Shut the Door Behind You!

Greetings,

Something special happened at my house for the first time in over 10 years: Jorge helped me decorate the Christmas tree!  At some point when the kids were in high school/college, they stopped helping me hang treasured ornaments, and Jorge just kind of dropped out with them.  To be fair, I never really asked for help because (a) I love putting on merry music and sifting through all the trimmings and (b) I cherish cherishing the memories and tend to linger a bit over each and every decoration.  

Nevertheless, something overcame Jorge this year – I suspect he wants to make our granddaughter’s first official Christmas as memorable as it can be – and he helped me from start to finish.    I was happy to have his help, and it was fun looking at ourselves as elves and at a reindeer frame with a picture of our kids before they were married. I was also impressed that Jorge made a grouping of red robins that looks so pretty as well as a festive woodland animal cluster near the top of the tree.

Then Jorge pulled out my favorite glass jewel of all time – a coral colored octopus that has graced my tree for several years.   And I kid you not, at the exact same time that he was saying, “I better be careful with this delicate…” HE DROPPED IT and shattered it into a million unglueable fragments. The only part that survived was the head. 

I laughed and said, “Oh well, it is what it is!”  Yes, I really did have the loveliest of reactions, and I surprised myself a bit.  I was so kind and gracious about it, and I didn’t even have to ask God for help.  I didn’t have to call on Jesus to restrain me.  I was actually nice of my own free will and felt nice in the process.

I am the first to admit that going regularly into my prayer closet has made all the difference.  More than anyone else on this planet, my kids knew what buttons to push, and I was determined to stay even-tempered.  This was not possible without some supernatural help, so I was motivated to get on my knees.  I held onto this verse for dear life:

“When you pray, go away by yourself, shut the door behind you, and pray to your Father in private. Then your Father, who sees everything, will reward you openly” (Matthew 6:6).

It’s time for us to go away, shut the door, and start praying; the rewards are worth it!

PRAYER: Dear Lord, we need to be kinder, more patient, more peaceful, and more joyous – especially toward those we love. Help us, Father.  Fill us with Your goodness so we can be good. In Jesus’ name, AMEN.

     

It Takes Two~

Matthew 18:19-20 “When two of you get together on anything at all on earth and make a prayer of it, My Father in heaven goes into action.  And when two or three of you are together because of Me, you can be sure that I’ll be there.”

I enjoy having private time with Jesus.  I pray, I chuckle, and sometimes I cry.  I pour my heart out, and I listen, and God knows I try to apply whatever lesson He is teaching me.

But there’s something to be said about praying with at least one other person.  I have prayed countless times with other people – most of the times with just one, sometimes with over 100.  And in every single instance, I have felt my faith strengthen.  If you have ever prayed with me than you know I like to say, “Thank you for joining your faith to mine.  Our faith together is stronger than my faith on its own!”

The verse above is part of the reason why.  It’s not that I am unsure of God’s presence when I pray alone.  But rather, I have no doubt that when my prayer partners and I get together because of Him, He is right there watching over us, directing us, and blessing us. 

Whenever we need the reassurance that Jesus will show up, the best thing to do is find someone who will pray with us.  Someone who is our friend, a kindred spirit who loves the Lord, who is fighting for the same thing, who is looking forward to the same victory, someone who shares in our concerns and worries and vice/versa.  God honors these types of praying relationships, and it doesn’t take much to get one started.

It humbles me when people thank me for praying with them.  I am the one who is thankful.  I am the one who has been blessed and receiving answers because someone took the time to join with me in talking to the Lord.    

Do you want and need more of Jesus in your life? Find a buddy and pray!

PRAYER: Dear Lord, thank You for Your promise of being with us when we get together in Your name.  We need You.  Bless us, help us, guide us, and protect us.  In Jesus’ name, AMEN~