Maybe...It's Because I Prayed.

II Corinthians 9:12-13. "For the ministry of this service is not only fully supplying the needs of the saints, but is also overflowing through many thanksgivings to God. Because of the proof given by this ministry they will glorify God for your obedience to your confession of the gospel of Christ, and for the liberality of your contribution to them and to all." 


A bad oil spill washes upon the shores of one of the most scenic and popular beaches in California, near Santa Barbara. It's already wreaking havoc, messing up the beaches and killing wildlife. My son, who fishes a lot near there, is Facebooking friends to accompany him in a volunteer effort to help. I am praying (and proud) for his effort in this unfortuante event. 

Last night I watched on network television, the American version of "Red Nose Day," a massive fundraiser effort to support local charities that help families and children in impoverished situations. A popular and successful event in the United Kingdom, celebrities attempt to entertain us and pull on our heart-strings, much like "Stand Up to Cancer" and the "Jerry Lewis Muscular Dystrophy Telethon" while encouraging us to call with our pledge donations. 

I got a chance to browse through the yearbook today of the high school I work at. There were several pages, each with at least 6 clubs represented on each page. If I counted, I know there must be more than 50 clubs on campus, the majority, service clubs doing something positive for their community, their world. 

Volunteering. Giving of time. Donating. Sacrificing. Showing up. Helping. Prayer. 

You might say...one of these things is not like the other...

How is prayer making a difference? How is that a tangible thing? We can't count it. We can't pay for things with it. It doesn't give us more daylight. Turn back the clock. If you're head is in your hands, your hands aren't helping. Your eyes aren't seeing...It doesn't do the shopping, dig the wells, buy the medicine, teach a mother a skill so she can work, rescue a child from trafficking, save a life...

Baloney! 

You know who says all that?  Who discredits all that...who whispers it in our ears because we begin to doubt our own place in His Kingdom, and we begin to believe that lie, that we are not equipped, worthy to make a difference?    

"Prayer is a shield to the soul, a sacrifice to God, and a scourge for Satan." ~ John Bunyan


Maybe my prayer began for my son to get more involved in community, to meet more people to influence him outside of his immediate circle...

Maybe my prayer showed up in a text and encouraged someone who was on the verge of making a bad decision. 

Maybe, a prayer in a public place before a meal sparks a conversation and a chance to share, reflect your Hope. 

Maybe your prayer is as tangible as making you late and thus avoiding an accident on the freeway. 

Maybe a prayer of provision found you opening your mailbox to find a check written to you for the exact amount of the electricity about to be shut off that day, or had you writing the check. 

Maybe you want more of God in your grief, and you know others are praying. Your eyes are opened up to see a purple flower on your walk everyday, or the skies alive with butterflies. 

Maybe your humble prayer finds you asking for forgiveness. Suddenly, the clock is turned back and a relationship is healed and time begins again.  

The world is quaking, killing, terrorizing, spilling, destroying, aborting, kidnapping, abusing, corrupting...

We need to be PRAYING, living and breathing in full armour. (Eph. 6). 

Sometimes, there truly is nothing we CAN DO about a situation, but aren't you thankful we can pray! I may not even see the answers, the outcome immediately, but I know God honors my prayers. My obedience, my reaction to His grace, is to wait for His timing and to continue to draw near to Him in my pleading, my confessions, my worship, and my desire for wisdom,... my hope as well for those I love. My prayers unite me with others, an intimacy that can only be designed by God for His glory. 

I believe God is always orchestrating amazing things, miracles and Hope. He moves forward with His plan and we can be a part of all that in our prayers. He brings people together with similar passions who pray for one another, thus strengthening each other. I've seen it over and over again. I am not a little old person when I pray. I am a powerful, world-changer, a partner with the Lord. 

Lord, help me everyday to continue to pray without ceasing, devoted to prayer with an attitude of Thanksgiving. (Col. 2). Prayer is one of the mysteries, one of the privileges You give to us through Your Holy Spirit. I may not be a wealthy celebrity, a third-world missionary, a well-known philanthropist, but I know in Your eyes, I am rich, I am a fully equipped to share the Gospel world-wide, and that You know me by name. Lead me to those places where my hands can work as well, where my physical service also reflects You. I can make a difference by a humble prayer, first for my own devotion, growth and worship and then for others to also draw near to Your heart. Thank you Lord that You have called me to pray. All other things I may do in Your name start here first. To You Lord, I bring my heart and my passions. Amen.   

Despair Detour

Psalm 27: 13-14 "I would have despaired unless I had believed that I would see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living. Wait for the Lord; Be strong, and let your heart take courage; yes, wait for the Lord."

