Let the walls come crashing down!

I often hear prayers for the Lord to put up a hedge of protection around people, schools, neighborhoods, and I get it – I long for my loved ones and friends to be safe too, but when I hear this prayer something in my heart remains unsettled.

I heard it again last week when a very sweet friend prayed for a hedge of protection to be placed around our children’s school.  As I spent time mulling it over once again, I think His sweet whispers finally came through, and the thought came to me…

We have too many walls!  We should instead let the ripples of love flowing out from our hearts unite with His infinite tsunami of love as it spreads out and breaks down the walls within the hearts of all who come near!

My sweet Lord – I pray for all who come near our loved ones, our friends, our neighbors, our schools – any child in the whole world – to have the walls they have built in their hearts come crashing down allowing their hearts to once again be fully open to Your Mercy and Grace.

Hebrews 11:30
By faith the walls of Jericho fell…

Crazy on a soap box…

I used to live in Chicago.  I worked downtown and walked by the corner of State and Washington almost everyday.  As I was walking by, almost every evening  a preacher  was standing at the corner with a microphone and speaker addressing everyone walking by.

I never stopped to really listen, but in the hundreds of times I walked by I know I heard him talk about the fires of hell and our need to repent.  Unfortunately the few times I even took notice of him, I thought to myself, “Oh my… he’s crazy!”

As I read a passage about John the Baptist this week, I thought about John’s passion and how many at that time thought he was crazy, and my friend back in Chicago came to mind.  I am starting to think it would be better to be standing next to him and labeled “crazy” than to be swept away by the desires of this world.

Lord, thank you for creating  other souls that are overflowing  with passion for You.  Please open my eyes to their example of love and zeal for You alone and rise up in me a great passion for You and Your Will and please remove my internal and self imposed obstacles so that I too might someday provide a safe harbor for at least four of Your little souls from the rushing river of this world.

Thank You

Almost every time I pray I ask for my family and friends to be blessed and kept safe, but what does keeping them safe really entail?  What does blessing them really entail?

Do I mean for them to be healthy and kept out of accidents?
Do I mean for them to be comfortable and happy?

Will keeping them safe and blessing them bring them closer to God?  I don’t know.

In Jeremiah 14:11-12
The Lord said to me: Do not pray for the welfare of this people.  Although they fast, I do not hear their cry, and although they offer burnt offering and grain offering, I do not accept them; but by the sword, by famine, and by pestilence I consume them.

Was the Lord asking Jeremiah to refrain from praying for the welfare of these people because He knew that safety, comfort and blessings are not what would bring these people closer to Him?  Is He saying that that they will only cry out to Him, present offerings from their hearts, and truly come closer to Him in times of war, famine and pestilence?

I am not sure, but reading this made me take a step back and wonder.

1.  How often do I cry out to God in true joy and thanksgiving when I am safe, comfortable and blessed?  Do these blessings help bring me closer to Him?

2.  How often do I cry out to God in times of sorrow or conflict?  Do these difficulties and challenges bring me closer to Him?

God wants us to cry out to Him regardless of whether it is in joy or misery.   He wants to be there for us, He wants to be close to us and maybe sometimes we won’t let Him in until the difficult times arise.

God please help us to pray with humility knowing that we don’t know what is best, and help us to have faith that You do know what is best for all of us and will do everything in Your power to help us cry out to You.

Maybe my new prayer should be, Thank You, Thank You, Thank You!