The Prayer Request

I was sitting in church one Sunday, not too long ago, and as we were talking about redemption, I thought of my youngest son. About 4 years ago, we had put him on the prayer list because life was very, very rough for him, really for our whole family.  We didn’t really think any of us would make it through this.  In fact, many times, we cried out in anger at God saying “we didn’t sign up for this”. That anger, though, was always met with grace, love and mercy on us. We got through those moments, one day at a time. 

The prayer request was simply this, "Pray for Steven for continued healing”.  Four years after sending in that prayer request, we are starting to see the fruit of prayer. Steven is becoming a new person. He made a decision in the Fall of 2014 that he would never do what he had done again. He had a few setbacks, one that cost him the privilege of living at home this past Fall of 2015, but he stepped up even more when that happened and has now been living on his own for 6 months in a transitional housing situation looking for a job and then he will have permanent housing. He is graduating this weekend from a job readiness program that has helped him blossom and bloom even more in just over a 4 week period. He has found an extraordinary therapist and they have been working together on the future while healing from the past. He has made great strides in healing from his very tumultuous past and we are thankful for that.  My husband and I actually see that he m be able to do things that he wants as an adult that we didn't think possible several years ago. There is more hope than ever before.
 

I sat staring at the prayer list with that prayer request on it and I started to cry. God is in the business of redemption and restoration. He heard the prayers of His people. There have been people along the way that have prayed, fasted, come and anointed our home with oil, pleaded to God on his behalf and grieved with us. Isn’t it amazing what a simple line of a prayer request, written down 4 years ago, can do? 

I am grateful for the fellowship of the believers both in our local church and the bigger body that know that prayer does change people, situations and our hearts. I am also, on this eve of him completing something new, more hopeful than I have ever been before. I know that there will probably be moments ahead that are rough and bumpy but I know that based on what I have seen lately, there will be less bumps than before and more joy! I believe that. I still keep him close in prayers but this momma can let him go a little bit more today.  

There is a prayer that I have specifically prayed for Steven over the years. It is from the book of Jeremiah in the Old Testament.  It reminds me of the very hard life that was imposed on him when he was young and what the Lord has done and is doing now and will do.

"..... I will give you back your health and heal your wounds," says the LORD. " 
Jeremiah 30:16-17

Then I found these over the years too. They talk of hope.

Therefore this is what the LORD says: "If you repent, I will restore you that you may serve me; if you utter worthy, not worthless, words, you will be my spokesman. Jeremiah 15:19

The LORD says, "I will give you back what you lost to the swarming locusts, the hopping locusts, the stripping locusts, and the cutting locusts”.  Joel 2:25 

“To all who mourn in Israel, he will give a crown of beauty for ashes, a joyous blessing instead of mourning, festive praise instead of despair. In their righteousness, they will be like great oaks that the LORD has planted for his own glory”. Isaiah 61:3 

I am seeing redemption and restoration right before my eyes in this son of mine. I am joyful as I think about his future and the hope that comes with a relationship with Christ. My son is being an Overcomer and though God is not finished, He has given us a gift of seeing a greater glimpse of what he can be as he is restored each day to who God intended him to be. The clouds of the past are being removed and the sun is shining more clearly now.

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Son, I know you will read this. I want you to know that we know you have had extra challenges along the road of your life, some that were imposed on you, some you chose. But God is faithful and the more that you choose to stay close to Him, no matter what the challenges, He will guide you and show you the way. 

"Although the Lord gives you the bread of adversity and the water of affliction, your teachers will be hidden no more; with your own eyes you will see them.  Whether you turn to the right or to the left, your ears will hear a voice behind you, saying, "This is the way; walk in it." Isaiah 30:20-21

This is my new prayer for you, Steven. I will probably be praying this one for the rest of my life for you! Your dad and I love you, we cherish you and know God can do great things in you and that you can honor Him in all you do!

Love, Mom

When God and I Actually Work Together

 OR better titled: " When I Actually Listen to the Nudges God Gives Me"

 (NOTE:  There is a whole lot more to this story than I can write here. The story is not over yet but yesterday was a long, tiring but fulfilling day.")

