Obedience on Aisle Five

The Lord is at work in Wal-mart. Can I just tell you that?

Two times now that Lord has prompted me to pray for complete strangers...at Wal-mart.

Complete. Strangers.

Story #1 -

One lady was looking at the canned beans. Aisle 5. Sweet, gray-haired lady, probably early 70s. And her face was sad. So right there, at the beans, I strike up a conversation with her. I can't remember exactly what I said to start, but before we ended she was crying and asking me to pray for her grandson.

What God? Pray now? But I'm standing in front of the beans at Wal-mart. I don't want to pray here.

I cop out. I told her I would pray for her grandson, which I have been, but I was supposed to pray then...at the beans. And I knew it.

Story #2 -

I'm in Memphis with my sister-in-law, Erin, pushing our buggy around the produce. I see a lady, seemingly in her 60s, hardly any hair, sickly and thin. Cancer. You just know Cancer. And that feeling starts to well up in me.

"Erin, I want to pray for that woman."
"Go do it, girl."
"I'm chicken. Let's walk over and get what you need. If I see her again, then I'll know I'm to pray for her."

BUT I KNEW I WAS TO PRAY FOR HER. I didn't need to push my buggy anywhere. You see, I play little obedience games with God. I'm not just a chicken, I'm a procrastinating chicken. Even worse.

I finish shopping and check out, the whole time thinking about this woman.

Erin: "You ready?"
"No. I have to go find that woman. The Lord's not letting this one rest. I'll catch up."

And there she was, in the check out line, standing with her daughter.

"Ma'am. I know you don't know me, but my name is Becky and I just want you to know that the Lord has given me a desire to pray for you."

Awkward? A little. I wouldn't say she tearfully embraced me, but she was thankful. She told me her story. Brain and lung cancer. Four years of treatment. Her name is Rosie. And she was just beautiful.

I told her that, too.

Did I pray for her in the checkout line? No. I told you I'm chicken. But I told her I am honored to have the opportunity to pray for and encourage her.

I obeyed the Lord's prompting 90%.

Ugh.

Is He pleased with my pursuit of Rosie? Yes. And my canned bean conversation with gray-haired lady? Yes. But how much more would He have been pleased with 100%.

I ask my children to obey me quickly and completely. But I can't even obey God quickly and completely.

I need to get over my fear of man, stop trying to save face, die to myself, die to my pride and OBEY.

What ever it takes.

The Word says to be obedient in ALL THINGS. (2 Cor. 2:9, Col. 3:20) Not just the easy ones.

Good thing Jesus didn't take my approach to obedience. "Well, Father, I will go to the Cross, but let's just wait a couple of days. Maybe all these people with shape up. Or maybe We could come up with another atonement for sin. One that's not so ugly."

That's what I would have probably done.

No. Jesus "humbled Himself and became obedient to death - even death on a Cross!" Philippians 2:8. Christ had no fear of man. Just love. And look what that did for all of us. Forgiveness. Blessing. Redemption.

Christ is the perfect example of obedience.

Even unto death.

My prayer partner, Kristal, and I talked about this yesterday. And we are now holding each other accountable to hearken our ear to that still small voice. The Holy Spirit's prompting. No excuses. No shame. Just raw, quick, unashamed obedience to God. No matter the cost. No matter how embarrassing. How sacrificial. Or how counter-cultural.

I want to obey the Father. Quickly and completely.

"If you say yes to God, He will ask you to do the impossible." - Debbie Barnes

I want to say yes.

100%