Laced With Grace

It won’t sound like a ringing phone.

It won’t sound like a doorbell.

It is distinct–to the recipient.  You will know.  Your heart will burn within you–an indescribable joy, that will bring definite tears.  Joy does that sometimes.

I remember well the day the call came for me.  Driving home in the setting sun, I had experienced the presence of God so strong for over a week–almost as if He were hovering near–just waiting for the perfect moment to lean over and whisper in my ear.

The moment came.  I had been driving and looking at the skies, giving Him loud praise and glorifying Him on the way home from work.  Out loud I began to lift my voice in worship to Him–tears began to fall.  Soon, the drive became non-existent.  I can’t even tell you how I arrived home safe and sound, the conversation was so enrapturing.

The intensity grew in my spirit–until I felt I would burst if I didn’t respond.

“YES”! I will serve YOU!  In whatever manner You choose!

“What will serving Him look like”, I wondered to myself.  At that point, it didn’t matter.  Just as long as I was able to be near Him, able to feel and hear Him.  That’s all that mattered to me.

Almost two years have now passed since our conversation while driving.  I’ve cleaned some toilets vacummed, mopped, and scrubbed for Him.  I’ve cooked meals and fed hundreds this summer, spoke at retreats, Bible Studies, and preached my first message on Mother’s Day last year.  

Some of these jobs are so unpredictable (along with the finances).   But it’s all serving.  Not one single job is more important than the other.  Since the saying yes to His call, there has not been a day that I would change and go back to the predictable–

Recently I watched the last few minutes of a “football” movie.  I love movies about sports characters.  Baseball, football or basketball.  This one I had not seen from the beginning, but I caught the most important part.  It was “for me”.

One of the lead characters of the movie had damaged his knee–irreparably so.  He was told by his doctor that it needed “rest”.  The doctor didn’t give him a pass to play, yet the young man, so in love with the sport, lied to the coach and played.  He didn’t last 10 minutes.

Now the damage was worse than before.  Never would he play again.  Days later, sitting in his uncles car, this teenager sobbed like a baby.   “What is there to live for if I can’t play?  That’s all I ever dreamed of doing! What else is there?” 

His response to his mistake of playing when he was told “let it heal”—was a cry of desperation. 

“What else is there”?

Father,

I first thank You for placing the call on my life.  I know that Your Word says that You have a plan for my life—a plan to prosper me and not harm me. 

I place everything I am and have in Your hands.  To do with as YOU see fit. 

I ask Lord that you show me those things about my personality that are a hindrance, I ask that You help me address them, help me see Your way—help me overcome my flesh so that I can know the calling You have ordained before the foundations of the world for me to accomplish and bring You glory.

Father, I know there are lives to impact for You.  Souls that need to find You—and You have strategically placed me —at this particular time to touch lives and bring Your love into clear focus for another.  They may not understand—but they can see me and they can see what YOU have done in my life. 

LORD, as I begin to see things that I need to lay aside, help me desire Your Word more than ever before—for it is by Your Word that I will grow.  It is by Your Word that I will have spiritual food to feed the hungry.  Enable my spiritual ears to hear and know Your voice—enable my mind to understand.  I want to experience more than I have ever experienced before in You.  Help me take on the mind of Christ.  Enable me to “think” what is pleasing to You.  I know that I must do my part—and my part is in getting into Your Word—for that is where Your voice is found.

I know that You won’t “take my life”,  I must willingly offer it up as a sacrifice.  Father, today—that’s what I give.  I give You me.  As insignificant as I may feel so often. 

I know that so many times what we feel as insignificant—YOU use to do significant things.  Not just some times…but LORD, every time.  You amaze me.

As I give myself over to You, I will be listening.  Every day—to hear from You —a word—a direction—a renewed passion.  Fresh thoughts—Spirit inspired ideas with a fresh anointing.  Do in me all that You desire. 

I am willing Lord—to be the vessel—the instrument that can bring another life to You.

In the holy name of Your Son, Jesus I pray, commiting all to Your capable hands,  Amen.

© Angie Knight 2011. All Rights Reserved.  Used by permission.

You’ve invited Jesus into your heart and life!  That’s great!  I’m so proud for you!

You have no idea all that He has in store!  The road up ahead is full of adventure!  What a ride it will be!

Wait, what?

What do you mean, “what kind of ride”?

Well, that depends on the road God decides is best for your life.

Well, no you can’t pick and choose.  Actually, if you’ve given Him your whole heart –and not just pieces (which just won’t do by the way), you have given Him carte blanche into what comes and goes in your life.  Truly.

No, I’m not kidding.  Oh, I get it.  You thought you could just invite Him into your life and He’d come and take up residence, like in your home…and you’d just hand Him the remote control, direct Him to the recliner,  and point Him to the kitchen and say, “watch what you like, eat what’s here, I’ll be home later!”

Sorry.  He won’t stay.

He came to give you life. (Matthew 20:28)  Not you give Him pieces of yours…that you think you can spare.

No  friend, God wants all of you…and in return He gave you and I His only Son. And we have access to the throne!  And we have the Word as our complete guide on how to live and bring glory to our Father!…And we have All of His Holy Spirit…all gifts of the Spirit are yours for the asking.  Wisdom, knowledge, power and authority over Satan…all is yours when you give all over to Him.

