THE DAY THAT THE RAIN CAME DOWN

Have you seen the news reports? Rain, drought, hurricanes, tornados, floods, earthquakes—they are all part of the world in which we live and they have all occurred in recent days!

We sometimes think these weather events are signs from God or punishment from him. God speaks to us in many ways. He doesn’t have to flood the place to make himself heard. These natural occurrences are our opportunity to praise him for the good that can come at these times: the kindnesses people share and the heroism that is displayed. None of us can speak for God or pretend that he seeks counsel with us to determine how he should treat his children. If you want to see God’s hand in recent events, look for the neighbor who pulled another to safety, the churches that send cleaning supplies and reconstruction help to devastated areas, and the family who made room for others, out of the elements. Watch, there will be people who will take their vacation time to help rebuild homes and plant trees. That is God’s hand at work. And, it is God who gives hope and the promise of a new tomorrow in spite of all that happens. Let us pray:

“Holy Father, creator of the wind, rain and fire, holy is your name and the name of your son Jesus. We pray for your kingdom to come, that your peace may reign. Today, Father, we pray that we might hear your sweet voice and see evidence of your touch as we watch the earthly events unfold. For today, we pray that your people will once again trust one another in this country you have given us, and not let the force of earth-rattling fear control us. Let not the world tell us who we are with the wind of their rhetoric, but let us be defined as the people of God we have always been. Let us not be so greedy, like a wave that eats the sand to spite the shore, that we cannot rebuild our economy, in praise of you. Let us be able, once again, to earn all we can and give all we can with the generosity that has always been a hallmark of your children. Forgive us when we have been afraid and have forgotten to turn to you when the wind howls and the rain comes. You can baptize us in your clean fresh water and let us live hopefully again. In the name of Jesus, your son and our savior, we pray. Amen”
Doris
“God gives us stories that testify to His love. Let me tell you mine.”
Copyright 2011 Doris Gaines Rapp, Ph.D.

PRAYING FOR YOU

I’ve been thinking about you. Professional demands interfered with our usual Monday prayer time. But, I want you to know, I’m thinking about you and praying for you and your loved ones.

There was a senior church member in our church in the Mesilla Valley of New Mexico. One Sunday he said, “I visited your home last night and prayed for you.”

“Jules, you weren’t at our house yesterday,” I reminded gently.

“Yes, I was. As I prayed for each of you, in my mind, I saw each one of you, touched you and asked God to bless you.” Wow!

Even though we missed our Monday prayer time, I want you to know I am praying for you too. Every one of us needs the blessings of our Lord. I know because I receive requests for prayer every week. We are either out of work, underemployed, physically sick, going through mental turmoil, have family problems, are lonely and sad, or we know someone who is. That is the nature of living in this world. In the Kingdom of God, we can find healing, peace, encouragement, hope, love, fellowship, rest for our souls, salvation and eternal life! No matter how you are hurting, know that I am praying for you today. Let us pray:

“Holy Father, lover of my soul, I bow before your precious name. I pray this day that, though I live in the world of pain and pressure, I may open the door to your Kingdom and dwell there with dual citizenship. I know I cannot owe my loyalty to the world and to you at the same time. That is not the duality of which I pray. Let me recognize that, while my feet are firmly planted on this soil, I am not soiled by it, for my heart and faith are in you. There are those who are in pain in many aspects of their lives: personal, family relationships, and professional. Your presence lifts the pain and gives us light, even while we walk through darkness. For this light and presence I pray, in the name of, and by the power of Jesus, your son and my redeemer. Amen”
Doris
“God gives us stories that testify to His love. Let me tell you mine.”
Copyright 2011 Doris Gaines Rapp, Ph.D.

CRUISE AND PERUSE

“What about this little wooden box?” my granddaughter questioned as she held up a tiny, polished, inlaid object. The children had some money to spend at the Henry Ford Museum in Dearborn, MI and a careful analysis of all possible choices was necessary to make a decision they could live with. I do mean careful, with serious attention to the amount of time each possibility required.

