Praying As Long As It Takes

 “I prayed for this child, and the Lord has granted me what I asked of him.”

I Samuel 1:27 (NIV)

   Tucking my small children into bed at night was something I loved. They are all grown now but all I have to do is close my eyes and I can still smell the scent of Ivory soap on freshly scrubbed little faces as they snuggled into sheets that had been drying on the line outside. But perhaps the most fun was bowing my head with them as they said bedtime prayers.

   Children have a way of stating simple but profound truths and I do not doubt that God smiles and lovingly focuses on each one.  One evening I listened as my seven-year-old son asked the Lord to watch over an elderly neighbor who had not been feeling well for a few days.

    Next my almost three-year-old asked God to help her catch Penelope, her cat, so that she could, in her words, “put my doll clothes on the poor, ole thang.” The last one to pray was my five-year-old. She put her little hands together, closed her eyes, and prayed with all her heart “Lord, Lord, when I grow up, help me to find the right man!”

    I could not help but smile at her precious request of God as I kissed them all goodnight and shut the bedroom door. But before I could take two steps, the Lord spoke clearly to my heart: “Why are you smiling? That is exactly what you should be praying every day for your children.”

    Instantly I was convicted of that huge responsibility and fervently prayed my sweet daughter’s prayer for “the right” mate over each of them from that moment on.

    Scripture tells us that Hannah had prayed fervently to become pregnant and God had granted her request. But what encourages me is that she didn’t pray once or twice and then sit back, waiting for an answer. I Samuel 1:3 says that year after year she and her husband went to the sanctuary at Shiloh to worship and each time Hannah begged God for a child. Year after year after year.

    Are you daily lifting up the future spouse for your son or daughter? That should be one of your first prayer requests each morning and the last one before you go to bed each night, year after year. We are encouraged in I Thessalonians to pray continually and to joyfully wait for an answer, even if it takes weeks or months . . . or years.

             

    The Lord answered Hannah’s persistent prayer with a son that she named Samuel. And, in case you are wondering, He is answering my prayers for my children, too. Both of my daughters are married to Godly men who love the Lord and their families. Join me in praying – as long as it takes – for Christian spouses for our sons and daughters.   

    Father, may I continue to be faithful in prayer for my children and their future spouses, no matter how long it takes. In Jesus’ Name. Amen.

R.A.P. it up . . .

Reflect

• Have you given serious thought to the spouse that your son or daughter will one day marry?

• Are you willing to pray as long as it takes to ask the Lord to bring the right person into the lives of your children?

Apply

• No matter the age of your child, spend one minute each day asking God to bring a Christian spouse into his or her life.

• Periodically share Scripture about a Godly spouse with your child and pray with them that God will bring that person into their lives in His timing.

Power

• I Samuel 1:27 (NIV) “I prayed for this child, and the Lord has granted me what I asked of him.” 

• Galatians 6:9 (NIV) “Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.”

• I Thessalonians 5:17 (NIV) “Be joyful always; pray continually . . .”  

Jerry's Christmas

    “Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord. This will be a sign to you; You will find a baby wrapped in clothes and lying in a manger.”

Luke 2:11-12 (NIV)

    I’ll never forget that precious little boy: freckles scattered like tiny raindrops across his entire face, including his ears. Big brown eyes partially obscured by wispy blonde hair that brushed against an ever-present smile minus two front teeth.

   Jerry was a first-grade student at the elementary school where I worked. He came from a home that was short on money but long on love. His clothes were always someone else’s property first, but he never seemed to care.  And this Christmas season was no different.

   As a mother of three, I was frantically trying to balance home, husband, kids, and job while I shopped endlessly for the perfect “only thing I want” gifts for my family. Somewhere in the rush of the season, my focus shifted from the birth of a baby in a manger to the number of presents under our Christmas tree.

   There was some success but at a price . . . a high price. My Christmas budget was shrinking rapidly. “Why couldn’t my children want something a little cheaper?” I kept thinking. “Why do they think they have to have everything they see on television?”

   Those questions were occupying my thoughts as I walked down the first-grade hall and saw Jerry coming toward me in worn tennis shoes minus the laces and a winter coat that was about three sizes too large.  

   “Hey, Jerry! How are you?” “I’m good, Miss Nancy. It’s almost Christmas . . . Jesus’ birthday . . . did you know?” I couldn’t help but smile at that comment. “Yes, I have heard that. So what do you want for Christmas, Jerry?”

   He quickly replied “Oh, I already know what I’m getting. It’s the same every year.” At this point, I would have expected a child making that statement to duck his head in disappointment and go on, but not Jerry.

   As I bent down to hug and encourage him, Jerry put his hands on my shoulders and, with a huge smile, continued. “When I wake up on Christmas morning, there will be a BIG candy cane under my pillow!” he exclaimed as he licked his lips and rubbed his tummy in anticipation of that moment. “And then, under the tree, I will get a little Matchbox car to add to my others. I can hardly wait, Miss Nancy!”

