Tuesday, April 17, 2007

The prayer of faith

Grand Sweep Daily Reading: 2 Samuel 19, 20, 21

II Samuel 19:4 (NIV)
4 The king covered his face and cried aloud, “O my son Absalom! O Absalom, my son, my son!”

Luke 15:6b-7 (NIV)
6b “Rejoice with me; I have found my lost sheep. 7 I tell you that in the same way there will be more rejoicing in heaven, over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who do not need to repent.”

Luke 15:31-32 (NIV)
31 “My son,” the father said, “you are always with me, and everything I have is yours. 32 But we had to celebrate and be glad, because this brother of yours was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.”


Good morning!

Becoming a parent is one of the most joyful and fearful experiences we encounter in life. When Jeff and I learned that we were expecting a baby girl, I began to worry. I worried about everything! Will she be healthy? Will I know what to do to take good care of her? Who will Rachel be when she grows up? Will we succeed in giving her the desire to pursue a lifelong relationship with the Lord? Will I be able to convey to her just how much God loves her and that He has a special plan for her life?

I remember Jeff sitting next to me on the sofa with a box of Kleenex in one hand and chocolate in the other. [Thank God for chocolate!] He would put his arm around my shoulder and say, “Don’t worry, honey. Everything is going to be all right.” I’m not so sure that he really believed what he was saying at the time. If I were to take an educated guess, I imagine he was having the very same doubts and fears about parenthood that I was feeling. It sure sounded good, and his words always brought me comfort and hope. Even if he wasn’t completely convinced, I am thankful he chose to repeat words of hope to me every day while we waited for Rachel’s birth.

God’s Word brings comfort and hope into our hearts each day. There are moments when we may try to second guess a loved one’s heart, especially when we focus in on a particular situation or circumstance. We begin to wonder whether our repeated prayers for a lost child to be saved will ever be answered. We struggle in our grief as we pray for a parent to be freed from an addiction or disease, and to find ultimate release from their suffering and pain. God plants a mustard seed of faith in each of us. That seed can burst forth into new life at any given moment when Jesus Christ becomes real to a sinner’s heart. As Christians, we need to learn to repeat God’s promises over and over again, even when we are unable to see tangible evidence of our prayers prayed in faith. Standing on the Word of God by faith helps root our trust in Jesus Christ, and brings hope and assurance to the people who surround us.

Our daughter Rachel did grow up, thank you Jesus! She is a spunky, spirit-filled child of the living God, who continues to grow in grace as she walks with Christ day by day. I watch in wonder as she and her husband Dave prepare to welcome their third child into their family. I realize now that my prayers for her were answered long before I could see its fruition in our daughter’s life. God heard and answered every prayer I prayed for our family – and I know He hears and answers my prayers today.

If you find yourself weeping over a lost child this morning, or wondering whether you will ever see the fruit of answered prayer for an unsaved spouse or parent - take your Bible, place it on the floor, and stand on the Word today. Claim His promises over and over again. He is faithful to hear and answer your every prayer. God’s timing is perfect in all things. Trust Him, and don’t stop praying. Do not give up or give in to doubt and fear. Claim your inheritance through Jesus Christ today!

Grace and peace,

Deb Spaulding
www.songofdeborah.com


Pray for: faith to trust in His Word, even when it is difficult to see. The prayers of the righteous are powerful and effective. Know that God hears you, loves you, and answers your every prayer humbly offered in faith.

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