A Mighty Prayer Asks A Mighty God To Do Mighty Things

Main Scripture: James 5:13-16

Is any one of you in trouble? He should pray. Is anyone happy? Let him sing songs of praise. Is any one of you sick? He should call the elders of the church to pray over him and anoint him with oil in the name of the Lord. And the prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well; the Lord will raise him up. If he has sinned, he will be forgiven. Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective.

In the King James version of this scripture, the 16^th verse reads, “Confess your faults one to another, and pray for one another, that ye may be healed. The effectual, fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much. The title of the message that God has given me is “A Mighty Prayer Asks A Mighty God To Do Mighty Things! How Mighty Is YOUR Prayer?” I want us to really think about this question. How mighty is our prayer? How powerful is our prayer? What do we mean when we talk about “a mighty prayer?” If you look up the word “mighty” in the dictionary, you will see that it means “Imposing or awesome in size, degree, or extent.” Now, doesn’t that sound like our Lord? Isn’t our Lord awesome? Isn’t it true that nothing can surpass the greatness and the power of our Lord Jesus Christ?

Now, if we continue to break down the King James version of this scripture, we see words that don’t appear in the NIV. The first word is effectual. Effectual means “producing, or sufficient to produce a desired effect; fully adequate.” So, this means that when we pray, we are not just throwing empty words out into the air. Our prayers are to produce a DESIRED EFFECT. That desired effect could be repentance. That desired effect could be deliverance. That desired effect could be joy. That desired effect could be peace. That desired effect could be for strength. That desired effect could be to press upon the very will of God for a miracle. So when we are down on our knees, or in our prayer posture, we are conversing in a way that produces results. We’re not just getting into our postures saying “Hey God? How ya doin’? OK, I’ll holla…” NO! We are talking to the Creator of the Universe, the Savior, Our Provider, and we are not just making polite conversation.

The next word that the King James version uses in this scripture is “fervent.” “Fervent” means ‘having or showing great emotion or zeal.” It can also mean ‘fiery’, or ‘impassioned’, ‘eager’, or ‘devout.’ In other words, when we are coming before the throne of grace, we are coming with some excitement! Why? Because we know that we serve a God who can do anything but fail! We are excited to be serving the Lord, and we should be just as excited when we go to him in prayer! Aren’t you excited that you have a savior that will hear your prayers? Aren’t you excited that you have a mediator that can intercede for you? It fills me with joy that no matter what I’m going through, no matter what I’m facing, I can go to the Lord in prayer, and he WILL hear my requests!

So already, we see that when it comes to prayer, we are coming to the Lord with expectancy, and we are coming to the Lord with excitement! That expectancy is based in the very word of God! 1 John 5:14-15 says “This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us. And if we know that he hears us—whatever we ask—we know that we have what we asked of him.” That scripture alone tells us that we can come boldly before the Lord! We can be confident when we pray, we can be confident when we communicate with Jesus! This kind of boldness is what we’re talking about when we’re talking about “a mighty prayer.” There is no doubt that we serve a mighty God, and based on this scripture, it shouldn’t be any doubt that since we operate in the spirit, we can be just as mighty!

But where do we get this “boldness” from? We serve a mighty and powerful God, so where do WE come off being “bold” before the Lord? Well, the scripture gives us instructions to be bold! The scripture tells us to approach the throne of grace in confidence! Hebrews 4:14-16 says “Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has gone through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to the faith we profess. For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet was without sin. Let us approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.” And the King James version says the same thing, except that it uses the word “boldly” specifically! We don’t have to be intimidated, we don’t have to be fearful, and we don’t have to be timid! We know that nothing is too hard for God, and we see in the scripture that we have the ultimate high priest in the very Son of God! We have a mediator who knows what it’s like to be tempted. We have a mediator that knows what it’s like to feel pain and anguish! But more importantly, we have a mediator that ascended to the right hand of God! If we stand boldly on the faith that Jesus IS the Son of God, then why wouldn’t our prayers be just as powerful as our faith?

Furthermore, Ephesians 3:10-12 says “His intent was that now, through the church, the manifold wisdom of God should be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly realms, according to his eternal purpose which he accomplished in Christ Jesus our Lord. In him and through faith in him we may approach God with freedom and confidence.” Here again is proof that God wants us to come to him boldly! God wants us to come to him using the power and authority that He has given us! The same power that we were given to be empowered by the Word to preach, the same power that we have been empowered with to sing, dance, and praise is name, is the same power that he has given so that we can approach Him boldly! We have been given authority to communicate in the spiritual realm, so why WOULD we approach the throne of grace in any matter BUT a bold one.

But when we are coming before the Lord in prayer, and when we are lifting up that mighty prayer, we should be careful about HOW we pray. Jesus gives us specific instructions in the Book of Matthew, in Matthew 6:5-7. That scripture reads “And when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by men. I tell you the truth, they have received their reward in full. But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you. And when you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words.”

When we are praying, we don’t need to try to impress the next man, or ANY man with our words. We don’t need to try to impress people with million-dollar words. How can we lift up a mighty prayer to the very gates of heaven, if we are trying to win the favor of men? If we are doing things for man’s approval, then as the scripture says, we already have our rewards. We already have our accolades. We already have people patting us on the back. In other words, we are already believing our own press, and our own hype. But when we are praying that MIGHTY prayer, it doesn’t matter if you are in a room by yourself, or if you are in a stadium full of people! Because when you are praying that MIGHTY prayer, that BOLD prayer, that prayer of FAITH, you are standing firm on the very promises of God. You are opening your heart to God, and not to the approval of man, so if your prayers ARE heard by men, then the Holy Spirit will do what it does best. So, we don’t need to pray so that folks will tell us how well we pray. When we are praying that MIGHTY prayer, we are praying to God Himself!

