Move People Through God Aloneනියැදිය

The world is not in our hands

The following story has often helped me maintain perspective on our role (the human side) in prayer. We are often inclined to want to be the "saviour" ourselves through our prayers. Johannes Facius of the International Fellowship of Intercessors recounts how a group he was involved with, several years ago, prayed for a specific country. During the nearly two weeks they met to pray, the group decided to fast for one day. The fast would last for 24 hours, and everyone would eat breakfast again the next morning.

The next morning, one of the team members arrived a bit late for breakfast. When he showed up, he looked terrible—pale, with red eyes and slumped shoulders. It seemed as though the weight of the world was on him. Johannes, very concerned, asked, "What's wrong?" The man replied, "How would you feel if you had prayed the whole night, carrying the sins of the world on your shoulders? I went through a terrible struggle and battle!" Johannes smiled and said, "Friend, I didn't know it was our task to carry the world on our shoulders. I thought the Lord Jesus had the world in His hands and had taken the sins of the world upon Himself."

He turned to the rest of the group and said, "Let's encourage our friend. Let's sing to him, 'He's got the whole world in His hands.'" He was referring to his friend, not to the Lord Jesus. The man realised his mistake. His intentions were noble, but he had taken on a burden that only Christ can bear. As a result, his time of intercession left him completely drained—he had prayed in his own strength rather than in the power of the Lord Jesus and the Holy Spirit. This man had been praying in an unbiblical way, and as a consequence, he lost his joy in the Lord.