At least 16 times in the Gospels, Jesus tells His disciples to ask for things. To ask the Father for things. To ask for things in Christ's name. And every time, He connects it with the promise that it will be accomplished. There is generally the stipulation, or understanding, that IF it is for His glory, He'll do it. God isn't a magic prayer button, so I want to add that disclaimer.
But just think about the fact that Jesus tells His people to ASK for things.
"Whatever you ask in prayer, you will receive, if you have faith."
Here's my question. What do our "whatevers" look like? When I pray for the people I love, do I just ask God to bless them or heal their sickness or et cetera? Or am I asking bigger things for them? Or perhaps, not even "bigger" things, but more specific things.
Over the past couple of years I've been learning to ask specific things. And I'm discovering that God LOVES to give me the things I ask for. Sometimes, sure, He says no, and often I even forget that I asked for those things He says no to. For instance, I may be praying for someone's salvation. That is good. But do I pray for things like:
- that another Christian will run across their path today
- that I'll have an opportunity to show them love in a practical way
- that they will come to the concert I invited them to
- that the Lord will provide money for me to take them out for coffee
- that the Spirit will convict them of their sin and not let up
- that something on the news that I hear and know will make an impression on them will make a spiritual, eternal impression on them
Do I? These are just hypothetical. What situations are you burdened to pray for in your own life? Are you boldly approaching the throne of grace and asking for the specific things that you really want?
Listen to these verses:
"No good thing does He withhold from those who walk uprightly."
"Yes, the Lord will give what is good."
"When You open Your hand, they are filled with good things."
And there are a plethora more.
I love it when my friends ask me for things, whether that is an actual favor that I can do for them, or something I can pray for, or whatever. I love it, and it's a rare occasion that I'll say no. If I am that way, what makes me think that the Lord is any less that way? In fact, because He is God, and so infinitely good, He loves to give so much more than I do.
So what am I asking for, today? What's the harm in asking for all kinds of things? The "worst" that can happen is that He will say no and then, oh well, at least we asked. Our prayers often are so small. Do we think creatively and ask for things in faith, trusting that He will give us what is good?
Monday, July 27, 2009
Saturday, July 18, 2009
That's trust
"O Lord of hosts, blessed is the one who trusts in You."
Today when I was sharing with the little girls who came to the one-day afternoon girls camp that my littlest sister and I hosted, the Lord led me to give the girls different illustrations of what trust was. We talked about meeting someone somewhere - "Meet me in the kitchen at three o'clock and I'll have something special for you." Then, about hanging off of a cliff and reaching out to grab the hand of your rescuer. Then, about trusting a chair and sitting in it. Then, tonight, when I was looking through pictures of time spent with my church in Dubuque, I saw this picture, and it hit me:
That's trust.
Little Fifi, jumping off of the wood platform 30 feet off of the ground, attached to the wire by her little waist belt and a rope. Trust comes in all shapes and sizes, and sometimes it's like jumping off into the air with nothing but a safety belt to hold you. It's crazy. People around don't understand it. (I don't try to understand why people literally do that, like Fiona did.) :) But it's knowing that sure, everything will be fine because the one you trust won't let anything happen to you that will hurt you.
But it goes farther than that, at least one step. This next picture is one of my favorites of all time:
This was taken just a moment before the first picture. Fifi's expression is TRUST personified. Quiet, happy, ready to take the leap, not a fearful thought crossing her mind, just waiting and then going, full out. She didn't make a big deal out of it at all. She just did it. And then she was happy. And she did it again and again.
This morning I was starting to worry about money and relationships again, and the song crossed my mind:
"Jesus, Jesus, how I trust Him,
How I've proved Him o'er and o'er..."
So true! I serve a very well-proven God! He is so trustworthy.
I fear pain. So much. The thought of being emotionally torn up again makes me recoil like I've seen a snake. But that isn't trust. Sometimes the path of trust does lead to pain. But as I sat out under the stars tonight, I decided that it was worth it, and I would keep on praying big prayers and trusting my big God to answer. I would keep on following His lead because even if it is uncertain, it's way better than failing when I follow my own wisdom.
It's all over the psalms.