This is one of my life verses.  I am especially grateful to be writing this tonight, in preparation for continued ministry and opportunities brought my way by the Lord's goodness to me.

~~~

I would have despaired...and I had every right to do just that! We lost our home of 24 years in one wind whipped crackle of electrified air and who knows what else. Uprooted and unprepared, the house lost its status as "our home," and went the way of a house-flipper and real estate broker, eager to pocket the gold dust while we continued to clean -up the soot for months to come.

I would have despaired...BUT GOD!

The Lord met me in the smoke, the rubble, the ash. He poured His love on me through the gaping holes in the roof,  a Refiner's Fire in the purest sense of the Words. Yes, there were some despairing days...but not a lingering despairing soul, not a despairing heart and attitude. Teachable moments and new perspectives,  sifting and sorting of truth at its deepest level, worship gushing out like a fire hydrant, quenching and dousing me in spirit-filled promises and new hopes...I believed!  I felt and knew the Goodness of the Lord.  A beautiful re-built house would no longer be our home, yet God had plans in the land of the living for me.

Wait, He says. Be strong, He says.

I would have despaired...drowned my self in my tears of grief, hid myself from healthy relationships, aligned myself with anger and let it take me down...BUT GOD!

He formed me anew, sturdy in His Word and re-roofed with a righteous belief that the land of the living in Christ includes Eternity! My oldest son no longer despaired in his pain and illness. Amazing Grace heals and is an answered prayer in the bigger-God picture of His will. I would have despaired if He did not give me a glimpse of this very thing, more than a glimpse really, a continual reflection seen in the world around me. Heaven is filled with His glory and to know that His purpose for me would be one of courage...

I would have despaired...but I am in awe!  

In awe of a God who gives and takes away, and I wait. I look through eyes wide open seeing all His goodness.  Despair hides your eyes, but belief and trust opens them up wide to view and walk in the Land of the Living...all the way to Heaven. Blessed Be His Name!

Lord Jesus, Thank you for allowing me the need to see Your goodness. Thank you for eyes that search the heavens and Heaven that comes to me through Your gift of the Holy Spirit. Thank you for healing and insight into your plan. Help me Lord to stay strong, to have courage to continue to do Your will in the path which You have sent me. Help me find compassion and words for others who despair in this despairing world, one in need of Your Hope. Thank you Lord for a ministry in the Land of the Living and may I continue in Your strength, each day within Your grace, for Your glory. Amen.

For your own journal: Where has God given you courage?

When Words Don't Work

Psalm 90:17 "And let the favor of the Lord our God be upon us; and do confirm for us the work of our hands; yes, confirm the work of our hands."

A student today:  "I met this kid from China at lunch and I was trying to explain to him what 'stuffing' was.  It was hard to explain. He just didn't get it."

Finding the right words sometimes to articulate or describe something totally foreign to another person, doesn't always lend itself to a clear visual. How would you tell someone about stuffing, because it sounds...well, less than appetizing. 

You take stale bread, cut it in cubes then mix in some celery and onions and stuff it into the crevices of a  foul...oh,  and maybe add some herbs.  

Even as a writer, I rely on tools to help me bring my sentences more energy, provoke a feeling in a paragraph, convince someone in a blog. 

Words, words, words--not the only thing that communicates. 

I'll bet if my student invited this new friend over for a taste, for a demonstration of the making of stuffing, he'd see it, taste it, understand its power on the palate and the desire for a second helping. 

Sometimes, our words don't communicate. Nothing makes any sense. Someone needs a visual, a hands on demonstration and a taste of what is good before a revelation occurs. 

---And that, just might require us putting our own words in action, a step into obedience, a trust of the unknown. No more words. 

The Lord Himself did just that. He demonstrated love, by becoming flesh, living and ministering for 33 years and then continuing His obedience and God's salvation plan by going to the rugged Cross. His own blood sets us free.  How can we place that visual, give that demonstration, bring someone to the "table of His grace" so that they too can "taste and see that the Lord is good?" 

In this season of giving, of charity, of meeting needs, I encourage you to not just say the words, write the words, repeat the words...but demonstrate, provide a visual, sharpen your tools for hands on communication of the power of Love. What once you thought stale, God transforms into minstry, not only revealing insight but inspiration for your own soul as well. 

Lord, thank you for all the opportunities You give us to serve, to bless You, to bless others. In that, we become the visible love of Your servant heart. Thank You Lord, for those that have blessed me with hands-on love as well as their kindness in words. You go before us. If You so desire for our actions or our words to go forth, we only have to be obedient and trust You in our doing. Lord, give us that trust, give us that desire to see the opportunities and/or create the way to be Your hands and Your feet in all that we do. Confirm the work of our hands Lord, to know You and make You known. Amen. 

Reflection: How are you preparing to give to others this holiday season or seasons past? How can you continue to use more than words in every season?