He Makes Me Lie Down

During church campout this past weekend one of the messages was about shepherding our flock. There are lots of flocks, it can be mothers with little children, dads with the whole family, church leaders ect. . . and we were challenged to follow Christ’s example in patience and longsuffering and not lead in anger or reaction or bitterness or from an empty soul.

Since then, I have been meditating on the first part of Psalm 23, “The Lord is my Shepherd, I shall not want\lack. He maketh me lie down in green pastures. He leadeth me beside the still waters. He restoreth my soul . . .” And God brought to my mind that He is like a mother here 😊 and He makes us or desires that we lie down and rest as we do with our little people who get tired and crabby during the day. They need to be guided to a place to rest.

Now, we all know that as adults, it is not so much the physical here that we need rest from, more importantly our hearts need to be brought to a place of rest in God. As we do not LIVE by bread alone, so we do not live by sleep alone. We need the rest of soul to function as a child of God . . . that makes a HUGE difference in our daily walk! It’s the difference of not becoming bitter about something, but rather being able to trust God about it and let it go. It’s the difference is a lot of things . . . It’s what makes the difference of acting like a child of God or a child of the devil . . .

To be a child of God we need to obey . . . My little ones are required to take a nap. As adults, God gives us a choice, but we all know that if we want to remain as God’s child, we need to follow in obedience His requirement to rest our soul in Him. To set aside a bit of time, to read and reflect His goodness and His glory, to be reminded of His love, to be refreshed and make sure I am abiding in Him so that my leaves do not wither in the heat of the day . . . Yes, quiet time\devotions with the LORD is a must EVERY day.

“He makes me to lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside the still waters. He restores my soul.” What a good Shepherd! What a loving Heavenly Father! He KNOWS that I NEED this so very much. And as His child He requires that I get the spiritual food that I need each day to sustain me and keep me healthy . . . To have that abundant life, that vibrant shine. God is so good.

Be the Gift You Want in Answered Prayer

I know my parents pray for me . . . I’m sure my grandparents did as well . . . though they are gone now.  I wonder what exactly they prayed for me?  . . . that I would faithfully follow Christ . . . I assume . . . Did they pray specific prayers? . . .  and what might they have been?  Questions . . . questions I could ask my parents, questions I no longer can ask my grandparents . . . But now that I am a parent myself, I can venture pretty good guesses.

How do you pray for your friends?  . . . What words and longings are answered or unanswered?  How long do you pray for something for a friend or brother or yourself till it turns into tears and groanings?

A friend gifted me with a wooden plaque with the words, “Prayer Changes Things” a few years ago.  At first, I was discontent with it.  It was so common.  It felt kinda empty and lifeless . . .  Maybe it had more to do with the fact that I didn’t feel like it was very true in my life or the lives of my loved ones.  Prayers I had prayed for years, still were going on UNANSWERED and I was tired and weary and worn . . . and little bitter roots had grown unknowingly down deep into my heart.  That was just the long and short of it.

It was frustrating to meditate on that saying that my friend given me . . .  that I had placed in our home, “Prayer Changes Things”  . . .  because things didn’t feel changed much.  Why, God . . . why can’t I see your hand at work more than it is?  Why does it feel so stale and stagnant?  Where are the fresh wind and fire that Your Word, Your Book promises?

As the years have come and gone and I have been drawn in closer to the Author of those promises and closer to His heart. He has answered me.  I have found this saying to be true, because prayer DOES change things, it CHANGES ME! And in the changing of myself, His light shines out from my heart and eyes, from my hands and my feet and it changes the WAY I look at things.  My attitude.  My purpose.  My life and then to the lives of my loved ones – friends and family, . . .  neighbors and those caught in the mire of this old world.

I gain insight as I pray and seek Him.  I learn to focus on God and His peace instills joy and happiness that I gain NO WHERE ELSE!  I gain His rest . . .  after all He said His yoke is easy and His burden is light . . . and I have found it to be so!  I gain His attitude as long as my gaze stays fixed on His.  And I pray and labor for others who are hurting and bleeding inside and for those who don’t even realize that they are.  I work and I know that my labor is not in vain in the Lord no matter whether there is fruit or not.  My job is to be faithful and keep my eyes on Him.   . . . . Is that not what a lover does?  She has hardly any thought to the world around her, only One whom she adores!  . . .  And a radiant light shines from her eyes . . .  inside her heart dances and you hear it in the lilt of her voice many times.

Prayer DOES change things, folks!  It changes me\us!  It changes those who pray!  Are we praying?  Prayer gives concern and worry a place to go to let it all go.  Prayer releases God’s hand more.  Prayer is communicating my hearts cry and love for those who need it.

And when I pray . . .  Am I answering the prayer of my loved ones, my friends, my brother and sisters in the Lord, my parents and my grandparents . . .  and am I part of the answered prayer of my Jesus when He prays in John 17 about not praying for the world, but for those that are His?  And when He interceded for me today before the throne . . . what is He asking for?  For me to have a “good day”?  I don’t think so . . .  For me to take joy in my trials and have the mind of Christ – to live rejoicing and working and watching and waiting for His return? . . .  for me to understand the value and weapon praise is? . . . for me to spend the needed time fasting? . . .  What DOES He pray for when He prays for me . . . I think if we take time to ponder that we know . . . Am I doing my part in God changing me?  Am I being molded and changed from the inside out like I desire for those I pray for?

My heart says to myself,  “Be the gift of answered prayer to your loved ones . . . have the mind of Christ . . .  repent, love, submit, rejoice, work, labor, stay close to His heart . . . walk humbly with God.”

Prayer changes things. It changes ME!