"Hem Your Day With Prayer..."

Triumphant Victorious Reminders
Inspired by the Holy Spirit
By: Teresa Criswell

"Then the angel of the Lord came and sat beneath the oak tree at Ophrah, which belonged to Joash of the clan of Abiezer. Gideon son of Joash had been threshing wheat at the bottom of a winepress to hide the grain from the Midianites. The angel of the Lord appeared to him and said, "Mighty man of valor, the Lord is with you!"
~ Judges 6:11 & 12 ~

I specifically remember that moment several years ago as I walked into the kitchen. The beautiful picturesque window beheld such beauty as the golf course was surrounded by beautiful trees; leading down a hill as if I could see for miles. Something caught my attention as the rays of the sun peered through the large windows. The light of the sun reflecting none other than photographs on the breakfast table. Curiosity led me closer as I realized that the faces in the photographs were family; my sisters and their families, my family, dad and mom and others as I could clearly see fingerprints revealing the evidence that someone had touched each face over and over again. There on the table was the Bible and the photographs along with an adorable coffee cup, decorated with a beautiful quote, "Hem your day with prayer so that the day does not go unraveled."~ Anonymous.

These photographs that captured my attention belong to my parents.  Mom has pictures of each of us, her children, our spouses, her grandchildren, dad, herself and others. It's amazing to see the pictures of what I would call my beginning. It started with my parents, who begat three daughters and each daughter married as we altogether, at the time, had 7 children.

It is amazing that she prays for three generations every day and prays for the generations after her grandchildren. She touches each face as she lifts each person to the Lord and covers them in prayer by faith calling forth those things of God upon each of our lives. It is amazing to know the steadfastness, love and investment she makes over her family on a daily basis in prayer. It blesses me to know that we are covered, saturated and drenched in the prayers of my mother unto Jesus Christ who is at the right hand of the Father.

As she prays over three generations it leads me to a smile as those passages in the Bible that are many times so frustrating to read. Mentioning a few, such as Genesis 5, Numbers 1-3, and I Chronicles 1-9. Attempting to read all the names that I have no idea how to say; I have even said to myself admitting this to God, "Who cares....", yet through those 'boring' scriptures it reveals that God is so into the generations. I heard it said once by a well known pastor, "When God looks at us, He not only see us, but He sees the generations after us." It is a WOW and aweing thought to attempt to comprehend.

This leads me to see that without faith it is impossible to please God. Why? Well, first of all because God is Faith, and He also utilizes faith on our behalf. We in faith have to remember that there are people connected to us that are not born at this moment. Maybe future children, future grandchildren. Nonetheless, God knows them at this moment, before they have been formed in their mother's womb (Psalm 139).

Think about this for a moment...when God saw Gideon (Judges 6), this man who was trying to hide the wheat in the threshing floor to keep whatever was left from the enemies; the Midianites that were taking all of their resources, the angel of the Lord comes to him and says, "The Lord says of you Gideon that you are a mighty man of valor."

I have to confess that when I have read that, I laugh. The reason is because where he was in that moment was FAR from a mighty man of valor. Yet it is so powerful to see God speak in faith over Gideon what He was destined to become. He didn't speak over Him what He saw in that moment, instead He spoke His divine purpose and that was 'a mighty man of valor and courage'.

Can you imagine if God spoke over us what He saw at this present moment? Some of us would be doomed. Yet, because of God's Eternal nature, He knows what is to come before it happens; however to know that He calls us to do things that He has already purposed us to do is truly incredible.  

Just as my mom so passionately prays over the faces that she has intentionally placed before her every morning, I am reminded to hold close to my heart and pray for the ones that will one day walk this earth who will one day be living out what she has prayed.

At this very moment, I am triumphantly and victoriously reminded to "Hem the 'scene' of hope in God today with praying and echoing His Word so that the 'scene' of hope in God tomorrow does not unravel."