In Your Hands, Lord
 This article is authored by Dick Leggatt, President of Derek Prince Ministries – USA and this comprises his April 10, 2013 Newsletter.Click here to receive the Derek Prince Ministries emailed E-devotional. |
Are you facing a challenge that defies solution? Something that refuses to yield, no matter how much you pray about it?
Life often presents us with complicated issues that don’t give in easily to prayer and other spiritual disciplines. It’s tough to find answers to some of the obstacles we face. Nevertheless, in this letter I want to highlight an initial step that I have discovered.
I don’t offer it as a quick fix or slick gimmick to apply to complex problems. Rather, it is an essential first step for anything we face — one that involves placing the matter in the Lord’s hands as a first priority. I truly hope this letter encourages you.
“In Your Hands, Lord”
I am very grateful to be involved with Derek Prince Ministries in these significant days. It is a high privilege for all of us at the DPM–USA office to join with other DPM outreaches all around the world in stewarding the teaching legacy of Derek Prince. The magnitude and scope of this responsibility could border on being overwhelming at times, especially if we were ever tempted to tackle the task in our own limited strength and resources.
To remind myself of our complete dependence upon the Lord, I have established a routine as a matter of spiritual discipline. Every time I make the turn onto the main road that leads to our office in Charlotte, I pray as follows: “I place Derek Prince Ministries in Your hands, Lord. This is not our ministry. It’s not even Derek’s ministry, as much as we want to honor his memory and his legacy. It’s Your ministry. Please take it wherever You want it to go, and do through it whatever You intend to accomplish, so that it will glorify Your name.”
Rather than telling the Lord in detail what my plan for the ministry might be, I simply choose instead to place the ministry in His hands. In fact, each time I pray, I put extra emphasis on the phrase: “In Your hands, Lord.” It reminds me where our focus needs to be.
Your First Step
The DPM–USA staff engages in this same spiritual discipline when we gather every Monday to begin the week with prayer. We place the ministry in His hands. Of course, we also express specific prayer needs during those prayer times, following the encouragement of Scriptures such as Philippians 4:6 to “…let your requests be made known to God.” But the overall process begins with that one basic step: placing the ministry in His hands.
For all of us, this practice should apply not only to our work, but also to every aspect of our lives. It is especially pertinent to those stubborn areas that trouble us — those issues that seem to refuse to budge even in the face of persistent prayer. But what could be a better initial step than this? For situations that defy solution, we simply say: “Lord, this matter is far too complicated for me to understand or address. You know more about this situation than I do. I place it in Your capable hands.”
Praying in this way is so simple as to be profound. Yet it can be a powerful first step for all aspects of our lives — and especially the really difficult parts.
“Bring Him Here to Me”
As I was reflecting on this important step, a story from Scripture came clearly to mind. It was the incident in which a father brought his little boy who was troubled with seizures to a few of Jesus’ disciples. The incident occurred at the foot of the Mount of Transfiguration while Jesus and His closest disciples were descending from a literal mountaintop experience.
What was Jesus’ solution to the unresolved problem with the man’s son and the failure of His disciples to bring healing to the boy? We read it in Matthew 17:17: “Bring him here to Me.” In the Mark 9 version, Jesus says: “Bring him to Me” (verse 19). The Luke 9 account of Jesus’ response to the father is pretty much the same: “Bring your son here” (verse 41). In each account, the key for the boy’s healing — even in the face of failed initial attempts — is consistent. Place the situation in the hands of the Master.
Like so many of the thorny problems we confront in life, the first step is basic and simple. We bring it to the Lord. We place the matter in His hands, reminding ourselves of the command of Jesus in this passage: “Bring him here to Me.”
The Lord Wants to Help
I am certainly not trying to be simplistic in the face of the complicated issues we confront in life. What we are proposing is just the beginning step. In fact, sometimes that step is the beginning point for a battle for resolution that requires us to hold on in faith. As we said earlier, many of the matters we face seem to defy immediate solution.
To emphasize these points, here are two excerpts from the teaching of Derek Prince — one that enhances our understanding of the first step (“Bring him here to Me”), and the next that emphasizes our need to “stay plugged in” to the purposes of the Lord.
