Blooming Perfection

Everything blooms in His perfected timing. A season for everything.The difficult part of that for us is waiting for it to happen. But what we must remember is that He is always doing a work. A work that we are not always present to see. 

It's so important for us to be true to who we are in Christ. To live out our faith no matter where we find ourselves. Who are we at work, at school, at home? Are we someone different from the girl who attends church on Sunday? While on lunch at work do we pray over our meal? At home when having friends over is our faith present? 

We pray for our family and friends. We pray for strangers we will never encounter again. We pray for requests shared. Every prayer is heard. Every prayer powerful when prayed in the Spirit. We are human. We pray for what we want, for what we hope. We need to pray His will and His Word. As we listen to the Spirit He will lead us in our prayer. It may be something totally unexpected from what we would hope. We hope for what is unseen not for what is seen.

"Now faith is the reality of what is hoped for, the proof of what is not seen." Hebrews 11:1

"So we do not focus on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal." 2 Corinthians 4:18

"Now in this hope we were saved, yet hope that is seen is not hope, because who hopes for what he sees? But if we hope for what we do not see, we eagerly wait for it with patience." Romans 8:24-25

We pray for the salvation of family and friends. There are times we have opportunity to share Jesus. We are able to witness our faith through our daily lives. If we are constantly conforming to those around us to make others feel comfortable they are not going to see an active faith and therefore they may even question if we are really Christian.

Have you been praying for a loved one? A situation that is yet to change? We can often feel unnoticed by God. We pray and pray, but yet we see nothing happening, nothing changing. Friend, Jesus is at work. He is moving, putting things in place. He uses a word, an act, so many things put together to bring change to the heart of man. 

"Let your graciousness be known to everyone. The Lord is near. Don't worry about anything, but in everything, through prayer and petition with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God." Philippians 4:5-6

We push our prayers heavenward and expect God to move in a hurry. He's moving, but for us not quick enough. We are kind of 'right now' people. We want to see action. We want to see circumstances changed, family situations 'fixed', and healing come quickly. God sees our past, present, and future. He has a perfect plan for our lives. He has knit it together in woven love. Each of us, whether believe in Him or not, are loved and valued. Our prayers, no matter how big or small, are important to Him. 

"Isn't this the carpenter's son? Isn't His mother called Mary, and His brothers James, Joseph, Simon, and Judas? And His sisters, aren't they all with us? So where does He get all these things? And they were offended by Him." Matthew 13:55-57

"The Jewish Festival of Tabernacles was near, so His brothers said to Him, "Leave here and go to Judea so Your disciples can see Your works that You are doing. For no one does anything in secret while he's seeking public recognition. If You do these things, show Yourself to the world. (For not even His brothers believed in Him.) John 7:2-5

Think of James, the brother of Jesus, who didn't believe Jesus was Savior. Ponder back with me and imagine the life of Jesus as a child and a teen and then later in His ministry. All we know from scripture is that James didn't believe until after Jesus was resurrected. Don't you know Jesus prayed for His family to believe? Above all else He prayed for their salvation. I can't imagine Jesus changing and acting any different with His family and friends then He did with His Father. He was flesh as we are flesh, but He was still Lord. 

"Then He appeared to James, then to all the apostles." 1 Corinthians 15:7

"All these were continually united in prayer, along with the women, including Mary the mother of Jesus, and His brothers." Acts 1:14

Can you imagine the joy that exploded in the heart of Jesus when James came to see Him for who is was all along? His brother and Savior. And James seeing Jesus for the first time as Savior. What a glorious picture. I can envision Jesus as a child praying for His family and friends. Just waiting for the perfected predestined time for Him to be witness to the salvation of each love to come to fruition. Later James would lead the Jerusalem church and he too would write the Book of James. 

What a powerful testimony of love and prayer. Our prayers are living. It is a gift when we get to see our prayers answered, but many times it takes many years passed. We cannot forget that God is always at work in the heart of man. In those being prayed for and in the heart of the one praying. As He is working things out for others He too is working in us to bring us to being complete in Him.

"Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, so that you may be healed. The urgent request of a righteous person is very powerful in its effect." James 5:15 

We trust and we hope in our Savior. We believe and it's through our hope in the unseen that our faith grows. Like little seeds watered with love, those buds pop open and blossom a beauty far beyond anything we could have imagined. We are His vessels. His hands and feet to be real in a world that needs to see a faith daily present. We may struggle and trip over our feet, but our continued love of Jesus will be seen by others. Someone is always watching. Always. It may be in the moment we think matters the least that a person comes to see Jesus. Oh, the beauty Jesus can do with the tiniest of moments.

One word of kindness. One act of forgiveness. One heart forgiving. One servant giving. All these moments are seen and to a world that thinks Christianity is fake they can be shown through just one heart that Jesus is as alive today as He was yesterday.

"First of all, then, I urge that petitions,prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for everyone, for kings and all those who are in authority, so that we may lead a tranquil and quiet life in all godliness and dignity. This is good, and it pleases God our Savior, who wants everyone to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth. For there is one God and one mediator between God and humanity, Christ Jesus, Himself human, who gave Himself-a ransom for all, a testimony at the proper time." 1 Timothy 2:1-6

"If you confess with your mouth, "Jesus is Lord," and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. One believes with the heart, resulting in righteousness, and one confesses with the mouth, resulting in salvation. Now the scripture says, Everyone who believes on Him will not be put to shame, for there is no distinction between Jew and Greek, since the same Lord of all is rich to all who call on Him. For everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved." Romans 10:9-14