About six months ago, God began dealing with me to tell more about my husband’s and my testimonies, for answers for people’s lives are in our stories.
In Mark 5, the woman healed of the issue of blood told her story, and people who read it and believe receive answers and are healed today because she told her story. Even though she is in Heaven, we still tell her story and receive answers. What we rehearse, God repeats.
With this in mind, I want to refer back to a vision Kenneth E. Hagin had of Jesus. It contains answers for us. Dad Hagin told this account in his book, I Believe in Visions, in the chapter titled “I Have Come To Answer Your Prayer.” Dad Hagin wrote the following:
At the close of my message one night, a spirit of prayer descended upon the congregation and we all gathered around the altar to pray. We prayed for quite some time.
After a while I got off my knees and sat on the steps to the platform. I was sitting there with my eyes open, singing in other tongues as the Spirit gave utterance, when suddenly I saw Jesus standing about three feet in front of me. He said, "I have come to answer your prayer."
I knew exactly what He was talking about. I had been praying for some time for my wife, who had a goiter. It was growing larger and larger until now she was having choking spells.
From the time we were first married, I had sensed in my spirit that my wife would die at an early age, and I thought that perhaps this time was approaching. I prayed the rest of the night about this and said to the Lord, "I have obeyed You and have done Your will. I have left my church and my family and have been in the evangelistic field for many years. My wife has stayed at home and has been faithful to raise our children. I am still a young man (at that time I was in my 30s), and we have been married for many years. Please let me keep my wife.”
In the vision the Lord said to me, "I have come to answer that prayer. Tell your wife to be operated on, for she will live and not die."
Although I didn't mention it to my wife, I had felt all along that if she were operated on she would die. She later told me that she had known for several years that she would die when she was operated on for this goiter.
But the Lord said to me, "She will live and not die. According to the natural course of events without divine intervention, she would die. But I have heard your prayers and have come to answer them. She shall live…."
Then Jesus said something that absolutely melted me, and I have never been able to forget it.
He said, "I did this, son, just because you asked Me to. You don't know how I long to do for my children if they would only ask Me and believe Me. Many times they beg and cry and pray, but they don't believe. And I cannot answer their prayers unless they have faith, because I cannot violate my Word. But how often I long to help them if only they would let Me by taking Me at My Word and bringing Me their problems, trusting Me to undertake for them."
Again He said, "Tell your wife to be operated on, for she will live and not die." With those words He disappeared.
Even though the doctors were greatly concerned about my wife's condition, my wife and I had great joy through it all because we knew the outcome in advance.
I want us to look at several of the things Jesus told Brother Hagin.
Jesus stated that He LONGS to do for His children, but we must ask Him and believe Him. His longing to do for us shows His depth of interest in us and in anything that pertains to us. But for Him to answer us, we must have faith – not just a need. Jesus doesn’t answer needs – He answers faith. Jesus can’t violate His Word just because we have a need – we must also have faith. Brother Hagin had a need for his wife’s healing, but if he hadn’t released faith when he prayed, she would not have been healed.
A lot of people pray, but it’s BELIEVING prayer that receives answers. Mark 11:24 reads, “Therefore I say unto you, What things soever ye desire, WHEN YE PRAY, BELIEVE that ye receive them, and ye shall have them.”
Jesus stated, “Many times they beg and cry and pray, but they don't believe.” Notice, they’re doing a spiritual act of praying, but without faith, it’s not Bible prayer. Bible praying involves the releasing of faith. Begging, crying, and praying is praying out of the emotions – and that misses the mark. Believe that God’s power goes to work for you the moment you pray – whether you feel it or not, for God’s power isn’t always seen and felt.
Jesus told Brother Hagin, “I did this just because you asked Me to.” We don’t have to EARN His help – it’s available for the ASKING. We don’t have to beg and cry – just ask. James 4:2 tells us, “...ye have not, because ye ask not.”
Jesus also told him, “How often I long to help them if only they would LET ME by taking Me at My Word and bringing Me their problems, trusting Me to undertake for them." In this statement, He tells us how to “LET HIM” by: (1) taking Him at His Word, (2) bringing our problems to Him, and (3) trusting Him to undertake.
Worry is a sign you’re still holding onto your problem and not LETTING HIM undertake for you. If you’re thinking about it, you’re worrying. First Peter 5:7 reads, “Casting the whole of your care [all your anxieties, all your worries, all your concerns, once and for all] on Him, for He cares for you affectionately and cares about you watchfully” (Amplified). When it’s in His hands, He can work on it. When it’s in your hands, He can’t. Worry is a sign that it’s in your hands – not His. When tempted to worry, say, “I refuse to worry, for I have cast that problem into His hands, and He is working on it right now.”
Jesus told Brother Hagin, "I have come to answer your prayer." Jesus showed up and worked in response to his prayer. Jesus didn’t initiate the rescue – Brother Hagin did by praying. Because Brother Hagin prayed in faith, Jesus was able to intervene.
There are many things that can be changed if we will pray in faith. If we don’t pray, things happen that shouldn’t happen. Jesus wants to work on our behalf, but we must invite Him to work, for He doesn’t force Himself on people.
When we pray in faith, that invites Him to move on our behalf – which He longs to do.