THE LORD BLESSES THEN HE IMPRESSES

“Father, God, I don’t know where we are going to get those extra dollars.” Many of us have prayed my prayer of last week. Times are tighter than they had been. I had also added an addendum to my prayer: “Lord, it will have to come totally from you because I have no clue what to do.” I opened the door, and like the loving Lord God that he is, he stepped through. As if taking me at my word, he impressed me into his service. Less than a week later I got a phone call for an agency I had never heard about with an offer that had never entered my mind.

“Dr. Rapp, would you consider an interim placement, for the month of April, at a men’s prison there in Indiana?”

When the Lord blesses, he may then impress us into his service. Is the answer, “Yes Lord I asked for an opportunity, but you must have made a mistake on this one or you didn’t hear me clearly.” He has blessed and he has impressed and I leave tomorrow for my placement. I will stay the week in a hotel, arranged by the placement people, then home on weekends. Doesn’t God just blow your mind sometimes?! The really wonderful thing is, he calls us into his service all of the time, but we often believe that we must have misunderstood. Surly he didn’t say to go there, or speak here, or touch a life in a place as foreign to our own way of life as possible. The walk with the Lord takes many turns. What an adventure! Let us pray:

“Father God, you meet our needs for daily bread each time we call upon your name. Forgive us when we expect cake instead. When you call us out of the world, we are your servants, you are not ours. We ask that you will give us courage to take up the tasks you give us, that you will give us strength for the job, and safety for your mission. Holy is your name and we wrap our entire body in your love like a large tunic or precious swaddling clothes. There are so many who call out for your help, may they hear your answer and follow your calling. The path is long but the journey is magnificent. In the name of Jesus, the Christ, your son and our savior I pray. Amen”
Doris
Copyright 2010 Doris Gaines Rapp, Ph.D.
“God gives us stories that testify to His love. Let me tell you mine.”

HEALTH CARE CRISIS

Some people were cheering today and others weeping, all over the health care legislation that passed last evening in Washington. Christians will do what they have always done, render unto Washington the things that are Washington’s and unto God the things that are God’s. Those who have fought hard on either side will continue to fight for their cause, but their love and devotion will go to God. Political points of view cannot be our God, neither can a cause, no matter how important and sincerely felt. We may live or die for what we believe in a social context, but we must never worship it. To worship a cause is to see it with blind faith, never questioning its precepts and never opening our ears and hearts to hear another’s point of view. Hold fast to what you believe in, while holding friends and family and their opinions even closer. Some people can be persuaded to your point of view, others cannot. That is when we love with open arms and open hearts those with closed minds and angry hearts. We will take into Heaven those we have loved, not those we have convinced, because we do not hold all truth without our own understanding. Only God’s heart and mind are large enough for that. Let us pray:

“Holy Father, God, precious is your name, the only name that causes man to hush from their babble and bow their head. We confess that we do not know all there is to know about much, and little or nothing about the rest. We trust that you will guide us to carry on the work you would have us do. Open our hearts and minds to understand the causes you place in our care so that we are not just rattling cages to closed minds but springing the locks for those who would not know unless we taught them. But, they cannot hear if we are yelling or smug. They will not change their mind if our volume speaks louder than our love. Forgive us for betraying the trust you placed in us by making your cause an issue to be mocked rather than embraced. We pray that your will may be done in our lives this very day and the lives of those we love. In the name of Jesus Christ your son we pray. Amen.”
Doris
Copyright 2010 Doris Gaines Rapp, Ph.D.
“God gives us stories that testify to His love. Let me tell you mine.”

I Serve at the Pleasure of the Lord

I watched little Katy and her cousin as they energetically tried to remain still in the nave of the church. Katy was to extinguish the candles and her cousin was to carry forth the Bible. They had bounded up the isle a little too early, then shifted from one foot to the other as they waited to carry the precious items from the altar and, symbolically, into the world.

“Grandpa . . . Grandpa,” Katy called in her best stage whisper. She evidently thought they were waiting too long while the last hymn was sung. I placed my hand on her shoulder and pointed to where we were in the hymnal and she happily sang along. She seemed so excited about executing her Sunday morning tasks as correctly as possible, as she served her God.

