Before They Call I Will Answer

July 22, 2012 Isaiah 65:24 – “Before They Call I will Answer” This is a story written by a doctor who worked in Africa: One night I had worked hard to help a mother in the labor ward; but in spite of all we could do, she died, leaving us with a tiny, premature baby and a crying two-year-old daughter. We would have difficulty keeping the baby alive; as we had no incubator (we had no electricity to run an incubator). We also had no special feeding facilities. Although we lived on the equator, nights were often chilly with treacherous drafts. One student midwife went for the box we had for such babies and the cotton wool that the baby would be wrapped in. Another went to stoke up the fire and fill a hot water bottle. She came back shortly in distress to tell me that in filling the bottle, it had burst (rubber perishes easily in tropical climates). “And it is our last hot water bottle!” she exclaimed. As in the West, it is no good crying over spilled milk, so in Central Africa it might be considered no good crying over burst water bottles. They do not grow on trees, and there are no drugstores down forest pathways. “All right,” I said, “put the baby as near the fire as you safely can, and sleep between the baby and the door to keep it free from drafts. Your job is to keep the baby warm.” The following noon, as I did most days, I went to have prayers with any of the orphanage children who chose to gather with me. I gave the youngsters various suggestions of things to pray about and told them about the tiny baby. I explained our problem about keeping the baby warm enough, mentioning the hot water bottle, and that the baby could so easily die if it got chills. I also told them of the two-year-old sister, crying because her mother had died. During prayer time, one ten -year-old girl, Ruth, prayed with the usual blunt conciseness of our African children. “Please, God” she prayed, “Send us a hot water bottle today It'll be no good tomorrow, God, as the baby will be dead, so please send it this afternoon.” While I gasped inwardly at the audacity of the prayer, she added, “And while You are about it, would You please send a dolly for the little girl so she'll know You really love her?” As often with children's prayers, I was put on the spot. Could I honestly say “Amen?” I just did not believe that God could do this. Oh, yes, I know that He can do everything; the Bible says so. But there are limits, aren't there? The only way God could answer this particular prayer would be by sending me a parcel from the homeland. I had been in Africa for almost four years at that time, and I had never, ever, received a parcel from home. Anyway, if anyone did send me a parcel, who would put in a hot water bottle? I lived on the equator! Halfway through the afternoon, while I was teaching in the nurses' training school, a message was sent that there was a car at my front door. By the time I reached home, the car had gone, but there on the verandah was a large 22-pound parcel. I felt tears pricking my eyes. I could not open the parcel alone, so I sent for the orphanage children. Together we pulled off the string, carefully undoing each knot. We folded the paper, taking care not to tear it unduly. Excitement was mounting. Some thirty or forty pairs of eyes were focused on the large cardboard box. From the top, I lifted out brightly-colored, knitted jerseys. Eyes sparkled as I gave them out. Then there were the knitted bandages for the leprosy patients, and the children looked a little bored. Then came a box of mixed raisins and sultanas - that would make a batch of buns for the weekend. Then, as I put my hand in again, I felt the.....could it really be? I grasped it and pulled it out. Yes, a brand new, rubber hot water bottle. I cried. I had not asked God to send it; I had not truly believed that He could. Ruth was in the front row of the children. She rushed forward, crying out, “If God has sent the bottle, He must have sent the dolly, too!” Rummaging down to the bottom of the box, she pulled out the small, beautifully-dressed dolly. Her eyes shone! She had never doubted! Looking up at me, she asked, “Can I go over with you and give this dolly to that little girl, so she'll know that Jesus really loves her?” “Of course,” I replied! That parcel had been on the way for five whole months, packed up by my former Sunday school class, whose leader had heard and obeyed God's prompting to send a hot water bottle, even to the equator. And one of the girls had put in a dolly for an African child - five months before, in answer to the believing prayer of a ten-year-old to bring it 'that afternoon.' “Before they call, I will answer.” (Isaiah 65:24) When you receive this, say the prayer. That's all I ask. No strings attached. Just send it on to whomever you want - but please do send it on. Prayer is one of the best free gifts we receive. There is no cost, but a lot of rewards. Let's continue praying for one another. This awesome prayer takes less than a minute. Heavenly Father, I ask you to bless my friends reading this. I ask You to minister to their spirit. Where there is pain, give them Your peace and mercy. Where there is self doubting, release a renewed confidence to work through them. Where there is tiredness or exhaustion, I ask You to give them understanding, guidance, and strength. Where there is fear, reveal Your love and release to them Your courage. Bless their finances, give them greater vision, and raise up leaders and friends to support and encourage them. I ask You to do these things in Jesus' name. Amen! ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Jesus said in Matthew 18:3, “Unless you change your mind and become like little children (trusting, loving, forgiving), you cannot enter the kingdom of heaven.” Either God is who He says He is, Almighty, or He doesn’t exist. How big is your God?

