Then they cried to the Lord in their trouble, and he delivered them from their distress. He sent out his word and healed them, and delivered to them from destruction” Psalm 107:19-20 ESV.
As we began reading the Book of Mark for HEARTstrong, I first read a little about this book. I think it’s because I really don’t know much about Mark. Matthew, I know as the tax collector, Luke was the great doctor and John a faithful disciple who followed Jesus closely and wrote so much, right up to his isolation on Patmos as he wrote the Book of Revelation. So now I know a little more about Mark, and I felt God speak to me as I began to read Chapter 1.
I read how the Book of Mark uses the word “IMMEDIATELY” or “AT ONCE” 41 times in this book, showing a sense of SPEED and URGENCY and often when introducing a new incident or turn of events. The first is in Mark 1:10: “And when He came up out of the water, IMMEDIATELY he saw the heavens being torn open and the Spirit descending on Him like a dove.”
As I reread this, I felt the Lord pressing me to share this, not only for a sense of urgency in our lives but also throughout the world, in our prayer lives. My thoughts went to the question, “are we IMMEDIATELY” praying, bringing our struggles to God or are we spending time wallowing in them, allowing them to appear more significant than they really are and losing sight of how big God is compared to our struggle? Are we magnifying our circumstances and minimizing God?
So, as much as I’m guilty of wallowing in my struggle, I’m also a witness to how, in the blink of an eye, God can bring His light into my dark circumstances, joy into my sadness and clarity into my thinking. As I read that Mark used “immediately” at a turn of events, I thought of how quickly God can change our direction, thoughts, and hearts when we bring everything to Him without hesitation. In those moments, you know how real and how present our great God truly is.
I felt I was being led to Mark 1:3: “The voice of one crying in the wilderness: PREPARE the way of the Lord, make His paths straight.” I felt the Lord dropped the word “PREPARE” into my heart about two months before HEARTstrong. He is speaking of an URGENCY for us to PREPARE and PREPARE others and come IMMEDIATELY before His throne with our requests. He was also stirring in my heart the remembrance that Jesus died and was risen to PREPARE a place for us. The Lord was reminding me His death was an act of URGENCY, as we did not listen. And it was IMMEDIATELY. Although it doesn’t appear that way to us, it was just at the right time—God’s timing.
I sent this off to our Kanata Prayer Team Leader, Lindsay, who suggested I share it with the HEARTstrong and Kanata prayer warriors. The next day I heard back from Lindsay’s husband Corey, who had many wonderful comments and encouraging words. But one word really caught my attention…” RELEASE,” along with a comment, “a big part of that faith is to LET GO, know that you have prayed, know that God does hear your prayers….”
As my eyes were fixated on that one word, “RELEASE,” I had a wonderful vision….
GOD REACHING FOR OUR PRAYERS AS WE RELEASE THEM; He reads them like a book and listens to what we have breathed out…HE LISTENS TO OUR HEARTS.
I then immediately pictured how we reach for God’s Word; we read His Book and listen to what He has breathed out…WE LISTEN TO HIS HEART: what a wonderful partnership, a beautiful ongoing communication with our Creator.
I immediately thought of Romans 10:17: “So faith comes from hearing and hearing through the Word of Christ.” I felt the Lord nudging me to turn that around, so I said to Him…we need that same faith believing that You hear our words.
I also thought of the word PLEADING or BEGGING as if we feel God isn’t hearing or working on our requests. Then we carry our burdens around in our hearts instead of RELEASING them. Again, I have a vision of many walking around with sad hearts, faces to the ground because they think they have to fix the burdens in their heart. They haven’t truly RELEASED their prayer requests. In Matthew 11:28-30, Jesus calls us to give Him our burdens, and He will exchange them for His yoke of rest and peace.
As all this was going through my mind, I was reminded of a scripture I found a few years ago: “Before they call, I will answer; while they are still speaking, I will hear.” Isaiah 65:24 NIV. God already knows. He’s already working on it, and He just wants to hear from us. It’s a partnership, a two-way conversation.
I felt there was a lot that God was saying in just two days. So, when I asked how to put it all together in what He was saying, it was clear He said as I began to write.
*Our prayers are URGENT, and we should pray IMMEDIATELY and WITHOUT CEASING and always in FAITH and BELIEVING God hears as we RELEASE our requests TAKING THE BURDEN OFF US and PUT THEM IN THE HANDS OF OUR GOD, who is FAR GREATER and BIGGER than our circumstances.”
I pray, Father, that we always remember to come immediately before you, releasing our requests, leaving them in Your Hands and believing that You hear us and will heal all our needs. Thank You for wanting to remove the weight from our hearts and exchange it for Your yoke of peace. I pray in faith and in Jesus’ name, Amen.
