A - Acknowledge the Lord and give Him thanks, first of all.
B - Blessings for my family
C - Changes to my schedule today
D - Decisions I have to make this week
E - Energy and good health for myself
F - Forgiving someone who’s still being difficult
G - Giving to others: who and when and how much?
H - How to help somebody the Lord brings to my attention
I - Illness to be healed in people I know
J - Justice for victims I hear about today
K - Keeping my faith in God through trials
L - Leaders in my community
M - Money: how to earn it and how to spend it
N - Neighbors
O - Opportunities to share the Gospel
P - Politicians who need godly wisdom
Q - Questions that are bothering me
R - Remembering Bible verses
S - Safety at home and when driving
T - Teachers, students, schools in my community
U - Undertaking necessary projects this week
V - Vacation plans
W - Weather
X - Expanding my trust in God, instead of exhibiting worry and fear
Y - Yesterday’s sin I need for God to forgive
Z - Zero in on the one thing I’ve overlooked
What items would you change in this list? Make it personal and make it powerful. Be honest when you talk to your Heavenly Father. He loves you and has a wonderful plan for your life. Pray today! + + +
The
hospital waiting room was busy all day, but now at 10 p.m. it was
quiet and nearly empty. At opposite ends of the room two men were
sitting, both with some kind of smartphone or that sort of an
internet device. At the Welcome receptionist desk an older woman was
on the phone.
The
younger man stretched and stood up. He crossed the room to where the
other man was sitting. “Excuse me, got a minute to talk?”
Gerald
looked up with a sad look on his face. He nodded, so Randy
introduced himself. Gerald noticed the name tag this stranger had on
his shirt, “Listening and Praying.”
Randy
explained, “I’m a volunteer here at Good Samaritan Hospital for
the night shift on Mondays, and I walk the halls and pray for who’s
in each room. Don’t know what ails him or her, but I pray God’s
love and God’s healing for each one.”
“Well,
I’m a working man and I’m usually at home snoring. But Betta had
a seizure, so she’s in there, and I’m out here.”
“OK
if I pray for her healing and for your peace of mind?”
“Sure,
but I guess I should own up: I don’t know about God. Never found
out enough to believe.”
“Any
particular irritation?”
“Nah,”
was Gerald’s reply.
A
long silence followed, then Randy spoke in a kindly tone of voice,
“Dear Father, we ask You for Your healing touch for Betta. Give
the medical staff the knowledge they need for the proper treatment,
let no mistakes be made. But let your love surround Betta so that
she is calm and confident as You take away any pain and heal her from
head to toe, inside to outside. Thanks for that. Now, bless Gerald
with a new awareness of Who You are, and how much You love him.
Amen.”
Again
it was quiet.
Then,
“Hey man, thanks a lot. You were here just when I needed someone.”
Nothing
was said by either man for a few minutes.
Now
it was Randy who said, “I’ve been impressed with three main facts
about believing in one God, the Maker and Creator of everything. All
that we see and have discovered about the world seems so logical.
“There
was no tiny bit of slime that evolved from nothing and gradually,
very gradually evolved into every thing on earth. If that evolving
was true then there would not be any worms or mosquitos or dogs, they
would all have evolved into humans by now.”
Gerald
had a thoughtful look on his face as Randy continued, “The second
thing is a little complicated. But think of it; we humans have the
ability to choose. We’re not programmed like little robots. God
gave the two humans he created the opportunity to choose, they could
follow the one rule He told them, or they could do the opposite.
Well, they chose to disobey and from then on there were consequences
that came to demonstrate what was good and what was not good to do.
“Every person has this ability to choose. And the huge
responsibility falls on everyone at their age of understanding. What
you choose here and now in this lifetime on earth seals the deal for
where you go after death.”
“Well,
you’ve got me thinking,” Gerald commented.
“The
biggie is this: Jesus was a real person. The things he said and the
things he did irritated the leaders so they had him crucified. Three
days later he actually came back from the dead, was seen by over 400
people. Forty days later he visibly arose up in the sky then out of
sight, in front of a bunch of people. And all of this fulfilled
ancient prophecy that God would send a Savior, His only begotten Son,
Jesus, to die for our sins. Anyone who believes in him and asks will
be forgiven of their sins. Instead of punishment after death each
believer goes to an amazing life after death.
“Wouldn’t
this awesome Creator be able to do anything? One God, one life here
on earth now, one big decision: to believe and trust and obey Him or
risk losing everything permanently, a punishment we can’t even
imagine. So, it’s His love that calls to each of us. And . . . “
“I
never looked at life and death that way. I never understood that God
loved me.”
“Well,
let’s talk to Him again. Dear Father, speak to Gerald’s heart so
he can believe that You really love him. . . “
Here
Gerald spoke up, “Yes, God, I do want You to forgive me and . . .
and heal Betta quickly so I can tell her the good news about Your
love, too.”
+
+ +
by
Elaine Hardt ©2016
by Elaine Hardt ©2011
