(He Needs Your Permission To Intervene)
TO THE BIBLE: Psalm 115:16 MSG
“The heaven of heavens is for GOD, but he put us in charge of the earth.”
LET’S TALK
People sometimes ask questions like “Why can’t God just save everybody in the world, since He wants them saved? Why do we have to pray to Him to do what He wants? Can’t He stop all the pain and suffering people are going through?”
Maybe you’ve wondered about some of these questions yourself. Well, the truth is, God needs our permission to act in the earth. Though the earth always belonged to God, He leased it to Adam and gave him full authority over it.
In other words, He put the earth in Adam’s hands. And as long as that lease is on, God has no right, as it were, to intervene in the earth without man’s permission.
Now, when you study Genesis 3, you’ll see how satan came into the picture and how Adam committed treason against God and willingly sold his right to the earth to satan. Thus, satan’s authority over the earth isn’t angelic but Adamic authority, and thus, God can’t intervene.
Understand this: if your dad leased his landed property for a year, for example, he can’t encroach on it within that period, even though it’s his. He’d be trespassing if he did. He can only reclaim it when the lease runs out after one year.
Now, though God sent a second Adam—Jesus Christ—to defeat satan and set up a spiritual kingdom, man’s lease on the earth is still running. This is why you pray and act by faith to appropriate the blessings that God has already given to you.
He can’t just step in “uninvited”; He needs your permission to intervene on your behalf because this is your world.
So, every time you pray, understand how important it is, because you’re making it legally possible for God to intervene in some ways that He wouldn’t have, had you not prayed.
Go Deeper
Psalm 107:6; 2 Chronicles 14:11-12
Pray:
Dear Father, thank you for the privilege of prayer, which avails me the opportunity to effect changes in my world from the realm of the spirit. I depend completely on you, trusting your power and miraculous intervention in different situations and circumstances for which I pray, in Jesus’ Name. Amen.
Daily Bible Reading
ONE YEAR
Colossians 1:1-23, Isaiah 25-26
TWO YEAR
John 4:19-29, 1 Kings 13
Act:
What’s that situation in which you need God’s intervention today? It’s time to pray and get Him involved.