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A Devotional Study
– Destinies and Dreams come forth!
by
Patricia King
STUDY INCLUDES:
A. Prophetic Encouragement
B. Devotional Teaching
C. Weekly Scripture Meditation
A. PROPHETIC ENCOURAGEMENT
Recently as I was praying into this New Year, asking God what
He had in store for us in 2007. I felt He said that this was
to be a year of dreams and destinies coming forth. In 2006
many of us prayed and prayed, decreed and decreed, believed
and believed for what the Lord had laid on our hearts. And
many of us were challenged when we didn't see the promises
released the way we thought they would be. We didn't see what
we thought we would see, the way we had figured it would
happen, when we were expecting it. But don't be discouraged.
God didn't ignore us. He didn't forget us. He didn't turn away
from us. He was simply preparing us to receive a greater
revelation of who He is and how He is. He was preparing us to
receive something even bigger and better. 2006 was a year of
God allowing our view of what He is going to do and how He is
going to do it to die. Not the dreams and destinies that He
has called us to believe for, but simply our views of how He
would do it, and how it would look. All so that He can do
something even bigger and better!
Often, when our plans for a promise don't come to pass, we
think the promise has failed, too. Not so! We are merely being
set up by God to see Him in even greater measure. God tells me
all the time to expect Him to move in big ways, but He also
reminds me not to expect how it will look. We often feel we
know how God should do something, or when He should do it. But
He wants to break us out of the boxes of what we think we know
about Him and remind us that He is an awesome and infinitely
faceted God. Because deep down, He knows the true cry of our
heart is not simply for His promises to come forth, but that
we might KNOW Him in an even greater way as they come forth!
He loves to surprise us! He loves to reveal His promises in
ways that reveal a greater measure of who He is to us. And I
believe that if we stay in faith, continue in prayer, and
praise and honor God, knowing that His ways are higher than
our ways, 2007 will be the year when we hear the Lord say,
"Dreams and destinies come forth!" And they will come forth in
ways that will show us new aspects of our incredible God that
will have us praising Him and loving Him as never before!
B. DEVOTIONAL TEACHING
In John 11, we hear the story of Lazarus and his resurrection.
Lazarus and his sisters Martha and Mary, are dear friends of
Jesus. He has visited with them on several occasions. Martha
has cooked for Jesus. Mary has sat at His feet adoring Him,
anointing Him with oil, and wiping His feet with her tears and
hair.This is a family that passionately loves the Lord. And
they know that He loves them. As a matter of fact, when
Lazarus becomes ill, the word they send to Jesus is, "Lord,
behold, he whom You love is sick." (John 11:3)
This family not only loved the Lord, they knew the Lord. They
knew He was the Messiah. They knew He was God. And they knew
that when they needed help, He would be there. So when Lazarus
got sick, Martha and Mary did what we all do. They prayed.
They sent word to the Lord. And because they knew Jesus loved
them, and they knew Jesus was the healer, and they knew Jesus
was good, and that He was God… Martha and Mary expected He
would show up and help. God wants us to expect Him to move. He
rewards that faith. But often in ways or timing that, at
first, don't make sense to our way of thinking!
Now Jesus did love this family. Just like He loves you and me.
Perfectly. Everlastingly. Passionately. Verse 11:5 spells it
right out, "Jesus loved Martha and her sister Mary and
Lazarus." He loved them so much that when He got the word
asking for help with their problem (when He heard their
prayer), He didn't come right away (John 11:6).Huh? That
doesn't make any sense. Not to us. Or to Martha and Mary. But
it made perfect sense to God.
Jesus loved Martha and Mary so much that He did not respond to
their prayer the way they thought He would, at the time that
made sense to them. Jesus loved them so much that He actually
waited for Lazarus to pass away from his illness. He knew this
would be hard for Martha and Mary (not to mention Lazarus!).
He knew this was not the way they thought things would play
out. But He also knew that He was going to bring them into a
greater revelation of who He was and how He was. See, God
sometimes allows us to go through a difficult time – a time
where we feel He has not heard us, or He has not answered us,
or the promise we were believing for has died – so that He can
show up in a way we never imagined, and reveal a greater
measure of who He is to us and for us!
Martha and Mary knew Jesus was the answer to their problem.
