What's that smell?

Prayer, a sweet aroma to the Lord.

Psalm 141:2

Dear Friends,

I am so honored to have you tune in with me to share our journey with Christ. It is my desire to minister to you in prayer as well as in words. The Lord has put it on my heart to offer my prayers to you on an individual basis rather than just as "the readers of my blog." That's how I refer to those of you who are anonymous when I am bringing you before the Lord. He knows who you are. Isn't it a comfort to know that you are not anonymous to him?

I was just thinking about how I could be a better friend and intercessor for you. If you would like to have me pray for you it would be my joy and pleasure. I love to commune with the Father on behalf of others.

If you wanted to write in the comments any prayer requests that are on your heart, it would be my privilege to pray for you. I believe in prayer.

You can remain anonymous if you like. I am not able to contact you personally, the blog does not provide me with that information. The comments are only posted after I see them. So, if you say don't post on the blog, I won't. As a matter of fact, considering prayer requests confidential, almost sacred I would not post them on the blog unless you asked specifically so that all of our brothers and sisters in Christ could join us in prayer for you.

But, rest assured I will bring you and your requests before the Lord.
Let's pray together and see what our amazing Creator will do! 

Prayer is such a privilege. The fact that we have immediate access to the throne room of God and that He immediately inclines His ear to hear our hearts is a fact that seems too wonderful to be true.

But, it is true my sweet friend. 
Praise the Lord! It is most definitely true! Our only limitation to accessing the Father is our hesitation to open up the conversation with Him.

I know that life is often hard on us. We get pressed on from every side and wonder how we will ever make it. Strangely enough, it can be during the most difficult times that it is hardest for us to pray.

But, God in His infinite wisdom has provided for those times as well. 

The Bible says, In the same way the Holy Spirit also helps in our weakness; for we do not know how to pray as we should, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words. Romans 8:26

Wow. That's some serious stuff. I feel very well loved and cared for when I try to imagine that kind of intercession going on for me in the Heavenlies.

So you might wonder, why then, if the Holy Spirit Himself is praying for us and God knows everything there is to know about us why bother enlisting the prayers of anyone else? Good question.

The answer is because we are commanded to pray for each other in the Scriptures.

Therefore, confess your sins to one another, and pray for one another, so that you may be healed. The effective prayer of a righteous man can accomplish much. James 5:16

I believe it is for the furtherance of the Kingdom. It brings us as the body of Christ closer to each other and closer to God.
At the Last Supper Jesus prayed for Simon and in doing so prayed that it would strengthen the rest of the disciples.

...but I have prayed for you, that your faith may not fail; and you, when once you have turned again, strengthen your brothers. Luke 22:32

The greatest benefit of prayer may be that as we come into the presence of the Lord we are strengthened, encouraged and filled with peace.
When we draw near to Him we find that He is already there waiting.

So, please, won't you join me on this prayer journey and see how it enriches your life and the lives of everyone around you.
We have nothing to lose and everything to gain!

God bless your day with extra-special closeness to Him.


(C) 2011 Bonnie Mae Evans

Of Cats and Men

Hello there dear friends.
Remember me?

It's Bonnie from Bonniefied.

Only kidding, but really, it has been longer than I would have liked since I last wrote to you.
Too long.
I do hope and pray that you have been happy and well since we last met. Thank you for checking in with me again.
So go grab a cup of tea or coffee, a codfish cake or a Pop tart, whatever is your pleasure.
But, come back soon and relax in the Lord with me for a few minutes.

It seems life has gotten in the way of my writing plans lately.
The things of everyday life have kept me busy. I'm sure all of you can identify with that. Nothing awful and for that I am very grateful. It has just been the mundane, but necessary.
Necessary interruptions to my plans for the day.
Unexpected little twists and turns that send me off in a different direction than I intended to go.

How about you, friend? Do you find yourself pulled this way and that, frustrated at not being able to carry on with your plans?

Right now I am involved in a very enlightening Bible study on Jonah by Priscilla Shirer. She calls these life interruptions-divine interventions. So, I am learning to see things differently, to cherish these unexpected detours and to look for the opportunites that God is blessing me with to help further His kingdom.

I remember the verse  My thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are My ways your ways,declares the Lord. Isaiah 55:8

But, being a child of the King I desire to know more of His ways. Therefore, I am learning to yield to His plans on a daily basis.

(If you have the chance to take part in this Bible study don't miss it. It may be your next divine intervention.)