“That’s a possibility,” I agreed. I watched them cruise the gift shop and peruse each item. That approach makes for good shopping decisions for children, but then I thought of Christians who cruise and peruse their way through life.

For many of us, our religious beliefs are never firmed up. We cruise through the secular world and weigh each rational thought. We select many philosophies and try them on for size for a season. We peruse through the literature of comparative religions and weigh and balance logical philosophies. But, faith is not logical - that’s what makes it faith.

I invite you to carefully peruse the Bible and pour over each chapter and verse. Get inside the strong heros who started as lackluster, ordinary people but God made them giants of faith. Learn of the number of times God has forgiven his people and still we wonder away to cruise on other streets.

My friend, find your path that leads to Life. Cruise the well-marked course that keeps your way straight and true. Peruse in depth the Word of the Lord and know his heart. His plan for you will be revealed each day to those around you, even if you are not aware of his using you for his purposes. Let us pray:

“Holy Father, love and life of all there is, your precious name is above all names. May your kingdom come in our lives that we may walk in your truth and your love. You claimed us for your own even before we knew you. Light our path that we make cruise the way that leads to Life. Place a yearning in our hearts that we may peruse your Holy Word and learn of you. Forgive us when we have placed your blessed presence on a balance scale and weighed your Love against what other philosophies have to offer. If the scale was in favor of the world, then we knew you not. Fill our lives so completely with your Holy Spirit that we have no room for other gods. We love you Lord, and we choose you, out of all the pretty things this world has to offer. You are more beautiful than anything we could ever imagine or have words to express. In the name of Jesus, your son and our redeemer, we pray. Amen”
Doris
“God gives us stories that testify to His love. Let me tell you mine.”
Copyright 2011 Doris Gaines Rapp

GOD'S PEACE

Wow! A few days ago, I thought, if there were any more demands on my time and energy, I would explode! Duct tape around the head to catch the pieces suddenly sounded reasonable!

Isn’t it amazing how God allows us to walk through the desert before we get to the deep well? While I was going through the thrilling, exciting, and time-demanding tasks involved in getting my new novel launched, three randomly selected, unrelated needs and time-consuming necessities were placed on me, each with a deadline similar to the other. I was so concerned about getting it all right, I found myself holding my breath a great deal of the time. It was overwhelming at first, with so little time to complete the jobs. God helped me to focus on one task at a time until each was accomplished. But, that’s not the best part.

God is so good. While completing the tasks, he wrapped me in a peace that could only come from him. If I did everything right, it was his work of clarity in my overstimulate thoughts. If I made a mistake that was okay too. Since God was with me through it all, there could be no greater blessing! Right or wrong was not the end point. God stood at the portal to fear or accomplishment, and he chose to reveal his love and peace to me. Nothing else could top that! Nothing else mattered. Let us pray:

“Father God, giver of peace and rest, we praise your holy name. We ask that you stay with us through each moment of each day. With you by our side, Heaven can surely be experienced on earth where cooling waters flow through the hot deserts of our lives. For this day, Father, we ask not for our goals to be met, but that your purposes may be fulfilled in our lives. Precious, loving God, how much you long to give us your peace and joy, but we are convinced that we know what is best for us. Thank you for those brief moments in our lives when we feel your loving, calming arms around us and we know, we truly know, that all is well and you are the God of our lives. We ask you to stretch those moments to cover every breath we take. Forgive us when we worry and doubt your ability to work in our lives. How very silly we are. How can we ever expect to be of service to you, if we cannot trust you to be God of our lives? We love you Lord and want only to serve you. In the name of your dear son, our Lord Jesus, we pray. Amen”
Doris
“God gives us stories that testify to His love. Let me tell you mine.”
Copyright 2011 Doris Gaines Rapp, Ph.D.

For my novel:LENGTH OF DAYS - THE AGE OF SILENCE - www.dorisgainesrapp.com