I was making dinner tonight (Honey/Mustard Chicken) and as I stirred it all together, I noticed the tiny little seeds. I remembered Matthew 17: 20+21 "I tell you the truth, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, 'Move from here to there' and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you."
When I was younger I thought, "That's dumb. Why would you want to move a mountain?" But really he was saying that if you find something that seems so impossible, it is possible if you just have a little bit of faith... as small as a mustard seed. God listens to our prayers, and somehow is moved to act because of our prayers, if it His will or in His timing.
That's the key. He does what he wants and doesn't always give us what we want because he can see the whole picture and he holds the future. I am learning more and more to rest in that and to really just listen to what he wants me to do. I can pray for what I want, but if it is just from selfish desires or for something I want and don't necessarily need, it may not happen. It can even be something good, just not the right timing. The closer we grow to the Lord, the more our will conforms to His and the more we can understand what He is doing or may do in a certain situation.
We have started reading The YWAM books (Christian Heroes Then and Now) this year for school. The first one we chose was about a man named George Muller. He was such an amazing man with such awesome faith, just reading his story is strengthening my faith and my prayer life. Mason and Lochlan could very well have been named George if I had read this book before they were born :)
George was a man who after giving his life to Christ wanted to be in the center of God's will. He was so encouraging to me because every time a door for ministry opened for him, he would pray about it and walk through. Many times the door he thought was God's plan closed before he could get all the way in. He tried many things before he knew he had found God's ultimate plan for his life... to minister to the orphans of Bristol, England. The man had great faith and a fruitful prayer life. Whenever the money or food was gone, he didn't complain... or even ask for money,
he prayed.
At one point he had hundreds of orphans in his care when they ran out of food and milk. The children were all at their chairs when one of the kitchen helpers came to tell him the situation. He didn't bat an eye. He just said a prayer and called to one of his friend's children who was praying nearby, "Come and see what God is going to do." A few minutes later a baker came to the door and said he had been compelled to bake a bunch of bread early in the morning for the orphans.
He had just enough for all of them.
Then a few minutes after that, a milk truck broke down outside... instead of risking the milk all spoiling, the driver gave the whole load to the orphanage!
George never asked for money, never guilted anyone into giving them anything. He just prayed and trusted that if God was in it, He would provide. It happened time and time again in his ministry.
I am so encouraged by his prayer life and faith to:
- be seeking him by prayer and His Word to know what his will is for me.
- trust that he will provide for our needs even if it is very last minute.
- understand that what we think we need may not be what God knows we need.
- not be surprised when God does something amazing because He is!
- not be discouraged when God allows something "bad" because he is never surprised.
- give God the glory in victories of life (not taking the glory for myself).
- dream big.
The other day in the car I asked the kids if George Mueller would have run K-Love the way they do. They were having one of their many pledge drives and were asking (almost pleading) for money so they could continue to air Christian music on the radio. The knew immediately that he would not. He never asked for money and just trusted that God would provide if he wanted the ministry to continue. I wonder if K-Love did it George's way how much He would increase their dream? It's worth pondering... and praying about. And I wonder how much God would increase my dreams if I took more time to pray about them!
I have some big dreams, but the doors aren't opening up to them yet, I haven't spent consistent time on my knees asking for God to reveal his will for me. I need to pray and have faith and I'm confident he will (reveal it to me) in his perfect timing.
1 comment:
I have been challenged by George Mueller as well. However, I don't think it's wrong to make needs known. It's something I've wrestled with and read varying opinions on and sought counsel about. For example, Paul makes needs known. I think your comparison with K-LOVE is interesting; how they plead and sort of guilt manipulate. I don't think that is ever appropriate.
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