We can look at some examples of how a MIGHTY prayer works! If we look at Exodus 33:12-23, the scripture reads “Moses said to the LORD, "You have been telling me, 'Lead these people,' but you have not let me know whom you will send with me. You have said, 'I know you by name and you have found favor with me.' 13 If you are pleased with me, teach me your ways so I may know you and continue to find favor with you. Remember that this nation is your people." The LORD replied, "My Presence will go with you, and I will give you rest." Then Moses said to him, "If your Presence does not go with us, do not send us up from here. How will anyone know that you are pleased with me and with your people unless you go with us? What else will distinguish me and your people from all the other people on the face of the earth?"

And the LORD said to Moses, "I will do the very thing you have asked, because I am pleased with you and I know you by name." Then Moses said, "Now show me your glory." And the LORD said, "I will cause all my goodness to pass in front of you, and I will proclaim my name, the LORD, in your presence. I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion. But," he said, "you cannot see my face, for no one may see me and live." Then the LORD said, "There is a place near me where you may stand on a rock. When my glory passes by, I will put you in a cleft in the rock and cover you with my hand until I have passed by. Then I will remove my hand and you will see my back; but my face must not be seen."

See, that’s an example of a BOLD prayer, a MIGHTY prayer. God said to Moses, “I will do anything you ask, because I know your name.” Moses thought big, and he held God to His promise! He asked God to show Moses HIS GLORY. Now, you can’t get any bigger than that, asking God to APPEAR BEFORE YOU IN THE FLESH. Moses called upon his faith in God, and God JUST told him that he was pleased with Moses, and he knows Moses’ name! So that tells us that not ANYONE can pray a mighty prayer. Not ANYONE can ask a MIGHTY God for mighty things. What is OUR relationship with God? What is OUR prayer life like? Do we have faith that God knows our names? Do we have faith that God is pleased with us? When God is pleased with us, He will move on our behalf! If we want to pray that MIGHTY prayer, we HAVE to be in a covenant relationship with Him! We have to make sure that we are in HIS righteousness! 1 Peter 3:12 says “For the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous, and his ears are attentive to their prayer…” Without HIS righteousness, our prayers might as well be to strangers. But when we are in that covenant relationship, when we accept that calling that God has on our lives, when we submit to Him, and let His will be done in our lives, we can go to the Father! Moses went to the Father, and asked the Father to show himself… and even though God warned Moses that Moses can’t see God’s face in the flesh, God still kept his word! His word does NOT come back void! So, if Moses can ask God to show himself, and Moses is in that INTIMATE relationship with God, what kinds of prayers are WE submitting? Is our relationship with Christ as deep as our prayer requests? You know that some of us ask God to bless us, when we really don’t know him from a hole in the wall! We can’t ask God to move in a mighty way if we’re looking at God as some kind of sugar daddy! In order for God to move in our lives, we have to be in that COVENANT relationship, serving Him, worshiping Him in spirit and in truth!

Another example of a MIGHTY prayer asking a MIGHTY God to do MIGHTY things can be found in 1 King 18, starting at the 16^th verse. The prophet Elijah set up a challenge for prophets of false gods. He asked the prophets of Baal to set up a sacrifice, but do not set it on fire. The challenge was their god Baal could set the altar on fire, if the prophets prayed hard enough. The prophets prayed and prayed, and even began beating themselves and cutting themselves up to get their god’s attention. Elijah began talking trash to them, telling them that their god must be asleep, or he must be traveling, or somewhere deep in thought. But after these false prophets could not get their fake god to set the altar on fire, he asked them to step aside.

Elijah built an altar, and dug a huge trench around it, and he asked the people watching to soak it in water. They made about four trips, with four huge jugs, until the altar was soaked and the trench surrounding the altar was filled. Then Elijah prayed the powerful prayer as quoted in 2 Kings 18:34: “At the time of sacrifice, the prophet Elijah stepped forward and prayed: "O LORD, God of Abraham, Isaac and Israel, let it be known today that you are God in Israel and that I am your servant and have done all these things at your command. 37 Answer me, O LORD, answer me, so these people will know that you, O LORD, are God, and that you are turning their hearts back again.” And when he prayed this mighty prayer, when he asked the God of Abraham to let it be known to everyone watching that He is God, God showed up! He answered this prayer in a mighty way! Despite the altar being soaked, and despite the trench surrounding the altar being filled with water, God answered in a way that proved that it was UNMISTAKABLE that He is God. The Lord said that altar on fire to the point where not only the altar, which was soaked, was on fire, but the water in the trench had dried up! If Elijah didn’t pray the prayer of faith, God wouldn’t have answered in a mighty way! If Elijah did not have an INTIMATE relationship with God, then Elijah would’ve been left hanging.

Also, when you have a mighty prayer life, and when you have an intimate relationship with God, sometimes, you don’t have to utter a word for God to do mighty things in your life! For example, look in the Book of Daniel, and the story of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. Their prayer life was so mighty and so faithful that they refused to worship the idols that King Nebuchadnezzer set up. The King ordered them to be burned in the furnace, and ordered that the furnace be heated 7 times its normal level! Those three men went into the furnace by faith, saying that God will rescue them, and even if God DIDN’T rescue them, they’d be with HIM. And you know how the story went. Three men went into the furnace, but when the King looked in, there were 4 bodies present, 4 bodies in praise and worship, 4 bodies walking around totally untouched by the flames! God did a mighty thing for these men even before they asked, because they were already living a mighty prayer life.

Joshua was a warrior, and he came upon the city of Jericho. Instead of using the technology at the time, instead of using brute force to bring down the walls, he called upon the Lord. The Lord gave him specific instructions, for his army to march around the walls of Jericho 7 times, and remain silent. And on the 7^th day, Joshua and his army marched around the city and shouted, the walls collapsed! Joshua didn’t need a wrecking ball, he didn’t need explosives, he prayed to the Lord, and God moved in a mighty way, bringing down the walls of Jericho!

