“Certain thoughts are prayers. There are moments when, whatever be the attitude of the body, the soul is on its knees.” Victor Hugo As church ended one Sunday morning, I felt a sort of tug—a one word message: “stay.” Our pastors and elders usually stayed to pray with those who came forward, but I stayed anyway. Two women came to the front for prayer and two people approached one woman to pray with her.
My initial reaction was, “But what about the other woman?” since it appeared to me as though they had intentionally overlooked her. Just as quickly as my judgmental hairs stood up on the back of my neck, God’s tug came again, “I want you to pray with her.” I was not a leader in the church, but just the day before I was in a leadership role in a ministry I belonged to and had prayed with multiple people as the need presented itself. So, I stepped forward, sat next to this woman and asked her name. I listened to her dilemma and then began to pray with her. I’m not usually one to weep easily, but when she began to cry, I cried with her as if my body was obeying the call to, “weep with those who weep.” It felt odd in a way, but in another way I knew that the scene in the front of the church that morning was exactly the way God had orchestrated it to be. Both women were prayed for and hopefully both left encouraged by His Holy Spirit. In prior experiences, I had learned that even a one word prayer can be effective to engage God. “Jesus…,” “Help,” or even “Me?” are all prayers that God has answered mightily in my life. God doesn’t need lots of dialogue from me because He knows my heart and all that I’m thinking whether or not I’m able to articulate my thoughts in words. What I learned this day was, just as clearly as prayer is a two-way conversation, God can also speak to me with one word…”stay,” if I'm listening. What transpired at the front of the sanctuary that morning took less than thirty seconds; and far fewer translatable English words in conversation with God. But that didn’t limit God’s message from being communicated. Is your soul on its knees? Are you open to listening to that two-way conversation even when you might not have initiated it? Is God speaking to you now? What do you need to do in response? Lord, keep my soul on its knees. Help me keep our lines of communication open and be aware of Your voice; not waiting just for the call to do something notable but also the call to be used in the most inconspicuous ways. Amen “Pray without ceasing,…do not quench the Spirit, do not despise prophetic utterances…” I Thessalonians 5:17,19,20 What are your thoughts? Libby Note: Victor Hugo (1802-1885), a French poet, novelist, dramaturge and political activist; best known today for his novels Les Miserables and The Hunchback of Notre Dame. He also earned widespread respect as a campaigner for social causes such as the abolition of capital punishment in France and abroad.
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“Avoiding is no safer in the long run than outright exposure. The fearful are caught as often as the bold.” Helen Keller I am the opposite of “No Fear.” I’m more a ‘safety first’ girl. I’m also a planner; so in unfamiliar situations I have a Plan B prepared, or at the very least a contingency for the unexpected.
My last home move was well planned, packed and all boxes were well labeled and inventoried in advance. But there was no accounting for the moving company. They were late so we didn’t finish until after dark. I had hoped to unpack my kitchen by that time and I felt deflated. All my stress was due to the irresponsibility of the moving company that I thought I could count on. Expectations! I remember someone saying recently, “If you want to see God laugh, tell him about your plans.” What I learned through all this was not to have expectations. The moving company actually met their contract obligations, just not my expectations. More importantly, I also learned that when I set a goal, I need to make sure it’s within my ability to accomplish. Setting a goal that is not totally within my ability to accomplish, is setting myself up to fail. Instead of unpacking my kitchen by a certain time on move day, a better goal would have been to unpack my kitchen within a certain number of hours. It will certainly help to keep Helen Keller's example as inspiration for overcoming the unexpected. Do you regularly set expectations on others? Is there an expectation that you have set for someone else in order to meet your goals? What would be a better goal for you? Lord, thank You for helping me get over the anger and for helping me learn the lesson of how to set better goals…with no expectations. Amen “’For I know the plans that I have for you,' declares the LORD, ‘plans for welfare and not for calamity to give you a future and a hope. Then you will call upon Me and come and pray to Me, and I will listen to you. You will seek Me and find Me when you search for Me with all your heart.'” Jeremiah 29:11, 12, 13 What are your thoughts? Libby Note: Helen Keller (1880-1968), was an American author, political activist, and lecturer. She was the first deaf-blind person to earn a bachelor of arts degree. Two movies were made about her life's accomplishments, and in 1964 President Johnson honored Keller with the Presidential Medal of Freedom. |
WelcomeI love the wisdom of the ages gleaned from relevant quotes. In them there is a connection to the human experience that crosses all borders. Join me as I relate my personal experiences, and link the wisdom of the quote to the Source of all wisdom: God's Word, the Bible. Enjoy, Libby Categories
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