The earnest prayer of a righteous person has great power and produces wonderful results. - James 5:16 NLT
When we looked at ‘Time and Chance’, I showed you that the Hebrew word ‘qarah’ is often used in the Bible to explain God-ordained happenings. The first time ‘qarah’ is mentioned is in Genesis 24:12, when Abraham sent his servant to get a bride for his son, Isaac. The servant did not know which girl would be the right one, so he prayed, “O LORD God of my master Abraham, please give me success this day, and show kindness to my master Abraham”. The phrase “please give me success” is the word ‘qarah’. The servant asked God to give him ‘qarah’ - right happening. Doesn't that remind you of what we said earlier about ‘pega qarah’ being right happenings? If you follow the story, you will see how Abraham’s servant was successful in his task.
What I want you to focus on here is the posture of the servant. He prayed for God's help, intervention, and leading. He had a posture of humility. We all need the Lord in our daily lives no matter how intelligent we are, we can't put ourselves at the right place at the right time 100% of the time. Only the Lord can do this for us. If we stay “low” and lean on the Lord for wisdom, guidance, and understanding, He will guide us and protect us. To pray is to adopt a posture of humility. It is saying to God, “Father, I can't, but You can.”
A lady who attends our church regularly shared that on one of her overseas trips, she got so engrossed in her quiet time with the Lord that she missed breakfast in the hotel at which she was staying. But while she was in her room, a horrific terror attack took place in the hotel’s restaurant. She was dwelling in the secret place of the Most High and was supernaturally led to linger in His presence that morning. She humbly prioritised her time with the Lord over the scheduled time for her breakfast. If she had gone down to eat, she would have been at the wrong place at the wrong time.
That is why I like to call Psalm 91 the ‘prayer of protection’. When we pray this prayer, we are saying, “Lord Jesus, we can't protect ourselves, but You can. We humble ourselves before You. Be our refuge, our fortress, and our God. Surely you shall protect us and deliver us from harm in these dangerous times. Lead us to be at the right place at the right time and to be with the right people.”
Today's Prayer
Father in heaven, I humble myself before You and readily agree that I need Your wisdom, guidance, and understanding. I can't always protect myself or my loved ones from harm in these dangerous times, but You can. I ask You to always lead us to be at the right place at the right time. I declare that You are my refuge, my fortress, and my God. Amen.
Today's Thought
I cannot always put myself at the right place at the right time, but God can. I humble myself before Him and lean on Him for wisdom and right timing in all that I do.
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Prince, Joseph. The Prayer of Protection Devotional: Daily Strategies for Living Fearlessly In Dangerous Times