Another example is in the Book of Acts, in the 12^th chapter. The apostle Peter was in prison, set to be executed. And in Acts 12:5, the scripture says “So Peter was kept in prison, but the church was earnestly praying to God for him.” And of course, God moved in a mighty way. Peter was able to escape from prison, because God sent his angels to get Peter out! That’s something else that we should think about. When we are praying that mighty prayer, are we asking for God to move in a mighty way for other people? Are we asking God to deliver a miraculous healing for someone else? Are we praying the prayer of faith that someone we know is delivered from sickness, from depression, from sin itself?

So when we think about lifting up that MIGHTY prayer, are we including all of the elements of prayer? We should begin by first giving praise to God! When we pray, we are about to enter into His courts! We are coming boldly before the throne of Grace! The Bible says that we should enter his gates with thanksgiving, and his courts with praise! Psalm 150 says let everything that has breath, praise the Lord! After we are giving praise, we should repent. We should ask God to forgive us for the sins that we committed, and we should forgive those who wronged us, so that WE can be forgiven! When we repent, we are showing that we are humble, and we are ready to enter into HIS righteousness!

When we have repented, we should ask God for what we need. Jesus told us in the book of Matthew to ask and it will be given to you, for everyone who asks shall receive! That’s not from me, that’s not from church doctrine, that’s from the very Word of God! Also, in the book of John, Jesus said “If you remain in me, and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be given to you.” After we have asked, are we YIELDING to the power of God? Jesus himself was obedient when he was praying in the Garden. He asked God to remove the cup of pain from him, but most importantly, Jesus said “not MY will, but YOUR will be done.” Are we asking that God’s will be done in our lives? Is that breakthrough in accordance with God’s will in our lives?

As we pray, we should be expecting an answer! The Lord said that His word does not come back void, and he said that he would never leave us nor forsake us! When we are praying the prayer of faith, when we are praying that mighty prayer, we are leaning on the Word of God! And as we are praying in expectancy, we should be in a spirit of receivership! When Elijah prayed on Mount Carmel, he had faith that God was going to answer! When we are coming before the throne of grace, we should be ready to receive the blessings that God has in store for us! We are heirs to the promises of Abraham! We are in the Body of Christ, and God has empowered us to spread the gospel all over the world. So when we are praying, why SHOULDN’T we expect to receive what we ask for, as long as it’s in God’s will? Philippians 4:19 says “And my God will meet your needs according to his glorious riches in Christ Jesus.” That tells me everything I need to know, and that let me know that I can receive the blessings that God has in store for me!

In closing, remember that we are heirs to the promises of God. His word says that he will never leave us nor forsake us. The Word gives us guidelines on how to pray, and it gives us examples of how God moves in a mighty way when we pray that mighty prayer. Satan doesn’t want us to call upon God, the enemy wants us to rely on our own heads, even when we pray. But when we are calling upon God, we are reaching heaven, and working on that covenant relationship with God. And I know that there are some of us who can look back on our own lives to experience the mighty things that God has done. Despite what the enemy has tried to do to us, and despite what we have done to ourselves, we can all look back (even as recently as this morning, or before we came to service) for examples of how our mighty prayers have asked a mighty God to do mighty things in our lives, in the lives of loved ones, for this country, and for this world.

There is no reason that we should be timid in our prayers! We are servants of the most High, and more than that, Jesus calls us FRIEND. Jesus said he calls us friend, because we know the Father’s business. And we know that He chose us! Before the world was formed, he chose us, so why would we go to him in a timid fashion? He chose us to bear fruit, and when we ask things in His name, the Father will give us what we ask! Jesus himself said that we will do even greater things that what he did on Earth. We have the very Word of God backing us up in our prayer requests, and we have the promises of the Lord to fall back on! So when we think about that, when we meditate on how good God has been, is, and will be, for us, how can we do anything BUT pray in a mighty way? A mighty prayer asks a mighty God to do mighty things! So, how mighty is OUR prayers?

Be Patient, Endure, And Rejoice!

2 Corinthians 1:5-7

For just as the sufferings of Christ flow over into our lives, so also through Christ our comfort overflows. If we are distressed, it is for your comfort and salvation; if we are comforted, it is for your comfort, which produces in you patient endurance of the same sufferings we suffer. And our hope for you is firm, because we know that just as you share in our sufferings, so also you share in our comfort.

Romans 13:3-5

For even Christ did not please himself but, as it is written: "The insults of those who insult you have fallen on me." For everything that was written in the past was written to teach us, so that through endurance and the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope.

There are three things that the Lord has given me, regarding today’s message. When we are facing trials and tribulations, we are always told about the virtues of patience, and how we are to endure. But one of the things that we don’t hear about is that in the midst of our struggles, or while we are waiting for our breakthroughs, that we should still be REJOICING and celebrating all of God’s goodness. God wants us to not only be patient in waiting for our miracles, and he not only wants us to endure our hardships, but as servants of the Most High, he wants us to not forget to give Him all the honor, the glory, and the praise! God doesn’t want us moping and looking downcast when things don’t go our way, and he doesn’t want us give up hope as we wait for our breakthroughs.

Let’s start with patience, and what it truly means to be patient. Some of the dictionary definitions of patience are: the ability and willingness to wait a long time or to carry out a task that takes a long time, and the ability to wait without complaining. Also, from a Biblical perspective, we can say that patience is persevering towards a goal, enduring trials, or expectantly waiting for a promise to be fulfilled. We can see by these definitions that patience is something that God definitely wants from his children. Plenty of God’s children have prospered as a result of their patience, and God has also shown how impatience can cause you to delay your blessings.

Patience Developed (How Do We Develop Patience?)

1. God’s power develops patience.

“being strengthened with all power according to his glorious might so that you may have great endurance and patience” (Colossians 1:11).

2. Trusting God’s goodness develops patience.

“And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.” (Romans 8:28).

3. Allowing trials to purify character develops patience.

“Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything” (James 1:2-4).

4. Resting in God’s timing develops patience.

“Be still before the LORD and wait patiently for him; do not fret when men succeed in their ways, when they carry out their wicked schemes. Refrain from anger and turn from wrath; do not fret—it leads only to evil. For evil men will be cut off, but those who hope in the LORD will inherit the land.” (Psalms 37:7-9).

