Praying is Obeying

Kathy—PRAYING is OBEYING, and prayer will clearly bear fruit in 2022 as His Kingdom comes and His will is done in earth.  On January 4^th, six days after Marty made the declarations (mentioned in my last post), I was reading Psalm 81.  Verse 13,  How I wish my people would listen to me; how I wish they would obey me, seemed to echo in my mind as I leaned my head back on my chair.  As I slipped into sleep, I began dreaming, but then I heard someone speaking.  I opened my eyes, wondering if I was awake or asleep as I tried to listen to what was being said.  It is sometimes a challenge to transfer words and concepts to paper, but this is the gist of what I heard:  “I am bringing changes to the Church’s mode of operation.”  My first thought was that I must pray that those who faithfully sit on the church bench be able to handle God-changes rather than hold to traditions or walk away in judgment.  I took hope in what I heard next:  “The prospering that comes from these changes will cause the differences to be embraced and welcomed by many.  Even the economics of the Church will prosper like harvests hidden in history.”  I had no knowledge of  “harvests hidden in history.”  I was a bit stunned at hearing such details. I thought, ‘Lord, hearing these things seems strangely beyond my usual reach and responsibility.  This is the kind of stuff that Marty hears, so why am I hearing these things?’  Immediately, I heard, “So you can invest prayer toward these changes in My Church.”  I have to admit that I felt too inexperienced for such an assignment, and that momentary feeling of being unequipped made me doubt my hearing.  But I could not shrug this off to dreaming.  I wonder how many of us have disqualified ourselves and forsaken an assignment through a reaction like mine.  The soul (the mind and logic and will) is often quick to take the wheel and drive us into a ditch of doubt instead of down the path of obedience.  It’s not that our soul cannot be part of obedience, in fact, it must.  However, the soul simply cannot be the driver-dictator-controller.  Being led of the Spirit is the means and method of walking out an obedience and getting to God-outcomes (in prayer or any other obedience).