Then, I thought of the familiar words from the TV show, The West Wing, “I serve at the pleasure of the President.” Evidently, those who work for Republican or Democrat administrations serve in government in that capacity. We, as Christians, serve in the same way, only we serve at the pleasure of the Lord. To truly be servants and followers of the Master, we fulfill his ministry, not our own. We go where he sends us. We speak words he would have us say. We empty ourselves of self and take on Jesus Christ. With great joy and humility, we serve at the pleasure of the Lord. Let us pray:

“Holy Father God, how marvelous is your Holy name. We stand amazed and awed by your glory, the light from which is brighter than the sun. How very silly and childish we are when we think that our efforts alone provide a ministry for others. For good to happen, we must serve you and not ourselves or our own vanity. Forgive us for our self-centered attitudes of entitlement and raise us up as new creatures, full of your spirit, fully human yet touched by the Divine. We turn our lives over to you, oh God, and pray that others will see you in us. We ask for one precious gift from you Father, that we may serve you at your pleasure. We pray that you find joy in your humble servants dear Lord. In the name of your precious son, our Master, our Savior, Jesus Christ we pray. Amen”
Doris
Copyright 2010 Doris Gaines Rapp, Ph.D.
“God gives us stories that testify to His love. Let me tell you mine.”

New articles appear every week. Check them out at: www.suite101.com/profile.cfm/dorisrappphd

SPRING IS WHISPERING

I heard the robins singing the other day. Not that they hadn’t been there all along, but I heard them this time. Dirty snow is still pilled in mall parking lots while Spring whispers on the clean breeze. That’s a lot like God’s presence in our lives. While we are still mired in mud, with feet covered with gunk, God reaches down through the promise of Spring and lifts us unto Himself. He doesn’t give us a fancy boat to float above the pain of this world, but he does provide muck boots to keep our feet from dragging the filth in with us. We are covered with the robe of Christ where our heads are protected from fallen dreams, the stinging rain of criticism, the harsh glare of humiliation for His sake, and where we are swaddled in His love. Spring is the evidence of God’s gift of hope and his promise that all things can be renewed. Otherwise, he would have designed a never-ending summer and we would miss the miracle of new blades of grass and the fragrance of new blossoms. Let us pray:

“Father God, author of our hope, creator of our every Spring, we praise your holy name. We pray that your kingdom will come in your time and your glory will fill your blessed earth as is your pleasure. We pray that your Spring will burst forth in the hearts of all your children and the song of the birds is heard once again. Forgive us for our unwillingness to listen for your voice amid the noise of the day because we asked for a symphony. We miss your blessings when we place an order and reject the offered gift. Open our eyes to ways in which we can serve you by meeting the needs of those stuck in a perpetual winter. May new sprouts push up through the garden of our lives and fill the yard with color and an opportunity to send fragrance out onto the wind for those who pass by our door. In the name of Jesus Christ, your son, the master gardener we pray. Amen”
Doris
Copyright 2010 Doris Gaines Rapp, Ph.D.
“God gives us stories that testify to His love. Let me tell you mine.”

New articles by Doris Gaines Rapp appear every week.
Check them out at: www.suite101.com/profile.cfm/dorisrappphd

WHEN SPRING TARRIES

When will Spring get here? We have an official date - March 21. What we really want is relief from cold weather, dirty snow, heavy coats, overcast skies, and no color anywhere except brown.

It’s a little like wondering when Christ will return. What we want is relief from a cold heart, a dirty soul, heavy guilt, a gray, cloudy mood, and no hope in our lives. But, the Good News is, we already have those shadows in our lives dispelled. Christ’s first coming gave us, not freedom from the world’s pull on our life, but shelter and healing from the effects of the world’s intrusion on our spirit. We are not led to avoid the crises of life. We are promised that God will walk through the pain with us. Our Holy Spring has already arrived. The winter of the soul has passed. Rejoice in the splendor of the new day. Let us pray:

“Our Father God, author of hope, love, forgiveness, healing, grace, and salvation, we get wrapped up in our fear of life’s demands. We know that we are not strong enough to tread water until you come and walk upon it and pull us from drowning in our own circumstances. You have told us that you will not only stand on the surface, but you will get in the water with us. Forgive us when we forget that, when we depend on ourselves to be the victim, the rescuer, the boat, the oars, and the wind in the sails, we drown. All we have to do is reach up and we will be elevated to a place where the water cannot sweep us away. For this present moment, we lift our hands to you and accept your power to either bring us out of the water, or let us enjoy the swim with you. In the name of your precious son, Jesus, whose faith in you allowed him to be the first to walk on wet water, we pray. Amen.”
Doris
Copyright 2010 Doris Gaines Rapp, Ph.D.
“God gives us stories that testify to His love. Let me tell you mine.”

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For a list of all articles, go to: Doris Gaines Rapp - Suite101