WATCH OUT... GOD ANSWERS PRAYERS
Hello friends!!
Been awhile, I know. You know, life gets busy and then suddenly it’s the holiday’s again and you just put all those decorations away. Craziness, right?
Anywho, that’s talk about Prayer, Grace and Mercy. And then opportunity.
Dangerous prayers.
You know the ones God answers.
Wait a min, God answers all prayers; right, but it’s in His timing and in His mysterious ways, right?!
I believe that. Then why I am surprised when He actually answers the stinkin’ prayers I say I want with all my heart? Dangerous prayers….
I remember praying so many different times in my life to just be USED by God. He’s answered that so many times!! I’m grateful every time and amazed that He would do what He says He will do. It’s humbling for sure.
Why is the current time I’m being USED by God; to be His literal Hands and Feet, Eyes and Ears (and a little less of 'The Mouth'), so stinkin’ difficult? That’s easy, it’s not what I planned, it’s not the WAY I wanted to be used. I wanted to guide GOD around and show Him how I wanted to be USED.
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This is a long story, I’m going to attempt to shorten it.
A family member came back into our lives a few years back who had been absent from our lives for about 15 years and we actually thought we may never see them again this side of heaven. But this God-send showed up one Christmas Eve, saying “TADA!!!!” Literally, out of the blue, no warning. Now they’ve been in the area for a few years, tryin’ to make a life here again. Slowly, but gradually they have been needing a hand here and there. 3 years and several car accidents later they have no way to provide for themselves, no source of income save the government, only debts to their name and steadily declining health.
We start taking more and more notice of these things. After the final car accident and some whiplash head injury, health issues are really becoming apparent. Other people are noticing. We are helping with finances, needs, travel, appointments, food, etc etc. There are obvious cognitive issues. We decide to get testing for dementia and Alzheimer’s.
Then the accident happens. This is 3 weeks ago now.
We’re getting ready for church and I’m having a conversation with my 18yr old daughter who has been struggling with her faith and we’re talking about her attending a different church than us. She thinks she wants to try something a smaller and more traditional church than where we are going right now and I’m trying to help her navigate that. I start to talk about a smaller church that one of our family friends is attending and I send that friend a text letting her know Addi is thinking about going there. She immediately calls me and the 3 of us talk about that for a few minutes.
I get a text that I glance at the sender and think, “I’ll read that after church…”
But a few minutes later I happen to look at the text and read, “I fell down in the church driveway and I think I broke my arm, it’s OK, I’ll talk to you later….”
WHAT!?!
I immediately call and as I do I walk into my bedroom where my wife is awake and getting ready for church and I put it on ‘speaker-phone’.
An unfamiliar voice starts explaining that my family member fell and hit his head and possibly broke his arm……
PLANS CHANGE…..
We spend the morning at the ER.
We move him into our house.
After a few days, our dog breeding friends come and take our last five puppies we haven’t sold yet off our hands so that we can convert our downstairs office/puppy-room into a grandfather suite so that he does not have to climb stairs.
There is so much to this, I cannot even express it…
I AM ANGRY TO SAY THE LEAST. I AM RESENTFUL, it’s coming out in my speech. The things I say are pointed and venomous. I am thinking bad, un-Godly thoughts.
Suddenly, I’m in a care-giver mode to an aging parent who is almost helpless. Feeding, clothing, bathing, potty-ing, entertaining…
I don’t have the mental capacity for this….
GOD KNEW…..
GOD SEES…..
GOD ORCHESTRATES…….
I SAY I BELIEVE……
GOD HELP MY UNBELIEF…..
GOD SUPPLIES ALL OUR NEEDS ACCORDING TO HIS RICHES IN CHRIST JESUS….. (Philippians 4:19)
WHY AM I SO SELFISH………I WANT HIM TO SUPPLY MY NEEDS…….FORGET SOMEONE ELSE……
3 weeks later…. We finally got the surgery to fix the broken arm and there will be at least 7 weeks of recovery where I will need to be the primary care-giver. But it’s the cognitive stuff that is the real issue. He may end up living with us indefinitely??
SO…..
DANGEROUS PRAYERS…….
GOD TAKES US UP ON THEM……
He provides the opportunity for us to display His love to the “One-anothers” of this life.
Will I be GRACIOUS to others as He is to me? Giving them what the need and not what they deserve?
Will I be merciful like Jesus? Withholding the wrath they do deserve and instead showing them kindness and a love they have no right to? Will I be like Jesus today?
I PRAYED FOR IT…..
And man, I know I’m gonna wear out this line, but It’s quite possibly my favorite:
God character - Morgan Freeman in the movie Evan Almighty says:
“If someone prays for patience, do you think God gives them patience? Or does he give them the opportunity to be patient?”
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Today is the first day of the rest of your life. Start again today, yesterday is gone and tomorrow is too far away. We have today. You have opportunity TODAY.
“Today is the day of salvation….” - 2 Corinthians 6:2
There is no time like the present, Do not put off until tomorrow what can be done TODAY (paraphrase - liberties taken) ….. - Proverbs 6:4, James 4:13-14, Hebrews 3:15
God’s not playin’ around people, He’s playin’ for keeps. This ain’t no game, we have one life to live, He’s given us the roadmap called the Bible. You want directions? Read it bro.
Pray to be used?
WATCH OUT, GOD ANSWERS PRAYERS!!!!!
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