Greeting all,

I must say that I was encouraged by last week’s response to the blog. Several of you joined the many others that are faithful to give towards the missionary women and this ministry. Thank you sooooo much. We only have 16 more women to sponsor. Keep praying on behalf of the women.

Also, many of you sent in comments about the blog. I suspect it reminded all of us that His timing is perfect and the power of believing God. I would like to speak to that blog a little bit more this week…

Some of your comments included thoughts about how God was already working on behalf of the prayer the little girl prayed. Others wrote about God’s timing being perfect. But, just for a few moments today I would like for us to consider the faith of the little girl and the doctor. See I believe the little girl prayed that prayer by simple, childlike faith. I believe that is the same faith James is talking about in James 1:5-8 when he is telling us if anyone one lacks wisdom…

James 1:5-8 (ESV)
⁵ If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him.  ⁶ But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea that is driven and tossed by the wind. ⁷ For that person must not suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord; ⁸ he is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways.

I suspect where our faith gets in trouble is at the level of verse 6, “But let him ask in faith, with no doubting.” You know the little girl flat out believed with no doubting that God would answer her prayer. It was settled in her heart. But to be honest with you ……there is something that separates us over time from that kind of childlike faith. It’s called, “life experiences”. Life can erode away our faith if we allow it to.

Things that can erode our faith away:

• Loss of a spouse
• Loss of a child
• Divorce
• Illness and long term health issues
• Financial loss and strains
• Hurts by others
•  Church splits
• Issues in the body of Christ
• Leaders falling
• Disappointments
• Loss of a business
• Loss of a job
• Loss of a home
• Family issues

That precious little girl in the story last week didn’t have enough life experience yet to cause her to live by sight instead of by faith. Many times in our walk with Christ I suspect we best step back and reevaluate our vision. Have we allowed our life circumstance to drag us into the rut of unbelief? If so, “Look Up”! Regain that heavenly sight (vision) by the discipline of being in His Word and obeying His Word. It is the only way to regain our childlike faith.

Romans 10:17 (ESV)
¹⁷ So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ.

Love you all,

His,

Vickie

Life….

Let me start out by saying ‘life’ has been a little overwhelming the past week. Nothing outstanding but just life….

So, I want to share two things with you this week. One, I want to let you know that we are down to only 18 missionary women left to sponsor. And the second thing is this, I have so much on my brain and heart right now that I honestly have not been able to put together any thoughts about what I would want to share this week with you. So, I just decided to look back through some of my folders to see if there was anything that I liked in there that had encouraged me at some point along the way. I found this…Enjoy and remember “HE KNOWS YOUR NEEDS”.

African Doctor…..

A story was written by a doctor who worked in South Africa...
  
   One night I had worked hard to help a mother in the labor ward; but in spite of all we could do, she died leaving us with a tiny premature baby and a crying two-year-old daughter. We would have difficulty keeping the baby alive, as we had no incubator (we had no electricity to run an incubator).
  
   We also had no special feeding facilities. Although we lived on the equator, nights were often chilly with treacherous drafts. One student midwife went for the box we had for such babies and the cotton wool that the baby would be wrapped in.
  
   Another went to stoke up the fire and fill a hot water bottle. She came back shortly in distress to tell me that in filling the bottle, it had burst (rubber perishes easily in tropical climates). "And it is our last hot water bottle!" she exclaimed. 

"All right," I said, "put the baby as near the fire as you safely can, and sleep between the baby and the door to keep it free from drafts. Your job is to keep the baby warm."
  
   The following noon, as I did most days, I went to have prayers with many of the orphanage children who chose to gather with me. I gave the youngsters various suggestions of things to pray about and told them about the tiny baby. I explained our problem about keeping the baby warm enough, mentioning the hot water bottle, and that the baby could so easily die if it got chills. I also told them of the two-year-old sister, crying because her mother had died.
  
   During prayer time, one ten-year old girl, Ruth, prayed with the usual blunt conciseness of our African children. "Please, God" she prayed, "Send us a water bottle. It'll be no good tomorrow, God, as the baby will be dead, so please send it this afternoon."
  
   While I gasped inwardly at the audacity of the prayer, she added, "And while you are about it, would you please send a dolly for the little girl so she'll know you really love her?"
  
   As often with children's prayers, I was put on the spot. Could I honestly say, "Amen"? I just did not believe that God could do this. Oh, yes, I know that He can do everything, the Bible says so.  But there are limits, aren't there? The only way God could answer this particular prayer would be by sending me a parcel from my homeland. I had been in Africa for almost four years at that time, and I had never, ever received a parcel from home. Anyway, if anyone did send me a parcel, who would put in a hot water bottle? I lived on the equator! Halfway through the afternoon, while I was teaching in the nurses' training school, a message was sent that there was a car at my front door.
  
   By the time I reached home, the car had gone, but there, on the veranda, was a large twenty-two pound parcel. I felt tears pricking my eyes. I could not open the parcel alone, so I sent for the orphanage children.  

   Together we pulled off the string, carefully undoing each knot. We folded the paper, taking care not to tear it unduly. Excitement was mounting. Some thirty or forty pairs of eyes were focused on the large cardboard box. From the top, I lifted out brightly colored, knitted jerseys. Eyes sparkled as I gave them out. Then there were the knitted bandages for the leprosy patients, and the children looked a little bored. Then came a box of mixed raisins and sultanas - that would make a batch of buns for the weekend. Then, as I put my hand in again, I felt the...could it really be? I grasped it and pulled it out - yes, a brand-new, rubber hot water bottle. I cried. I had not asked God to send it; I had not truly believed that He could. Ruth was in the front row of the children. She rushed forward, crying out, "If God has sent the bottle, He must have sent the dolly too!" 
  
   Rummaging down to the bottom of the box, she pulled out the small, beautifully dressed dolly. Her eyes shone! She had never doubted!
  
   Looking up at me, she asked: "Can I go over with you and give this dolly to that little girl, so she'll know that Jesus really loves her?"
  
   That parcel had been on the way for five whole months. Packed up by my former Sunday school class, whose leader had heard and obeyed God's prompting to send a hot water bottle, even to the equator. And one of the girls had put in a dolly for an African child - five months before, in answer to the believing prayer of a ten-year-old to bring it "that afternoon."
  
   "Before they call, I will answer" (Isaiah 65:24)

His,

Vickie