Leave the Results to God

Pushing Against The Rock
Author Unknown

There once was a man who was asleep one night in his cabin when suddenly his room filled with light and the Saviour appeared to him.

The Lord told him He had a work for him to do, and showed him a large rock explaining that he was to push against the rock with all his might. This the man did, and for many days he toiled from sunup to sundown; his shoulder set squarely against the cold massive surface of the rock, pushing with all his might. Each night the man returned to his cabin sore and worn out, feeling his whole day had been spent in vain.

Seeing that the man showed signs of discouragement, Satan decided to enter the picture - placing thoughts in the man's mind, such as ``Why kill yourself over this?, you're never going to move it!'' or ``Boy, you've been at it a long time and you haven't even scratched the surface!'' etc. giving the man the impression the task was impossible and the man was an unworthy servant because he wasn't moving the massive stone.

These thoughts discouraged and disheartened the man and he started to ease up in his efforts. ``Why kill myself?'' he thought. ``I'll just put in my time putting forth just the minimum of effort and that will be good enough.'' And this he did or at least planned on doing until, one day, he decided to take his troubles to the Lord.

``Lord,'' he said, ``I have labored hard and long in Your service, putting forth all my strength to do that which You have asked of me. Yet after all this time, I have not even budged that rock even half a millimeter. What is wrong? Why am I failing?''

To this the Lord responded compassionately, ``My friend, when long ago I asked you to serve Me and you accepted, I told you to push against the rock with all your strength and that you have done. But never once did I mention to you that I expected you to move it. At least not by yourself. Your task was to push. And now you come to Me, your strength spent, thinking that you have failed, ready to quit. But is this really so? Look at yourself. Your arms are strong and muscled; your back sinewed and brown. Your hands are calloused from constant pressure and your legs have become massive and hard. Through opposition you have grown much and your ability now far surpasses that which you used to have. Yet still, you haven't succeeded in moving the rock; and you come to Me now with a heavy heart and your strength spent. I, my friend will move the rock. Your calling was to be obedient and push, and to exercise your faith and trust in My wisdom, and this you have done.''

This old story came to mind as I was re-reading today's posts. What the Lord wants from each of us is obedience...the results should be left up to Him. This is a very, very hard lesson for me...one that He seems to have to repeat every so often in order to get through to me. I'm so glad that He never tires of that though. It's ALL gift...all of it!

Thank You Lord for Your amazing Grace!

Love God!

“Love God and do what you will.”
---St. Agustine

May our love for God be so strong and so pure that our will and His become one.

The Shout of El-Shaddai (video)

It all rests on God

Intercessors Of The Lamb

I said, “How can we pray for you today?” She said, “Maybe you could pray for my headache. I have a headache.” I thought to myself, “Oh God, thank You. That’s all she wants us to pray for—a headache. I mean, we certainly should be able to get the grace for a headache!” See how much of self is still here. How much I thought it depended on my partner and me. We both kind of looked at each other and breathed a sigh of relief that this was all she wanted. So we just said this simple little prayer, “God, would You touch her and take away her headache?” That was all, and she jumped up out of the chair, energized, and said, “It’s gone! It’s gone!” We said, “It is?!” “Yes!” I said, “Well, that’s wonderful. How long have you had this headache?” “Five years.” So God was teaching us. Every time we pray, He teaches us something. He teaches us that this kind of ministry is for children because children know they don’t have any power. They know it all rests on God. They just ask. That’s the key: it all rests on God.



Excerpt from “Desert Prayer,” city, New Mexico, 1998.

Universalis: Office of Readings

Universalis: Office of Readings:

"It was not by their own swords that our fathers took over the land, it was not their own strength that gave them victory; but your hand and your strength, the light of your face, for you were pleased in them."

May we trust God and His strength more then our own.

USCCB - (NAB) - December 13, 2007

USCCB - (NAB) - December 13, 2007:

"The afflicted and the needy seek water in vain, their tongues are parched with thirst. I, the LORD, will answer them; I, the God of Israel, will not forsake them. I will open up rivers on the bare heights, and fountains in the broad valleys; I will turn the desert into a marshland, and the dry ground into springs of water. I will plant in the desert the cedar, acacia, myrtle, and olive; I will set in the wasteland the cypress, together with the plane tree and the pine, That all may see and know, observe and understand, That the hand of the LORD has done this, the Holy One of Israel has created it."

Prayer for Today: May all His people be filled with hope and joyful anticipation.

