Who's Calling Your Mission Out Of You?

Your Mission Is The Very Thing Bothering You

The Thirty-Thousand-Foot Prayer On The Ground – Part 2

I’ve decided not to try and make this good. Neither am I shooting for long, but rather to make the point. It’s time we come to grips with where we are. It’s time someone called you out on your situation. Why do you have that bad attitude? Why have you changed? What’s going on in your world? Where are you? Where’s your head? These are all phrases used to call something out of you.

I want God to put someone in your life who will check you. You need a person who knows you and knows when things aren’t going well with you. I have such a friend who when I get off course has permission to come in and straighten me how. Now for the most important question, why am I mentioning this? The answer to your prayer depends on it.

When Your Problem Lingers On
The problem you’ve been facing may have been lingering around for quite some time. Is there no end in sight for the problem you’re facing? Because your answer, the solution is going to take time, you must not wait to begin the on the ground work required.

“Early the following spring, in the month of Nisan, during the twentieth year of King Artaxerxes’ reign, I was serving the king his wine. I had never before appeared sad in his presence.” – bible.com/116/neh.2.1.nlt

These are the words of Nehemiah. Notice how specific the timing is. “Early the following spring.” This means that a season or more has passed. Months have gone by and Nehemiah’s problem hasn’t improved even though he prayed. Let me stop here and get in your face [to the left] a bit because I can’t leave you stuck in normal. You see Nehemiah prayed like normal people and just like a normal person nothing changed as a result of his prayer. Why? Normal isn’t enough and prayer is something that normal people do. When a person decides he/she is going to talk to God, the Maker of all, they just negated normal. When will you put normal behavior and normal practices aside so that you can go to the next level and have next level results?

Prayer shouldn’t be your last resort; it should be your first response. – Chris Hodges

Nehemiah is working and giving his job his best. He had the best attitude even in the midst of his challenge until it lingered on and on and hope began to fade. He thought like we all do that if we prayed, God would just do what only God can do and fix it for me. Sorry to tell you that it just doesn’t work that way.

What’s the Matter? What’s Your Mission?
It’s easy to have our attention diverted to what doesn’t matter. Once on the ground, you don’t see the whole problem and you might not see the problem at all from your position on the ground. It’s up to you to stay focused, stay on guard, and stay on mission. What’s the matter? What’s your mission? Matter-Mission. Mission-Matter.

Remind yourself of the current state, what you saw from high in the sky. It’s the current undesired state where you find yourself. Yet you wish to be at a desired future state. What we fail to get is that there’s a journey, ground that must be traveled to get us from here to there. No one likes the journey, but it’s necessary. You see we want a future state without having to travel. If you’re unwilling to travel, you’re unwilling to get to the answer and results you seek.

Nehemiah found himself avoiding, taking his eyes off the mission. Yet his problems were still present and unshakable. He tried to get back to his normal existences. Your thirty-thousand-foot prayer has a way of disrupting your normal existence in such a way that normal doesn’t even remain the same.

The King asked Nehemiah what was his matter? In other words what’s the mission, the problem to be resolved? What had his attention?

“So the king asked me, “Why are you looking so sad? You don’t look sick to me. You must be deeply troubled.” Then I was terrified, but I replied, “Long live the king! How can I not be sad? For the city where my ancestors are buried is in ruins, and the gates have been destroyed by fire.”” – bible.com/116/neh.2.2-3.nlt

The king is that person everyone needs. He’s the person who got in Nehemiah’s face and asked what’s going on. You know most people, what happens normally, will let you mope around. They’ll see your changed countenance or your attitude shift and simply do what ordinary people do, pay it no mind. The king is the one who saw there was a problem with Nehemiah. Who is that person for you? And who is the person you do the same for? Unlike most, Nehemiah didn’t lie and say nothing’s bothering me. Did you know that before you can get an answer (help) you must be willing to say you have the problem in the first place? The Bible is very clear in this regard; if you don’t ask, you can not have. You must be willing to evaluate the current state of the situation.

Answering the question “what’s the matter” reveals the mission. And it’s the mission that holds the answer to your need.

Question: What’s the matter?
I’ve enjoyed bringing you this installment of “The Thirty-Thousand-Foot Prayer On The Ground”. I feel you wishing I’d continue, but we don’t need too much in a day. I leave you with this, what’s the matter with you? What’s your mission?

Until next week, I need your help. I can’t alone get this content to the people who can most benefit from it, so please share it with your family and friends, specifically those you’ve given permission to be in your face.

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