So yesterday at church we had a guest teacher. She grew up in Bulgaria under Communist rule - her parents were preachers/missionaries and her brother grew up to be a preacher as well - all were killed except for her. She spoke tenderly of her mother - a woman poisoned by the police and brought home to die - she spoke of her prayer-filled life of service. Her mother faithfully prayed for 7 years for each of her children before they were conceived after being told she could not get pregnant...she prayed musical talents over her first child (a renowned musician/performer, the speaker yesterday) and the gift of being a pastor over her second child. She filled in at the church, sharing the gospel when her husband was away in prison or worse for being a preacher...she did odd jobs to keep food on the table...and even as she lay dying she told her children not to cry for her because when she closed her eyes in death she would open them and she the beautiful face of Jesus...I could go on...
I think the part that is resonating with me most today is my lack of intentional prayers for the people in my life. I pray, be it sporadically, for my husband and my children...and I do believe that God knows my heart - my dreams for my babies...but as a mom, I have a higher calling to be active in prayer...to be faithfully asking the Lord to provide daily needs and protections...but also to ask him for his will in what lies ahead. I pray for my friends and family - but usually its when a time of need arises, some sort of crisis - rather than consistently coming to God in prayer on their behalf.
But one other thing that she said has completely changed my perspective. She was speaking to changes in our country since she came here in 1981 as a refugee under the Reagan administration. She mentioned the verse that is so well known, "If my people would humble themselves and pray, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear them and heal their land..." All my life, I've pictured praying for the wrongs of our culture...the rampant greed, sexual sin, hunger for power at the expense of others, etc...but yesterday it struck me that God is calling HIS PEOPLE (that would be me) to repent and turn from THEIR wicked ways (those would be MINE) and healing will come...
So while yes, I should be praying the big things...for our leaders, for our communities, etc...I need to be faithfully confessing MY sin, praying intentionally for my family/friends...and continually telling the Lord about how I know I need Him...may I never think that I've got it under control on my own...
