Push
Over two thousand years ago, Jesus came into the world at the RIGHT TIME, at the APPOINTED and ANOINTED time. Our heavenly Father looked down at our world and chose Mary to give birth to the Son of God. For nine months, Mary carried the Son of God, and then in bleak conditions, without fanfare, Mary "pushed" to birth Jesus into our wounded, weak world. Young, tenacious, and full of faith, she carried the son of God until it was time to push, and then, she did what she needed to do to give birth. The world changed forever because of Mary's PUSH. As mothers, we know about PUSHING.
On a cold Wednesday night, many years ago, I was preparing for our first son's birth. That morning I had been to my obstetrician, and he told me that he would see me that night. Evidently, he knew something I didn't. Nine months pregnant, I had no idea what was in store for me. Wednesday night meant youth group for my husband, who was the youth pastor at Central Assembly in Houston, PA, while I filled in as the teacher for their girl's program, Rainbows.
Toward the close of the services, I felt labor pains, though they were mild. I sent someone to tell my young husband what was happening, not thinking that this was "it." We took our time finishing up our church responsibilities, went home, called the doctor, and at his instruction, made our way to the hospital. Steve carried a Scrabble game under his arm, thinking we had "time to kill" before our baby would be born. How naïve we were. Plans quickly changed as my labor progressed quickly, and trust me, I wasn't in the mood for Scrabble!
After six hours of labor, I heard the words "it's time," which changed everything. When you are pregnant and hear the words "it's time," this generally means the baby is in the birth canal, and it's time to push. Without pushing, the baby will remain stuck in the birth canal.
The year 2020 has seemed like a pregnancy year in some ways. For nine months, we have experienced COVID-19. Just like an initial pregnancy for many women, the first three months seemed harsh, as we sheltered in place and the world seemed to shut down. For the next three months, throughout summer, everything seemed to settle somewhat, and though we felt the growing weight of the situation, life continued in the "new normal" fashion. Words like "social distancing," "wearing a mask," and "quarantine" became part of our vocabulary. However, the final three months of 2020 have brought a significant rise in Covid-19 cases, an unprecedented presidential election, and an overall weariness with the whole situation.
We are in the final week of 2020, and it's time to PUSH! Spiritually, I mean!
It's TIME to Pray Until Something Happens.
Can we join together and finish up this final week of 2020 with a PUSH?
You do not have to go away for a week to pray; you only need to connect with the Father through Jesus, talk to Him about what is happening in our world, and continue talking to Him until you see change occur.
That's prayer. It's simple yet life-changing.
Jesus told a great story in the book of Luke, chapter 18, about a persistent widow.
“One day Jesus told his disciples a story to show that they should always pray and never give up. "There was a judge in a certain city," he said, "who neither feared God nor cared about people. A widow of that city came to him repeatedly, saying, 'Give me justice in this dispute with my enemy.' The judge ignored her for a while, but finally, he said to himself, 'I don't fear God or care about people, but this woman is driving me crazy. I'm going to see that she gets justice, because she is wearing me out with her constant requests!'"
Then the Lord said, "Learn a lesson from this unjust judge. Even he rendered a just decision in the end. So, don't you think God will surely give justice to his chosen people who cry out to him day and night? Will he keep putting them off? I tell you, he will grant justice to them quickly! But when the Son of Man returns, how many will he find on the earth who have faith?"
Could it be that God wants His daughters to lead the way of prayer for our world, our nation, our families, and our churches? This year spoke the word “RECLAIM” over PennDel Women based on Joshua 14:12, "Give me the land the Lord promised me." That is a BOLD declaration that requires BOLD faith! It's time to Pray Until Something Happens!
Be persistent, like your kids are when they want something. Let's keep asking God to heal our land, humble ourselves, and show mercy to others. Pretend we are all in the delivery room together, pushing to bring birth to something new for 2021, because we are.
PUSHING my way into 2021!
Liz
