This is why in intercessions we can gravitate towards big ticket items and big ticket prayers, such as praying for everyone who is in need of healing in say a nation, a region of the world even while detailing some of the possible illnesses they may have so we start with a big picture and fill in some details.
Jonah could not have possibly known in precise detail all the errant ways of the great city he was called to minister to, he couldn't have known that many of the people personally, yet he was called to address the city as a whole while not having complete details on the picture of what was happening.
It is also good to shift whatever your personal intentions may be, to an intercessory prayer module as well as keeping to a personal request, so you can include all others with a similar issue in your prayer, making the prayer not only for yourself but for many others as well who may be dealing with similar issues, thereby bringing forth also the common thread of humanity and concerns for others added to your personal requests.
Isaiah, Chapter 26 verse 12 from the NIV version of the Bible says:
12 Lord, you will grant us peace;
all we have accomplished is really from you.
Any big picture accomplishment comes from the Lord regardless of who is taking the credit according to this verse.
Isaiah, Chapter 26 verse 15 from the NIV version of the Bible says:
15 O Lord, you have made our nation great;
yes, you have made us great.
You have extended our borders,
and we give you the glory!
Here the Lord extended, or enlarged the picture towards greatness for both individuals and the nation they resided in, and the glory of this was unto the Lord.
When the Lord is considering doing something great for you, you might need to get with this picture of greatness, in that, it might involve enlarging your personal borders.
An example might be simply finances, if I am dirt poor, this may need to be remedied to enlarge my personal borders towards something the Lord may want me to do or have.
The point is that the Lord's picture, may be great and can be great and for whatever he has in mind it is up to him and his sovereign wishes, but there can and should be the discussion of this possibility of enlarging the boundaries towards greatness within the context of the prayer relationship going forward and continuing onward. And of course this is not just from the selfish vantage point but also with the view of this as to how it affects others.
So don't leave the pictures greatness and hope out of your prayer,
It really isn't necessary to ask for a great picture, just ask for the picture and or give pictures to the Lord for review. And the possibility that the picture presented by the Lord is greater than what you are contemplating, considering or imagining but whatever the picture might possibly be, ask the Lord to bring it before you and let you know the picture through his communicating it to you.
Another example from the story of Jonah is that we don't have to be the most pristine person in the world in order to have the Lord communicate with us and Jonah was on the run in the other direction while the Lord closely and carefully communicated to him.
I might at some levels want a big house and I can't even afford a bicycle. So I leave the picture out of my prayers totally. Where the truth is any possible picture that the Lord may have for you or for others you are intervening for in prayer, should not be discarded because the up front means seem to be totally lacking.
The Lord in his vision can bring you past all obstacles in revealing and discussing the picture with you. The paramount thing is not to go for the great things because you want them, it is because they concern the Lord and the key it to understand what concerns the Lord within these grant pictures just as the key was for Jonah, to get with and understand what the Lord cared about within his presentation to Jonah.
You can ask the Lord for his picture for the day, the week, the job, the task, the proposed outline and so on keeping a keen eye on what the Lord cares about within this..
Both give a picture and ask the Lord to give you a picture as you pray.
The Lord can bring that grand masterpiece before you and also complete that masterpiece for you as you cooperate with his grace for this picture.
It might be also that the prayer picture you are called to will involve the Lord's concerns for others, as it did mightily in the case of Jonah.
Jonah could not have possibly known in precise detail all the errant ways of the great city he was called to minister to, he couldn't have known that many of the people personally, yet he was called to address the city as a whole while not having complete details on the picture of what was happening.
It is also good to shift whatever your personal intentions may be, to an intercessory prayer module as well as keeping to a personal request, so you can include all others with a similar issue in your prayer, making the prayer not only for yourself but for many others as well who may be dealing with similar issues, thereby bringing forth also the common thread of humanity and concerns for others added to your personal requests.
Isaiah, Chapter 26 verse 12 from the NIV version of the Bible says:
12 Lord, you will grant us peace;
all we have accomplished is really from you.
Any big picture accomplishment comes from the Lord regardless of who is taking the credit according to this verse.
Isaiah, Chapter 26 verse 15 from the NIV version of the Bible says:
15 O Lord, you have made our nation great;
yes, you have made us great.
You have extended our borders,
and we give you the glory!
Here the Lord extended, or enlarged the picture towards greatness for both individuals and the nation they resided in, and the glory of this was unto the Lord.
When the Lord is considering doing something great for you, you might need to get with this picture of greatness, in that, it might involve enlarging your personal borders.
An example might be simply finances, if I am dirt poor, this may need to be remedied to enlarge my personal borders towards something the Lord may want me to do or have.
The point is that the Lord's picture, may be great and can be great and for whatever he has in mind it is up to him and his sovereign wishes, but there can and should be the discussion of this possibility of enlarging the boundaries towards greatness within the context of the prayer relationship going forward and continuing onward. And of course this is not just from the selfish vantage point but also with the view of this as to how it affects others.
So don't leave the pictures greatness and hope out of your prayer,
It really isn't necessary to ask for a great picture, just ask for the picture and or give pictures to the Lord for review. And the possibility that the picture presented by the Lord is greater than what you are contemplating, considering or imagining but whatever the picture might possibly be, ask the Lord to bring it before you and let you know the picture through his communicating it to you.
Another example from the story of Jonah is that we don't have to be the most pristine person in the world in order to have the Lord communicate with us and Jonah was on the run in the other direction while the Lord closely and carefully communicated to him.
I might at some levels want a big house and I can't even afford a bicycle. So I leave the picture out of my prayers totally. Where the truth is any possible picture that the Lord may have for you or for others you are intervening for in prayer, should not be discarded because the up front means seem to be totally lacking.
The Lord in his vision can bring you past all obstacles in revealing and discussing the picture with you. The paramount thing is not to go for the great things because you want them, it is because they concern the Lord and the key it to understand what concerns the Lord within these grant pictures just as the key was for Jonah, to get with and understand what the Lord cared about within his presentation to Jonah.
You can ask the Lord for his picture for the day, the week, the job, the task, the proposed outline and so on keeping a keen eye on what the Lord cares about within this..
Both give a picture and ask the Lord to give you a picture as you pray.
The Lord can bring that grand masterpiece before you and also complete that masterpiece for you as you cooperate with his grace for this picture.
It might be also that the prayer picture you are called to will involve the Lord's concerns for others, as it did mightily in the case of Jonah.
