Today I am continuing to think about being Relentless in prayer. I thought I'd share a personal testimony to provisions through prayer and then open the floor up to you to respond with your testimony.
To this day, I vividly remember a time in our life from 18 years ago when I was pregnant with Jordyn. Jim, Amanda and I lived in a small two bedroom home. We were struggling financially and living pay check to pay check. (Perhaps this is where the family motto “Beans and rice and Jesus Christ" started.) It was a Sunday afternoon and we had just arrived home from church. I was in the kitchen preparing to warm up left over spaghetti, bread and salad from the night before. It was a small amount of food but just enough for the three of us. I heard a knock at our door and much to our surprise it was two of our friends who were hungry and in need of some food. This precious couple was worse off financially than we were back in the day but we were close enough in our friendship that they felt comfortable coming by for an unannounced meal.
I felt panic strike as Jim invited them in and warmly told them “we’d LOVE to have you join us for lunch!” Jim was clueless to our lunch menu (and in that moment I wasn’t sure what was going to be on the menu either!). I recall greeting my friends and then returning to the kitchen looking at the small amount of leftovers . Being eight months pregnant, I could have easily scarfed up the small portion of food on my own but I realized this food was all we had to offer and it would need to be divided between not only three people, but five!! In desperation and with tears in my eyes, I mumbled a heartfelt prayer and asked The Lord to please help us. To please help our friends who had no money and to pretty please help our spaghetti. (yep, I prayed for spaghetti).
We all gathered around the table as I served the leftovers. Our small luncheon that Sunday afternoon was filled with much laughter, Scripture sharing and precious fellowship. It was not until the end of lunch when I started to clear the plates that I realized The Lord had heard my innocent prayer. I was astonished as I saw leftovers from the leftovers! We had each eaten until our bellies were full and we still had extra food. I was in awe at our spaghetti -increasing God. Not only had He heard my cry for “help” from my kitchen, He had provided and multiplied our food that Sunday afternoon AND more importantly-- He had shown himself to me as Jehovah Jirah, our Provider.
I knew He cared about every hair on our head (Luke 12:7) and that Sunday afternoon I learned that also He cared about every noodle on our plate.
Stormie Omartian writes in her book The Power of Praying Book:
God wants to do great things through us if we would just step out in faith when He asks us to. That’s why He lets us go through some difficult times. Times when we feel weak and vulnerable. He allows certain things to happen so that we will turn to Him. It's in those times, when we are forced to pray in greater faith, that our faith and our lives are transformed.
Stormie's suggested Prayer: Give me faith so that I can pray in power. Help me to pray and believe for great changes in myself. Transform me by the power of your Spirit.
It's your turn! What has The Lord done to show Himself as Jehovah Jirah (Provider) in your life as a result to your prayers?
May we seek Him with Rentless prayers in all areas of our life. The big things and the small things.
Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. Philippians 4:6 NLT
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