I heard a minister in Fort Worth, Texas tell the story of another pastor who
years ago received divine protection as a result of prayer-building walls or
boundaries of protection (paga). This pastor had developed the discipline of
beginning every day with an hour of prayer.
One particular day, however, he felt a strong leading of the Holy Spirit to pray
longer so he continued for a second hour. After two hours he still felt the need
to keep on praying, so he persevered for a third hour asking for God's
protection and blessing on his day; as well as for other things. He then felt
released from the need to pray longer so he stopped.
That evening as he was mowing his lawn, he felt something repeatedly brush up
against his leg. He looked down and saw a coiled rattlesnake trying to strike
him, but it just couldn't hit him. Instead, it kept brushing either side of his
leg.
Why had the man felt the need to pray longer that morning? What was he doing?
Among other things he was building "boundaries" of protection through
prayer-paga.
Some would say, of course, that God doesn't need three hours of prayer to
protect one from a rattlesnake. I would agree. He didn't "need" seven days of
marching around Jericho to tear it down either, but He chose to do it that way.
He doesn't "need" to spit in a person's eve to heal them, but He did once. Why
He requires things to be done certain ways, we don't always know, but we do knew
that for us obedience is the key. If He says "three hours" then three hours is
exactly what it will take.
Intercessory Prayer by Dutch Sheets, p.80,81. 1996, Gospel Light/Regal Books,
Ventura, CA 93003. Used by Permission
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