Prayer warriors needed

Intercessors Of The Lamb:

"God wants us to bloom wherever we are planted. Wherever God has placed us, that’s where He wants us to pray. Intercession is a ministry for all people in all walks of life. God asks us to pray where we pray best—right where He has placed us. Intercession fits into any vocational call because it comes out of our baptismal vocation, which we all have in common. That’s the beauty of it. We’re all in this together as a Church, as God’s people. All of us together make up the Body of Christ. Together we focus on Jesus, and together we intercede for the Father’s greater honor and glory."

Excerpt from Interceding with Jesus, Chapter 4, 2000.

Let's pray for all who the Lord brings to this site...whether they are looking for prayers, or to join us in intercession.

for a friend's dad

Could you keep my Dad in your prayers today (Wednesday)? He is having a stent put in his corotid artery. He has had this before (in the other side) and it is pretty "routine" but prayers are always welcomed. Please keep the doctors and nurses in prayer as well.
Thank you very much.

Alicia

I Want To Live(video)

Prayer for the Unborn

Our Lady of Guadalupe Patroness of the unborn

The Lord a while back lead us to pray for the children, he is now asking us to take a step back and go even further in our prayer to cover all children from the moment of conception on. John the Baptist lept in his mother's womb when he heard Mary's greeting. If children can experience joy and grace at that stage then the opposite is certainly true also. Let us pray for their protection from the evil one who has targeted them from the very beginning. Let us also pray for all the children that received soul wounds so early in their life that it is beyond their memory...may healing be theirs.

Our Lady of Guadalupe

Universalis: Today:
"Our Lady of Guadalupe

The shrine of Our Lady of Guadalupe, near Mexico City, is one of the most celebrated places of pilgrimage in North America. On December 9, 1531, the Blessed Virgin Mary appeared to an Indian convert, Juan Diego, and left with him a picture of herself impressed upon his cloak. Devotion to Mary under this title has continually increased, and today she is the Patroness of the Americas."

leaping for joy

USCCB - (NAB) - December 12, 2007:

"When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the infant leaped in her womb, and Elizabeth, filled with the Holy Spirit, cried out in a loud voice and said, “Most blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb. And how does this happen to me, that the mother of my Lord should come to me? For at the moment the sound of your greeting reached my ears, the infant in my womb leaped for joy. Blessed are you who believed that what was spoken to you by the Lord would be fulfilled.” And Mary said: “My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord; my spirit rejoices in God my savior.” "


Prayer for Today: May all Christians today leap for joy at the sound of Mary's 'voice' and boldly stand united to proclaim Elizabeth's words 'blessed are you among women'.

May Mary's own words too echo in our hearts "My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord; my spirit rejoices in God my savior."

Meal Time

Intercessors Of The Lamb

"We come to the table every day, no matter how busy we are, even though we might be eating on the run, but we have to be fed. Have you ever thought at Thanksgiving, "Oh I'm never going eat again? I'm just stuffed". But we are there the next day. We have to come back to the table of the Lord, as well. We have to come back into His presence. He is there for us, a personal friend. He is there for us as our Shepherd. He is there for us to feed us so that we do not fall by the wayside. We must make our prayer time a priority. If He is our friend, if He is our Beloved, if this time with Him is our top priority, if we are convinced that it is the one thing necessary, then we will be there. We will be there seeking God in quiet communication. We will come apart and simply rest awhile in his presence. Each day you need to have a quiet time. It might just be that you have to go in the bathroom and lock the door. It might be a little prayer chair you have or a prayer closet, some place where the family knows that this is your time and you can have that space because God said, "I want you to know Me. But you need to be still. You need to be quiet.""

Excerpt from Mother Nadine’s, “Gift of the Desert,” Corpus Christi, TX 2006

Live the Life

Preach the gospel to all the world, and if necessary, use words.
-st. francis of assisi

Were passengers aboard the train
Silent little lambs amidst the pain
Thats no longer good enough
And when its time to speak our faith
We use a language no one can explain
Thats no longer good enough

And God knows its a shame
As we look to pass the flame
We are not the worthy bearers of his name

Chorus:

For the world to know the truth
There can be no greater proof
Than to live the life, live the life
Theres no love thats quite as pure
Theres no pain we cant endure
If we live the life, live the life
Be a light for all to see
For every act of love will set you free

Theres something beautiful and bold
The power of a million human souls
Come together as one
And each in turn goes out to lead
Another by his word, his love, his deed
Now the circle is done

