Junior Birdmen

Each year at our Washington State Moms in Prayer Getaway, I read a story to everyone—a child's story—related to our theme. This year, our theme was "Soar" so the book I read was "I Soar," by Kristina Kaufman. Just prior to story time, as I was coming down the hall into the lobby of Rainbow Lodge Retreat Center towards the meeting room, a magazine rack by the fireplace caught my attention. Right there in plain view was an issue of National Geographic (September 2011, to be exact) with the question blazing across its cover, "Can We Fly?"  I picked it up, found the article, and you can read it here as well as see the photo: http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/2011/09/personal-flight/shute-text.

I couldn't resist taking it with me, because after the story, we were to sing together a fun song from the late 1930s, Junior Birdmen, used by the US Bureau of Air Commerce to promote learning to fly. I had revised the song to fit our theme:

Up in the air Junior Birdman

Up in the air way up high
Up in the air Junior Birdman
Don't you know it's time to fly?

When you hear the grand announcement

That your wings are made to SOAR
Then you know Junior Birdman
It's time to get up off the floor!

When you feel the Wind escalating

Extend out your wings
Then you'll SOAR Junior Birdman
As with praises your heart sings!

If you've never heard the song, you can Google it and come up with all sorts of info…and some very cute videos.

The point is, YOU, a believer and follower of Jesus—YOU, a child of the One True King—are made to SOAR!

The prophet Isaiah wrote, “...the strength of those who wait with hope in the Lord will be renewed. They will SOAR on wings like eagles. They will run and won’t become weary. They will walk and won’t grow tired.” Isaiah 40:31 (GW)

Read carefully the words of Isaiah 40 and fill your thinking with hope. No matter what is happening in the world, in this country, in your city, or in your life, the Lord God is sovereign—absolutely sovereign over every detail. Nothing, absolutely nothing touches you without going through Him first. Sometimes those are tough words to digest. But, God is either sovereign or He isn't. Nothing in between!

That means in the good times and in the bad times, we can choose to wait on Him in hope, and when we choose that action of faith, we will SOAR over any storm. That is exactly what eagles do. They lean back into the wind and let it carry them. We can choose like the eagle to take advantage of the wind and allow God to take us up to see from His perspective and trust His glorious purpose, as Joseph did in Egypt, that He will work all things out for the good of those who love Him.

"Be happy [in your faith] and rejoice and be glad-hearted continually (always); Be unceasing in prayer [praying perseveringly]; Thank [God] in everything [no matter what the circumstances may be, be thankful and give thanks], for this is the will of God for you [who are] in Christ Jesus [the Revealer and Mediator of that will]." 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 (AMP)

Extend your wings and SOAR!

Battle Worn?

Are you feeling battle worn?  In “The Power of a Praying Church,” Stormie Omartian wrote, “… the enemy always tries to keep us distracted with one battle after another … whatever front he is attacking us on can be so all-consuming that we don’t have time for much else … he wants us so preoccupied with our personal battles that we are always fighting defensively. That way he can wear us out.” 

As praying moms, we can expect that our enemy will be very active keeping us busy.  After all, we’re gathering with others to pray, unleashing God’s power into this land of the living, the enemy’s current domain.  We are a danger to him.

The best thing to do is fight offensively.  Stand firm in your role as a prayer warrior in the army of the Lord.  Beth Moore said God’s mighty warriors have three common denominators:  1) The Shield Faith—believing God, 2) The Sword of the Spirit—the Word of God, and 3) Communication with the Commander—prayer.

So, dear prayer warriors, if you are feeling battle worn, check yourself.  Is your shield down?  Is your sword dull and stuck in its sheath?  Is your “radio” off?  Mighty warriors live prepared.

Expect that there will be battles and even wounds; but remember, God uses brokenness to make us more than, to draw us closer to Him and strengthen us.  The enemy uses counterfeit brokenness—discouragement and despair—to make us less than, to weaken us and pull us out of the battle.  Why “counterfeit”?  Because discouragement and despair dwell outside of Truth.  This is what the enemy tried with Elijah.  Remember Elijah’s words?  “...take my life for I am no better than my fathers.” (1 Kings 19:4)  His eyes were off God and on himself.  God’s solution was, in essence, “Trust Me and obey Me.”  Discouragement and despair fade away when we rest in God’s sovereignty, and when we trust Him and act accordingly.

Don’t allow the enemy’s darts to knock you out.  Hold your shield high, keep your sword shiny and sharp, and keep those communications lines busy.  Hold tight to the One Who promises to hold you tight.  He keeps His word.  He is called Faithful and True. 

Listen to Hebrews 13:5b from the Amplified Bible: "For He [God] Himself has said, I will not in any way fail you nor give you up nor leave you without support. [I will] not, [I will] not, [I will] not in any degree leave you helpless nor forsake nor let [you] down (relax My hold on you)! [Assuredly not!]"

Something repeated three times is worth taking seriously. He will not, will not, will not forsake you!

The Offering of Prayer

My father-in-law’s middle name is Cornelius.  However, it was a while before I learned that as he is just not thrilled with it.  But, he should be.  Cornelius, of Acts 10, was called a “devout man who venerated God and treated Him with reverential obedience.”  And his example was so great that his entire household’s members were identified as doing the same.

 

What caught me, though, as I read the passage in the Amplified Bible was verse 4, “Your prayers and your [generous] gifts to the poor have come up [as a sacrifice] to God and have been remembered by Him.”  The NLT says his prayers and gifts were received by God as an offering.

 

God not only sees our monetary gifts to His work and the needy as an offering, but to Him our prayers are a sweet sacrifice as well.  Both involve surrender.  Always remember that the prayers we take time to pray are pictured as the sweet incense rising continually before His throne. 

 

He knows what we give up to pray.  He knows it is a sacrifice to say “no” to other appealing even good or needy things to pray in our own quiet times or corporately with others. 

 

But, the world does not view the “work” we do as God does.  They may chide us for not participating in a school/sport activity or volunteering at the school carnival or in the classroom.  Even those in our church may not understand when God’s call necessitates us to say “no.”

 

The work we do is eternal.  It is gold that will not be destroyed in the day of testing.  Our fervent persistent prayers often mean the difference between life and death—today and for eternity.  They certainly did for imprisoned Peter (Acts 12).

 

May you stand out to God as did Cornelius.  God brought Peter to this Gentile and his household, and as a result, the Holy Spirit fell on them with a powerful manifestation surprising all who were witnesses.

 

You go girls!!