Testimony -- Pray About Everything
Testimony by Jim Schmidt
As a forester, I often follow tree-planting crews to inspect their work and make sure they don’t miss areas that are supposed to be planted. In my work, because I’m often on large tracts of land in remote areas, I use a handheld GPS unit.
On January 4, it was bitter cold and I wasn’t feeling well, but I was out auditing plots and reached down for my GPS unit. But it was gone, lost somewhere in the brush I had just come through.
I looked around, and almost immediately gave up hope of ever finding it. I had walked through several hundred yards of thick ground cover, ambling around briar patches, across small creek bottoms and gullies, etc. I saw no way of finding the GPS in all of that. I beat around the brush for about 20 minutes, but gave up, and headed back to my truck.
The next day, I returned to the same plot to finish this job. I decided to look for the unit one more time before I headed to the office where I’d planned on ordering a $400 replacement GPS online. As I was beating around the brush, I thought it was pretty ridiculous to be looking since I had no idea where I might have dropped the unit while on this 3-4 acre tract. I quickly concluded that it was forever lost and that I’d have to buy another. As I began to walk out, I heard the Lord ask me "Will you pray?" In my spirit, I said, “Well, of course, Lord but... You don’t really care about a $400 GPS unit, do you? Do you, Father?”
So I prayed a weak prayer, something like "God I know you are All-Knowing, and that you know where this unit is, you can see it, and if it is your will you can lead me to it." I had prayed but I felt foolish and I knew it was a faithless prayer. I stood there for a couple of minutes, and began to walk away again, when I remembered the parable of the Widow and the Unrighteous Judge (Luke 18). The widow went to the judge over and over and over again, finally wearing him out with her petitions. He finally agreed to give her protection just to get her off of his back. The point was NOT that God begrudgingly answers our prayers if we bother Him enough. The point was that we should be persistent, and not give up.
OK, I got the message, I had not persevered in prayer. I’d given up even before I had really tried! But how long would I have to wait?
So I renewed my focus, and prayed something like "Lord, please lead me to this unit, because I want to be a good steward of my company’s assets." Hmm, it still sounded faithless and pretty wimpy. Again, I was tempted to just walk away, and forget it, thinking “God doesn't care, and although He hears, it's not really that important.” I knew that was a lie of the enemy. It's how he always attacks. It sounded familiar, like his question of Eve in the garden, "Did God really say?"
And as I headed up the hill, I sensed that God said, "This is going to be a lesson to you, go back and pray." So I walked back to the spot where I had been standing, and prayed again, this time remembering Jesus words about asking and not doubting, and thanking Him for what He was going to do. Honestly, I felt a little silly, I'm not a "name-it-and-claim-it" guy. But I went back, and thanked God for hearing me, and for teaching me this lesson, and for showing me where the unit was. I raised my hands in prayer and thanksgiving, out in the hardwood scrub.
I stood there for a few minutes, but nothing. I was tempted to quit again, "this is stupid", I just wanted to get warm! But I began to praise God, and walk around with my eyes half-opened so I wouldn't run into a tree, or fall off into a ditch. Over the course of the next hour, I wanted to quit and walk back to my truck about 20 times. That would be about every three minutes! I would catch myself repeating the negative statements, "God can't care about this", etc. And each time, I was reminded to reject that, re-express my trust and faith, to focus and wait on the Lord.
I had fought through the agreements I had made with the lie that God didn't care, and I finally rested in the truth, not concerned about the "hows" or "whens". And it was then that I KNEW I was going to find the GPS Unit. Because that's how God is.
When I opened my eyes, I saw the sun reflecting off the cover about 6 feet in front of me. I shouted out loud "I knew it! Praise you God!"
I'm not sure exactly how long I was there, probably 90 minutes, but it felt much longer in the cold. I wanted to give up so many times.
As I walked back to my truck, thanking God for the unit, I remembered that He told me this was going to be a lesson and that I would learn something.
You know, I have a list of things that I've found to be very hard to pray through, situations in which I’ve been ambushed with lies and doubts. I believe that Jesus showed me this for a very real reason: that I might pray and not give up.
This week, I re-learned that God does hear us, even in what seem to be petty circumstances. I learned that His blessings are there not only for us, but to be shared so that others are encouraged as well. Whether we admit it or not, we all fight the same enemy, and he attacks us all with doubt and discouragement and lies. When my faith is weak, the testimonies about God’s faithfulness to others encourages me. If your faith has recently waned, then I hope this encourages you today to pray and not to lose heart.
--
O Lord, my God, I will give you thanks with my whole heart! I will honor your name continually!
Psalm 86:12