For the past few weeks my interruptions/interventions have gone something like this:

• The starter on my car that decided to change its name and identity to the "nonstarter".
• The flu bug that decided to take up residence with my son.
• The new job opportunity that consumed hours in rewriting my resume, applying online, interviewing, getting the employment physical and recooperating from the required DPT, PPD and flu shot.Yes, this is a praise! I did get the job! (And so far I have not gotten diptheria, tetanus, pertussis, tuberculosis or the flu!)
• Keeping up with the irregular hours of my present job and trying to make the transition easier for the patients and doctor when I leave.
• Watching with joy as my son played in a Fall lacrosse league and then the All Star game under a cloudless blue November sky. It was a perfect day. Oh wait, that wasn't an interruption. I just wanted to tell you about it. It was wonderful!
• Buying, returning and rebuying. What on earth made me think that I could buy shoes for my daughter without her seeing them first? I mean really, didn't I learn that lesson with the boots a few blogs back? Apparently not.
• The trees in our yard are trying to make it into the Guinness Book of World records for the most leaves dropped overnight in between rakings. I'm not complaining. You know I love my trees.
• The migraine headache that struck with a vengence out of nowhere.
• The lost cat of my son's girlfriend.
•  

Now, this is where our story begins.

How the cat named Shadow came to be lost was an accident really. An accident that my dear, tender-hearted, animal-loving son felt entirely responsible for. You see, he was leaving his girlfriend's house one night when Shadow ran out past him. He was used to going out, but not at night. My son and his girlfriend searched and called to no avail. Shadow had a plan of his own. He vanished into the shadows of the night.

Over the next few days I watched as my son suffered with the anguish and guilt of being the one who let the cat out. He loved that cat, the laid back Maine Coon. His girlfriend insisted that it wasn't his fault, but he believed it was.
We prayed constantly for Shadow to be found...nothing.

Pray without ceasing. 1 Thessalonians 5:17

For the next week and a half I would make three treks to the Animal Shelter, looking at all of those precious lost little faces behind bars while my heart was breaking for Shadow and for each and every one of them. I prayed for them and for Shadow to be safe and for the people that worked there. What a hard job.
I poured over the log of all the animals that had been received in the county. Those that arrived DOA, those that arrived injured, those that were euthanized, those that were adopted, and those that were still there. None fit the description of Shadow.

Just a little plug for the SPCA-
***Please... if you are able and want a pet, go to a local shelter and adopt one. It's the ultimate in recycling. More love in those cages than you can imagine. We adopted two cats from a shelter. (I'm pretty sure one of them is an angel.) The other is just a big sweet baby.

My son and I continued to pray.
Each day that passed made it more urgent.

Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be known to God. Phillippians 4:6

We've seen God answer prayers before.
We know that He is concerned about every detail of our lives both big and small. He hears every utterance of a prayer spoken aloud or deep in our hearts.

Do you believe that?

What is your heartache right now?

Do you feel that it is too small to bother God with?

Or too large for Him to fix?

Well, my friend, here's good news. If it concerns you, it concerns Him. He already knows anyhow and He's just waiting for you to trust Him enough to pray and spend time in His presence. He's waiting to hear from you.
Sometimes I think it's the time spent in His presence while praying that is most important to Him. Everything else may be incidental.

Well, back to the great Maine Coon Cat hunt...

I drove around their neighborhood slowly looking in every doorway and around every trash can and bush while the girlfriend's family was out of town. I searched the sides of the road for his little carcass.
I wanted the cat to be found because I know how dearly I love mine. But, I also wanted my son's pain to stop.

We continued to pray. As more than a week went by I saw my son begin to give in to the idea that the likelihood of finding the kitty was getting slim. (I honestly believe the stress of it contributed to his getting the flu.)
We pictured a scenario where someone was in need of a special blessing and God was using Shadow. We laughed at how they were so happy with their new cat that they would never let him outside so that he could come home. We gave Shadow up for God's purposes.

Then, yesterday came the call. Two calls in fact. A lady found him and had seen the Lost Cat posters. Shadow had been found. He had been on his own for almost two weeks. Well, not completely on His own. God was there.

We praised the Lord and thanked Him for bringing Shadow home!

While this has been one of those interruption/interventions, I am once again overwhelmed at God's love and care for the minute details of our lives and that he would give me the privilege of participating.

What a valuable lesson for a couple of teens--to take everything to the Lord in prayer, to pray believing, without ceasing but most of all to relenquish everything to Him for His purposes.

To know how very important they are to Him and how He cares for each and everyone one of us.

That includes you dear one.
You are the apple of His eye.
He died for you. You are not an interruption to Him
He longs to hear your voice.

