THE PRAYERS NOT PRAYED

There have been times in my life when I have been too overwrought with sorrow or concern to formulate a worded prayer. I have taken great comfort in being able to believe with all my heart that God knows me better than I do; therefore, He completely understands and will help take care of my needs. His Word reassures me of this in Romans 8:26-27 (ESV): “Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness. For we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words. And he who searches hearts knows what is the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints according to the will of God.” But…have you ever thought about the answers you have received to prayers not prayed?
There was an occasion when my husband and I had to ask for help in transporting my bedfast, ninety-year-old mother from a nursing home in Ohio to one here in Texas. My husband had received a long-desired job transfer. We could not afford the hospital-style airfare. We did not have money for ambulance care for that kind of mileage. What could we do? We prayed for an answer. This was before in-home computers, so we snail-mailed friends who were with Sojourners, a group of retired RV-ers. These are folks who spent silver-haired years repairing church buildings, helping with Vacation Bible Schools, doing whatever they could wherever they were needed. (It’s my understanding they still do.) My letter went to their Texas home, but finally reached our friends sojourning in New Hampshire. They called. “There’s a couple here, with a brand new RV that sleeps six. They have to be in Mesquite, Texas a few days after Labor Day. They will come through to take you and Mimi there. Here, I’ll let you talk to Billie.” I talked to Billie. With gushing thankfulness, I gave her directions as we made the upcoming plans. When I hung up the phone, I turned to my husband with the announcement, “Well, we knew to ask for transportation. What we didn’t know to ask for was a nurse. Billie is a retired nurse!” The prayer we didn’t even know to pray had been answered.
More recently, my prayer was that the empty house next door be sold to someone compatible. I prayed that, though I knew God might have someone incompatible in mind because I needed to learn some particular lesson! If that were the case I was willing, and He knew that. Even so, it didn’t hurt to ask for my heart’s desire, someone who would be easy to get along with. We live in a patio home. In our neighborhood that means one whole wall of our house is the property line of the neighbor’s side yard. The only window on that wall, in the dining area, measures about three by four feet, and is filled in with thick glass blocks. We needed good neighbors. The sold sign went up but we seldom saw anyone around. One Sunday as we were getting out of our van, a sweet little woman appeared from next door, saying, “Hi, I’m your new neighbor. I locked myself out. Could I use your phone to call my husband?” She saw that we were using the lift on our van for my husband’s motorized scooter. After we explained his need because of the effects of diabetic neuropathy on his lower limbs, her eyes brightened as she responded, “I’m moving here for my job as a caregiver for a healthcare system. I’m a diabetic specialist. I’ll give you my phone number and you call me if you need me anytime, twenty-four hours a day.” Another time, another prayer answered: a good new neighbor, but again, here was an answer to a prayer not prayed, a health-care specialist on call next door!
Have you caught yourself saying, “Whew! That was close!” when you realized there was a near-miss involving your vehicle in heavy traffic? Would you consider that an answer to a prayer you didn’t pray?
Oh, how about other occasions when you find yourself thinking, “It could have been worse.” Is that a time to consider there has been an answer to a prayer you didn’t pray?
We can be thankful for the promise we find in our beginning scripture, that the Spirit intercedes according to the will of God. God provides amazing ways to surprise and delight us with answers to prayers we don’t have the wisdom or forethought to pray.
Marilyn Sue (Libby) Moore 10-7-2010

