Prayer and Eagles

Day 156: Isaiah 38-41

In Isaiah 38, Isaiah tells Hezekiah that he is going to die. Isaiah's message is from the Lord. Understandably so, Hezekiah becomes distraught and fervently prays to the Lord. The Lord hears Hezekiah, and grants him 15 more years of life. Prayer changes God's mind.

This story is interesting to me. I have been thinking about the meaning of prayer a lot lately. I even taught a Bible class on it Wednesday night at church. I've also witnessed miraculous happenings through prayer. Prayer is powerful. It can change God's mind, and it can form us. And here in the OT, we have such an example of prayer changing history.

One of my favorite passages in all of Scripture: 

Isaiah 40:28-31
  Do you not know?
       Have you not heard?
       The LORD is the everlasting God,
       the Creator of the ends of the earth.
       He will not grow tired or weary,
       and his understanding no one can fathom.
    He gives strength to the weary
       and increases the power of the weak.
    Even youths grow tired and weary,
       and young men stumble and fall;
    ³¹ but those who hope in the LORD
       will renew their strength.
       They will soar on wings like eagles;
       they will run and not grow weary,
       they will walk and not be faint.

Let's pray so that we can soar on wings like eagles.

Where is Your Broom Tree?

Day 68: I Kings 18-22

This weekend was a wonderful time of relaxation and renewal for me and Shane. We were blessed to have two wonderful friends give us the gift of a weekend trip to San Antonio. These dear friends were supporters of The Grove who knew firsthand how important it is for couples to spend time together, especially after such a long, arduous time.

This weekend was wonderful for us. We held hands as we walked along the winding paths of the Riverwalk. We laughed and giggled with delight as we always do when it’s just the two of us together. We relished each other’s company and enjoyed being together. We reflected on our life together. The valleys and the mountains. The bad decisions we’ve made in the past and the best ones we’ve ever made. We shopped, read books, and relaxed. What a wonderful weekend.

We have come far since the days when we felt we were sitting under the broom tree, wondering when God would save us from these days of “excrement” (a word used by my new favorite author Madeleine L’Engle in Two-Part Invention: The Story of a Marriage—a wonderful book and one that I encourage you to read). The broom tree, you see, is where Elijah went when he was being chased by Ahab who was trying to kill him. Elijah found this broom tree, sat down under it and prayed that he might die. He tells the Lord that he has had enough and he is now ready to die. Then he falls asleep.

Although we haven’t necessarily said that we wanted to die, we have felt some of these same feelings that Elijah had, wondering what it was all for. Here you had Elijah who was trying to do a good thing by prophesying and leading people to the Lord. But, instead, these people turn to Baal and to other idols, and Elijah feels like his life is not worth anything.

Many of us have sat under a broom tree before, wondering what is happening to life as we knew it, wondering how we got HERE, to this specific point, wondering how our life has turned out this way. And Elijah felt that way, too. He is ready to die.

But then an angel comes and tells Elijah to eat. The angel even provides food and water for Elijah. This food and water sustains him, so much so that he has enough strength to travel forty days and forty nights until he reaches Horeb, the mountain of God. At the mountain of God, Elijah gets to see the Lord pass by from his place in the mouth of the cave. The Lord doesn’t appear in the form of thunder, or a lighting bolt, or even fire. Instead, the Lord passes by in the form of a gentle whisper.

This weekend was a time for a couple to hear the loving, tender whisper of the Lord God speaking to us, telling us that he is proud of us, that he loves us. And forever reminding us that He is there for us, always, but especially in those days of excrement when we feel like crawling up under a broom tree and dying. God will find us there, and he will provide for us. He will meet all of our needs. 

Forgiveness heals

Day 12: Genesis 42-45

Tomorrow begins a new journey for the Alexander family. Shane begins preaching at Northcrest Church of Christ. We are really excited about this moment because it marks the end of a very hard time in our lives, yet it also marks a time of hope, excitement, and change. We are really excited about joining this sweet congregation, and we are hopeful about what the Lord will do there with and through us. Thank you, God, for this opportunity. Keep us in your prayers.

On a different note...I love the story of Joseph meeting his brothers in Egypt long after they had sold him into slavery. Joseph must have been quite surprised to see them. He could have sought revenge against them. In fact, in his position as governor, he could have easily had them put to death. But he doesn’t. Instead, he has compassion on them. He shows them love. He shows them forgiveness.

There are a few people in my life to whom I feel bitterness. I was definitely wronged by them, and sometimes I want to dwell in this bitterness. But I can learn from Joseph how to show forgiveness. And what’s important to remember is that the forgiveness didn’t help the brothers; it helped Joseph. Joseph was able to welcome them into his home with an honest and genuine love for them—not a bitterness that no one would have blamed him for holding.

But he didn’t. He forgave. Forgiveness heals.

I, too, should forgive. I need to let go of the past and forgive those people who hurt me. It’s not for them that I need to do this; it’s for me. For my health and well-being. For my relationships with others. Thank you, Joseph, for reminding me of this lesson.