Before We Even Pray~

Isaiah 65:24 I will answer them before they even call to Me. While they are still talking about their needs, I will go ahead and answer their prayers!

By no means am I consistent at journaling, but there have been seasons in my life where I have found it helpful to write things down.  This morning, as it dawned on me that Jorgie and Lis will be married two years this Sunday, I picked up an old notebook and read about what I was thinking at that point in my life.   Something my Pastor Bill said really encouraged me:     

“Responsibility is my response to God’s ability.”

The entire Bible is one glorious testimony to God’s unfathomable abilities, one of which is answering our prayers before we even call out to Him.

Long before I ever prayed for Jorgie to be married – it’s kind of hard to think in those terms when your son is still in a diaper – God was shaking things up and moving things around so that he and Lis would meet on one glorious August day.  She lived all over the world because her dad was an ambassador, but she eventually wound up living 10-minutes away from us.  By the time I met Lis I realized that God had answered my prayers long before I prayed them by keeping her safe and sound for Jorgie and vice/versa. 

The same could be said of my relationship with Jorge.  How is it that I, who lived in Georgia, would move to Miami, and because of an invitation from my sister’s co-worker, attend a little 40-member church in Hialeah where Jorge played the tambourine in a Christian band?   I was 17 when I met him, and marriage was the furthest thing from my mind.

And I have shared Rayray’s story.  She went off to coach volleyball at a local school and was asked to coach a club team where she was promptly assigned to be her now-husband’s assistant because there were not enough girls for her to have her own team.   The rest is history…

So many millions of details, so many I didn’t even think to pray of.  But as God’s children, He will always have our back.  He will cover us in so many areas where we are not even aware of the need yet.  I know that one day we will marvel at all the things He did for us that we never found out about and never prayed about. 

So what is our responsibility? Our response to His ability?  It is praising Him! It is sharing the good news with others! And it is praying to the One whose abilities are infinite!

PRAYER: Dear Lord, We feel so completely covered by Your love for us.  You do so much every day to get us where we need to go.  Our life is in Your hands.  It is incredible to think that before we even pray for something that is on our hearts, You have already answered.  We say Thank you!  In Jesus’ name, AMEN~

Stretch Out Your Hand~

My trusty calendar informs me that today is the 78th day of the year; only 287 more to go. Time flies :)


We have been looking at how it's ok to pray for success, how we should provide God with a specific target, how God is a God Who says yes, how we need to be willing to pray because no one else might be doing it, how we shouldn't worry because God has us covered, BUT, there is still more to it.

Pastor Bill says, "Responsibility is our response to God's ability."

And when you read the Bible you will see that all throughout its magnificent pages that God works WITH us most of the time. Yes, He is a God of miracles and can do what He wants when He wants, but He has set it up so that life is a combination of our natural ability helped mightily along with His supernatural ability.

For example:

Abraham wanted a wife or his son. But he did not ask God to materialize a woman out of thin air. Abraham's servant picked himself up and physically went to look for the right young lady. That is where the prayer for success came in.

Think back to Bible story after Bible story and you will always see that we humans all have a role to play.

Yes, David killed Goliath, but he grabbed a stone, centered it in a slingshot, pulled back, and BAM! God could have sent a poisonous vapor to kill the giant, but He did not.

Yes, God parted the Red Sea, which is AMAZING, but not until Moses stretched out his hand over the sea first. (Exodus 14:16)

How does this translate into our lives?

A few years ago when Rayray started college she was unsure what to major in. She was not one of those who knew from the age of one that they wanted to be an astronaut. But each step of the way we faithfully prayed for God to lead her to something she would be passionate about and enjoy. Twists, turns, and fear of blood aside, Rayray has firmly settled on a degree of higher learning where she can merge two passions: children and therapy. God very faithfully led her as she took steps of faith by enrolling in this course or that course and eventually a clear picture emerged. It is going to require a Master's Degree, but she is happy to do the work because she feels she has purpose.

Imagine if we would have asked God for success for Rayray's career choice and then sat back all day watching cooking shows and painting our nails? Not in God's universe.

We must all "stretch out our hand," as it were. Take a step of faith today and trust God to lead you. If someone you love is not making an effort for themselves, remember that you have volunteered to pray for them. (Check out last Thursday's DEVO).

PRAYER:
Dear Lord,
No matter where we are in our journey, we know that you expect us to take the first step, and You will lead the way. Prayer is always the best first step as long as we follow it up with movement.  Help us and those we love move in the right direction. In Jesus' name, AMEN~