rain prayers

oh the rain!

It falls until the grass is green and still falls until the puddles are full and it still falls and falls and falls and the mud and the misery and the houses full of garbage and everyone cold and wet and it's pouring, pouring still.

We met for classes this morning, but many could not come.  Lucner and Luna's sweet baby boy was born Sunday, Lily finished testing this morning and has the rest of the wet week at home and Martin and Sharon have been such rays of sunshine and such practical and loving and fun friends.  Add in Uncle Dave and Aunt Marilyn tonight and I'm just grateful for all the sunshine in our wet lives, knowing how hard tomorrow will be to adjust to being back to Mishler-less-ness.

I can honestly say that I did not see Sharon or Martin lose their joy or patience ONCE (and with three passionate little kiddos...I would have called it impossible!)  They love and know us well, and it is dear to be well loved and known.

The truck is still sitting dead in its little lake, the medical team has had far less patients than hoped for (rain) and tomorrow will try doing clinics in two different places.  Hopefully classes will all be full again tomorrow...but right now it's still pouring.

This is good:

The circumstances of a saint's life are ordained of God.  God by His providence brings you into circumstances that you can't understand at all, but the Spirit of God understands.

God brings you to places, among people, and into certain conditions to accomplish a definite purpose through the intercession of the Spirit in you.   

Your part in intercessory prayer is not to agonize over how to intercede, but to use the everyday circumstances and people God puts around you by His providence to bring them before His throne, and to allow the Spirit in you the opportunity to intercede for them.
  --O Chambers

Sometimes I get concerned about making sure I'm praying the right prayers, the right ways.  Should I pray for the desire of my heart?  Or should I just pray God's will be done?  Or should I pray for God to do such-and-such, or should I just pray that He'll do whatever He wants?

A good talk with Sharon this week resonated as true...I should just pray with a heart after His.  He knows the desires of my heart, there is no keeping them from Him.  So I can give them to Him, fully, asking for those, asking Him to search my heart, and trusting Him in the end, no matter what, come what may.

Today, whatever your prayer, "let us draw near with confidence to the throne of grace, so that we may find mercy and receive grace to help in time of need."  Hebrews 4:16