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Many times, I have heard people say, “I have prayed and prayed, but nothing seemed to happen!”. They are expressing their honest frustration at the apparent lack of results – and that’s okay. If we are honest, we have been there before, we know how that feels, and it is okay to express those feelings. God is not upset when people share their heart, in-fact He would much rather have open honestly than religious pretense.
When I have talked with these people sharing these feelings, we eventually get down to one main thing though, and that is the place they are in. And most are shocked when I mention this… because they don’t expect it… they don’t see it coming. You see, people have all sorts of places that they actually are in every single day. We really should only have one, but we have many, and the scriptures have something to say about it, in regards to faith and prayer in Christ; and what it says, may surprise you.
Now, as I said, we have many places that we are in, every single day – and please understand that I am speaking in the realm of the soul here, not physical places, like home or on the job, but places of the soul (your mind and emotions). When we pray, we could be in any number of places: most often when praying for sick people, we are in the place of fear and uncertainty. I have seen it plenty of times in prayer groups… someone would ask for prayer for a headache or back-pain or a cold, and we would pray like it was no problem at all. Then the next person would ask for prayer for a friend who just received a diagnosis of cancer, and a gasp, followed by a chilled-hush would come over the entire group… and when that happens, we are really in the place of fear. That should not be. As far as Jesus is concerned, cancer is no greater foe than a common cold; but we see cancer as an unstoppable force because we receive all of these reports about this person dying and that person dying and we’ve developed a worldly mindset that cancer is greater than God, and so when someone mentions it, we feel as though we have to “pray really hard” (whatever that means) and what we are really saying is that we are intimidated and taken-aback by the great goliath known as cancer, and we are frightened by it instead of recognizing that it bows to the Name of Jesus and is crushed by the power of His Spirit of Life!
I have also seen people pray from a place of anger and frustration. I have had people express to me the situation that a certain person or people were behaving really “ungodly” and they wanted God to “handle that situation” (again whatever that means) and they were upset that nothing seemed to be happening. As I said, it’s okay to feel that way, and it’s okay to vent some frustration… but it’s all wasted energy if we don’t figure out exactly why nothing seems to be happening and actually solve the root problem. I have seen people just generally angry at situations in life, and they cry out to God in anger, wondering why nothing seems to get better. All of these examples have one thing in common… they are all typically approached from the wrong place.
As I said in the opening, we really only have one place to be in; but we typically find ourselves in many other places everyday. The one place for us to be is in Christ. You see, if we are in Christ, there is no room for fear. If we are in Christ, there is absolute peace and certainty. If we are in Christ, there is no frustration or anger related to perceived failures. There is only love.
Now why is this important? Do you think I just made-up some kind of rule so that I could pick on people? Not at all! This in-fact has nothing at all to do with rules! This does have everything to do with your identity in Christ! Take a look at Galatians 5:6:
“For in Jesus Christ neither circumcision avails any thing, nor uncircumcision; but faith which works by love.”
There is a whole lot of stuff packed tightly into this one verse of scripture. First we have the location; we have the place in Jesus Christ. Remember, all of this has to do with your new identity in Him. This doesn’t apply if you are still in yourself… this isn’t something that you can conjure up in yourself, or try to work at and “do the best that you can”. That’s a stumbling block for a lot of people – because many people are religiously brainwashed instead of properly established in Christ! They are more focused on their behavior, and improving their works and performance, instead of resting in the perfect performance of Jesus in their place. I am absolute not teaching performance! The Bible doesn’t teach performance – it teaches person-hood, it teaches identity; and that is the focus here.
In Christ, notice the verse, in Christ neither circumcision nor uncircumcision avails anything. Now as we know, the circumsicion, represents the Jews, and the covenant of the Law,, Paul here who was a Hebrew and a Pharisee, you would think he would take advantage of the great opportunity to teach the Law of Moses; but no. Why? Because He found the greater Law, He found the Higher Law. Not the Law of Moses, but the Law of the Spirit of Life in Christ Jesus (Romans 8:2).