"Blessed is the man who makes the Lord his trust."
I want to trust my God. So here I go again. I'm taking the leap.
Today when I was sharing with the little girls who came to the one-day afternoon girls camp that my littlest sister and I hosted, the Lord led me to give the girls different illustrations of what trust was. We talked about meeting someone somewhere - "Meet me in the kitchen at three o'clock and I'll have something special for you." Then, about hanging off of a cliff and reaching out to grab the hand of your rescuer. Then, about trusting a chair and sitting in it. Then, tonight, when I was looking through pictures of time spent with my church in Dubuque, I saw this picture, and it hit me:
That's trust.
Little Fifi, jumping off of the wood platform 30 feet off of the ground, attached to the wire by her little waist belt and a rope. Trust comes in all shapes and sizes, and sometimes it's like jumping off into the air with nothing but a safety belt to hold you. It's crazy. People around don't understand it. (I don't try to understand why people literally do that, like Fiona did.) :) But it's knowing that sure, everything will be fine because the one you trust won't let anything happen to you that will hurt you.
But it goes farther than that, at least one step. This next picture is one of my favorites of all time:
This was taken just a moment before the first picture. Fifi's expression is TRUST personified. Quiet, happy, ready to take the leap, not a fearful thought crossing her mind, just waiting and then going, full out. She didn't make a big deal out of it at all. She just did it. And then she was happy. And she did it again and again.
This morning I was starting to worry about money and relationships again, and the song crossed my mind:
"Jesus, Jesus, how I trust Him,
How I've proved Him o'er and o'er..."
So true! I serve a very well-proven God! He is so trustworthy.
I fear pain. So much. The thought of being emotionally torn up again makes me recoil like I've seen a snake. But that isn't trust. Sometimes the path of trust does lead to pain. But as I sat out under the stars tonight, I decided that it was worth it, and I would keep on praying big prayers and trusting my big God to answer. I would keep on following His lead because even if it is uncertain, it's way better than failing when I follow my own wisdom.
It's all over the psalms.
"Blessed is the man who makes the Lord his trust."
I want to trust my God. So here I go again. I'm taking the leap.
Monday, June 29, 2009
Skiles Drama at its Greatest
So this evening I was innocently checking Facebook in my room in the basement. Rebekah was in the bathroom down here dying her t-shirt, Susannah was upstairs on the computer, and Abigail was out in the garden. The rest of the family was out harvesting. Well, I heard this crash and then these frantic tweets and the fluttering of wings.
*Let me take you back for a moment to last summer, when Rebekah and I came home from school to an empty house. I was going down to the basement room when I heard this shrieking sound coming from this little black mass of something on the floor. Rebekah and I, amidst lots of random screams and nervous steps down the basement stairs, discovered that it was a nest full of Chimney Swifts that had fallen down out of our chimney onto the floor. Our basement isn't quite finished yet, see. That was quite the experience.*
So this time, I knew it was the birds again. But...they were big this time, and they were flying.
*Let me take you back again to when I was little. My uncle had a parakeet named Buddy (that was supposed to be a boy but kept laying eggs...so apparently not) and sometimes it would fly around the house. I remember screaming and hiding under my aunt's bed because I was so scared. I like little birds chirping outside and I like shooting pheasants and dove and quail and eating them, but I do NOT like birds flying around in small places where they might hit me in the head.*
Okay, back to the story. So I took a few tentative steps toward the commotion and at the same moment I saw a bird flying into the porch door upstairs and one flying right toward me! I screamed pretty much at the top of my lungs and bolted for my bedroom slamming the door behind me. I could hear the bird flying into things outside. I yelled at the top of my lungs for help over and over again and finally my sisters came around. Rebekah, totally oblivious, came out of the bathroom to the washing machine, when suddenly the bird flew right toward her. SHE shrieked and dropped to the floor in a heap, then pulled the laundry basket over her head. By now the poor bird was behind the washing machine, apparently quite stuck. Abigail and Susannah climbed on top of the washing machines to try to dig it out. You should have heard our dialogue:
Me: Why don't you get a net? Do we have a net?
Abby: I have my fish net, but it's like "this" big.
