A Weekly Walk in the Word

James 5:13-16 Is any one of you in trouble? He should pray. Is anyone happy? Let him sing songs of praise. Is any one of you sick? He should call the elders of the church to pray over him and anoint him with oil in the name of the Lord. And the prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well; the Lord will raise him up. If he has sinned, he will be forgiven. Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective.

God is good! Prayer is a powerful thing. Our world was turned upside down a month ago when our son-in-law was diagnosed with testicular cancer at 27, just 2 weeks before their first anniversary. We were devastated by the news to say the least. The day we received the news, my knees hit the floor. The prayer circle for Josiah grew and grew to every corner of the country. Our kids were humbled by the number of people praying for Jo’s healing as they felt a peace that passes all understanding from those prayers. A GoFundMe page was started to cover medical expenses two days ago. Over 100 people have donated, exceeding their expectations. This week during Jo’s second round of chemo his doctor performed a tumor markers test. The numbers came back extremely low. The treatment is working! God hears and God heals. Praise God for the gift of powerful and effective prayer.

Genesis 3:6 When the woman saw that the fruit of the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eye, and also desirable for gaining wisdom, whe took some and ate it. She also gave some to her husband who was with her, and he ate it.

We picked apples at our neighbor’s orchard yesterday morning. Their trees were loaded with plum ripe apples. The orchard made me think of Eve’s temptation in Eden as I picture the one perfect apple on the forbidden tree. Today we are bombarded with temptation that is easy to obtain with just a click of the keypads. And then we are onto our next big yearning. Eve learned, and we need to as well…. that Jesus is the only one to fill the ache in our hearts.

Jan Richardson writes Taking the Fruit in her book “In the Sanctuary of Women”. I hope you enjoy it.

The First Apple – Each desire in my life leads to another desire that lives behind it or beneath it or within it. In the midst of paying attention to them all I sometimes wonder if I’m addicted to longing.

The Second Apple – The Sufi poet Rumi says that our longing is the answer to our longing – that our capacity for desire is the reply to our desire. Some days I find this comforting, but on other days it doesn’t give much satisfaction.

The Third Apple – Desire finds its way into a lot of my writing so I’ve had to stock up on my synonyms. Longing, yearning, and hunger are useful; and hankering is fun. Ache comes in handy if it’s a hard desire, as some of mine are.

The Fourth Apple – Maybe Eve left Eden with a seed tucked under her tongue and rolled it around in her mouth and in her memory when she was in danger of forgetting the wisdom she had nearly left untaken.

The Fifth Apple – Every now and again I try to remember to stop and ask, “Are there any lines I should be crossing?”

The Sixth Apple – Cooper Edens writes, “Longing, far more than it haunts you, reminds you of your true name.” What’s yours?

Acts 6:1-4 In those days when the number of disciples was increasing, the Grecian Jews among them complained against the Hebraic Jews because their widows were being overlooked in the daily distribution of food. So the Twelve gathered all the disciples together and said, “It would not be right for us to neglect the ministry of the word of God in order to wait on tables. Brothers, choose seven men from among you who are known to be full of the Spirit of wisdom. We will turn this responsibility over to them and will give our attention to prayer and the ministry of the word.

Pastors were never meant to do all the work of in the church. We are called to come around them, to help where needed in our individual congregations. When our congregations are healthy, we are able to step out into the community to lift up our neighbors. October is Pastor Appreciation Month. How can you care for your pastor? When we all do our part, the church will thrive and many will come to know Jesus.

1 Peter 5:7 Cast all your anxiety on him (God) because he cares for you.

What are you worried about today? Give it to God. No, truly and completely cast all of your anxiety on God. We were never meant to carry the weight of the world on our backs. After several sleepless nights, I needed this reminder. Instead of wrestling with my fears and tears, I prayed about my anxiety. God gives a peace that rests my soul. Give it to God because he cares for you. You are loved.

Psalm 42:1-2 As the deer pants for streams of water, so my soul pants for you, Oh God. My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. When can I go and meet with God?

When my soul pants for God, he shows up. God is in the hugs from family and friends. God is in the meals delivered to the house. God is in the voices of children. God is in the trees beginning to show off their fall colors. God is with us. Where will you find God this week?

Psalm 33:1-3 Sing joyfully to the Lord, you righteous; it is fitting for the upright to praise him. Praise the Lord with the harp; make music to him on the ten-stringed lyre. Sing to him a new song; play skillfully, and shout for joy.

The power of music is an incredible thing. It touches my soul, makes my heart sing and my body sway to the beat. I had the privilege of attending a Jeremy Camp concert last night. The auditorium was filled with people singing along to Jeremy’s song lyrics he wrote over 20 years ago. He also introduced us to songs we haven’t heard yet from his new album as he shared stories of how Jesus is working in his life. Thousands of people were connected through music. We stood shoulder to shoulder with our hands lifted to Jesus. The power of music is an incredible thing as we sing joyfully to the Lord.

Romans 8:26-27 In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express. And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints in accordance with God’s will.

While on a pick a week ago, the gentleman I was meeting shared prayer point with me. It is a truly spiritual spot in nature where two ravines meet. The perfect spot to listen to God and pray. Our family has had a difficult week. I stand before God without words, but He hears my groans. I plan to revisit prayer point where I will fall on my knees as I give it all to God to carry. Prayer is the path to peace.

Psalm 23:4-6 Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me. You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. You anoint my head with oil, my cup overflows. Surely goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.

My heart is breaking this week as I lost my cousin to cancer. He leaves a void here on earth for his wife, mother, sons and grandsons. But, heaven is brighter than ever when Russell saw Jesus at the gates. He was also reunited with his dad, grandparents and even my mom. What a celebration they are enjoying. We will also be celebrating his life next week as we all come together to share stories of how Russell touched our lives with is gentleness, kindness and love.

God bless you this week as you remember those you love who have gone ahead of you into heaven.

Psalm 23:1-3 The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not be in want. He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside quiet waters, he restores my soul. He guides me in paths of righteousness for his name’s sake.

I have had a busy week antiquing, which I love and am very passionate about, but moving cupboards and crocks can be exhausting. It always brings me back to the 23rd Psalm where God encourages rest as we enjoy peace and quiet. He makes us lie down in nourishing pastures of his presence. He does not leave us in the desert, but leads us directly to the banks of quiet pools of refreshment, if only we follow. I had a new gate installed on the south side of our pasture. When I open the gate into the fresh new pasture, my sheep joyfully run through the gate to the tall grass where they frolic all day. When we cooperate with the rejuvenating rhythms he has ordained for each day, we will be physically, emotionally and spiritually restored.

1 Corinthians 9:24-27 Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize. Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last; but we do it to get a crown that will last forever. Therefore I do not run like aa man running aimlessly; I do not fight like a man beating the air. No, I beat my body and make it my slave so that after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified for the prize.

The Olympic Games have been exciting to watch over the past two weeks. Witnessing the world come together as we rally around the athletes. My favorite part of the Olympics are the backstories. The hope, passion and determination of these athletes is beyond commendable. Each one made huge sacrifices to have a chance to win gold, to stand on the podium.

It is an honor for any athlete to be chosen to participate in the Olympic Games. You have been chosen to compete, to run a race. But, your race is not run on a track. Your race is run in your daily life. Your prize isn’t a gold medal, but to live every day with Jesus. What a world this would be if we continued to cheer on our neighbors across the street and across the world. Let’s run the race to Jesus together with the hope, passion and determination of a world class athlete.