Father, May I?

By:  Angela Lee Price


I was asked to be in a fashion show on Saturday, September 12th at an African Heritage Festival at the Kentucky Center for African American Heritage in Louisville.  I did some twirling, although not very good because modeling is something I haven't done in a long, long time. Rip the runway? Not hardly, but I had fun getting out of my comfort zone, and giving back to my community.  

I grew up just a few blocks from where the African Heritage Festival was held.  I did a lot of twirling as a child while playing a game with the other children on my block  called "Mother, May I?" One child served as the "mother" and all the other children were the "children." The object of the game was for the children, who started out at the other end of the block, to get to where the mother was. The first one there won the game and became the new mother.

In getting to the mother, the children each took turns asking, "May I hop, skip, run, leap, jump, twirl?." The Mother could accept, reject, or amend their requests. But often the response would be, "Yes, you may!"

I really liked this game. It taught children how to get along with each other, to have respect for authority, good manners, and patience. Sometimes the children were asked to take a number of steps backward, and we did it.

Our goal as children of God is to get to the Father.  We serve a God who is waiting on each of us to ask right now, "Father, may I? Before we get to our Father in Heaven, we have a great work to do for Him right here on earth in reaching the lost for Jesus Christ.  We ought to be on fire for God, willing to do anything, hop, skip, run, jump, leap, and even twirl to get closer to God and show others the way to Him through Jesus Christ! Jesus says in His Word, "I am the way, the truth, and the life.  No one comes to the Father except through me (John 14:6).  He said, "If I be lifted up, I will draw all men unto me" (John 12:32).  Jesus promises to do the drawing when we do the lifting. 

It is a September to Remember Jesus in Worship, Service, and Giving here at Jesus Saves Ministries as we celebrate our 10th anniversary.  We are blessed by your presence on the Jesus Saves Social Network, but we know in faith that the best is yet to come. God has an assignment for you draw closer to Him, and lift Him up in your neighborhood, church, workplace, home, school, and on social media. You may have to do what I did at that fashion show, that is get out of your comfort zone and twirl, twirl, twirl -- that is worship, serve and give as only you know how!  The Lord needs willing vessels.  The harvest is plentiful but the laborers are few. Just ask, Father, may I?" We pray that His reply to you is, "Yes, you may!"

God's Prescription for Healing

"If my people, which are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and forgive their sin and will heal their land"  2 Chronicles 7:14

2 Chronicles 7:14 speaks about the people of God who were called by the name of God. Clearly, God was not speaking to the unsaved, but to the saved.  It starts, "If my people...." This promise was originally given to Solomon, the Israelite King, concerning the people of Israel.   God said through Solomon that if His people would do four things, humble themselves, pray, and seek His face, turn from their wicked ways, He would forgive their sin and heal their land.  

It is amazing that just four things done by the people of God would heal so much of the brokenness that we are experiencing today. So much of the crime and violence in our inner cities, and in our suburbs, in our schools, and in our homes is due to sin, lack of respect for human life, and a total disrespect for God! I don't know about you, but I need a few things healed, a few things mended, a few things fixed, a few things restored in my life!  What an awesome promise this is!  It is much more than a quick fix.  It does what Alleve, Advil, and Tamaflu can't do.  It is a prescription for healing.

It is so important that as intercessors and as Bible-believing people of God that we remain humble and on our knees before Yahweh, our Almighty God, seeking His face daily and not just His hand. Some devotions on this text say that God is asking us to do three things and not four, that pray and seek His face are really one and the same.  I beg to differ.  I believe God wants us to pray (persistently, every day) and seek His face.  When we seek the face of God, we ask the will of God despite what it is we want to do because His will is what's best. That's why reading the Word of God is so important. Therein we find the will of God, the B-I-B-L-E has our Basic Instructions Before Leaving Earth.  When we read the Bible we gain insight into what God would have us do in our specific circumstance.  When we seek the face of God, we seek the presence of God, the way a baby stretches its arms to be in its mother's lap, or the way we stretch our legs to soak up the warmth of the sun, (and Son) on a beautiful sunny day. The good news is we have an advocate with the Father in Jesus Christ who sits at His right hand making intercessions for us! What happens to us is predicated on our relationship with God and on us doing our part in it. 

Let us claim 2 Chronicles 7:14 today. We are the light of the world and the salt of the earth. Let us not sit on the premises at home, at work, at school, at church, nor here in this ministry, but stand on the promises of God.   If we do our part, then God promises to forgive our sin and heal the land.  What an awesome God we serve!  He is Jehovah Rapha, the God who heals. To Him be glory and honor, dominion and power both now and forever!  Amen.