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Deciding to Know... and Then to Do
By Debbie Anderson
Are you hurting? Pray. Do you feel great? Sing. Are you sick? Call the church leaders
together to pray and anoint you with oil in the name of the Master. Believing-prayer
will heal you, and Jesus will put you on your feet. And if you've sinned, you'll be
forgiven-healed inside and out. Make this your common practice: Confess your sins to
each other and pray for each other so you can live together whole and healed. The prayer
of a person living right with God is something powerful to be reckoned with.
James 5:13-16 (The Message)
I have had quite a bit of stress in my life, but it has been almost constant during the past few months. From my
Dad being ill and watching my Mom cope with all of it - add the growing
stress at work, then myself feeling under the weather -- my frustration
with my weight, plus the increasing sadness I feel as I find myself
pulling back even more into isolation. What is this anyway?
I feel disconnected, not only to others, but also to the Lord. Alone
in this misery. I think I might be feeling something like Paul felt
when he said the things he did weren't ok and the things he didn't
do weren't ok either! Wretched human am I!
Because of this stuff, I have not reading my Bible as much
as I should, and as a result my prayer life and relationship with
the Lord has suffered. Could this be a revolving pattern that is actually
sustaining my distress?
I say all of these things to reveal my neediness. To say I need your
prayers and to say I will give you mine in return. The body caring
for itself. I have needs that I am not even aware of and so do we
all. How often do we hold things so close, hidden and protected from
the pain and our own selves, that we forget to allow healing to be.
Many times instead of taking my problems to the throne, I take it
to the phone -- and that is where my disconnection starts.
And when it comes to reaching out I often think it's to much trouble
to take the time - to take a moment to give my input to anyone - why
bother ? It can't possibly mean a thing - after all, look where I
am. How can anything I have to say help anyone?
This is exactly what the enemy of our souls wants us to think! The
very tactic so often used by Satan in the lives of every believer
- the doubt of who you are and what you can do. I know it sure seems
to work on me more times than not.
But then I talk with someone or hear something that prompts me to
take a chance -- a chance that maybe I do have something to say that
will make a difference in someone's life and it just might be mine!
If I take the chance and give voice to my story, will it make a difference?
Will I actually be talking to someone out there?
Well, one thing is for sure -- it will make a difference in my life!
Because I have decided to write this and to do what God has asked
all of us to do - to love and share with each other, to speak of the
glory and the joy and the care He has given to each of us- I have
put myself in the very flow of His good pleasure. I will receive His
blessing in my life, increasing and overflowing.
I know the Lord has many blessings for all of us, and I believe those
blessings come in many ways, some not always so recognizable as others.
My prayer is for the Lord to open my eyes to see Him more clearly
- in all things - in every breath and in every step.
So, today I say, "Lord, I repent. I choose to seek you more, regardless
of my feelings. Help me to be all that you made me to be. Help me
agree to be fitted jointly together with this body of hope you have
given to us. To be a part of the supply to the joints of this life,
as you have supplied to mine, over and over, more times than I can
count."
Ok, there it is -- or the beginning anyway. If you are feeling isolated
or out of touch maybe you should join me - and let it all shine for
the world to see.
For the Word tells us to confess your sins to each other and pray
for each other so that you may be healed. And is this not what the
Body of Christ is all about?
Lord, truly the time is now.
If you would like to comment on this article, please send an email
to:debbie@vine3.org
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