I Sought a Man/Woman
Jesus says in Matthew 6:9-10, “Pray like this: ‘Our Beloved Father, dwelling in the heavenly realms, may the glory of your name be the center on which our lives turn. Manifest your kingdom realm and cause your every purpose to be fulfilled on earth, just as it is in heaven.”
If you ever want to know what to pray Jesus gives us clear instructions in Matthew 6. He starts out with our Beloved Father. In the original language Jesus spoke in Aramaic which is actually Abba. It means Dada. Every word He says has the purpose of redemption. He tells them to say Abba to redeem how they see Yahweh. In those days people were so afraid of Him they wouldn’t even say His name. Just like today some people refer to Him as the “Man upstairs” or the “Eye in the Sky” or maybe you mostly hear “Heavenly Father.” He is our heavenly Father, but that language makes Him seem so far away. Jesus is saying it is more intimate than that. Abba- Dada is a very intimate word. This is the relationship he is calling us into.
Maybe you’re struggling with calling Him Abba because this is new for you. That’s ok. He is so loving and kind He will meet you right where you are and love you closer and closer to the position of sitting in His lap leaning your head on His chest just like a child being held by its father.
“May the glory of your name be the center of our lives.” We know His glory is His goodness. When our lives are truly centered on Him, we see His goodness in every area and so will those around us. Pastor Tim made a statement Sunday that is very powerful. “I will not manipulate people when He’s as good as He is.”
We do not need to manipulate people into loving Jesus IF our lives really display His goodness. Total transformation doesn’t happen overnight, but it starts with how we see the things of the Kingdom. If you believe we are being rescued from this dark world every decision you make and how you raise your children will be based off of that belief. Jesus is telling us something to pray for: on earth as it is in heaven. We MUST line our belief with what Jesus is saying is possible.
This is our vision at The Wilderness Place. On Earth as it is in Heaven. How do we begin to see this transpire? It starts with intimacy with Jesus and living life from Him being the center. Ephesians 4 tells us IF we really know Jesus it shows up in our lives. Let’s get a bit more specific. It shows up in our marriage, it shows up in our family, it shows up in our workplace. Take a moment to think about your life right now and the areas mentioned. Can you say with certainty I see Jesus (peace, order, honor, gentleness, kindness, etc.) in every area? Every one of us have areas we can say, “no, this area here, I control.” Honesty is the first step.
Did you know Mississippi has the highest number of people who confess to be believers (Christians) in the US? This is disheartening. Why? We are ranked at the bottom of all the things that matter. According to US News, Mississippi is #35 in education, #50 in economy, #50 in healthcare and #50 in the nation for family and community. Which means we have a high percentage of single parent homes, high teen birth rates and children living in high poverty areas. THIS HAS TO CHANGE! This is NOT the heart of Abba! He has solutions for every area, but He needs Beloved Sons and Daughters who are willing to stand on the wall and in the gap to hear His voice. Ezekiel 22, “I looked for someone who might rebuild the wall of righteousness that guards the land. I searched for someone to stand in the gap in the wall so I wouldn’t have to destroy the land, but I found no one.”
It is not his heart to destroy. He set His beloved ones filled with His Spirit to rule and reign over the earth, but we fell for a delusion of being rescued from a dying world, so we got off the wall and destruction came. His heart is to rule and reign through His children on the earth. We refuse to continue to be ok with these statistics in Mississippi. Our children and grandchildren and thousands of generations to come deserve better.
Today you get to choose to stand on the wall and put Him as the center of your life. Wait for His voice to tell you what to do. This takes surrendering your agenda. We can and will see Mississippi become the place to raise a family. The place that truly host His presence and displays the real image of Jesus.
On Earth as it is in Heaven!
