He Touched Me!

Early in the morning I stumbled toward the well to draw water, just as I did every morning.  It was a long walk, made longer because my legs didn't work so well. The sun had not yet peaked over the crest of the mountain to the East to spill her sunlight into our sleepy little village.  I was glad to be walking in the half-light of dawn, because that meant fewer people would see me - gawk at me, the crippled girl.

My legs used to be strong. I used to run with the other kids in the dusty streets of Philippi, but I haven't been able to do that since Papa's mule kicked me.  It took a long time for me just to be able to limp along and even longer to be able to help Mama with simple tasks like fetching water. I was glad to be useful again, but still terribly embarrassed by the clumsy way I walked.

As I neared the well, I saw a man, all alone. He was kneeling near the well, praying. I stopped a ways off, so as not to disturb him, but he must have heard my feet scuffling along in the dirt because he turned and smiled at me.

"Good morning, Sara," he said, motioning for me to come closer.
"You know me, sir?" I asked.
"Yes, child, I know you." he said, then he asked me to draw water that he might have a drink.

As I lowered my vessel into the well, the man spoke again.
"Sara, I see you limp, does it hurt?"

I nodded as I drew the vessel back to the top again. "Yes, it hurts, but my father says that there is a man named Jesus, who can touch me and make me well again. We have heard that he is coming to our village soon."

"Do you believe this man can heal you, Sara?" he asked.

I hesitated.  I wanted to say yes, that I believed it with all my heart, but the truth is, that I just didn't know if any man could heal a person just by touching them. "I want to believe," I said. "I hope he can."

"Sara, I am Jesus," he said.

There was something about the way he said his name that caused my heart to jump in my chest.

"You are the man sent from God?" I asked.

He nodded.

"I am," he said and again my heart leapt.

"Can you really heal me?" I asked.

Again he nodded and this time he reached out and put his hand on my shoulder, then raising his eyes to heaven he said, "Father, bless this child with health that she might be your witness in Philippi."

With that, a warmth moved through my body, moving from where his hand rested on my shoulder downward to my legs and feet. I heard or felt (I'm not sure which) a popping and stretching and then the pain was gone. My bent leg was straight again. The funny thing is that I hardly noticed the newness of my legs until he removed his hand, for I was mesmerized by the way he looked at me.

"Sara," he said in the most loving voice I had ever heard, "You are healed, go and tell your family, tell everyone you know that today God has touched you and tell them that I am coming."

Before I knew it I was running, yes, running! Straight and strong and fast! I ran all the way through the village, passing several women on their way to the well. They stopped to stare, but I didn't mind. I kept laughing and running all the way back to my house.

I had completely forgotten about the water and had left our jar sitting near the well, but I didn't get in trouble, because when Mama and Papa saw me running towards them, they were so happy they cried!

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(Copyright© 2011 Jan Christiansen. All rights reserved.)

I'm Feelin' Blue

Why, my soul, are you downcast?
   Why so disturbed within me?
Put your hope in God,
   for I will yet praise him,
   my Savior and my God.

Psalm 42:5

Oh, I just hate days like this when I feel blue for absolutely no reason. What? You thought Christians didn't have those kind of days? Sorry to disappoint you, but we have them, too.  In fact if you read through your Bible, you will find that many of the pillars of the Old Testament and New Testament went through times when their spirits were low, too.

It's nothing to worry about. Just because I'm feeling blue doesn't mean my faith is weak or that God has let me down. No matter how I feel, I know that very soon my feelings will catch back up to the Truth - that God is still the Lord over all my life and that He has great plans for my future.

So, even when I am down, I will put my hope in God and I will take time to praise Him for He is worthy to be praised no matter how I am feeling.

Prayer:
Father, I praise you, even when my spirit is downcast, for you are worthy, you are loving and kind, you are my protector, my provider and my hope for the future. I love you with all my heart. Amen
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(Copyright© 2011 Jan Christiansen. All rights reserved.)

The Unfathomable Mystery

(Jesus speaking) "And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another advocate to help you and be with you forever— the Spirit of truth. The world cannot accept him, because it neither sees him nor knows him. But you know him, for he lives with you and will be in you...On that day you will realize that I am in my Father, and you are in me, and I am in you...Jesus replied, “Anyone who loves me will obey my teaching. My Father will love them, and we will come to them and make our home with them." John 14:16,17,20,23 (NIV)

No matter how much I contemplate it, I can not fathom the truth that the God of the universe lives in me and that I am in Him.  It's a mystery too wonderful for me to comprehend, and yet, I believe it with my whole heart!

Some days I can sense His presence and other days I can not, but regardless of what I sense, or what I feel, the truth is that He is within me, guiding me, counseling me, changing me, protecting me, loving me and working through me to love and reach out to others.

What a profound and wonderful life this is!

Prayer:
Father, thank you for the saving grace of Jesus Christ, by whose sacrifice I am forgiven and adopted into the family of God, indwelt by your Holy Spirit, living with the promise of an eternity spent with you. Thank you for living in me. I submit myself to you once again. Use me to be your hands extended to those you have placed around me. Help me to show them all the love you have for them. In Jesus' name, Amen.

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(Copyright© 2011 Jan Christiansen. All rights reserved.)