No Holograms

July 13, 2012 “So we fix our eyes not on what is seen but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.” (II Corinthians 4:18) This scripture makes me think somewhat of holograms I have seen. These have been pictures that appear to be nothing discernable, but as you concentrate on either the light or dark areas, to your delight a clear image emerges; the mystery in the picture is no longer a mystery. Google’s definition of “hologram” is: “a photograph of an interference pattern that, when suitably illuminated, produces a three-dimensional image.” This past week our granddaughter e-mailed us a picture of a sonogram taken of her baby in her womb. She made no explanation but just said, “Another Justin.” We looked at the picture but it just looked like a big blob of something. We could not figure out the mystery. While still looking at the picture I called to ask her to explain. As I concentrated on the abstract lines the close-up picture of the baby’s face just seemed to jump out at me. Once I saw it, it became very real and even was three dimensional. It was all in how I looked at it. So I guess little Johnny’s sonogram picture on the computer is a hologram. This picture proves there is a real baby mysteriously hidden that will someday soon come forth and we can hold him. This picture is temporary and can easily be destroyed, but that baby is real and eternal. So until we can see Johnny with our eyes and hold him with our arms we will just have to enjoy this picture, knowing that the real will soon come to past, and he is eternal, even now. So it is with our spiritual eyes, since we are spiritual beings, created in the image of God, we should not focus on the things of this world, which are temporal, but we should focus on those things of the spirit, for they are eternal and will never go away. Heaven and hell are for real and our spirit being will spend eternity in either heaven, if we have accepted Christ, or hell, if we haven’t accepted Christ. The Word of God makes the picture clear, and that picture is of a born-again child of God who is destined for an eternity with God the Father and Jesus His Son. As we look deeply into the things promised in God’s Word, we can clearly see the distractions and the things here that are temporal, and the things that are eternal - when time shall be no more. On what are we focusing? Here is one man’s testimonial of his path to reality. Through Mr. Cox’s prayer of faith he could now see clearly the eternal things. The distorted, blurred and mysterious things (the temporal) were gone, and the eternal things now became real, and life was no longer a hologram. “It’s Real” (by H. L. Cox) Oh, how well do I remember how I doubted day by day, for I did not know for certain that my sins were washed away. When the Spirit tried to tell me, I would not the truth receive, I endeavored to be happy, and to make myself believe. When the truth came close and searching, all my joy would disappear, for I did not have the witness of the Spirit bright and clear. If at times the coming judgment would appear before my mind, oh, it made me so uneasy, for God’s smile I could not find. When the Lord sent faithful servants who would dare to preach the truth, how my heart did so condemn me as the Spirit gave reproof. Satan says at once, “I will ruin you to now confess your state, keep on working and professing, and you’ll enter heaven’s gate.” But at last I tired of living such a life of fear and doubt, for I wanted God to give me something I would know about. So the truth would make me happy, and the light would clearly shine, and the Spirit gave assurance that I’m His and He is mine. So I prayed to God in earnest, and not caring what folks said; I was hungry for the blessing; my poor soul it must be fed. When at last by faith I touched Him, and like sparks from smitten steel, just so quick salvation reached me; O bless God, I know it’s real! It’s real, it’s real, oh, I know it’s real. Praise God, the doubts are settled, for I know, I know it’s real!