I’ve discovered something about answered prayer over the years. It’s that we need to ‘frame up” what we are asking for. Meaning we need to be able to see it just like we can see a picture within it’s frame.
I spent a few weeks working in a picture framers as a teenager and I learnt that framing up something is not as simple as it looks. There is a fine art behind framing; the measurements, colours, mount boards and the frame itself. It actually takes time, effort, skill, thought and imagination to frame up a piece of artwork well.
Likewise it takes time, effort and allowing ourselves to see what God sees, and to “frame up” what we believe for in prayer. Many times we rush the process and then wonder why we don’t see the spectacular and complete answers to our prayer requests. However I’m discovering that when we properly “frame up” our requests, and take time to seek what God is saying our future looks like, and what the blueprint He is releasing from heaven is then amazing things happen. These revelations are what we will actually “frame up” in our thought life, in our spirits, in our words and in our prayers.
I was recently in a gathering where I had been sharing about God doing above and beyond our hopes, dreams, prayers and imaginations. That He is bigger and more powerful than we can possibly fathom, and that nothing is impossible for Him. He can do whatever He likes, from regrowing body parts to making gemstones and gold dust suddenly appear. I felt that God wanted to do something special in the meeting, and to just have some fun loving on people, so I began to “frame up” that He would release gold dust. I was honouring God for who He was, and that I loved Him. Shortly afterwards I was enjoying the sunshine and chatting to some other woman at morning tea when I noticed one lady had gold coloured sparkles on her cheek. I asked her if she was wearing any makeup and she replied she’d only ever worn makeup on her wedding day. I laughed because as I studied her face a little closer I could see gold like dust all over her cheek. Several other people came and testified to this gold dust on her face. The lovely lady was quite astounded and “blown away” by God doing such a thing but I believe it was God simply loving on her. Later I noticed the same dust and sparkles on my mother’s face as I chatted to her.
God can do whatever He wants, but I know He had also replied to my “framing up” and my request for Him to specifically come and bless us with heavenly things that day.
God is a good God and He loves us more than we can imagine. He wants to make Himself known to us, but often people simply don’t give him the “time of day”, and disregard or ridicule those things they don’t understand. However when we honour God for who He is, and choose to “frame up” – to see and dare to ask and believe in the power and magnificence of God and heaven then we will begin to draw these things into our lives.
What are you “framing up” today? Are you believing, speaking and “seeing” the miraculous, the good, the lovely and heaven opening up on earth, or are you “framing up” disaster, strife, depression, lack and loss?
Jesus said some fairly astounding things and one such statement he made was, “I say to you, whatever things you ask when you pray, believe that you receive them, and you shall have them.” (Mark 11:22) In other words “frame it up”. Seek God, see it, believe, ask, and you shall have it.
Take some time and “frame up” something amazing today.
Prayer: Lord help me to see how you see, and to begin to frame up the world how you want it to be, so that I can then begin to believe for that to be realised. I’m choosing to “frame up” something good today. In Jesus name Amen.