praying for matthew

i don't know him. this boy i have been praying for. but i don't have to know him. 

i know his mom and that is enough.

i know her smile and imagine his must be the same. i know her heart and know his can't be that far off. and i know her strength and imagine he must have some of that in him too.

i know some of his friends in this small town we live in. i've heard the good stories. seen the nice posts. read the great memories.

i keep updated on his status. his lupus struggles. his ICU visits. 

and i pray for him. because i'm a mom and that's what moms do. 

we pray. we hope. we dream.

not just for our children but for our friend's children. for our neighbor's children. for the children we see and all the ones we never see.

and we never give up. 

and so we pass the word. and start prayer chains. and keep hoping, keep believing, keep praying that God will hear these mother's prayers, see these mother's tears, and know these mother's hearts. 

and heal this boy.

oh matthew, i don't know you but i don't have to know you. because i look at my two boys and i see you in them. and i see everything i want you to become.

so stay strong. 

and keep the faith.

and know that you are not alone.

because we are praying for you.

we are all praying for you.

always.

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"But He was pierced for our transgressions, He was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon Him, and by His wounds we are healed." Isaiah 53:5

 

 

 

be willing to offer what you have

we won't always know the plan.

we won't always understand how everything will work out.

we won't always think we can help.

but Jesus always does.

and He needs us to be willing to offer what we have without knowing the answers.

in John 6: 1-15 we see Jesus feeding the five thousand.

let's imagine ourselves there. let's imagine ourselves as disciples. 

five thousand people are stretched out before us. they've traveled to hear Jesus speak.

they're no doubt tired, and dirty, and hungry.

and Jesus sees that. He feels it. He knows it.

and He turns and asks Philip, "where shall we buy bread for these people to eat?"

"a half year's wages would not buy enough for each one to have a bite!", Philip declares.

can we hear the surprise in his response? he's probably thinking Jesus has lost His mind.

because Philip sees the never part of the problem. they could never do it. 

and if we were there, we'd have to agree. because there's a part of Philip in us.

a part that only sees the impossible. 

because it's not like there's a grocery store or a drive thru near by. there's no Super WalMart in sight. and in our mind it would take more than a Super WalMart anyway.

it would take a convention hall.

and a hundred workers.

and a kitchen staff beyond compare.

and we'd need a list of course. and a plan. and a few days to work out the details.

but Jesus had none of that. He needed none of that.

He just needed someone to see beyond the obvious. 

He just needed someone to believe in the impossible. 

He just needed someone to have faith in Him.

and then Andrew offers a little faith. it wasn't much, but it was something. 

"Here is a boy with five small barley loaves and two small fish, but how far will they go among so many?”, he questions.

"not far," we think to ourselves, "not far at all."

because deep down there's a part of Andrew in us too. 

a part that wants to help, but questions how so little can really make a difference.

but then there's the boy.

the one with the fish and the loaves.

the one with so little.

the one who gives what he has despite how it looks.

Jesus takes what the world sees as not enough and gives thanks to God for it.

and suddenly we see that what he has is all He needs.

because it ended up being enough and more.

the Bible says they had leftovers.

five thousand people ate until they were full and there were leftovers.

seems impossible.

and it is impossible when we look at it through earthly eyes. it is impossible when we focus on our limitations. but when we look at it through faith we see clearly. when we look at it through faith we see possibilities.

and that's what God needs us to see.

a faith that can move mountains.

a God of the impossible.

and our God of the impossible needs us to be willing to offer what we have even when it seems small. our God of the impossible needs us to willing to believe in Him despite the circumstances. our God of the impossible needs us to be willing to thank Him even in the moments when it seems like it's not enough. 

because it is enough.

because He is enough.

because He is always enough. 

and nothing is impossible for Him.

is God asking you to trust Him in an impossible situation? are you willing to offer Him all you have? will you let Him be enough for you?

"Is anything too hard for the Lord?" Genesis 18:14

"Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting." Psalm 139: 23-24