The Power of Prayer

 “Don’t worry; instead, pray about everything." ~ Philippians 4:6

Dunkirk remains one of the three most influential events from WWII (Battle of Britain and D-Day also stick in the public’s memory).  Yet Dunkirk is not simply a riveting story; it’s also an intriguing one because even today the word ‘miracle’ defines it.  Here’s the back story.

On May 10, 1940, Adolf Hitler unleashed a massive assault on France and Belgium.  Outsmarted and unprepared, the British Army, along with soldiers of other Allied nations, found themselves with their backs to the sea and hemmed in by enemy troops.

Hitler boasted that his forces would soon “annihilate the entire British Army”.  With the entire front collapsing rapidly, Churchill prepared to concede an unprecedented military defeat and evacuate all troops from the continent via the port of Dunkirk.

But it didn’t happen.

Expecting the worst, King George VI requested that Sunday, May 26^th be observed as a National Day of Prayer.  In a stirring broadcast, he called the British people to commit their cause to God.

His Majesty and subjects from all parts of the Empire flocked to their churches to join in prayer. The scene outside Westminster Abbey was remarkably crowded; long queues of people couldn’t even get in.  The Daily Sketch proclaimed that “Nothing like it has ever happened before!”

Their pleas didn’t go unanswered.  At least three miracles would soon occur.

First, in a decision that infuriated his generals and still baffles historians, Hitler halted his troops’ advance only ten miles from the front.  Had they continued, WWII would’ve taken a darker, more destructive path.  Historians contend that Hitler believed his air superiority would be enough to prevent a large-scale troop evacuation by sea.

But a storm of unprecedented ferocity broke two days later grounding German Luftwaffe squadrons.  In the darkness of the storm and the violence of the rain, British troops retreated to the coast unharmed.  The Fuehrer hadn’t taken the weather into his reckoning ... nor the One who controls the weather!

Despite the storm, English Channel seas quieted during the days that followed.  Its waters became as still as a millpond making the perilous evacuation far less hazardous.  The unexpected serenity enabled a vast armada of cargo and war ships, privately owned yachts, and almost anything that would float to evacuate 338,000 British soldiers from the beach at Dunkirk.  

Many of them returned four years later to liberate Europe.

Defeat and the invasion of Britain were averted.  Can you imagine what life in Europe would be like if they hadn't been rescued?

Dunkirk stands as an extraordinary reassurance to pray faithfully.  However great our problems, God is greater than them all.  The “Miracle of Dunkirk’ was indeed a military epic, but the idea of praying to God for deliverance seems to be something well worth encouraging.

Father God, remind me to notice the miracles already present in my life.  Help me understand that circumstances are lining up in accordance with Your perfect plan.  Help me play my part in the healing this world.  Amen

Grief With A Side of Guilt

 “Be alert; the devil prowls like a lion looking for someone to devour.” ~ 1 Peter 5:8

It was the call she’d been dreading, but expecting.  Her Dad was homeless; an alcoholic miscreant who once served his country with honor. 

“I’m so sorry, Sofia,” Mom said.  “He’s gone.”

He’d been found unconscious in an alley after a heart attack.  A part of her had always remained hopeful; maybe he’d change, find God, find anything.  It never happened; his demons always won.

For weeks after his funeral, she remained consumed by grief.  You’d think that she’d been used to his absence.  Sofia ached for happy memories.  All she saw was Drunk Dad – absent from birthdays, holidays, everything.  Yet her mind remained heavy with regrets; so much left unsaid, guilt that she should’ve done more.

Their last conversation offered a ray of hope - he’d just moved into another shelter.  Finally, a roof over his head.  Maybe he could find a job … teach his grandson to fish ... come for Christmas.  Then, just as before, it all went south.  Dad returned to the streets.

Sleep had become a rare phenomena as her grief mounted.  Would it ever lift?

But tonight, she was dreaming.

She noticed a figure under a baseball cap hidden behind layers of filth; eyes fixed on nothing at all.  Sofia couldn’t tell who it was until they looked up: the image was of her own self.

But Sofia couldn’t move her arms, legs, nothing.  As her fear registered, breaths became shallow.  She wouldn’t waste air on stupid things like crying or screaming.

From behind, Sofia sensed a presence.  Her body still immobile, the spirit approached and lifted something from her back.  Slowly, then all at once.  The force that’d been weighing her down came off as easily as a blanket.

She stood upright, stretched her arms and searched for whatever had freed her, to thank them, to ask it questions.

