Okay, so this is now the third series that I have started in the world of blogging. I hope this one has more success than the previous two. I won't go through the messy details, but neither of the first attempts ever made it to part 2. Anyway, I have seen someone else do this and I thought it was a great idea. The thought is that while I am in the prayer room, the Lord is speaking to my heart, showing me things, and moving in me to pray for all kinds of things. I figured what a better way to share about what happens up here, than by sharing some of my heart and experiences.
Picture this, this morning we all headed down the street to the prayer room. Me and the boys, and we took with us Katrina and Kinsey (see this
post for sweet Kinsey) and our friend Andrew. Anyway, we all arrived close to 10:30 and stayed until almost 11:30! (a vast improvement from the last trip with both boys and one mommy) Beside the point, as I was watching Benjamin stare at the drums and play along in the air, Samuel fell asleep in my arms and we all headed back to our seats, conveniently located in the back of the room. Benjamin was content to color in his coloring book for a bit, but then wanted to go back up front and see the drums again. Since I was now firmly planted with a child asleep in my lap, I sent him to our dear friend Chad and they watched the drums together.
Two things suddenly happened. First, the worship leader began to sing the following chorus "I put on my garments of vengeance, I wrap myself in zeal as a cloak. I'm going to war. I'm going to war, says the Lord." At first glance, I was upset by this song. This view of the Lord. The picture of the heavenly Father, in all his loving kindness, going to war against humanity. Then like a lightening bolt, it hit me. It is because of his loving kindness that he is going to war. I don't really understand what it looks like for someone to love me enough that they would be willing to fight and die for me. In a generation that has not experienced a "traditional" war, I only see it as a horrible, pride-filled event that causes pain and suffering. But this morning my heart was moved to pray for those I know who long to see Jesus and the Father as ones who will FIGHT for our hearts. We don't really know what it is like to have someone really fight FOR us. Most of the time it is shrouded in some kind of selfish ambition, gain, or world dominion. Not just for us and our hearts. May we know this zeal of the Lord in a new and exciting way.
Secondly, when Benjamin and Chad came back from drum watching, Chad told me that Benjamin had been praying as he was watching when they were talking about East Asia (a specific country that we talk about, but due to the sensitive nature, I can't actually say where). Benjamin told Chad that he was praying for Bright, his friend. You see, our dear friends have left for East Asia this past weekend and we have been talking about where they are and what they are doing. He had heard the people on stage praying for that place and those people, and he in his own way, began to intercede for his friend Bright to be able to share the gospel. The chorus we were singing was, "Open up a door, open up a window. Make a way for your word to go forth." So as we prayed this morning,
"Lord Jesus, hold the Rupp family. Make a door, make a window for the power of the gospel to be spread in East Asia. Use ALL of them to testify to the only Living God, raised from the dead and coming back to fight for his people. That all in your city may know the depth to which we are loved, the width to which you search for us, and the power with which you will save us from all that is evil, all that is pain, and all that is death. May Bright testify to the light of the word. May Daniel and Kayla rest in your plan and your provisi0n, may Zion make his namesake known and may your name be glorified."
We love you Rupps, we are with you and thinking of you- can't wait to hear from you!
I don't know if you can tell or not, but both of my children have happily placed themselves on top of the table playing with trains. We originally moved Benjamin and his trains to the table when Samuel started crawling. He wouldn't leave them alone and he kept messing up the tracks (as all infants do). Well, sometime recently, Samuel has learned to appreciate the tracks as is, and actually loves to move the trains along them like his big brother. I now find myself moving his off the table more times a day than I can count, and I am reflecting, is not the time to move the trains back to the floor? Or would that cause more problems? Oh the dilemnas of parenting . . . . . some more important than others. :) Blessings-
For the first part of this post, I feel I must send you to my dear friend Candace's post. She sometimes can say the same things I have thought but just better. I wanted to piece on some other thoughts about our wonderful weekend in the woods with 9 babies (Benjamin being the oldest) and 8 adults on a campsite for two nights in tents. As we made the treck home, we stopped way too many times and Samuel threw up everything he had eaten 10 miles from the house. We stopped one more time, cleaned it all out, and finished the adventure (Thank the Lord that Benjamin didn't puke as well, since he was sitting perilously close at the time!). As we pulled into the driveway, it was close to bedtime, we had babies to bathe and put to bed, a car that still stunk of puke, stuff to be unloaded, and a bed calling our names as well. My mind was completely focused on the tasks at hand. We all know how I can get when it comes to finishing a list of tasks! Nonetheless, someone stopped me and asked how it went. In passing I said, "It was miserable in practicality, but absolutely wonderful for the soul." As I have thought more over the last several days, I am more and more sure of it. No matter how difficult it may be, no matter how long we have to go or how crazy the conditions, I will always treasure my time with the Chaneys, Harpers, and Rupps. They are precious souls that the Lord has united our hearts with and this weekend was simply another lesson in the amazing thing called fellowship.
So this morning we were headed to the Prayer Room for the Wednesday 10am meeting. It's focused on praying for the nations, so naturally we have a great time! Nonetheless, as we were driving we were listening to one of Misty Edwards' songs ("I am Yours"). I started singing, as I usually do in the car, and all of the sudden this precious sound came from the back. Benjamin was singing as loud as his voice would carry and as many of the words as he knew (which were many more than I have ever thought). I had heard him sing like that in a couple of situations, but never in the prayer room or at church. So when we got there, I stopped the van, turned around and told him that if he wanted to he could sing like that in the prayer room. Mommy loves to sing to Jesus in the prayer room. He said, "How can Go hear us? All the doors are closed." I smiled, as any mother does, and responded with how wonderful of a hearer/listener God is. His ears are so good that he can hear through the doors and walls. Benjamin's little heart smiled with such joy that he said, "That's crazy! He can hear through doors???!!!" I have never seen my little on engage with the prayer room and the singing on stage like he did this morning. It was truly amazing, and as I was watching I was reminded of the little things that really are the big things. If we think that God can't hear us, then we don't pray to him. We don't sing to him, and we sure don't want to trust and love him. There is no relationship if he can't hear us.
