Do you want to see God start moving? Do you want to see big things happen? Do you want to see miracles? I do. But why? I guess, for me, that question has several answers, but the “right” answer was buried in the pile somewhere. But that answer strikes me as the key: be oriented to the glory of God, and He cannot refuse the request. It’s just that simple.
There are other good reasons for making requests, don’t get me wrong. God is not unmoved by our suffering, He’s not against the idea of blessing us just because He loves us, and I think He takes us seriously when we pray for someone else out of a spirit of deep compassion for that person. That’s mimicking the heart of the Savior. That’s a good thing.
But God’s glory comes first, and when we align ourselves with that desire, the desire to see Him get all the credit and praise, He answers that request and everything else follows naturally.
When God spoke to Ezekiel about His plan to bring deliverance to Israel, He made it clear what His motivation was: “It is not for your sake, O house of Israel, that I am about to act, but for the sake of my holy name … I will vindicate the holiness of my great name … and the nations will know that I am the LORD, says the Lord GOD, when through you I vindicate my holiness before their eyes.” (Ezek. 36:22-23)
Likewise, God spoke through Isaiah about the coming deliverance of Israel: “For my own sake, for my own sake, I do it, for how should my name be profaned? My glory I will not give to another.” (Is. 48:11)
I think we get to see something of this in action at the Wedding at Cana. Mary asked Jesus to intervene when the guests had run out of wine, and He made it clear that this request was a bit premature: “My hour has not yet come.” (Jn. 2:4) But He did the miracle anyway, and the rest of the story tells us why: “This, the first of his signs, Jesus did at Cana in Galilee, and manifested his glory; and his disciples believed in him.” (Jn. 2:11) In other words, Jesus adjusted His timeline, and in the end He showed His glory and brought His disciples to faith.
I don’t think I need to add any more than this. Keep God’s fame, His glory, His reputation at the forefront, and expect Him to start acting.
