Recently, after a sermon in church, my wife, Jo Anna, got up and spoke to the congregation. She stated that she could not figure out how she got through the recent months of worry, stress and work and realized that it was the thoughts and prayers of many and not the hand of man. Has that happened to you as well?
Much has been written that has been critical of thoughts and prayers. As if man’s actions were triumphant over a given situation and God is not considered. I think that most people reading this realize the sovereignty of God and would rather get God’s opinion and His actions than the actions of any man or woman. Or any organization or movement.
God has the last word and if we let Him, He will have the first word as well. We are just asked to have faith and pray for that which is on our hearts. Believers have the benefit of the Holy Spirit in them to do that which they could never do themselves. There is no magic formula, as I have seen alluded to many times. It is just God moving through you.
Regardless of situational stress or events, God can, and will, move through your prayers. Check your thoughts, as it says in the Bible, to “take every thought captive.” Those could be from you, or the devil, or the Holy Spirit. So, yes, thoughts count as well and they usually precipitate prayer.
My favorite verses in the Bible are Proverbs 3:5-7: Trust in the Lord with all of your heart. Lean not on your own understanding, in all of your ways acknowledge Him and He will direct your paths.
We are usually perplexed and challenged each day. That is a great time to exercise the faith muscle and cling to this verse.
I truly hope that you are having a great summer. It is time to rope. I hope to be back at it soon, but haven’t been cleared yet. I got a new helmet hat so that if I do wreck and land on the right side of my head it won’t kill me. I also want to thank everyone who has wished me well and commented on the articles. Thank you! I appreciate it. Rope good. Build relationship with God and have fun.
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Bob Ow lives in Ferndale, California on the northern coast. He and his wife Jo Anna, own a small 5 acre ranch and two really good rope horses. Bob is an independent financial advisor (which pays for his roping expenses), and an elder at a Ferndale Community Church.