Over the Thanksgiving holiday my family and I traveled to Georgia to spend time with our family. As all trips in the past we had a great time, but this trip was definitely special! My son, Asher who is 7 has recently taken on his Pops love for hunting. During this trip Pops surprised Asher with his 1st deer rifle! Talk about excited!! He was more eager than ever before to go hunting, but soon found out that getting up at 5:30 in the morning to sit quietly in the freezing cold was a bit of a challenge! After about two days and still no deer Asher was ready for something new. Something with less quiet, more movement, and maybe not so early... dove hunting it was!
This was another first for Asher. He had never been dove hunting before but was beyond excited to give it a shot! As they neared their spot in the field Pops noticed that there was absolutely no action.. no dove were to be seen. Pops said "if this is what we have to look forward to it's going to be a long day!" Without hesitation Asher immediately responded with "let's pray then!" As they began to pray my father-in-law said he was reminded that we have dominion over all things. (Psalm 8:6-9) He recalls that moments after they finished praying you could hear the doves coming and they soon found out there was no way possible for them to keep up! Within a very short time they had killed 19 dove, had two very bruised shoulders, and Asher had shot his very first dove!
As I heard this I began to think how differently life would be if prayer was our first option and not our last resort. Instead of being moved by our current circumstances or situation we began to move them with prayer! Prayer was designed by God as a way of communication with Him. So many times we allow ourselves to get so overwhelmed by what we see or feel that prayer is the last thing on our minds. We began to focus on "that thing" instead of giving it to God and trusting Him to take care of it. Philippians 4:6-7 say "be anxious for nothing, but in everything by PRAYER and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus."
There may be some of you who feel that because of what you did or did not do God is mad at you. I want you to know that God is not mad at you, nor has He turned His back on you. He is a gracious and loving God who is far more anxious to fellowship with you than you can ever imagine. There isn't anything that you have done or will ever do that will change God's love for you. Just remember no problem is too big, too small, or too far gone with God! He has a solution to any and every problem that may arise in your life, but it's your responsibility to come to Him.
Today I challenge you to set aside 5 minutes a day a to pray with God and watch as things in your life begin to change!
No comments:
Post a Comment