PLEAD YOUR CASE
Reflection by Ife Ologundudu
Prayer
Thank you, Father because your love is real. It is a tangible love, a love that died in our place, a love that gives and keeps giving, a love that fulfills His promises. Help us to trust you without borders. Help us to stay secure in your love for us, trusting your love to keep us, to guide us and to feed us. We take our eyes off every other sinking ground and focus on your love. We have come to you for you have the Words of eternal life. We drink from the well of living water again tonight. Let it satisfy every thirst we have in Jesus’ name.
Ife’s short Bio: Ife is a graduate of Psychology, with specialization in Clinical Psychology. She loves reading, writing, and at the same time has a flair for business. She is a devout believer who is learning to love God daily.
Chapter Summary:
Any prayer that does not move you cannot move God.
God has made man's cooperation necessary in order to enjoy the rights in His redemptive plan.
Plead your case with confidence and courage; plead with faith and perseverance; plead with hope and expectation.
NOW let’s dig deeper
I, even I, am he that blots out your transgressions for my own sake and will not remember thy sins. Put me in remembrance: let us plead together: declare it, that you mayest be justified (Isiah 43:25-26)
From the above scripture, God is telling us to feel free to discuss and plead our case before Him. We are familiar with Abraham's example of how God visited him and made known his intention to destroy Sodom and Gomorrah due to their sins (Genesis 18) and Abraham was able to plead with God not to destroy the land if he could find 10 righteous people. Abraham pleaded with God all the way from 50 to 10 and God was at every point ready to do as he said.
Many times, the reason why we don't get results when we pray is because (1) We don't turn our face to the wall and look to God and God alone. The Bible says whosoever must come to God must believe that He is and He's a rewarder of those that diligently seek him (Heb 11:6). To diligently seek God is to focus completely on God based on an understanding that God is capable of helping out in our situation. If we are not careful, prayer can become a daily routine to us, such that even while we are praying, instead of turning our face to the wall, we are still looking at the impossibility in the situation; we are still trying to figure out how God would do it. Please don't try to figure out how God would do it, our responsibility is to trust Him to do it. The Bible tells us, "The eyes of the Lord run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to shew himself strong in the behalf of them whose heart is perfect toward him" (2 Chron. 16:9). God loves to step in when men step aside, he is the Helper of the helpless and He is not in the habit of sharing His glory with anyone.
(2) When our praying is not intense enough. "The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man makes more power available"- James 5:16. God told Hezekiah, "I have heard your prayer. I have seen your tears" (Isaiah 38.5). Any prayer that does not move you cannot move God. God loves sincere, heart-felt prayers. In the study book, Rev. Kenneth E. Hagin shared his example of how his 68-year-old mom was sick and was dying. He went to God, turned his face to the wall, he turned away from everything else and called on God with great intensity. He pleaded for his mom to live, he said to God "You promised us that 70 or 80 would be a minimum, and Momma's only 68. If she doesn't get the minimum, I'll never be satisfied. The longest day I live on this earth, I'm going to remind You of it. I don't mean I'm going to turn my back on You, but I'll never feel good toward You about it". And he said God told him immediately, just as plainly as if He had been standing beside him—"All right. I'll do whatever you say about it."
One thing I have come to realize about pleading our case with God is that it has so much to do with our relationship with God. Although it is an audacious kind of prayer, one is placing a demand with an understanding that God is sovereign, and He can do as He pleases. However, He is merciful and won't withhold His goodness from His children. This is the kind of prayer that works!
Lastly, someone may be wondering, "since God is my Father, he is merciful and he knows what I need, why does he have to wait for me to beg him before he answers me?" there are times that we face the consequence of our actions/inaction (e.g. someone who has constantly called death upon themselves) and the accuser can use these things against us in the court of heaven. We can therefore plead on the mercy of God to help us. Sodom had indeed sinned and deserved judgement but, Abraham pleaded for God’s mercy.
God has made man's cooperation necessary in the Plan of Redemption. We must cooperate with God in order to enjoy our rights in that redemption plan. That's the reason He said, "If thou canst believe, all things are possible to him that believes"(Mark 9:23). Therefore, when we present our situations to God, it indicates that we trust in His ability and we are willing to accept His help- God does not force Himself on us.