5. Waiting for Christ’s return develops patience.

“Be patient, then, brothers, until the Lord's coming. See how the farmer waits for the land to yield its valuable crop and how patient he is for the autumn and spring rains. 8You too, be patient and stand firm, because the Lord's coming is near." (James 5:7-8).

Patience Demonstrated (How Do We Demonstrate Patience? By following Biblical Examples)

“Take, my brethren, the prophets, who have spoken in the name of the Lord, for an example of suffering affliction, and of patience. Behold, we count them happy which endure. Ye have heard of the patience of Job, and have seen the end of the Lord; that the Lord is very pitiful, and of tender mercy.” James 5:10-11

1. Job (James 5:11)

2. Abraham -- And so after waiting patiently, Abraham received what was promised. (Hebrews 6:15)

3. Paul -- You, however, know all about my teaching, my way of life, my purpose, faith, patience, love, endurance (2 Timothy 3:10)

4. Jesus -- May the Lord direct your hearts into God's love and Christ's perseverance. (2 Thessalonians 3:5)

5. God -- May the God who gives endurance and encouragement give you a spirit of unity among yourselves as you follow Christ Jesus (Romans 15:5)

How We Use Patience In Our Responses

1. Thank God: When something happens (especially if something goes wrong), a person’s first reaction is usually “Why me?”, but the Bible says to rejoice in God’s will. 1 Peter 1:6 says “In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials.”

2. Seek His purposes: Sometimes, God puts people in difficult situations in order to witness. Other times, He might allow a trial for sanctification of character. Instead of asking “Why me”, ask God what is His will.

3. Remember His promises. He has promised never to leave us, nor forsake us!

Our Patience Will Be Rewarded

1. Hope -- Not only so, but we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; 4perseverance, character; and character, hope (Romans 5:3-4)

2. Inherit the promise, glory, honor, immortality -- Hebrews 6:12-15 says “We do not want you to become lazy, but to imitate those who through faith and patience inherit what has been promised. When God made his promise to Abraham, since there was no one greater for him to swear by, he swore by himself, saying, "I will surely bless you and give you many descendants." And so after waiting patiently, Abraham received what was promised.” Romans 2:7 states “To those who by persistence in doing good seek glory, honor and immortality, he will give eternal life.”

3. Maturity -- Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything (James 1:4)

4. Answered prayer -- I waited patiently for the LORD; he turned to me and heard my cry (Psalm 40:1)

5. Pleasure of God -- But how is it to your credit if you receive a beating for doing wrong and endure it? But if you suffer for doing good and you endure it, this is commendable before God. (1 Peter 2:20)

The next time you’re in a traffic jam, betrayed by a friend, or mocked for your testimony, how will you respond? The natural response is to be impatient, which leads to stress, anger, and frustration. Praise God, Christians are no longer in bondage to a “natural response.” We don’t have to rely on the “old man” to help us with our response! Instead, we have the Lord’s strength to respond with complete trust in the Father, who uses trials for good (Romans 8:28). Through God’s power, purpose to be patient. “To them who by patient continuance in well doing seek for glory and honor and immortality, eternal life” (Romans 2:7).

We have seen how God rewards those who are patient, and how he tests us to see who isn’t patient. We know about the patience of Job, who refused to curse God despite all that was taken away from him. And we also know that patience is one of the fruits of the spirit.

Now that we have discussed patience, we can talk about endurance. A lot of times, patience and endurance go hand in hand. But when we look at the definition of endurance, we see that it is “the power to withstand hardship or stress.” One of the key words in that definition is “POWER”, which lets us know that endurance isn’t a passive activity. When we talk about endurance, we are usually talking about enduring something that’s unpleasant or difficult. We talk about endurance when we are talking about suffering, when we are talking about pain, when we are talking about sadness.

We talk about endurance in different kinds of training, and how we need to build up our endurance to grasp the material, build, and advance to higher levels. If we don’t have the endurance to handle the basics, then how can we expect to handle the greater challenges that lie ahead? Let’s look at a marathon runner, for example. If a person expects to run a 26-mile marathon, they are going to have to be able to endure. But if you don’t have the endurance to run one or two blocks without getting winded, then there is no way that you’re going to have the strength to run a complete marathon. And if endurance is importance in the natural world, imagine just how much more effective it is in the spiritual realm!

By the grace of God, we have been given the power to endure any hardships! Jesus told his disciples (and us) that we are to expect trials and tribulations. John 16:32-33 says “But a time is coming, and has come, when you will be scattered, each to his own home. You will leave me all alone. Yet I am not alone, for my Father is with me. "I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world." And when we are called to endure, it’s not something that should discourage us, or bring us down. Being called to endure for the sake of the gospel is actually a blessing! In James 1:2-3, the Word says “Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance.” James 1:12 says “Blessed is the man who perseveres under trial, because when he has stood the test, he will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love him.”

When we think about endurance, we have no greater example than Jesus! Think of what he endured willingly for our sake! He was beaten, tortured, and crucified for our sins, and he endured on the cross! Instead of calling down legions upon legions of angels, he endured scorn, shame and unimaginable pain for us!

Think about what we are being asked to endure through. We sometimes have to endure and be strong when a loved one passes. We have to endure when we suffer setbacks. We have to endure when we are sick. We have to endure when our family turns on us, or when we are being persecuted. But when we endure, we achieve the victory! We have the victory over death when we endure! We have the victory over sickness when we endure. We have the victory over all situations when we endure, because we keep our eyes heavenward! The Apostle Paul tells us “But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore, my dear brothers, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain.” Paul also tells us in 2 Timothy “if we endure, we will also reign with him.”

Remember when I said that the dictionary definition of endurance was “the power to withstand hardship or stress.” And when we are talking about spiritual endurance, we are talking about using the power that God given us to persevere! We can’t let the distractions of the world keep us from enduring and persevering! Hebrews 12:1-3 says “Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider him who endured such opposition from sinful men, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.”

