FEAR, FAITH, AND HURRICANE FORCES
A young girl in one of my writers’
classes showed up for class at the end of a long hot day in the inner city. How
are you? I asked coming in from work.
“I am soooo stressed!” she said.
“Why?” I asked. “What’s going on?”
Fear. It can be so taxing, so debilitating. As
Proverbs says, anxiety depletes our energy and overwhelms. But a word of
encouragement lifts us up and refreshes the spirit.
Suddenly I knew how we should begin our class. I was going to choose another writing assignment, but instead I asked her to write about why she felt stressed. “Write as though you’re talking to God.”
What a joy to see her work through those paralyzing emotions on paper, identify the nature of the beast, and then come out on the other side smiling. Her writing had turned into a prayer and a transformation to peace occurred in less than half an hour!
A girlfriend is going to visit her nephew. He’s already served two terms in Iraq and now is being deployed to Afghanistan. He doesn’t think he’s going to make it home this time but they took some time to pray and found real comfort and assurance. I see and hear it and experience it all the time.
Some say prayer doesn’t change things. There are others who think differently. Maybe circumstances won’t change (we may never know) but then there are times when we can only shake our heads and admit to the miraculous.
Personally, I believe prayer is POWERFUL! It changes us, it gives us peace, and in fact it can be more powerful than a hurricane. After all, it moves the hands that set the galaxies and planets on their courses. As Job said, “He hung the earth upon nothing,” and certainly He has the power to affect the circumstances of my life.
Just a few weeks earlier, a very dear friend had driven up from Alabama and was having engine troubles. He and his wife described being stuck and waiting for repairs. At one point, they were even forced to pull over on the side of a sheer drop off, and they were met with a constant stream of obstacles and mechanical issues. After a good meal and a great visit we were saying goodbye and the thought flashed across my mind. “Pray for the truck.”
“Hey you guys, before you leave, maybe we should do a blessing for your rig the way the CMA does bike blessings.”
“Sure!” they smiled.
So I laid my hands face down on the front of the big red hood of their semi. “Dear Lord, we know this is just a big hunk of metal but we’re asking by faith in Jesus’ Name that angels will surround and guard over this vehicle because of the precious lives inside. Give them safety on the road ahead dear Lord, and watch over their lives. In Jesus’ Name we pray. Amen.”
Just a few simple sentences. No organ music or fanfare. No emotional altar calls or trumpet blasts came from heaven. We just hugged and said goodbye without a clue of what lie ahead.
Days later I got a call. “Did you hear about the weather we’ve had in the South?” he began. “There were hurricane winds right across the highway where we were traveling. Three semis were blown over! Two in front of us and one behind us.”
“Are you kidding me? Three semis blew over?” I had never heard of that and couldn’t imagine the force of the wind required to push over so many tons of metal. “What happened to you?”
“Ours wasn’t even touched,” he said.
“We’re fine. Thank God because we couldn't afford another setback!”
That’s when we remembered the words of our prayer. Did angels physically block their truck because I had laid my hands on it? Did God remember the words of faith and put a covering over them simply because we had asked in Jesus’ Name?
Here’s the challenge. UNLESS we go to God with our concerns and ask in faith, we’ll never know. We can try to carry life's burdens on our own small shoulders, or we can bring them to the Resurrected Lord who is strong enough to handle all the forces and issues of life. You decide.
“For you
have not because you ask not.”
“I am soooo stressed!” she said.
“Why?” I asked. “What’s going on?”
We chatted a little on our way up to
the classroom. An ailing grandmother,
questions about school and a job, and then she named it. “I’m afraid.”
Fear. It can be so taxing, so debilitating. As
Proverbs says, anxiety depletes our energy and overwhelms. But a word of
encouragement lifts us up and refreshes the spirit.Suddenly I knew how we should begin our class. I was going to choose another writing assignment, but instead I asked her to write about why she felt stressed. “Write as though you’re talking to God.”
What a joy to see her work through those paralyzing emotions on paper, identify the nature of the beast, and then come out on the other side smiling. Her writing had turned into a prayer and a transformation to peace occurred in less than half an hour!
A girlfriend is going to visit her nephew. He’s already served two terms in Iraq and now is being deployed to Afghanistan. He doesn’t think he’s going to make it home this time but they took some time to pray and found real comfort and assurance. I see and hear it and experience it all the time.
Some say prayer doesn’t change things. There are others who think differently. Maybe circumstances won’t change (we may never know) but then there are times when we can only shake our heads and admit to the miraculous.
Personally, I believe prayer is POWERFUL! It changes us, it gives us peace, and in fact it can be more powerful than a hurricane. After all, it moves the hands that set the galaxies and planets on their courses. As Job said, “He hung the earth upon nothing,” and certainly He has the power to affect the circumstances of my life.
Just a few weeks earlier, a very dear friend had driven up from Alabama and was having engine troubles. He and his wife described being stuck and waiting for repairs. At one point, they were even forced to pull over on the side of a sheer drop off, and they were met with a constant stream of obstacles and mechanical issues. After a good meal and a great visit we were saying goodbye and the thought flashed across my mind. “Pray for the truck.”
“Hey you guys, before you leave, maybe we should do a blessing for your rig the way the CMA does bike blessings.”
“Sure!” they smiled.
So I laid my hands face down on the front of the big red hood of their semi. “Dear Lord, we know this is just a big hunk of metal but we’re asking by faith in Jesus’ Name that angels will surround and guard over this vehicle because of the precious lives inside. Give them safety on the road ahead dear Lord, and watch over their lives. In Jesus’ Name we pray. Amen.”
Just a few simple sentences. No organ music or fanfare. No emotional altar calls or trumpet blasts came from heaven. We just hugged and said goodbye without a clue of what lie ahead.
Days later I got a call. “Did you hear about the weather we’ve had in the South?” he began. “There were hurricane winds right across the highway where we were traveling. Three semis were blown over! Two in front of us and one behind us.”
“Are you kidding me? Three semis blew over?” I had never heard of that and couldn’t imagine the force of the wind required to push over so many tons of metal. “What happened to you?”
“Ours wasn’t even touched,” he said.
“We’re fine. Thank God because we couldn't afford another setback!”That’s when we remembered the words of our prayer. Did angels physically block their truck because I had laid my hands on it? Did God remember the words of faith and put a covering over them simply because we had asked in Jesus’ Name?
Here’s the challenge. UNLESS we go to God with our concerns and ask in faith, we’ll never know. We can try to carry life's burdens on our own small shoulders, or we can bring them to the Resurrected Lord who is strong enough to handle all the forces and issues of life. You decide.
James
4:2
posted by Karen Low Deloge at 11:56 AM
3 Comments:
Very nice blogs. Keep up the good work & more power. Happy Easter!
Thank you Adolfo. So glad you enjoyed it. I enjoy telling the great and mysterious-everyday- wonderful things that God does. Happy Easter, everyday, He is risen!
Also wanted to tell you that the photos of Malaysia and Philippines on your site are beautiful! Yes, and the seven+ wonders of the world, I see as further evidence of a great Creator. Thank you for posting!
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