Today I was reminded of 24 years ago when my husband and I first began praying together. We didn't start our marriage that way. In fact we were married just under a year when we starting really praying together.
It happened one night after my husband came home from his insurance sales job, before he became a firefighter. He said he had something important to tell me. He explained how he had seen a vehicle accident happen right in front of him. He thought of my young cousin who had just been killed in a car accident (we had sang together at his funeral just a few weeks prior) and thought about how quickly things could happen. Pulling the car off the road, he prayed and rededicated his life to the Lord.
Soon we began praying together. We had our own prayer list and would get it out every night, kneel down by our bed and pray for people and situations close to our hearts. As I became huge with a baby bump (or baby mountain!) we continued to kneel by our bed every night and pray. I still remember how it felt getting up and down with that belly full of love. I so much treasure all of these sweet memories!
As I thought about that time, I thought about the old Bible we kept our prayer list in. It was falling apart and had been put away but I just had to get it out and see if I could find the list. So far I haven't found the list I've found other interesting things. I never realized how many seemingly obscure passages I had underlined in that old Bible. For example: Habakkuk 2:3 "For the vision is yet for the appointed time; It hastens toward the goal, and it will not fail. Though it tarries wait for it. For it will certainly come, it will not delay." I love that! How many times do we give up because things didn't happen as quickly as we thought they should? This promise tells us it WILL happen! Just wait!
I also found several notes and poems I had written and even a cute card made by one of our kids. One of the poems I found was called doesn't have a title written on it but I'm thinking I intended to call it 'The Potter' or something like that. It was written during a particular difficult time in our lives on May 27, 1997 between 1:10AM and 1:25AM and was, beyond a shadow of a doubt, inspired by the Holy Spirit. The paper it was written on is now frayed and curled around the edges. It goes like this:
The Potter made a vessel
But said alone it's not complete.
So He created another
For him a help meet.
He declared this union Holy
and began to bless them so.
He added to them smaller ones.
More love for them He showed.
So long as the vessels
Were by the Potter used
He continued blessing them
Keeping them like new.
But when one of the vessels
left the Potters hand,
It became cracked and chipped
By the hands of man.
The other vessels
Were scared too,
When this one went astray.
They felt so alone
And asked the Potter what to do and say.
The Potter told them to trusts in Him and
He would care for them.
And someday soon that broken vessel
Would be whole again.
For the Potter does not make things
That cannot be repaired.
Though that vessel strayed away,
It was still in His care.
He'll make that vessel whole again.
He'll make it like brand new.
He'll heal that vessel family.
He'll heal them for His use.
I love the message God gave me in that poem! He is the Potter, we are the clay. When the Potter makes something, does He make it so that it will be lop-sided, ugly and of no use to Him? No! He makes everything beautiful and useful! Otherwise it's just a waste of His time.
What are you going thru that you think God can't fix? He is your Potter! You are His clay! He made you. Like the old saying goes, "God doesn't make junk"! We are the ones who make bad choices that cause us to break and hurt others. Satan tempts us and we have the choice to follow him or obey our Maker.
God's Word tells us repeatedly how He forgives, restores, makes new. Luke 15:4-7 is written in red so that means it's Jesus talking. He is talking about the shepherd (Jesus) having 100 sheep (we are His sheep) and one goes astray. He leaves the 99 to find the one sheep who has strayed. When He finds that sheep He picks it up and carries it on His shoulder rejoicing! Then He tells everyone how happy He is that He found His lost sheep. He rejoices! Jesus said (verse 7) "I tell you that in the same way, there will be more joy in Heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who need no repentance." Wow!!!!!! Heaven rejoices more over that one person who has gone astray, repents and returns than it does over those who never stray! How amazing is that!!!!! The angels, the Lord, all of Heaven rejoices when we return to Him! He doesn't shun us. He doesn't remind us of what we did. HE REJOICES!!!!!!!!
So just what have you done that you think God can't forgive, repair, restore and use? God says NOTHING! He WILL forgive! He WILL restore! He WILL repair! He WILL use you in a mighty way! Are your ears open to the call of your Shepherd? He's calling you now. He knows your name. He knows everything you've done. And He will forgive, forget and restore. Do you hear Him calling you? He is..........
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