Yesterday I was on the phone praying with The Jesus Alliance prayer intercessor team. Several people were praying one after another and quite some time had elapsed with me praying with my eyes shut and my head bowed.
My dog Cooper doesn’t like to be alone and often sleeps in my office while I’m working. This dog is strange in that he does not whine or bark. I know he has those abilities because I stepped on him once and he let out a yell and he often dreams and softly barks “ruff ruff” at whatever is bothering him while he is dreaming. When he desires to go outside, instead of barking he sneezes and prances around all over the place.
There were quite a few people on the prayer call and it went on for some time. I heard him getting restless and prancing around doing his sneeze routine. I opened my eyes and soon discovered that he didn’t want to go outside, but seemed to be concerned about me sitting there with my hand over my eyes and not moving for such a long period of time. I put my hand down beside him and he instantly calmed down, licked my fingers a couple of times, yawned and laid back down.
I’ve been in considerable pain with my neck and several times during the day I have to lay flat on the couch. He instantly comes over and jumps up on the couch and begins licking me and tries to get as close as he possibly can to me. How he senses that something is wrong is beyond me, but when I am racked by pain somehow he just knows and tries to comfort me and no matter how bad I’m hurting it always helps. He does the same thing when I’m sick with the flu or whatever.
I was thinking about him this morning as I studied the Bible. No matter how much pain or how sick I am, it always brings a smile to my face when he behaves like this. I wonder if God sends him to me to help out a little. I think He does.
Not long ago a warden of a Florida prison came by Honey Lake and she had read my book. She asked me if I would speak to “her girls”. She related that so many of them had lost all hope and that hearing my story would surely help them know that they could have a future if they had God in their lives. I told her that I would be happy to do so and this coming Saturday is the appointed day.
I needed some volunteers to minister to them after I offer my testimony in order that they might begin their journey with God and know how to take those next important steps. I talked to our pastor Kenny and we decided to round up a few people from our church to go. I also wrote about it in Words for the Day. I spoke with Jack Murphy about it and he called Henree Martin and some others and the next thing I knew some 100 volunteers had signed up to accompany us. WOW! We thought if we got 20 or 30 we would be doing great. My good friend Tanya Crevier who is the premiere basketball handler in the USA read about it in WFTD and wanted to come, and so did many time water ski champion Kristie Overton Johnson, as well as some of Tallahassee’s top singers and musicians.
God has called all of us to help these hurting people who admittedly made some mistakes in life, but so have we all.
Jesus is the one that set the example of compassion ministry for us. Throughout His ministry He helped everyone that He encountered. It didn’t matter to Him who they were. He helped the sick, downtrodden, hungry, those despised by His culture, and those living evil lives. He called us to have compassion and mercy and when it was within our power to do so, to help them.
I often talk about prison ministry because it has a special place in my heart, but I realize that it is not for everyone. But that is no reason for you not to become an important part of compassion ministry. There are innumerable ways to help the poor, hungry and so forth. Not the least of these is becoming a prayer warrior. Those prayer intercessors help me mightily as they pray night and day for the Jesus Alliance and for me personally; they also help a myriad of others and petition God to change the USA as per 2 Chron. 7:14.
I hope you are involved with helping someone other than yourself. If not you are missing out on one of the most joyful things you might ever do. Selah . . .
Have a great weekend and BE SURE AND GO TO HONEY LAKE CHURCH THIS WEEKEND! Most of those people mentioned will be at Honey Lake church this Sunday at 11 and you can get a taste of worship that fills heaven 24/7.
Matt. 25:35
For I was hungry, and you gave Me something to eat; I was thirsty, and you gave Me something to drink; I was a stranger, and you invited Me in; naked, and you clothed Me; I was sick, and you visited Me; I was in prison, and you came to Me.’
January 30, 2015 – Click here to listen