Higgy's Prayer Blog

This morning, while driving to the office, I was thinking of and praying for people who are facing various types of grief and sorrow.  One dear family has children and grandchildren who are answering God's call to the mission field on the other side of the world and dealing with the issue of separation as parents and grandparents is so hard.  Another family of daughters and friends are grieving over the loss of a faithful mom who was a member for years in our Bible Fellowship Class.  And yet, today a very dear friend learned of his father's death during the early morning hours. Every day, many prayer requests come to my desk from people who are suffering over loss of jobs, death of loved ones, death of a marriage, and other losses too numerous to mention in this brief column.

All too often, we tend to feel no one has experienced a grief quite like 'mine'.  As my thoughts continued to hover over these precious people I personally know and pondered the pain of separation, the Holy Spirit directed my mind to the dark hill of Calvary. All of a sudden, it dawned on me the incredible pain our God would have experienced when He bid His one and only - His dearly beloved Son goodbye as Jesus left for earth, knowing what Jesus' experience would be because of the sin of mankind!  The starkness of that thought brought a flood of tears to my eyes.  The reality that this separation was worked out as a result of the submission of the Son to the Father's plan of redemption even before the foundation of this earth was laid hit hard!  I was struck with how very long our Abba had carried that pain of expected departure in His great heart of love for the likes of me!  I felt momentarily I could hardly bear the weight of that which I had never thought of before.

Gratitude and thanksgiving came pouring out of my mouth to God for the incredible compassion He is able to give to my friends because He KNOWS!  The words of a blessed old hymn came softly as a balm to my heart: 

Does Jesus care when my heart is pained too deeply for mirth or song.  As the burdens press, and the cares distress and the way grows weary and long? 

Does Jesus care when my way is dark with a nameless dread and fear?  As the daylight fades into deep night shades, does He care enough to be near? 

Does Jesus care when I've said "Goodbye" to the dearest on earth to me?  When my sad heart aches 'til it nearly breaks, is it aught to Him?, does He see?

Oh yes!  He cares, I know He cares;  His heart is touched with my grief.  When the days are weary, the long nights dreary, I know my Savior cares.

May the Lord take these few words and use them in your life for His glory and honor!

I am learning more and more the incredible value of words in the Word!  I don't know about you, but through the years passages of Scripture become so familiar that I don't pause to ponder the meaning of what I'm readying.  How often have I thought, "Oh, I know this verse.....I've read it a 'million' times!"  Perhaps if I'd read it that many times, I would finally come to a settled understanding of what God meant me to know!

Well, back to the subject at hand.  Amy Carmichael, missionary to India, wrote concerning this special word.  I learned that pause is used in the Greek translation of the Bible for selah, often found in the Psalms.  The first time it occurs is in Psalm 3:2 - "Many are saying of my soul, 'There is no deliverance for him in God.' Selah  But You, O Lord, are a shield about me, my glory, and the One who lifts my head."  All around us are voices that weary our souls with the message, "There is no help...."  Soon, if we are not careful, that message goes through our minds and enters our soul playing out like a broken record.  However, as believers, we are in Christ and do not need to heed that message!

"There is no help....", the enemy repeats.  Pause   "But You, O Lord, are my help!"

It doesn't matter really what the voices say for they only bring weariness, but with His Word comes peace, strength, and courage to go on.

In the past twenty-four hours, I have experienced a whirlwind of aggravations and the whisper began, "What's going on? Where is help coming from?  Who's there to help?"  First, The frame snapped on my computer glasses. Then, I sat for over three hours last evening in the Costco gas station waiting for a tow truck for my car which refused to start.  My husband accidentally stepped on one of his hearing aids this morning after it fell from his lap without his being aware, crushing it. And it is Monday morning - need I say more!  In the midst of trying to fix breakfast, find the address of the body shop in both phone books to no avail, calling AAA, consoling my husband, and preparing myself for work, God graciously brought the word, Selah, to my mind!  Oh! How blessed to be reminded of the Lord's gentle admonition, "Come unto Me, you who are stressed out by the aggravations of the day, and I will give you rest!"  In my Bible reading this morning from Isaiah 40, the One who has nations, stars, measured the earth's waters in the hollow of His hand, calculated the earth's dust by measure and weighed the mountains and hills, has every circumstance under His total control, loves me and takes the most joy in whispering His rest to a weary soul even before 7:30 AM on a Monday morning!  What a God!

