God's Angels

Matthew 25:34-40
     "34 “Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the Kingdom prepared for you from the creation of the world. 35 For I was hungry, and you fed me. I was thirsty, and you gave me a drink. I was a stranger, and you invited me into your home. 36 I was naked, and you gave me clothing. I was sick, and you cared for me. I was in prison, and you visited me.’

37 “Then these righteous ones will reply, ‘Lord, when did we ever see you hungry and feed you? Or thirsty and give you something to drink? 38 Or a stranger and show you hospitality? Or naked and give you clothing? 39 When did we ever see you sick or in prison and visit you?’

40 “And the King will say, ‘I tell you the truth, when you did it to one of the least of these my brothers and sisters,t you were doing it to me!’"

Let me tell you about my drive home from work today. First of all, I've had "a week" already (which is a whole other story!) and needless to say, I haven't been as vigilant about my car as I normally am. All that to say that at 5 this afternoon, I ran out of gas...on an off ramp. I WOULD have made it off the ramp if the light hadn't been red and I didn't have to stop altogether, however that was not to be the case this afternoon. I'm was on an uphill off ramp about 3 car lengths back from the light, with my hazards blinking. Traffic was so heavy I couldn't even get out of my car to get it out of the way of traffic. I tried calling my husband, but the work number I have for him has been changed and he didn't have his cell phone on him. By this point, I'm praying and praying and praying that SOMEONE would help me, I tried begging a police officer to look my way and see that I needed help; he did not. But two VERY kind strangers did. 

I was in tears because I couldn't even get out of my car to TRY to get it off the ramp, but this stranger; a man I had never met before stopped to help me, and another stranger stopped to help him. Both of these men were God's Angels sent to protect me today, they got me gas enough to get to a filling station and kept telling me that it was ok, it had happened to all of us. I think I really scared the poor man who got there first because I was in tears so much, he kept asking if it was JUST the gas that was wrong. 

The whole time I was with them, I told them they were my blessing from God, and that God had provided; while at the same time thanking them profusely! How is it that God can arrange for things like this to happen? I was instantly slowed down and brought back to the basic truth of life, I NEED GOD! I felt loved and protected by the One who created me, and all this because two strangers were kind enough to help the helpless, thank You Jesus, for sending me your two angels to watch over me this afternoon; and thank you to the two strangers who heeded God's call on their lives!

For such a time as this

Esther 4:14
    "14 If you keep quiet at a time like this, deliverance and relief for the Jews will arise from some other place, but you and your relatives will die. Who knows if perhaps you were made queen for just such a time as this?”


I have searched my online Bible source thoroughly and I can't seem to find the wording of this verse that I grew up with. This verse has been a "life verse" for me, since my freshman year in college. When I was a young buck, 18 and "wise beyond my years"; at least to my own way of thinking, I followed the call in my life to come to college. This wouldn't be anything overly spectacular, except that the school I was called to go to was 15 hours and 900 miles from the only town I'd ever lived in. So I packed my things and my parents and I jumped into the back of my parents van (or maybe my grandparents van...can't remember!) and drove from Elkhart, IN all the way to Oklahoma City, OK. My parents and I had never seen the state, city OR school campus before we arrived here to drop me off. Imagine our surprise when they had to leave me at a tiny little campus in the middle of what seemed like no where. Well, I had a bit of a hard time adjusting to this life, plus being so far away from the family I adored.


Along about October, I had a feeling that I hadn't made the right choice, that I really HADN'T heard God leading me out here to school, that I had somehow made it all up in my head. I was getting depressed and feeling like most of the people here were a whole new breed of people. I had never been in the south, or west...let alone the southwest! I'm  a city girl, born and raised...and even though I was under the impression that I was from a "small town" the folks around here showed me different. In short, I didn't think I belonged, I thought I was a fish out of water.


Then one day in Chapel I found this verse. The wording for the second part of the verse in the Bible I had at the time said "For who can say that you weren't placed in the Palace for just such a time as this?". Upon first glance, I saw place, instead of Palace. The words took my breath away, I was feeling God healing me instantly when I read them. It was as if He was telling me, then and there, I was here for a reason, and I needed to stay. I think that was a turning point in my social life at school; when I actually started making some of the BEST friends I've ever had; or ever WILL have in my life!


Fast forward to current times, and I'm in need of this verse again! My life isn't exactly how I'd dreamed it would be all those years ago. True, I have a WONDERFUL husband, and I'm even working in a "high rise, down town" (if you can count 10 floors as a high rise!), but I have all of my medical issues, and no baby. When I start to get depressed about these things God brings this verse back into my life again, He's telling me that I need to trust Him, to know that I am here; in this city, with this job and my husband for a reason. This is especially good to remember, when I think about how my husbands job isn't his favorite thing ever. I have to remember that God will place us where we need to be, jobs, babies and health; when we need to be there. Again, it's a clue and a key to this plan of patience I've been going through this past 8 months. 

Challenge in Patience update 2

Acts 4:29
    "29 Now, Lord, consider their threats and enable your servants to speak your word with great boldness."

Because my last post was so short, you get a bonus post today! My phone reminded me that it was time to update on my challenge in patience.

