• Enter your email address to subscribe to this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email.

    Join 78 other subscribers
  • “Writing, to me, is simply thinking through my fingers” — Isaac Asimov

  • Recent Posts

  • Pages

  • Categories

  • Archives

  • Blog Stats

    • 195,692 hits

Watching God Answer Prayer

God is so good.

God is so faithful.

I started feeling puny yesterday but pushed on to work today, determined not to let my body get the best of me.  I seriously considered skipping Bible Study tonight.

I’m glad I didn’t.

I was privileged to watch God work tonight.

One of the ladies in my group will be departing for Guam…joining her husband who is in the military and has been there for several months already.  She’ll be gone through most of the summer before returning home again.

She brought Mochi.

That, in and of itself, was worth getting off the couch and going to church.

But it’s not God’s work that I’m referring to.

Another of our members came in and took a seat.  She’s a young gal and a single mom.  She’s had some life-changing events occur recently but has kept the faith and attended church as regularly as possible.

Someone asked her how she’s been doing, and she shared some of the struggles she’s currently dealing with.  One of her current needs is for housing.

The gal who will be leaving for Guam looked over at her and quietly said, “I’ve got a house.”

Simple and to the point.

The rest of us sat with jaws dropped open as the other young lady fought to control her emotions.

The first lady continued…”The electric bill is paid through the summer.  So is the cable and the water.  The grass will be taken care of as well.”  All preparations had been made.  The young lady will not have the added stress of paying extra bills.  The house is completely furnished…another blessing.

We were witnessing a prayer being answered.

It wasn’t only one prayer but two.  The first lady…the one leaving for Guam…had sought confirmation that making this trip was God’s will for her.  She had worried about leaving her house for several months.

God had answered in a very clear way.

When it was time to begin our study, the first girl was asked to read the Bible passages we would be discussing:

Luke 12:22-34 (New International Version)

Do Not Worry

22Then Jesus said to his disciples: “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat; or about your body, what you will wear. 23Life is more than food, and the body more than clothes. 24Consider the ravens: They do not sow or reap, they have no storeroom or barn; yet God feeds them. And how much more valuable you are than birds! 25Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life[a]? 26Since you cannot do this very little thing, why do you worry about the rest?

27“Consider how the lilies grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you, not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. 28If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today, and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, how much more will he clothe you, O you of little faith! 29And do not set your heart on what you will eat or drink; do not worry about it. 30For the pagan world runs after all such things, and your Father knows that you need them. 31But seek his kingdom, and these things will be given to you as well.

32“Do not be afraid, little flock, for your Father has been pleased to give you the kingdom. 33Sell your possessions and give to the poor. Provide purses for yourselves that will not wear out, a treasure in heaven that will not be exhausted, where no thief comes near and no moth destroys. 34For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

She almost broke down while reading these verses, and someone picked up where she stopped…unable to continue without crying.

God had provided…in a very timely manner…as He always does.

I think we learned more from this episode than the discussion that followed.

Never, ever doubt that God doesn’t see you where you are.  He will provide…not necessarily that new SUV you might be wanting…but the basics that you need.  The most important thing is that we grow in our relationship with Him.  Trusting Him to provide for our needs is the ultimate application of the above verses.

A Cloud of Sadness

Last night, I pulled out my Inspirational Study Bible (edited by Max Lucado).

I decided to read Matthew 12, the chapter that my Bible study will be discussing this week.

This Bible has “Life Lessons” that run down the left and right outer margins.  The lessons accompany the current text.

If you have a Bible handy, take a peek at verses 22-34.  These verses are about worry.  The “Life Lesson” on these pages focused on these verses.  Lucado shares a quote by Corrie ten Boom (my hero and the second person I want to meet in Heaven).

Corrie was known to say, “When the train goes through a tunnel and the world gets dark, do you jump out?  Of course not.  You sit still and trust the engineer to get you through.”

I love this!  Times are quite dark right now.  Financially, many in this world are struggling.  Morally, we’re at an all-time low.  And yet, we need to remember that Someone else is in charge of our lives, directing our way toward a final destination that is full of light and joy.

So, why the cloud of sadness today?

After attending my usual church service, I began a quest to find Rooster, who was, more than likely, stuffing his face with breakfast goodies.

I ran into a friend who works at the school I used to be employed at…the place I worked before my position got cut and I began working at the law firm.  It’s been a couple of years since I left, but the staff is like family.  It’s a close bunch.

She told me that it had been a tough week.  I instantly chalked it up to budget woes and the fact that this school is being repurposed (i.e. closed).

She went on to elaborate.

One of the school’s former teachers committed suicide this week.

It was someone I had known well during my time there.

He had not worked there long before I started, so we were both learning the system.  During his employment at the school, he met another teacher who would become his wife a couple of years later.

My very first assignment on my first day of work had been to install a printer in his room.  We joked because I was very nervous, sensing his keen eyes watching every move I made.  Would I pass the test of “techie” know-how?  I did, and we began an easy friendship.  He had a dry sense of humor that hinted at deep thought.  We frequently bantered back and forth, with me giving as good as I got.  Fun times…

During one of our conversations, I learned that he had become a minister before beginning a career in education.  I don’t know why he left the ministry.  I didn’t want to pry, but I had a feeling that he was still lost, seeking his way as many of us do.

And now this.

I am so sad for those left behind.  My heart goes out to the wife who loved him so much.  She had such a spring in her step during their courtship.

Most of all, I’m sad for him.  I pray that he found some kind of peace before he left this world.  I pray that he is in God’s arms now…the worries of this life left behind.

I’m just sad.