Dear Father, please begin today to train our souls to pause when the adversary attacks in ways that cause us to take our eyes off You or when we feel weak and helpless to do anything but fail in our trust of You one more time.  May we individually purpose in our hearts - I will stop!  I will focus on You!  So that we may say, "No matter what comes, You, O Lord, are my help!"

This past week while reading the book of Ezra in the New Living Translation, a certain phrase kept popping up in chapter 7 that captivated my attention:  'for the gracious hand of his God was on him'.  I stopped to ponder what  merited the gracious hand of God upon one's life.  I thought, "If possible, I want this in my own life"; so I asked the Lord to show me the secret to Ezra's life.  Isn't it amazing how one can read right over profound revelations so simply written that one never sees them at all!  I sensed the Spirit of God impressing me to reread verses 6-10.  In verse 10, the secret was discovered!  For Ezra had set his heart to study the law of the Lord and to practice it, and to teach His statues and ordinances in Israel.  The NLT states this was the reason God's gracious hand was upon him.

I do believe the secret is found in the determined set of the heart to do right, don't you?  This had to be his a lifestyle, the priority of his life through his years in Babylonian captivity.  His faithfulness to God in what may have seemed to others a futile habit, counted big in God's sight because when the timing for the return to Israel was right, guess who God put in the role as leader? Ezra, the scribe skilled in the law of Moses, whose heart was rooted in the Scriptures, whose life exemplified obedience, and who took responsibility for teaching the Scriptures to others. Added to this blessing is the fact that everything he requested for the trip home was granted by a pagan king!  Ezra gave credit where credit was due in verses 27-28: "Blessed be the LORD, the God of our fathers, who has put such a thing as this in the king's heart, to adorn the house of the LORD which is in Jerusalem, and has extended lovingkindness to me before the king and his counselors and before all the king's mighty princes. Thus I was strengthened according to the hand of the LORD my God upon me!"  There is so much to learn from this brief insight into the heart of a man whose ways please God!

Last Friday, I shared this insight in a Bible study with my dear friends in an assisted living center, all of whom are confined to wheelchairs.  I carefully explained that they, like Ezra, could set their hearts to read their Bibles each day and ask God to help them understand what He was telling them.  I challenged them to obey what they read and be reminded that Jesus said that all the commandments were summed up in two ways:  Keep on loving God with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength....and keep on loving your neighbor as yourself.  They nodded their heads to indicate they understood! However, when I mentioned the word 'teach', their reaction was, "Oh, we can't do that!"  I responded, "Oh! Yes, you can!"  I shared that if they would set their hearts on reading the Word each day and be careful to do what it said, their actions, reactions, and attitudes would have such a Christlike quality, their very lives would daily 'preach sermons'!  I assured them they did not need a degree from seminary....just a childlike heart to pay attention to what God says, do it, and live it out!  Almost to a person, faces brightened as truth began to dawn, and a glimpse of what God could do through them, in spite of their confinement, began to take shape.

As i got into my car to leave, the thought came, "If those dear people could reach out to grasp a challenge, how much more should I?"  With a sober mind and a humble heart, I left that day with a determination to study the Word more diligently, obey what it says, and  seek to live it out so others may be introduced to the incredible joy of Jesus everywhere I am.

Often I  respond to written prayer requests from people who  give their email address the encouragement of Proverbs 3:5-6: Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not to your own understanding.  In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths. 

