When the Bible says in Genesis 1:20, “And God said, Let the waters bring forth abundantly the moving creature that hath life, and fowl that may fly above the earth in the open firmament of heaven.”, we have a positive connotation. Why? The Lord said so. When the Bible says in Exodus 1:7, “And the children of Israel were fruitful, and increased abundantly, and multiplied, and waxed exceeding mighty; and the land was filled with them.”, we have a positive connotation. Why? The Lord said so. When the Bible says in Genesis 1:11, “And God said, Let the earth bring forth grass, the herb yielding seed, and the fruit tree yielding fruit after his kind, whose seed is in itself, upon the earth: and it was so.”
So, should we be happy with an abundance of dandelions? Did these living things show up after the sinful fall of mankind? What if my front lawn looks like a yellow flood has overpowered the green occupants, thereby being awarded a starring role in a Scott’s Turf Buildercommercial? Should I be called biased because I like a lawn of green instead of yellow? Is yellow wrong? Is green right? Sometimes, we pray for things in abundance, but we tend to qualify the things in abundance that we want.
I used to use an old expression when describing my move from Boston to the Mid-west. “I came from Boston to the Mid-west with nothing, and I still have most of it left. Can I be blessed with an abundance of “nothing”? Think about that……
Let’s look to the issue of prayer in abundance. With our often-crushing schedules and frantic trips through this life, do we find ourselves on the spiritual balance scales of prayer requests versus prayers answered? Are we found “wanting” when looking at this objectively? How often do we expect in abundance, but we don’t pray and fellowship with the Lord in abundance?
How many of us prayfor dandelions? Would we think suspiciously of someone who would do that? Or would we respect and honor the person(s) who actually did pray for them, based on how many dandelions we actually have? What if we prayed, “Lord, I want to be as effective as the person who prayed for the dandelions, because the result is overwhelming. I want the Lord to guide me to focus on seeking Him in abundance, so I can be effective and purposeful in His tasks He wants me to do.
“Lord, thank You forthe power and intimacy of prayer. When I look out at the spiritual harvest that is before my eyes; I pray that through my abundant time with You in preparation, I will be equipped to handle the abundant assignments You have prepared for me and rejoice in the abundant blessings that will unfold.”In Jesus’ Name. Amen.”