Monthly Archives: October 2019

A patient prayed for me this week!

I know all too well medicine can only do so much, so, whenever I feel a patient would be open to it, I offer to pray for them. Rarely do they turn me down, but the other day was the first time a patient prayed for me. I was blown away!

I’d seen this person once before. He’d been going through some difficult challenges, so I’d offered to pray with him, which he readily accepted. Well, apparently that stuck in his head, because at the end of last week’s visit he said to me, “I want you to know I’m so glad it was you who saw me today. The last time I was here you prayed with me and that meant so much.”

Naturally, of course, I offered to pray with him again, but this time was different. When I finished, he took right up where I left off and prayed a beautiful prayer, thanking God for my care and asking Him to continue to bless and guide me. I was shocked! No patient had ever done that! His words buoyed my spirits the rest of that day and I’ve thought of them often throughout this week. He gave me a wonderful gift, one I’m eager to pass on to someone else.

Pray in the Spirit

Ephesians 6:18 tells us to “pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people.”

We need to be lifting each other up in prayer far more often than we do. We need to be looking for opportunities to pray with someone “on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests.”

We hesitate to do this, afraid to offend, but, more often than not, people would welcome it. We all face challenges and it makes such a difference when someone is willing to help us lift our burdens before the Lord.

Keep on Praying

This Sabbath, and throughout this coming week, let’s “be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people.” Especially pray for those who serve, the ministers, doctors, nurses, first responders, and military. They give so much of themselves each day and ask so little in return. Offering to pray with them may be just the encouragement they need to make it through another day.

God bless, have a Happy Sabbath and remember, I’m praying for you!

BTW:

If you need prayers about something, please let me know. Galatians 6:2 tells us to “Carry each other’s burdens…” and I would be honored if you’d let me help you carry your burden today. At the same time please “Pray also for me, that…words may be given me so that I will fearlessly make known the mystery of the gospel…Pray that I may declare it fearlessly, as I should.” (Ephesians 6:19, 20).

This week Mom fell getting out of bed. Her feet slipped from under her and down she went! Thankfully she’s okay, but she gave me a little scare.

The problem was she didn’t have her walker by her bed to give her support. Without it to lean on she ended up on the floor. She tried to get up on her own and gravity did the rest!

Too often I find myself making a similar mistake. I stumble through life, trying to make it on my own, only to end up falling on my face over-and-over again. If only I’d learn to lean on Jesus, to hold tight to His promises, I’d save myself so much trouble.

In John 15:5, Jesus tells us, “apart from me you can do nothing…”

When we fail to lean on Jesus, fail to spend time building a relationship with Him through daily study and prayer, we are doomed to failure. But “The Lord makes firm the steps of the one who delights in him; though he may stumble, he will not fall, for the Lord upholds him with his hand.” (Psalm 37:23-24).

God promises if you “Humble yourselves before the Lord…he will lift you up.” (James 4:10).

This Sabbath, don’t risk another fall. Instead, put your hope in the Lord. If you feel yourself slipping and about to fall, grab a hold of His hand and, no matter what, never let go!

I had a rude awakening this morning. About 4 AM Ana suddenly leapt up and slammed her window shut. Groggily, I mumbled, “What’s wrong?” Then it hit me! The overwhelming scent of a skunk assaulted my nostrils and filled the room, making me gag! I tried to get back to sleep, but the awful smell finely drove me from our room out to the couch.

I think a similar thing happens to people who leave the church. They come to worship, looking forward to breathing deeply of “the aroma of the knowledge” of Christ, only to be assaulted by the stench of judgmental words and self-righteous attitudes when they open the doors. Disappointed, they turn away mumbling, “What is that smell?”

We profess to be “the pleasing aroma of Christ among those who are being saved and those who are perishing” (2 Corinthians 2:15 NIV). Unfortunately, too often our attitudes and behavior spew a much less appealing odor into the air around us, driving those we are called to lead to Christ from the room and out of our churches. Is it any wonder God declares, “I hate, I despise your religious festivals; your assemblies are a stench to me” (Amos 5:21)?

So, what can we do to fix this? Well, when there is a bad odor in the room the best thing we can do is throw open the windows and let the fresh air flow in (unless there is a skunk outside). Jesus said in John 6:63, “The Spirit gives life…The words I have spoken to you-they are full of the Spirit and life.” It only by the power of the Holy Spirit in our lives that we become “an aroma that brings life.” (2 Corinthians 2:16).

It is time for us to open the doors of our hearts and the windows of our churches and let the Holy Spirit sweep through, driving away the stench of death and decay, our worn out forms of religion, and our judgmental attitudes. We must fill our minds and hearts with the words of Christ, who tells us “Do not judge, or you too will be judged” and “Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love.” (Matthew 7:1, Ephesians 4:2)

This Sabbath let’s determine to make our churches and our homes places where angels love to dwell and where people love to come. Let’s invite the Spirit to pour Himself into our lives that our assemblies may no longer be a stench in God’s nostrils, but that we may truly be “the pleasing aroma of Christ among those who are being saved and those who are perishing.” (2 Corinthians 2:15).

God bless and have a Happy Sabbath!

I see them everyday, the walking wounded:

• The teenage girl, forearms crisscrossed with self-inflicted scars, pleading for someone just to hear her cry for help.
• The middle aged man staring at the shotgun leaning against the wall, wondering if it holds the answer to his pain.
• The single mother doing her best to care for her brood, while longing for just a little love herself.
• The cashier in Walmart, struggling to keep a smile plastered on her face after a long, hard day.

They are all around us, the hurting, the lost, the weak and tired. Some days they are us, just trying to put one foot in front of the other, unable to look past this moment, starving for a kind word.

Sometimes it is overwhelming, the pain all around us and the pain in our own hearts. Where is “the peace of God, which transcends all understanding…” (Philippians 4:7)? Where is the God who said, “Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you” (Hebrews 13:5)?

The answer eludes us, yet it is right before our eyes.

Jesus said, “Give, and it will be given to you.” (Luke 6:38a).

The Secret

The secret to healing our own pain is to ease the pain of another. We get what we give. If you give love, you’ll receive love. Give hope and you’ll find hope. Ease another’s burden and you’ll find your own burden easier to bear. “For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.” (v. 38b).

Booker T. Washington said, “Those who are happiest are those who do the most for others.” In bringing joy to another we find real joy for ourselves. It is when we reach outside ourselves, to give love to another, that we touch the heart of God.

The Choice

This morning you have a choice. You can continue to wallow in your own misery and despair or you can open your eyes to the pain all around you and do something about it.

Someone needs you to be God’s hands and feet today, His love in action, His voice speaking to a troubled soul, His peace in the midst of chaos. Someone needs your arms to hold them close, your hands to lift them up, and your feet to walk beside them every step of the way. This Sabbath, will you answer the call?

Francis of Assisi said “For it is in giving that we receive.“ What will you give today?