Me: Oh well. Maybe if we got a hoe. Do you think? (I'm still peeking out from behind my door)
Abby gives up and climbs down, then Rebekah puts the laundry basket down and braves the task.
Rebekah: Here, birdy, birdy. Come on. Ah! (wings fluttering)
Me: Is it out?
Rebekah: No, it just moved. Stop moving!
Susannah: You WANT it to move, Rebekah, you're trying to get it out.
So Abigail leaves, I'm not sure why, because she was the bravest one there. I decide to go look for some sort of tool and bring in a rake. Suddenly the bird flies out of where it is hiding and slams right into the light, and dive bombs into a pile of cardboard boxes. Of course, we're all screaming while it's in flight, ducking and running. And then we were quoting Pete's Dragon:
"And then, he smiled at me."
"Well, did you smile back?"
"I didn't have TIME to smile back! I was too busy RUNNING!"
We all three tentatively start picking away at the boxes, calling for the bird and even whistling for it. I suggested we find some birdseed and lure it out, but you know, that wasn't really considered as a valid option.
Then, we found it, sitting askew on a board. We didn't know what to do, although we considered scooping it into a box, but we were afraid it would fly again. So we called Abigail and she came back downstairs and scooped it up in her hands and took it outside. She set it on the slide and it flew away. End of story. At least it was a happy one. We were afraid it broke itself when it hit the light.
Abigail: It's just a poor little bird scared to death.
Me: IT'S scared to death? What about me? It flew into my head!
So how many Skiles girls does it take to get a bird out of the basement? Abigail, apparently.
*Let me take you back for a moment to last summer, when Rebekah and I came home from school to an empty house. I was going down to the basement room when I heard this shrieking sound coming from this little black mass of something on the floor. Rebekah and I, amidst lots of random screams and nervous steps down the basement stairs, discovered that it was a nest full of Chimney Swifts that had fallen down out of our chimney onto the floor. Our basement isn't quite finished yet, see. That was quite the experience.*
So this time, I knew it was the birds again. But...they were big this time, and they were flying.
*Let me take you back again to when I was little. My uncle had a parakeet named Buddy (that was supposed to be a boy but kept laying eggs...so apparently not) and sometimes it would fly around the house. I remember screaming and hiding under my aunt's bed because I was so scared. I like little birds chirping outside and I like shooting pheasants and dove and quail and eating them, but I do NOT like birds flying around in small places where they might hit me in the head.*
Okay, back to the story. So I took a few tentative steps toward the commotion and at the same moment I saw a bird flying into the porch door upstairs and one flying right toward me! I screamed pretty much at the top of my lungs and bolted for my bedroom slamming the door behind me. I could hear the bird flying into things outside. I yelled at the top of my lungs for help over and over again and finally my sisters came around. Rebekah, totally oblivious, came out of the bathroom to the washing machine, when suddenly the bird flew right toward her. SHE shrieked and dropped to the floor in a heap, then pulled the laundry basket over her head. By now the poor bird was behind the washing machine, apparently quite stuck. Abigail and Susannah climbed on top of the washing machines to try to dig it out. You should have heard our dialogue:
Me: Why don't you get a net? Do we have a net?
Abby: I have my fish net, but it's like "this" big.
Me: Oh well. Maybe if we got a hoe. Do you think? (I'm still peeking out from behind my door)
Abby gives up and climbs down, then Rebekah puts the laundry basket down and braves the task.
Rebekah: Here, birdy, birdy. Come on. Ah! (wings fluttering)
Me: Is it out?
Rebekah: No, it just moved. Stop moving!
Susannah: You WANT it to move, Rebekah, you're trying to get it out.
So Abigail leaves, I'm not sure why, because she was the bravest one there. I decide to go look for some sort of tool and bring in a rake. Suddenly the bird flies out of where it is hiding and slams right into the light, and dive bombs into a pile of cardboard boxes. Of course, we're all screaming while it's in flight, ducking and running. And then we were quoting Pete's Dragon:
"And then, he smiled at me."
"Well, did you smile back?"
"I didn't have TIME to smile back! I was too busy RUNNING!"
