I have been challenging us with the concept of prayer lately. The Lord has really put this on my heart. Prayer as intimate fellowship with my Father. Prayer for the church, for Pastor David, for you.
I read an article in the latest edition of Alliance Life about getting ourselves outside of the “box” of naturalism. God is supernatural, and our faith living must show that. We need to get our Bibles, our prayers, and our lives “out” of the box the author insisted. I could not agree more.
Robert Stetter sent me the following piece recently. I opened it up and began to read, and the Spirit struck me to the core. At one point I was so convicted I had to stop and ask the Lord to forgive me for having so little faith, for living in the box. I want to pray with the attitude of the little girl, and I am certain you do to. Let us get outside of the box and call on the Lord, then we too can experience the answers He has already given. (Isaiah 65:24)
Isaiah 65:24
This story was written by a doctor who worked in South Africa ..
One night I had worked hard to help a mother in the labor ward; but in
spite of all we could do, she died leaving us with a tiny premature baby and a
crying two-year-old daughter. We would have difficulty keeping the
baby alive, as we had no incubator (we had no electricity to run an incubator).
We also had no special feeding facilities. Although we lived on the
equator, nights were often chilly with treacherous drafts. One
student midwife went for the box we had for such babies and the cotton wool that
the baby would be wrapped in.
Another went to stoke up the fire and fill a hot water bottle.
She came back shortly in distress to tell me that in filling the
bottle, it had burst (rubber perishes easily in tropical climates). "And it is
our last hot water bottle!" she exclaimed. As in the West, it is no
good crying over spilled milk so in Central Africa it might be considered no
good crying over burst water bottles. They do not grow on trees, and
there are no drugstores down forest pathways.
"All right," I said, "put the baby as near the fire as you safely can, and
sleep between the baby and the door to keep it free from drafts.
Your job is to keep the baby warm."
The following noon, as I did most days, I went to have prayers with any of
the orphanage children who chose to gather with me. I gave the
youngsters various suggestions of things to pray about and told them about the
tiny baby. I explained our problem about keeping the baby warm
enough, mentioning the hot water bottle, ! and that the baby could so easily die
if it got chills. I also told them of the two-year-old sister,
crying because her mother had died.
During prayer time, one ten-year old girl, Ruth, prayed with the usual
blunt conciseness of our African children. "Please, God" she prayed,
"send us a water bottle. It'll be no good tomorrow, God, as the baby
will be dead, so please send it this afternoon."
While I gasped inwardly at the audacity of the prayer, she added, "And
while You are about it, would You please send a dolly for the little girl so
she'll know You really love her?"
As often with children's prayers, I was put on the spot. Could
I honestly say, "Amen". I just did not believe that God could do
this. Oh, yes, I know that He can do everything, the Bible says so.
But there are limits, aren't there? The only way God
could answer this particular prayer would be by send! ing me a parcel from
homeland. I had been in Africa for almost four years at that time,
and I had never, ever received a parcel from home. Anyway, if anyone
did send me a parcel, who would put in a hot water bottle? I lived
on the equator! Halfway through the afternoon, while I was teaching
in the nurses' training school, a message was sent that there was a car at my
front door.
By the time I reached home, the car had gone, but there, on the veranda,
was a large twenty-two pound parcel. I felt tears pricking my eyes.
I could not open the parcel alone, so I sent for the orphanage
children.
Together we pulled off the string, carefully undoing each knot.
We folded the paper, taking care not to tear it unduly.
Excitement was mounting.
Some thirty or forty pairs of eyes were focused on the large cardboard box.
From the top, I lifted out brightly colored, knitted jerseys.
Eyes sparkled as I gave them out. Then there were the
knitted bandages for the leprosy patients, and the children looked a little
bored. Then came a box of mixed raisins and sultanas - that would
make a batch of buns for the weekend. Then, as I put my hand in
again, I felt the ... could it really be? I grasped it and pulled it
out - yes, a brand-new, rubber hot water bottle. I cried. I
had not asked God to send it; I had not truly believed that He could.
Ruth was in the front row of the children. She rushed
forward, crying out, "If God has sent the bottle, He must have sent the dolly
too!"
Rummaging down to th! e bottom of the box, she pulled out the small,
beautifully dressed dolly. Her eyes shone! She had never
doubted!
Looking up at me, she asked: "Can I go over with you and give this dolly to
that little girl, so she'll know that Jesus really loves her?"
That parcel had been on the way for five whole months. Packed
up by my former Sunday school class, whose leader had heard and obeyed God's
prompting to send a hot water bottle, even to the equator. And one
of the girls had put in a dolly for an African child - five months before, in
answer to the believing prayer of a ten-year-old to bring it "that afternoon."
"Before they call, I will answer" (Isaiah 65:24).
This awesome prayer takes less than a minute. When you receive
this, say the prayer, that's all you have to do. No strings
attached. Just send it on to whomever you want - but do send it on.
Prayer is! one of the best free gifts we receive. There is no
cost but a lot of rewards. Let's continue praying for one another Father, I ask
you to bless my friends reading this right now. I am asking You to
minister to their spirit at this very moment. Where there is pain,
give them Your peace and mercy. Where there is self doubting,
release a renewed confidence to work through them. Where there is
tiredness or exhaustion, I ask You to give them understanding, guidance, and
strength as they learn submission to Your leading. Where there is
spiritual stagnation, I ask You to renew them by revealing Your nearness, and by
drawing them into greater intimacy with You. Where there is fear,
reveal Your love, and release to them Your courage. Where there is a
sin blocking them, reveal it, and break its hold over my friend's life.
Bless their finances, give them greater vision, and raise up leaders and
friends to support and encourage them. Give each of them discernment
to recognize the evil forces around them, and reveal to them the power they have
in You to defeat it. I ask you to do these things in Jesus'
name.
P.S. Passing this on to anyone you consider a friend will bless you both.
Passing this on to one not considered a friend is something Christ would do. "Do
not ask the Lord to guide your footsteps if you're not willing to move your
feet."
I hope this was as encouraging and challenging to you as it was to me.
In Christ,
Pastor Scott
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