CHALLENGES are not the privilege of a few, but a burden to many.
They give life a better meaning; through them, we build our summer bodies in winter.
WE SEEK GOD in our helplessness and cry to Him in our hopelessness.
And when we pray, we acknowledge we do not have what it takes to get things done and are needy of Him.
JABEZ knew something wasn't right when he cried out: "Oh, that you would bless me and enlarge my territory!
Let your hand be with me and keep me from harm so I will be free from pain." (1 Chron. 4:10)
ABRAM prayed to God: "Eternal Lord, what could you possibly give to me that would make that much of a difference in my life?
After all, I am still childless, and Eliezer of Damascus stands to inherit all I own.
Therefore, since You have not given me the gift of children, my only heir will be one of the servants born in my household." (Gen. 15:3)
ELIJAH was needy of him when he prayed for rain. (1 Kings 18:41)
He knew that every blessing of God begins with open heavens.
But how do you keep the heavens open?
You keep the heavens open by seeking His face.
DAVID said: O God, You are my God; Early will I seek You; My soul thirsts for You. (Ps. 63:1)
SOLOMON had just finished building the temple when God appeared to him by night.
And God said: I may shut the sky so there is no rain or command grasshoppers to devour the countryside or send an epidemic among my people.
However, if my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves, pray, search for me, and turn from their evil ways, I will hear their prayer from heaven, forgive their sins and heal their country. (2 Chron. 7:13-14)
You will find God when you seek him.
You keep the heavens open by drawing close to Him.
WE TEACH people how to treat us by the way we present ourselves.
And when we are ill-treated, we understand we have work to do.
When Saul maltreated David, the latter knew he had work to do. He treated Saul fairly and ensured that his relationship with God was solid.
In Psalm 61:2, he prayed, "From the end of the earth, I will cry to You.
Then, when my heart is overwhelmed, lead me to the rock that is higher than I."
David gave himself to God. (Acts 13:22)
The way we give ourselves to God will determine the relationship he will have with us.
You keep the heavens open by knowing God.
PAUL never stopped learning. He knew you could never outgrow God.
He said: Not that I have already obtained this or am already perfect, but I press on to make it my own because Christ Jesus has made me his own.
Brothers, I do not consider that I have made it my own. But one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead. (Phil. 3:12-13)
The secret to knowing Christ is the continuous willingness to learn, hunger and thirst after righteousness.
You keep the heavens open by worshipping him.
Worship will change things and you.
Where God is at the center of things, worship inevitably follows. Where there is no spirit of worship, God has been dethroned and displaced - Sinclair Ferguson.
When God opens his hand, he satisfies the desires of all living things. (Ps. 145:16)
You keep the heavens open by asking God to go with you.
MOSES told 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 favour with me.' (Exod. 33:12)
Moses understood the secrets of the open heavens. He knew that the presence of God would make the difference.
Relying on God begins every day as if nothing had been done. So before you step out any day, ask the Lord to go with you.
Bringing it Together
YOU wouldn't say because you relied on Him yesterday; you wouldn't do the same thing today.
Even as you are hidden in Christ and Christ in God, you'll have to trust God to open the heavens continuously over you.
Have a great week!