You're Invited Into the Work of God

Praise God that He has made us kings and priests unto Himself (Revelation 1:6, 5:10)!

But what does it mean to be a king and a priest?

A king: one who rules and reigns

A priest: one who comes before God on behalf of the people, bearing their names before Him in intercession

We’ll look at the ruling and reigning next week, but for now let’s focus on our work as a priest of God.

God is doing a mighty work and advancing His kingdom upon this earth, but He wants His people to be a part of it. So many times in Scripture, God waited to move until one of His people asked Him to.

Seven times in three chapters Jesus gives this command with promise:

And whatsoever ye shall ask in my name, that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. 

If ye shall ask any thing in my name, I will do it. 
If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you. 

Ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you, and ordained you, that ye should go and bring forth fruit, and that your fruit should remain: that whatsoever ye shall ask of the Father in my name, he may give it you. 
Verily, verily, I say unto you, Whatsoever ye shall ask the Father in my name, he will give it you. 

Hitherto have ye asked nothing in my name: ask, and ye shall receive, that your joy may be full.

At that day ye shall ask in my name: and I say not unto you, that I will pray the Father for you: For the Father himself loveth you, because ye have loved me, and have believed that I came out from God. (John 14:13-14; 15:7-8, 16; 16:23-24, 26-27)

Ask! It shall be done! Do we believe this? Do we live this? Prayer is the work, the ministry, the battlefield.

From Scripture, we know:

God is love. (I John 4:19)

Love does not seek its own. (I Corinthians 13:5)

Therefore, God does not seek His own. When He purposes to do something, instead of just doing it, He says to one of His children, “Suggest to Me that I do this. Join Me in My work through prayer.”

When the person prays, THEN God does His work. Indeed, He does not seek His own! He could do everything Himself, but He loves to use us!

For us as Christian writers, the call to prayer manifests itself both in our daily life and in our writing life. Ask! You shall receive! Whatever you need in your daily life, He will supply. Ask! Whatever you need in your writing life, He will supply. Ask! It is amazing what a divine touch weaves itself through our manuscripts as we bathe the writing and editing processes in constant prayer.

And as daughters of the King of Kings, we ought to do no less.

Father, like Jacob, may we wrestle with You through prayer. As a prince, we have power with God and with man, and as a prince, we prevail. Please prompt us to join You in Your work through prayer continually and remind us to do so. May we carry out the priestly work of intercession that You have given us.

Challenge: meditate on one or more of the above passages. Ask God to grant you full belief in those words in your mind, heart, and life. Cultivate a habit of continual prayer by including God in your thoughts . . . instead of merely thinking thoughts, turn them into prayers to Him for the purpose of fellowship and knowing Him.