There's a book by Stormie Omartian called The Prayer That Changes Everything....I've not read it yet, but would like to do so. The prayer, however, that I'm referring to in the title of my blog is something the Lord has taken me back to in Scripture...again.
I returned to the gospel of Mark today and picked up where I left off in chapter 12. This morning I read verses 28-34 in which a scribe (those were the men who meticulously copied the scriptures by hand & were also schooled in law) asked Jesus,
"Which command is the most important of all?"
Jesus answered him,
"The most important is, 'Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.' "
For those who know about Jewish life, this particular scripture is called "The Shema". It's also recorded in Deuteronomy 6:4-9. The word "shema" is transliterated into English "hear" and means " to listen, hear with attention & interest, to understand ". According to one source I read, "The Shema expresses the essence of Jewish life, that God must be loved and obeyed at all times."
Back in the summer of 2001, I attended a women's conference. The timing of this specific conference was indeed providential because I was at an extremely low point spiritually...for alot of reasons that I won't take the time to outline. The speaker was someone I had never heard before, but I knew of her. She had written quite a few Bible studies and had a large following of people. I walked in, not really expecting anything, but God met me there in a very profound and particular way.
I can't remember what her message was about. So, you're thinking, how is it possible that God met me there in a profound way? It was through her closing prayer at the end and a dare she issued. It was an almost "off the cuff" remark or so it seemed to me. My best friend, Tori, was also there, and she doesn't remember the speaker saying this. But for me, it was as if she took a megaphone and screamed, "I dare you to ask the Lord to give you more love for Him. Do that for the next year and see what happens."
The Spirit's divinely-timed & aimed arrow pierced my heart at that moment, and my spirit cried out in an almost knee-jerk kind of response, "I'll take that dare!" because I saw in this woman something I'd never witnessed before. Even on a platform speaking before thousands, it was obvious and evident that she LOVED God with her whole being. It was the way she talked ABOUT Him, the way she talked TO Him, the JOY she exuded, the depth of understanding she had of Him and His Word. God used it all coupled with the dare she gave, and He began a brand new work in my heart.
Days turned into months as I continued to pray, "Lord, please give me more love for you." One day as I was spending time with Him, I cried out exaspperated, "Are You hearing me? Why haven't You answered my prayer?" In my spirit I heard this gentle but clear reply, "Look back." Huh? I didn't understand. "Look back over the months and see what I've been doing."
And so I did and He took me through the weeks enabling me to recall specific moments in which He'd been clearly at work in my heart as evidenced in how I had chosen to speak, react, respond, love unconditionally and on & on. I then realized all that He had been doing IN me. I was amazed and slayed in my heart. A short time later, He providentially directed me to the very scripture I'm in today and confirmed to me that the reason He was answering my prayer was because it was based upon and found in His Word!
All of the above is the easy part to share because it was such an incredible threshold for me....I had walked THROUGH a new doorway in my relationship with Him. But here I am today admitting to you and confessing to Him that I've slowly moved away from this core truth. In the busyness of life, I've become distracted and to borrow a phrase from the guy who led worship at Forest Hill this past week, "I've allowed my head to be turned by what glitters. " OUCH!!!
In the Greek, the word "important" as in "what's the most important commandment?" is "protos"....see any English word in that? Yep, PRIORITY.
I'm wondering if the scribe, the one who knew Scripture like the back of his hand, came to Jesus and essentially asked, "Jesus, how am I supposed to know what's priority? There's a ton of stuff in this book. How do I know what's the most important????" I don't know what the scribe's motive was. Often, a scribe was a Pharisee, and we know that most of them didn't like Jesus, saw Him as a threat and were always trying to trick Him with their questions. I don't know if this particular scribe was a sincere seeker or not. But let's suppse that he is. In some ways, I (and maybe you too) am like him. I've read a ton of scripture through the years. I can quote quite a bit of it too. But sometimes, knowing where to put my emphasis can become overwhelming. This speaker says this. That preacher says that. Your Sunday school teacher or your Bible study leader or small group leader or, or , or ....says something else. What's a confused Jesus follower to do?????
I hear the Spirit saying, "Go back to the HEARING"! Listen to what JESUS SAID WAS/IS "PROTOS"/PRIORITY. But remember, I nor you can love Him with all we are at all times in our own strength. It will take something supernatural, something or rather someONE striking the match in our hearts. If you're with me on this, then let's start afresh (for me again) praying and ask Him to give us more love in our hearts for Him. I dare you.