I have been pondering lately the three conditions that are required in order to receive His direction, realizing more clearly that each has its own challenge.  I'm working toward experiencing wholehearted trust....asking Him to help me truly understand what goes into being 'wholehearted'.  I find it  easier to acknowledge Him because of the growing knowledge of His incredible Names and try to remember to do that in every area of my life.  But the one that is the hardest is the mental thing!  Quite frankly, it's tough to divorce myself from thinking my own thoughts when it comes to leaving the issues of life in His hands.  How is He going to answer my prayers, when He will do it, and what will the outcome  be?  All too often I find myself involved in mental gymnastics as I seek to figure out how God will "fix" that which concerns me.

Why is it that we try to figure God out?  The Word says His ways are past finding out (Romans 11:33)!  It is obviously a foolish waste of energy to attempt to put such a great God in the small box of my expectations!  He won't fit!  When God is not acting in the manner I expect, I can become frustrated and anxious- once again, proof of my leaning to my own understanding!  Tells a lot about my maturity, doesn't it?  Again, I wonder why He takes so long in some cases when the answer is perfectly obvious to me.  Says a lot about an obnoxious attitude that robs me of the quietness and confidence that could be mine if I would simply trust Him to be the God He is. Only He knows how often an answer has been delayed because I consistently seek to figure things from my perspective instead of simply trusting Him with the issue! 

In His lovingkindness, He brought to my attention Proverbs 20:24, NLT, a  timely word to enable me to jumpstart the growth toward wholehearted trust:  The Lord directs our steps, so why try to understand everything along the way?  Isaiah 30:19-21 swiftly came to mind as I was reminded that the issue of circumstances, regardless of how difficult or how stubborn, really doesn't matter.  What does matter is obedience to the Lord's instructions: "This is the way, walk in it!"  He rarely gives insight up front.  That comes much later and is called hindsight!  Did I understand His message?  You bet!  His instruction was short, sweet, and to the point, and I am trusting Him to help me work out the application from this point on!

Thanks, loving Father, for yet one more reminder that You are God who has so graciously taken the responsibility for me and all things in my life; and You never make a mistake, Your timing is perfect, and You love me unconditionally in spite of myself!  Today, I ask that the sum total of my expectation be found in You alone as Psalm 62:5 KJV instructs.  O, help me learn to truly rest in You, leave life up to You, and profit from what I learn of You through each and every circumstance!  Papa-God. You are so precious to me!

I love You,

Your fledgling daughter

This morning, while driving to the church, I was listening to a CD of instrumental hymns.  Thanking the Lord for the old hymn tunes I was hearing, I enjoyed humming their melodies accompanied by full orchestra! Then, the hymn, I Gave My Life For Thee, began.  At first, the words came in fragments, but very soon word pictures tumbled through my mind:  I gave My life for thee, My precious blood I shed......My Father's house of light, My glory-circled throne, I left....; I suffered much for thee, more than the tongue can tell, to rescue you.....And I have brought to thee...salvation full and free, My pardon, and My love.  Each refrain pierced my soul as I recalled the words:  I gave My life for thee, What hast thou given for Me?....  I left it all for thee, Hast thou left aught for Me?.....  I've borne it all for thee, What hast thou borne for Me?....  I bring rich gifts to thee, What has thou brought to Me?.....

In the remaining minutes before arriving at my destination, I thought about the major question before me......what am I giving in return for what He has so freely given me?  Thoughts of various kinds of service ran through my mind; but right in the middle of my thoughts, His word came:  I do not need or want your service;  I want you - in full surrender to Me. It always amazes me how the Lord cuts right to the core when He is dealing with matters essential to intimacy with Him.  There it was...in black and white!  One more time the call had come.

Knowing that there is no guarantee of a tomorrow (not even of the next moment!),  with all my heart, as much as is in me, I surrendered all I knew of me to Him this morning at Exit 15, trusting that whatever He wishes to do in and through this worn vessel, it will bring great satisfaction to Him and glory beyond comprehension.