We all three tentatively start picking away at the boxes, calling for the bird and even whistling for it. I suggested we find some birdseed and lure it out, but you know, that wasn't really considered as a valid option.
Then, we found it, sitting askew on a board. We didn't know what to do, although we considered scooping it into a box, but we were afraid it would fly again. So we called Abigail and she came back downstairs and scooped it up in her hands and took it outside. She set it on the slide and it flew away. End of story. At least it was a happy one. We were afraid it broke itself when it hit the light.
Abigail: It's just a poor little bird scared to death.
Me: IT'S scared to death? What about me? It flew into my head!
So how many Skiles girls does it take to get a bird out of the basement? Abigail, apparently.
Sunday, June 21, 2009
So, that was camp
For you are great and do wondrous things;
you alone are God.
Teach me your way, O LORD,
that I may walk in your truth.
The Lord truly did great and wondrous things at camp. And most of them revolved around revealing His truth to the girls I was with. It was really beautiful.
The week I counseled high school girls, one of the speakers shared about "toxic faith," or lies that we believe as truth. It fascinated me that this very thing is what the Lord has been trying to teach me this past year, and it was so good to see the Lord open my girls' eyes and show them the very things He has been proving to me - that they are beautiful, cherished, and loved. We had lots of good talks complete with tears and thank-you prayers. The Lord also gave me the opportunity to teach the girls afternoon Bible study for the week! I got to share on Thursday and Friday, and just shared about Hannah and Leah, two of my current favorite Bible women, and all that the Lord did for them and in them. It was really cool. I am always so thankful for any chance to teach, since it's kind of in my blood, but this time I was just really humbled by the fact that the Lord opened the door for me. It was so kind of Him. A girl in my cabin trusted Christ, too, after years of pretending to be a believer. And I got to spend time with one of my favorite boys in the world, who trusted Christ when he was 13, a few years ago, and is doing really well spiritually. He has the hardest life of almost anyone I know, but he is pressing on to know the Lord and it's so cool to see.
The second week was quite a stretching one. I was speaking at KBC for the girls grade school week. I had never been the only speaker at the week of camp, for morning and evening messages, and I must confess, that was pretty hard. Coming straight from school to working at the cemetery and then straight to camp two weeks after school, I definitely didn't feel as prepared as I would have like to have been, but that's okay, because the Lord had important things to teach me about dependence on Him and not on my own ability. Frankly, after I teach (anything, English, writing, Bible) I can generally feel like, "Yep, that went pretty well." But this week I didn't feel that way very much at all. One of my close friends who was counseling said that sometimes she did find it hard to follow the messages, even. That was pretty humbling. But the Lord used them - and even to teach the girls what I felt the Lord wanted as my objective. One girls said she learned more about Jesus' sacrifice for us, another about God's great love, another about the fact that she herself was special and loved, and one told me, after an especially difficult message, "Ms. Liz, that message was for me." So, the Lord was reminding me that it is His work and He only calls me to obey.
I was reminded one evening that it's actually kind of silly that when we have a hard week we talk about dependence on the Lord, when in reality we have to live every day depending on Him. It's true. But He does use those hard days to remind us, oh so vividly, that we have to trust Him for everything.
Thank you for praying. God did prove Himself strong and victorious through the two weeks of camp, and I'm thankful. It's back to work now. I'm not sure I'm ready to face the rest of the summer on a lawn mower, but it's again that daily dependence on my Lord. He will carry me through. :)
Sunday, May 24, 2009
My Daddy
Daddy, I’m scared.
It’s ok, honey. It was just a bad dream.
No, Daddy, it was real. There were big bad guys. They were gonna get me.
Well, Daddy’s here now. It will be ok.
Can you stay here with me, Daddy?
Sure, sweetie. Daddy’s here. Let’s just tuck these covers up...there.
Daddy, I don’t want those men to get me.
Don’t worry. Daddy will keep you safe.
Do big men ever try to get you, Daddy?
Sometimes, but they’re not like the ones in your dream.
What are they like?
They’re kind of sneaky. They’re called problems. They come in all shapes and sizes. They tell me stories that aren’t true about my life and about God.
Do they scare you, Daddy?
Sometimes.
Who chases them away for you?
My Daddy.