But, just don’t hand Jesus the remote control and expect Him to stick around.  As a matter of fact, the more access He has to you…the MORE you want Him to have!  And pretty soon you will find yourself becoming very dissatisfied with things as they were.  Soon you will be seeking MORE time alone with Christ than you can even now imagine!  Because it’s that alone time that makes the difference.

Oswald Chambers wrote, “Praying always,” says Paul.  Every time we pray our horizon is altered, our attitude to things is altered, not sometimes but every time, and the amazing thing is that we don’t pray more”.  [The Place of Help, page 215]

Spending more time in prayer, and less time with the remote in our hands…or for that matter, any time consuming gadget, will magnificently change our perspective, our attitude and even relocate our mindset.  I must say conversation with our Father comes easily all throughout the day when I’ve first spent time in prayer.  Adoration and thanksgiving to the One who gave it all!

Are you up for a dare?

I dare you to spend a whole week in July in not only an attitude of prayer, but a daily practice of prayer.  With no remote…for a whole week.  (That means no TV for a week.)  I went easy when I said a “week”.  If you are game, take on the rest of the month.  Journal it.  See where HE takes you.

You might just be surprised.

Remember. Hands off the remote.

Photo from Free Stockxchng.  Used by permission.

© The Knightly News 2007-2011.  All rights reserved.  Used by permission.

About a month ago I walked through the offices here at our Church District headquarters, and Cynthia Williams, our youth director’s secretary, was going through some things that had come in for “Kids Camp”.   Immediately  I spy several bags of little ducks. 

One duck in particular stands out…she has a purple crown and purple star scepter.  I want it.  Right then…

I beg (sort of). 

“No can do”.  We have a limited number of ducks and the group these are for lose things frequently—we must keep every single one we ordered.  Of course all the pleading and saying—“but you don’t understand…this duck is meant to be mine”…didn’t faze this young woman.  So I left heavy hearted (sort of) that I couldn’t have one of these ducks. 

The purple crowned little duck spoke to me.  She just did….but Cynthia didn’t understand.

A few weeks ago we were called to come to the board room for a meeting with the presbytery board regarding a step we were in the middle of with our ministerial certification.    On my way to the meeting, I stopped by  Cynthia’s office….I mean, even though she didn’t give me the duck, she’s still a very cool person to chat with.

I walked in and —you guessed it.  She handed a purple crowned duck across the desk.

When I saw the duck—my prayer from that morning came instantly back to me.  I had told the LORD, while I was ironing— “this is exactly the kind of day and situation that I would have called Wanda about this morning.  I would have shared my heart—she would have listened and then immediately prayed –Lord, will YOU please tell her about today?”.  I knew that about her—she was a prayer warrior—and I felt in need of my prayer warrior sister.   This particular duck message was like God was sending me a pond full of peace—and that little duck was leading the way swimming across.

My heart leapt in my throat.  This duck was talking to me—it was like a message straight from heaven.  He said, “I told her.  She knows.  She’s here–with her very own crown”.

After I got back home, I took the little duck, placed her in my left hand to snap a picture with my phone to share the duck with my baby sister, Aimee—and this is what I heard in my spirit:  “I didn’t call you to be a swan….  I know you look different, talk different and act different than the others I have made.  Be happy being a duck.  A quacking—waddling duck.  I created you to be a princess—and you have a job to do.  The way you talk, walk and act is just right for the job I have for you.  Now is the time to get busy…..You are the duck.  Now wear the crown.”

I don’t know if you are like me–but I have struggled with many areas in my life.  As a teenager, a boyfriend once made fun of the way I walked.  It sort of stuck.  

In that same struggling span of teen years, an adult made a comment with an implication about the way I looked (braces on my teeth–over permed hair–all the normal stuff of the early 70′s)…again, the comment stuck.  

For years I have carried around this feeling of inadequacey.  “I’m not enough.  I’m not able to be all that HE wants me to be because of all the flaws I have“.  Guess what I discovered?  

I am who I am.  Maybe I’m a duck—with a purple crown…who thought perhaps because I wasn’t very “swan like”– I couldn’t be the servant God wanted me  to be….but now knows different. 

Guess what else?  It’s okay to be a little “quacky”….. (grinning)

I told Cynthia just before she clocked out that day that she was God’s tool today.  The one HE chose to share a secret with me.  While I didn’t share everything with her, I did tell her that “I KNEW” that God heard my conversation with HIM that morning—when Iprayed to Him while I was ironing.  Even though I ended the prayer at the ironing board, I didn’t end the conversational thought with God.  So when I told her that I knew that God must have surely told her, “She needs the duck today.  Give her the duck today”.  She got bug eyed (as only Cynthia knows how to to), and said—“YES!  That is exactly what happened.”  She said that that morning, she was prompted to “count the ducks in the bags” and all the bags had the same—correct amount—but one.  One bag had an extra.

Isn’t that like God?  He knew the day I’d need the duck.  The day I’d need a secret whispered into my ear.

Do you talk to God?  Like He’s WAY UP THERE…or right beside you?  Which do you believe is true?

Yahweh Shammah.  The LORD is there.  Everywhere.  Right beside you–and high on His throne in the heavenlies. 

Scripture reading:  Ezekiel 37:21-28; Ezekiel 48:35

© The Knightly News—Giving Him All.  All rights reserved.  Used by permission.