Honor The Asking

There have been a few times in my life...not many, but occasions where a prayer has been prayed over me and the Lord has shown me very clearly, that the prayer was answered because of that persons prayer.    There have also been times when He has very clearly answered prayers for someone else because of a prayer I prayed.    Now we know we serve a faithful God, and His word says in 1 John 5:14 that if we ask anything, according to His will, He hears us.  But we also know that His answer is not always going to be a yes.   We know that He sees the big picture we cannot see.    But still we are called to pray for one another and I believe that sometimes, on those occasions that the prayer was answered through intersession of another is, at least in part for these reasons.  

First, The building of faith.  

I worked at a restaraunt called The Red Pony for many years.    When I started there I was young and not walking as closely with the Lord as I should have been.   But over the course of a year or so, the Lord pulled me back to Him and I fell more deeply in love with Jesus then I had ever been.    I wanted desperately to leave the restaurant business but the Lord would not allow me to leave at that time.   So I began to pray.    I began to see my job as my mission field and prayed daily over the building, the people, my coworkers, even the food.   I would pray for hours at times, crying out to God to move over the lives of those I worked with, those I served, and those affected by the behaviors of some in the building.   Slowly the Lord began to move, the whole feel of the restaurant changed.    People began asking me to pray over situations or struggles and the Lord would answer.   I remember one instance very well.   One of my sweet coworkers names Lisa had a cat.   She was never able to have children and I could tell by the way she talked about her husband, and their struggles that the wound was very deep for both of them.  As a result, the cats became like their kids.    This women is as sweet a women as you would ever meet.   She has a heart of gold and a love for people.   We would sometimes talk about the Lord but she struggled too believe and accept God’s love for her.   One day she came to work very upset.  She told me that her cat was sick and that her vet did not expect him to make it.     So I took her into my prayer closet (the upstairs ladies, one stall bathroom) and we prayed.    We prayed for absolute healing over the cat.  I have never prayed so hard for an animal before, or since.   I prayed not because the cat meant anything to me.   Not because they would not be able to get another one....but because I knew just how much this cat meant to her, to their marriage.     The next day she came to work and said the vet could not explain it but that the cat was completely healed...off all meds, completely restored.     It showed me that the Lord cares about things that may seem small.   And spoke volumes to her of the love that her creator has for her, that He would do something miraculous in her life.      She did not become a child of God that day….And I may never, this side of heaven, see her turn to Jesus as Savior, but I know He moved in her life in a way she could see and understand, to show His love to her.     

The second reason I believe that God answers prayers of intersession for someone else is because I believe He honors the asking.    As believers we have the ability to go to the Father with anything.   Any struggle, and joy.   But we are created for community, for fellowship.  And when we lay down our pride and fear and choose instead to be vulnerable and ask for prayer...we are not only walking in humility, but giving the Lord more opportunity for receiving glory the answered prayer.    I struggle with this.   I know others that do as well….You don’t want others to see your weaknesses, and sometimes feel like a burden to those you love in the asking.   But the word says where two or more are gathered He is there.   He wants to be a part of our lives.  When we keep things between He and us, We are stopping Him from having full access to the glory He could receive in a community.    This does not mean that He will never answer a silent prayer or that every prayer is meant to be shared…. But I do believe that in a dark world in need of light, it often comes in answered prayers.   And He will sometimes….Honor the asking.

Bring On The Rain

I want my life to be an example of God's faithfulness.   I want people to be able to look at my life and say "wow, God does answer prayers, God does hold true to His promises, God is who He says He is".  The problem is.....this is not an easy life.   Not one of comfort and perfection.   Things do not always go your way and you will not always have everything fall into place.    Yes, I do believe the Lord blesses obedience and that there is favor for those who walk in righteousness.   But sometimes that favor comes by way of protection during a storm, not the absence of the storm.
I have a friend who went to Africa a few years back to help build a town in a part of Africa that had been ravaged by war and famine.   He helped with a well, and then in building a church, a school building and a few other smaller structures for other uses.     Not something that would see a big deal to us but was huge to those living in this community.      He told me a story of one of his experiences while visiting for the first time.    You see in Africa (among many many other things) they don't really have roads. They have these dirt "paths" that lead from place to place and are driven mostly by 4x4 vehicles that can handle the bumps and dips that come along.    The small town of Jale Sudan where he was working, does not even have a hospital, so anyone who is injured or in need of medical care has to take a rough and bumpy ride, a few hours into the nearest city to go to the hospital there.   And depending on the time of year, that is a nearly impossible journey to make.    In this part of Africa, it is either dry, or very very wet, and when it rains, the roads that they travel are nearly impossible to navigate safely.  In fact even my friends journey itself had to be carefully timed to fall before the rainy season, or they would not have been able to get to the town much less have the necessary equipment or supplies they needed, brought in.     So knowing this brings a level of caution when working in a construction environment.   They hired the locals to help with the building process, both due to the small group of men who were on the trip, and to help boost the economy of the town.    They worked diligently for about a month when the rainy season began to approach.  They were coming close to being done, when one evening one of the women of the town began to go into labor.     She needed to be brought to a hospital, but due to the rain and the condition of the roads it was a very dangerous journey.   My friend felt the Lord calling him to offer to drive her in one of the vehicles they had rented for the building process.    So he and one of the other men, took her and left.   He told me that in the long drive, through the rain and darkness, he had never been so afraid.  There were moments when they could not see and didn't even know if they were going the right direction.  He said that he just kept praying and trusting the Lord to guide him to the hospital.  He heard the Lord tell him, "I did not protect you from the storm but instead I lead you through it."   They made it to the hospital, the girl and her baby healthy and safe, and soon returned home.
 I am reminded of so many stories in the scriptures where God's children were faced with horrible situations....things that any normal person would be terrified of and want to run away from, and yet through their story we can see the power of our King.   Through their story we can have hope and confidence in who God is and what He does.  
Esther.    She was faced with the giant task of protecting her people from a king who would have otherwise sentenced them to death.   Not only did she succeed, but had the kings favor.  
David.   He was faced with a giant named Goliath.   Not only did he win that fight but did it with a simple slingshot in 1 strike.
Moses.   Called to lead God's people out of Egypt.    Succeeding despite a stubborn king and a significant amount of doubt and insecurity.
There are so many examples of men and women overcoming all kinds of difficulties and trials.
Scripture does not say that they met these situations with no doubt or fear or struggle, but it does say that they met these situations as humans walking with the strength of the Father.  
The truth is, without those stories...the crazy, wild callings, the Lord would not be able to show a hurting and desperate world who He is.     To be an example of His faithfulness, there first has to be a reason for Him to be faithful.   So rather then being surprised and frustrated when storms come, we can praise Him.....for He is setting the stage for a beautiful display of His faithfulness, His divine love and His everlasting promises.     Bring on the rain.