This weekend, I got a call from one of our MBA staff members asking if we could house an elderly woman who was homeless at one of the hotels in the area until Monday. I said sure and told her that I would go over and do an assessment of her situation on Monday and see what we could do if she wanted help.   Monday morning came, and to be honest, was not a good one. I woke up with sinus issues(a complication of living in the south). I was tempted to put it off til another day but went because I had committed to doing it. I was rushed.On the way over, I confessed to the Lord that I was not in the right frame of mind. I was tired and groggy from the medicine I had taken and so asked Him to help me to listen, to know what to say, how to help and to prepare this lady to receive from Him what she might need to hear. 

A very small, meek woman showed up and we sat in the lobby talking. To be honest, I was expecting her to immediately ask me for some money but she didn't. *Betty wanted to talk to me about her ministry to sick people in Montgomery not about whether she needed housing assistance.That was the least of her concerns. She told me the Lord would take care of that and she was not worried.  She had been a nurse at one time and still cared for people.  Betty's only concern was her mission and how she was going to fulfill it. We chatted and and found that we had several things in common. We were both born and raised in Alabama, we both had lived in New York City and we both felt called to missions. I asked her several questions about her life and she freely shared. I kept thinking, "there is something more here". I noticed she was having a hard time remembering things such as the day of the week and such so I immediately thought she might be on the fringes of  early dementia.  There was also a feeling that there was more to her story. After we talked for a while longer, I invited her out to eat with my family that night so I could get to know her and learn more. She accepted and I went back to the office to look for some resources that she did not ask for(go figure!!!).

I started making some phone calls and found that unless she was being harmed or harming others, there was not much that social services could do(not a slam on them as they are under budgeted and overworked). They just couldn't handle non emergencies. One of the workers at DHR told me to try and find out a phone number of a family member and see what they could do. I started doing some searches on various sites and finally found and talked to a sister not too far from Montgomery. *Mary told me a lot about Betty---she had a mental illness, in her 60's and had been missing for several weeks. No one had heard from her and they were worried. I knew it!! I had had that feeling that her family was needing to hear from her. I decided to go with that "nudge" and sure enough, it was the right direction. The sister connected me with this lady's daughter, *Ann, who lives in Italy, and we talked for a long time. I found out more of Betty's history and we talked about options for her mom, who desperately needs some guidance and stability. We are working on a long term plan to help her, and together, will hopefully help her to be safe. Ann got to call her mother and reconnect with her and encourage her to get some help.

Betty is a gift from God. She is a beautiful woman, who genuinely wants to be follower of Christ and literally do what the Bible says about loving your neighbor. She has grace, speaks softly and loves the Lord. She hungers for Him daily and her overwhelming need to minister put my own calling to shame. Despite her illness, she wants to serve but because of her illness needs care and support. My prayer is that if she goes to the place her daughter and I hope she goes, she will have it all. She will have support so that she is taken care of and she will be able to minister to those around her which is her hearts desire.

Pray for Betty. Though it is not her real name, God knows. She is his precious creation and He loves her. It was no accident we ended up meeting her.  A family was reunited today and that made me happy.

Reminders from the day.....
1. It is vitally important to listen to people when we are "helping" them. They will tell you, if you listen, what their "real" need is, not what you think they need. I thought she needed or wanted a place to stay. She needed to be reconnected to her family. She wanted to but was afraid they would be mad with her because she had left home. She also did not know "where" they were because of her memory loss. Proverbs 18:13 says this:  "Spouting off before listening to the facts is both shameful and foolish".
2. Let the Holy Spirit guide you. If you stop and let the Holy Spirit guide you, you will be able to sense what the real need is and will know what to say and do. John 16:13 says this: "But when He, the Spirit of truth, comes, He will guide you into all the truth; for He will not speak on His own initiative, but whatever He hears, He will speak; and He will disclose to you what is to come".

3. The Lord shows up in mysterious places to help those of us who are "helpers".  We learn over and over again that  it is not us, but the Lord who meets need. He directs and guides and it is not of our own will. Psalm 5:8 says this:   "O LORD, lead me in Your righteousness because of my foes; Make Your way straight before me". 
 4. Investment in someone else's life is worth more than a bag of groceries or a hotel room.....yes that person may need food or housing but spending time with them is more important than anything. Slowing down and letting those things go that you think are important, is the key to loving a human being. Loving your neighbor requires investment. Laying down your "busy life" to help someone in need is what Christ asks us to do.

* not their real names.