BUT
I AM PRAYING...
In
this first week of the 2017, I find myself tearing up over the
influence of someone who has moved away from my life; but who had
immeasurable influence on it.
When
I came into this new phase of my life back in 2005, God literally
pushed me into a program called Celebrate Recovery and broke my heart
over what I had been and what I needed to be instead. CR, as we call
it, was just the tool He wanted to use it to turn me from hating into
loving; from twisting everything to God's failures in my life to
seeing God's Great Power and Love and Mercy at work in my life.
The
walk before me was extremely painful and exhausting. But due to this
influential woman in my life, I learned to cling to God through, not
just my own personal prayers and pleading, but by reaching out for Joy
in the music that was the epitome of all that I needed to pray.
Because of her, I became a “hand raiser,” unable to stop reaching
up to God as I prayed along with these songs. To this day, I find
pure Joy in singing my prayers. A morning of musical prayer is always
a very high note in my life!
Since
not many people in my church “arm raise,” the question sometimes
came up as to whether it was really alright to do that.
At
one evening prayer meeting, a small discussion came up and our
precious guiding light Shepherd leader was put on the spot by
everyone looking to him for an answer:
In
his sweet way, he said that it surely is not wrong and, in itself
does, not interrupt a calm and orderly worship service. But it is
true that the Bible only mentions it in regard to prayer. What I did
not say, but thought, was, “But I AM praying!”
I
will never forget how this woman influenced my growth in Christ by
showing me how to reach up to God in prayer, as well as look up to
Him as the owner, Savior and Lord of my life.
May
we all “reach up” to God with our prayers, even if our arms do
not rise!
And
may we see the power of God in our lives day after day in this new
year and beyond!