But what do we do when we are being patient, and enduring? This is the key to enduring all of our hardships: In order to endure, and show patience, we must continuously rejoice! We can’t let the enemy steal our joy, even when we are going through trials and tribulations. There is nothing in the Word that tells us to hang our heads in shame or show despair as we endure, as we persevere, and as we show patience. We shouldn’t be looking downward when we are waiting on our miracles, because our miracles and our breakthroughs are not on the ground!

What does Philippians 4:4 say? It says “Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice!” It doesn’t say that we rejoice until something negative happens to us. It doesn’t say “rejoice after you’ve received your miracle.” It doesn’t say “rejoice only when things are going your way.” It says to rejoice in the Lord ALWAYS! That doesn’t mean that we aren’t going to cry, and that doesn’t mean that we won’t feel pain. What it means is that regardless of what we are going through, we can still rejoice. Regardless of the circumstances, we can still celebrate the goodness of the Lord!

Romans 12:11-13 says “Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord. Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer”, and 1 Thessalonians 15:16 simply says “be joyful always.” Jesus himself said “will see you again and you will rejoice, and no one will take away your joy.” So why do we rejoice even in the face of tragedy or sadness? Because as Christians, we are unique! We are set apart! We are “…a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.”

Think about the words to the song that was played during the Moment of Meditation: “I’m reaping the harvest God promised me/Take back what the devil stole from me/and I rejoice TODAY/For I shall recover it all!” This song is aligned with the Word. It’s not telling us to rejoice after we’ve recovered what was taken from us. It’s not telling us to postpone our celebration until after we received our miracle. Even if something was taken from us, we can still rejoice!

One of the most profound lessons that I received from Apostle Gray was “before you get it, thank God for it!” When you have the faith to thank God BEFORE the breakthrough arrived, and when you have the faith to maintain your joy BEFORE your miracle has come through in the natural realm, you are operating in God’s power. The enemy doesn’t want you to operate on faith. The enemy doesn’t want you to claim your inheritance now! The enemy wants to keep the smoke and mirrors in front of you, to keep you from looking into the spiritual realm for your blessings. The enemy wants you to be despondent because of your trials and your tribulations.

But God wants us to celebrate his love, right now! The Lord wants us to shout, dance, and rejoice now! The harvest is out there now! The blessings are out there now! The miracles are out there now! God said that He would never leave us nor forsake us, so we can rejoice now! He has given us the Holy Spirit, so we can rejoice now! He has given us power from on high, so we can rejoice now! He has given us direct access to Him, so we can rejoice now! He has given us healing! He has given us another day to worship and praise him! He’s already been better to us than we’ve been to ourselves.

Even if he didn’t do another thing for me, I can still rejoice! I can rejoice today because He came down to where I was, in my mess. I rejoice because He still pours out His grace and mercy!

1 Peter 1:5-7 says “In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. These have come so that your faith—of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire—may be proved genuine and may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed”

When we go through trials and tribulations, we are being refined! Our faith is continuing to be perfected! The Lord tells us in Zechariah 13:9 “I will refine them like silver and test them like gold. They will call on my name and I will answer them; I will say, 'They are my people,' and they will say, 'The LORD is our God.'” Being tested by the Lord is a reason to rejoice, because that shows that He believes in us to carry on His work! And when we pass those tests, when we continue to show ourselves approved, we can continue to rejoice, and we can continue to celebrate! We can continue to seek His peace, and His joy!

We rejoice today because our breakthrough is here today! We rejoice today because our miracles are here today! We rejoice today because our healing is here today! We rejoice today because our deliverance is here today! It may not be here in the natural world, but we serve a God who is everywhere at all times! God is waiting for us to step into our blessings and our inheritance. All we have to do is continue to be patient, to endure the hardship, and to rejoice now. He wants us to stand tall, to hold fast to our faith, and to overcome with the spirit of a conqueror. He made us more than conquerors, according to the Word, and because of that, we will ALWAYS have the power to be patient, endure, and rejoice… even in the face of the direst circumstances.

It Will Get Better, In His Name

Main Scripture: Job 8:5-7

But if you will look to God
and plead with the Almighty,

if you are pure and upright,
even now he will rouse himself on your behalf
and restore you to your rightful place.

Your beginnings will seem humble, so prosperous will your future be.

Lately, there has been a feeling of hopelessness in the air. Every day, we are seeing crimes more heinous than the last one. Disasters seem to be getting worse and worse. More and more people are finding themselves in more desperate situations. Job stability is a thing of the past. The family unit seems to be non-existent, and church attendance overall seems to be on a decline. The crimes that used to shock us even a year ago barely make a blip on our collective radar. Kids younger and younger are dressing more provocatively and getting involved in more and more adult activities, and are dressing in more and more revealing clothes. More and more, peoples’ finances are out of whack, and more cars are being repossessed, more landlords are evicting their tenants, and more homeowners are losing their homes to foreclosure.

The bottom line is that most people feel that there is no way out of their current situation. They feel trapped in dead-end jobs. They feel that they are never going to get the promotion or recognition they’re looking for. They feel like things just aren’t working out for them, and you can almost hear them crying out “Can I catch a break? When is it my turn?”

What I’m here to tell you is that your turn is here, and your turn is now. There is a way out, and no matter how bleak your situation appears, the best is yet to come. No matter what kind of sickness you are facing, your healing is here. Regardless of the situation you face, today is the day, and now is the time. I’m here to tell you that things WILL get better, but they will only get better if you follow the right path. Things won’t get better by wishing on a star, playing the lottery, or anything along those lines. But if you continue to seek the Kingdom of God, then you will start to see a turnaround. When you seek God, you will have the direction to right your finances. When you seek His face, he will give you the healing that you are seeking. When you go to him, He will give you the resources that you need to keep you from being kicked out of your home or apartment.