This month my update is a little different. The two "patience peeps" I talked about last month haven't had any new revaluations to update on. However, I have been spending more time in prayer for the last two of my peeps (I find giving them a term like this makes it more personal, as if they aren't just names I've picked; but dear friends in my life.) and I have noticed a difference in one of them. I can't go into much detail on it; but their behavior leads me to believe that God is working in their lives and they are fighting it with all that they are worth. That is exciting to me, because if they are fighting that means my God is too! He can win any battle and I know that the things this individual is going through are growing pains, some that they do not want to admit they need to grow on.

This past weekend at my church, Life Church, we talked about being Bold for Christ. One of the people I have on my list of peeps will be mostly walking out of my life at the end of next week. I pray daily that I can make a difference in that persons life before I no longer have direct contact with them. The verse out of Acts was something that held my attention, maybe a little longer then my pastor intended, because it has these words in it: enable your servants to speak your word with great boldness. I've been praying for that boldness when it comes to my peeps, but especially this particular one whom I feel my "time" is almost up on. I have heard many people talk about how one person plants a seed, and other people water that seed, but I am in prayer that the seed may indeed be planted with this person.

This person may have one of the longest roads to Christ of everyone on my list; each individual has their own issues with religion, but this person has chosen to take the opposite road, going down a path that leads as far away from Christ as possible. My "seed planting" clock is ticking and I'm not sure how to move from this point to the next with them. I have been praying that God would enable me to speak boldly into this persons life, I would greatly appreciate if my readers would join me in that prayer.

Thank you so much for reading my blogs; especially the blogs pertaining to my challenge in patience, it helps me to remember to pray for them; and encourages me to think that others may be joining me in those prayers...even if they don't know who they are praying for! Again, GO GOD GO!

Be Brave, be Corageous!

Psalm 27:14

    "14 Wait patiently for the Lord.
Be brave and courageous.
Yes, wait patiently for the Lord."

This year has been all about learning to wait patiently on the Lord for me. I've been looking for verses in my daily readings to encourage me, or teach me how to do this wait patiently thing. Sometimes I'll pick a verse to write on, or think on even, that is a "next step in the process" kind of verse. A verse that will show me how to wait, be patient or just draw closer to the Lord in general. When I read this verse I saw something in it that I had been missing before. That middle sentence drew me in, Be brave and courageous. Why did the Palmist put that there? It seems to be a "patience" sandwich! braveness and courageous sandwich right in there with patience. I take it, from this verse, that patience is not an easy thing. It looks as if the Psalmist is informing, dare I say warning, us that patience takes these qualities of braveness and courage, qualities normally associated with heroes, or warriors. In a way this verse is a little scary, but more so, this verse encourages me to understand that it's not easy to gain patience. It also encourages me that is shouldn't happen over night, so my 8 month journey isn't abnormal; or at least I want to read that last part into it!

What a Privilege!

Psalm 27:8
    "8 My heart has heard you say, “Come and talk with me.”
And my heart responds, “Lord, I am coming.”"

I found this verse in the course of my daily readings, and it called to me! It invokes a picture in my mind, a picture of a young child feeling lost; a parent calling them back home and the child's joy at being found. A picture of a lover in a garden, who senses her true love is on his way and runs to meet him. Or maybe just the joy of my heart hearing my God and knowing that all I have ever wanted it to be with Him! Sometime in the late 90's there was a song on Christian radio that expressed this feeling for me, it was called What a Privilege, by Cheri Keaggy. My sister and I sang it at church a time or too, and it comes back to me on days when I feel like I am in desperate need of just sitting in the presence of my God.

I've expressed my love of talking on more then one occasion in my blogging, and how I have tried to learn to be still in His presence. While I still believe that is my goal, it's so nice to see in His word that he enjoys listening to me. This verse invokes a relationship picture too, not just one way communication thing. I think I've also blogged about my love of Disney as well (if not, you can see it here in my sometimes blog Disney Fan) and one of my many favorite Disney movies is Aladdin. There is a scene in that movie where the Genie is explaining what he'd wish for if he could have a wish. I think we sometimes view God in the same way that Genie's masters have viewed him. He say's he'd like Not to have to go "Poof! Whaddaya need," "Poof! Whaddaya need," "Poof! Whaddaya need?".  How often do we view God in that manner? The magic Genie of the great beyond? I know I've viewed prayer in that way a time or too, God give me this, God do this for me, God I want, I want, I want. But that is NOT how God longs for our relationship to be with Him, He wants to sit in that garden with us and talk, an implacation of TWO way conversation!

Thinking of my relationship with Him in that light gives me a whole new persective on my relationship with Him. I wouldn't want a relationship with any human where it was all about them, what makes me think that God would be ok with a relationship with me that was all one sided? It makes it feel easy, to converse and be at ease. The second part of that verse says And my heart responds, “Lord, I am coming.” When I read those words, I feel the longing of the Psalmist to be with our Lord and sit for awhile. I sense these feelings strongly, and maybe that is because I feel them too. I feel my heart responding the same way "Lord, I am coming!!" as I run to join Him. I had intended to write about two other verses today as well as this one, but God had other plans for me. Enjoy your time with God today...sit and talk with Him for awhile!