"Is anyone among you in trouble? Let them pray. Is anyone happy? Let them
sing songs of praise. Is anyone among you sick? Let them call the elders of the
church to pray over them and anoint them with oil in the name of the Lord. And
the prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well; the Lord will raise
them up. If they have sinned, they will be forgiven. Therefore confess your sins
to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a
righteous person is powerful and effective." (James 5:13-16, NIV2)
Why do we doubt? I could understand that we doubt that certain colleagues, who
have never been very reliable, will finish the job. But doubting God makes no
sense. He always comes through! We are the ones who often fall short and lack
faith. "GOD-of-the-Angel-Armies, who is like you, powerful and faithful from
every angle?" (Psalms 89:8, MSG)
The prayer offered in faith will be honored!
November 1, 2012, I woke up at 3:00 A.M. My stomach felt like an upside down
cake, and before too much time went by, it began to empty itself. I had no
choice but to call in sick the next day, and I spent most of that day sleeping.
That same evening it seemed like a giant had taken up residence in my head and
was using a jackhammer to renovate his new living quarters. It seems that he
also desired that the thermostat be on maximum.
Humanly speaking, it was impossible for me to go back to work the next day.
Absolutely impossible. However I felt an inner prompting that if I relied not on
my own strength, but on God's, I would be fine. Yes, as long as that giant
remained in my head, it was humanly impossible. But it was definitely possible
from God's perspective!
The next day I was scheduled to meet with a parent whose schedule was, if
possible, even worse than mine. I didn't want to disappoint him. The inner
surging kept knocking on the doors of my heart, and before I realized it I
exclaimed: "I will be fine tomorrow. I declare victory in the Lord!" My family
also stood by me in prayer. I was truly not alone in this!
That next morning I woke up refreshed. I was a bit weak, but the giant had
finally decided my humble dwelling was far from satisfactory for him and moved
on to greener pastures. I was fine enough to go back to work, and I was able to
meet that parent at the appointed time. I returned home relaxed and full of
energy. With God, nothing is impossible!
Do you have problems with giants taking up dwelling in your head? I have the
solution! Call P-R-A-Y and ask the Specialist to move this huge mountain. After
all, "If you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this
mountain, 'Move from here to there,' and it will move. Nothing will be
impossible for you." (Matthew 17:20, NIV2)
Rob Chaffart
The Illustrator: This daily newsletter is dedicated to encouraging
everyone to look towards Jesus as the source of all the solutions to our
problems. It contains a daily inspirational story, a Bible verse and encouraging
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The Nugget: Published three times a week, this newsletter features inspirational devotionals and mini-sermons dedicated to drawing mankind closer to each other and to Christ.