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Monday, December 13, 2010

He Knows Our Needs - An Inspirational Post

I received something in email today, and being fitting for the season, I wanted to share it with you.

Those of you who know me, either personally or through this blog, know that
I BELIEVE IN THE POWER OF PRAYER.

I have seen prayer change circumstances in lives where it seemed there were no solutions to be had, and
I have been the receipient of answered prayers many, many times myself.

Before I share with you what I got in my email, let me remind you of the following story.

Do you know the story in the bible of the widow's oil?
 (2 Kings 4) 
The widow's husband died leaving debts that had to be repaid, and creditors were coming to take her sons into slavery in order to repay the debt. Her husband had been a servant of the prophet Elijah. She sought out the help of Elisha, another prophet. She was a woman of great faith, and told the prophet that she didn't want to lose her sons but didn't know how she would pay the debt.
Elisha, the prophet, asked her what she had in the house. She told him she had only one pot of oil.
(In those times, oil was used for cooking, healing, and making soaps and shampoos - so it was a necessity.)
Elisha told her to go into the village and borrow all of the jars and containers she could, and bring them back to her home. When she returned, he told her to start filling the jars with what little oil she had.
She began to fill the jars, and one after another, her oil continued to flow.
At the end of the jars, she told Elisha there were no more, and suddenly her oil ran out.
Elisha told her to go out in to the village and sell all of the oil, pay off her husband's debts, and then use the rest to live on for her and her sons.

Her faith saved her sons and made provision where she thought there was no way.
.....Oh what a little faith can do....

The story above is what came to mind when I read this email today.

The Grocery List
Louise Redden, a poorly dressed lady with a look of defeat on her face, walked into a grocery store..
She approached the owner of the store in a most humble manner and asked if he would let her charge a few groceries..
She softly explained that her husband was very ill and unable to work, and they had seven children and they needed food.
John Longhouse, the grocer, scoffed at her and requested that she leave his store at once.
Visualizing the family needs, she said: 'Please, sir! I will bring you the money just as soon as I can.'
John told her he could not give her credit, since she did not have a charge account at his store.
Standing beside the counter was a customer who overheard the conversation between the two. The customer walked forward and told the grocer that he would stand good for whatever she needed for her family. The grocer said in a very reluctant voice, 'Do you have a grocery list?'
Louise replied, 'Yes sir.' 'O.K' he said, 'put your grocery list on the scales and whatever your grocery list weighs, I will give you that amount in groceries.'
Louise hesitated a moment with a bowed head, then she reached into her purse and took out a piece of paper and scribbled something on it. She then laid the piece of paper on the scale carefully with her head still bowed.
The eyes of the grocer and the customer showed amazement when the scales went down and stayed down...
The grocer, staring at the scales, turned slowly to the customer and said begrudgingly, 'I can't believe this.'
The customer smiled and the grocer started putting the groceries on the other side of the scales. The scale did not balance so he continued to put more and more groceries on them until the scales would hold no more.
The grocer stood there in utter disgust. Finally, he grabbed the piece of paper from the scales and looked at it with greater amazement.
It was not a grocery list, it was a prayer, which said:
'Dear Lord, you know my needs and I am leaving this in your hands.'
The grocer gave her the groceries that he had gathered and stood in stunned silence.
Louise thanked him and left the store. The other customer handed a fifty-dollar bill to the grocer and said; 'It was worth every penny of it. Only God Knows how much a prayer weighs.'

What a touching story!
Our God is a god of provision my friends! He knows ours needs even before we do.
I can't tell you how many times I've prayed for one thing only to get another. It took a while for me to realize that what I thought I needed didn't fit into the plan He had for me. You see, he was already waiting for me at the end of line before I ever started the walk.

I'm not sure why I felt so compelled to share this story, but I do know that many of you, myself included, are dealing with some difficult situations in your life this year, and I just wanted to be able to say that no matter what you are facing, it only takes a little faith to fix it.
There truly is power in prayer, if only you'll believe.

And, I also wanted to encourage you to think about the needs of others.
If you HAVE, and you know others who HAVE NOT, then please, try to think of a way to help if you can.

There will be many children who will go without this Christmas. Can you help with even one gift?
How about taking some of your kids' old toys down to a woman's shelter, or a homeless shelter.
Or taking a small bag of canned or boxed food to the food bank.
Are you donating coats? Gloves? Socks? How about tucking a few dollars in the pocket or inside the glove or socks. Imagine the surprise on someone's face when they put their hands in the pockets!
Do you have little ones in daycare? Ask the teacher if there are any families that need help with gifts this year.

