Tuesday, October 10, 2017

When you are the one who is lost....

I first discovered Christine Wyrtzen in the 1980's. She was singing at our Church in MN; I was there and listened to the most beautiful, comforting, Jesus filled voice for little more than an hour. While Christine comes from a gifted, musical family, she also writes with the same elegance and grace I heard her sing. I encourage you to follow Christine on all social media, you can find her on Facebook by clicking here and her website, Daughters of Promise. Sign up for her daily devotionals and be blessed! 
This is Christine's post from 10/10/17, it is for any of us who, while we await the return of our prodigal, get lost in the struggle of the journey.

I shared a meal recently with someone who just needed to talk. She admitted that her heart had shut down. One storm after another had overtaken her but for a while she believed things were manageable. There was more right than wrong so she stayed optimistic. She believed in her natural problem solving skills. Eventually though, things fell apart with most every family member. She wept as she admitted that she had lost her voice, lost her hope, and lost her fight.
What’s missing from this picture is a mention of God. Prayer, faith, and strategy, are absent. It’s not that she doesn’t know God. She does, but her prayers are way too sporadic. Passivity means that she has abdicated the outcome to stronger forces she doesn’t have the will to fight anymore.
When the enemy comes in like a flood, I don’t have to stand back and wring my hands over the invasion. When sickness overtakes a family member, I can do more than watch. When bad news is announced, I can do more than listen. When sin dominates another part of the house, I can do more than worry. When a family member succumbs to depression, I can do more than offer platitudes. When the bank account is depleted, I can do more than expect destitution. God will raise up a standard and He will use me to be His temple of faith and praise.
If you’re lying down because you feel hopeless, get up. If you’ve lost your voice, get it back. If you’ve stopped praying, fall to your knees. The language you need is the language of the scriptures. If you have a mouth that can read the Word of God out loud, you’re not wordless. No parent need cry themselves to sleep with hopeless tears when God gives them scriptures to address every single thing that assaults their household. God’s child is meant to walk the house and pray scripture out loud. Faith is revived as God’s promises are spoken. They are the battle cry that declares war on God’s adversary.
What happens when the enemy hears scriptural pronouncements of faith, when God’s Word assaults his ears? He is reminded of his limits and flees. Know this ~ he will try to re-group, only to be met again by the the child of God who knows that the secret is persevering. Let that be you. Have a word ready for his next act of aggression. His Word will drive out the despair like the slow drip of a life-giving IV and it will revive you. God’s glory comes to rest but not without my full engagement and cooperative effort. There’s a reason scripture trembles in our hands. It’s wonder – not fear. No one need live in the pit of nothingness.
Lord, I’m praying for the one whose hands are limp and whose tongue is silent. Nudge them to pick up their sword. Help them conceive a strategic plan to take back what the enemy has plundered. Lead them to scriptures for every area of defeat. Give them a voice to speak them out loud. Let the enemy know that You are raising up a standard against him with a resurrected son and daughter. Amen

'Christine Wyrtzen is a recording artist; author, speaker, and host of a nationally syndicated radio program.  She has been known for 39 years as a musician and writer with 19 albums and 5 books to her credit.  She has been nominated for a Dove Award and long admired for her ability to communicate with a poetic bent.'

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