Asking and Hoping…

Mysteries of the Universe.

The age-old question of what happens when a tree falls in the forest and no one is there to hear it.  Does it make a sound?

How about the solitary deer track in our vegetable garden?  Inside the fence.  A clear impression in the mud.  Only one.  Not a single vegetable plant disturbed.  Do I hear Twilight Zone music?

Then there’s the power of prayer.

“The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective.”  (James 5:16)

It isn’t magic.  It isn’t a “name it and claim it” victory, born of a given person’s fervency.  It is the heart cry of a child to her Abba Father.  A deeply desired result, lifted up in trust to the One who knows His best in every situation.

“Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.  And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”  (Philippians 4:6-7)

I am praying today for a dear brother-in-Christ.  You know the plans You have for him, Lord… and the days marked out for him.  I know he is very dear to You, even more than he is to his precious wife who loves him like no other here on Earth and who desperately seeks You today.  I join her — and many others — in asking You for healing grace, mercy and favor on this day of uncertainty.  This day fraught with danger.  This day when life hangs by a thread.

“Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their labor:  If either of them falls down, one can help the other up.  But pity anyone who falls and has no one to help them up.  Also, if two lie down together, they will keep warm.  But how can one keep warm alone?  Though one may be overpowered, two can defend themselves.  A cord of three strands is not quickly broken.”  (Ecclesiastes 4:9-12)

We want Your best for him, Lord.  You know our hopes.  The desires of our hearts.  The limits of our vision.  How can we possibly grasp and express what is needed most?

“… the Spirit helps us in our weakness.  We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit Himself intercedes for us through wordless groans.  And He who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for God’s people in accordance with the will of God.”  (Romans 8:26-27)

We ask today, Lord.  We seek.  We knock.  We want.  We wail.  We kneel.  We surrender.  We say, “Have Your way, Lord.”  You are The Way.

“God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble.  Therefore we will not fear…”  (Psalm 46:1-2a)

Mysteries of the Universe.

The star-breathing Lord of all Creation cares about each of us in Your Family as if we were Your only child.

A wonderful mystery indeed.

Asking and hoping…

Abba’s Girl