Break the silence.
Pour your heart out before Him.
Tell Him all of your hurts, fears, worries, heartaches, disappointments, hopes, and dreams.
Feel all of your cares shrink before the awesomeness of His glory and power.
Then, surrender your day to Him. Go out there renewed and look with new eyes on the unplanned "interruptions" that come your way and praise God for the opportunities He is blessing you with!

Until next time.
May our precious Lord and Savior bless you with more of Him!

(C) 2011 Bonnie Mae Evans

Move Over Orange

Here Comes PINK!!!

Until recently when I thought of October orange and black spontaneously came to mind.
Fat orange pumpkins and black, raggedy-looking cats with glowing green eyes.

But now when October rolls around I find that thoughts of pink occupy my mind. Have you noticed that happening to you also?


There are those loops of pink ribbon everywhere you look. I've seen pink bunches of flowers. Pink icing on cupcakes. Signs outside salons that boast of pink hair color. Pink tennis balls and rackets, pink folding chairs and coolers to match-- all of which I own.

 I'm sure that all of us reading this have known someone who has been diagnosed with breast cancer. There are so many women affected by it every day.


Pink represents the research and strides being made in the field.
It is a reminder and a hope to many.

When my dear cousin was diagnosed with breast cancer a few years ago, I wanted to show support. Whenever I purchased something pink I would call and tell her about it. We would laugh about our "pinkness".

Come to think of it we laughed about everything and anything. She had a wild sense of humor.
Pink gave her hope. Hope that a cure would be found.


But what color is hope really?
Or is it a color at all?


What is hope to you, dear heart? If all else fails and you were faced with your own mortality through breast cancer or in some other way, how would you view hope?


When I was faced with a cancer diagnosis at age twenty-four, I was frightened . . . well, let's be honest. I was terrified.


Suddenly, I, the all-sufficient agnostic had the realization that I might possibly die and if I did would most certainly spend eternity in hell.


Not a comforting thought. Not much hope there.
The comfort came when my husband suggested that we go to church.
Very soon after I accepted Jesus Christ as my Lord and Savior.


Now, that was the hope I had been longing for.
Hope that cannot fail.


My true hope is in Christ who loves me and died for my sins. The one and the same who defeated sin and death when He arose from the dead and ascended into Heaven where He now waits for me when my time here on earth is finished.


So now, dear precious friend, whatever circumstances you may be facing--where is your hope?


In what can you place your faith and your trust for all eternity?


Even if all of this world's pink research brings an end to cancer, which would be wonderful, someday my friend, every single one of us will come to the end of our days on this earth.
The question is where does your hope lie then?


I would like to share some more thoughts on this subject with you through a devotional that I wrote for my writers group blog. I pray that it will bring hope to you or to someone you know and feel led to share it with.


God bless you precious one, with His hope.

PINK HOPE

“And now, Lord, for what do I wait? My hope is in You.” Psalm 39:7 NAS

There is a pink pen in my Bible decorated with ribbons for Breast Cancer Awareness. It has the words; hope, courage, strength, inspiration and cure. The message is clear to those diagnosed and struggling with surviving breast cancer: hang in there; don’t give up; be courageous and strong; live life renewed. There is hope—hope for a cure.

Those words so carefully chosen for those in desperate need of hope also describe Jesus. He is the ultimate hope and cure for all our ills, be they emotional, spiritual or physical. We have hope in all things on this earth and in Heaven through Jesus our Redeemer. We can have courage to face each day without fear when we know Jesus as Savior. He becomes our strength. His strength is made perfect in our weakness. (2 Cor.12:9)

 If there is any cure, any healing, it will ultimately come through His hands; whether it is miraculous thus defying explanation, aided by the skill of surgeons, or by the knowledge of researchers studying DNA and developing chemotherapy. There is nothing out of the realm of His care and providence. His hand is in it and on it—all of the time.

He is our inspiration. He fills us with desire to know more of Him. We are inspired and empowered by the Holy Spirit when we meditate on His word and seek Him in prayer. He fills us to overflowing. He gives strength to the weak, hope to the hopeless, and courage to the fearful.

Precious loving Father, please fill the hearts of the desperate with the hope of You.

Amen.

(c) 2011 Bonnie Mae Evans

The Boots of God's Provision

Good Morning!

It's raining cats and dogs here!
I hope the weather where you are has been better than where I live. We have certainly had alot of rainy days all through the summer and now into the autumn! The good news is I have gotten lots of wear out of my fancy boots that I was forced to purchase two years ago.

Yes.
You read it correctly. I was forced.
You see it was one of those situations where I bought an adorable pair of boots for my daughter who was away at college. (It seems Nashville, Tennessee was experiencing monsoon season.)

