30 Day Prayer Challenge Day 25, October 23, 2014 “So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.” 2 Corinthians 4:18 We talked to the 3 men for about an hour. Before leaving, one of them asked if we needed anything. We had left the house that morning not expecting all this, and we didn’t have anything with us. We wanted a Bible, but had not been able to find one, so he left the room and returned five minutes later with one in his hands. He handed it to Scott. The Bible immediately opened in one motion to the book of Esther. Scott’s eyes dropped effortlessly, and landed directly on these words, as if led, and he read aloud, “Now what is your petition? It will be given you. What is your request? It will also be granted.” We were stunned. Things were starting to line up for us. The still small voice of God was getting louder. He was saying something to us. He named her. He gathered people to pray for her. He brought feet to bring good news. Then He spoke right from the Biblical book of her namesake, the words of a loving king to his bride in her time of fear and great uncertainty. I was hearing God speak directly to me. I was hearing Him clearly over all the noise. Dare I listen? Dare I believe this ludicrous thing He was telling me in this situation? Amazed, but with confidence, Scott prayed from the perspective of just being handed an invitation to ask the King for whatever he wanted, up to half the kingdom. He prayed audaciously that she would not be born, but that if this were to pass through His hands that He would bring her through it safely with no issues. We boldly asked God for a miracle for our little girl. When musicians in an orchestra are warming up, the pit is filled with chaotic sounds as their breath dances across silver, brass, and wooden key holes. It’s not unusual to hear a single flute run up a chromatic scale or a French horn cutting through the clamor with an aching lonesome sound. I’ve sat listening, waiting for them to come together in one purpose under the direction of the conductor. Individually they are each focused on their part as they tune up, and the noise makes no sense. But even in all this aural mess, if one instrument plays a familiar melody, it stands out. It draws our attention away from the chaos. In all the events that led up to this point with Esther, the song of a single pure flute melody emerged from the clamor. I knew the tune. “My faith has found a resting place.” It sure sounded like that’s what I was hearing. “Did you hear that Scott?” “Not in device or creed.” This didn’t sound like coincidental notes anymore. It was beginning to sound like the song my soul needed to hear. The whole song was being played, measure by measure, telling my ears that I could be certain of what I was hearing from the lone flute in the woodwind section, over all the tuning and blowing and blaring and clamoring and warming up. “I trust the ever living One; His wounds for me shall plead. I need no other argument, I need no other plea. It is enough that Jesus died and that He died for me.” These were labor pains of a different kind. Giving birth to faith isn’t easy. We are being asked to trust something we don’t see, when what we do see is so statistically stacked against us. In the raw sufferings of life, we are offered two choices—to throw all our trust in Him, or let things happen the way we are being told they will happen and never hope or pray for anything more. At this point, I was sick to death of life telling me what will be written in my story. God was telling me to consider another story for my life—one of faith. There are 2 parts of Hebrews 11:1. The first part seems to be written in invisible ink. Unless we are desperate enough to read it, we just don’t see it. “Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.” Right in these very moments, I knew God was good (All the time!), but what I was so desperate to know was that Esther would be ok. He was asking me to come to Him with all of my “things hoped for,” not only just the “things not seen.” He was asking me to take baby steps...to reach a little further and then a little further again, to taste and see that He is good to all who take refuge in Him. He was asking me to fix my eyes not on what was seen, but on what was unseen and even to trust Him for all that I was still hoping for. It came down to no-uncertain terms. He wanted us to keep our eyes on Him, no matter what we were hearing with our ears, seeing with our eyes, and feeling in our hearts. He wanted us to force ourselves to trust Him—He who created all things from that which is not even visible. He can do all things…except force me to trust Him. I had to do that part. He gave us a choice. Scott and I chose to override our senses and to trust Him, no matter what. It was a baby step. Scripture of the Day: “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight.” Proverbs 3:5-6 Song of the Day: “You Are I Am,” by MercyMe youtube/watch?v=2JI4CPfuLW0
Posted on: Thu, 23 Oct 2014 11:08:27 +0000
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