If I didn’t know it before…I sure know it now. I am blessed.
In fact I am blessed way more than I deserve and it seems like when
doubt starts to rear its ugly head in me…God lovingly reminds me once again
that I. Am. Blessed.
Let me explain. We are in
a Connection Group from our church. You
may have heard them referred to as Small Groups…we just have a fancier name for
them J We are in this group with five other couples and we meet every
other Wednesday evening. We share a
snack together, share our praises and prayer concerns and then spend time
studying together. This year’s study is
on the book of Revelation…and while I was a little apprehensive at the
beginning of having this as our subject…I am loving it!
But to be honest, I think we could do a study on “How to Buy
Prunes” and I would be blessed.
Why? Because we do life together. The twelve of us really care for each other
and I’m confident that they look forward to being together as much as Dan and I
do. These dear souls are our brothers
and sisters in Christ and something special happens when we are together. During our evenings we have laughed…cried…and
shared and as a result God has blessed us again and again.
I love our prayer time because it really helps draw us even
closer. During this time we praise God for
His answers to our prayers and we share those areas of our lives that still need
God to work in a mighty way. We have
seen Him do some amazing things as a result of our prayers, which is a
wonderful reminder that our God is alive and well and more powerful than we can
even imagine!
But what probably blesses me the most is what happens during the
time between our gatherings. This group
doesn’t just come together for an evening every two weeks and then walk out and
forget everything until the next meeting rolls around. They keep lifting each other up in prayer,
taking everyone’s requests to our Father in heaven. Our group knows that whenever they have a
need, all they have to do is make a phone call or send out a text or e-mail,
and they immediately have eleven other people praying with them.
Just this past week I shared with them that our grandson was ill
and asked if they would be praying for him.
Not only did they pray…but they have contacted me since then to find out
how he is doing. That, my friend, is
being “Jesus with skin on”. That is
really caring about those things that concern me and then not just saying they
will pray…but actually doing it. They
are teaching me, by their example, what it really means to be in the family of
God.
I hear people say sometimes that there just isn’t anything they
can do for God. They say they are too
old…or too young…or too busy…or not gifted enough…or too uneducated. I beg to differ with them because everyone
can pray. God doesn’t care how lofty
your words sound or whether what you say is proper English. God sees your heart and He loves to hear you,
His child, lift the requests of others up to Him. Not only does that bless Him, but it also
really blesses those you lift up. It
shows them that you care enough to go to the Father on their behalf.
Another thing that I am learning is that when you lift others up
in prayer, you begin thinking less about your own problems. It’s so easy to get caught up in our daily
grind and we can find ourselves wallowing in those things that are wrong in our
life and we can quickly become pretty depressed. But when we can get our eyes off of ourselves
and onto the lives of those around us…suddenly our spirit is lifted and we
become thankful instead of critical.
If you aren’t a member of a small group of believers, I highly
recommend that you seek one out. Our
world can be pretty crazy at times and having brothers and sisters in Christ
whom you can do life with is a wonderful way to regain some sanity. I believe you will soon be blessed as they
begin to do life with you and doubly blessed as you have the opportunity to do
life with them. Believe me when I say…it’s a win-win situation!
“This is my commandment: Love each other
in the same way I have
loved you.”
John 15:12
“Give, and you will receive.
Your gift will return
to you in full—pressed down,
shaken together to
make room for more,
running over, and
poured into your lap.
The amount you give
will
determine the amount
you get back.”
Luke 6:38
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