Jesus, I need Your Attention!
Have you ever wondered if Jesus hears you? This morning I found a desperate prayer to Jesus in my journal from January 2014. It read,
“Jesus, I need your attention and compassion. Will you sell our house? Will you take care of us as we try to take care of so many others? Will you be our father? Will you swoop in and provide for us in a miraculous way? I need You to care for us, to take some of this weight off. I want to have faith, but I’m so tired right now. Tired.”
Have you ever wondered if Jesus hears you? This morning I found a desperate prayer to Jesus in my journal from January 2014. It read,
“Jesus, I need your attention and compassion. Will you sell our house? Will you take care of us as we try to take care of so many others? Will you be our father? Will you swoop in and provide for us in a miraculous way? I need You to care for us, to take some of this weight off. I want to have faith, but I’m so tired right now. Tired.”
As I was writing my prayer, song lyrics by Sarah Groves played in the background: “I will open my hands, open my heart. You withhold no good thing from me. I am nodding my head in an emphatic ‘Yes’ for all you have for me.”
I knew God was speaking to me, so I prayed: “Jesus in this moment, I am doubting you. I need YOUR faith and assurance. Do you withhold no good thing from me? Will you provide?”
After my prayer, I picked up Beth Moore’s, Jesus, 90 Days with The One and Only. God immediately started giving me faith through her words: “Many do not understand that surrounded by dynamics like length and depth of defeat, have absolutely no bearing on Christ’s ability to perform a miracle. Hear it again…NO BEARING.
Christ can’t just do anything. Christ can do everything! Stop wondering if Christ can do ‘anything’ in your situation and start believing he can do everything glorious.
Ask me my child. Ask me for what you lack. I am the only one who can help you overcome your unbelief.”
Can you believe Jesus spoke to me so directly? I couldn't. He doesn’t always speak to me with such an obvious voice so as not to spoil me, but in this moment, my Father knew I needed a boost. I was waning and tired.
I walked away, knowing Jesus was going to sell our house. But, our realtor did not show our house to one person in the next six months. We were scheduled to move in August no matter what. So, as an act of faith, I started packing everything in boxes, but doubt was creeping into my emotions.
Then, week before our June vacation, our realtor called with a showing. The day before we left for vacation, a man showed up with his two kids and told Clayton he and his fiancee' would be making a cash offer for our home before he even stepped foot inside. The next day we had a contract, and two weeks later we closed.
We were not able to move out because this is one of our busiest seasons, running our Crossroads Summer Camps, so God took care of us again with one more detail. They let us stay rent-free for two more months. I'm now sitting in my chair, inside a house we don't own, built on land we no longer own. I am enjoying how my Daddy paid attention to me and showed me compassion.
Did Jesus hear me? You bet. But, in the midst of everything it didn’t seem like he was moving on my behalf. I was so sure we were going to have another house on the market five years, but he answered my cry to "swoop in and provide for us in a miraculous way."
When I was doubting, God wasn't absent. He was waiting. In this situation, he wanted me to wait too, and remember two things:
1. Psalm 84:12, “For the Lord bestows favor and honor; no good thing does he withhold from those whose walk is blameless. Oh Lord Almighty, blessed is the man who trusts in you.”
2. “Christ can’t just do anything. Christ can do everything! Stop wondering if Christ can do ‘anything’ in your situation and start believing he can do everything glorious. “ - Beth Moore
Time Out:
· Write down a few things that are causing you fear or doubt.
· Now, write a letter (a prayer) to Jesus telling him how you feel about these situations or struggles. Ask for his help and guidance.
· Keep a regular prayer journal where you not only record your doubts, but go back and discover how he has answered your prayers and take time to praise Him for hearing you.
Offer It Up:
Daddy, it’s so easy to doubt, wonder, and misunderstand you. Help us to seek you with all our hearts when we are afraid and disappointed instead of giving up and giving in to thoughts that you don’t love or care about us. Help us to “nod our heads in an emphatic ‘Yes’ for all you have for us.”
© 2014 by Sharie King. All rights reserved.
Sweet Tweet:
§ John 10:10, “ The thief’s purpose is to steal, kill and destroy. My purpose is to give life in all its fullness.
§ “Stop wondering if Christ can do ‘anything’ in your situation and start believing he can do everything glorious. “ - Beth Moore
§ It may take months for God to work a miracle. Don’t give up.
