"Call to me and I will answer you, and tell you great and unsearchable things you do not know. " Jeremiah 33:3

Tuesday, October 18, 2011

"Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you." 1 Thessalonians 5:18 ESV

Ten years ago today as I am writing this post the Lord called my Mother home to be with Him for all of eternity. So even though there are times that I miss her so much that it hurts; I am at perfect peace because I know that she is with Jesus Christ her Lord and Savior. That isn't wishful thinking on my part, it isn't because my Mother had lived a sinless life, only One person ever did that and His name is Jesus Christ. And it is because of Him and the trust and faith my Mother put in Him and what He did on the cross over two thousand years ago that I know without a doubt she is with Him. I also know because I had the humbling honor and blessing to be able to share Jesus Christ with both of my parents, (Romans 10:9-13.) I was on my knees with Dad on one side and Mom on the other, on their knees when they asked Jesus to forgive their sins, to take over their surrendered lives to Him and they according to the Word of God were miraculously born again that very day. Mom and Dad both are with Jesus and I know that one day I too will be called home to heaven to see my Savior face to face and see my parents once again.

So today is a day of reflection, today is a day to think of my Mother and to consider the legacy that she left for my brother and I. My Mother was a woman of prayer, not just the prayers that some pray when they have come to the end of themselves and that is all they have left to try, no my Mother had an ongoing dialogue through out the day with Jesus. After all what is prayer but a conversation between a believer and his or her Lord? The Lord desires to be the most important part of our lives not just on Sunday, not just in our daily quiet times, but 24/7 He is with us and longs to hear from us. He is always speaking, the question is are we listening?

My Mother prayed about everything, because she read and studied her Bible and she knew that there wasn't anything that concerned her that Jesus would not be interested in. 1 Peter 5:6-7 says; "Humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you at the proper time, casting all your anxiety on Him, because He cares for you." She prayed every time we got in the car to go anywhere, she prayed when she heard an ambulance or passed a car wreck for the people involved, she prayed for total strangers, anywhere, any place, any time. She prayed without ceasing for my brother and me I know, because I was blessed to live with her following my Father's death for two years and 4 months. I also know because all the rest of my adult life I lived away from her and she always knew when something was going on in my life, always! And I didn't tell her, the only way she knew was because God placed a burden on her to pray for me, and His timing was always perfect! Prayer is actually much more about listening, than it is about our doing all the talking...

Time and time again I heard my Mom praying over the phone for someone and I learned a valuable lesson, people love to have someone pray for them, even people that don't know Jesus! More about that later. I learned not to tell someone I was going to pray for them if they asked, but I was to pray for them at that moment, no matter where you were, one time a lady asked me to pray for her at the entrance to a very busy Wal*Mart, (is there any other kind?) and we bowed our heads and prayed right there. Mom taught me that valuable prayer lesson through her life lived out, not just words. Toward the last few months of her life she was frequently in the hospital where she prayed for the nurses, the doctors and the patients around her. And she prayed for her grandchildren by name every single day, prayed that they too would know Jesus, that they would fulfill His purpose for their lives, that they would love Him with all their heart, mind and soul and know His love for them personally. Because of her legacy I too lift up my grandchildren by name every single day, and my sons and their wives by name everyday, many times more than once. And I lift up my brother and his wife and their children and grandchildren every day its what Jesus taught us to do in the Bible and it wasn't just His words, He modeled the way for us. See; Matthew 6:6, Mark 6:46 and Luke 6:12.

This is about obedience to God, He commanded us to pray for one another, to lift one another up in prayer, pray for those who are unable for whatever reason to pray for themselves, pray for strangers just as Jesus prayed and died for strangers.

What is your legacy, what will your children or grandchildren remember about you? The world values, money, and possessions left but those things are temporal, seek to leave behind those things of eternal value; the most valuable of all; the Good News of Jesus Christ, share Him with everyone in your family, share Him with everyone He gives you an opportunity, after all the value of a single soul cost God's Son His very life, try estimating a cost on that... what could we ever leave behind that would be of more value?

2 comments:

  1. Thank you for this post, and thank you for all the times you prayed for me and with me. Praise God your parents are rejoicing in Heaven today because of your obedience to Him.

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  2. This was my reflection for today: Is prayer a road I regularly travel or one that I use only when I can find no easier path?
    Knowing Christ and making Him known...our greatest commission.
    Thanks...

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