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June 15-21, 2008
Paying Attention to God
Sharon Jaynes
Today's Truth
"When Jesus reached the spot, he looked
up and said to him, 'Zacchaeus, come down immediately. I must stay at
your house today.'" (Luke 19:5 NIV)
Friend to Friend
To Beth it was the confusion of an inept airline. To me, it was a
divine appointment from God.
"I don't have an assigned seat," the disheveled young woman complained
as she stumbled into the airplane.
"This one is empty," I pointed out.
"Thanks," she huffed as she plopped down.
The beautiful young lady was obviously exhausted. She was dressed in
skin tight jeans, and a distracting low-cut t-shirt. Her flip-flops
slid under her feet to reveal a tattoo on the top of her foot.
Sunglasses hid something...I wasn't sure what. She looked straight
ahead, but I felt that her mind was traveling to a distant place.
After the plane left the ground, I pulled out my latest book that I was
reviewing for an upcoming radio interview. Put the book down and talk
to this girl, God seemed to say.
God, she doesn't want to talk. I can tell by her body language. She's
not interested in conversation, I mentally argued.
Put the book down and talk to this girl. (God can be very persistent.
Especially when it comes to one of his little lost lambs.)
I closed the book and turned to this...kid.
"So, where are you headed?" I asked.
"Home," she replied.
"Where's home?"
"Right outside of Charlotte," she replied. "It's a small town. I'm
sure you've never heard of it."
"Were you in Florida on business or pleasure?" I continued.
"I was visiting my boyfriend," she answered.
Then she took off her sunglasses to reveal red swollen eyes. She
glanced down at the book in my lap. "Your Scars are Beautiful to God,"
she read, "that's an interesting topic. I've got lots of scars."
"So do I," I replied. "That's why I wrote the book."
"You wrote that book?"
"Yep."
For the next hour and a-half, this young girl poured out her heart. She
had been abandoned by her birth father and sexually abused by several
men in her life. She was on this flight home because her boyfriend, who
had just come out of a drug rehabilitation center, had "roughed her
up." Actually, she was fleeing. My heart broke as this beautiful young
girl told me story after story of cruelties that had been done to her,
mingled with bad choices that had been made through her. At the moment,
her life resembled a hundred car train wreck with one lone survivor who
was in desperate need of life resuscitation.
As my mind engaged with Beth (nor her real name) my spirit communed with
God. What do I do? I prayed. So much hurt. So much pain.
Pray for her...now.
"Beth, would you mind if I prayed for you?"
"No," she said with a quiver in her voice. "I'd like that."
I held Beth's hand and God's sorrow for this girl filled my heart. It
wasn't just a "God bless Beth," sort of prayer. I sobbed. It was as if
God's pain for this girl I didn't even know was flowing through me.
As God would have it, Beth and I were on the front row of a very
sparsely filled plane. The only person paying any attention to us was
the flight attendant who sat facing us in her jump seat. I'm not sure,
but I think God was working in her heart as well.
When the plane landed, I handed Beth the book, we exchanged e-mails, and
embraced one last time. Since then, we have kept in touch and Beth has
continued her journey for peace and purpose. Her stepfather wrote me a
letter expressing his appreciation for taking the time to minister to
his "little girl." He wrote: "I had been praying for God to send Beth
an angel and I believe He did."
Well, I'm no angel, that's for sure. But I believe the angels were
hovering around us in that plane. The airplane may have been soaring in
the sky, but Katie and I flew to the throne room of God.
One of the great mysteries of the Christian life is that God has given
us great power through prayer. Through the pages of the Bible and the
volumes of history, we see God mightily working on behalf of those who
seek Him through prayer. There is great power in the words of a woman
offered up to God. However, unlike the power of our words to our
children, our husbands, our friends, the church and the world, this
power comes from God. He simply invites us to open the floodgates of
heaven with our words.
All through our lives, there will be times when we feel powerless. But
friend, we are never more powerful than when we use our words in
prayer. I was only with Beth a few hours in that airplane, but God's
power was evident when we grasped hands and prayed. His transforming
power did more in a few moments than any human could have done in years.
Are you wondering about the verse for Today's Truth? Do you think it
odd? It is not a mistake. See, even Jesus, in the middle of His busy
schedule, took the time to look up into that tree and spot a man who
needed an extra touch from God.
Let's Pray
Dear Lord, I pray that I will pay attention today. Help me to
keep my eyes open to those around me who need Your love today. I pray
that I will not be so wrapped up in my little world that I miss the
assignments you have for me. Give me the courage to step out in faith
when you call.
In Jesus' Name
Amen
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