"The Spirit of the Sovereign LORD is on me, because the LORD has anointedme to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me tobind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim freedomfor the captives and release from darkness for the prisoners, to proclaimthe year of the LORD's favorand the day of vengeance of our God, to comfort all who mourn, and provide for those who grieve in Zion — to bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes, the oil of gladness instead of mourning, and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair."~fromISAIAH 61 Bible verse for this Blog
APOLOGY to READERS who followed a SEARCH to HERE & didn't find it
On July 18, 2017, I drafted almost 3000 blog posts that I had published since 2008 when I began blogging, rather than edit each one. So if you clicked here from somewhere else and ended up with the post unavailable or error, I am sorry but this is why. It'd be too much work for me to go back and fix them. There's an explanation on7/19/17as I'm still learning.
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
(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)
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}
... so that is where we are on Monday, starting Session Four, in "Draw the Circle" (at least that's where I am, and think we are, if I'm on track with the Online Study emails) ... "Think(ing) Long" which is exactly what I'm doing as I'm praying, I'm also prone to more long thoughts ... (or is that different?) because actually I'm probably thinking too long (and not enough praying, if that makes sense). As Mark Batterson writes in the intro to this:
"We can't dream big without thinking long. We often want God to do things at the speed of light, but in God's Kingdom, things happen at the speed of a seed planted in the ground that has to take root before it can bear fruit." ...Mark Batterson, Draw the Circle
[Personally, I think I'm way past "dreaming big" anymore, yet it does not stop me from thinking long and hard, especially about those hard hearted souls. (sigh) However, I love the image of speed with the seed being planted ... then of course, nourished and watered to grow but that part about taking root ... well, let's just say I don't see that root happening (read Parable of the Sower, which explains about seeds and this root effect - has been a long time favorite of mine from Jesus' parables) and so as far as bearing fruit ... that will take a big miracle (as I've watched this in my own life and how long this takes to cultivate to bear fruit and I am a willing, thirsting soul that wants Jesus' Living Water) ... so I'm thinking really long ... and some souls don't have that long to get sprouting even nor do they even think that they need to believe in Jesus (double heavy sigh) and round and round it goes. The seed(s) get more hardened and seemingly impenetrable, so then I think even harder and longer and deeper as I truly wonder as I release it to God and His perfect timing (or do I?) That's what all of this is about: trusting God to be God and be good, even with the hardened one(s) that I find impossible just to live with so my prayers turn back to me and my heart, my need to change, my changes that need to take root and what I need to concentrate on, in my own life, because this is all I really am accountable for when I stand before Him - and boy, do I have a lot of growth to do, although I'm thinking my roots go down pretty deep by now, almost like a sequoia, just not as firm and strong ... so back to working on me, His seed in me and what iBelieve.]
I digressed but continue with what Mark Batterson writes:
..."This is about trusting His timing - and with the Lord, "A day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day" (2 Peter 3:8) ...
[my interruption again]
that's exactly right
because these more than 40 years
seem like a century to me
of praying for at least one of the lost souls
who just seems more set and comfortable with his own
beliefs
as
my heart grows weary with deep concern
multiplied by others that don't want
to accept or believe in Jesus
and my heart grieves as
the spirit groans
my flesh
cries out for an urgent fix
as I grieve yet another loss
which I can't grasp
as I wonder
how long?
how Our Heavenly Father
must ache as He watches and waits
for each of us to repent, to come
to seek, to be saved
from our selves
but
an eternity?
God
that's forever
(much more than a thousand or 40 days or years)
"... We need more patience and more persistence ... and that's a by product of time and experience." Mark Batterson, Draw the Circle
I just can't
"Draw a Circle"
larger enough to encompass
all that
my, how the enemy is working hard and overtime
so we must
PRAY
even
harder and longer
(that takes no thinking, just much faith and trust)
as long as it takes
("alat" instead of "asap")
which brings me back to
THINKing LONG
because I've been thinking long about this too
as you probably know from the way I wrote last week, perhaps you already sense what I'm going to say and do (yet we're so close to the finish - just one more session) no, it's not give up, not stop thinking, never stop believing, nor praying ... however, I've decided to not post daily, but put them all here - for the whole week (since I do them all on SONday anyways, it's the same for me), it'll just mean one long blog post for y'all to visit, however, and whenever, you'd like ...
Session 4
Days 22 - 28 Joshua 14:6-12
Day 22 "Pray Fleece" Judges 6:33-40 "When God gives a vision, He always makes provision." Judges 6:37
Day 23 "Not Now" Acts 1:4-5 "Sometimes God's no simply means not yet." Acts 1:4
Day 24 "Find Your Voice" 2 Timothy 3:14-17 "If you want to find your voice, you need to hear the voice of God." Jeremiah 1:4
Day 25 "A Prophetic Voice" 1 Corinthians 14:3-4 "Prayer is the way we recognize potential in others." Numbers 11:29
Day 26 "Game with Minutes" 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 "Change of pace + change of place=change of perspective" 1 Thessalonians 5:17 (NASB)
Day 27 "Double Circle" Matthew 17:18-21 "If you want to break the sin habit, you've got to establish a prayer habit." Matthew 17:21 (NKJ)
Day 28 "Quit Praying" James 2:14-17 "Don't just pray about it, do something about it." Matthew 25:23
No, I'm really not aware of your situation or circumstances,
nor have I clearly stated mine, yet we can still pray for one another
as we are prompted, because I know and definitely believe that
God does know, and has known, long before we ask, think and pray:
so without a doubt, He's got this taken care of, He is God (and we are not)
He is in control, He is far more patient and persistent than we are,
He loves every one of His creation and is waiting ...
and longing to draw each one to Him,
so He really does care, and about what we pray
He's listening, so keep on drawing the circle and pray