The String

So imagine a string.   Whatever color you want, whatever material you want.   This string represents God's hand, and it is woven through each part of who you are, from the beginning of your life to the end.  Lately, the Lord has been showing me the truth of Romans 8:28 that says "And we know that in all things God works for the good for those who love Him, and have been called according to His purpose."  Let me explain by sharing a recent example from my life.
  My house went on the market a few days ago.   This is a very big deal to me, in fact it's miraculous.    It's a townhouse I have owned for about 9 years.  It's been rented out since my husband and I got married because it is too far away from where my stepson goes to school and we decided it was better to live closer to his mom to keep things easier on everyone.   We live in an apartment now, which is not my favorite thing, not even my second favorite thing, but it's a season.  When I bought my townhouse I had not yet met my husband and thought it would be a nice place to start a family, spend a few years and then move to a bigger place together.   I'll be honest.....it was a hard thing to let go.   I love my husband, I love my stepson, and I would not change anything for the world, but there was a part of me that morned when I moved out of my house.   A part of me that felt like I had to let go of a dream, and watch someone else raise their kids in my home.  
Here is the part that causes me to stop and say "what a mighty God we serve".  
You see, about 8 years ago, when I was still living in my townhouse, Bank of America sold one of my loans (I had an 80/20) to a different company.  At the time I didn't totally understand what had happened so I called Bank of America to get clarification and was told that the bank had sold a loan but had actually sold the wrong one.  They were suppose to have sold the smaller loan but had sold the larger one instead in error.   No big deal on my end, just meant making payments to two banks instead of one.  Didn't give it much more thought.    The next few years brought many struggles and many joys, but when I finally decided it was time to move and rent out my house, I felt the Lord say that He had not forgotten my hopes.   That He would restore what I was letting go of and that He would use the situation for good.   A few months after our wedding, I was at church for a rehearsal and our worship pastor said these words I will never forget, he said "The Lord has been telling me lately to pray for something crazy.   Something I would never even think to ask for or pray about and believe that He is a big enough God to do it, I encourage you to do that this evening".   So I prayed.    I prayed for $100,000.    Totally crazy right?!    You see....right after I bought my house all those years ago, the market crashed and I had been left with more debt then the house was worth.   My hearts desire was to pay off the smaller loan (27,000) so that we would be able to sell the house and buy one in the part of town we need to be in.    I don't know why I chose that big a number, I guess because it was a round number, easy to remember.   I prayed that prayer every day for about 3 months and then out of the blue, I received a letter from Bank of America.   The letter stated that due to a mandate from the department of justice they had been required to pay back a certain amount of money to home owners and that they would be forgiving my loan.   Forgiving it.   Completely.    I have never felt the reality of grace in my life so much as when that loan disappeared.    And just like that....the smaller loan was no more.    This is miraculous in a few ways....first, Not only did the Lord answer my crazy prayer, but He did it in a way that I knew it was Him.   Second, this has allowed me to be able to put my house up for sale because I no longer owe more then the house is worth.   Third...and this is what He has been reminding me this week, had Bank of America sold the smaller loan like they were originally suppose to do....none of this would have happened.   8 years ago, a small administrative mistake made the way for a miraculous event that has given me more then just hope.   It has restored something that was lost.    The older I get, the more I can see His hand, like a string in my life, woven through each crease and crevice....and it pulls me closer to Him with ever twist and turn.  Does this mean every crazy prayer will end in something like that....no....but a prayer prayed will never go unanswered and when we look back on our lives and see His hand...the string....we can see the evidence that He is working all things for our good and for His glory.