The Day the Cross Became Real to Me

"They stripped him and put a scarlet robe on him, and then twisted together a crown of thorns and set it on his head. They put a staff in his right hand. Then they knelt in front of him and mocked him. “Hail, king of the Jews!” they said. They spit on him, and took the staff and struck him on the head again and again."  Matthew 27:28-30 (NIV)

Several years ago we attended an evening Easter service at our church. It was a reinactment of the the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus Christ.

I was delighted to be seated on the aisle seat so that I had a perfect view. At one point in the play, "Jesus" carried a large wooden cross down the center aisle. He was followed by two Roman soldiers who where beating his already bloodied back with whips. (They were actually hitting the wooden cross with the whips, not the actor.) The room was dark, the makeup and the sound of the whips cracking and hitting the cross made it all seemed very real.

As they reached the place where I was sitting, tears were streaming down my face at the thought of what Jesus had to endure to so that I might be forgiven. Just then one of the soldiers raised his whip and struck the cross again, but they were so close to where I was sitting that the end of the leather strap whipped back and hit me on the arm. It hurt - really hurt, and I realized the pain I felt could not even begin to compare the pain and suffering that Jesus took upon himself in order to bring salvation to us.

From that day forward, every Easter reminds me of His incredible love for us - and all because I got just a tiny, tiny taste of what He went through that day.

Prayer:
Father, it was your incredible love for mankind that caused you to send Jesus, your only Son to earth, to live as a man, to set a perfect example, then to be crucified for our sins that we might receive forgiveness and have a renewed relationship with you. As we remember His incredible sacrifice, may our hearts be humbled and may we reach out to Him and invite Him to come into our hearts and be our Lord and Savior forever. Amen
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(Copyright© 2011 Jan Christiansen. All rights reserved.)

We have a winner!

Yeah - I just made it to the 25 followers mark on this blog!  Had my husband draw a name at random and he picked DEBBIE SUMSTAD PETRAS.

Debbie has a great blog called Heart Choices. Drop over and pay her a visit sometime. You'll be glad you did!

I'll be sending out a copy of Heaven is For Real by Todd Burpo.  It's an awesome book. If you haven't read it, you should pick up a copy. Very inspiring.

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(Copyright© 2011 Jan Christiansen. All rights reserved.)

Wait for it...............

"For the vision is yet for an appointed time and it hastens to the end [fulfillment]; it will not deceive or disappoint. Though it tarry, wait [earnestly] for it, because it will surely come; it will not be behindhand on its appointed day."  Habakkuk 2:3 (AMP)

I hate waiting. Ok, hate is a strong word. Maybe I should say that I'm not very good at waiting...because I HATE IT!

I remember as a child, several promises that were made that never materialized.  Some were promised rewards if I put in some hard word, but the reward was never given. Some were promises of fun times, but when the time came, there wasn't enough money and some were promises that "it" would never happen again...but it did.

Either way, I would spend hours, days, weeks looking forward to receiving what was promised. Those were exciting times at first. The hope of receiving, the anticipation made each task or day exhilarating, but as time went by and promises were broken, those days of exhilaration turned into anxiety. Would I receive what I had been promised or would my hopes be dashed again.

I felt a little like Charlie Brown - hoping that Lucy wouldn't snatch the football away at the last moment.

All that angst has faded, but occasionally, it rises up in me again.  Will the reward come? Can I trust the one who promised? Will unforeseen circumstances change things?

Thank God I can count on every promise made in God's Word! I can read each one and let myself get excited about it.  I can look forward with excitement, knowing that He will never change His mind, that His promises will always be kept...even if I have to wait longer than I expected, they will always be fulfilled!

Prayer:
Thank your, Heavenly Father, that we can always be sure of your promises, though they tarry, we will wait for them, for you do not lie.  If you promised it, you will bring it to pass. Thank you. Amen
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(Copyright© 2011 Jan Christiansen. All rights reserved.)

Show them how much you care.

"Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective." James 5:18 (NIV)

I've been experiencing an ongoing medical condition for which the doctors say there is no cure and very little to be done in the way of treatment. It's painful and depressing at times, so when someone tells me they are praying for me, I am extremely grateful.

Recently God has been leading me to read several books on prayer; Intercessory Prayer by Dutch Sheets, The Power of a Praying Woman and The Power of Praying Together - both by Stormie Omartian, and now I'm reading Prayer by Richard J. Foster.

After reading these books, I find I have a richer prayer life than I've had in my 33+ years of following Christ and I've come to realize that the most effective and most loving thing I can do for another person is to pray for them.

Richard J. Foster puts it this way…"If we truly love people, we will desire for them far more than it is within our power to give them, and this will lead us to prayer. Intercession is a way of loving others." (Richard J. Foster - Prayer)

Even my friend, who is an atheist thanks me when I tell him I am praying for him. He says it's because he knows that I believe prayer will help him and he takes it as a sign that I care what happens to him…even though he doesn't believe in God or that there is any merit to prayer.

So, how much time do you spend praying for others?

Prayer:
Father, thank you for the power of prayer and for the privilege of coming to you not only for our own needs, but for the needs of those we love. Bring to mind those who are in need of praying and help us to be consistent in lifting up the needs of others to you. We thank you, now for the answers we will see in the coming days.

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(Copyright© 2011 Jan Christiansen. All rights reserved.)