This week has been interesting. This week my husband and I have taken our granddaughters to school for the past three mornings. This is not what we thought we would be doing as “empty nesters.” Maybe on occasion as needed. But here we are. Now, mind you, I love my grandchildren, but I had to pray about giving up our morning routines. Like, really pray for myself. Their Mom is back in school, and their Dad is a truck driver. Plus, we only live a mile and a half away from them. So, it makes perfect sense for us to do for them what others had done for us. Some might perceive this as inconvenient or an interruption or even a disruption. But the truth is that it is an answer to my prayers.
Sometimes we may think that our prayers are going to be answered without our personal and tangible involvement, but I am finding that what we request of God through Jesus Christ requires something of us. Well, let me not superimpose this on everybody. Some of my prayers have required something of me. Sometimes it seems like too much, but actually it is no where close to too much. The adjustments we are making to our routines does not compare to joy we have in taking the girls to school. I have been asking God to enable me to bear fruit that will glorify Him. Well, the privilege of being needed and able to do this small task could produce unquantifiable fruit.
When I have prayed and asked God to deliver me from an enemy, He first had to change my heart, that is, teach me to love my enemy. And to be honest, it took a while for it to really penetrate my heart, My mouth was saying the right thing and believing the right thing, but my heart was resisting what would be inevitable for someone who desires to sincerely obey the Lord. Or at times, I have prayed for particular needs to be met. Sometimes it was instant. Other times it took much longer, but the time I waited was not wasted. God helped my faith in Him to grow, my worship of Him in His Sovereignty to intensify, and my patience to trust His timing to increase.
Thank you, God, for being Our Jehovah God. Thank you for your efficiency in how you work in our lives to make us more and more like Jesus. Thank you that your ways and thoughts are so much higher than ours. Thank you that what may look or seem to be one way with us will ultimately result in something that will glorify you and bless us too. LORD, I love you, like really love you. Thank you for loving me/us first. Thank you for making what we perceive to be difficult/challenging doable. Thank you for shining as our bright hope even in these very dark times.
In Jesus’ Name, Amen
There is a cliche that says that perception is 20/20. Well, in a sense this could be probably true, but most often it is not. For example, I might perceive that someone is a threat because of how they appear according to some preconceived stereotype. But once I communicate with the person or learn about the person, I discover the exact opposite, which makes my perception not be 20/20 but somewhere very near complete blindness or at least impaired vision (that is, if 20/20 is the clearest vision). This gives me hope as I ponder my perception of the world in the year 2020.
LORD, I pray that my perception of the happenings of life in 2020 is not 20/20. I pray that somehow this is the answer to the revival so many have been praying for. One thing seems apparent, you caused us to pause long enough to see ourselves and to see what type of world we are living in and most of all to see You. Continue to remove the scales from our eyes so that we may worship You in spirit and in truth, love you totally, love others as we love ourselves, and make disciples of all nations. Thank you for being Jehovah Shammah and for being Jehovah Rohi. LORD, all praise and honor goes to You and to You alone.
In Jesus’ Name, Amen
