Prayer, Purpose, and Peace - Ruth L. Snyder

In January I shared how God led me NOT to set goals for 2018. It continues to be an interesting challenge that is drawing me closer to God, my family, and my church. I have found my priorities shifting.

In many ways I have been encouraged:

• Peace is more consistent in my life, freeing me to focus on what is happening in the moment.
• Conversations with God are happening throughout the day. My prayers have been deeply affected as I work my way through Power Praying: Hearing Jesus' Spirit By Praying Jesus' Prayer. 
• I'm spending less time on the computer. When someone comes to talk to me while I am working on the computer, I consciously turn away from the computer and towards them, giving them my full attention. This is one of the reminders I picked up from The Lifegiving Home: Creating a Place of Belonging & Becoming
• I have enjoyed and been challenged by many deeper discussions with friends. We are skipping past the superficial and sharing our heart struggles, and how God is meeting us in the midst of our struggles.
• My Pastor encouraged me and is supporting me in hosting a monthly prayer meeting. I started out thinking this prayer meeting would only be for women, but the men are also asking to come :)
• God used my need for fellowship to spur me into starting a monthly get together for women where we have fun, laugh, and share.
• In January I was elected onto the board of Inclusion St. Paul, which works under Inclusion Alberta. This group works to raise awareness of the benefits of including all children and adults in the normative path of life, and to advocate for children and adults with disabilities to be included in every sphere. 

Along with the positives, there have also been some struggles:

• My spiritual warfare book has been put on hold. In fact, I have done very little writing in the last few months. At times this bothers me. However, I continue to remind myself to trust God and wait for His timing.
• Some days I feel like I get nothing done. However, when I look back at the day I see that I used my time wisely. I'm learning to do what I can and trust God.
• I still struggle with not making lists. I am an organizer by nature. But for this season God is telling me to put less energy into organizing and more energy into being the person He wants me to be.
• I am having to say "No" to some things I enjoy. As a peacemaker, this is difficult for me.

As we celebrate the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, let's set our minds to seek God. Let's confess our sin to Him and walk in step with HIM each day, minute by minute. Let's listen and obey, praying for His will to be done on earth as it is in Heaven.

What has our Heavenly Father been teaching you lately? How will you celebrate Jesus's death and resurrection—not only at Easter, but throughout the coming year?

A Divine Appointment with a Tim Horton's Angel by Glynis M Belec

A friend sent me a private message on Facebook the other day bemoaning the fact that she was going to give up all this Christianity stuff because it just didn't seem worth the struggle. God rarely shows up to help when she needs it, she said, so what is it all about anyway?

As a fairly new believer, this lovely pal of mine was facing a multitude of trials and she was having trouble believing a good God would allow her to continue to go through them. She'd had a rough life. Her choices were just that—her choices, although some of them were made in response to a terrible home life. A search. A need to find love. And she ended up finding love in all the wrong places.

It was a tough conversation. It made me think. How do I answer her? I gave her a general answer about how God shows up at just the right time and how He really does have everything under control and then how important it is to trust and wait. But I needed more.

This morning, I believe the Lord gave me more. A scripture to pass on. And one of my own stories of how He showed up at exactly the right time!

Habakkuk 2:3 For the revelation awaits an appointed time; it speaks of the end and will not prove false. Though it linger, wait for it; it will certainly come and will not delay.

     God is not a divine game of Chance. He has orchestrated our days. I remember the day I received the diagnosis of cancer. My entire life as I had planned it came crashing down. Everything came to a screeching halt and all I could think of was I would soon be dying of cancer. After leaving the doctor's office, my hubby and I went to a nearby Tim Horton's to have tea and to try to get our heads around the 'news'. What would we tell our children? How would our lives change? When will I die? How could we do this? What about my Dad? My work? My students? Our finances? A million questions and we had not one answer.

But God did.

I've written about this many times and the story still stirs my soul. As I sat silently weeping at the table in Tim Hortons, my hubby went to the counter to order our drinks. I was wiping the silent tears from my eyes and I happened to catch the eye of a lady a few tables over. She smiled at me and nodded. A nondescript persona - grey hair, about my height, glasses, a warm smile! Embarrassed, I quickly sniffed and wiped my eyes. I turned away, waiting for my hubby to return. A moment passed and I felt a tender hand on my shoulder. I looked around. The woman from the other table looked me square in the eye.

"Here," she said, "this is for you."

I reached out for the little piece of green paper she was holding in her hand. I unfolded it and read it.

         
           "I said a prayer for you today

            And know God must have heard.

            I felt the answer in my heart

            Although he spoke no word!

            I didn't ask for wealth or fame

            (I knew you wouldn't mind).

            I asked him to send treasures

            Of a far more lasting kind!

            I asked that he be near you

            At the start of each new day;

            To grant you health and blessings

            And friends to share your way!

            I asked for happiness for you

            In all things great and small.

            But it was for his loving care

            I prayed the most of all!"

I looked up with tears in my eyes, wanting to thank the lovely lady for what she had just done for my heart. She wasn't there. My husband was there, though. 

"Here you go," he said, unbeknown about what had just transpired. 

"Did you see that lady?" I asked my hubby. 

"What lady?" 

I explained to my husband what had happened and I showed him the paper. He read it. 

We both had tears in our eyes. But this time, they were tears of joy. Of gratitude. Of wonder and perfection at God's timing. It was like the little grey-haired lady in the corner was a representative of Christ—an angel. Vanished. Gone. She delivered her message and then she had moved on. 

Our conversation that followed was not all sweetness and joy because we did have much to discuss and plan, but our sadness was covered knowing that God was surely with us on our journey and we would get through it no matter what. We still didn't have all the answers to our million questions, but we did find that perfect peace that really does passeth all understanding. 

I still carry the little piece of green paper from my Tim Horton's angel in my wallet. I love sharing this story with anyone who will listen. I think God has placed it on my heart because He likes it when we pass on not only His Holy and beautiful Word, but He wants us to connect our stories and show others how He really does care and how He really does meet us at His appointed time.

            Isaiah 40:31-1 But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.

Maybe it's time to visit my friend. I think I'll take her a Timmies ...

Glynis lives, loves, laughs and does an awful lot of reading, writing, publishing and praying in her home office. 

        How thrilled Glynis is to be part of GOOD GRIEF PEOPLE (Angel Hope Publishing) - an anthology filled with stories that help readers recognize, honour and celebrate  the individuality of grief.      

               www.glynismbelec.com