gray vehicle on road

, | 19 Jul 2021 | by GEM

Prayers and Blessing

by Karen Kurth

Key Verse: “I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith.  And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the Lord’s holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge – that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.” 

– Ephesians 3:16-19, NIV 

HMA was ending.  I had two days before I would finally fly back to Romania.  I was on one last errand to my sister’s and back home.  It would be a total of 50 minutes. How would I pass this time in the car?

Christian talk radio blared as I started the car.  I heard the introduction of a sermon and realized it was a pastor whose preaching irritated me.  I switched off the radio.

I thought, “Wait.  Don’t get all judgmental and critical Karen.  God can speak through anyone as long as His Word is involved.”  I turned the radio back on.

The irritating voice was talking about God telling Moses who he was.  Stop.

In the silence that followed, I asked God, “Who am I?  Who do You say that I am?”

I waited.

Into my mind came the song by Chris Tomlin, Good, Good Father.

“You’re a good, good Father.  It’s who you are, who you are, who you are.  And I’m loved by you.  It’s who I am, who I am, Who I am.”

Ah, God is my Father.  I am His daughter.  I am loved by Him.

So quickly I forget that I am not what I do.  What I do comes from who I am.

I continued in conversation with my good, good Father.  “Am I on the right path?  Am I going in the direction You want me to go?  Unless you go with me, I won’t continue forward.”

Great peace surrounded me.  Then I heard, in my spirit, “Yes, but remember to keep your horizons broad.”

I nodded.  Yes, I needed that reminder.  My vision can get rather narrow.  Then I remembered the results of a discernment group from six months ago.  God was repeating himself.

What a blessing to have this confirmation of call/direction just before I returned to the field!

Prayer is conversation with God – sometimes more formal and lofty – but always conversation with God.

Prayer is blessed conversation with God.

Reflection Verse

“Answer me, Lord, answer me, so these people will know that you, Lord, are God, and that you are turning their hearts back again.”  

– 1 Kings 18:37, NIV

Reflection Questions

  • Meditate on the words above.  Put your name in the place of ‘these people’ until you have tuned your heart to God’s heart.

  • Ask the Holy Spirit if there is an answer you desire from God in order for your heart to turn back to Him?