They had the cutest blue and pink bunnies hopping all over them.
Well. Surprise of all surprises!  She did not think they were as adorable as I did.
As a matter of fact, I think I heard her gag a little over the phone when we were discussing them.
Imagine that!

Then I remembered, oh yeah, I'm the one who loves bunnies.

The next surprise came when I attempted to return them to the company where they were purchased.
Yep. You guessed it.
"Sorry. No cash returns. Only merchandise."

Quite naturally, after perusing the website there was not one pair of boots that my daughter would consider sporting across the runway of her college campus.
I would be the proud owner of a new pair of rain boots.
The problem was the bunny boots were not available in my size.
I hadn't worn rain boots since third grade!
I hated them!

And it's no wonder--do you remember those red shapless boots that pulled overtop your school shoes and fastened with an elastic loop that stretched over a black button?

HA! Like they might slip off if you didn't secure them. You had to practically pry them off with a tire iron, popping a hernia in the process! Usually you would get a friend to help out by pulling with all their might. Of course, once the boot dislodged they would go flinging across the room, crashing into a row of desks. But, that's what friends are for.

After much deliberation, I decided on black and white flowered boots that I knew would look good in the back of my closet, since that's where they would live.
I would never need to wear boots.

Well, isn't it amazing. It has been raining here ever since. I think we have broken all of the rainfall records in the past century since I got those boots. After ruining a great pair of leather shoes, I decided to give those boots a try.

Third surprise! They were great. They fit like a glove, kept my feet warm and dry and were easy to put on and take off! Boots have come a long way since I was in third grade.
I love them.
(Although sometimes I still secretly wish they had been available in the bunny motif.)

But, most amazing to me is how it all worked out for my good.
I am reminded of Romans 8:28.

And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those that love the Lord, to those called according to His purpose.

Our loving and caring Father knew He was going to send all this rain. He knew that this morning He would give me the idea to write this devotional about the boots and share it with you.
I don't know why, but He does.
So I am writing in obedience, giving all the glory to Him.

Sweet friend, possibly right now you are going through some rough terrain in your life. Maybe you are wondering how it will all work out. Perhaps you have needs that have not been met up to this point.
You're feeling anxious, a little frightened, alone, possibly depressed or in pain.

For God has not given us a spirit of fear but one of power and love and of a sound mind.
2 Timothy 1:7

Is your need material . . . spiritual . . .  physical . . . emotional . . .  or even social?

My flesh and my heart may fail:
But, God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever. Psalm 73:26

Whatever your particular need is right now, at this very moment our precious Father wants you to tell Him about it.
Crawl up in His lap and feel the comfort of His love wrap around you.

But as for me, the nearness of God is my good; I have made the Lord God my refuge,
That I may tell of all Thy works. Psalm 73:28

For You have been my help I will rejoice in the shadow of your wings. Psalm 63:7

Rest there awhile. He knows you're weary. Let Him strengthen you.

I would have despaired unless I had believed that I would see the goodness of the Lord
In the land of the living.
Wait for the Lord.
Be strong and let your heart take courage;
Yes, wait for the Lord. Psalm 27:13-14

He is the supplier of ALL our needs.

And my God shall supply all your needs according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus.
Phillippians 4:19

Believe Him. Ask Him. Spend some time talking to Him today. He's waiting, not to be notified of your need, He already knows that.

Blessed be the Lord,
Because He has heard the voice of my supplication.
The Lord is my strength and my shield;
My heart trusts in Him, and I am helped;
Therefore my heart exalts,
And with my song I shall thank Him. Psalm 28:6-7

He is waiting for you to come to Him.

Come unto me. Matthew 11:28

Precious sisters and brothers,
I am praying for you today. I am praying that you will see God's provision of just what you need at just the perfect time. He never fails. He is not capable of failing. He is never early or late. His timing is perfect. Wait believing.
He is the creator of all things.
Oh, how He loves you and me!

(c) 2011 Bonnie Mae Evans

Fill Your Pitcher

YOU CAN'T POUR FROM AN EMPTY PITCHER. 

Oh dear, dear friend, it is so good to be talking with you again.
I don't know about you, but I'm starting to miss you when I'm not writing.
I hope and pray that you have been well and growing in the Lord in one way or another.
Isn't it an exciting journey that we're on?

We just never know what the Lord has in store for us, but we can always rest assured that He will be there loving and guiding us and revealing more of His great holiness to us.
Praise Jesus!

But, sometimes in the midst of this challenging and rewarding Christian walk do you ever have the feeling that you're running on empty?
Like you're dry as a bone and don't have any reserves to help yourself, let alone anyone else?

