Prayer Ministry

From the Prayer Corner – Living on the Edge

Did you get to the beach this past summer?  Since walking is often most people’s preferred exercise these days, walking on the perfect white sand of an ocean beach is a real treat.  Especially near the shoreline where the wet sand is firm and cool under your feet.  In many areas, you will find you do not walk alone there.  Sandpipers are all along the shoreline, living on the edge between the dangerous waves and safety, digging their pointy beaks into the hard packed sand for food.  They are funny little birds.  They follow each receding wave, searching for whatever edible thing the water may have carried in.  They don’t actually like water though.  The moment a fresh wave comes in, these birds scurry back to dry sand and safety.

 

Over and over this process repeats itself – they rush out with one wave and then rush back in with the next.  The birds scurry here and there, always staying one tiny step ahead of the incoming surf.  Are they brave for facing the waves, or timid for shying away?  Perhaps they are simply realistic.  Whatever there is to be found out there to eat, near the point of no return, God has given them a near perfect sense of when to rush in and when to withdraw.

 

Whatever there is to be found is always out there, right on the edge, where courage and danger meet.  That’s true for sandpipers hunting for food, and true for Christians carrying out Christ’s mission too.  Sitting in church, serving on the mission team, meeting with a small group, belonging to the prayer team, and studying Scripture are all important preparations for the dangerous work of being a disciple, of helping the poor and needy, of reaching lost and hurting people or bearing witness to Truth in our mostly godless society.  But church is NOT always where the action is.  It’s out there, in our neighborhood, our community, our city, within an inch or two of the harsh reality of a broken world.  With prayer and with God by our side, though, we can know when to rush in and when to withdraw. Pray during these Fall months that God would bring people across your walking path that need to experience the love of Jesus that you can share.  Take a chance and go towards the edge like the sandpipers.  Be empowered by the Holy Spirit to love and serve in Christ’s name.

 (Portions written by Lawrence W Wilson/Guideposts)

 

“Not all of us can do great things. But we can do small things with great love.”  – Mother Teresa