If you wait for perfect conditions,
you will never get anything done.
~Ecclesiastes 11:4 (NLT)~
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A store manager overheard a clerk saying to a customer, “No, ma’am, we haven’t had any for some weeks now, and it doesn’t look as if we’ll be getting any soon.”
Alarmed, the manager rushed over to the customer who was walking out the door and said, “That isn’t true, ma’am. Of course, we’ll have some soon. In fact, we placed an order for it a couple of weeks ago.”
Then the manager drew the clerk aside and growled, “Never, never, never, never say we don’t have something. If we don’t have it, say we ordered it and it’s on its way. Now, what was it she wanted?”
“Rain.”
As much as we’d like to think that we can provide everything that others might need, the truth is we cannot. There are some things only God can provide.
Maybe you’ve been in one of those situations lately. Perhaps you have a family member who has been going through a serious illness. Or maybe you have a child away at college who is experiencing some trials and is feeling very alone. Or maybe you have a friend who is going through some tough times in her marriage.
There are some small things you can do to help, but ultimately you feel helpless because you can’t provide what they really need. And so you pray to God, because there are some things only God can provide. We sometimes make the mistake of thinking, “That’s the least I can do.” No, that’s the most we can do. We have a God who can provide what we cannot. Keep that in mind today if you’re feeling inadequate to meet the needs of everyone around you.
“Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us….” (Eph. 3:20).
Have a great day!
Alan Smith
Helen Street Church of Christ
Fayetteville, North Carolina
| August 13, 2010 |
| “Let the little children come to Me, and don’t stop them, because the kingdom of God belongs to such as these,” Luke 18:16b PLAYTIME It’s hard to imagine what it’s like to live in another country. Is life the same as in the United States, or do they do things differently? What kind of games do the children play? A mom living among the Northern Africa and the Middle Eastern peoples sent some notes about what she has learned: Children in our part of the world have very few toys. We’ve only seen the boys playing outside. I haven’t seen any girls with dolls, but I know dolls are for sale in the stores. Boys play pick-up games of soccer in the streets–often without any shoes. We’ve also seen them playing darts, with the dartboard propped against a stone wall, or a game of chess. These games of chess are between two players, but they have an audience of 5 or 6 other boys… Go to http://kompray.imb.org to read more of this story and find prayer requests from Missionary Kids (MKs) around the world! |
The Prayer Link 