When you try to do things your way, in your own mind, then all that can do is dig you deeper and deeper into your situation. God may be telling you to go one way, but in your mind, you think that going in the other direction is where you will find that solution. And while you are looking to find resolution to your situations, or the answers you need, the one question that you need to ask yourself is this: Do you trust God? Do you trust that He will guide you and lead you? Do you trust that when you ask Him to order your steps, that he will place you on the right path? Do you trust Him enough to turn to Him with prayer and praise for the things that you’re looking for? Do you trust him enough to believe that your prayers will change a person, a family, a neighborhood, a city, a country, or even the world?

Well, if you trust him completely, and submit to him completely, then you know that whatever breakthrough you’re looking for, whatever miracle you’re expecting, whatever stronghold that needs to come down, whatever smoke and mirrors the enemy has placed in front of you, whatever obstacles that cross your path, or whatever tests you have to endure, there is a way out. There is HIS way out. It’s not about how smart we are, how much money we have, our jobs, or who we know in the natural realm. When you come to know Jesus, then you know that whatever you’re going through will only get better, and whatever your situation is now, it will only get better.

But then someone may ask “Well, what do I need to do to make things better?” How can I help make things better? What can I do to experience that breakthrough, or pass the test? How can I make sure that God is using me to do His will, and I’m not going from my own limited resources, intellect and “knowledge”?

One thing that we need to understand is that no matter what we do, God wants us to remain humble. When you stay humble, and not try to exalt yourself, you will see that God will lift you up in His time. And when you are humble, God will lift you up even higher than you imagined that you can go.

For example, we can look at the story of Joseph in Genesis, chapters 31-45. Joseph was having dreams, and his brothers didn’t like the concept of bowing down to him. They threw Joseph in the pit, and afterwards, sold him into slavery! But when Joseph was in his master’s house, God was with him, and gave him success in everything he did. That didn’t last too long, because Joseph was seduced by his master’s wife. He refused to be with her, and she made false accusations against him. Because of that, Joseph was thrown in prison. But even in prison, God was with Joseph. God’s favor was upon Joseph so much, that the warden made Joseph in charge of all of the functions in the prison. But God wasn’t through with Joseph yet! Even in the extremely humble situation of going from a slave to a prisoner, God was still with Joseph.

Joseph interpreted dreams for two prisoners, both of whom used to be in Pharaoh’s court. But Pharaoh wasn’t aware of Joseph’s God-given gifts for years, because one of the prisoners broke his promise to tell Pharaoh about how Joseph interpreted THEIR dreams. But when Pharaoh began to have dreams of his own that his council could not interpret, he summoned Joseph. When Joseph was in front of Pharaoh, and Pharaoh asked him to interpret the dream, Joseph immediately gave God the glory by saying, in Genesis 41:16 that he, Joseph, can’t do it. Only God will give Pharaoh the answers that he is looking for. Joseph interpreted the dream, and Pharaoh elevated Joseph to being in charge of all of Egypt!

So we see how God can bring us from our humble beginnings to places that we may only dream of. But we also see that this was possible not because of Joseph’s colorful coat, or his charm and good looks. Because Joseph was a humble man, and obedient to the word of God, he allowed God to work through him. Joseph didn’t take any credit for interpreting the dreams as HE saw fit, he was interpreting the vision that God had given him. If Joseph had put himself on a pedestal, then who is to say WHERE Joseph would have wound up? But because Joseph was a humble man, things got better for him. When he was thrown in the pit, things wound up getting better for him. When he was sold into slavery, things wound up getting better for him. When he was falsely accused and thrown into prison, things ultimately wound up getting better for him, all because he was obedient to God, and continued to give God all the glory.

We can also look at Job of an example of how things will get better. We all know that Job was a righteous man, and the Word tells us that he feared God and shunned evil. We also know that God allowed Job to be tested. Job’s children were killed, his servants were killed, and his house and livestock were either destroyed or stolen. These tests suddenly stripped Job of almost all that he had. His children were gone, his servants were gone, and his livelihood was taken away from him. And before anyone can say that at least Job had his health, Job was stricken with painful sores all over his body. But even after all of that, Job remained obedient to God. Job did not know what was in store for him, but throughout his trials, he did not curse God. He trusted that God will see him through. And when Job passed the test, the Scripture is clear on what happened next. Job 42:10 says “… the Lord made him prosperous again, and gave him twice as much as he had before.” Job 42:12 says “The Lord blessed the latter part of Job’s life more than the first.”

Even if you find yourself in a lower position than you had previously, God has provided a way out. When you find yourself in need of healing, God has already provided it! Job had almost everything bad that can happen to you happen, but he did not curse God! He withstood the test, and we saw how things got better for him! Job’s faith remained, despite losing his wealth. His faith remained, despite losing his children! Job still honored God, despite his very health being in danger. Job may not have known how things were going to wind up, but he trusted God! Job didn’t know if he was going to live or die, but he knew to trust in God! And sure enough, Job’s faith was rewarded, and things got better for him. His health was restored, he was blessed with more children, and his wealth was doubled!

We can also look at Moses as an example of how being humble will allow God to make things better for you. In the book of Numbers, Aaron and Miriam were speaking against Moses, asking why God has only spoken through him, and not through anyone else. The Lord Himself came to the Tent of Meeting to speak to Aaron, Miriam, and Moses, and the Word described Moses as being the most humble man on the face of the earth. But even though Moses was humble, God saw fit to speak to Moses directly and clearly, and not in dreams or through riddles (which was the case for God’s prophets). Not only that, but God saw enough of Moses to use him to deliver the children of Israel from bondage. And even though Moses was a great leader, he never forgot that God was the source of his strength. This is exactly how we need to be. We need to be humble enough to recognize that it’s not our own doing that allows things to get better. When we experience blessings, we need to make sure that we acknowledge God, and give Him the praise, the glory, and the honor. Just as God led the children of Israel out of slavery, he will lead us out of bondage. And just as Moses was humble enough to not take credit for being the leader that he was, we have to be humble enough and obedient enough to acknowledge that without God, we wouldn’t be in a position where we can celebrate!

