*Prayer Warriors*

"Open thy mouth wide, and I will fill it." Psalm 81:10

How over-full has my mouth become today! What incredible, abundant, and gracious blessings has the Lord of Armies given. This is a post to praise God and to thank those warriors who battle each day in the spiritual realms through prayer. May this day be a testimony to you that God is listening! That He does answer our cries.

Monday night I went to Bible study with my friend Katie, who randomly kept crying throughout the evening. As I took her out for ice cream afterward, she explained the cause of her sadness. In short, both she and her mom are unemployed, her mom for the past 2 years, she for the past month. Earlier this day, Katy had found out several things. 1) her unemployment benefits could not be renewed for the next year, thus ending within a few months, 2) her unemployment benefits were decreased by several hundred dollars a week, leaving her with only $40 for groceries & gas 3) her mom's unemployment benefits were about to end 4) because of some financial problems, her mom's rent (due on Friday) would not be paid.
This all occurred about a month after her brand new truck, which she had just finished paying off, was shot up by police chasing a man with a gun. Her truck was considered totaled, and the money she received was only enough to buy an older, used vehicle. Katie was bitter, angry and confused as to why God kept punishing her.

I prayed with her, and kept reminding her God IS good, that to look at her circumstances and judge God was backwards... instead, we should be looking at God and His character, and through that, judge our circumstances. Always easier said than done, of course.

That night I got home, and posted a prayer request on Facebook to get all my friends and family to pray for this situation... to pray that God would step in and show Katie that He was listening.. that He did love her and her mom... that He does provide for our needs. I was actually more concerned for their peace of heart than anything, but figured seeing Dorothy's rent paid would be a tangible view of God's hand. I had several of my faithful prayer warriors to commit to lifting up these sisters of ours.

So here's what God did through our prayer.

1) a friend in Philadelphia chatted with me through Facebook and committed to paying for half their rent.
2) I asked the church I'm attending (Imago Dei), if they would consider Katie and Dorothy as this week's recipients for our "Change for A Dollar" program. (This is where people put in a dollar in buckets on the communion table, and the church then looks for needs in Portland to fill that week. They call this giving "practicing Resurrection". Because God has so freely loved and given to us, we are honored to pour out some of the same to the needy in our city). Well, I found out this morning, that Imago was going to pay for all of Dorothy's rent this month! $650!! When I called my Philadelphia friend back to let her know, she still decided to send some money to help out with groceries and such.
3) I called Katie last night to make plans to meet up so I could surprise her with the rent money. While we were talking, she told me that she couldn't meet up with me because she had gotten a weekend job where she could make some money for a few days. Awesome-- she'll have some extra to put aside! I then told her the reason I wanted to meet up with her (to give her rent from Imago) and she says this: "Oh, whoa. My mom's rent was just taken care of by our own church, so she's good. Can Imago use that money to bless someone else instead?" AWEsome!!
4) THEN I find out the best news yet: Dorothy (Katy's mom) just got a job!!!! She starts on Monday!!! And this job is with her apartment's management, so she'll have reduced rent as long as she works for them!! AWESOME!!!

So, I went back to Imago, returned the money so another family could be helped, and sat back and counted up God's many blessings within these past 36 hours. here they are:

God heard the cries of His people and sent not one, but TWO rent amounts for Dorothy. On top of that He provided for her more long term by granting her a job after 2 years of searching. On top of that, He got work for Katy so she could at least earn a bit of money as she continues her job search. He gave me the ability to see Imago's heart up close as I was entrusted with money to help out a needy family, even though I had only been attending their fellowship for a few weeks. He then further allowed that money to be redirected so another family would taste of His provision. He reminded me that His resources are not small, and His ear is not deaf. He showed me the generous heart of a woman across the country who cared enough to give of her own to help her spiritual family that she's never met. He rallied His sons and daughters all over the country to intercede on behalf of this family, and He was moved by their prayers. And He has once again shown how intimately acquainted He is with all our ways.

What wonder! What glory! I pray that this encourages you to keep seeking His face. Sometimes our requests seem to go unheeded, but faint not. God is completely able to move mountain after mountain within 24 hours; He is able to pour out more than we'll ever need so that our lives overflow with pure grace. Let this also be a reminder that we are stronger together. Involve others to fight with you for spiritual blessings and physical needs. We are ONE body, and we are meant to bear each other's burdens.

I love you all, and again, thank you for unveiling eternal things to me because of your faithfulness to a good, good, God.