One of the things I like to do is buy a portrait package for someone who can't afford it. You can buy them at the Walmart photo place for about $20. Some people never have the luxury of a family portrait.

I also like to buy those gift sets, like the cocoa/tea/coffee ones, and give a free movie rental certificate with it.

Little things mean a lot to people who have nothing.
 I'm on a mission to make everyone remember that, and to do something to help.

I hope you all are having a wonderful holiday season!

Let me know in the comments if you've been able to do something to help someone else this year, or what you've encouraged your children to do for others.
If you aren't commenting, then I'm gonna worry that you aren't performing angel duty! :)


 

16 comments:

  1. What a blessing your post is! Christmas is all about a giving spirit that we should display throughout the year...not only during the holidays. As Christians, we can make a difference one person at a time, one day at a time, and one prayer at a time. I join you in doing my part to help out. We must help others...it's our responsibility! Blessings.

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  2. I've had umpteen prayers answered myself, Polly. I'll be on the lookout on how I can help others, for certain. Some of my best laid out plans are ones I don't plan for at all. :)

    Donna
    http://funkyjunkinteriors.blogspot.com/

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  3. What a powerful post this is today. It's one I strongly believe but none the less, it is so good to be reminded of often. Our God DOES listen to our prayers and He is waiting for us to ask. And yes often times He answers in a totally different way than we thought! Thank you so much for sharing this with us today. There is something in my heart right now that I am waiting to hear what God's answer is.

    A group I have been in for years has started sponsoring a needy family in our town. We take on the whole family asking for a lists of sizes and desires of the children and the adults as well. It really does make Christmas so special knowing you are helping those that wouldn't have much if anything had it not been from our donations. God has richly blessed me.

    Donna

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  4. Polly--
    what a very poignant post you've put up this evening. I pray that people will listen to the sound doctrine you've given and not turn away, from commenting but more importantly following the Lord's leading to give not just at Christmas but all through the year.
    You've reminded us of a powerful biblical story of God's provision--I want to remind others that it is God that gives us the faith to pray; How many times do people not even pray, because they don't even listen to The One calling them to pray?
    If you (reader) don't KNOW what to pray, the Lord knows and he will intercede (PRAY) for you. Just ask him for that much, like the woman in the story--'Lord, you know what I need, that is all that I'm asking for.'
    This is not a superstition-- it is Grace, Mercy and Faith--God's Provision at work. It is nothing we do.
    Thank you Polly for this magnificent post.
    Sorry I didn't mean to hi-jack the comments-- an 'Amen' just didn't seem enough.

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  5. Did I need to cry again today? Apparently so.

    God shows us who needs us. They some times, quite literally land on our doorsteps.

    Thank you Polly for reminding us to give - whatever gifts we have to share with those around us.

    I just love you.

    xo
    ~Kolein

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  6. I make it a point to do something for a child every year. This year I chose an angel tree child, and will be helping with a party for them next week. We gave to a community wide effort to help with needy children, and gave food items for a community Thanksgiving meal. Our SS class gave needed items to the Ladies shelter instead of a gift exchange, and gave items to the crisis pregnancy center. It doesn't take much looking to see needs around us, and I enjoy the giving. Thanks for sharing. Jackie

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  7. Thank you, Polly for sharing these stories. And for your openness in sharing your faith. May the Lord richly bless you and your family this Christmas season.

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  8. My 90 year old mother is on a very fixed income. Last year we had to put her in assisted living. She was over $1,000 short every month just to come out even at the assisted living facility. I had applied for VA assistance for her as my dad was retired military. Just as we were down to her last $2,000 the assistance came through! She is still a little over $200 a month short but the VA back paid for 8 months so she now has a little nest egg...her home has been for sale over 1 year and no takers. Last Friday she wanted me to drop $10 in a money drive at our local Wal Mart with the comment "The Lord has taken care of me, I want to give some back." My mom has always given more than she could really afford but her cup always runs over, just as we are all promised.

    Thank you for reminding me there are always those among us less fortunate than we are. My husband and I will be honored to give to someone in need.

    Judy

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  9. Hello ladies. I've responded to each of your comments in email, but I wanted to come back here to say that I have received so many personal emails about what people have had done FOR them by others.

