Beyond the storm - Part 2

In the seasons of smoother sailing, as well as keeping that hunger for intimacy with God growing, it is important that we take time to understand what God has taught us during the storms, and ask Him how He wants to use us as His vessel to minister to others. 

As the season for our family is changing from survival mode to more normal living, I am getting greater revelation of this truth. Here are a couple of scriptures God has recently highlighted to me,

But you are God's chosen treasure - priests who are kings, a spiritual "nation" set apart as God's devoted ones. He called you out of darkness to experience his marvellous light, and now he claims you as his very own. He did this so that you would broadcast his glorious wonders throughout the world. 1 Peter 2:9 TPT 

Every believer has received grace gifts, so use them to serve one another as faithful stewards of the many-coloured tapestry of God's grace. 1 Peter 4:10 NKJV

So why not ask God who He wants you to help, and if they aren't in your life already, ask Him to bring them to you. 

I love the movie WarRoom. Yes, it is fiction, however I wonder how many true stories it reflects. For those who haven't seen the movie, it is a beautiful story of an elderly widow who has learned so much from a living in a less than perfect marriage (normal!!!). She asks God to bring a younger wife into her life so she can come alongside her and impart wisdom. In Paul's letter to Titus we find him talking about this type of helping.

Likewise with the female elders, lead them into lives free from gossip and drunkenness and to be teachers of beautiful things. This will enable them to teach the  younger women to love their husbands, to love their children, and to be self-controlled and pure, taking care of their household and being devoted to their husbands. By doing these things the word of God will not be discredited. Titus 2:3-5 TPT

Imagine what would happen if we all prayed that prayer, 'Lord, bring me someone I can help.'

Perhaps you might be thinking, 'I am not equipped to help anyone. I don't have the time and ability.' Be encouraged, you have all that you need to start now. 

Years ago I remember hearing someone say, 'just use what is in your hand'. In the early years of Victoria's illness I had a desire to do something more for God, but I was quite limited in time, resources, and location, as most of my time was spent either at the hospital or caring for Victoria at home. 

But God reminded me that I had a computer, an internet connection, the ability to write, and that He was doing plenty of things that I could write about. 

Throughout that period when I started blogging, and with other projects I have started since, He always reminds me of Zechariah 4:10,

Does anyone dare despise this day of small beginnings? They'll change their tune when they see Zerubbabel setting the last stone in place! Zechariah 4:10 The Message

Another way that God might be wanting to use you and the the wisdom gained from the storms could  be by serving in a new or different way at church or elsewhere. This might become evident by a prompting of the Holy Spirit, or an invitation.

Last year I received an invitation to do something new, being a reader/writer for the HSC exams. When the invitation came, despite a busy work and family schedule, I felt the Holy Spirit say, 'say yes'. So I said yes.  

Press pause - as you may have gathered, during the past seven years my prayer life has changed dramatically, my hunger to spend time with God, and hear his voice is continually growing and impacting on every area of my life, and hopefully by the grace of God, the lives of others around me.

Back to the story, during one of the exams, while I was in the room, I was not actually required to any reading or writing. So I started praying in my head for the student, perhaps 15 minutes or so, and then I started to pray for our family. But I felt the Holy Spirit say, 'No, I want you to pray for the student', so I prayed again for the student. Then after a little while I start to pray for our business, but again the Holy Spirit said, 'No, I want you to pray for the student'. So I prayed again for the student. Then I thought about praying for the children's creative ministry at church, but then I finally realised that my job today was not to read and write for the HSC student, it was to pray for them - 2.5hrs of dedicated prayer. 

I learned a couple things from that experience,

1. When an invitation comes, we need to ask the Holy Spirit what our answer is to be, as God has probably got far greater plans for that invitation, than just what we can immediately see. 

"For My thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways My ways", says the LORD. "For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways. And My thoughts than your thoughts." Isaiah 55:8-9 NKJV

2. God really loves us and will go to great lengths to help us in all situations. It amazed me that He loved this student so much, that He would arrange for someone to come and physically sit alongside them and pray for that length of time. I guess it shouldn't have amazed me so much, especially when we remember that God gave up his only Son, Jesus, so we could have eternal life, but I am human and it did.

But that thought does bring us back to Jesus, the anchor, where this little series on the analogy of the sailing voyage and the storms of life began. Jesus, our hope in all things.

And now we have run into his heart to hide ourselves in his faithfulness. This is where we find his strength and comfort, for he empowers us to seize what has already been established ahead of time - an unshakeable hope! We have this certain hope like a strong, unbreakable anchor holding our souls to God himself. Our anchor of hope is fastened to the mercy seat which sits in the heavenly realm beyond the sacred threshold, and where Jesus, our forerunner, has gone in before us. He is now and forever our royal Priest like Melchizedek. Hebrews 6:18-20 TPT

I pray that this series has been a blessing to you and regardless of whatever season you find yourself in now, Jesus will be your hope. And that in all seasons your desire to draw closer to Him will grow, and that the outworking of that desire will be a blessing to many.