Your spirit is parched.
It's so thirsty.
It needs to be refreshed.

So, what do we do when this happens or better still, what can we do to prevent this from happening?

I had the wonderful opportunity this week-end past to attend a Beth Moore conference with ladies from my Bible study group. What an amazing uplifting experience it was! Can you just imagine for a moment Five thousand two hundred wonderful women who love the Lord coming together in one place to receive His word, sing His praises and worship together?

Looking around at the sea of women on all sides suddenly my throat ached and I felt like crying.
I don't really know why. It was something about this flowing colorful kaleidoscope of beautiful ladies, all of these "X" chromosomes-- just like me, but each one so unique and special in their own way.

It's about this emotional bond we have just by virtue of the fact that we are women, designed by God's hand to experience the joys as well as the heartaches that only a woman's heart can.
What a blessing to be created by God to be a woman!

***

 Now guys out there who are reading this, please don't feel slighted. You are very special and designed by God's hand also and I love you too, but I can only tell about life from my perspective as a woman. Some other day we'll talk about what magnificent creatures you are!

My special prayer for you is that as you read this it will give you more compassion and insight into the hearts of those women who you care for; your wives, mothers, sisters, daughters, and friends, AND that you also will find time to fill your pitcher to overflowing. Even great men like each of you need to do that. Please keep reading to find out how and why.)

Bless your dear hearts, I know sometimes we are a challenge, as you are to us.
But, just pray for us and love us, okay?
I pray that God will fill you to overflowing with His love.

***

Now, that being said, let's get back to . . . let's see . . . where was I?
Oh Yes! . . . the conference.

They came in every shape, color and description. Fragile, petite ladies that gave the appearance of having just stepped out of the center of a rosebud and others that might have just roared up on their Harleys. We are a magnificently diversified group.

I saw ladies that appeared to be in my age range, some precious ones who were quite elderly and sported their brilliant "white crown of glory" as the Bible refers to it.
I saw young exuberant girls in their teens and early twenties, there were those that came in wheelchairs and with canes, one lovely blind lady carried a white walking stick and was being gently guided up the arena steps by a friend, there were mothers-to-be braving the crowd and crowded bathrooms, while still others carried their infants in their arms and papoose style on their backs.
I saw nuns and covered ladies.

All walks of life and denominations were represented.
All ages and stages of the female continuum.

All so different and yet in one way all the same.

We are all in need of a Savior. We all need the love, forgiveness, salvation and redemption of our precious Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. We need to dwell close to Him and be filled up by His Holy Spirit.

We as women generally spend alot of our lives as caretakers in one way or another. We care and thus we take care of others if not physically, emotionally. It can be very taxing on our inner resources. We can begin to feel run down physically, drained spiritually and emotionally. When this happens satan can have a heyday with us. He slips his foot in the door and in comes doubt, depression, and discouragement.

The three deadly, devastating D's.

You know what I'm talking about. We've all been there, at the bottom of the pit looking up and wondering how we got there, feeling too weak to pull ourselves out.
That's what happens when we allow our spiritual pitchers to run dry. We have no reserves left. We have nothing to offer to those in need all around us, those who depend on us.
Before we can pour ourselves out in service to others, we must be refilled by the Holy Spirit.

The Bible speaks often of the Living Water.
God designed us for continual communion with Him.
His desire is for us to fill ourselves up with more of Him.

As a deer longs for streams of water,
so I long for you, O God. Psalm 42:1

When we are in communion with Him, our Source, we are filled up.

Oh God, You are my God.
Early will I seek You.
My soul thirsts for You.
My flesh longs for You.
In a dry and weary land where there is no water.
So I looked for You in the sanctuary to see Your power and Your glory. Psalm 63:1

This world we live in is a desert when it comes to the things of God. Dwelling here dries us up if we allow it. We must drink from the fountain that never runs dry. We must daily fill our pitchers with the source; the living water that Jesus offers us. It is cool and refreshing to our souls. It fills us up to overflowing. Then, when our spiritual pitchers are full we can pour out the love and grace of the Holy Spirit onto others and refresh them in His name.

It will never run out if we continue to abide in Him.
How do we do this?

We all need to spend time each day in prayer at the feet of our loving Father.

If you knew the gift of God and who it is who says to you, 'Give Me a drink,' you would have asked Him and He would have given you living water. John 4:10

We need to read His holy word.

...that He might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of the water of the word.
Ephesians 5:26

We need the fellowship of other Christians. There are lots of options and opportunities for this but you must take the first step.

