Sometimes, Lord, You are not content to just whisper to me. Sometimes, Your messages overwhelm my senses with 3-D Technicolor and Sensurround!!!
Like today. I was sitting on our front porch with a precious sister-in-Christ. She had come to talk with me about significant burdens — not just her own personally, but the burdens she feels for Your Church.
We spoke about so much, Lord… The urgency of the hour. The increase in Your enemy’s activities in our day. The deterioration of our culture. The compromises in Your Church. The responsibility of pastors You have called to shepherd Your flock. The “bulls eye” they each wear — how the enemy has targeted them for attack.
“Strike the shepherd, and the sheep will be scattered…” (Zechariah 13:7b)
We spoke about the power of Your Word, Lord. The vital necessity of reading and knowing Your Word. Our grief that the vast majority of self-proclaimed Christians don’t even read (much less study) Your Word. The naivete (laziness?) of so many who rely on someone else to do the “heavy lifting.” Our own struggles and victories with all of this. The assumptions all of us can make — the assumptions Your enemy tempts us to make — that others will know The Truth and will spoon feed it to us.
Which “others”? Pastors, ministry leaders, even famous Christian authors. Some have sold so many books they have become household names. Isn’t their fame an indicator of the value of their messages? The trustworthiness of their words?
Or is it?
“Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths.” (Proverbs 3:5-6)
Your Bottom Line was so clear to us, Lord. It is more important than ever that we, Your people, become like the Bereans You honored so long ago:
“Now the Berean Jews were of more noble character than those in Thessalonica, for they received the message with great eagerness and examined the Scriptures every day to see if what Paul said was true. As a result, many of them believed…” (Acts 17:11-12a)
So that is how we prayed today — interceding urgently, almost to the point of tears, on behalf of Your people (ourselves included). That we will all truly feed on Your Word, taking it in so we can be truly nourished! Knowing Your Word is alive and it will give us Life! Knowing Your Word will transform our minds and help us take our thoughts captive, so we can make them obedient to You! Letting Your Word penetrate us so it can change us from the inside out!
As we were praying out loud, I heard the unmistakable sound of a delivery truck approaching, then stopping in front of our house. With our eyes still closed, still in prayer, I heard footsteps approaching and a hearty “Good morning!” As my sister continued to pray, I opened my eyes to see the UPS man, who handed me a small box. I asked, “Do I need to sign?” He said, “No.” Just as quickly, he was gone.
In that moment, You filled my heart with the certainty that this delivery — and its timing — was significant. What happens in the natural always reflects what happens in the spiritual. So I concluded our prayers by asking You to give us “eyes to see” the significance of this special delivery from You. And we both opened our eyes.
I picked up the box and smiled with profound wonder. We just been praying about the vital importance of reading, knowing and believing Your Word. And I had asked You to give us “eyes to see” the significance of this special delivery. What was in the box? A pair of prescription glasses. Eyes to see. But not just any glasses… sunglasses.
“Your Word is a lamp to my feet, a light to my path.” (Psalm 119:105)
A lamp and light we so desperately need… as the darkness grows.
Glasses. Sunglasses. SON glasses. Your Word. From the One Who is The Word.
Delivered today by UPS — the Ultimate Power Source.
Giving us eyes to see…
“Lord, I have heard of Your fame; I stand in awe of Your deeds, Lord. Repeat them in our day, in our time make them known; in wrath remember mercy.” (Habakkuk 3:2)
Abba’s Girl