1 Peter 5:6 says “Humble yourselves, therefore, under God’s mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time.” So we see how important it is for us to be humble. If we really expect things to get better in His name, then we have to be obedient to Him. We can’t expect things to get better if we are operating on our own pride, our own sense of self-importance, our own intelligence, or what have you. When we operate in the spiritual realm, and when we are humble, we see that when God says that He’ll lift us up in due time, it’s not time that can be measured by any man-made devices. We can’t use clocks or calendars to measure time as God sees it. Man uses time as a system of measurement, but God is omnipresent… He is everywhere at once, which is why we say He knows the end at the beginning. We may not know when our breakthrough is coming… we may not know when our healing is coming… we may not know when things are going to get better, but God does. We have to hold fast to His promises, and hold fast to our faith in Him. The Apostle Paul tells us that no matter how tired we get, our reward is coming. Galatians 6:10 says “Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.”

Conversely, when we let pride interfere in our lives, we attempt to operate on our own time as to when we expect our blessings. We begin to rely less and less on God’s grace and mercy, and more and more on our own abilities, intellect, and mindset. For example, in the Psalm 10:4, the Word says “In his pride the wicked does not seek him; in all his thoughts there is no room for God.” When we don’t allow God to operate in our lives, we try to do what WE think is necessary to bring us through a situation. And more often than not, when we go “our own way”, we wind up worse off than where we were before. Our pride will not allow us to rely on God, or seek His help, because we are SO confident that “our way” is the best course of action. Instead of going in the direction where God will have us go, we go where WE think we need to go. We try to solve our problems with answers that WE think is best, because we are too proud to submit ourselves to the will of God.

Often times, when we get caught up in our own sense of importance, God will break us down. He will find a way to remind us that doing things OUR way isn’t the way to go. Isaiah 11:11-12 says “The eyes of the arrogant man will be humbled and the pride of men brought low; the Lord alone will be exalted in that day. The Lord Almighty has a day in store for all the proud and lofty, for all that is exalted (and they will be humbled).” We can’t allow our pride to distance us from the blessings that God has in store, just because WE are impatient, or because WE think we know what’s best, or because WE think that we’re smart enough to pull ourselves out of our messes without any help. We can’t talk about things getting better in His name if we are too proud to seek Him. The ultimate example of pride distancing you from God can be found the example set by Lucifer. He felt that he was going raise his throne above the stars of God, and make himself like the Most High. But Lucifer’s pride became his downfall, and he was cast out of heaven, with a third of Heaven’s angels with him! Looking at this, we can see that our pride can not only be dangerous to ourselves, but to anyone we influence. We don’t want our pride to be the source of someone else not being willing to turn to God. We don’t want to lead by such a sinful example, and bring about the downfall of others because of our inability to submit and be humble.

But when we are humble, we allow God to work with us. We are more receptive to the fact that it’s His grace and mercy that brings us through. We receive the knowledge that things will get better BECAUSE of him, and not in spite of him. James 4:6-7 says “But he gives us more grace. This is why the Scripture says ‘God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.’ Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.” Also, Luke 14:11 says “For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.” So if we are looking for God to move in our lives, we see that humility is a very important requirement.

When we are looking for things to get better, and when we are seeking Him to move in our lives, there is no doubt that He will see us through. Being humble will allow for healing to take place, for breakthroughs to come forth, and being humble can even bring about deliverance for an entire nation. 2 Chronicles 7:14 says “If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and forgive their sin and heal their land.” Now, if God’s word promises that being humble will help bring about a healing to the land, what else is there? That’s why people overall have a sense of hopelessness… there’s no sense of humility in the nation. Once we really get off our own sense of self-importance, and really REALLY rely on God, then we can bear witness to God working in our lives. If we want our families to come together, we have to humble ourselves. If we want to do something about rising crime, we have to humble ourselves. If we want to do something about our neighborhoods decaying, or even more and more soldiers going to war, we have to humble ourselves and seek HIS face.

The great thing about God’s mercy and grace is that they endure forever. No matter how bleak things look, when we rely on Him, He will see us through. We already discussed how God brought Joseph through, and elevated him to being in charge of all of Egypt. But we know that God’s grace and his mercy didn’t stop there. For example, in Acts 12:1-11, we see how the Apostle Peter was imprisoned. In fact, Peter was scheduled to be executed! But the people of God continued to pray for Peter, and God sent an angel to rescue him. Peter himself thought that he was having a vision, but it was no vision… God was moving on behalf of His people, delivering Peter from prison. So we can see how prayer can deliver you! Through prayer, Peter was delivered from prison in a supernatural way, because the church prayed for him! Also, in Acts 16:16-36, we see how things got better for Paul and Silas. They were also in prison, and they were beaten! But they prayed and sang praises to God! God supernaturally used an earthquake to break the chains and open the cells of all the prisoners. But instead of Paul and Silas escaping, God allowed something different to happen. The guard came to see what was going on, and thought that the prisoners had escaped. He was ready to kill himself, but Paul told the guard that no one had left. The guard then asked them “what must I do to be saved?” So we see that through prayer and praise, not only will things get better for US, but also they’ll get better for those around us! Isn’t that how we want to operate? We want to be in a position where others see how God is moving in our lives, and the first thing that THEY do is give God the glory! The guard didn’t ask how Paul and Silas made anything happen. The guard didn’t attribute ANYTHING that happened to Paul and Silas. Instead, this guard knew that the awesome power of God was at work in their lives. And because this guard was aware of this, the first thing he asked was what can HE do to be saved.

