Knit together in love...

Isaiah 40:29
New King James Version (NKJV)
29 He gives power to the weak,
And to those who have no might He increases strength.

No matter how weary or weak we may feel, God still uses us. I have been getting mad at my dog Max for waking me up every night lately, but then I realized today that the Lord is just using him as a tool to wake me up to pray for my family and friends in the middle of the night. There have been some very specific prayer requests that I have been lifting up to the Lord for my family and my friends in the body of Christ. I don't like being woken up in the middle of the night like most people. The main reason is because of my vertigo. I have had to sleep on my left side for quite a few years now and am unable to roll over on to my back or to my right side without feeling extremely ill and nauseated. Waking up in the middle of the night is uncomfortable for me and it's extremely difficult for me to get back to sleep, as I also have a lot of pain in the night. BUT, if the Lord wakes me up, I consider it a prompt for me to pray. There is no better time than while I'm letting dogs outside in the middle of the night and then trying to get back to sleep. I have a burden to remember who I am specifically praying for. Although I keep an ongoing prayer list, I don't look at it in the middle of the night. I pray as the Lord places people on my heart. I love to think about how we are all connected as one body in Christ. We are knit together in love. When one rejoices, we rejoice. When another is weeping, we weep right along side with him or her (Romans 12:15). There is such comfort in knowing that someone is praying for you. There have been numerous occasions when I would tell Kenny that I could sense that someone was praying for me because I would have a moment of relief from my symptoms or a sense of peace that would just come over me. One time in particular, as I was sitting on the couch and gazing out the front window, I saw two butterflies pass by in a pair. They brought to mind a specific couple from our church that had recently paid a visit and delivered a meal to our home. Moments later I received a text from that particular sister in the Lord and she told me that she was praying for me. If I hadn't journaled that experience, I may never have thought of it again. That is why I attempt to journal every day. It helps remind me of all the great and glorious things God has done over the years. It also reminds me of His faithfulness. When I go back and read some of my old entries, I am blown away at how God has moved in my life and the life of my family and friends. I love my family in Christ and that's a very good thing because we have a very long future together ahead of us!!! I have been and will continue to pray for some very specific requests today. I'm so grateful for what the Lord will do in and through us, His praying children. No matter how dire our own situation may be, God continues to use us, as long as we are willing to be used. We all have a place in the body of Christ...that brings me great comfort.


Romans 12:5
New King James Version (NKJV)
5 so we, being many, are one body in Christ, and individually members of one another.

Ephesians 4:16
New King James Version (NKJV)
16 from whom the whole body, joined and knit together by what every joint supplies, according to the effective working by which every part does its share, causes growth of the body for the edifying of itself in love.