GOD'S PLANS

So many times I have seen Jeremiah 29:11 quoted and have repeated it myself: “For I know the plans I have for you,” says the LORD. “They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.” We have taken that scripture very personally and applied it to mean to ME. (That is taking it out of context because it was written for a group of exiles, not just one person. However, I am sure God does have things planned for each and every one of us as individuals so I won’t argue the point. The NLT version of Psalm 40:5 says: “O LORD my God, you have performed many wonders for us. Your plans for us are too numerous to list. You have no equal. If I tried to recite all your wonderful deeds, I would never come to the end of them.”)
This morning as I was doing my daily Bible reading I noted just before that favorite verse of Jeremiah 29:11, another to which we ought to sit up and take notice. In verse 7, God tells Jeremiah to give this message to those in captivity, “And work for the peace and prosperity of the city where I sent you into exile. Pray to the LORD for it, for its welfare will determine your welfare.”
At the present time, few folks seem satisfied with the status of the political situation in the United States. Considering that and having just read God’s admonition to those in exile, started me thinking about another scripture that maybe we ought to pay more attention. It seems to be human nature to want to discuss our grave concerns about the state of our nation and voice our complaints loud and long. We tend to talk to anyone who will listen; let’s face it…we’ll talk whether they will listen or not! We write letters to the local newspaper editors and pen guest columns. We editorialize on blogs. We become masters in the field of verbiage yet fail to make full use of the greatest opportunity of all. I Timothy 2:1-4 is so clear in detailing what needs to be done and why: “ First of all, then, I urge that entreaties and prayers, petitions and thanksgivings, be made on behalf of all men, for kings and all who are in authority, so that we may lead a tranquil and quiet life in all godliness and dignity. This is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior, who desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.”
Now if we look back to that favorite verse from Jeremiah, would you agree we have heard it repeated more frequently in recent years than the ones from Timothy? Why do you suppose that is? Have we become so selfish that we want to grab it all for old Number One and let the other guy look out for himself, let him do his own praying? Are we just simply heedless? Uncaring? What? Look back at the earlier verse in Jeremiah and the ones in Timothy to catch the reminders that that isn’t God’s way. He wants us to reach out to consider the plight of others, and He explains that what is good for them is good for us. It seems we, as a people generally, have become so busy looking inward that we can’t be bothered with looking beyond our own selves to what’s good for our fellow human beings, not just for this world, but for eternity as well.
We need to remember to learn to look and love as God does. He does have plans for us, to give us a future and a hope, but it’s not for us alone. He has a desire for all to be saved, to come to a knowledge of the truth, and He has given us the admonition to pray, not just for self, but for all. And that means all.
Marilyn Sue (Libby) Moore 8-22-2010

JESUS CHOSE – I CAN CHOOSE

Before the creation of the world, because He knew mankind would need a Savior, God made a plan and chose to send His Son to be the perfect unblemished Lamb Whose blood would be available to wash away the sins of the world. A long time ago I chose to accept this wonderful Lamb of God as my Savior.

Ephesians 1:3-6
“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ, just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we would be holy and blameless before Him. In love He predestined us to adoption as sons through Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the kind intention of His will, to the praise of the glory of His grace, which He freely bestowed on us in the Beloved.”

Think with me for a bit about what this means: Jesus chose to leave Heaven to live in an earthly body, knowing the kind of death He would eventually die. If you were already in Heaven, can you imagine choosing to come live on earth, knowing you would die such a painful death?

Jesus talked of His life being His own, to lay down and to take up again; He willingly chose to lay it down. He chose to allow the nails to be pounded into His hands and His feet while He also chose to yield His body to those who nailed Him to the cross. Jesus could have walked right through the crowd as He did on another occasion, (Luke 4:28-30) but instead, He chose to be obedient to the point of death.
John 10:17-18
"For this reason the Father loves Me, because I lay down My life so that I may take it again. No one has taken it away from Me, but I lay it down on My own initiative I have authority to lay it down, and I have authority to take it up again. This commandment I received from My Father."
Hebrews 5:8
“Although He was a Son, He learned obedience from the things which He suffered.”

God does not force us; He has blessed us with the same opportunity of freedom of choice He gave His beloved Son. Do you realize what God did when He placed that opportunity in our hands? He gave us tremendous power! We can choose!

When these thoughts first started working through my mind, a couple of lines became kind of a mantra to help keep me in line when I am tempted. A simple example would be: In the morning when I head to my laptop computer…do I first choose to click on the Internet icon for e-messages or do I click on my Bible Explorer Program for my Daily Bible Reading in order to get my day started right? Inside I say, “Jesus chose; I can choose. Jesus chose; I can choose.” Interestingly enough, just those few words help remind me to make the right choice. Maybe it’s because I am really a control freak and I want to be in charge; however, in reality I know my being in control is a myth because ultimately God is in control, not me anyway. Whatever else it is, it is a reminder of the power God has placed inside of me, the power to choose!

Oh, it feels good to be able to say…and know…

Jesus chose…
I can choose…

Philippians 4:13
“I can do all things through Him who strengthens me.”

