God | Gloryteller

In Desperation, I Prayed (Continued)

02 Mar 2011 Leave a comment

As a self-proclaimed atheist/agnostic, the last thing I would have thought I would catch myself doing was to pray. Yet, circumstances had changed. I had become aware of a friend who desperately needed help. I really wanted to give aid, but helping was circumstantially impossible. That may have been one of my first experiences with sincere, unconditional compassion.
There was nothing I could do. Or was there? As the situation got worse for my friend, I got desperate. There remained only one thing I could think of that I could do, and that was to beg to the God, of whom I didn’t acknowledge the existence, if indeed He existed at all, for help. Now, how’s that for a sentence? Anyway, I went out on a limb with my philosophical principles and prayed, although, at that time, I refused to call it praying. It went something like this:

Desperately, I Prayed: “God, are you real? Are you there? Some people think you are, and they say you hear when people talk to you. If you are listening, can you prove it? Would you please, please help my friend?” I felt nothing except a vague sense of relief that I had exhausted the last possible solution.

And, in a short time, He showed up!

It wasn’t long before the situation improved dramatically. It dawned on me that only God could have worked it out in this precise and exact way! It was NOT coincidence nor superstition! Those arguments – my old crutches – could no longer be applied. I knew it had to be Him! I could feel the truth being made manifest in my heart. He was saying “Yes, it’s Me, yes, I am here, I Am!” Then He made sure that I knew it was Him through miraculous signs and wonders keyed just for me for the next several weeks. Actually, He has never stopped!

I had opened the door a crack and He stepped in. I am certain that the Holy Spirit was responsible for helping with my decisions, as well as holding off the enemy until I could stand on my own. That’s not to say I can do much of anything on my own, for I rely on His strength every day. On my own efforts, I might never have offered that first prayer.

Six years later, I know that a prayer in behalf of someone else is called ” intercessory prayer”. “Standing in the gap” in sincere, unconditional prayer for others is important. So is ‘the sinner’s prayer’ – an admission of guilt and a plea for mercy . So are prayers of praise and of thanksgiving. But that one short, confused, desperate prayer was integral in leading to my redemption, salvation, rebirth, and transformation. Thank you Jesus!
And thanks be to God that in desperation, I prayed.

“In desperate prayer for someone else,
I brought the Lord unto myself.”

03-02-2011

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In Desperation, I Prayed (Poem)

25 Feb 2011 Leave a comment

Todays foray into the world of rhyme:

“In desperate prayer for someone else,

I brought the Lord unto myself.”

I so hope that i authored this and didn’t unwittingly and unintentionally steal it. Sometimes one incorporates, subconsciously, obscure words one has seen, into one’s own thought processes. Has anyone out there heard or seen it before? I’m pretty sure it came from me because i worked on it! If i didn’t originate it, maybe God wanted me to bring it back because it is an important concept. I can’t find it after much searching on the Net. I intend to post more on this subject, but for now, ponder the deep truth embedded in those two simple lines. Read more, here.

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Who and Whose Am I?

20 Feb 2011 1 Comment

I am a new creature in Christ, radically saved, reborn, and transformed through His mercy and grace. I had wandered lost in the wilderness of unbelief for exactly 40 years, (how very Biblical in itself) after which, He revealed His amazing, powerful, presence to me. His love was palpably manifest as He proved Himself miraculously in ways tailor-made to turn my doubt and stubborn disbelief. I was found and rescued! Now I am His, and as such, I want to use what He has given me. I alone can do the work in the exact, unique way that he has planned and purposed. I just want to fulfill my role as one of the small, yet vital, members of His staff of servants.

My life now has meaning and purpose. The Holy Spirit speaks constantly into my heart the glory of the Great Commandment, and of the Great Commission, and out of those comes a longing to tell of His great power and glory, His mercy and grace. I have never before had the desire to write stories, nor the talent for it, yet He has unfathomably enabled me to do that to further His great kingdom.

My hope is that many people visit here to see what I have to say, but if only one beloved soul could be led to Christ, one person’s faith strengthened, or one heart encouraged, my time and effort will be well worthwhile. I will put my words out there and let the Holy Spirit use them as fits God’s plan. I have stories to tell and His Glory to tell. I am ready and willing and by the grace of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, here I go!