"THE RIPPLE EFFECT" ~ Session 5: days 29-35

Perhaps you thought my absence here daily meant I had given in to giving up, which is far from the truth as I indicated last SONday while I contemplated all that rambles around in my head (as I pray) and when I'm awakened from trying to sleep at night, throughout the night (and I pray) but also last week's theme to "think long" ending with "quit praying" but only because the reasoning was "to do something about it" not only "pray about it" (which I also made efforts subtly, that perhaps God quietly is at work in me, too). So, by now, after so many bungled and failed attempts to pray and see prodigals surrender to Jesus Christ for centuries of praying for them with no redeeming change noticed ... I really do wonder about the seed(s) planted and like this week's, a stone thrown that causes a ripple effect. Skipping stones on the lake, not when it's frozen or even thawing out ... I love to watch the ripple effects and I'll just have to trust God that this "circle" I've drawn will also have a ripple effect around these precious souls that the Holy Spirit is at work in them as He is in me (sigh) and I truly would love any sign of some "ripple" or any effect rather than further distance as it seems. So I lean in and listen harder as I think longer. What came to me, once again, as it has other times when I pursue praying for salvation of loved ones, is to "pray" and consider it done in Jesus' name, as we draw near to Holy Week and remember that one of His final declarations from the Cross, was "It is finished" ... profound ... so rather than grow weary in my prayers, I must be more bold and confident, that it will be completed, God's will over human will, so I need to trust, let go and let God with no questioning myself of what am I doing wrong, or how can I be more fervent, or what is needed for this or that person to surrender and accept, then I reflect on the ripple effect in my own spiritual growth - thankfully, I have never denied Jesus as Christ, the Son of God, the Father, the Living One, who died for me and my sin, knowing my need for a personal Savior, so that I may live eternally with Him ... so I pause and consider "what might it take to break or bring someone to the Cross rather than further from it?", "why would anyone deny? or refuse?" and I remember the events and the individuals with Jesus Christ, in His last week on this earth, their reaction or response, given to us as examples, knowing that God knows exactly what it takes. I'm so thankful for Jesus and the privilege I have for an intimate relationship with Him! Hoping to see some 'stones' make some ripples from hardened hearts and minds set in a different direction - very soon. Believing God will ... as I keep steady, pray and persevere to ...

"Over the past few weeks, we've been dreaming big, praying hard, and thinking long. We've been circling people and problems and promises. But the goal wasn't circling for forty days - it was also to be praying on day forty-one. There is no expiration date on prayer! Every prayer you pray has a chain reaction, and those chain reactions. *Every prayer you pray ripples all the way into eternity.*"Mark Batterson, Draw the Circle

I don't have a problem with what Mark Batterson writes, but I do have a problem with my 'stinking thinking'. Because when you pray and continue praying for the same person, for the same result of hopeful salvation for forever long ... to me, it's like when you personally tell God, or leave something you're dealing with 'on that altar' (or 'at the altar') claiming you're done with this ... "no more" ... and you think you've left it there totally, only to find out, that it resurfaces again, like you didn't let your fist open long enough or completely, and somehow you held on to some thread and dragged it right back into your life and your life struggles (you know, you've done this ... we all wrestle with this) that it's like somehow, we pray or say to God "take it" but we "take it back" and when or as we do, we are actually saying to God, that we don't believe He's got it ... or He cares ... or  that He'll do it or He's done it or will, as if we don't believe it's finished and He's going to come through ...so we gotta keep 'asking', keep 'praying', keep putting it before Him or worse yet, we think we got a better plan than the one He ordained from the very beginning. For me, my problem isn't with God (though some may argue, that's what I'm saying) - my problem is with the human that is so strong-willed or hardened that it doesn't seem or look like God is getting through, nor that this person is willing to open up, surrender their pride or whatever is keeping them from Jesus, and that perhaps if I step away (as I did for some 20 years) just maybe God will make a way finally ... well, it didn't happen, I continued to pray that God would send others until I thought I heard God telling me to come back, but still, the situation seems worse ... the ripple, at times, feels like an endless circle of doom rather than one of God's best 'circle'. So I go on praying, believing that as I claim God's Promises that not one will return void and that God is God, God's Word is true and God is so good to me and every prodigal ...His Will will be done! I will cling to BELIEVE what Mark wrote in that last line above.* I have to ... for

JUST ONE SMALL CHANGE

ONE ENORMOUS IMPACT

AN ETERNITY

Joshua 4:1-7
read, pray, meditate
Session 5 Days 29-35
Day, Title; Scripture; KEY TAKEAWAY; Scripture focus (I'll try to be back to add what I'm missing, having troubles with Blogger) in case they mess it up (lol) still

Day 29 "A New Prayer" Ps. 96:1; Mat.6:7 "If you want God to do something new, you cannot keep doing the same old thing." Ps. 96:1

Day 30 "Abide in Me" John 15:5-8 "Reading without meditating is like eating without digesting." John 15:7

Day 31 "Spell it Out" Mark 10:46-52 "Most of us don't get what we want because we don't know what we want." Matthew 20:32

Day 32 "Get a Testimony" John 4:28-30, 39-42 "Most of us are educated way beyond the level of our obedience." Revelation 12:11

Day 33 "Prayer Covering" Matthew 18:19-20 "If you intercede for others, make sure others are interceding for you." Exodus 17:12

Day 34 "Raise up a Remnant" 2 Kings 19:30-31 "When the prayer meeting becomes the most important meeting, revival is around the corner." {let it begin with me} 2 Kings 19:30 KJV

Day 35 "The Longest Lever" Luke 21:1-4 "If we do the ordinary, God will add an extra to it"Zechariah 4:10 NLT

Hopefully when I complete this week I will begin to see a
(had a problem with the image I had with the drop like a heart)


Father of Compassion




Another link I have been meaning to share since I began this 40 day prayer journey is a daily podcast from Mary DeMuth "PRAY EVERY DAY" (she actually has two, the other is a weekly one). Currently, she has been doing the book of Philippians. She is praying through as she reads through the Philippians. Also I want to mention that First 5 started reading the minor prophets daily (March 12-May 5) starting with Hosea (with their series "Prone to Wander") and Lifeway's doing Hosea by Jennifer Rothschild. Lots of great stuff available for us




{all my posts are done on SONday, but posted on their scheduled day}