Also, when we rely on God’s grace and mercy for things to get better, we should first be appreciative of the blessings that He has already given us. In Matthew 25, starting at the 14^th chapter, Jesus is giving His followers the parable of the talents. In the lesson, Jesus is telling the listeners how the master gave talents to three servants. Two of the servants worked to double what the master had given them, and the third buried what he was given and bore no fruit. To the servants that bore fruit with what the master had given them, the master told them “Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come share in your master’s happiness.” So if we are looking for things to get better in His name, we have to make sure that we are working with what God has already given us! If we’re looking for a better job, we need to make sure that we are already performing at our best in the job that He has already given us. If we are praying for an even more effective ministry, we have to make sure that we are bearing fruit with the ministry responsibilities that God has already given us.

And as we talk about things getting better, it’s not just a matter of gaining more material things. Sometimes, we look for things to get better in terms of healing. John 5:1-9 tells us about the invalid. We know that according to Scripture, he paralyzed for 38 years! We also know that the man was trying to get into the pool when the water was stirred, but someone always moved ahead of him. Jesus came to this man and asked him if he wanted to get well. Jesus then told the man to take up his bed and walk, and the man was cured! This man had to wait for 38 years for things to get better. But the moment that he was in the presence of the Lord, he was instantly cured, and he was able to pick up his mat and walk.

Luke 8:43-48 tells us about the woman who was ill for 12 years. She spent years going to the doctors, but they could not find a way to cure her of her bleeding, and this went on for 12 years. Despite the fact that the doctors couldn’t cure her, she believed that all she had to do was touch Jesus’ CLOTHES, she will be healed. And that’s precisely what happened for her. She knew that things would get better for her because of her faith. Her faith was so strong that she knew that Jesus Himself didn’t even have to touch her, or even look at her. All she had to do was get close enough to touch the hem of her garment, and she knew that God will handle the rest!

That’s how our faith should be. Just being in God’s presence is enough for things to get better, for miraculous healings to take place! It happened for the invalid, and it happened for the woman with the issue of blood. It even happened for the centurion who said that all Jesus has to do is SPEAK the centurion’s son’s healing into existence, and the son would be healed. Even the centurion knew that in order for things to get better, you have to have faith. Do we have the faith to speak healing into existence? Do we have the faith to proclaim that things will get better, if we call on Jesus’ name? If not, then it’s something that we definitely need to work on and develop. We’ve been taught that faith is the currency of the supernatural, and in order for things to get better, we have to rely on that faith. That faith has to be there, despite the doctor’s reports. That faith has to be there, despite the rejection letters that companies send you. That faith has to be there, despite everyone doubting your God-ordained business ventures. When we operate in that faith, we are proclaiming that things are not only GOING to get better, but that things have already been accomplished in the supernatural. In the natural, things may look bleak, but in the supernatural, the healing has already been delivered. In the supernatural, the business venture is already bearing fruit. In the supernatural, sinners are already being delivered.

We have to get a complete understanding of what it means when we talk about things “getting better.” We need to understand that God has great things in store for us, and these great things are not just in the natural realm. Psalm 30:5 reminds us that weeping may endure for a night, but joy comes in the morning! Deuteronomy 31:8 reminds us that God will never leave us, nor forsake us. Genesis 22:14 proves that God is a provider, if we have faith in Him. Abraham was ready to sacrifice his own son, but God saw how obedient Abraham was, and provided Abraham with a ram to sacrifice. So when we are being obedient, God will provide for us! In fact, we call God “Jehovah Jireh”, because we know that the Lord Will Provide!

More important than anything earthly, though, is the fact that things will get better because we are inheritors of the Kingdom of God! 1 Peter 1:3-4 says “Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade—kept in heaven for you.” Hebrews 9:15 tells us “For this reason Christ is the mediator of a new covenant, that those who are called may receive the promised eternal inheritance—now that he has died as a ransom to set them free from the sins committed under the first covenant.”

Things will get better for us because the moment that we accept Christ into our lives, we will have the gift of eternal life. John 3:16 tells us that whoever believes in God shall not perish, but have eternal life. Romans 6:21-23 tells us that that the things that we did when we were in the world did not gain us anything, but by becoming slaves to God, we reap the reward of eternal life! It tells us that the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus our Lord. John 4:14 tells us that when we drink from the water Jesus provides, it will become a spring of water welling up to eternal life. Revelation 21:6-7 says “He said to me: ‘It is done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End. To him who is thirsty I will give to drink without cost from the spring of the water of life. He who overcomes will inherit all this, and I will be his God and he will be my son.’”

Now we know that things will get better in His name, when we operate in faith, and when we stay humble and continue to work with what God has already given us. But in order to reap the promises of God, we have to stay encouraged! 2 Corinthians 4:16-18 says “Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.” Even if we grow weary, we know that Christ will restore us! Isaiah 58:11 says “The Lord will guide you always; he will satisfy your needs in a sun-scorched land and will strengthen your frame…”, and Isaiah 40:31 tells us “but those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not get weary, they will walk and not be faint.” Again, when we submit to God, we allow him to bless us, for as is says in Job 22:21, “Submit to God and be at peace with him; in this way prosperity will come to you.” And remember that no matter what test you are going through, what obstacles you face, what temptations may cross your path, God is there for you, when you are operating in His will. Romans 8:28 says “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.”

When we know that things will get better in His name, we are using spiritual warfare! We use the weapons that God has given us to tear down the strongholds of the enemy. In Isaiah 59:19 (KJV), the Word tells us that when the enemy comes in like a flood, the Spirit of the Lord shall lift up a standard against him. When we are operating in faith, and when we are in expectation of things getting better, we should understand that it’s not about how things look now. It’s not about the modest job you have now. It’s not about the income that you have now. It’s not even about the level of health you have now. The enemy wants you to focus on things as they appear in the natural, but the Word tells us that we walk by faith, and not by sight! We can expect persecution, temptations, and tests, but remember that God does not give us more than we can bear.

In closing, we know by faith that things will get better, in His name. We know that we can do all things through Christ, who gives us strength. And finally, we understand that in order for things to get better, we have to know where to look. Matthew 6:33 says “But first seek His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.” So while we are waiting for things to get better, the first thing that we ought to be doing is seeking the Kingdom of God.