Marilyn Sue (Libby) Moore 8-13-2010

KINDNESS OR CURSE

Our firstborn, Beth Zimmerman, writes a blog that has over 200 regular readers. That is the known number. I suspect someone reads a particular post and sends a hyperlink to a friend saying, “You need to read this one,” and a new follower is born. Having done so myself and having recently read one of Beth’s latest blogs:
http://www.bethszimmerman.com/2010/08/06/quit-enabling-us-already/
as well as the comments, I certainly hope that is the case. (Did you notice how easily I slipped that in? )
As a result of having read and pondered this particular posting on Beth’s blog, along with the comments, my thoughts have turned deeper and deeper towards relationships within families. As she mentioned times have changed, but as she and so many others point out, they cling to God Who has not, nor will not, ever change. What a blessing in a world filled with uncertainty and constant change to know we have The Solid Rock on which to stand!
In the beginning, God had plans for relationships. Before there were mothers and fathers, He said, “For this cause a man shall leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave to his wife; and they shall become one flesh.” (Genesis 2:24) Did you get that “BEFORE there were mothers and fathers” part of my statement? Sounds like God had some kind of plan, so bear with me here.
First, let me explain my understanding of the phrase “for this cause”: It seems to me to mean because He made them male and female to become one flesh in marriage. (Not a popular stance in the eyes of some in today’s world, but that is the who God created us to be.)
Next, I would be remiss if I left those of you hanging who have grave concerns over abusive relationships in which you unexpectedly found yourselves. First, you answer to God alone. I do know the marriage relationship is compared to Christ and the church in Ephesians and the examples found there are laid at the feet of both the man and the woman. I’ll quote the last verse only here but heartily encourage the reading of the entire passage found in Ephesians 5:22-33: “Nevertheless let each individual among you also love his own wife even as himself; and let the wife see to it that she respect her husband.”
Now, let’s go back to the idea of husband and wife putting each other BEFORE mother and father. My guess is we are all equally familiar with scripture that teaches us to honor our parents, but just where do we draw the line…or do we? Any loving parent understands there are occasions when a celebration has to be canceled (postponed) because a child unexpectedly runs a high fever, breaks a bone causing a run to the ER, or some other such disaster, but what about the more subtle interruptions between husband and wife? After 52+ years of marriage, I can even say once a new little dog came first! Thankfully my husband was in full agreement that it should be that way or I would have had a very difficult decision to make…but you know what? Husband would have made the first cut because 52+ years ago I promised to love and honor him.
We may laugh a little, but what about the interference of other people we love who are in our lives: God-fearing, well meaning, sometimes genuinely helpful loved ones? Perhaps our mothers and fathers, sons and daughters? Do our parents let us go when we marry? Do our children interfere in our relationships? Probably one of the best things that occurred when John and I married was our move to another state. No running home to Mamma at the first argument. (I’d never seen my parents argue and I thought it meant the end of my new marriage! Boy, did I have a lot to learn!) Thankfully, when we lived closer, both John’s and my parents were hands-off except for visits although I am sure there were occasions when every one of them would love to have had a word or two with each John and me!
However, as we aged, the time came when my widowed mother, at age 87, came to live with us at our invitation. I make a point of saying, “our” invitation because it was total agreement. We had a lovely, roomy house in the country, but in a state far from her original home state. She happily agreed to come and within two years, another move followed for us, along with some mini-strokes in her. That, combined with the stress of her care and my misunderstanding of all the changes in her, forced the decision for a nursing home for her. It was either my husband or my then 89-y-o-frail mother. That decision haunts me to this day; however, the teaching I could hear from her from past years came through loud and clear, as it still does today, “Your husband comes first.”
I didn’t abandon my mother although it feels like it. I still spent inordinate amounts of time trying my utmost to get the care she required until the day she died… including another move to another state. I know I did what God planned from the beginning, in that I put my husband before mother or father, seeking to honor Him and His Word along the way. Mother and father, son and daughter, other loved ones have their places, but let’s remember, as difficult as the decision sometimes is, it is the husband and wife God planned to be one.
“For this cause a man shall leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave to his wife; and they shall become one flesh.”
Marilyn Sue (Libby) Moore 8-7-2010

