Do you believe?

Several weeks ago I began whining about my health, lack of energy, and feeling overwhelmed with life. I prayed, but the words I uttered sounded like whining, too. Frankly, I was getting tired of myself.

During all this boo-hooing, I kept doing my Bible study. One morning I ran across Matthew 9:28 and I stalled, reading it over and over again.

“Do you believe I am able to do this?”

All those “I” statements came rushing back to me. I can’t do this. I’m too tired to do that. I wish I could crawl under the sheet and stay there until I feel more like me.

I . . . I . . . I.

So I kept reading the verse. Did I believe God could do this? Handle all my mess? Could I trust Him enough to get it done?
Then the absolute unimaginable sentence slipped into my mind. Would God do it the way I wanted it done or would He change things . . . or change me?

Wow! Now I had shifted the whole ballgame. God was asking me to put my full trust in His delivery even when I didn’t particularly like His response. So I spent the next few weeks listening, waiting, doing less complaining, and a lot more praying.

I began each day in prayer. And I prayed over what I had on the calendar and asked for God’s guidance on every bit of it.. At first it was an inner struggle. If I sat down, my knees would bob up and down. My grandmother used to call it the St. Vitus dance. I never asked her what it meant, and I’ve used the expression many times; so I looked it up.

“Sydenham’s chorea, historically referred to as Saint Vitus Dance, is a disorder characterized by rapid, uncoordinated jerking movements primarily affecting the face, hands, and feet. “

In my case, it was the legs. But the action actually began to calm me down. Don’t ask. I’m strange. Ask my granddaughter, Jackie. She shakes her head and smiles as soon as I begin to explain the oddities of life. Don’t ask about that either.

At the end of each day, I began to see God’s hand in every movement. The layout of my plans under His direction began to have a rhythm. The most important things were done first. There was no mayhem anymore. And no . . . I did not complete everything on my list. That’s the beauty of it. I realized I didn’t need to.

That’s when I began to feel the internal change. The power from within that could only have been from God. I became excited to visit Him in prayer each morning and dedicate my list to Him. Before long, I felt at ease prioritizing my list, keeping a separate list for things “I’d like to do”.

The internal change became an outward change. My legs quit bobbing when I sat in silent reflection and prayer. Yes, I was still tired, but I also began stopping during the day. I started coloring. Yep . . . coloring! I kept a table set up with colored pencils and beautifully illustrated scripture sheets from a coloring book I bought at a Margaret Feinberg Women’s Conference. Even if I stopped for 10 minutes, it gave me time to breathe deep and reflect.

It’s amazing how revived I became and was able to accomplish more than I could have imagined, even doing things not on my list – mailing cards and calling family and friends.

It’s been eleven weeks. Eleven weeks of believing Jesus can do this. My Bible study has gone deeper. My prayer life has accelerated. Knowing that I need the Lord Jesus Christ as my Savior, and yes, Life Planner, too. I need Him in the extremes of life and in the everyday planning of it.

Thank you, Jesus, for standing by me and showing patience in my angst. I’m still tired, but You are helping me manage that, too. Bless you for loving me to the uttermost!

God bless you!

Praying: Standing Strong In Adversity

This morning began like any other morning. I stumbled out of bed and headed for the coffee pot. And as I do every morning, I picked up my cellphone to send a love message to the grandchildren before they headed off to school. Before I could finish my task, a drop down menu on my phone caught my eye, “Pinterest comment to your post.” I finished my last little text and went over to email. I opened it and saw this note:

“Ever noticed how praying does absolutely nothing”

Chills went up and down my arms. I felt, a presence of loss, a loss of hope. My next response was to wonder what pin I had posted that would illicit such a response. Here’s the pin.

What if we all prayed for America? Why would this incite someone to post that kind of comment? What did they hope to gain from it?

After checking out the pin, I realized it had been posted several months ago on my board “Pray for America.” A cold chill ran up my back. It was happening again. Those same feelings I had that pushed me to write my last book, Cries of Innocence. That was more about the presence of evil. This one felt more like a loss of hope. But I couldn’t keep my chest from aching.

I regret that I went back to the comment post and tapped on the name of the sender which opened up their Pinterest account. As soon as it opened up, I understood why I had been troubled. The page was filled with horrible apocalyptic pictures, depicting evil warriors in the middle of mass destruction and total annihilation. Evil . . . where there is no hope.

I immediately shut down the page.

“Blessed is the one who does not walk in step with the wicked or stand in the way that sinners take or sit in the company of mockers…” Psalm 1:1

I went around for hours praying over the person. I could have sent back an innocuous line like, “Prayer is my lifeline.” But you know what, I think, after looking at the horror on their Pinterest page that anything I could have said would have only provoked retaliation.

I must recognize that Satan is on the prowl. He is the master at creating havoc, instilling fear in the weak, especially God’s people. A lot of older women, like myself, would have seen the evil on that person’s Pinterest page and run for the hills in fear. Not me.

Mark 9:29  And he said to them, “This kind cannot be driven out by anything but prayer.”

