My Prayer Warriors...

Ok, so I started student teaching last Monday.  I am in a fifth grade class and I am loving it!  My teacher is great, and the kids are pretty good too.  It’s looking like a pretty fun seven weeks.  I’ve also been challenged already this week, and that’s what I want to share. 

            Being in this class has really challenged me about prayer.  My kids are prayer warriors and every day I look forward to hearing them pray.  Each morning we start the day with a devotional, and then the teacher prays and in the middle of her prayer she says something like “Lord, these 5^th graders have some things they’d like to pray about…” and then the kids start popcorn praying.  They each pray for their own requests.  It is so cool!  It saves time on taking prayer requests and it is so cool to hear it.  There’s at least ten if not more requests that they pray about every day.  They have such tender hearts and it is such a challenge to me.  I don’t pray nearly as much as I should, and I really struggle with praying consistently for certain requests.  I can get discouraged or I feel like a broken record praying the same thing over and over again.   I know that I should continue to pray but I struggle with making it a reality.

            I also was challenged with prayer by watching my teacher.  On Friday one of the girls came into class after recess and was worried about her brother who had gotten hurt earlier that day.  The first thing my teacher said was “Well, lets pray for him then we’ll call your mom and see how he’s doing.”  There were a couple of kids around us to the few of us sat there and prayed for a min.  It was such a challenge to me that not only was her first response to pray, but she was teaching here students in that moment to go to prayer first in tough situations. 

            Those were the things that hit me last week, and I am sure there is more to come.  I thank God for the great class and teacher that he has blessed me with!

Rahab the Prostitute...

January 12, 2011

Joshua 2

            Rahab was the second woman mentioned in the genealogy of Christ.  Her story begins in Joshua chapter 2.  This is the story where she hides the spies and lies to the men who are looking for them, etc.  Then she asks for herself and her family to be spared.  I find it interesting though to read through everything she says to the spies.  This is what I’m focusing on today. 

            Rahab understands the power that the Israelites have because of the Lord.  She starts off with “I know that the Lord has given you the land.”  She knew that in the end her people would lose because the Lord had given the land to Israel.  Rahab then goes on to back up her point by listing all the victories they had heard about and how her people were afraid of what would happen to them. 

            As I thought about this, God brought back to mind something He taught me a few weeks ago.  He reminded me of when I was studying Mary and came across the story of Simon and Anna.  Through Anna’s testimony, God really challenged me to look for ways that he is working in my life daily.  The monologue that Rahab gave here, is another good example of God getting the credit for what He’s done.  Now, in Rahab’s story the things He did are pretty big, but I think that the basic concept is the same.  

God is at work all around me.  Am I looking for Him?  Or am I just thinking about myself as I go through each day?  I want to be someone who is able to see God at work in my life daily.  So what has He done for me today? I’m glad you asked!  He kept Jan and I safe as we headed to school this morning through terrible traffic and snow.  He has placed me in a great school with plenty of learning opportunities for student teaching (today was very interesting!)  He gave me a wonderful fiancé and some time to get to talk to him for a little bit.  I also got one last night to relax!  God is good.  And when I take time to stop and think about it, He really has blessed me.  I am glad He is in control of my life.  

*I don't have internet at home right now, so I am posting this a little late.  The next couple weeks will probably be the same way. At least I got it done! :)

Tamar...

      Ok, so as I studied Mary, the first thing I looked at was the genealogy of Christ in Matthew 1.  I noticed that in the geneology there were 5 women mentioned.  Now I want to take some time to study each of them.  They must have some significance if they were all mentioned in the genealogy.

      

      The first woman is Tamar.  She seems like an interesting character… I vaguely remember reading some of this story, but not much.  She is found in Genesis 38.  I’ve been reading her story and thinking a lot about her all week, and I’ve kind of been stuck.  I’m not sure what to think of this story.  She isn’t exactly a role model I would like to follow.  The only thing I can think as I read this story is what an amazing God we serve.  He loves us all, despite our faults.  I am a sinner. I do wrong, and yet, God still loves me and still chose to save me.  I couldn’t ask for any more than that.  I don’t deserve his grace and forgiveness, and yet he still gives it to me.  

      My God is amazing!