Laced With Grace

I want to tell you a story of how God walks us through the Bible. He carefully leads us through scripture to bring knowledge to our minds. He then will cement the knowledge in our hearts through a real experience. This week I was an attentive student in God’s classroom: Persistent Prayer 101.

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Roughly two months ago I began praying about my husband’s job. He was considering a transfer to a new division of his company. This transfer would be a promotion and my husband felt he was ready for the increased responsibility and challenge. The extra pay wouldn’t hurt either.

I asked God to direct my husband. I prayed for the men who were looking at his resume. My prayers were earnest and fervent. The first few days I prayed frequently, even fasting for a day, twice. A week past, I still prayed but became confused. Two weeks past then three and my prayers were less fervent and finally I concluded God was not going to answer. I never heard a yes or a no.

Nothing happened with my husband’s job. The transfer process appeared to be frozen in a tundra of paper work and indecision. The hiring manager never said, yes or no. My husband was unable to pin him down for a firm reply. Quite puzzling and frustrating.

This week after two and half months, my husband finally spoke with the division manager again. It is good news; still there are many details to be worked out before anything can happen. Translation: I have several more months to pray over this potential transfer, but the lesson here was crystal clear in my heart.

During my recent study of the book of Daniel I became intrigued by several verses in chapter 10.

Daniel 10:12-13 (New International Version)
12 Then he continued, “Do not be afraid, Daniel. Since the first day that you set your mind to gain understanding and to humble yourself before your God, your words were heard, and I have come in response to them. 13 But the prince of the Persian kingdom resisted me twenty-one days. Then Michael, one of the chief princes, came to help me, because I was detained there with the king of Persia.

This scripture is absolutely fascinating. It is bizarre. It is awesome. Daniel humbled himself and prayed. God heard Daniel the very first day he started praying. God issued an immediate response. Yet, it took 21 days for an answer to be delivered to Daniel.

These few sentences have enormous implications for our lives. Just as I began praying two and a half months ago, God heard me. God delayed an answer to my specific prayers because He wanted to make this passage vibrant and effective. What I learned is:

Perseverance is one of many attributes of effective prayer. I know there are more lessons ahead. I am grateful God holds classes just for me.

O Lord, to think you would take time to bring the Bible to life for me is utterly humbling. Thank you for showing me how your word is powerful and relevant thousands of years ago and still today. Teach me more Lord. In Jesus name, Amen.

You’ve heard the saying, “Be careful what you wish pray for because you just might get it.”

Last summer my stepdad told me that when they went to Carolina for the NASCAR race they were taking me with them because I needed a break away from the kids. When he tells you something there is no arguing–this man is a manager in the pits of our local Steel Mill. I knew he would not understand that I didn’t want to go: I don’t like NASCAR, I hate gambling, I am uncomfortable around drinking, and I LOVE being around my family. Instead of trying to explain I prayed. I asked the Lord that He would intervene so it would be out of the question, and He did. I have spent the last 3 months recupperating after a knee injury, not to mention getting over a serious illness and spinal headaches. When they went this last weekend I stayed home. Praise the Lord–but at what cost?

For some time my husband has been struggling with his eating and sleeping habits. He is a computer programmer by profession and a geek by nature–healthy eating, sleeping, and excercise do not come naturally for him. He has been praying that the Lord would help him lose weight and keep it off, that his sleep would get under control, and that he would get back in shape (a broken rib last summer and the summer before has kept him from being as active as he would like.) This last week he got very sick. He couldn’t eat without being in pain. Now we have learned that he has colitis and gall stones and will likely continue to have occasional attacks of this nature. This means he will have to watch his diet and see what triggers it. It means that he needs to maintain a more healthy lifestyle to keep the pain at bay. He is definitely losing weight already, and from what we have learned, he will probably continue to for some time as he figures out what he can and cannot eat. Praise the Lord that he is gaining self control in this area–but at what cost?

Over the last 10 years the Lord has been training me to pray about everything and worry about nothing. I knew that He always answered and His answers are always good, but it hadn’t occurred to me how often He uses our prayers to work on our sin areas. For me it is my attitude towards my stepdad. We don’t get each other and I struggle not to look down on him because he sees things differently (sports vs books, hunting vs computers). I am sure that I would not have been a great witness had I gone with them because my attitude was in the way. It still is and I am working on it.

Each of us has an area in which we struggle and the Lord will use our prayers to help us overcome those struggles. But be careful what you ask for, because God has a great sense of humor and LOVEs to give good gifts.

11If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him! Matthew 7:11

What have you prayed for lately? How have your prayers gone awry? What has He taught you lately?

Lord, thank you for your awesome sense of humor, for your willingness to take us at our word and use what we ask to grow us beyond anything we could imagine. Lord help us to see the good in the gifts You give.

Yes- it’s a real sign. I found it on a camping trip last summer. “Unsafe drinking water.” I looked around to see if there was a sign that read ” drink at your own risk.” There wasn’t. But- I’m sure it was implied.

I found the picture Monday, while going through my computer files. I laughed. Then I thought about all that I’ve been drinking in lately. Some of it should have probably born the same sign: “Unsafe drinking water.”

A few podcasts that are edgy, but funny.
A few TV shows that are mean, but funny. (Are we sensing a theme here?)
A few too many food choices that aren’t healthy or even remotely nourishing, but are absolutely, yumptious. (yummy+ scrumptious=yumptious. It’s a word- I just invented it- mostly applicable during pms.
A few audio books, that if they were TV shows I’d change the channel.
Magazines that focus on appearance more than character. (Women’s magazines are amazing, 33 1/3% food/recipes 33 1/3 Dieting% and 33 1/3% appearance. I made those stats up… but go ahead- flip through a few- it’s about right!

Sometimes, I wish books/tv/other media had a rating system, rated “R” for “explicit language, verbal nudity”….or maybe just a sticker with the sign from camping, saying: “Unsafe Drinking Water.”

But, I wonder- would I drink it anyways? Truth is, I might.

I ocassionally do, chances are – you do too. In one form, or another.

The thing is- over time- it affects how we think, mostly in subtle ways. Enough magazine articles with impossibly skinny models start to make me feel fat and dissatisfied with the body I have. Enough TV shows with perfectly romantic men who put their laundry in the hamper- (or better yet, do their own laundry;)- start to make me think there is something wrong in my marriage…

They should all have the same warning: “Unsafe drinking water.”

What makes us so prone to drinking in what we know is unsafe water? A lot of things- but mostly, I think it’s our thirst.

I feel bored-(or want to de-stress) so I drink in entertainment. I want to improve who I am and how I live… so I suck up a few magazine articles…I want to avoid thinking about the housework I’m doing- so I plug in an audio book to take my mind off it…

The problem is- I’m so full up of “unsafe drinking water” that I don’t have room for fresh living water.

John 4:14
“but whoever drinks the water I give him will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life.”

I ocassionally get things backward. My thirst should drive me to Him. He is the only one who can satisfy.

What are you drinking in today? (besides coffee- we won’t touch that;) This morning I encourage you to join me at the well…. the water is cold, fresh and pure. It satisfies the deepest thirst.

For me- that means I’ll be spending some time outside. Drinking in His creation. Maybe with my camera in hand, taking a close look at His handiwork. Maybe, I’ll soak up some music that focuses my attention on Him, and spend some time reading His word. Click the link it was a good study to see all the ways God mentions water in scripture. Maybe I’ll just sit- in the sunshine, resting in the arms of my Father and drinking in His presense.

How about you? Thirsty?

Have a drink, of living water.