But it had vanished … as quickly as it arrived.

Her eyes snapped open.  She sat up in her own bed; morning sun peeking through the blinds.  Everything was as she’d left it.  Yet something was different - the burden she’d felt since Dad’s death was gone. 

The most reassuring sensation took its place.  Dad was okay!  He was at peace.  He was loved.  He was finally free.  And Sofia was too!

There are two kinds of guilt.  One’s a friend who leads you to contrition and forgiveness.  The other is a relentless foe who taunts and condemns.  False guilt arises when you blame yourself even though you’ve committed no wrong or when you continue to blame yourself after you’ve confessed and turned from your sin.

No psychotherapy could ever compare with God’s Word (“I will remember your sins no more!”), to clear the conscious of guilt, shame, and condemnation of past sins.

Loving Father, however deep our pain, however fierce our anger, and however numbing our grief, we know You are there witnessing our sorrow, holding out Your loving arms, and taking our pain upon Yourself.  Thank You

Earth Angel

 “Children are a gift from God, a reward to be cherished." ~ Psalm 127:3

I’ve often felt that children are closer to angels than we adults are.  They seem far more ready to share joy freely; to know how to celebrate life, laugh, smile, and embrace delight just as God meant for all of us to do.  Nothing implanted this point in my heart more clearly than a story a friend of mine recently shared about her daughter.

April and Simone were sitting in the plastic chairs lining the walls of the cancer hospital’s radiation treatment waiting room.  While she waited for her husband’s therapy to finish, April busied herself in a book; little Simone curiously observed the others in the room. 

She loved doing that; taking in her surroundings and the people that filled them, trying to determine what they were thinking and feeling.  She’d been born cognitively impaired, yet her soul shined brighter than a thousand suns.  She loved everyone and was never afraid to express her affection to others.

On this day there were but three others in the waiting room - an older man and his wife and a young woman in her thirties.  Distress seemed etched in the faces of the older adults. 

Simone got up from her chair and approached the trio without hesitation.  She turned first to the younger woman who, based on her pale skin and fragile appearance, was the patient.  

“Would you like a hug?” Simone asked.

Now most people would have politely declined.  Some people might’ve felt this was inappropriate or even a little creepy.  But those people hadn’t been blessed enough to know Simone; never one to hold back her love.

The woman opened her arms wide enough for Simone to snuggle in.  She gave her a hug full of both energy and love; one that could easily chase away bad dreams, make the sun shine on a gloomy day, or set the world right.

Both parents stood and gestured that they could use a similar hug.  Simone gladly obliged before returning to her own chair.  No additional words were spoken … none were needed.  She’d accomplished her mission without conditions.

Our children can teach us so much about compassion, so much about joy, so much about life!  Let’s not ignore the lessons they give us every day.  Just watch them … or ponder your own open-minded inner child.

Let’s instead learn from them and share more passion and joy with others in our own lives.  God put us here to love each other.  Sometimes we forget, but thankfully God is patient and forgiving with us.  He never fails to send us joyous angels and happy children to guide us back to love again. 

Father God, thank You for all the precious children in this world.  We know they mean so much to You.  Help us do all we can to protect and release them from poverty in order to provide them the start in life they deserve, Amen

Blessed to be a Blessing

“I will bless you … so that you will be a blessing to others.” ~ Genesis 12:2

The pandemic caused shortages of almost everything.  But for Damian, a shoe store owner, it presented an unusual opportunity.  By pure luck (and a blunder in his ordering practices), he’d received so many shoes that he was forced to store the surplus in a nearby warehouse.  

“Could this be the perfect time,” he wondered, “to actually raise prices?”

While prayerfully considering the idea, Damian answered a call from a local Pastor.  It seemed that one of her congregants with four children had lost her job and was forced to move from the house they were renting into a one-bedroom apartment across town. 

She’d packed what few belongings they had into a few boxes and a garbage bag.  The next day while unpacking, she realized that the garbage bag into which she’d put all their shoes was missing.

Frantic, the single Mom called the landlord and asked if he’d seen the bag of shoes.  With sincere apologies, he admitted to seeing the bag, but since it was left behind in a garbage bag, he assumed it was trash and already disposed of it.

“The woman was devastated,” explained the Pastor.  Her church and work shoes were in the bag along with the children’s school shoes.  She couldn’t afford to replace them.

