a reason that God changed up the message I was going to deliver yesterday morning. Originally, and the one I had chosen earlier to work on was one I called 'God is up to something'. But as I worked on it, it just didn't 'feel right'. I don't know what it was then, and I still don't. But I felt I wasn't to do that message. So I looked around at previous messages and came up with the one titled 'Just one step away'. It is based on Joshus 3, starting at verse 13.
It's about God telling the priests (after the Israelites had left Egypt, after the 40 years of wandering in the desert, and they were finally heading into the Promised Land and needed to cross the Jordan river, which was flooded at that time..... God tells the Priests carrying the Ark of the Covenant to step into the Jordan River and He would part it. It was a step of faith, for sure. Would they believe that God would part the flooded Jordan River as they walked into it - or would they be swept away, including the Ark that they were carrying? They took that one step of faith, one step of obedience to God's voice, and they walked into the flooded Jordan River, and it parted. Just as God said it would. Just like the Red Sea did when the Israelites fled from Egypt. But it took one step of faith this time. Moses wasn't there to hold up his staff. Would they listen to Joshua? They did, the priests stepped into the water, the water parted, and all the Israelites walked on dry riverbed to the Promised Land.
So we talked about having faith. What does faith cost us? One can say that they have faith in something, in God, but until they ACT on it, it is just saying they believe it. Sometimes it takes a risk from us to live our faith. Sometimes it means that we need to pray about it - and then let it go and let God take care of it. Anyway - that is what I changed the message to and to my surprise, I had one resident come to me afterwards and tell me how he had to let go of his daughter and her career choice years ago... and now she is a multi-millionaire. Ok then! One of the chaplains in training and his wife was there. He came up to me and said he had never thought of faith the way it had been presented and how much it meant to him. Others made positive comments as well, and even Pastor Don said it was good. His wife shared that she realizes she needs to take the risk and share Jesus with her neighbor. Sometimes sharing our faith isn't just for that one person, it has the effect of reaching the rest of the family, and others. I am grateful that I listened to God and found a new message to pull together for the facility. It reached those it needed to reach. All in all, the message went well and I'm not scheduled again until September 2nd.
It felt good staying home from church yesterday and working on the message. I ended up making changes in it even yesterday morning and reprinting it. We went to Whataburger for a quick lunch (hubby was a bit flustered I didn't cook breakfast; after all, I was home, right?) and then headed over to the facility. Once we got back home I read some, took a short nap, got up and made two batches of cookies (I need to get rid of these!) and finished a book before heading to bed.
And.... I ended up chatting with all three of my children. My oldest son had gotten home and he text'd me after he read this blog and had a question. That's how I found out he had gotten home ok. Then I realized I hadn't shared with the other two about our friend passing away. So I talked to both of them. Just wanted them to know. The good part is my oldest son and I text'd and we may be going to breakfast - just he and I - on my birthday. I am taking the day off and hubby has his bible study. I am not going to tell him I'm taking the day off for awhile yet. I want him to go to the bible study. I can easily convince him he can take me out to an early dinner. Him and his food.
I kid you not, he and food, he and his phone, he and the TV - all have a love relationship. He gets mad at me when I say that. I can go in to the kitchen to cook a meal, and he will get up, come into the kitchen - while I'm still pulling things together and cooking! - and sit in his seat with his phone, ready to eat as soon as it is done. Not every meal, but frequently he will do this. I just shake my head. Food may not be ready for 30 minutes yet - and he will sit there and go through his phone. Thank God he wears hearing aids and I don't have to hear all that he listens to! Sometimes I can when it is really quiet, for he has it up loud. But if I talk to him, I end up repeating it for he is so engrossed in what he is listening to. But bring that to his attention? Absolutely not! LOL I tell him he has a media addiction. He denies it.
James 2:14 (NLT): What good is it, dear brothers and sisters, if you say you have faith but do not show it by your actions? Can that kind of faith save anyone?
We can take that verse in many ways, I think. We can say we have faith that a friend or relative will become a believer of Jesus Christ, but if we don't tell them about Jesus, saying we believe it will happen is fruitless, do you think? Having faith means put it to work as well as believing. It not only shows others your faith, but it increases your own faith in Jesus. Say you feel a nudge to pray for someone. You may - or may not - even be with them. What if you prayed and what you prayed for happened? Take the time to give them a call, or write a note, and let them know you prayed specifically for them at this time. You may be surprised at what they tell you.
As I write that, I am reminded of many, many years ago when my daughter's daughter was born. I knew she was being admitted to the OB ward at midnight. So hubby and I went to bed as usual. About 2-3AM I was awakened with the 'nudge' to pray for my daughter and baby to be born. I prayed that all would go well, that the birth would progress as it should. As our landline was in another room, we didn't hear it ring during the night. I didn't know all that had happened until we had gotten to the hospital the next morning. Our granddaughter was delivered soon after, and I was holding her in my arms. I shared with my daughter what had happened, and with tears in her eyes, she shared the fear they had gone through. Her husband had called us, but we hadn't gotten the call. But God knew and he awakened me. When we woke up, we got the message and headed to the hospital. About the time I had awakened and felt the nudge to pray, our little one's heartrate had dropped and the nurses were pushing on my daughter's stomach to get it up. They were considering an immediate c-section. I truly believe it is because God awakened me to pray, the heartrate stabilized and my daughter was able to deliver normally. I prayed for life, not death, and I prayed for safe delivery. But what if I hadn't prayed, but turned over to go back to sleep?
Always pray when God wakes you up. You never know the why you were awakened, but if you wake up and their name comes to mind - pray. Pray even what you don't know. God is wakening you for a reason! You say you believe in Jesus and in His ability to heal, to help, to comfort? Then pray. You may never know what your prayers do; they may change the entire picture. Don't have regrets - pray until God releases you. Then celebrate His goodness of including you in His miracle.
Blessings!