Go to church-one that worships the one true God and Father, Jesus the Christ and the Holy Spirit.
Get involved in a Bible study.
Listen to Christian music.
Read Christian devotionals.
Watch television church.
Take part in a prayer group.
Whatever you do, surround yourself with the things of God, and His word.

Hold out your pitchers and let the Lord fill them to overflowing
And, last but not least, as I was blest to be able to do this past week-end, go any chance you get to hear someone speak who has the special annointing of the Holy Spirit on their life.

Let them pour their pitchers over you.
My conference experience was truly overwhelming!
I left so uplifted and full.
Yes, full.
My spiritul pitcher was filled to overflowing.
Now, I am ready to pour out the love of God to others.

I pray for each and every one of you, every precious heart who is reading this today. I pray that you will be renewed and refreshed in your inner being and be filled with His Spirit. But, I also pray that you will be left thirsty enough to keep seeking the presence of our Lord.

I don't know about you, but all this talk about cool, refreshing water has made me really thirsty. My tongue is hanging out!
I can't wait to go and get a nice cold glass of water.

With each swallow I will think of the living water of God that refreshes my soul.

...He leads me beside still waters. He restores my soul... Psalm 23:2-3

The water whose source will never run dry. It flows from the throne of God!

And he showed me a river of the water of life, clear as crystal coming from the throne of God and the Lamb. Revelation 22:1

(c) 2011 Bonnie Mae Evans 

Prayer Flags and the RAVENS

Sunday I was watching the Ravens Steelers game with my family. It was great family time. The kind of time I long for and hold close to my heart when it does happen. All of us in the same room for a few hours is an extremely rare occurrence these days.

We had hot bowls of delicious chili made with my secret ingredients and chicken cheese quesadillas. We were all in agreement for once-all on the same page.
We all wanted the Ravens to win.

AND WIN THEY DID!!

Now, this might sound like I'm a real avid football fan. But, the truth is I don't really know a lot about football. I'm hoping to pick it up as we spend more Sunday afternoons together . . . just so I can share in the excitement a little more accurately, using all the appropriate football jargon.

Right now I'm limited to phrases like, "Run!  Run Ray run! Run faster Ray! Yay Ray!" That's been working pretty good so far. But, I want to expand.

One thing I really do enjoy is when the ref runs out onto the field and tells his story about who pushed who and who was being unsportsmanlike.
(Shame on you bad boys!)
And then of course, he doles out the necessary consequences for the bad behavior.

I love watching his face when he's all wrapped up in telling the story and pointing this way and that. I can almost see him when he was a little kid.

Can you see him now? He's the one that always raised his hand real high in the air, waving it around, holding it up with the other hand, trying desperately to get the teacher's attention to give her the very important information that Tommy is chewing bubble gum or Susie is picking her nose.

The point is that he is great at what he does. Practice really does make perfect. He makes good decisions and he makes them in a split second. (At least on Sunday he made all the right decisions.)

Another thing that I took special note of is all of the colored flags that are thrown down in the grass--excuse me, I mean, turf.

That caused me to ponder.

What if, whenever we saw a need or someone that could use some prayer we threw down a prayer flag. Different colors representing various prayer needs.
The next Christian that came along would see the flag and immediately be alerted that here is someone who needs to be prayed over. I mean, there are hurting and desperate people all around us every day, everywhere we go. So many times as I'm driving along there in the median is a person with a sign "Homeless, please help." PRAYER FLAG!

 Some of them are so dejected that they have given up on signs and just stand there looking so very sad and lost. My heart breaks for them. What can I do? There are so many of them. I ask myself. The answer is pray.

Pray without ceasing. I Thessalonians 5:17

Without ceasing? That's a tall order. It is, but the more you look around the more you realize that prayer is just what is so desperately needed today.

Whoops....PRAYER FLAG!
A line stretching around a building where there is an employment sign posted, a line of weary, precious people. There are so many problems with no quick answers but in the meantime we can love on these poor souls a little without them having an inkling. They may never know on this earth but God knows . . . and you'll know.

When we pray for others as the Bible commands us to do we are rewarded with that special closeness to God. He inclines His ear to us. (Isaiah 37:17)

We begin to have more of a heart like His. Prayer is a resource that is instantaneously available, access immediately to the throne of God! How amazing is that? What an incredible gift for us, the pray-ers and for them, the pray-ees.


The great thing is no pride can get in the way. We're not going to win a Noble Peace Prize for praying for strangers because no one will ever know except God our Father in Heaven and He will be pleased. His word tells us to. We are being obedient to His word. His reward will far exceed even the Nobel!