In-fact this former Pharisee readily admits that the circumcision avails nothing. The Old Law, the old method, the old traditions, mindsets and ways of doing things does not profit. So we plainly see that this is not about the works, performance or behaviors of man.
He then goes on to say, that also uncircumcision (representing Gentiles, those without the Law of Moses and outside of covenant) also avails nothing. This is because it is just as pointless and destructive to be without God, than to be in an old and done-away-with covenant that was no longer in-effect. Both do not profit anything. We know that Jesus not only finished the Old Covenant of the Law of Moses, but also entered us into a New and Better Covenant with better promises based on His atonement in our place on the cross (Hebrews 8:6-7). So the solution is not to completely abandon all Law and Covenant, but to be established on the correct Law of the Spirit of Life, and founded on the New Covenant of Grace in Christ Jesus.
With that understanding, we can then proceed to the last part of the verse of Galatians 5:6… faith which works by love. This is the only thing which avails, and as I said earlier, this is not something that man can produce, this is not something for us to strive towards by our efforts, but this is something that can only be found in Christ.
This statement cannot be over-emphasized: faith works by love. Specifically, the love of God, because God is love. You see, when you are in Christ, you become a channel for His love, He is the source of divine love, and you become a vessel by which that love permeates your entire being and spills out to everyone else that you come across. This happens because you are actually one with Christ in your new nature. As Paul writes earlier in Galatians 2:20:
“I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ lives in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.”
You actually take on the life and nature of Jesus, which is pure divine love. You’re not living as yourself any more! You are living as Jesus. And this changes everything, including the place that you pray in.
Whereas before, you would encounter a sickness and be afraid, you now live the reality of 1st John 4:18, there is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear. You are able to righteously (with the righteousness of Jesus) and the perfect love of God almighty, see that sick person the way that God sees them. Jesus was able to touch a leper and cleanse him. He wasn’t afraid of catching the leprosy… in-fact the leper caught what Jesus had! Divine-health and perfect love!
Jesus saw a man with a withered hand, and didn’t say “Gee, that’s too bad! Oh well, be happy and make the most of it!” – No! He saw the man with His perfect love and saw the result, and said “Stretch out your hand!
Jesus saw a crippled man, and wasn’t intimidated by the infirmity. He didn’t draw-back and say, “maybe my Father has some reason for this handicap to teach a divine lesson.” – No! The only lesson here was to show the complete love and healing of God to break the bondage’s of sicknesses and the chains of infirmity because He loves His creation!
Today, when you encounter lost people behaving as lost people, it should not be a surprise! It also shouldn’t be a reason to become bitter, angry, defensive, hurt or resentful. Instead, in Christ, you can look at them and see exactly what God sees, a lost and hurting person, with eternal value and worth because Jesus paid an eternal price for them beyond our human ability to calculate. And so many people, including most pastors today, try to convict and condemn people for their behaviors, rather than convince them of the truth in Christ and help them to see that God loves them and they can be free of their oppression; but now in Christ, you can.
So instead of becoming hurt and introspective and “Why me?” and “how dare you treat me that way!”, you can instead flow with the perfect grace and love of Jesus, because His identity is your identity and His Spirit is in you, and the life that you live is His life. You can say to that person, “Listen, I can see that you’re hurting, and I know things are tough right now, but I want you to know that you’re not alone, and that Jesus loves you. Would you mind if I pray with you?”
But Jim, I might look foolish! Whose view and perception are you concerned with? Because when you are in Christ and receiving His perfect love and living in His identity, you will not be dependent on other people for your identity and security and sense of worth. Your identity, your security, your sense of worth is entirely wrapped-up in Christ, what He has done and who you are in Him. Once you are free from other people, then you are free to love other people, without any strings, without any self, without any need.
When you look at a situation, you no longer see the lack, you see the fulfillment, because Jesus is the total fulfillment. He is the ultimate solution.
So I encourage you today, live always in your proper place of being in Christ, and pray in that place as well. This is your identity today in the Covenant of Grace in Christ Jesus. This is who you are,, and this is the place of total freedom.
Be blessed.
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