They knew He could help. They knew He was the promise. But
when He didn't do things the way they thought He should, when
they thought He should, they were confused, they were angry,
and they were hurt. They were surrounded by people consoling
them (John 11:19). Many more than likely telling them they had
just believed too big of God, that they needed to be more
realistic, and that the times of God moving in power were
over. Thank goodness they didn't listen!
When you're wrestling with discouragement. When you're
struggling with God not showing up how you think He should.
When you're confused, hurt, or even angry with God. Don't
listen to the well-intentioned comforters who will tell you to
lower your expectations, or that God no longer moves in power
or healing or miracles. Do what Martha did in verse 20 – go
and meet with Jesus. Get in front of Him and pour out your
heart! Tell Him how you feel. Tell Him you don't understand.
Tell Him you're confused. Tell Him you're angry. Tell Him your
heart is broken. Even tell Him you think you know what He is
supposed to do and how He is supposed to do it (this is what
Martha does in verses 22 and 24 when she tells the Lord "I
know" this and "I know" that). During those times when the
Lord has not answered your prayers the way you thought He
would, don't turn from Him … turn to Him. Both Martha and Mary
go to Jesus with their hurt and confusion (verses 11:20 and
11:29). And we should, too.
When Mary falls at Jesus' feet (a place she has been before),
pouring out her heart and sharing her pain and confusion
(11:32), the Lord isn't offended. God doesn't turn away from
us when we are struggling – even when we are struggling with
Him. Just the opposite. He encourages us to boldly come before
Him during our times of need (Hebrews 4:16). This deeply moves
God (see verses 11:33 and 11:35).
I believe that when Martha and Mary were before God and saw
how deeply moved He was over everything they had been through,
something in them was deeply moved. Something in them
remembered that Jesus was the God who loves them, the God who
adores them, the God who only wants the best for them. When
they realize that God had not hardened His heart to them, the
hard heart of their own confusion was removed. We see this
prophetically at the tomb of Lazarus when Jesus says, "Remove
the stone!" (John 11:39). The stone is what seals up the tomb,
it is a sign of coming into agreement with death, and
represents when we give up on the promises of God and allow
our hearts to harden.
Jesus stands before the tomb, the place of death, knowing that
the only thing that has truly passed away is how Martha and
Mary used to see Him. The promise wasn't dead. And I believe
He was excited because He knew that Martha and Mary were about
to find out that He was an even bigger, better, and more
faithful God than they had even imagined!
Jesus turns to Mary and says, "Did I not say that if you
believe, you will see the glory of God?" (11:40). He then
declares that He knows God always hears our prayers (11:41)
and confident in this He cries out, "Lazarus, come forth!" And
Lazarus came forth, revealing a greater measure of who Jesus
was, and a fuller realization of all things being possible.
Now Martha, Mary, and Lazarus not only know Him as friend,
Lord, Messiah, God, and healer, but they also know Him as the
champion over death and every work of the enemy. And because
God did it His way instead of their way, they had a greater
revelation of who He was and so did their town! Revival broke
out, and many came to know that Jesus was Lord (11:45). Praise
God!
Don't look back on what didn't happen last year the way you
thought it would. Look toward Jesus and praise Him that His
ways are higher than our ways. Pour your heart out to Him.
Believe that He hears every one of our prayers, and that if we
simply stand in that belief we will see the glory of God. And
that just like Martha, Mary and Lazarus we will not only see
the promise come forth, we will see a greater revelation of
Jesus! Who knows, it may even trigger revival in your town
like it did in Martha and Mary's.
So stand in faith. Refuse any discouragement. Believe God to
show up in surprising ways that reveal more of who He is to
you than you have ever known before. Be excited that God is
doing it His perfect way. And that he is doing exceedingly and
abundantly beyond all that you could ever ask, think
(Ephesians 3:20). And in 2007 may those things you felt died
in 2006 be resurrected in even bigger and better ways to the
glory of God. May this be the year you hear Him speak over
you, "Dreams and destiny come forth!" Bless you.
C. SCRIPTURE MEDITATION
1 Week One: John 11:1-46
2 Week Two: Ezekiel 36:36, Numbers 23:19a, Romans 3:4
3 Week Three: Isaiah 55:9, Proverbs 3:5-6, Psalms 46:10
4 Week Four: Ephesians 3:20, Habakkuk 1:5, 1 Thessalonians
5:24
And Remember
God loves you with an everlasting love!
PATRICIA KING
Extreme Prophetic Television
patricia@extremeprophetic.com
www.extremeprophetic.com
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