Who’s your daddy, silly Daddy?
He’s big and strong. And He’s your Daddy, too.
Who, Daddy?
Well, He lives up in heaven, but He’s right here with us, too...
It’s God! Will I have problems like you when I’m big, Daddy?
I’m afraid so, sweetie.
Why?
That’s just what life is like, hon.
Will you keep me safe?
If this daddy can’t, your other Daddy will.
Why?
Because He loves you. And He’s even bigger and stronger than me. He takes care of His little girls.
Always, Daddy?
Always.
I’m glad I have two Daddys.
Me too, hon. Goodnight.
‘Night, Daddy.
It’s ok, honey. It was just a bad dream.
No, Daddy, it was real. There were big bad guys. They were gonna get me.
Well, Daddy’s here now. It will be ok.
Can you stay here with me, Daddy?
Sure, sweetie. Daddy’s here. Let’s just tuck these covers up...there.
Daddy, I don’t want those men to get me.
Don’t worry. Daddy will keep you safe.
Do big men ever try to get you, Daddy?
Sometimes, but they’re not like the ones in your dream.
What are they like?
They’re kind of sneaky. They’re called problems. They come in all shapes and sizes. They tell me stories that aren’t true about my life and about God.
Do they scare you, Daddy?
Sometimes.
Who chases them away for you?
My Daddy.
Who’s your daddy, silly Daddy?
He’s big and strong. And He’s your Daddy, too.
Who, Daddy?
Well, He lives up in heaven, but He’s right here with us, too...
It’s God! Will I have problems like you when I’m big, Daddy?
I’m afraid so, sweetie.
Why?
That’s just what life is like, hon.
Will you keep me safe?
If this daddy can’t, your other Daddy will.
Why?
Because He loves you. And He’s even bigger and stronger than me. He takes care of His little girls.
Always, Daddy?
Always.
I’m glad I have two Daddys.
Me too, hon. Goodnight.
‘Night, Daddy.
Monday, May 18, 2009
Lovely Summer
Here I am again, blogging. I know, it has been ages. Truthfully, it has been a long time since I've felt like writing. I just haven't been up to it, so I haven't written. But summer is here now, and I'm planning on resting a lot, even though I'm working full time. Trust me, mowing a cemetery 8 hours a day is resting compared to sitting in a classroom for 21 months in a row (two years at Emmaus with a summer of classes in between). Yes, I am working for the city of Pratt, keeping up the cemetery there, mowing, trimming, etc. The Lord so graciously provided this job for me and I feel very thankful. It pays minimum wage, but 40 hour weeks even at minimum wage adds up. There are a few things I'm hoping to be able to buy after I pay off this year's school bill (although that bill is very small indeed, since the Lord has provided so amazingly for me), like a laptop battery (Delton - his name - has needed a battery for at least 7 months or so), a nice-ish camera (my old one bit the dust), new glasses. Then hopefully I can make some advance payments for next year, but we'll see where the Lord directs me to use the money.
Where was I? Oh, yes, mowing. So I'm doing lots of it, and enjoying it so far. The hours are long, but I'm so thankful for the job and I enjoy the time alone with the Lord, so it is good. I'm quite sunburnt and my hair is turning red again, which makes me happy. I feel quite pale and sickly being inside all year at school. :)
I'm also planning to go to camp for the first two weeks of June. First, I'm counseling at Sooner Bible Camp, Lord wiling, then speaking at Kansas Bible Camp, for the grade school girls week. Speaking of which, I need to go work on my lessons, so I'm heading off. But hopefully I'll be updating more this summer and just blogging in general. :) TaTa for now!
Where was I? Oh, yes, mowing. So I'm doing lots of it, and enjoying it so far. The hours are long, but I'm so thankful for the job and I enjoy the time alone with the Lord, so it is good. I'm quite sunburnt and my hair is turning red again, which makes me happy. I feel quite pale and sickly being inside all year at school. :)
I'm also planning to go to camp for the first two weeks of June. First, I'm counseling at Sooner Bible Camp, Lord wiling, then speaking at Kansas Bible Camp, for the grade school girls week. Speaking of which, I need to go work on my lessons, so I'm heading off. But hopefully I'll be updating more this summer and just blogging in general. :) TaTa for now!
