Talking About Prayer

This is a postscript to yesterday's blog, so to really appreciate this, you'll have to read the other one first.

Remember I said that I was discouraged and tired, but God sent me a message? Well, there was more to the story that I failed to write . . . I think my brain suffers from being too saturated! Anyway, last night I sat down to study and read, and out of nowhere, I remembered something critically important, so I'll have to flashback a moment for you to appreciate how cool this is.

I am serving very soon on an Emmaus team, a group of women who are preparing to serve other women on a religious journey. One of the things we do to prepare for our service to the women and God is to pray for each other faithfully, each day praying for one specific team member and one need of the weekend. Well, as I sat down yesterday, I remembered that the name on the calendar for yesterday's date was mine! I grabbed the calendar to make sure I wasn't mistaken, and I wasn't. All day there had been women praying for me; what grace! As I attempted to process the events of the day and the way Satan came against me, I know this: he was after me, trying to create a sense of darkness because he knew full well that God's intercessors were busy on my behalf. He can't stand it when we are making a difference for God's kingdom, and he wanted to neutralize the prayers of my dear sisters, but in the words of my students, "I don't think so! Not today!"

So the point? Pray, pray, pray, putting on the full armor of God for protection. Read His Word, listen for His voice, and trust Him to take care of you. Pray for yourself and your own needs, and pray for others who need to be lifted up. It absolutely makes a difference.

God Shows Up in the Strangest Ways . . . Even in My Checkbook!

It's been an interesting day. Anybody out there? An interesting day. And God, as He does so well, showed up at the exact right moment, not too soon and not too late. But the funny thing? He showed up in my checkbook. Let me back up . . . a little flashback here.

Not to bore you, let me just say that today was one of those days when Satan went on the attack. And let me just say that there have been a lot of those days lately. In fact, early this afternoon, I found myself thinking the absolutely ridiculous thought that maybe I'm just too tired to keep fighting him. Now, I know better. After all, this is The Tenacious Life blog, right? I know better. But today things came to a head. He loves to discourage me where my church is concerned, and he was working overtime on that one yesterday. He also loves to hit me hard with my children, trying to convince me that God is not in charge. Well, today he attacked, and attacked, and attacked, and I knew I had to reach up to God and defeat Satan once and for all, at least for today. So, as one of my Tenacious Life tips suggests, I headed out to ride my lawn mower. I find a lot of peace there, and I often feel a strong connection to God as I focus on nature and on the peace of riding in the sun. As I was talking to God and riding, I saw something on the ground, and I almost didn't stop to pick it up, but changed my mind at the last moment. Well, you could have knocked me over with a feather . . . it was my checkbook . . . not just any checkbook, but one that I lost last December and for which I have been looking for nine months! There it was, just lost in the grass. Now you need to know that I cut the grass on a regular basis. That checkbook was not there a week ago, a month ago, or even a day ago. And do you know what that checkbook cover said? "For I know the plans I have for you, . . ." You know the rest . . . plans to prosper me and not harm me, plans for a hope and a future. Good old Jeremiah. But better than that . . . faithful God. He knew I needed to hear that scripture, and He might as well have given me an audible voice today. I knew immediately, without question, that He was sending me a clear and powerful message: I am still in charge, Jean, and I have plans for you and yes, for your children. Enough said.

I can't tell you that the day was perfect after that, but I can tell you this: some things happened that called on me to be strong and to trust God with my words and the people I love most, and I trusted Him. I could have found that checkbook on any other day, but as usual, God's precision made sure I found it at exactly the right moment . . . the moment when I needed to hear His voice and know His strength. And as usual, I was amazed and humored by His choice of methods. A checkbook that has worried me because I was just sure some identity thief had found it when I dropped it during Christmas shopping, and I have been waiting for the "shoe" to drop ever since then. And all this time, it was right here somewhere. Now, I haven't figured out where it was, but I suspect that my precious Belle -- my yellow lab -- found it somewhere and dragged it to the front yard. See, God uses the funniest things, even my lab who is in a new season of chewing and dragging everything in sight, including Figaro, the cat! And there's another lesson in this: just like my checkbook that was here all the time, well, God is always here. Sometimes I can't feel Him, but He is here and faithful nevertheless. I just need to keep seeking, asking, and knocking, and He will answer. Today He even wrote me a check!

Too Good to Explain

This is going to be short and to the point. Actually, I have a lot to say, but quite honestly, today has been so good that I don't think I can do it justice, so let me just say this: when we spend time with God, doing what He says even when we don't feel like it, talking to Him, trusting Him, looking to Him -- not our idols -- for every single thing, He is able to do exceedingly and abundantly more than we can ask or think.

Today, I obeyed. I felt His nudging that the day would contain a miracle, and I expected it. The miracle came. Just that simple. Just that clear. More to come later. Right now, I just want to relish in His goodness.

Be tenacious. It's worth it.

Shhhh . . . Just Be Quiet!

I've had my daughter's dog, Cindy, for the past couple of weeks, and Cindy has "had" me. She greets me as soon as my feet hit the floor at 5:00 A.M, and she trembles with anticipation until I pour my first cup of coffee and head to the door. When I pick up her leash, she is beside herself with excitement, and once the door is open, she literally drags me into the yard . . . all 20 pounds of her. At this time of year when the early morning weather is perfect and the night sky is incredibly stunning, I love our early morning walk, and I am grateful to Cindy for making me go outside instead of sit in my "study" chair. And yes, there is a point to this mundane story. . .

As Cindy and I have walked in these past weeks, I have been repeatedly awed by the wonder of the night sky, and these walks have become more than Cindy's morning constitutional; they have become my time with God. I have greeted Him, talked with Him, and praised Him for everything imaginable . . . for the beauty of nature, for the constellations (I can only pick out three . . . remedial astronomy is needed), for answered prayers, and for His love. But this morning, the walk took on new life: it became worship. I have had worship on my mind a lot lately because I think too many people in the church have lost their sense of worship, and it is the very thing for which we are created! We come to church thinking someone is supposed to "feed" us or that we will be entertained, but this is the farthest from the right motive; we should enter God's house and God's world to worship Him. And this morning as I gazed at the sky, I worshiped God in beauty and holiness. It was quite a moment. But there's more.

Last night, two of my daughters and my precious granddaughter, Olivia, came home for dinner with the family. Olivia is three months old, and she is just starting to "talk." Now, we know not to talk baby talk to Olivia because we want her to learn language . . . after all, language is what I do as a teacher! But Meredith said something interesting: she read somewhere that we should ask Olivia questions and then wait on her to answer. Interesting process for a three-month old, but I've been doing it, and guess what . . . when I talk and then hush, she talks back! It's amazing! Of course, I'm sure it's because she's a genius . . . :) But I'm not exaggerating -- when we spoke to her and asked questions and then closed our mouths long enough for her to respond, she did . . . every single time! And that made me think this morning about God . . .

How many times do we go to God in prayer and then WE do all the talking? How many times do we ask Him for things and then never hush just to listen for His still, small voice? How many times do we miss His incredible nudging in our day because we never get still and quiet enough to feel Him and know His presence? This morning, I got that message loud and clear. I walked, and talked, and then? I just walked and listened. What an awesome way to start the day!