7/09/2010

While There Was Silence

I’m sorry for the long silence. It’s been a busy time here at the cabin. An update on the latest events …

Meja has moved back home. She and her kitten “Moina” have settled in nicely. They brought youth & excitement back into the ‘old folks home’ and are adding a refreshing breeze of life. Welcome home Sweetheart! Bandit & Moina keep me entertained during the day while everyone is away at work. I’ll add pictures of the two ruffians in the sidebar from time to time.

On July 4th, I became a grandma! Due to complications in my future daughter-in-law’s health, my little granddaughter had to be taken by C-section two months early. It was & is a very exciting, yet turbulent time. But thanks to the many prayer warriors and the amazing grace of God, the delivery went smoothly and Savannah Elizabeth was born. I was told that she came out kicking and screaming. Sounds like she is going to be a real fighter. She will be in the neonatal unit for several weeks yet. The last update is that she’s had a set back, but she is progressing quickly. My future daughter-in-law has experienced some complications, but she is on the road to recovery and is expected to leave the hospital within the next few days. My son, well he is holding up like a trooper as he juggles work, trips to the hospital, and spending time at home with his soon-to-be son.

My youngest son, with the help of his wife, has become a youth minister at their local IHOP (International House of Prayer). It’s a big challenge, but I am excited for him/them. Today’s youth are in strong need of men & women of God who are called to step up to the plate. Folks, today’s youth are in trouble. Most have never entered the doors of a church. They have never had the sound Biblical teaching that was so common when I was a child.

A couple of weeks ago, I received the movie “Saint John in Exile” from Netflix. A lot of the “Christian” movies today aren’t Biblically accurate and have to be viewed with a prayer for discernment. This particular film is a one-man play with Dean Jones portraying John the Revelator during his time on Patmos. It was filmed back in the 1990s, and if you haven’t seen it … I strongly recommend it! I have never seen anything quite like it. I guess the best way I can describe it is that it made Jesus even more real to me. I truly saw a picture of Jesus in that performance.

While I was previewing this film, a certain friend of Meja’s came to mind. I had introduced him to Jesus a few weeks before and felt certain that the film would give him a better picture of the Jesus of the Bible … not just the Jesus in the history books. I had been praying for this young man for months, and have been concerned that once he left for college this fall, he would drift out of our lives before the introduction to Jesus could be complete. As the film ended, I found myself weeping and asking God for just one more opportunity to share Jesus with this young man. I was very specific in my prayer … I asked the Lord to bring him to the house and have him watch the movie with me. Call me crazy if you want, but when I finished praying, I felt sure that my prayer would be answered. I told God that because of that feeling of assurance, I was going to hang onto the movie until the young man showed up. You know, satan’s minions began attacking me immediately with thoughts like … ‘What makes you think that this young man is just going to show up at your door?’ … ‘If this fellow does show up, why would he possibly want to waste his time watching a video with an old woman?’ … ‘All this continuous talk of Jesus is going to turn him off to Christianity.’ … the list goes on. As the thoughts came, I’d push them aside. I just kept praying. I knew that this was not a spontaneous young man; but I also know that he gives careful thought to all that he sees & hears. I knew that if he could just see what Christ & Christianity was truly about, he would consider it careful and come to the right conclusion. I kept on praying and impatiently waiting on him to show up.

Just a few days later, I get a call late one morning from this fella. He wanted to know if he could stop by to drop off some things that Meja & I had loaned him. (normally, he would have just given them to Meja at work.) The timing of this call was terrible! There was a full day of chores left to do … I was hot & sweaty … and I needed a shower desperately! So, I told him to come right over. I wasn’t going to give satan even an extra minute to cause this young man to change his mind. The attacks began coming like a flood. I started praying intently! God was going to get him here, I was going to keep my word, stinky or not! Within minutes he was here. Just so happens he didn’t have to go to work for a few hours yet. And when I asked him to watch the video with me, he didn’t look at me like I was crazy. Instead, and without hesitation, he said “sure”.

Satan wasn’t through trying to stop the message from getting to him. As the movie began, the kitten he had given Meja pounced on him and tried to distract him with her antics. I started praying with all my might that God would settle the kitten down and not let him get distracted. You know, that kitten stopped playing and laid at our feet. She didn’t move again until the video was over. The phone started ringing. I deflected the callers and kept praying. Because the Lord answered each and every one of my prayers specifically, I knew that this message was meant for this young man. Deep in me, I know that this fella has a purpose in God’s plan. He watched intently and I knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that the intended message went deep. As he was leaving, I told him that God has a purpose for his life and to seek the Lord. With a look of consideration, he nodded his head. After he left, I felt a deep sense of peace. The job that God had given me to do was done. Now, I continue to pray for him. I may or may not know the final outcome until I reach heaven’s gates. But that’s not what counts. What matters is that God answered all my prayers, (down to the smallest detail), and put me in the battle one more time.

Folks, God answers prayer! Not just my prayers – There is not a prayer uttered or thought that God does not answer. The answers are usually “Yes”, “No”, or “Wait”. If He didn’t give you the shiny red convertible that you were praying for … you may want to reconsider your prayer life. Ask God to put someone on your heart. Then start praying. We are all called, first & foremost, to be prayer warriors!

You know, when I first started writing this … I had something else in mind for today. Over the past few weeks, I have started dozens of topics. I couldn’t write. I was feeling a lot like Zacharias. It seems that God uses these ‘silent’ times to teach me. Then He opens the floodgates. As I continue to learn the most recent lesson, I’ll be passing it along. God is so very good!

Have a great day & may the Lord bless you!

2 comments:

Tom Scepaniak said...

Ah, that's why I love stopping in here, it uplifts a person! The testimonies of the saints is so important!

I had one of those "silent times" again too. But now the flood comes!

God Bless You !

Lee Ann said...

Hey Tom! As Jerry Clower used to say ... "AIN'T GOD GOOD!" I've found that the best way to increase my faith is to pray and see prayers answered. I will always be astounded & humbled at the fact that the very One who created the universe not only listens to my little prayers but He ANSWERS them too!

I've been reading your updates ... God is ready to do a big work in your part of the world. We've been feeling to need to pray for you folks. I'm anxiously waiting to hear!

Keep spreading the Word & may the Lord bless you!