Pray for one another. James 5:16

It doesn't say only your family and friends.

Praying for them is one of the very best things I can do. I also smile-look them in the eye--a smile that says I care, I see you. So many times they are even stripped of the dignity of eye contact because we are so uncomfortable.

There is a barely clad woman standing on the street corner of a city block well known for its activites. PRAYER FLAG!

The Lord has heard my supplications. The Lord will receive my prayer. Psalm 6:9

An ambulance goes screaming past my car with lights flashing frantically. Someone is in need. PRAYER FLAG!

We will give ourselves continually to prayer, and to the ministry of the word. Acts 6:4

School children going into school this morning being confronted with who knows what. PRAYER FLAG! God knows. He wants us to care enough to pray. We're praying for the future.
Pray for God's hedge of protection around them.

One-legged war veterans, drug addicts, frightened teen-age girl walking into an abortion clinic, the elderly, broken and hurting people everywhere you turn.

 PRAYER FLAGS!!!!! QUICK! 

Of course, in reality we can't walk around throwing prayer flags in front of people. I'm sure we would get a citation for something akin to littering. But, you get my point. There is something we can do in every situation. Something that matters.

We can be prayers warriors for the helpless and hopeless.

So, okay brothers and sisters out there, get those mental prayer flags ready. Keep them handy, so at a moment's notice you can throw them out.

You don't have to be on your knees in front of an altar. Just bow your hearts before the Lord wherever you may be, in intercession for others.

...His ears are open to their prayers. I Peter 3:12

Feel the joy that being in constant communion with the Father brings.

Then you will call upon me, and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. Jeremiah 29:12

Feel His smile warm your heart.

Dear Loving Father,

I pray for each one reading this blog. You know every one of them, dear Lord. I'm bringing them before Your throne. Whatever their particular need is, whether it is physical, emotional, social, spiritual or mental, I know that You alone, Oh Lord are more than able to help them, to lift them up and most of all to redeem them and light their way to Heaven. Thank You for each one of them and I pray that they will feel Your love, Your Joy and Your Peace and comfort today.
In Jesus' precious name I pray.
Amen.

For I am the Lord your God, who upholds your right hand,
Who says to you,"Do not fear, I will help you." Isaiah 41:13


(c) 2011 Bonnie Mae Evans

Earthquakes and Hurricanes, and Floods, Oh My!

And the occasional angry wasp! Oh no!

It sounds like a school kid's excuse for not having his homework to say that since I last wrote we've had a 5.9 earthquake, a hurricane named after my grandmother-Irene and unrelenting downpours of rain that have caused awful flooding where I live on the East coast.

Unfortunately it is all true!

Yes, I felt a little like Dorothy in the Wizard of Oz. At any moment I expected that my house might be swallowed up by the earth on which it sits, or swept up into a tornado spawned by Hurricane Irene or floated out into the countryside like Noah's ark.
But, none of those things happened.

Thank you merciful Father!

When all was said and done we had very minimal damage or inconvenience compared to so many people living around us.

Many did not fare so well as their property was destroyed, they suffered through major power outages and their families were in harm's way resulting in injuries and some deaths.

For these dear precious ones, I pray. I ask for your prayers for them also.

Dear Father,
I pray that they will lean on and trust in You, the same God that spared me, but has entrusted them with this time of trial and suffering for Your purposes. I pray that they will feel Your loving arms around them and feel Your comfort. When this is over I pray that they will feel how You sustained them and through it they have come to know so much more of Your sovereignty and sustaining love.
In Your precious Son's name I pray.
Amen.

I have to say that even in the midst of the earthquake shaking my house, and the fierce winds blowing the huge trees that surround my home and the rains pouring down ... and then pouring some more--I did not feel afraid.

I was concerned and took all of the necessary precautions.

(Well, almost all, I totally forgot what to do in the event of an earthquake.)
Being home alone at the time, I started grabbing after my cats, which made them scoot around close to the ground even quicker and totally elude my grasp by running under the bed.

Yeah, you guessed it, they remembered what to do and they acted on it! Just like Lassie they were trying to lead me to safety.
They're genius cats!
Amazing!

As I was saying, I was not afraid. I praise God for that. He gave me  the peace of God that passes all understanding to guard over my mind and heart, as Paul speaks of in Phillipians 4:7.

I remember another time in my life when everything around me pointed towards fear, but I can honestly say I was not afraid. Once again, the peace that only the Lord can give came over me.

The time was several years ago when we were on vacation in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. A cloudless, blue sky stretched out over a gentle blue-green ocean. It was a perfect beach day!
All was well as I sat in my beach chair, novel in hand, munching on a graham cracker.