Surely you know how this story ended.  Damian answered God’s call; replacing all the shoes the family had lost.  He also decided against raising prices.  After thinking about all the unfortunate people already suffering job losses, he reasoned it wasn’t the time to take advantage, but rather “the time to give.”

The story is real.  The woman felt very blessed to have her prayer answered so precisely, completely, and quickly.  God could’ve just provided her with some side work so she could have earned the extra money to replace her family's shoes.

God could also have chosen to have someone just give her cash so she could replace the shoes.

There were countless other ways that God could’ve seeded money into the woman's life; but He chose instead to bless her with a big bag of shoes.  No more than the woman needed, and no less.

God blesses us in his own way on His own time.  It’s up to us watch for and act on those blessings.  Damian too was blessed.  He understood both reasons why God blesses us.  We’re blessed (1) because He loves us, and (2) so we can be a blessing to others.

Compared to the world’s truly poor, we American’s are wealthy beyond belief.  The blessings God gives us are intended to be shared, especially the inestimable blessing of salvation and all the other good things the Lord has given to us.

Almighty Father, we sometimes fail to recognize that which You have given us is not to live more comfortable lives while so many others suffer.  Help us listen for the opportunities You place before us to be a blessing to others.  Amen

Rainy Days and Mondays

 “Elijah heard the sound of a rushing rain by faith when God spoke to him." ~ Kings 18:41

Seventeen-year-old Ellison was having a serious case of the Monday Blues.  Her doggy Frankie had roused her about 4am; she never quite made it back to dreamland.  All too soon the sun would rise behind heavy clouds belching rain to everything below.

She hated rainy days … especially on Mondays.  It seriously messed up her obsession with comfort: dry clothes, coiffed curls, and crisp potato chips.

Soggy socks and sodden backpacks would define today.

As Frankie snuggled in, a carousel of random ideas filled Ellison’s consciousness.  After lazily considering them, she began to wonder if certain ideas were meant to be saved.  Like yesterday’s Sunday school lesson where, after a season of drought, Elijah prayed for rain and God delivered.

Thunder roared like lions as heavy rains fell from ancient skies.  Pleasantly cool raindrops quenched the farmers’ thirst.  Birds chirped sweetly from dripping branches.  Children splashed in muddy, dirty ponds and beautiful flowers danced merrily. Everything seemed refreshed.

Few people look out the window on days like today and say, "What a great day!"  But that's exactly what God's people living in the Old Testament’s desert-like places did.

Her Sunday School Teacher said that in the Bible, rain was often used as a metaphor for blessings ‘raining’ down on us.  “Perhaps there's a connection,” she said, “between the way we respond to rain and the way we tend to respond to blessing.”

“God blesses us in surprising ways,” the teacher had explained, “ways that don't always seem like blessing.  God sends the rain of difficulty, not because He doesn't love us, but because He does; calling us to find deeper hope in Him.”

Further, she told the class, “God sends the rain of an honest friend to confront us with the need for growth, because He wants to bless us with maturity.  He sends the rain of failure, so that we’ll get our identity from Him and not from our achievement.  He sends the rain of want, so that we’ll grow in faith and courage.”

“All of these things are blessings of His love,” she concluded, “but we rarely see them as blessings.  Actually, we’re often tempted to question God's love.”

Ellison got up and walked to the window.  Raindrops continued falling steadily from a sky of white velvet.  The rain brought a richness to each hue.  Liquid ‘goodness’ greeted the earth’s thirsty roots with a touching embrace.  Colorful umbrellas would blossom all over the city today; soon enough a honeyed sky would fetch new rainbows.

“Today’s a day for hot chocolate, good friends, and rubber-soled shoes,” she thought.  Ellison thanked God for the rain and asked Him for clear vision to see the surprising blessings He’ll rain down upon her because He loved her.

Father God, remind us that no one ridiculed Noah when the floods came. They realized the old prophet knew what he was talking about.  Keep us closer to You because sometimes faith appears stupid until it starts to rain.  Amen

Wind Music

 “Wind blows where it wants; you hear it, but don’t know where it came from.” ~ John 3:8

Janelle loved listening to the familiar sounds around their home, especially the sound of laughter.

But when the house was quiet, she cherished birds chirping, wind rustling through the trees, and soothing music wafting in the background.

Hanging capiz shell wind chimes on the front porch brought an unexpected impact on how their home felt.  The breeze tickling those shells outside her kitchen window had become pure magic.

As a child she’d always been fascinated by the simplicity of wind chimes.  No matter which way the wind blew or how hard the gusts struck them, they never stopped singing.

