I Can't Be Silent

"And when he was come nigh, even now at the descent of the mount of Olives, the whole multitude of the disciples began to rejoice and praise God with a loud voice for all the mighty works that they had seen; Saying, Blessed be the King that cometh in the name of the Lord: peace in heaven, and glory in the highest. And some of the Pharisees from among the multitude said unto him, Master, rebuke thy disciples. And he answered and said unto them, I tell you that, if these should hold their peace, the stones would immediately cry out." - Luke 19:37-40

When something is really exciting for you, how do you react? I know it takes every ounce of self control that I possess to contain my joy. Friends tell me that I'm horrible at hiding how I'm feeling as it is, and how I'm like an open book, but evidently in that sort of situation, it's definitely obvious.

A few days back, I was having a conversation with a friend of mine who had been having a rough time lately. Everything seemed to be falling apart around them, and they just felt hopeless. I tried to encourage them, to give them hope, but there was just one tiny little drawback...I had been previously told not talk to them about God because they weren't willing to listen right then. One of the first thoughts that flashed through my mind was, "Okay, so how am I supposed to remind them that there's hope even in what seems to be the darkest of times, when they are not exactly in the most receptive of moods?" I did everything I could imagine possible to get my point across without flat out saying it; that God is in control no matter what, and how He will always be by our side if we will just ask.

I hadn't ever thought about this before then, but ever since Christ saved me, bringing Him into my conversations with people to some extent or another has pretty much been second nature to me. I'm excited about His love and mercy for someone so unworthy as I, and I want to share that with everyone else I meet! So when trying to talk to my friend that day without coming outright and speaking about God, I found myself struggling. The above verses, Luke 19:37-40, echoed in my mind as I attempted to talk to them. I could TOTALLY relate to the multitudes not being able to be silent! I could barely contain myself.

I think my friend could sense my struggle, because eventually they told me that if I wanted to bring God into the conversation, I could. They were willing to listen. I must say, that was definitely a relief!

I have thought about those verses a lot lately, particularly where Jesus says, "I tell you that, if these should hold their peace, the stones would immediately cry out." Just as it's hard for me to hide my emotions about other things, it's definitely hard for me to stay quiet about my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. I pray that we all, as followers of God, will forever be excited about His love for us, and always be eager to share the Gospel with those around us.

Unashamed

October 28th, 2010

Earlier this afternoon, my sister, Alyssa, and I volunteered at the local Head Start Program during the Midday class. When lunch came, all of us -- staff, volunteers, and the kids -- sat down among the three tables they have set up. After everyone was served, the teacher at my table told the kids they could go ahead and eat.

As the three to five year olds at my table eagerly started to eat, I bowed my head and silently prayed. When I looked up after I had finished, I saw one of the three year olds to my right, Tandon, watching me. I smiled at him, and before I could reach for my cup to get a drink, he suddenly exclaimed, "Wait, we have to pray first!" Folding his hands and bowing his head, smile on his face, he prayed, "God is great, God is good, and we thank Thee for our food. Aaaaaaaaaa-men!" He raised his head to look at me. "Now we can eat."

I couldn't help but exchange a smile with the teacher, then I thanked God for the little boy He'd placed in my life and for his incredible witness. The words from Romans 1:16 immediately came to my mind: "For I am not ashamed of the Gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to everyone that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek."

"I want to be that way, Lord!" I prayed. "I want to be like this little boy, totally unashamed of You! I want the whole world to know who You are and that I am in love with You, and You with me!"

None of us should be ashamed of what our Lord has done for us. His great and wonderful love, or our love for Him. I pray today that everyone will realize that there is NOTHING about God, His word, love, our love for Him -- anything! -- that we should be ashamed of!



Written By: Stephanie DeFoyd

Jabez

March 16th, 2010


I find it interesting how the first four chapters of I Chronicles is a continuous genealogy until verse nine, where the author seems to suddenly pause to tell of a man who is never mentioned again in any other place in the Bible: Jabez. Verses nine and ten of chapter four are set aside for telling us that Jabez was more honorable than his brethren, why his mother named him Jabez ("one who causes pain"), what his prayer was, and that God answered him. Then in the verses that follow, the author immediately continues with the genealogy as if he'd never stopped! It's almost like he was droning on and on through the generations, then came to Jabez and said, "Oh, wait! You've gotta hear about this guy!" and proceeded to fill us in, compacting everything into only those two verses. Then, as soon as he was finished, he went back to reciting the following generations as before.

I wonder, why did the author -- in the middle of recording the genealogy -- suddenly pause and take time to tell us about Jabez, a man who is never again mentioned in the Bible? Maybe it was because of his prayer, which is as follows:

'Oh that thou wouldest bless me indeed, and enlarge my border, and that thine hand might be with me, and that thou wouldest keep me from evil, that it may not grieve me!'

A pretty powerful prayer if you ask me, and also one we can learn a lot from!

Some people think that, yeah, it's okay and great to ask God to bless others, but asking Him to bless them is being selfish. And, yes, I'll admit that I was one of those just a few years ago before I started studying Jabez's prayer. That concept of thinking is not true. I mean, look at Jabez. The Bible says that "Jabez was more honorable than his brethren" and he asked God to bless him personally! Not his neighbor, not his family, but himself! His exact words were, "Oh, that thou wouldest bless me indeed" (emphasis mine). If asking God to bless you were a selfish act, I don't think the author would've said, "Jabez was more honorable than his brethren"!

Right after we are informed of Jabez's prayer, we're told, "And God granted him that which he requested." God answered Jabez's prayer, so apparently it isn't so selfish to ask that you be blessed. God wants you to ask! Jesus says in Luke 11:9-10, "And I say unto you, Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you. For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened." Then, in James chapter four, the last part of verse two, we're told, "ye have not, because ye ask not."

So, go ahead! Follow Jabez's example and ask! Remember, God will hear your prayer!