Carriers of His Presence

One morning my husband, Art, and I were on our way to work.
He was driving me to the school where I taught, and I was holding a gift from
him in my lap—a pot of my favorite flowers, mums that look like daisies.

I was admiring my flowers and picturing how they would look
in my classroom. I knew my students would be blessed by this lovely expression
of spring. I thought, Oh God, these are so beautiful! The Lord responded to my expression of delight by
telling me to give my flowers to Merry, the teacher whose classroom was next to
mine.

By all appearances, Merry was the model Christian schoolteacher.
She was stoic, disciplined and strict, with the highest academic standards. She
rarely smiled and didn’t give an inch.

Unfortunately, the students did not appreciate her selfless
efforts, and her contract had not been renewed for the following year.
Nevertheless, Merry was determined to work out the terms of her current
contract to the best of her ability. It was an agonizing time in her life. Day
after day she had to face the same students who were responsible for her
dismissal. They even bragged about how they “got her fired.”

I empathized with Merry, but I was not particularly
receptive to the Lord’s directive. “What?” I replied. “But Lord, these are my flowers. Art gave them to me. They are special.”

I waited. The Lord did not respond. Finally, I said to my
husband, “Art, I think the Lord wants me to give these flowers to Merry.”

 “Well, you’d
better do what He says,” Art replied.

I was hoping he would say, “That’s not God.” We continued
our journey in silence while I tried to bargain with the Lord. “OK, Lord, I’ll
tell You what I’ll do. I’ll stop by Merry’s room and see how she’s doing.”

When I arrived at Merry’s door, she was already in her
classroom, arranging some flowers in a vase. I thought maybe I was off the
hook. “Look, Lord, she already has flowers!” No response from Him.

I greeted her, “Hi, Merry. How are you doing?” She answered,
“I’m OK.” She did not smile but continued purposefully arranging the flowers.
“How pretty,” I commented. “Who gave you the flowers?”

“Oh, these aren’t for me,” she explained. “One of my parents
has been helping me in the library all year. I stopped by Albertson’s this
morning and picked these up for her. It’s just a little thank-you.”

My heart leaped within me. Suddenly, I understood. Instead
of thinking about herself and her circumstance, she was thinking about blessing
someone else—and the Lord was watching. He wanted to bless Merry in return. He
wanted her to know how pleased He was with her.

Pointing to the pot I carried, she asked, “What are those
flowers? They’re beautiful!”

Instantly, I handed them to her and said: “These are for
you. They’re from the Lord.” It was as though the floodgates of heaven opened
up. “He wants you to know how much He loves you and how pleased He is with your
heart. He has not forgotten you. He is with you. He will see you through this.”

At that, my stoic colleague broke. She began to sob,
releasing the pain she had kept hidden in her heart. A sense of peace and even
joy came over her. She had never allowed herself to show or receive affection
before, but that morning she allowed God to embrace her through my arms.

When students began to enter the room, I left. But on the
way to my own classroom, I realized I had learned something. Nothing is hidden
from our God. He knows those who need His touch—and those He can use to carry
His presence. He looks for willing vessels to be His hands, feet and mouthpiece
on Earth.

I thank Him that He made me willing that day. And I
challenge you: Will you be a carrier of His presence to this generation? Will
you choose to become God-conscious rather than self-absorbed so that He can
show you what He sees and help you to love with His love? Will you acknowledge
that everything you have is His and surrender it for His sake? God may just have
another Merry He wants to touch through you.

PRAYER POWER FOR THE WEEK OF 6-6-2011

This week ask the Lord to help you see what He sees and make
you willing to carry His presence wherever He leads. Ask Him to help you be
aware of the needs around you and to show you how to meet those needs with His
love. Pray for those affected by the horrific weather patterns across the
nation, especially those suffering from the loss of loved ones along with
everything they owned. Pray for those responding to the disasters and bringing
aid. Pray that we as a nation would have repentant hearts to turn from our
wicked ways and turn back to the Lord. Continue to pray for the peace and
protection of Jerusalem, all of Israel, our president, and our borders and for
revival to spread in our nation.  I
John 2:15; I John 3:18; 2 Chron. 7:14

To enrich your prayer
life and learn how to strategically pray with power by using appropriate
scriptures, we recommend the following sources by Apostle John Eckhardt: Prayers that Rout Demons, Prayers that Bring Healing, Prayers that Release Heaven on Earth and Prayers that Break
Curses. To order any or all of these click here.