    I've been so touched by the goodness of others that I just want to reiterate how important it is to help out when you can. In the emails I've received, it has been apparent that what has meant most to people is that SOMEONE CARED enough to do something for them, and it really didn't matter what it was.

    There have been more serious acts of kindness as well. One woman said that she took her last few dollars to go pay towards her electric bill so it wouldn't be turned off (in the winter), and when they pulled up her account, someone had paid her whole bill for her - plus enough for the next month!

    A single mother told me about a hard time in her life when the teachers at her son's daycare showed up at her door with a turkey and a ham, and a box of food for her so that she could have holiday dinners for her family.

    And yet another told me about walking out her front door one Christmas to find that someone had hung ornaments on a tree by her porch. To this day she doesn't know who did it, but says it was her most special Christmas. She said she kept telling herself 'Someone thought about ME!".

    Thank you all for being so thoughtful and giving of yourselves, and your time. I hope every single one of you is richly blessed!

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  10. Thank you Polly for such a beautiful post. Somehow, no matter what we do for others, it never seems like enough. We help families at Christmas through an outreach ministry at our church. There is TONS of stuff there to be delivered but somehow I feel like we could still do more. My immediate family has decided to visit someone that we would not normally visit and deliver something special to them for Christmas. It's a little out of my comfort zone, but I think that God wants us to get out of our comfort zone and serve others. Blessings to you. Patty

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  11. Polly, thank you so much for posting your message. I subscribe to many blogs, but sometimes I can't bear to read them, especially this time of year. I'm going through a very difficult time right now, and some blogs are filled with pictures of gorgeous houses beautifully decorated for the holidays. I'm not envious or jealous, but sometimes it's hard to enjoy reading about other people's abundance when so many of us are struggling with putting food on the table. I realize we read blogs to be inspired. I love to find tutorials that show us how to make something pretty for little money. I'm sorry I've rambled on so long. With money so tight this year I'm able to help less than I'd like, but I'm making an effort to smile more and treat people more kindly. And, no matter how bad it seems, I always am grateful to God for what I do have.

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  12. I don't know if you remember me. You liked my Hobby Lobby bird stencil I used on a bench and you made some pillows with it. I read this post and I believe God spoke to me. I got a new camera in June. I took a class recently to learn how to use it. I have been practicing taking pics like crazy. I have done photos for 4 friends so far. I am driving my son crazy taking his photo. I decided to call the Women's Shleter today to see if they would let me come out and take the homeless women and children's photos. Develop in the one hour and then take them back so they can have keepsake photos. The lady I need to speak with was sick, but the lady I did talk with said it was a great idea. There are at least 50 kids right now. Thanks for letting this idea come to me when I read your post and allowing my new hobby and passion to help others.

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  13. I found your blog through Funky Junk today and became a follower. I can tell this will be a blog I visit often. Thank you for your words of encouragement. Something I need right now during my valley experiences.

    Merry Christmas to you and your family.

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  14. I enjoyed this post a lot Polly.. I hope more folks read it and pass it on. this is our favorite time of year for many reasons and one of the best is the giving part.. My husband is the baker around here and he has a list of folks who dont get a visit too often to take things too and spend a little while brightening their lives..

    Thank you again for posting this very important message..

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  15. Polly...you are the best thing that has happened to me in a VERY long time.

    Thank you for putting my prayer request at the forefront of your blog. What a humbling experience that is for me. I am very grateful that today we crossed paths. No coincidence, I'm sure.

    I sincerely hope that we stay connected and that I can give you a praise report soon. I have so much that I'd like to share with you and in time I will. God is faithful. This I remember. It has been a while since I have put him first in my life and perhaps there is truly no time like the present to really give Him another chance. I have many obstacles to cross, but through faith & prayer. I know that no mountain is impossible for me to climb. Again, my deepest and heartfelt thanks.

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  16. Polly, that song just blew me away. I sat in awe listening to this man sing about my Savior. Between tears and chills, I praised my God! Thank you for leading me over here to listen.

    As for the story you just shared...incredible as well. I do believe wholeheartedly in the power of prayer. I believe when the Bible says to ask and it will be given unto you. I believe we have not because we ask not. I do pray for God's perfect will but also share straight up what my heart's desires are. You are right, He is at the end of the line waiting before we ever even start the walk. What a great statement.

    I will be praying and asking God to show me needs that are all around me that I can help with. Thanks for that reminder.

    Your music and your stories have blessed my morning in an incredible way. Thanks, friend.

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