Go Ahead, Pray Really BIG
A few weeks ago, I read the book, Heaven Is for Real. It’s a little boys astounding story of his trip to heaven and back. I read it in less than a day. I was thrilled, had goose bumps, wrangled with some the secrets he shared about the afterlife and I was flat out craving my heavenly home.
![946158: Heaven is for Real: A Little Boy"s Astounding Story of His Trip to Heaven and Back](http://ag.christianbook.com/g/tiny/9/946158.gif "946158: Heaven is for Real: A Little Boy"s Astounding Story of His Trip to Heaven and Back") |
Heaven is for Real: A Little Boy’s Astounding Story of His Trip to Heaven and Back |
Now I recognize that this is just a little boy’s story and there is no way to “prove” what happened is factual. So, please just hear me out because I want to share a similarity I experience just today.
The little boy, four years old, died during surgery to repair his ruptured appendix. His name is Colton and upon his return to life and subsequent recovery, he begins to share snippets of his heavenly visit with his mom and dad. They share his accounts of encounters with people, angels, swords, rainbows, and Jesus.
I want to share with you one particular encounter. Colton is obsessed with rainbows because of the rainbows and the fantastic colors he saw while in heaven. Well one day….
From page 108, Colton’s Dad: So when, in the spring of 2004, the most brilliant rainbow we’d ever seen appeared over Imperial, we called him outside to take a look.
“Did it rain and I missed it? I asked Sonja.
She laughed, “I don’t think so.”
Colton was down the hall in the playroom, “Hey, Colton,” I called, “Come out and take a look at this.”
He emerged from the playroom and joined us on the front stoop.
“Look at that rainbow, Colton,” Sonja said. “There definitely should be a big pot of gold at the end of that thing.”
Colton squinted, peering up at the colors pouring across the sky.
“Cool,” he said with a nonchalant smile, “I prayed for that yesterday.”
Then he turned on his heel and went back to play.
…. I prayed for that yesterday…..
I was blown away by this and for days now, God has not let this tiny sentence flee from my mind or soul. Colton has a simple faith. Enough to pray and expect God to deliver to him personally a rainbow, on a day without rain.
Oh why don’t I talk to God like this and why don’t I believe that if He loves me and I am living in His presence and if I’m praying without selfishness and within His will, why would He not answer me with the seemingly impossible?
So, I went and sat with God in my garden just this morning. I talked with God about an area He wants obedience and vowed to repent and give complete obedience and I asked my Lord to give me a giant request I have secretly stored in my heart. “Lord, you know I want to share what you have done in my life with a large audience, really large, a million or more, Lord. On radio, Lord. So Lord today I’m asking with simple faith and in simple love in obedience, Lord, to open that door. And Lord do it today.
A bold request I know. But I believe in Him.
Today around 1 p.m. Dineen, my coauthor, telephoned. She had received word that we will be guests in the future at a large radio station. Details to come later.
I bawled. Then laughed. I hugged people in the office. I looked up and said out loud in front of my stunned coworkers, “THANK YOU JESUS.” I cried some more.
I’m undone that a sinner, a broken and messed up girl like me, is loved by a Sovereign and Almighty God. His son Jesus died for me and now petitions for me. I truly can’t take it all in. But, I KNOW I am loved by the God of the Universe.
I surrendered much I “thought” was important in this life only to discover what is truly important, a life lived for Christ. And it’s so much better than my tiny dreams.
So today my friends, surrender… give Him all of it. Live for Jesus and pray with belief and watch what our Great God can do.
Be embraced by the King. He loves us so very much, Lynn
Oh my sweet friend, I’m following in your footsteps to pray boldly. This is so inspiring! What a privilege and joy that we get to serve Jesus with everything we are! I think I’m finally sold out for Jesus. LOL!
WHY do I forget to pray with the expectation that he will answer?! I needed this in a crazy way today! Thank you for this. I am blessed for reading this. Now I need to go pray BIG and expect God to answer.
Bless you!
“When I consider your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have set in place, what is man that you are mindful of him, the son of man that you care for him? … O LORD, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth! Ps. 8:3-4, 9
When my wife and I were missionaries in South Korea, we often received comfort knowing that members of our denomination prayed for us on our birthdays. Missionaries have many stories of wonderful things happening on their birthdays. Near her birthday, a missionary received a card from a boy participating in a mission group at his church. The child said, “Fell free to try something big today because we are all praying for you.”
Yesterday, through the words of a very godly woman, I was convicted that I do not pray big enough. That my prayers are limited by my view of what I think God wants for me. In my mind, I limit what God thinks I should have and what He wants to do through me. But He wants more for me and He wants do use me for greater things that I believe.
And now this post.
Time to hit my knees in a much bigger way!
I also read the book; powerful words from the mouth of a child 🙂 – May He help me in my unbelief.
Thank you for sharing these encouraging words.
Lynn, just yesterday the Lord answered one of my desperate pleas in a real tangible way. I shared the details with my husband and he said “wow, it’s like God dropped down the answer from heaven to you”. I’m so glad I stopped by here to read this; I really enjoyed it. Have a wonderful day my good friend!
Thank you for sharing this Lynn. I tend to have such teeny tiny faith in our great BIG God. Something very interesting…as I was scrolling down this page to leave a comment, the security word, standing out in BOLD blue just “happened” to be the name of my child who needs some big answers to big prayers! Just a coincidence? Um…no. I am heading to my room to pray….:) God Bless you!
Thanks, Lynn, for this amazing story! Such a season of miracles – Lent – in this time before we celebrate the death and Resurrection, it is just such a joy. I remember when younger, I focused more on His death and thought it was such a somber time. Now, I focus more on the Resurrection, certainly not forgetting the events that led up to it, and I see what a blessing it all is. What a blessing, too, is to have faith like that of a child.
Beautiful. Thank you.