this morning me and a close friend of mine talked on the phone to discuss the word and to encourage each other on the GRACE of GOD! man, did the LORD teach us and remind us of some things..
I was sharing with her some passages I have been studying and reading in my times with the LORD and I wanted to share them with you as well...
Acts 12
"now about that time Herod the king laid hands on some who belonged to the church in order to mistreat them, And he had James the brother of John put to death with a sword When he saw that it pleased the Jews, he proceeded to arrest, Peter also....When he had seized him, he put him in prison, delivering him to four squads of soldiers to guard him, intending after the passover to bring him out before the people. SO peter was kept in the prison, but prayer for him was being made fervently by the church to God. On the very night when Herod was about to bring him forward, Peter was sleeping between two soldiers, bound with two chains, and guards in front of the door were watching over the prison..." as you know the story an angel of the LORD appeared and freed peter...the word then goes on to say after peter realized what happened, he went to the house of Mary, the mother of John who was called Mark where many were gathered together and were praying...this is the part the gets me...it says.." When he knocked at the door of the gate a servant girl named Rhoda came to answer. When she recognized Peter's voice because of her joy she did not open the gate but ran in and announced that peter was standing in front of the gate..they said to her,"YOu are out of your mind!"
well..the LORD led me to pull a lot out of this passage..but the one that application that is dear to me in this time of my life is simply FAITH in what it is that I pray. this young girl whom it seems was there during the time they were praying BELIEVED without even seeing that was peter at the door of the gate..its like she immediately TRUSTED what was being prayed and for that reason she had JOY in her heart that lead her to tell others... I walked away with immediate conviction and at the same time full of encouragement that I can TRUST the LORD to answer my prayers...may not be what I want sometimes..but I can always, ALWAYS bank on him answering...
Often we pray just like the disciples and don't EXPECT the LORD to do what we have JUST ASKED him to...they were praying for Peter's release but they were not PRAYIng in FAITH that the LORD would do just that...he did even in spite of their UNBELIEF...so can I TRUST the LORD to provide more children for us in the future, yes..can I trust an EXPECT him to do many miraculous things for our family as we serve him in this ministry,,yes. I can because in james it says..we are to ask in FAITH without doubting, for the one who doubts is like the surf of the sea, driven and tossed by the wind.. We don't simply believe what we believe.
I am asking the LORD today and I am TRUSTING that he will answer my request, to give me the same FAITH that I have when I take an tylenol for an headache in hopes of it relieving me from that pain...or even the same faith that I have in Health Food stores vitamins that are suppose to give me BETTER nutrients than an "regular" vitamin I could have purchased at Walmart..the faith that I have in those medicines should be even GREATER faith in our LORD and SAVIOR who has rescued us from ETERNAL HELL
all his promises ARE true and can take every thing that he says literally... if I can have FAITH in him saving my soul then surely I can trust him in my day to day circumstances