Careful for what you pray

Be careful what you pray for (or wish for), because you just might get it! We have all heard this quote at one time or another and after hearing it so many times one might become scared to pray for what they desire most.  It is a very discouraging comment to make to someone and can possibly keep people from asking for anything.  

The Bible says ask and ye shall receive.  If you ask God for something that is in His will and will bring glory to Him, and you have faith that He will answer, I truly believe you will receive what you ask for.  It is Bible.

However, sometimes when we ask for something, other things come with it, which may leave us ill prepared for what we receive.  Let me give you some examples of what I am talking about...

EXAMPLE 1:  I prayed and prayed for Bill (my husband) to come to church.  I asked God to just pick him up by the shirt collar and put him in the pew on Sunday Mornings.  I truly believed that God would do this and he did, only not how I intended or planned for it to happen.  A life altering event happened to Bill which affected the whole family.  Months of not knowing what the outcome would be, or what kind of long term effects our family would have put a strain on our tight  family unit.  However, keeping the faith and putting all trust in God and surrendering our Will to His the outcome was even better than what I could have ever imagined.

EXAMPLE 2:  I prayed for children to come from all areas and all backgrounds regardless of economic status, race, nationality, etc to our kid program and allow us to  teach about Jesus and to provide a place for them once a week for an hour and a half where they were safe, fed both physically and spiritually and loved unconditionally.  Our average attendance was 10 however, after prayer our next meeting housed 30 kids not including adults.  After altering the program to accommodate such large numbers and our leaders being flexible to the cause, the night was a huge success and we have experienced growth ever since.

We will never be able to erase this phrase "Be careful what you pray for" from our tongues, but I do think we can alter it to be more accurate.  I say we practice this quote,  "Be PREPARED for what you pray for."  Pray with anticipation and faith that what you ask will be given unto you.  Pray that God gives you courage, strength and wisdom to handle the trials that come with it.  In the end everyone is a winner.

So pray and pray hard and always be prepared for the answer you receive.

Golf Camp and Jesus

Tyler is off to Golf Camp at Campbell.  This is such an exciting event for him and I hope that he learns a lot and makes new friends.  This is day 2 1/2 since he as been gone and unlike Myranda, Tyler has yet to give me a call since Sunday.  He has called his dad several times.  I have to call his dad just to see how he is doing.  It must be a guy thing.  Anywho, he is growing up and doesn't need his mom as much as he used to.  Now he only calls if there is a problem.

We are a lot like that with Jesus.  Unfortunately whenever  we decide to talk with Jesus is when we have a problem or crisis in our life. It is a lonely feeling not hearing from your kids.  I'm sure Jesus feels the same way when we go days on end without talking to Him.

Please Call Me.

Myranda is off to Kentucky for her first Mission Fuge trip.  She left on Saturday morning and won't be back until  Friday night.  This is the first time she has been away for that period of time and that long of a distance.  She is having a blast.  I had a lot of support from my new church family as they met us at church to see the youth off.  There are about 40 on this trip.  Pray for the chaperons.  I know she is in good hands but I still need to hear her voice or at the very least receive a text to let me know she is ok and having fun.

Jesus likes to hear from us too.  For the last couple of days I have carried my phone with me 24/7 so I wouldn't miss a call from my daughter.  Even at 12:30 at night, I want to hear from her. It is so wonderful that Jesus doesn't require cell phones.  The battery doesn't die, there are no roaming charges, there is always a signal and it is free.  Just like I want to hear from Myranda, Jesus wants to hear from us.  Talk to Him daily and let him know how you are doing and tell Him your heart's desire, your troubles and insecurities.  He will listen and can't wait to hear from you.