Answers

Isaiah 55: 8-9  My plans aren’t your plans, nor are your ways my ways says the Lord.  Just as the heavens are higher than the earth so are my ways higher than your ways and my plans than your plans.

I will be one of the first to say that we must rely on God for all things, yet there are situations that we can’t control without a thought of, or prayer to, God.  Now if you’re able to say that’s not you, there’s 1 of 2 things going on – either your faith and reliance on our maker is absolute and should be an example to friends and family, or you are lying to yourself and those around you.

I can’t tell you the number of times I’ve felt like I must make a decision now or face grave consequences for myself or for others.  In fact, I pride myself on my ability to solve problems quickly and efficiently.  So when I was faced with a grave medical issue for one of my very close family members, it was difficult.  I’m very proud to say that I prayed as much during that time as I have at any other time in my life.  My prayers were for her and my family, but focused mainly on her.  I asked God to heal her, knowing that He has that power.  I wanted her out of the hospital and back the way she was just a few days before celebrating Christmas.

During the time I was praying, I also thought about things quite a bit and I began to feel selfish.  I was asking for her to return to a life that found her struggling both physically and mentally because of other health issues.  I just didn’t want to face walking in for a visit and not  finding her in her chair with a smile on her face.

As I struggle with this situation, I read or heard something (I’m not sure which) and  began to realize that my prayer would only be selfish if I held on to the concept of earthly recovery and tried to confine God with the humanistic definition of healing.  This has had me contemplating not just this situation, but the overall idea of prayer and the very narrow view we have during our conversations with Him.

We think of our immediate needs, what we can see, what we think we need and want, and focus so intently on that “brass ring” that we fail to see there are alternatives to the situation – some of which we’d never come up with.  We try to squeeze God into a tiny chute directing Him toward the solution we’ve determined best for the situation – forgetting that He is all powerful, the creator of everything, and His power is limitless.

As we kneel, bow our head and/or clasp our hands in prayer, let us remember His immense power, His loving nature and the gift of grace granted us all.  “Father, I know what I’m asking but I don’t know what Your answer will be, give me the eyes to see it, the ears to hear it and the heart and wisdom to accept it. Amen”

I was on my way home from a particularly stressful day.  From the moment my alarm went off through the point I’d gotten into my truck at the end of the day, things were just off.   My words were coming out with a bit of an edge even though that’s not how they were intended.  Things I touched wound up being like an all-white 1000 piece jigsaw puzzle or felt like jittery Jello-like soap that flew through my fingers.

Needless to say, I was feeling bad for how I’d reacted to things and feeling beat down.  About a third of the way into my trip, a song made famous by Matthew West came on.  The radio wasn’t up too loud, so the first few measures of the intro were soft but I recognized the song and turned it up.  I managed to turn it up as the he started the first lyric…”Hello, my name is Regret, I’m pretty sure we have met…”  It goes on to say…”I’m the whisper inside that won’t let you forget”.

The song managed to capture the entire experience of the day with “Hello, my name is Defeat…Just when you think you can win, I’ll drag you right back down again, ‘til you’ve lost all belief”

Yep, that was the day I was having!  By the time I was done beating myself up over what I’d said and done, I was so down I’d have had to climb up on a stepstool to look someone in the shoes laces. If the song had only these lines I wouldn’t have been surprised, but it didn’t.  It went on to remind me that I am a child of the one true King, saved, changed and set free.

The apostle Paul tells us in Galatians 3:26-27  “You are all God’s children through faith in Christ Jesus.  All of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ.”