Licking the Spoon and Taking out the Trash

Esther 4:14
For if you remain completely silent at this time, relief and deliverance will arise for the Jews from another place, but you and your father’s house will perish. Yet who knows whether you have come to the kingdom for such a time as this?”
Luke 19:40
But He answered and said to them, “I tell you that if these should keep silent, the stones would immediately cryout.”  

I can remember as I was raising four boys that sometimes things went to the closes son.  So if you were in the kitchen while I was baking, then you got to lick the spoon, likewise if I saw you when it was time to take out the trash, then you got that duty.  It was much easier than looking for another son, when one was always close by.  All I knew is that something was there to be offered or something needed to be done, it didn't matter as much by whom, just that is got done.  Some things were met with excitement and other things were met with "Awww, why me, I did it last time"  But sometimes there would be a blessing given to the one who did what was asked of him.
It seems that God often works in the same way.  When Esther wasn't sure whether or not she wanted to go before the King regarding the plot to kill her people, Mordecai assured her that God would deliver the Jews, even if He had to use someone else.  
When the Pharisees wanted Jesus to quiet the people and stop them from praising Him.  Jesus told the Pharisees that even if the people didn't praise Him, the rocks would. 
God's will, will get done, either with us or in spite of us. 
But how much more exciting it would be, to be the one that God uses.  
So how does God pick who to use?  Does He look for the brightest, strongest, handsomest, richest?  No, although being those things does not disqualify you from being used, it is not what God looks for.  Much like when I would call the son closest to me, God is also looking for those close to Him.  
Are you spending time with God?  Are you in His word?  Are you spending time in prayer?  
When you are close to God, you will hear His voice when He calls and believe me He will call.  
What will you do when He calls, will you joyfully do what is ask or will you argue "why you?"  
I pray that you will step up and do whatever it is that God calls you to do.

During my 90 days transformation, I have been asking God to use me.  I have been praying for the eyes of Jesus to see what needs to be done, and asking for a servant's heart to do whatever is asked.
Some examples where God has used me in this last few weeks have been:  
1.  I was able to pray with an elderly man on the bus who had just broke his cane and was worried about getting home.  He was also feeling that God must be mad at him, and I was able to share with him, God's love.
2. I was at the right place and time, when my step grandson was having difficulty breathing.  I was able to first calm him down and then get my son and his mom, who called the paramedics.  I was also blessed to use this as a teaching moment for my three year old grandson, as we prayed together for brother Joey and his parents. And then;
3. This weekend when we had a yard sale, God told me to put up a sign that said, "Need Prayer" and I was able to pray with several people that came to the yard sale.
See God did not look for anything that the world would look for, I am not some great prayer warrior, what I was, was staying close to God and then obedient when God called my name.
God wants to use you too.  
Please leave a comment about how God is using you, or any prayer request that you may have.

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Staying the Course

1 You're blessed when you stay on course, walking steadily on the road revealed by God. 2 You're blessed when you follow his directions, doing your best to find him. 3 That's right - you don't go off on your own; you walk straight along the road he set. 4 You, God, prescribed the right way to live; now you expect us to live it. 5 Oh, that my steps might be steady, keeping to the course you set; 6Then I'd never have any regrets in comparing my life with your counsel. 7 I thank you for speaking straight from your heart; I learn the pattern of your righteous ways. 8 I'm going to do what you tell me to do; don't ever walk off and leave me.

Yesterday God showed me how important it is to stay the course.  

My niece is having open heart surgery today, so I was taking the bus from my home to Orange County to be at the hospital today during the surgery.  I was already on the bus, had my day pass for all my connections, when I get a call from my aunt, "surgery had been postponed due to problems with insurance".  Ok what to do, I'm already on the bus, although I could get off at the next stop and get another bus back home, but something said, no stay the course.  Then I get a message from a friend, can I come over and help clean her house.  "God, I could really use the money, maybe I should change course and go help her". "No, stay the course".
So I continued, praying for God's peace wondering did I hear him correctly, am I doing the right thing?   Am I doing the prudent thing?  Doubts, doubts, doubts.  But hearing the words, "Stay the course".  So almost four hours later I arrive at my destination, I get a call from my aunt,  surgery is a go, insurance has been worked out.

Thank you God, for showing me how to trust you, and to trust myself when I hear your voice.  Thank you for reinforcing how important it is to stay the course.  The enemy, will throw all kinds of things your way, making you doubt your commitment, making you doubt which way to go, but God says stay the course.

Trust

Trust in The Lord with all you heart and lean not on your own understanding.  Prov. 3:5

Trust in The Lord with all my heart, hmmm do I do this.  Yes on some level, I do trust The Lord but do I fully trust God?  With all my heart?  The word "Trust" indicates a confidence, boldness but I have found myself doubting.  How many times instead of proclaiming something out loud, I hold back, hesitate.  What if it doesn't happen?  What if I say it out loud and then look like a fool?  I mean it has happened, we have all heard the stories of someone declaring that something will happen because they believe that "God" has told them it would happen, then nothing.  Wow, not only do they look foolish, but so do Christians all over.

I think the problem comes with the second part of the verse, "and lean not on your own understanding".   Sometimes, when I pray for things, I find that I also want to provide God with the answer.  You know the kind of prayer, God we pray for healing for so and so, we trust you for that healing and we declare it to be true.

Is that the way God wants us to pray?  I don't think so.  If we trust God, really trust God, then we have to trust him with the outcome, even when that out come looks nothing like what we prayed for.  Even when our Lord, prayed the Lord's Prayer, he said Thy Will Be Done.  That is what we need to trust, God's Will!   Do we trust his will?  Do we trust that God always will do what is best for us?  Even when a loved one is not healed?  Even when the job doesn't come?  Even when the relationship is not restored?  Do we trust Him?  

Jesus had to trust God before his crucifixion, he had to trust God and say "not my will, but thine be done". 

Jesus taught about giving good gifts, good gifts are not always what we want, but what we need.  Did your parents ever give you a gift for your birthday, that was not what you wanted, but was maybe what you needed?   Or did your parents ever not give you wanted because they knew that it was not what was best for you?  Do you remember not understanding why?  Why can't I have a pony?  Why can't I have this or that, and we had to learn to "trust" them?

Every time we trust God when we feel that he did not answer our prayer exactly how we wanted, our faith grows.  And trusting gets a little bit easier.

So next time you pray for something Trust God, trust him boldly, trust Him with confidence.  Not that he will do exactly what we ask, but that our loving Father will do exactly what we need.