"What's a praise report?" someone asked.
"It's a testimony of what
God has done with a
'THANK YOU JESUS!'
attached." I responded.
Here are two, in particular, that I must share with you!
I woke up yesterday with a text from my daughter... "Don't worry Mom, I'm okay!" Yikes! What does that mean? She told me to turn on the news. It turned out she had gone by the local shopping mall to check out the location of her new job. It's just minutes from her new apartment -- a quick and easy drive to work! Shortly after she left, however, a man went into that same shopping mall with a gun and opened fire. No by-standers were hurt, but he ended up killing himself.
With all that had transpired, her first day of work was cancelled. The entire mall was considered a crime scene and taped off -- No Entrance! My daughter and her friend decided to enjoy the day, getting acquainted with her new surroundings.
Originally she was supposed to move into an apartment in another neighborhood. In the midst of her packing, she received a call that the apartment fell through. The agent rented the apartment to someone else. How odd? She thought it was a done deal. The whole thing seemed a little shady. With little time to spare, she thought she was going to have to call and turn the job down.
"Don't be discouraged!" I told her.
"This is God at work. Even though time
is short, God has something better for you.
This is a blessing in disguise!
You'll see."
Sure enough, we found another agent immediately and she landed an apartment closer to work.
While out and about investigating the new area, my daughter and her friend decided to go by that "original" apartment. YIKES! -- were they ever surprised. They found themselves smack in the center of the ghetto. It was scary! Needless to say they just kept driving. It's not the place a young woman wants to live -- with or without Pauly!
"But as for me, I will always have hope;
I will praise you more and more."
"I will come and proclaim your mighty acts!"
Psalm 71: 14, 16
I give THANKS to God
for answering my prayers!
Truly, He was faithful to...
1. Get my daughter to Jersey safely in that big truck.
2. Make sure she got a nice apartment in a safe area.
3. Keep her safe from harm.
My children are all under the covering of my "prayer tent." As a mom, I consider it my responsibility to pray them through life. I take that role very seriously! They are my most precious gifts from God! That said, I am continually mentioning their names before the Lord. They are my top priority and they are at the top of my prayer list -- always! And I don't wait for them to get into trouble to pray. From the day the first one was born, I have been making daily deposits into my prayer bank on their behalf. You never know when you'll need a withdrawal. A storehouse of prayer is a good thing!
The second praise report that came forth was from a gal in Bible study who is such a lighthouse for God. I say that because she just glows with the joy of the Lord. She is a wonderful sister in Christ, and her heart is so tender towards the lost. Week after week she lifts her family and friends in prayer, hoping that they will all come to know Christ.
As a new Christian, that's not always easy. Once your eyes have been opened, you so desperately want your loved ones to see too! Usually, that's God's first assignment:
Pray and Wait!
"I waited patiently for the LORD;
He turned to me and heard my cry."
Psalm 40:1
Last night, this dear sister brought a friend with her to the Bible study. He testified that his son became a Christian when he went off to college. He's seen wonderful changes in his boy's life, and he is intrigued! (Yup -- You know God is after this dad, big time!) Not really knowing where to look for God or what to do, he noticed my light-house friend, shining brightly amongst the crowd. "There was something about her smile," he said, "She seemed so happy!" Ever since then, she has been aiding him in his pursuit of God.
The crazy thing about this testimony is that all this time we've been telling our friend that her presence, alone, is such a witness -- Her smile -- her laugh -- her enthusiasm. We all know that it's just a matter of time before people start asking questions. Yahoo!!!! It's happening now!
When I got home last night, and again today, I've been thinking about my sister's testimony.
When she thought nothing was going on,
God was at work!
Today, that's a message from God for me! Perhaps it's a message for you as well?
He is at work in Your life and mine!
Right now -- this very moment --
He's taking care of all the things that are
out of our control -- Things that we are
incapable of doing anything about!
I'm am believing that and resting in it!
In RED shoes,
Gail
