Comfort Others~

Greetings,

I have a buddy who went through a rough patch recently, and the journey to health and wholeness for her and her family has been hard. It has also been one of experiencing the blessings and direction of God.

Both she and I have lost track of how many times desperate prayers were offered to God for help. But as a result of storming heaven’s gates, a seasoned and trusting faith emerged. And a few days ago, this young woman did something completely extraordinary: She put her hands on someone else having difficulty and prayed for them.

I take that back.  She put her hands on someone else and BOLDLY prayed for healing and peace.

Put yourself in her place.  What would your friend or family member say if suddenly you jumped up, declared you had faith in the living God, and put your hands on their shoulders and asked God for a miracle?

It took guts on her part.  But then again, if she herself has been comforted through her struggles, it only makes sense that she would want others to be comforted.  

Wait, where have I heard that before? 

“Praise be to the God of all comfort who comforts us in all our troubles so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God” (2 Corinthians 1:3-4).

Let’s be bold and generous with our comforting of others.

PRAYER: Dear Lord, thank You for reminding us that You expect us to share the goodness we receive from You.  Make us sensitive to others in need and help us be bold.  In Jesus' name, AMEN~

Lift Others Up!

"As long as Moses held up his hands, the Israelites were winning, but whenever he lowered his hands, the Amalekites were winning.  When Moses’ hands grew tired, Aaron and Hur took a stone and put it under him and he sat on it. Aaron and Hur held his hands up—one on one side, one on the other—so that his hands remained steady till sunset..the Amalekite army was defeated" (Exodus 17:11-13).

Greetings,

The above passage is interesting for sure, and what I am drawn to is not the peculiar way God gave the Israelites a victory against their enemy, the Amalekites. What really blesses me is that when Moses grew weary, two faithful buddies came to his rescue and held him up!

If I were to rephrase this verse to fit my life it would read, "Once upon a time there was a wife and a mother named Yenise who really believed in the power of prayer. After all, there was so much at stake.  She had so many concerns for her husband, her children, her family, her friends, and herself. And as long as she persisted in prayer she knew in her heart she would receive answers that would profoundly bless the lives of those she loved.  But somedays Yenise was tired, weary, and discouraged. The answers were nowhere in sight, and she felt like giving up. But then along came a couple of dear sisters in Christ who stood with her in believing God for answers, and they WOULD NOT LET YENISE PUT HER ARMS DOWN. These precious ladies hunkered down and did the praying for her when Yenise could not- would not...As a result, Yenise remained steady until the answers came, and to this day Yenise still revels in the victory!  Oh, and because Yenise received so much love and support from these dear, modern-day, "Aaron" and "Hur," she now tries to pay it forward by lifting up the arms of others!  Glory~

PRAYER: Dear Lord, Help us lift others in their time of need. The Bible makes it clear that we will all share in the victory together! In Jesus' name, AMEN.