Do you feel inadequate at times? Like there are some missing pieces in the equipment you need to serve the Lord? Do you draw a blank at crucial moments in life?
If you are anything like me, you face times when you feel totally inadequate. On those occasions, I readily admit: “Lord, I know You’ve asked me to do this job. I simply don’t have the capacity for it!” When this happens, isn’t it encouraging to know that we can draw upon resources the Lord will supply? He specializes in filling in the blanks.
A Strange Assignment
Recently, the Lord gave me quite an unusual prayer assignment. He awakened me very early one morning, directing me to pray for a dear couple Cindi and I had befriended over 40 years ago—and with whom we had not been in contact since 1984. Even so, the clear sense I had from the Lord was that He wanted me to intercede for them and their daughters. There was only one problem. I couldn’t remember their names.
Even with that limitation, the impression remained, and the Lord was not letting me off the hook. As I began to intercede in the Spirit, something amazing happened. The name of the husband popped into my mind. Clearly, the Lord was filling in the blanks.
Gradually, as I continued to pray in tongues, the Holy Spirit added the name of the wife. Then came the names of their two daughters. From then on, I was able to pray for our friends, fondly remembering them by name. The Lord had filled in the blanks.
The Second Touch
Honestly, my initial temptation was to give up before I even started. I mean, for the Lord to prompt me to pray for someone I couldn’t even remember—that’s a bit unfair, isn’t it? Even so, He wanted me to give it a go. I was immediately reminded of the time Jesus prayed for the blind man from Bethsaida in Mark 8:22–25. Jesus spat on his eyes and prayed for him. When He asked the man if he could see anything after the prayer, the man replied, “I see men like trees walking.” A bit of success—but not a total healing.
Jesus didn’t give up at that point. He didn’t say, “Well, sometimes it works; sometimes it doesn’t.” Our Lord touched him a second time. That’s when the complete healing came. This story should encourage us to keep on praying, even when we feel like we are missing a piece, or the answer seems to be incomplete. That is the time for us to draw more deeply upon the Holy Spirit—because He specializes in filling in the blanks.
Don’t Worry about the Blanks
Probably at this point, you are thinking about a few other passages that talk about praying and not quitting when things don’t work out the first time around. The classic encouragement would be the words of Jesus in Luke 18:1 (NIV): “Then Jesus told his disciples a parable to show them that they should always pray and not give up.”
Another great passage is Luke 12:11–12, when Jesus told His followers not to worry what they would answer when being interrogated by the authorities. (They probably wondered: “Say what? This is going to happen? Problems with the authorities?”)
Why were they not supposed to worry? It’s in verse 12: “For the Holy Spirit will teach you in that very hour what you are to say.” Jesus’ point was clear to the disciples—and it should be clear to us. The Holy Spirit specializes in filling in the blanks.
Supernatural Power
In a wonderful message on prayer called, “Seven Basic Conditions for Answered Prayer,” Derek Prince talks about the availability of the Holy Spirit to fill in any and all gaps we face in life. In fact, His remedy is far beyond anything we can ask or imagine.
The key to praying on the level of God’s revealed will is letting the Holy Spirit help our infirmities, take over, and pray the way God wants us to pray with His Spirit through us. Ephesians 3:20 says: “Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us, . . .”
We understand from this that the answer to our prayer depends on the power that is working in us. What is the power that God intends to work in us? The power of the Holy Spirit.
You see, Paul runs out of language in that passage of Ephesians. It’s fascinating. He says God is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think. I’d like to illustrate it in this simple way. Here is the highest I can think of. This is the utmost I can ever ask from God—all that we can ask or think. Paul says, “God can do above; abundantly above; exceedingly abundantly above.” And at that point, he runs out of words.
How does God do it? Through the power of the Holy Spirit working in us. When we reach the limit of our natural thinking and reasoning as to what God can and should do, we then let the Holy Spirit in and move on to a higher plane in prayer. That is the prayer plane that every child of God has the right to live in, move in, and have their being in.
The plane of supernatural praying in the Holy Spirit engages a power that is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all we can ever ask, figure, reason, or think with our natural minds.
His Remedy for Our Gaps
How encouraging it is to realize that the Holy Spirit is available to help us whenever we need Him! Does He know we have gaps? Of course! The Lord knew that when He called us. What is His remedy for our deficits? He Himself fills in our blanks.
Would you like to tap into that power right now? Let’s pray together.
Dear Lord, I am very aware of the inadequacies and gaps in the skill-sets of my life. Even so, Lord, I want to serve You in a way that is effective, and in a way that brings maximum glory to Your great name.
Thank You for Your promise that the Holy Spirit will bring to mind what we ought to say at the very moment we need it. If there are gaps, You have the power to fill them. For that, Lord, I give You thanks and praise.
Right now, I bring You every area where I have a gap. I proclaim that You are able to make up the difference in these areas where I am deficient. Thank You, Lord, that you are a specialist in filling in the blanks. Amen.
A Powerful Impact
It’s a simple prayer, isn’t it? And yes, the gaps we face may be a rather minor area of concern in our lives. However, when the Lord fills in the blanks for us, providing the skills we inevitably need to do His work, the impact can be powerful. With the prayer we have just offered, you and I have signed on for those kinds of exciting outcomes.
All of us here at Derek Prince Ministries want to join you in the exhilaration that is ahead for you. (Derek himself always said that he found the Christian life full of excitement—and he wasn’t the kind of person to tolerate any measure of humdrum or boredom.) Please allow us to add fuel to the fire of your enthusiasm with free materials from DPM. The main item we want to offer is “Seven Basic Conditions for Answered Prayer,” the full message from which we drew the teaching quote by Derek. Just use the download link below.
We are happy to provide this resource for you. It is our way of thanking you for your partnership in the work we are doing. Through your prayers and your financial contributions, you are linking arms with us in the outreaches and endeavors by which we are fulfilling the slogan of DPM: “reaching the unreached and teaching the untaught.” Thank you so much for your faithful, generous partnership with us.
Help for Doing His Work
I want to wrap up this letter with a benediction. It’s a good one—and it parallels the theme we have followed throughout this letter. Here is the essence of the message we have tried to convey in the last few pages: at those moments when, in our service to the Lord, we encounter gaps that need to be filled, He is right there to fill in the blanks.
One of the most powerful parting blessings of the New Testament is Hebrews 13:20–21: “Now may the God of peace who brought up our Lord Jesus from the dead, that great Shepherd of the sheep, through the blood of the everlasting covenant, make you complete [perfect] in every good work to do His will, working in you what is well pleasing in His sight, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory forever and ever. Amen.”
Here is the take-away of that benediction. The Lord wants to make us completely able to do His will (because we’re not). He wants to work His pleasure into our lives (because it’s not always there). How does all this happen? He works with us. Count on it.
We know we’re not perfect, and we know that our own efforts are not enough to get the job done. The Lord knows that as well. What is His answer to our deficits? He is. He makes up what is lacking. Why? Because God specializes in filling in the blanks.
All the best,
Dick Leggatt
President, DPM–USA
