Following is one of three segments I had prepared for a testimony time at church today.  It was decided that we would use the second segment.  If you wish to read all three, the full copy is in the My Beliefs section of my forum site.  If you would like to read more about the surgery recovery and how God was there throughout, there is a complete section at the site, 2008 Road to Recovery.

What does this have to do with the All About Prayer blog?  Nothing much in reality other than prayer is mentioned.  The fact of the matter is that I needed to put something on the site so that those interested could find more information since the testimony was in an abbreviated format for the service.  This blog would put easy access on the front page.

Segment Two (4 minutes, 31 seconds)

When I was dealing with a lengthy recovery from shoulder surgery last spring, six to eight weeks that became twenty-three, I wrote an article titled "Whose Trials Are These?"  It is in the Lessons section of my forum site.  The article begins, "As I've gone through the last five months of challenges, many people have come along side to be used by God in my life. This got me to thinking, whose trials are these? Really, who is the testing for? I may be the central figure here, but that is simply from my perspective. So as I step back and look at the big picture I can see that there are a great many characters in this drama. It would be interesting to take a slice of the picture, one act in this play as it were, and see it from many characters and their focal point, each at the center of the scene.  I went through the surgery, the physical therapy, the financial crisis, the family trauma, and so on. My story is fairly well documented here. But what of the others who have been involved along the way? How about the family members? What about the friends? And the donors? The prayer warriors had a large part in all of this. Let's take a look at a few in a purely fictional sense."  I go on to look at the issue from four different points of view and then talk about the two sides of the coin.  On the one side are my tests and on the other side are the tests of everyone else who is reached by my issue.  I am also the other side of someone else's coin from time to time.

This is how I worship God and give thanks in all things.  I embrace the struggles that come my way and rather than cry woe is me, I ask God what it is about.  Instead of seeking immediate deliverance, I seek God and ask what He would like to show me.  I ask Him that if He is willing to do so, to show me whom else it is for and how I can minister to whoever that may be in the situation.  I worship God in acceptance, in obedience and in thanksgiving for the privilege to be used by Him in the work that He is doing in others.

Lest you think that I am specially gifted or some super saint, let me assure you that I am not.  We all struggle with the same issues from time to time and at various degrees of difficulty.  At times I need to battle pride and not think more highly of myself than I ought.  At times I need to battle against self-loathing and feeling like a loser.  There are times when I fall into sin too easily.  There are times when self-righteousness rears its ugly head.  It seems that I fail more times than I succeed both in life in general and in my spiritual walk.  In any case I need to come back to what God has to say about me and I need to come into agreement with Him regardless of how I feel.  If you knew my sinfulness like I know my sinfulness, you may be appalled.  Perhaps you would want nothing to do with me.  If I knew my sinfulness like God knew my sinfulness, I would be face down before Him in tears wondering why He wants anything to do with me.  If you know God like I know God, you know of His grace and mercy and the forgiveness that comes from His love for us even in our sinfulness.  If I knew God like He wants me to know Him, I would be face down before Him in tears of joy and thanksgiving.

Referring to Christ, the author of the book of Hebrews writes, "Although He was a Son, He learned obedience from the things which He suffered."  It is in my times of obedience that I worship God.  He is honored when I respond positively to the leading of the Holy Spirit.  I may be led through some tough or uncomfortable things, but God is always with me as I walk through the things He has prepared for me and for those around me.

God has led me to get up in the middle of the night on occasion to pray for someone, and at times I can literally feel the weight of darkness pressing down in spiritual warfare.  When the weight is lifted, I know I am done.  I praise God and go back to bed.

God has led me to walk up to people to pray for them directly or to sit and ask them what they would like me to pray for in my prayer time.  People are sometimes caught off guard and surprised, but by the end of the encounter, they are often comforted to some degree when they realize that it was God ordained.

God has shown me the freedom in worship from the raising of hands, to pacing in the back, to even kneeling down.  When the thought crosses my mind of what others might think about me and about what I am doing, I offer that to God as well. If people are busy watching me, they are missing out on an opportunity to worship God.

Where is God leading you?  How do you worship God?  Step out of your comfort zone and watch your relationship with God grow and flourish.

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