It all comes back to one
For it is he and he alone
Who has lived the only perfect life weve known

Chorus

setting captives free

Intercessors Of The Lamb:
"And what is the Spirit saying to us? He is saying the same thing that He said to Jesus. Jesus said, “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me to bring good news to the poor” ( ). Mother Teresa of Calcutta especially showed us our poverty of spirit. So many people don’t know God. So many people are estranged from God. So many people are starving for God’s love, joy, and compassion. God loves to come and bring His Good News to the poor, proclaiming freedom to the captives. Jesus said, “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me to proclaim freedom to captives” ( ). "

USCCB - (NAB) - December 11, 2007

USCCB - (NAB) - December 11, 2007:
"Like a shepherd he feeds his flock; in his arms he gathers the lambs, Carrying them in his bosom, and leading the ewes with care."

Today's Prayer: May we be filled with a burning desire to also 'feed His flock'. May the needs of others carry a higher burden within us then our own.

JOY = Jesus, Others, You.

Praise God!

Prayer for Healing the Family Tree

Prayer for Healing the Family Tree

Heavenly Father, I come before You as Your child, in great need of Your help. I have physical health needs, emotional needs, spiritual needs, and interpersonal needs. Many of my problems have been caused by my own failures, neglect and sinfulness, for which I humbly beg Your forgiveness, Lord. But I also ask You to forgive the sins of my ancestors whose failures have left their effects on me in the form of unwanted tendencies, behavior patterns and defects in body, mind and spirit. Heal me, Lord, of all these disorders.

With Your help I sincerely forgive everyone, especially living or dead members of my family tree, who have directly offended me or my loved ones in any way, or those whose sins have resulted in our present sufferings and disorders. In the name of Your divine Son Jesus, and in the power of His Holy Spirit, I ask You, Father, to deliver me and my entire family tree from the influence of the evil one. Free all living and dead members of my family tree, including those in adoptive relationships, and those in extended family relationships, from every contaminating form of bondage. By Your loving concern for us, heavenly Father, and by the shed blood of your Precious Son Jesus, I beg You to extend Your blessing to me and all my living and deceased relatives. Heal every negative effect transmitted through all past generations, and prevent such negative effects in future generations of my family tree.

I symbolically place the Cross of Jesus over the head of each person in my family tree, and between each generation; I ask You to let the cleansing blood of Jesus purify the blood lines in my family lineage. Set Your protective angels to encamp around us, and permit Archangel Raphael, the patron of healing, to administer Your divine healing power to all of us, even in areas of genetic disability. Give special power to our family members' guardian angels to heal, protect, guide and encourage each of us in all our needs. Let Your healing power be released at this very moment and let it continue as long as Your sovereignty permits.

In our family tree, Lord, replace all bondage with a holy bonding in family love. And let there be an ever deeper bonding with You, Lord, by the Holy Spirit, to Your Son Jesus. Let the family of the Holy Trinity pervade our family with its tender, warm, loving presence, so that our family may recognize and manifest that love in all our relationships. All of our unknown needs we include with this petition that we pray in Jesus precious Name.

Amen.

[ Rev. John H. Hampsch, C.M.F. ]

Prayers for my aunt

Yesterday I posted about her sister that was diagnosed with liver cancer, we now need prayers for her nephew as well (this same sister's son)...he was diagnosed with kidney cancer...his name is Pedro...if you could all please storm heaven for this family. My aunt herself is in need of prayers also...her immediate family has been heavily stricken with this disease in recent years (she lost her husband...about five years ago to it)and she's not taking these latest developments very well.

Be strong, fear Not!

USCCB - (NAB) - December 10, 2007:
"Say to those whose hearts are frightened: Be strong, fear not! Here is your God, he comes with vindication; With divine recompense he comes to save you. Then will the eyes of the blind be opened, the ears of the deaf be cleared; Then will the lame leap like a stag, then the tongue of the mute will sing. Streams will burst forth in the desert, and rivers in the steppe."

Prayer for Today: Let us pray for all that are facing any type of anxiety or fear this Advent Season...may the Lord make His love shown and liberate hearts in a new and powerful way.

In Jesus' Name...Amen!

God Will Make A Way

God will make a way
God will make a way
Where there seems to be no way
He works in ways we cannot see
He will make a way for me
He will be my guide
Hold me closely to His side
With love and strength for each new day
He will make a way He will make a way

By a roadway in the wilderness
He'll lead me
And rivers in the desert will I see
Heaven and earth will fade
But His word will still remain
He will do something new today.