Their songs made music on warm, sunny days and even on cold, rainy ones too.  They rang to greet the rising sun and still tinkle during the blackest night.  Effortless melodies serenaded crowds but also performed comfortably alone.

Janelle loved the idea of the wind chimes soothing her to sleep.  Even more, she adored the music from them waking her to the miracles of this life.

“If we all could just follow their example, what glorious music we could fill this world with,” she thought.  Both a breath of air and a breeze reminded Janelle of the power of the Holy Spirit. 

You can’t see the wind; only its effect on anything that gets blown about by it.  You cannot actually hear wind either unless it is acting on an object in its path.  Our senses can grasp the sounds made by the wind, but only our immortal soul can grasp the wind itself.

Accordingly, the Holy Spirit is omnipresent and invisible, making His presence known by the effects of His action.  Just as we know that the wind is present when the boat’s sail is full and when the kite soars upward, the Holy Spirit’s presence is known by its effects: the birth of a baby and the death of a grudge; the softening of a heart and the rigor of courage.  The scent of lilacs, the taste of fresh strawberries and the brilliance of stars are miraculous.  They are all "wind chimes" that tell us that the God we serve is alive.

If we were sensitive enough, the "chiming" of all these miracles would make such a racket we'd have to hold our ears.  Instead, we tend to walk around "tone deaf" for days, never hearing a sound.  Unless something or someone reminds us.

God created us to make beautiful music with our lives; to make each of our days a song of love, laughter, caring, and sharing.  So, never let your chimes fall silent.  Make your own life a concert of joy no matter which way the winds may turn you.    

Lord of wind and spirit, Your playful breath refreshes us, carrying away our worries and lifting the burden of hectic schedules.  Let us rejoice in its animation and experience the liveliness of your Spirit.  Blow into our hearts with your life-giving Word.  Amen

Honor Among Dogs

 “Love with genuine affection; delight in honoring each other." ~ Romans 12:10

Lynn watched in horror as the wildfire advanced toward her sheep farm in Canada’s westernmost province.  The area had been tinder-dry for weeks; every fallen piece of wood bleached and dehydrated - as flammable as kerosene.  It burned like a temper, as if the impatient flames had an intense anger toward all living things.

The raging wildfire sent billows of black smoke high into the sky framing a blood-sun.  One could only imagine the fear her animals must sense from the approaching peril.

Firefighters worked tirelessly.  Tankers released a gooey flame retardant from the sky in hopes of cooling the flames and slowing their progress.  But after dark they stopped and last night the whole ridge just west of her place combusted.

The blaze whipped and spread so fast; no time for belongings.  She scooped up her four border collies, but had to leave behind a handful of cattle, the barn cat, 90 sheep and the two Maremma sheepdogs.  Maremma’s have been bred over centuries to do one thing and one thing only, guard livestock from predators.  Lynn trusted them to do the honorable thing!

The two canines, Sophie (12) and Tad (6), had nearly 100 animals under their care, needing protection from coyotes, bears, and, of course, wildfire.  So, Lynn left a large bag of dog food and prayed for the best.

She imagined trees that had sheltered so many with their spreading canopy of greens were now lifeless sticks of charcoal.  She yearned for the bleating noises of her beloved creatures, swallowing hard and willing her eyes to remain dry and her mind focused.  She feared the death toll would be cataclysmic.

Lynn wasn’t able to return home for nearly 3 weeks (except briefly to open the gates to let the sheep get water from the lake).  It resembled a war zone – neighboring homes had been totally destroyed, unfettered light illuminated scorched earth begging for life, acrid fumes lingered despite a cleansing rain.

Despite all chaos and mayhem, there sat Tad and Sophie, the sheep, cattle and even the cat.  Tad had a look that could’ve said “Where the heck have you been?” 

Only one of the ewes had perished.  The rest probably survived by remaining close to the lake; close together in a pack lead by the two honorable canines.  Everyone looked fine, a little dirty, hungry and skittish, but never panicked.

In our relationships with one another, we are called to be unwaveringly honorable – acting and living the values of respect, loyalty, selfless service, integrity and personal courage in everything we do.  Tad and Sophie did the honorable thing without hesitation even when no one was around to witness it.  Who said you can’t teach an old person new dog tricks?

Father God, help me purge myself of everything displeasing to You.  I want to make myself available to You, fit and ready for any good work, a vessel of honor.  Show me through Your Word how to love others and live honorably.  Amen