we can claim as ours based on the Word of God.  Please understand that I do not practice a "name it and claim it" theology, neither does Beth espouse one!  What she is suggesting is that we, as New Covenant believers in Christ, have been given promises from God meant for us that we can and should claim!   

In order to know what we can claim, we need to know what God has promised us through His Word.  Then we must pray in faith, believing God can do what He says He can do, and ask Him to fulfill His promises.  And then wait expectantly for the answer.  Beth delineates a cycle of unbelief that often cheats us of the promises of God before we even ask.  She discusses how we see little (in terms of the miraculous from God) so we believe little.  And because we believe little, we see little.  God desires faith- an active, continual believing.  In response, He will act in our lives!  


Now, here's the part I want to remember- need to remember- now and when the storms come. We've established that we can ask for anything from God and we can claim those promises that were given to us under the New Covenant from His Word.  If we want to see God move, we must pray in faith.  Under these conditions, we will see much affirmatively answered prayer.  But, in this life we will have trouble- we will probably not see every prayer answered in the affirmative.  In our lives and circles, we will see marriages broken, loved ones sick and dying, financial ruin, etc.  


But when we have prayed in faith, according to His Word, and we do not get the response we requested, we can rest in this- God is still working!  We, as New Covenant believers, can rest in the truth that God will work first on those things He has promised to us in the New Covenant, whose glories far surpass the Old.    So, what does He prioritize in the New Covenant?  The internal.  He will work first on that which will purify us.  

"Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal."  2 Corinthians 4:16-18

I don't know about you but that just makes my heart sing!  I can ask anything, I can claim the promises meant for me and I can rest in the knowledge that He hears it all.  And He will give His answer in the light of His objective- to purify our hearts and makes us more like Jesus!  


That just gives me such freedom- freedom to ask, to claim, to believe, to wait in expectation!  How about you?