   As I hugged Jerry and sent him on to class, I could not hold back the tears of sadness – not for Jerry but for my attitude. Instead of focusing on Christ and His birth, I had gotten caught up in the world’s view that the number of gifts you have under the Christmas tree determines your happiness.

   Christmas at our home would never be the same again. All because of a candy cane under a pillow, a Matchbox car under a tree . . . and a very thankful little boy named Jerry.

   Father, thank you for the most priceless gift of love you could ever send – the gift of your Son - from a manger to the cross for us.  In Jesus’ Name. Amen.

R.A.P. it up . . .

Reflect

• Do you find yourself focused more on gifts than the Giver of Life at Christmas?

• Have you talked with your children about the Ultimate Gift that Jesus gave each of us?

Apply

• Help your children write on slips of paper the gifts that they can give Jesus this Christmas, like trusting Him, being obedient, and sharing Him with friends.

• Have them wrap each of their gifts for Jesus in a box and offer each one to Him on Christmas morning in prayer.

Power 

• Luke 2:11-12 (NIV) “Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord. This will be a sign to you; You will find a baby wrapped in clothes and lying in a manger.” 

• 2 Corinthians 9:15 (NIV) “Thanks be to God for his indescribable gift!”

• John 1:14 a (NIV) “The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us.”

Don't Ignore Your Security Alarm System

 “Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the body is weak.” Matthew 26:41 (NIV)

             After years of decorating the outside of my house for Christmas – and then having to bring everything back inside weeks later in the freezing weather – I wisely realized that less could be better.

   Translation: instead of multiple lights on my house, porch railing, and shrubs, I placed a small, artificial tree on each side of my front door. And with even more wisdom, I put two strings of LED battery-operated lights on each tree! I programmed them to turn on at 6 pm each evening and turn off six hours later.

  I was feeling pretty proud of myself. Oh, I was. Because now, instead of going outside and freezing, just to turn on and off the Christmas lights, I could simply wait and watch as that happened automatically. It was a great idea but I had not counted on one thing: mischievous boys.

  One evening about 8 pm, I realized my tree lights had not come on. When I went outside to check them, I saw why. Someone had turned off all the lights on all four sets!  I found myself wondering who in the world could have done something like that.

  Suddenly I remembered that I had a security system! And one of the cameras was on the front porch, aimed right at the door and trees! But just as suddenly I remembered something else. When I woke up the morning after the lights were turned off, I noticed that I had received several notifications during the night of movement around my home.

  But I had assumed, wrongly, that it was because the trash trucks were driving through the neighborhood and so I had – without even looking – deleted ALL the notifications I had received! If only I had simply stopped and checked I would have seen exactly who turned off the lights.

   Scripture from Matthew 26:41 is simple, practical advice to us. It’s a security alarm system for our lives. “Watch and pray.” Why? “So that you will not fall into temptation.” In other words, the Lord is telling us “Wake up, child! Keep your eyes open. Things are going to come your way – evil things. Things that will try to pull you away from Me. You are not strong but I am and I will protect you. So listen to me and my Word.”

   We have the Holy Spirit living in us. He is part of our security alarm system. He nudges us to warn us when we are headed in the wrong direction or toward the wrong thing. Maybe it’s a flirting relationship but we are married. Perhaps it is watching movies or stories on the internet that are far from what God wants for us in our lives. Satan knows our weaknesses and that’s exactly where he will attack.

   We have been blessed with a Security Alarm System from the Lord so use it! Consult it! Don’t ignore the protection it gives you! Remember it’s warning to watch and pray. Don’t ignore the nudging that tells you to run from whatever your weakness may be. Don’t glance back. Don’t long for what you know is wrong. Instead, run! The Lord will be at your side. He will never leave you.

   As for my Christmas lights, I found out from my neighbor that the night they were turned off, he had seen two boys walking through a yard toward my home. But what they don’t realize is that if there is a next time, I will be sure not to ignore my security alarm system.

   Father, you have placed your word in our lives to keep us from turning away from you. Please continue to nudge my Spirit to follow you, to watch and pray. In Jesus’ Name. Amen.

 

R.A.P. it up . . .

Reflect

•  Can you think of a time when you ignored the nudging of the Holy Spirit to turn away from something that you should not be doing or saying? 

• Did you regret your decision?

Apply

•  Write “Security Alarm System: Holy Spirit” on note cards and place them by your TV, computer, on your desk at work, and any other place that you may be tempted.

• Memorize Matthew 26:41 and ask the Lord to help you stay alert to His security alarm system for your life. And pray.

Power

• Matthew 26:41 (NIV) “Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the body is weak.”

• Hebrews 2:1 (NIV) “We must pay more careful attention, therefore, to what we have heard, so that we do not drift away.”