I can smell the salty air laced with coconut scented sunscreen now! Mmmmmm . . . so peaceful.
Can you smell it?

Occasionally, I'd glance up and find my children happily playing in the ocean with my husband.

I was just getting into my book real good when all of a sudden the piece of graham cracker I had just bitten off gave a furious buzzzzzzz and I felt a sharp sting in the back of my throat. As I opened my mouth in surprise the angry wasp flew out and away down the beach.

Now, I am not allergic to insect stings, but my medical knowledge as a nurse immediately kicked in. I knew that because of the highly vasculated area in the throat where I had been stung and the swelling the would surely follow I would most definitely be in trouble very quickly.

I began to gather our things and we started for the condo where I had an antihistamine that I always traveled with like a good nurse . . . just in case of emergency.
By the time we reached the condo door my tongue was already swollen to twice its size. My daughter ran in ahead, quickly grabbed the bottle of antihistamine as she poured the liquid that she had expected to be pills into her hand, I could see real panic on her face. Fear was in my son's huge brown eyes as well. My husband started calling to see where the closest emergency clinic was.

The following part I am not proud of, but I must tell it to show how God provided for me.

I immediately began to get into the shower . . . yes, I was in a life-threatening emergency situation and I felt compelled to get out of my salty, sandy swimsuit and shower before going for help. (Please don't ever pull something like this!)

The modest part of me could not bear showing up in front of a doctor in a swimsuit and the vain part of me took one look at my salt-stiff hair and said, "No Way! If I'm going to die it's not looking like this!" By the way, God is working on the vanity part of me with each passing year. He's getting His point across.

Everyone was upset that I was taking a shower, so I was going to take the fastest one ever. The unusual fact that there was no hot water, just icy cold pouring down on me assured that it was the fastest on record.

Before we left I stopped to hug both of my children telling them with a tongue too swollen to form understandable words that I loved them and no matter what happened it would be fine.

The emergency clinic turned out to be quite a bit further down the beach than we had anticipated. As we hit red light after red light my throat began to swell more and more. At last, by the time we pulled into the clinic and stood in front of the front desk to register I could no longer say anything and could only get a very small amount of air past my swollen throat and trachea. I had to hold my head way back and breathe very calmly and slowly and accept what little bit of precious air I could get in. Needless to say, one look at my huge tongue protruding out of my mouth sent the receptionist screaming in the back for the doctor.

Skipping lots of boring emergency procedure details. I will say that I remained at perfect peace. It was surreal. Everyone marveled. I knew if I died Heaven was waiting and God had a perfect plan for my motherless children and if I lived He had another kind of perfect plan which included me being alive on this earth. Either way I had His peace and assurance.

When my husband relayed the part about the ice cold shower to the doctor, he said that cold shower probably saved me by constricting my blood vessels. (Look how God provided for me.)
BUT- he said, we should have gone in the other direction straight to Grand Strand Hospital because if I had a rebound reaction that sometimes occurs with this type swelling he did not have the necessary drugs to save me.

Well, the adrenaline and steroids did work without rebound and we were soon on our way.

In my heart I knew that for whatever reason we were where God had sent us for His purposes. Perhaps the doctor, his receptionist, other patients or his nurse needed to see that peace that only He can give. I'll leave that up to Him. I definitely know that my peace during a very scary time for my children left a lasting impression on them.

I'm not saying that I always experience "perfect peace." There are other incidences where I find it harder to just give it to the Lord and be washed over by His peace. These situations have left me hungry to abide in that peace.

They have taught me to seek Him in all things. Praise God!

How about you dear one, do you have the peace to rest in whatever happens, whether you live or you die that all will be well with your soul?
Do you trust him during the storms of life that come on us so suddenly leaving things a wreck?
What will your witness be?  One of peace in the Savior or one of fear and insecurity?

If you are in need of peace first get rid of the fear in your life.

Meditate on this verse in 2 Timothy 1:7

For God hath not given us a spirit of fear but one of power and of love and a sound mind. (or some translations say stability instead of a sound mind)
Keep claiming that verse. Write it down. Take it with you. Memorize it. Whenever you feel fear creep up on you repeat this verse. Rebuke satan because he is the originator of fear. Ask God to replace it with His peace. Keep at it. Satan is persistant, but believe me God always wins!

God is our refuge and strength,
an ever-present help in times of trouble.
therefore, we will not fear, though the earth give way
and the mountains fall into the sea.
Psalm 46: 1-2


Praise Jesus!!
In Him we are more than victorious!

(c) 2011 Bonnie Mae Evans