Watching Doc be in intense pain and medication not helping is a horrible place to be as his wife but when you see concern on the doctor and nurse's faces it becomes even scarier. Hearing them talk about the dosages given and putting him on oxygen in case his breathing became too shallow was just about too much for me. Thankfully as I prayed His peace came down over me. I was so grateful for His peace to me and for His wisdom given to the medical personnel. I am grateful for II Timothy 1:7 that empowers me to not allow the enemy an open door to cause me to fear. I also am grateful for the first few verses of Isaiah 61 that I preached on again yesterday.
The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is on me, because the Lord has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives and release from darkness for the prisoners, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor and the day of vengeance of our God, to comfort all who mourn, and provide for those who grieve in Zion—to bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes, the oil of joy instead of mourning, and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair.
Woo hoo! I am empowered by the Holy Spirit! I am anointed by the Holy Spirit! I am called and sent out into this dark world by the Holy Spirit! I am blessed to wear a crown of beauty, have joy, and wear a garment of praise by the Holy Spirit! Woo hoo indeed! No matter what my circumstances, no matter what happens in the day ahead...He is with me and will continue to empower me! These are some awesome things to start the day knowing. Oh how I wish more people would realize this empowerment! I think of what I shared yesterday that Alexander MacLaren wrote about these verses:
“We have two contrasted pictures suggested: one of a mourner with gray ashes strewed upon his disheveled locks, and his spirit clothed in gloom like a black robe; and to him there comes One who, with gentle hand, smoothes the ashes out of his hair, trains a garland round his brow, anoints his head with oil, and, stripping off the trappings of woe, casts about him a bright robe fit for a guest at a festival. That is the miracle that Jesus Christ can do for everyone, and is ready to do for us, if we will let Him.”
I desire to be the picture of God's amazing grace for the world to see. I desire people to see Him through me. I need to get better at this life. I need to be more intentional in sharing His love with everyone. I also need to be intentional as my friend Christy was told to do in her prayers. “Praise me for the breakthrough as if it’s already happened.” As I do this, I will see a change in my spirit. He isn't the one who needs to change but I do. If I truly want to go deeper in my faith, I must change. If we the church want to see miracles happen, we must change. If we want to truly be the Church God has called us to be, we must get to the point in our life where it is not about us but totally about Him. We must allow the Spirit to lead us. If we don’t, we are not walking in His will. As we walk in His will, He will empower us to show a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair. That will be the only way people not in relationship with Him will desire to be so. Nobody wants to be around someone who complains, whines, is crabby, etc. When we are in right relationship with God, our focus will be on Him instead of ourselves. People need the Lord to become real to them. They need to see/hear Him through us. They need to realize what a Spirit-filled life is all about. We are the only ones in many people’s lives that can speak life to them. Oh how I pray we all get better at this life.
Dear Jesus,
Thank You for the wisdom You gave the medical personnel yesterday and the peace You gave me as Doc was in such pain! Thank You for me being allowed to be with him! Thank You for the person who provided blood for the transfusion he received! Thank You for the rest You provided me last night! I pray for him to receive rest today in the midst of all that is going on. I pray for You to be so real to Him as he has the MRI and for both of us to have Your peace with the results. Lord, cleanse us so You can fill us. Empower us to be who You have called us to be. May we know Your will for our lives and live it out in a new, different way. I praise You for the way You are going to continue to empower us through these 'tough' days. I praise You for the way You heal Doc. Lord, be with so many who are going through 'tough' days to realize Your strength. I pray for my friend Nancy to have a good trip and enjoy her time with family. I also pray for David as he continues another week of rehab to gain strength to go home. I praise You Father for Mr. Beckett having his eleventh birthday today. I pray he enjoys his day of celebration. Thank You Jesus for being My Fortress! Amen.
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