The Scripture says the devil is a murderer, and a murderer is one who kills physically. The devil will do this if we let him. He is a ruthless, unscrupulous, cruel enemy, and we have to understand what we are dealing with. A further example [of the devil’s cruelty] may be seen in the book of Mark.
“Then one of the crowd answered and said, ‘Teacher, I brought You my son, who has a mute spirit. And wherever it seizes him, it throws him down; he foams at the mouth, gnashes his teeth, and becomes rigid. So I spoke to Your disciples, that they should cast it out, but they could not.’ He [Jesus] answered him and said, ‘O faithless generation, how long shall I be with you? How long shall I bear with you? Bring him to Me.’” (Mark 9:17–19)
We should note several important truths revealed in this passage. First, Jesus did not tell the man, “This is too hard,” or “This condition is the will of God for your son.” Instead, He said, “Bring him to Me.”
That was Jesus’ attitude about every single case of sickness. For example, when the centurion said, “I have a sick servant at home,” Jesus said, “I’ll come and heal him.” (See Matthew 8:5–13; Luke 7:2–10.) There never was a question about the will of Jesus to heal and deliver. And we must understand His willingness to heal and deliver today.
Stay Plugged In (excerpted from the CD message, “Gifts of Power and Revelation” from Derek’s series on “Exercising Spiritual Gifts”):
Miracles are often instantaneous and often visible, whereas healings are often invisible. (If somebody is healed in the liver, there’s nothing immediate that you can see.) And many times, they are also gradual.
That is important to understand because some people come to get healed, and if they don’t get a miracle they think nothing has happened. But it may be that they’re receiving a healing. It’s very important to understand this because if you are receiving a healing, a lot will depend on how you respond.
I tell people, “Now you’re plugged in to God’s supernatural power. Keep the plug in.” How do you do that? Basically, by thanking God. You say, “Thank You, Lord. You touched me. Your power is at work in my body.”
Every time you feel a twinge of pain or you see a symptom, you say, “Thank You, Lord. Your supernatural power is at work in my body.” As you respond that way, the healing is completed.
Taking That First Step
How about those issues we referenced at the beginning of this letter? Are you ready to take the first step — placing them in God’s hands? You can do that right now by joining with me in the following prayer:
Lord, what I am facing seems to defy any solution, no matter how much I pray about it. My strength and will power are not getting the job done. I turn to You for help. As a first step in the resolution of this issue, I place this matter and my life squarely in Your hands. I bring all of it to You, and I let go of it.
Also, I will persevere — by staying plugged in to Your supernatural power, and by thanking You continually for all You will do in my life. Thank You, Lord. I bring it all to You. I place it in Your hands, Lord.
You’ve Done It!
Congratulations on a wonderful first step! We commend you for praying this prayer, and we pledge to stand with you in the process you have begun. One way we hope to help is by providing free material to keep you moving forward in the process.
In that regard, we want to offer you a free download of Derek’s teaching, “Gifts of Power and Revelation,” the full message from which Derek’s second excerpt was taken. By taking in this kind of clear teaching from the Word of God, you will grow in faith and perseverance. It is our privilege to provide it for you and to stand with you as that growth takes place in your life.
How are we able to offer the free materials we provide? It is through the partnership of people like you who have been blessed and helped by Derek Prince’s teaching. Because of your prayers and your financial generosity, we are able to provide the teaching that enables so many to grow in their relationship with Jesus. To us, that is so vital and so important. Thank you again for being a vital part of that process.
By joining us in the prayer above, you have taken the all-important first step — you have placed yourself in the Lord’s hands. Now it’s time to move forward in Him, setting your face to stay plugged in to His supernatural power that will sustain you and give you victory.
As you move forward, please continue to let the Lord know that you are completely His — saying again and again, “I place my life in Your hands, Lord!”
P.S. Thank you again for your prayers and your financial support. We simply could not do all the Lord has placed before us here at DPM–USA without your vital involvement. Thank you for linking so closely with us. Please be sure to get the free download we have offered: “Gifts of Power and Revelation.”