Today is launch day for my new book, Simple Prayers, Powerful Results! It is a Six-Week Bible Study on Discovering God’s Wisdom and Will (Warner Press). Today and tomorrow only you can receive a 35% off discount by using code STK24JAN.
Here is a sample excerpt from the book. Enjoy!
Destination: Thailand
A small group of high school teens, including my daughter, were checking in at the Delta ticket counter for their ten-day mission trip to Thailand. The group then headed toward the security checkpoint—all but two of the girls.
The mother of Sarah (not her real name) approached me highly distraught. The airline refused to issue boarding passes to Sarah and one other girl because their passports would expire in less than six months after they returned home.
“You’ve got to pray for a miracle,” she urged. Not only would the girls lose the travel experience but also the entire cost of the trip. Her daughter had worked hard to raise the money. To lose it would be devastating. The mom’s desperation was palpable.
How much faith did I have to pray that a major airline would bend its rules for two teenagers? In that moment, none. Absolutely none. All I had was compassion for the two girls and the mom who looked at me with tears in her eyes and despair on her face. How could I not pray? We joined hands and asked God to get those girls on that flight.
Then I sat down next to the other young lady to console her while she waited for a ride home. Meanwhile, Sarah had gone back to the counter to talk with an agent, and the rest of the group headed to the gate. Another agent joined the first, and before long, what had been impossible a moment before became reality. The supervisor overrode the first agent and issued the girls boarding passes. They ran to the gate and made the flight at the last minute. That’s the power of prayer!
While I was processing the situation with logic and reasoning, Sarah’s mother was trusting the Lord with all her heart. My reasoning blocked me from having any faith. But listening to the mother’s plea produced compassion and the tiniest little bit of faith to pray—a mustard-seed-sized faith.
Faith moves mountains because faith moves God.
Sarah’s childlike faith, her mother’s trust in the Lord to do the impossible, and my little mustard seed faith moved that airline mountain out of the way.
Faith is the conduit for God’s power to be released. Are you facing an impossible situation today? Are your circumstances shouting, “This will never happen!”?
Sometimes reality is so discouraging that we fail to pray, or we lose hope and stop praying right before our breakthrough.
Experiences like the one described above have helped me to face the next “impossible” situation. In addition to praying, I read Scriptures that build up my faith while I wait to see God’s answer. When I declare them out loud over my circumstances my faith level rises.
Here are a few verses that might help you if you, too, are facing impossible odds.
With men this is impossible, but all things are possible with God.
(Matthew 19:26)
God works out everything in agreement with the counsel and design of His will.
(Ephesians 1:11)
I know that You can do all things, and no thought or purpose of Yours can be restrained or thwarted.
(Job 42:1)