40 Day Walk With God — April 24, 2014
Posted: April 24, 2014 Filed under: 2014 40 Day Walk with God | Tags: Day 4 2 Comments
Day 4 —
MISSIONAL EXCELLENCE
Mark 11: 22-24
Jesus responded to them, “Have faith in God! I assure you that whoever says to this mountain, ‘Be lifted up and thrown in to the sea’- and doesn’t waver but believes that what is said will really happen-it will happen. Therefore I say to you, whatever you pray and ask for, believe that you will receive it, and it will be so for you.”
Over the years God has shown me various ways to do evangelization. One way that I have found particularly effective is to say to the waiter or waitress that is serving me in a restaurant that I am going to pray for my meal, and then I ask, “Is there anything you would like me to pray for you?”
While I have had several significant opportunities to pray for my servers, one of those experiences stands out in my memory. I was at a restaurant in downtown Nashville. When I offered my invitation to pray, the waitress shared that she had applied for a low income home, but had not heard back from the application. She explained that she was concerned because she was attempting to gain custody of her younger brother, and one of the requirements was to be able to provide adequate housing.
Two weeks later when I was back in the same restaurant, the waitress ran up to the table I was seated at and shared that she had finally been approved for the home. A few months later, again she sought me out, and shared that she now had custody of her brother! About a year later she once again came to the table where I was seated and proudly showed me a clipping from the newspaper. It was an article about her brother who was the star on his high school football team!
What I’ve learned over the years is that there are lots of ways to pray and be obedient to the Holy Spirit! Missional excellence comes when we go where the people are, and meet them in their place of life and need. When we are willing to make ourselves available for the power and presence of God to flow through us, then God can and will move mountains to heal and transform lives. By the way, if you ask a server if you can pray for him or her, you better be prepared to leave a big tip!
Prayer:
Gracious God, thank you for the many opportunities you give to us to be the hands and heart of Christ in a hurting world. Make us bold in offering your love and grace to strangers. Forgive us for the many times that we have failed to be sensitive to the opportunities you have placed before us to witness to others through prayer. May we see the world through your eyes. In Jesus’ name. AMEN.
The Rev. Tom Halliburton
Cumberland District Superintendent, Tennessee Conference
Tom, we also like to pray for our servers and ask them how we can pray. Its an honor and fun to see how Father answers!
Thank you for sharing this Tom! What a beautiful way to show God’s Grace!!!!