WHERE I AM WEAK, HE IS STRONG

Because my desire is to follow Christ I have set a standard in my actions and words that starts in my heart. Since I first learned of my Lord’s love and chose to follow Him I have learned much from His Word about who He created me to be. I have let Him, others, and myself down many times, but as with a toddler learning to walk or even for a frail elderly person struggling to maintain balance, He has provided helping hands along the way. Where I am weak, He is strong and when I am low, He lifts me up. He holds out His arms and says, “Come unto Me,” and I gladly stumble into His warm embrace.
“For we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.” Ephesians 2:10 (NIV)
When I started my walk with Christ I saw it pretty much as just Him and me but looking back over the many years between then and now, I realize more and more that many people have been a part of God’s workmanship that has gone into helping me become who I am today. Following time spent in fellowship and worship with my church family, I come away with my heart overflowing with thankfulness as I remember that even before the creation of the world God knew exactly what each one of us was going to need so He planned for us to have this Family while we are here on earth. We are here “to do good works” to teach, set examples, physically help, and spiritually encourage each other.
While we are blissfully involved in our Family Circle though, there are those on the outside who longingly observe the attitudes displayed…the helping hand offered with no expectation of being repaid, the infirm taken to medical appointments, yard-work done for seniors, lunch shared with the lonely, and really happy people even though their circumstances are less than ideal. A great desire arises in the hearts of others, particularly those who are searching, to have what they see in Christians. Our friends, co-workers, and neighbors know we are Christians and because they see what we have, they know they want to join hands with our Lord and us as we walk side-by-side on this path. (If you have a doubt about this effect, please remember that God sees into hearts; we don’t. God is all-powerful; we aren’t. He can work through us in ways that amaze and astound…even us! When our children were in their early to upper teens, we moved next-door to a family with two toddler boys. We grew to love that family dearly and while it should not have been, it was a happy surprise a few months later when the young mother asked if she could come to church with us. She wanted the older of the two boys in Sunday School. Actually, I should have been the one to invite her, but God was working even so! This young mother saw God’s effect in the lives of our family and wanted His Love to permeate her family in a similar manner. Where I was weak, He was strong!)
As surely as it is impossible for me to do everything everywhere all the time, with God it is possible; He has brought and continues to bring people into my life to help fill in the chinks in my armor, to cheer me on to finish the fight, to help fill up my soul. Though I still manage to mangle many of the good things I set out to do, even when I falter He sees my heart and because He loves me, He never tires of saying, “Come unto Me,” and I never tire of falling into His strong, loving embrace.
© Marilyn Sue (Libby) Moore 6-9-2010

WHOM DO YOU SEEK?

From the first time I became aware of the verses in John 18:4ff, I have been in love with the story of Jesus’ stepping forward in the Garden that night when He was betrayed and asking, “Whom do you seek?” and the events that followed.
“Whom do you seek?” When the Roman cohort and officers from the chief priests and Pharisees answered Him, “Jesus the Nazarene,” He responded, “I am He.” Just picture the dark, flickering torch-lit shadows of the garden at night and all of these men facing this One Who chose to neither fight nor flee. They were so astounded they drew back and fell to the ground! What was it about this man’s demeanor that brought about such a reaction in these men? Can you see them as they started to stumble their way back to their feet while he once again asked, “Whom do you seek?” And again, they responded, “Jesus the Nazarene.” Once more He told them, “I am He.”
As I partook of communion this morning I was transported back to that night in the Garden, to those men, to that question and that answer. There was more meaning to that question, “Whom do you seek?” and answer, “I am He,” than they realized…until after the crucifixion. We know that at least one man, a centurion, became very aware because he was standing right in front of Jesus when He breathed His last and he said, “Truly this man was the Son of God!” (Mark 15:39) I wonder about the many other men who fell to the ground in the Garden; do you suppose they ever thought back to, “Whom do you seek?” and, “I am He”?
This morning during communion when I thought back to that night, the memory of His asking, “Whom do you seek?” wrapped around me like a comforting quilt. In a turmoil-filled time, with insecurities seeking to unsettle the very core of the person I have spent a lifetime trying to become, “Whom do you seek?” was a very powerful message of peace that reached deep into my soul because I know Who it is that I seek. I found Him a long time ago and have sought to walk with Him faithfully although too frequently I have released His hand and let the comforting quilt fall from my shoulders. Today I realized I simply needed to remind myself to keep listening for His voice as He asks me, “Whom do you seek?
I love that story!
© Marilyn Sue (Libby) Moore 5-9-2010

BECAUSE SHE WAS MY MOTHER

When I drew my first breath,
my MOTHER was with me.
When I was a little girl,
my MOTHER took care of me.
When my children were born,
my MOTHER helped take care of them and me.
When my MOTHER became a widow,
I helped take care of her.
When my grandchildren were born,
one of my children came to help take care of my widowed MOTHER
so I could go help take care of my other child and her children.
When my MOTHER grew old,
I took care of her as long as I could.
When my MOTHER drew her last breath,
she was not alone.
I was there.
Because she was my MOTHER.

© Marilyn Sue (Libby) Moore 5-8-2010

But if a widow has children or grandchildren, these should learn first of all to put their religion into practice by caring for their own family and so repaying their parents and grandparents, for this is pleasing to God. I Timothy 5:4 (NIV)