Word:
I was having a hard time praying. My words felt disconnected to my heart and I couldn’t understand it.
I went up to the front of my church to get prayer from a leader. As I was in the middle of explaining what was going on, the leader said, “Do you actually believe? Do you believe that Jesus was a man that actually walked on this earth and thought about your face as he was on the cross.”
Wait. Here I was…a Christian. Grew up a Christian always been a Christian.
Here I was…in front of someone who knew that about me. A friend. Someone who I admired for their story. Someone who I cared about.
How could I say no? What would they think? More than anything I wanted to say yes but I felt like I’d be lying.
I stumbled on my words and in the moment was completely honest and vulnerable and said, “I don’t know.” AKA no.
In the midst of my word stumbling I realized I wanted God more than I cared about feeling stupid or someone thinking differently of me.
But here’s the beautiful thing. Real community and real friends will say, “Ok. Lets pray for that.”
And that’s what we did. We prayed about it.
My relationship with God looks much different now than it did then. It isn’t something I have to question.
I will always remember that day and that moment.
Because of that moment we shared, the person that prayed for me was able to preach and share this story to others. What was a hard moment in my story hopefully brought life to someone else’s.
God moves through the people in your world.
It’s no coincidence I went up for prayer and went to that particular person as God had his hand in it all along, but here’s the thing…I still had to make the choice to be bold enough to go in the first place. Often times we want to run when we’re at our worst. But the next time that happens I want to encourage you…Go. Say. Act. Do. Be vulnerable.
2 Corinthians 12:9 But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. 10 That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.
Meal:
We wouldn’t be vulnerable if we weren’t eating messy food with people now would we?
How about some Sloppy Joes? Always a good time.
http://allrecipes.com/recipe/230021/turkey-sloppy-joes/
Music:
Loud Harp- The nearness of you.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hoC26eVwuQg
As you listen to these lyrics, do not be ashamed of your emptiness or longing. Instead view it as the optional condition for being filled with His peace.
“You brought me back to this place.
You gave me water you gave me drink.”
You have been my strength, my refuge
Whom have I but you?
The nearness of you is my only good”
Prayer:
Father- thank you. Thank you for being my strength and my refuge. Thank you for giving me water and giving me drink. Thank you for choosing me. I pray this next week I honor you by trusting you fully and letting you in all aspects of my life. God you are omnificent and have unfolded my life already. You knew about this day and this moment before I was even born. You’ve always known where I’m headed and I pray that every day I head towards you.
Amen
Time:
If God moves through people in our world I want you to ask yourself who you are investing into?
At the start of this week, write down one thing that you would like prayer for. Then I want to encourage you to tell someone about it and ask for prayer. Continue to pray for it.
At the end of your week get together with that person or other community and talk about what’s going on in your world. Read Ecclesiastes 3 together and discuss what you think God might have planned for you in this season.
Contact:
Instagram: missmamroth & missmamrothphoto
www.missmamrothphoto.com