S.O.S.

It was a dark and stormy night aboard a cargo ship in the Irish sea. Eight men on board a vessel containing 3 tons of limestone...when the hull cracks and they begin to take on water. A 2:00 am mayday call was sent out and area ships answered to provide shelter for survivors. The men donned their immersion suits with strobe lights and found themselves in the chilly waters off the coast of Holyhead Wales.

The Royal Air Force sent a rescue helicopter with a crew of four to the scene of waves, winds and wondered...how many would they save? Out of the eight, two were airlifted to safety aboard. The difficulty was described as, "challenging at best."

What amazed me most about this exciting news story was that there was royalty on that helicopter. The Prince William himself was copilot for that mission. I wondered, did the rescued men recognize him during all the tension? Did they realize who was on board with them? I doubt they knew until afterwards, with a hot mug of tea and warm dry clothes on...someone let them know that the man who would someday be King of England had risked his life to come to their rescue.

How do you think those two men felt? Do you think they were amazed that he would step into that danger to save them? Why would Prince William risk his life for another? I wonder...

I have a message for you dear reader. Have you got your warm mug of tea and a blanket around you? There is a storm brewing out there in the world. Do you have that sinking feeling that your job is not going to save you, your friends are not able to save and you don't even have the strength to save yourself?

When you send your mayday call, make sure it's to the One who can rescue you. And don't expect Prince William to fly in on his RAF Helicopter and lower a basket!

Two thousand years ago God stepped out of His throne room and onto this earth as a man called Jesus. He came to earth to save us all from a death that no one should suffer from. It is nothing we can do ourselves to save us. Every time a person prays to receive Jesus as their Lord and Savior, another soul is plucked from the storm of sin. Are you still treading water dear reader? How much longer do you think you can do this all on your own? Do not waste a moment to send out your own SOS (save one soul) prayer to God and He will.

How do I know that? Because I myself am a witness to my own rescue...and it was no "man who someday would be king"...it was Christ who IS KING!

I wonder...who do you say that Jesus is?

And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us, and we saw His glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth. John 1:14

Prayer Call

My brother and I had a little bit of an anxious weekend. You see, we both tried calling Dad and didn't get an answer. In fact, his phone machine that normally answers with it's generic male voice (that sounds like a robot on too much caffeine) didn't even pick up like usual. We called and listened to the line ring and ring and ring. It seemed like nobody was home.

We wondered, did Dad pick up and go visit a brother? Did he go birdwatching on the West coast? Is he at a Superbowl party somewhere? When time ticked away, the fears started to pop their ugly heads. I did my best to play "whack a mole" with them by checking in with his minister, emailing my dad and listening to hubby say, "He's OK, he's probably busy."

Finally I got an email from the Reverend. "He was at choir Sunday, things are fine."

But I wasn't consoled until I finally got an email from him, "The phone line is down, it will be repaired on Tuesday."

I could stop obsessing...he answered and all is well again. It seems an old tree in the backyard had been removed, and so had part of the line. That tree had been growing for a while in the backyard...slowly reaching towards the lines. Before we knew it, the tree had engulfed the cables and all it would take was a good windstorm. (Now that I think about it, that tree had been growing taller for over 20 years!)

So the question that came to my mind was, have you ever felt that sometimes nobody is listening when you pray? Are there are times when you're trying to get through to God and the line seems too quiet? What do you do when that happens?

First, is God expecting your call? As a Christian, you can expect unlimited minutes in prayer with your heavenly Father. But if you have not accepted Christ, your call could be dropped. (John 14:6)

Next, make sure your connection is solid. Like a downed line, sin that is not confessed can break that connection as quick as a 50 lb tree limb on a cable. (John 9:31)

Sometimes we allow a dark thought to be planted in our mind. This thought, when it sprouts, can be easily plucked and dealt with early. (2 Corinthians 10:5, Psalm 86:5) Left to grow, it can turn into an action. Temptation itself is not a sin, it's acting on it that germinates the seed and growth is immediate. (James 1:13-15) Before you know it your lines to God are caught and broken...so it's best to deal with them as soon as they appear.

Do you only pray when you need something? Or prayed and prayed and then later in the day realized you didn't stop to hear a reply? Have you ever tried sitting quietly and sending up a quick, "I just prayed to say I love you, God"? Then sit and listen...you'll be amazed what your heart hears.

Did someone tell you that He hears you, just try again another time God is probably busy with the unrest in the Middle East? Know this dear reader, God is not human. He is God and He is omnipotent. That means He is everywhere all the time. There is no war or even a hungry crow that He ignores. (Luke 12:24) And as His children, so much more is His ear tuned to our call!

Because He has inclined His ear to me, Therefore I shall call {upon Him} as long as I live. Psalm 116:2

Don't forget that the line goes both ways. Make sure you listen for Him. It could be as simple as waking up at 3am for no reason, or maybe a song in your head when you awaken. Seriously...He loves you and will call you. The question is, will you answer?

How do you pray? Get to a quiet place, bring your Bible, close your eyes and either talk to Him out loud or within your heart. If you need a bit more instruction, check out how Jesus answered His disciples when they asked the same thing in Luke 11:1-13.

I hope you are blessed this week as you earnestly "reach out and touch" God in prayer. It's better than texting, chatting and even skype--and you'll never get a bill for going over your minutes limit! (Because Jesus already paid that bill.)

...So that you may know that it is I, The LORD, the God of Israel, who calls you by your name. Isaiah 45:3b