Parallel
Equivalent, resembling, comparable, side- by-side, like, aligned; these are all words that come to mind when you hear the word parallel. Prayer makes us parallel to the will of God. It bends our thoughts, emotions, habits and heart to resemble Jesus Christ. When we abide in prayer, it enables us to walk in the same way in which Jesus walked. Prayer expresses our complete dependence on God. It is a continuous fellowship: a side-by-side, never-ending talk with God. Ultimately, prayer is having a conversation with God. It is not a one-way conversation nor is it time for us to perfect our petitions to Him. Praying to God is a personal adventure.
The Adventure of Prayer
Prayer is also an unfamiliar and exciting experience with God. We often times miss the excitement in the adventure because the experience is unfamiliar. We tend to pull back from the edge of a precipice because we are certain that death awaits us at the bottom of the ocean gorge. The possibilities of the unknown is terrifying. Familiarity is what keeps our feet grounded in faith. When it comes to certain areas in our lives (where we have history with God), we tend to have marvellous faith. But when it comes to that one specific part of our life (the part that we have to micromanage) we tend to ask God to give us a “sign”. It is not a bad thing to ask God for a sign, the thing is signs are never enough.
God told Gideon twice, that He would lead him into battle against the Midianites and make him victorious (Judges 6:14,16). Nonetheless, Gideon had a hard time believing because he had become familiar with experiencing defeat. At this point, he just needed a sign (Judges 6:18). So, the angel of the Lord gave him a sign (Judges 6:21) but it still was not enough. He asked God for another sign and God gave him a sign (Judges 6:38). But he was still not convinced, so he asked God for another sign…a super miracle! God gave him a sign once more (Judges 6:40). Gideon was so stimulated by the signs that he missed the joy in the adventure. The problem was not that Gideon was faithless, but rather that he was so unfamiliar with victory that he became fearful.
When God takes us on an adventure, He is not opposed to us asking, “are we there yet?” He is gracious, and full of compassion; slow to anger and of great mercy (Psalm 145:8). Asking God for a sign is like saying His word is not enough – “God if you make this happen then I will believe” or, “If You do this at x time on y date, then I will believe.” God can give you a million signs but which is better: to believe God when he says “I am with you” or to say to God “show me that you are with me.” The Apostle Thomas did not lack faith in Jesus Christ but he doubted the experience of the other ten disciples because it was unfamiliar to him. He was not there, so he needed a sign. God giving us a sign does not produce faith; faith is not seeing evidence (Hebrews 11:1). Trusting God compels us to take a leap of faith that will produce the evidence we need. How many signs does God have to give you before you are willing to go on an adventure with Him?
My Recent Adventure
Now this one is for the books. I called this adventure ‘Squid Games: Employment Edition.’ So my teammates and I were all invited to participate in a mandatory assessment. I later discovered that this assessment could cost me my livelihood. If I did not pass the assessment then I would be terminated (side note: we are still in a pandemic). Crippled with fear, I decided to ally with some of my teammates to try to survive this psychological torture. And even though none of us had a clue what we would be assessed on, the fact that we were all familiar with fear lead us to support each other mentally. We stayed up late studying everything that was under the sun and then some. As the day of the assessment drew closer, the ‘Front Man’ asked questions that were likely to come on the assessment. But no one knew the answers and it only revealed that all of our studying was in vain. I was extremely worried and stressed out. My chest ached and my mind was pounding.
The night before the assessment, I sat in my living room with the lights off staring into the darkness. I was becoming hopeless. I thought to myself, this is nothing like any of the other adventures I have been on with God. As the clock switched from PM to AM, I slowly felt the valley of the shallow of death closing in. I remember laying in my bed and telling God, “this is it, I am at the edge of a precipice and I do not know what to do.” I was ready to give up, but suddenly I remembered 2 Timothy 1:7 ‘For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.’ Then I remembered ‘…if ye shall say unto this mountain, Be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea; it shall be done.’ (Matthew 21:21). Then, I remembered ‘when I am weak, He is strong!’ (2 Corinthians 12:10). I leaped to my feet got on my knees and started praying. I asked God with all the little faith I had left, to show me the questions for the assessment. He sent me to good old Google and gave me the specific words to enter. The first link took me to an assessment, which I sent to my colleagues.
After completing the assessment, I failed miserably, and the email I received did not give me the correct answers. Since it was a multiple-choice test, I would have to do the assessment at least three times to get the correct answers. It was 3 AM (day of the assessment) but I refused to listen to the little voice in my head telling me this grade is a prediction of my future. I did the assessment a third time, quickly memorized the answers and went to bed. I woke up hopeful. An hour before the assessment a heavy wind of stress blew right in my direction. I started praying outside of the office building and I kid you not, at the same time, the Bible App verse of the day notification popped up on my phone (on Friday, December 3, 2021). It read, “Pour out all your worries and stress upon him and leave them there, for he always tenderly cares for you.” (1 Peter 5:7). When I stepped into the room, turned over the paper, once again, I kid you not! The questions were the same as the assessment I did at 3AM that morning. I looked up and said Thank You, Lord. Now, that my friend, is The Parallel Adventure of Prayer.
Even though, the point of me telling my story is to share my adventure, I do want you to know that the adventure lead me to a big promotion at the company.
Prayer
Almighty God in Heaven, thank you for being the faithful Father who tenderly cares for your children. In every adventure, you equip us with all we need. And no matter how difficult things get, Your Love will always carry us. As we venture into this New Year with you, may you take us on mind-blowing adventures. May the unfamiliar experiences lead us to an outpouring of your favour and blessings. In Jesus’ name. Amen.
I am a movie lover, an artist at heart and a lover of Jesus Christ. I strongly believe in service above self – as this is the only life worth living. I tend to naturally inspire compassion, kindness and beauty wherever I go. I am blessed with the ability to see the spark of potential in everything and everyone, and to inspire others to see it too. I am driven with a rare spirit of generosity and a great strength of conviction to guide people to the love of Jesus Christ. One of the ways I do this is through social media @Biblelockets (IG). My favorite Bible verse is John 3:16, as it reminds me of how much God loves me.
1 COMMENT
Shanique
3 years agoWow, sound words. May the Lord continue to inspire you??