• I Corinthians 10:13 (NIV) “No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it.” 

Home for Christmas

 “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.” John 3:16 (NIV)

 

  When I was a little girl, the question I needed answered before December 25th  was “What do you want for Christmas?” I asked my sisters and my brother, my mother and my father. It was a huge question for me because my funds were limited to a small allowance each week plus whatever I could dig out from under the sofa cushions.

   The answers changed every year for all my family members until, one by one, each of my siblings and I married and moved away.  After that, every time my mother was asked “What do you want for Christmas?” her answer remained the same. “I want all my children home,” she would smile. “Nothing more.” No matter how hard I tried to change how I asked that same question, the answer never changed.

  I didn’t understand why that was the only Christmas gift my mother wanted. Until my children grew up, married, and moved away. Until the phone calls began with “Hi Mom. December is going to be here before you know it. What do you want for Christmas?” And then I finally realized just what my mother meant when she said “More than anything, I want all my children home.”

  Our Heavenly Father desires the same thing for His children: home with Him for eternity. The cost? No looking under sofa cushions for extra change. No hoarding an allowance to pay for a gift. The price for all His children to be able to come home has been paid in full by Jesus at the cross.

  As mothers, we completely understand wanting all our children home for Christmas. How much more our Heavenly Father desires that His children will turn to Him and accept the beautiful priceless gift of salvation, wrapped up in the mercy, forgiveness, and love of Jesus so they can be home with Him for eternity.

  Father, I praise you and thank you for your beautiful gift of eternal life to all who believe in you. In Jesus’ Name. Amen.

R.A.P. it up . . . 

Reflect

• Do you find that there are times when you take the gift of salvation and eternal life for granted?  

• If so, why do you think you feel that way?

 Apply

• Journal the different Scriptures that talk about the promise of eternal life with the Lord.

• Memorize one of those Scriptures each week and share it with a friend or family member.

Power 

• John 3:16 (NIV) “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.”

• II Peter 3:9 (NIV) “The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.”

• I Timothy 2:3-4 (NIV) “This is good, and pleases God our Savior, who wants all men to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth.”

 

Jesus Uses Superglue

 “For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, not any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Romans 8:38-39 (NIV)

  When I decided to become serious in my writing career, my good friend Sherri gave me a reminder of that decision: a card holder for my desk with the dog Snoopy from Charlie Brown sitting on a patch of green grass in front of a yellow typewriter. 

  Beside him was an envelope with a clip attached to the top of a tiny five-inch metal pole to hold my business card. Whenever I got discouraged or unable to think of my next topic, all I had to do was look at Snoopy and be reminded of the prayers that went into my decision to write and I was revived instantly.

  A few years ago I was at that exact point: the ideas were not flowing and I could feel frustration building up so I glanced at my little dog and his typewriter for encouragement. I couldn’t help my “Oh no!” as I instantly saw that Snoopy had no head!

  Arms and body, yes. Typewriter still in place?  Yes also but no head! Frantically I moved papers and files and found the head on its side. I was afraid that it could not be fixed but ten minutes and half a superglue tube later, the head was reattached. Thankfully the broken damage was repaired. 

  Do you ever feel like you are broken and damaged in such a way that the Lord cannot fix you – nor would He want to? Please hear this: there is absolutely nothing that we can do that will cause Jesus to say “This one is permanently broken. There’s no way to fix her so I will toss her out.”

 

  “But wait,” you tell me. “I stole some money” or “I had an abortion” or “I had an affair.” And you think “Surely the Lord can’t forgive me. Surely He sees the damage and cannot fix me. Why would He want anything to do with me?” 

  Look at our promise in Romans 8:38-39. Nothing, absolutely nothing can separate us from the love of our Father. Read this Scripture aloud but in place of “nor anything else in all creation,” speak the sin in your life.

  Never forget: His love is real; His forgiveness is real.  I John 1:9 promises that when we confess our sins to Him, He takes those fragile, fractured pieces of our lives and He heals every break with a “superglue” of love.

  Father, I confess the sin that I have allowed to keep me from you. Thank you for forgiving me and healing my broken life. In Jesus’ Name. Amen.

R.A.P. it up . . .

Reflect

• Have you ever felt like you have done something in your life so terrible that God could not possibly forgive you?

• Did you share your concern with a Christian friend and ask her to pray for you?

Apply

• Make a list of the things in your life that you have felt Jesus could not or would not extend you forgiveness.

• Read Romans 8:38-39 aloud and speak each entry on your list in that Scripture. Ask the Lord to forgive you, accept His forgiveness and love, and then tear the list into pieces and throw it away.

Power

• Romans 8:38-39 (NIV) “For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, not any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

• I John 1:9 (NIV) “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.”

• Romans 8:1 (NIV) “Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus . . .”