Recently my husband was sharing with me some things he heard from God, and well it was just too good not to share. So here is some of what he shared with me.
Matthew 6:9-13 NKJV
9 In this manner, therefore, pray:
Our Father in heaven,
Hallowed be Your name.
10 Your kingdom come.
Your will be done
On earth as it is in heaven.
11 Give us this day our daily bread.
12 And forgive us our debts,
As we forgive our debtors.
13 And do not lead us into temptation,
But deliver us from the evil one.
For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.
The Lord’s prayer, easy enough to say, right? It takes, at most, a couple minutes to say. This is how Jesus taught His disciples, and us, to pray. Not simply, but sincerely. Just before He teaches them this prayer he tells them, “And when you are praying, do not use meaningless repetition as the Gentiles do, for they suppose they will be heard for their many words. So do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask Him.” Matthew 6:7-8 NASB. What we get out of that is that God doesn’t want to hear us praying just so that we can say we pray for an hour everyday.
In the Gospels we notice a theme. Almost every time the disciples ask Jesus a question, Jesus answers with an example we call a parable. These questions and parables make up most of the Disciples’ relationship with Jesus. The red letters make up most of the Gospels. So why should our prayer life be any different?
Jesus wants a relationship, a relationship is a two way street. Jesus has SO much more to teach us than we have to teach Him. He knows what we need before we tell Him. So why would we spend an hour talking and only 15 minutes listening. Shouldn’t it be the other way around?
The revelation we can get from God in these times is amazing.
Now here’s something really good, especially if you feel like God wouldn’t tell you a really good revelation or maybe not as good as something He tells someone who has known Him longer.
Keep reading…
John 2 New King James Version (NKJV)
2 On the third day there was a wedding in Cana of Galilee, and the mother of Jesus was there. 2 Now both Jesus and His disciples were invited to the wedding. 3 And when they ran out of wine, the mother of Jesus said to Him, “They have no wine.”
4 Jesus said to her, “Woman, what does your concern have to do with Me? My hour has not yet come.”
5 His mother said to the servants, “Whatever He says to you, do it.”
6 Now there were set there six waterpots of stone, according to the manner of purification of the Jews, containing twenty or thirty gallons apiece. 7 Jesus said to them, “Fill the waterpots with water.” And they filled them up to the brim. 8 And He said to them, “Draw some out now, and take it to the master of the feast.” And they took it. 9 When the master of the feast had tasted the water that was made wine, and did not know where it came from (but the servants who had drawn the water knew), the master of the feast called the bridegroom. 10 And he said to him, “Every man at the beginning sets out the good wine, and when the guests have well drunk, then the inferior. You have kept the good wine until now!”
It takes years for wine to mature into good wine. Bottles of champagne over 100 years old sell for thousands of dollars. Yet, the wine Jesus made was at least a little bit newer than the wine they served at the beginning and it was the better wine. Also, I feel it’s worth mentioning that the waterpots it talks about were used by people to wash their feet.
Jesus doesn’t need some Bible scholar that’s 100 years old to teach people. He doesn’t need a Pastor who spends an hour a week preparing a sermon to preach for 30 minutes. He needs a vessel that listens and is willing to be used. Someone that’s been saved for 5 minutes can receive revelation just as much as someone who has led a church for 50 years. and they can both learn from each other.
Jesus said, “Truly I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God like a child will not enter it at all.” Luke 18:17 NASB.
David said, “From out of the mouth of infants and nursing babes You have established strength because of your adversaries, to make the enemy and revengeful cease.” Psalms 8:2 NASB
I think it’s time we take fresh wine from Jesus and stop judging the vessel it comes from.