The Power of Prayer

When have you last witnessed the power of prayer? 

Sometimes I hold back on sharing things because they seem totally bizarre, but I'm witnessing how profound the power of prayer is right now, so I'm going to share my little experience I had a couple weeks ago because prayer is incredible and sometimes we need these reminders. 

Now, I do realize our prayers don't always get answered and I'm not sure why other than something to do with the bigger picture, but when they do get answered, I think they are reminders that something we can't quite explain is going on. Something so profound... 

i posted a couple weeks ago on Facebook that Nathan (our youngest) had a fever for 14 days. He FINALLY was on day 3 of being fever free. We thought we were in the clear. He had all the blood work done we could think of and things were coming back pretty OK. There was some elevation in white blood cells, but we didn't hear back from his doctor so assumed everything was OK.  Karl was gone in Milwaukee that night (Weezer calls!) and around 2 am Nathan walks into our room totally disoriented and screaming his head hurts. He was burning up. The fever was BACK and full force! He mentioned was going to get sick. My stomach dropped. WHAT. WAS. GOING. ON? 

Automatically I started thinking meningitis. This bug just didn't want to leave us. I started planning up what I was going to do next. I was alone. Our neighbors were out of town. Karl was more than 6 hours away. My mother in law was babysitting our nieces. Do I bundle up and head to Children's? Was I being dramatic?? 14 days of a fever seems crazy - something we never have gone through in our house. And all symptoms were back. Was this something way worse? I gave Nathan some Tylenol and pulled him in close to me. 

So I started to pray. And I prayed and prayed and prayed. I held our baby tight and kept repeating the same healing prayer over and over and over. Then I asked for a message. "God, TELL ME what I need to do. Send me a message. Please." 

I must have fallen asleep. The last I looked the clock showed 4:26. All of a sudden I was in a dark room. Jackson and Nathan were with me and I was looking at my watch. It showed 3 a.m. I told them a nurse was calling me soon. Sure enough a phone on the wall rang and I picked it up. There, the most angelic voice spoke to me. "Christie, do not be afraid. Nathan is healthy. You are doing just fine. He has a rare virus he is fighting off and all you need to do is..."

I woke up. WHAT did I need to do??

Nathan was whispering in my ear. "Mom, I'm so schweaty. so so schweaty."

The bed was soaked. He was covered in sweat. And he was cool to touch. I immediately scanned his entire body over with my hands and eyes. I took his temp.

His fever broke. He was a cool 98.7 and was lying there like a sweet angel. And he's been fine ever since. In the meantime, his doctor finally called and I told him about Nathan getting a fever again and he mentioned that was quite concerning. He suggested we come in again. 

We did. But this time I KNEW he was fine. I kept saying that to everyone when their levels of worry or anxiety would rise. HE IS FINE. Because I knew in my heart he was fine. 

Sure enough... all numbers came back fine. 

Has your prayer been answered recently? Or have you witnessed the power of prayer?

Tweet

Read More

Morning Devotional - Spending Time with God

When do you spend time with God each day?

If you're anything like me, I'm sure you're feeling pressed for time. Maybe there are not enough hours in your day. Maybe you can barely workout or even get a few hours of sleep a night because you're trying to fit everything in. You might be running around with a scowl on your face because you're so focused on getting everything done. Maybe, just maybe, you're even missing out on the amazing things going on right in front of you just so you get everything done.

Stop for a second. Why are you doing this to yourself?

I remember shortly after our second son was born, I was stretched beyond thin. Not only did both my grandparents pass away within 6 months of each other, my other grandma was diagnosed with breast cancer, and then so was my mom, and I was working full-time, nursing, pumping, juggling a couple jobs, caring for two boys, managing a household and trying to be a great wife. To say I was tired was an understatement. I might have a slight problem asking for help.

But I'm also learning that we go through seasons and I was in a tough one. All of a sudden, Nathan started to sleep through the night and we gained an extra hour with daylight savings ending. I used that hour for me. I headed to the basement. I sat in silence, meditated and had conversations with God. I felt the overwhelm start to trickle away day by day. I became stronger and more at peace and started to own every day with grace and zest. I changed.

The more you have to do. And the busier you are. The more you really need to spend time with God. If you give God your time, He will give it back to you. And wouldn't having more time in your day be wonderful?

Remember, God is in charge of time. He knows how much you need to accomplish the things you really need to do. He can protect and help you manage it if you will spend time with Him first. Stop trying to "fit" God into your schedule. Make a decision to put him first. Then work the rest of your schedule around him.

Life does not have to overwhelm you or catch you off guard. Prepare yourself for the challenges you will face each day by trusting Him with your time.

When can you find time for God today? 

Tweet

Read More