Prayer is one of those things, that really starts with God. We are in the middle of it, but it's beginning and end is the heart of the Father. The Lord holds a plan and creates a desire in us to ask Him for that plan to come to fruition. We are stirred to desire something, stirred by the redemptive plan of Our All-Knowing, Almighty.
When we desire to His will, we will express that desire in intercession for others. It goes back to the Lord to complete the cycle. It is an eternal, blessed circle of hope and healing that always brings glory to Him, Who so well deserves it. God gives us the desires of our heart when our hearts are given over to Him. Psalm 37:3-7a in the NIV says it this way,
I experienced this circle of prayer and blessing just last week. It was unexpected but welcome healing. You see, my sweet husband got me a pedometer for my birthday a couple of weeks back. Part of the package was a wrist band to hold it. I wore it twice, then stopped. A day or so later, I noticed a rash on arm where the wristband was, all the way around. It didn't itch or bother me. It was pretty minor and I sent a picture of it to my husband.
I love seeing the testimony of His Word made real, like from Psalm 103:3-5,
He forgives all my sins and heals all my diseases. He redeems me from death and crowns me with love and tender mercies. He fills my life with good things. My youth is renewed like the eagle’s! (NLT)
What a WONDER-ful God in Heaven we have, so concerned with every little details of our lives, big and small. Thank you Jesus, for suffering everything for us on the Cross, so we can believe in Your healing resurrection power!
When we desire to His will, we will express that desire in intercession for others. It goes back to the Lord to complete the cycle. It is an eternal, blessed circle of hope and healing that always brings glory to Him, Who so well deserves it. God gives us the desires of our heart when our hearts are given over to Him. Psalm 37:3-7a in the NIV says it this way,
Trust in the Lord and do good;dwell in the land and enjoy safe pasture. Take delight in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart. Commit your way to the Lord; trust in him and he will do this: He will make your righteous reward shine like the dawn, your vindication like the noonday sun. Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for him; do not fret... (emphasis mine)
When we delight in God, when we seek Him with our whole heart, doing good to bring others before Him in prayer, He will take our burdens and give us good gifts. Sometimes in the process of doing good for others, we are given a gift as well. You can call it a reward or blessing. Either way, all good and perfect gifts come from the Father (James 1:7)
I experienced this circle of prayer and blessing just last week. It was unexpected but welcome healing. You see, my sweet husband got me a pedometer for my birthday a couple of weeks back. Part of the package was a wrist band to hold it. I wore it twice, then stopped. A day or so later, I noticed a rash on arm where the wristband was, all the way around. It didn't itch or bother me. It was pretty minor and I sent a picture of it to my husband.
It was like this for a few days, until I woke up and it was itching. I put calamine lotion on it and that kept the itch at bay. But the very next day, nothing would help the itch. In fact, the itch woke me up in the middle of the night, driving me crazy!
I slathered on the lotion, took Advil and nothing. Crazy itchiness. It was awful. But here is where the WONDER-ful part comes in. I was driving to swim at the gym I belong to and the itching reminded me of something a friend of mine, going through chemotherapy, is dealing with. Except her rash is 10x worse. But still, what she was going through was up close and personal like never before. I thought, "Maybe this is the Lord's way of keeping her in front of me to pray for her relief and comfort." So, I started to pray.
The instant I spoke her name out, the itching stopped completely.
For hours nothing - no itch, no pain, no nothing. If it wasn't on my wrist, I wouldn't have even noticed it was there. Later that afternoon, after telling a couple of friends about my experience, it started to itch again, but I just started praying for my friend and it would stop. It went on like this all day and into the next.
I still have the rash, it is running its course and looks horrible. But any itch has abated as I employed my intercessor technique through the weekend. It is definitely going away. My friend was constantly being lifted up before the Father, to the praise of His Name! I'm confident the Lord accomplished His purposes in both of our lives, although her rash didn't instantly get better. However, this week, she has a rest from chemo to recover and things are settling down. It is clear God is answering prayers in her situation....and in mine!
I still have the rash, it is running its course and looks horrible. But any itch has abated as I employed my intercessor technique through the weekend. It is definitely going away. My friend was constantly being lifted up before the Father, to the praise of His Name! I'm confident the Lord accomplished His purposes in both of our lives, although her rash didn't instantly get better. However, this week, she has a rest from chemo to recover and things are settling down. It is clear God is answering prayers in her situation....and in mine!
I love seeing the testimony of His Word made real, like from Psalm 103:3-5,
He forgives all my sins and heals all my diseases. He redeems me from death and crowns me with love and tender mercies. He fills my life with good things. My youth is renewed like the eagle’s! (NLT)
What a WONDER-ful God in Heaven we have, so concerned with every little details of our lives, big and small. Thank you Jesus, for suffering everything for us on the Cross, so we can believe in Your healing resurrection power!
1 comment:
Hallelujah!!! What a Savior! The Great Physician is still active TODAY!!!
Post a Comment