Monday, March 2, 2009
final prep for Mexico
I've been thinking lately about how truth is truth no matter how I feel or what I believe or how I act. God is faithful and good, no matter how He answers our prayers. He is right and just, no matter what He does. I am thankful that He has opened so many doors for our team going to Mexico, but even if He chose to shut them all now, before we even go, He would still be good and faithful and nothing can change that. He IS who He IS regardless of what happens in my life!
Well, we're down to our last week before Mexico! Thanks so much for your prayers and support. The Lord has been providing overtime for our team and we feel overwhelmed at the answers to prayer. In a world that is shaking financially and economically, God has proven to us that He is well able to provide. At this point our team has an extra $1100 above what we planned on needing. We're curious to see if something will happen that we're not expecting that we'll need more money for. But if nothing else, the extra will be given to the believers in Leon and Guanajuato (Gwon-a-whotoe), especially the people whose homes we'll be staying in and the elders of the churches. So thank you for praying and sharing! :)
Some people may be concerned about our safety with Mexico being in the news and all. Just to reassure you - we are flying straight to Leon (with a change of planes in MX City), which is in the middle of the country and away from the violence at the border. It should be quite safe. Of course, the Lord is our protector in any case. :)
Things are coming together well. The Lord provided a van and a driver to get us all to Chicago early this Friday morning. We are performing one of our skits/mimes in student chapel Tuesday morning so the rest of the school can have an idea of what we're doing. Both of those are answers to prayer.
Things to pray for:
- Health of our team - it's a dangerous time of year and several of us haven't been feeling the greatest, flus and coughs, etc
- Continued growth as a team - that we would continue to be unified and build each other up in love
- Boldness as we are in Mexico
- Many opportunities to share the gospel
- Salvation of many people
- Our hearts to be changed
- God's glory to be evident to everyone around
- The churches there to be encouraged to step out and evangelize, too
Updates, Lord willing, and possibly even pictures will be available on our blog: www.missiontriptomexico.blogspot.com. Please, check it out and read about our team and our plans. :) (my profile is on there, on a page of older posts - link at the bottom of the page). Do look it up. :)
Thanks again so much for praying! I'm looking forward to writing you in a couple of weeks when we're back and sharing how much the Lord has done.
Well, we're down to our last week before Mexico! Thanks so much for your prayers and support. The Lord has been providing overtime for our team and we feel overwhelmed at the answers to prayer. In a world that is shaking financially and economically, God has proven to us that He is well able to provide. At this point our team has an extra $1100 above what we planned on needing. We're curious to see if something will happen that we're not expecting that we'll need more money for. But if nothing else, the extra will be given to the believers in Leon and Guanajuato (Gwon-a-whotoe), especially the people whose homes we'll be staying in and the elders of the churches. So thank you for praying and sharing! :)
Some people may be concerned about our safety with Mexico being in the news and all. Just to reassure you - we are flying straight to Leon (with a change of planes in MX City), which is in the middle of the country and away from the violence at the border. It should be quite safe. Of course, the Lord is our protector in any case. :)
Things are coming together well. The Lord provided a van and a driver to get us all to Chicago early this Friday morning. We are performing one of our skits/mimes in student chapel Tuesday morning so the rest of the school can have an idea of what we're doing. Both of those are answers to prayer.
Things to pray for:
- Health of our team - it's a dangerous time of year and several of us haven't been feeling the greatest, flus and coughs, etc
- Continued growth as a team - that we would continue to be unified and build each other up in love
- Boldness as we are in Mexico
- Many opportunities to share the gospel
- Salvation of many people
- Our hearts to be changed
- God's glory to be evident to everyone around
- The churches there to be encouraged to step out and evangelize, too
Updates, Lord willing, and possibly even pictures will be available on our blog: www.missiontriptomexico.blogspot.com. Please, check it out and read about our team and our plans. :) (my profile is on there, on a page of older posts - link at the bottom of the page). Do look it up. :)
Thanks again so much for praying! I'm looking forward to writing you in a couple of weeks when we're back and sharing how much the Lord has done.
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