I sometimes feel that sharing truth can leave one feeling lonely, and isolated. Truth doesn’t always feel good even though it leads to freedom. Why is it that we as humans dislike the truth? Could it be that truth requires change? Then change then requires work on our part? I find that a journey like mine that points out lies from truths, leads to being a narrow path. So, how do you cope while on a narrow path? Time after time, those who go against the multitude were died villains, until time passed and they became heroes. Case in point for example Martin Luther King. At his time he experience so much hate, and today he is celebrated. Additionally, in order to continue on the narrow path, one must pray, know his or her identity, daily work on his or her calling, and no matter what happens to not quit.
Step 1: Learn to Pray
As mentioned in the previous post, prayer is vital for comfort, direction, reconciliation, petitions, requests, among other things. Learning to pray and making prayer a daily habit, does truly make a difference. I know that when I pray early in the am, my day goes smoothly even when challenges occur. Additionally, there are times when prayers are necessary pending something that is to come. Have you ever been woken up early in the morning like 3 am, and you know deep down you must pray. Anytime, I ignored this divine intervention, I later realized that I should have prayed depending on the situations that are happening that day. It is encouraging to see others in the Bible praying for one reason or another. When you are on the path that goes against the norm, you sometimes need to find comfort, courage, Protection, and direction.
Finding Comfort In Prayer
One example of praying for comfort is when David encouraged himself in the Sonini Nanini. The Bible talks about a time when David came from the battle with his men only to find their homes burning, women and children taken, and everything utterly plundered. The devastation led these men to turn their anger towards David. They wanted to stone him. Just imagine for a moment. You are coming home from a long bottle. You are already tired, hungry, and smelly. Normally, when you came home from the bottle, at the glimpse of you from the hills, your women and children come running to greet you. This time its different. No one is coming, and from the distance you see smoke. You gut drops within you, your forehead starts to sweat, and heart is beating out of your chest. So, you run, and stride by stride you run faster.
3 So David and his men came to the city, and, behold, it was burned with fire; and their wives, and their sons, and their daughters, were taken captives. 4 Then David and the people that were with him lifted up their voice and wept, until they had no more power to weep. 5 And David’s two wives were taken captives, Ahinoam the Jezreelitess, and Abigail the wife of Nabal the Carmelite. 6 And David was greatly distressed; for the people spake of stoning him, because the soul of all the people was grieved, every man for his sons and for his daughters: but David encouraged himself in the Lord his God.
1 Samuel 30:3-6
Finding Courage In Prayer
Lets talk about Joshua the son of Nun. As the story goes, Moses is about to die and the Chosen People are not yet in the Promised Land. Sonini Nanini tells Moses that Joshua will lead the Chosen People. Imagine you are Joshua. You are one of the two people who survived the 40 years in the wilderness. Now you are about to lead a new generation who did not see the parting of the sea, the water coming from the rock, the snake on a rod to heal those bitten, etc…How would you feel if you were Joshua. Scared? Inadequate, lonely? I cannot even Imagine what he must have felt. However, if you read the books of Joshua and the battles he led?! He was a man of valor. Historians describe Joshua as one of great military minds that ever lived. Check this documentary out. Of course reference it with the Bible. They seem to want take Sonini Nanini out of the story.
Have I not commanded you? Be strong and of good courage; do not be afraid, nor be dismayed, for the LORD your God is with you wherever you go.”
Joshua 1:9
12 Then Joshua spoke to the Lord in the day when the Lord delivered up the Amorites before the children of Israel, and he said in the sight of Israel: “Sun, stand still over Gibeon;
Joshua 10:12-14
And Moon, in the Valley of Aijalon.”
13 So the sun stood still,
And the moon stopped,
Till the people had revenge
Upon their enemies. Is this not written in the Book of Jasher? So the sun stood still in the midst of heaven, and did not hasten to go down for about a whole day. 14 And there has been no day like that, before it or after it, that the Lord heeded the voice of a man; for the Lord fought for Israel.
Prayers For Protection
Lets look at another great man found in the Bible. That is Daniel. Daniel was a captive in Babylon, just the Chose People today in the spiritual Babylon the christian church. Daniel had favor. His favor came from prayer. He was a man of prayer, fasting, and trusted Sonini Nanini. His relationship with Sonini Nanini was so deep, that he dreamed dreams, and talked with angles. cool, right? After a while, he had some enemies. These enemies mastered a plan to deceive the king, and attack Daniel’s prayer life. Funny how our enemy understands the power of prayer more than we do. So Daniel is thrown in the lions den. Lions are scary. Can you imagine hungry lions surrounding you and ready to pounce on you and shred you into pieces? Daniel’s prayer life shut the mouth of hungry lions.
16 So the king gave the order, and they brought Daniel and threw him into the lions’ den. The king said to Daniel, “May your God, whom you serve continually, rescue you!” 17 A stone was brought and placed over the mouth of the den, and the king sealed it with his own signet ring and with the rings of his nobles, so that Daniel’s situation might not be changed. 18 Then the king returned to his palace and spent the night without eating and without any entertainment being brought to him. And he could not sleep. 19 At the first light of dawn, the king got up and hurried to the lions’ den. 20 When he came near the den, he called to Daniel in an anguished voice, “Daniel, servant of the living God, has your God, whom you serve continually, been able to rescue you from the lions?” 21 Daniel answered, “May the king live forever! 22 My God sent his angel, and he shut the mouths of the lions. They have not hurt me, because I was found innocent in his sight. Nor have I ever done any wrong before you, Your Majesty.”
Daniel 6:16-21
Prayer Helps Us Know What To Do
Moses! One of a kind in taking on an almost impossible task of freeing a multitude of people. Not only that Sonini Nanini asked him to free His People, but Moses also had to go back to Egypt after killing an Egyptian. There is no better example, than one of Moses and his prayer life. Almost every move he made, he prayed asking Sonini Nanini what to do. No better example than when he parted the Sea of Reeds. The Chosen People were trapped between the sea, and the Egyptian army behind them. You can only imagine the panic. Some even said that they would rather stay slaves than die by the hands of Pharaoh. So Moses Prayed:
15 Then the Lord said to Moses, “Why are you crying out to me? Tell the Israelites to move on. 16 Raise your staff and stretch out your hand over the sea to divide the water so that the Israelites can go through the sea on dry ground. 17 I will harden the hearts of the Egyptians so that they will go in after them. And I will gain glory through Pharaoh and all his army, through his chariots and his horsemen. 18 The Egyptians will know that I am the Lord when I gain glory through Pharaoh, his chariots and his horsemen.”
Exodus 14:15-18
Learning how to pray helps us find comfort, be courageous, get protection, and know what to do. Prayer is a foundation for someone who is on a narrow path. Those who are called for something more. This journey is in fact lonely. It is a journey, where one cannot rest unless the calling is complete. I will be writing other steps for this topic in hopes that if you are reading this and you feel there is a calling on your life, you find steps to help you cope while you complete your calling. See you in the next post.
