... And God said, "Pray!"

It’s an interesting fact, and it works in other situations too, like when riding a bike, or when walking. Your body just naturally tends to go the direction your eyes are looking.

Motorcyclists are taught to make turns by looking through the turn, focusing on a far distance down the street they want to turn down, because if they focus on that small spot at the corner, the place where they plan to start into the turn, they will literally slow to the point of stopping.

The body naturally responds by following the direction of the eyes; if the eyes are focused downward, as the bike reaches that spot, the rider slows in reaction, loses momentum, and often loses control of the bike. By staring downward, they have succeeded in grinding themselves to a halt.

There are a lot of things wrong with the world, you know? But like when driving a car, if we allow ourselves to focus on the problem and not on the solution, we will end up heading straight to where we’re looking.

God gives us the answer, just like they did in driver’s ed: Look where you want to go.

In looking to Jesus as our example, we see Him focusing on the solution, not on the problem. He had (in fact He was) the answer to every question:

Some of the eastern religions have attempted to find peace by teaching their followers to give up all desires. The reasoning is fairly simple: if you never want anything, then you'll never be disappointed.

That isn't God's way, though. He never told us to give up our desires or hopes or dreams; only to keep them in line: make them good desires, Godly hopes, righteous dreams.

God didn’t speak of the darkness in Genesis. He spoke light, the solution. And we are told to do the same thing, calling those things that are not as though they are.

God is always progressive and doesn’t get bogged down in the small details, doesn’t grind to a halt staring at that spot on the road where He intends to make a change. He is always urging us on, calling us to higher things, a more quality life, spiritual growth, and victory in proclaiming His freedom through Christ.

Paul knew about getting stuck in the past, I believe; he talked of continuing to go forward, throwing off the mistakes of the past, and working to keep going forward, toward the goal, the solution:

But it’s hard. It’s hard to get your eyes off that one spot in the road, that one problem, especially if you have a tendency to spot problems, like I do.

One day last spring I saw something that really bothered me. I was ruminating over it, trying to figure out what to do, whether to go back and confront the situation, call someone, or just let the thing eat away at me; another injustice in a big unjust world.

Later in prayer, I was telling God about it, more or less just pointing a spotlight at all the problems in the world, whining in general, saying something like “Do you see what they’re doing here?” I had worked myself up into a righteous state of indignation while still managing to keep myself helpless as to how to fix the situation. I was whining, griping, fault-finding, criticizing, telling Him what was wrong, how it bothered me, asking how long the problems would continue, etc... Completely non-constructive complaining.

Like the Israelites crying that they were going to die in the desert, I had forgotten to ask for a solution (ie: God, please give us water and food) and instead had focused all my energies on the problem, on the effects the violence in the world was having on me, on the injustice of others, of everything negative. I had forgotten to look through the problem to the solution. I had forgotten to look UP. I had gotten my eyes off of God and was instead grinding myself to a stop by staring at, whining about, and magnifying the problem.

And right in the middle of my whining He spoke to me, jarring me out of my tunnel-vision, pulling me out of the darkness and my focus on the problem by shining a lovely white light on the solution; He gave me the answer:

"Work on My behalf here. Pray for Me to change the situation. Speak My words into being in this situation. Cast out the demons who are using people to cause violence and darkness. You are My agent in this world. Use what I’ve given you. Call change and light and love into being.

Don’t try to do it yourself, physically; it’s not a physical problem. What you’re seeing is evidence of a spiritual problem: symptoms of Satan at work in this world. Use spiritual weapons to overcome him and the symptoms will go away.

Speak My Word! Speak life into death. Speak light into darkness and darkness is overcome. I have given you the keys. Pray to me for help and speak My words in faith -- I WILL bring them to pass. You are not helpless or hopeless. All of heaven is on your side. Believe!"

He reminded me that His grace covers sin; that we have been appointed as Christ’s Ambassadors here, that He gave us the authority to overcome every evil, that Jesus said He had given us the keys to the kingdom and whatever we bind is bound and whatever we loose is loosed. As when He gave Ezekiel the power to prophesy to the dry bones, He told us to act on His behalf, as His agents, and that He would fulfill His words to us, bringing them to pass. He reminded me that we aren’t fighting against flesh and blood and what we can see; we’re fighting spiritual problems and we need to use His spiritual weapons. We are not helpless or hopeless; all of His angels are ministering spirits to us, His heirs! And most important of all, He reminded me that He has given us the victory through Jesus. We win!

We have been given a great gift: communion with the Creator of the universe by simply speaking in faith. Far from empty words or vain breath, it is power to accomplish His will in this world.

Jesus commanded the storm to cease, saying “Peace, be still.” In this example, Elijah - a man as we are - was given a similar ability. Both were able to command nature. Such is the power of prayer.

Since that day last year, I have learned to call on the power of God in every situation of my life. If I slip up and find myself looking at the problem, staring at the situation and seeing no way out, I remember to call upon the saving grace of Jesus, available for the asking. It works for me and it will work for everyone who asks in faith.

Through prayer we have access to the power of Almighty God who simply says: "What do you want Me to do for you?"

John 5:6 ESV

When Jesus saw him lying there and knew that he had already been there a long time, he said to him,

"Do you want to be healed?"