That’s what spiritual warfare is. God’s Word says we are more than overcomers through Christ that lives within us.

Prayer honors God. And in turn, God honors His children. Even when we give up on God, God never gives up on us; not even the person who sent the comment and was driven to post horrific pins on their Pinterest sight.

Prayer is a shield to the soul, a sacrifice to God,

 and a scourge for Satan. ~ John Bunyan

Prayer – secret, fervent, believing prayer –

lies at the root of all personal godliness.  ~ Williams Carey

Prayer is the key to Heaven,

But faith unlocks the door. ~Anonymous

I am praying for this person. I know the power of prayer, speaking God’s Word over this individual. I’ve been the recipient of prayer many times. I know there is evil in this world; I am not naïve. As a spiritual warrior, I know how to battle this kind of foe.

“Stand firm! Put on the belt of truth and buckle it around your waist to counter a culture of lies.

Attach the breastplate of righteousness in place,

and with your feet fitted with readiness that comes from the gospel of peace.

Then pick up your shield of faith to extinguish the flaming arrows the evil one will hurl at you.

Don’t forget your helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit which is the Mighty Word of God.” (paraphrased from Ephesians 6)

And pray fervently, storm Heaven with requests, and wrestle to bring forth prayers from the Throne Room.

If we are quiet in how we feel about Jesus, our faith, and our country, we are handing it all over to the enemy on a silver platter.

Power up with prayer! God be with you,

War Room: Prayer Is A Powerful Weapon

In 2005, my husband and I went to England. Of all the interesting places we went, nothing can compare to Winston Churchill’s war room which is now a museum.

As we descended down into the intricate layout of rooms and entered the war room, I felt transported to another era. In this room, men worked beneath London to develop plans to keep the United Kingdom safe and to defeat the enemy. I remember closing my eyes at one point and trying to visualize what they heard above them as London was being repeatedly bombed.

Maps, telegraphs, phones, and detailed journals were scattered across tables. Pictures of life in the war room filled in my many questions— snapshots of men deliberating on strategic maneuvers of men, artillery, and aircraft in various war zones, trying to predict the enemies movement and advance ahead of it. I could almost feel the thick tension that had filled those quarters.

Decisions made in the war room had long reaching repercussion, affecting hundreds of thousands of people. The horror of war was ever present in every discussion. And when people came into the war room they knew their business meant life or death. You know prayers had to be involved.

Those small quarters housed men who changed the world by their decisions. The weight of that had to be heavy.

            Well, God sends us into small quarters to change our world by forming a holy alliance with our Father on the matters of the heart, soul, and mind. We do that through prayer.

            “But you, when you pray, go into your inner room,

            close your door and pray to your Father who is in secret,

             and your Father who sees what is done in secret will reward you.” Matthew 6:6

            The inner room is a war room. Whether it’s a prayer closet or a small place outside the distractions of the world, prayer becomes intense and concentrated. It is the weapon we wield against the struggles we face, our families encounter, and our friends fall victim to. We battle knowing, “the adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeing whom he may devour. . .” I Peter 5:8

          

            Victories don’t come by accident! We fight through prayer.

             Dr. David Jeremiah reminds us that "Prayer is meant to be preventative, more than remedial." That means we pray God's will ahead of any circumstance.

            Priscilla Shirer, who portrays Liz Jordon in the movie, says, “When God sees this type of prayerful, grateful faith, when our mind is squared on Him, the peace of God expands within us. It stabilizes our runaway emotions, centers our minds, guides our footsteps, and even overflows into our experience with others. It cools our sharp tongue and dismantles our emotional walls.”

           

            The Kendrick brothers, producers of the movie, do an excellent job portraying the importance of fervent prayer in a sacred place removed from the distractions of the world. They let us glimpse into the life of the Jordon family who struggle to manage life’s challenges. We see the interaction of their friends and associates as they interact with them, and we are immediately immersed into their dilemma because it becomes our dilemma, too. We know every disappointment and sin they experience. We’ve all been there.

            Leaving the movie, my first thought focused on the powerful facet of issues that were covered during the movie, and how well they tapped into the needs and challenges of a multi-generational group of people. Everyone will identify with one or more of the characters. It’s impossible not to.

            I don’t want to give away too much of the details. I want you to go see War Room. Then I want you to see how you can change your prayer life to make it more intentional and deliberate. Whether it’s Churchill’s war room or our prayer war room, the purpose is to make decisions that protect and change lives. In the sacred moments of undisturbed prayer time, God reveals His plan for us in His will and timing. Living in God’s plan is the first initiative in changing lives. The change is the glow of Jesus in your life. When others see it, they will wonder and ask why you are different.

When you see the effect of personal change in the movie, I know you will be persuaded to begin your own venture into building your own war room for praying.

Prayer is powerful. It is our weapon against the harsh realities of life. Prayer changes lives and offers others a chance to renew their faith in the Almighty God.

It’s found in the privacy of your war room.

God bless you!