RAISING THE DEAD - VS - RAISING YOUR KIDS

I confess.  It's been a long, long time since I prayed for a dead person to come back to life and that dead person CAME BACK TO LIFE!   Well, actually, to be completely accurate... it's been LONGER than a LONG, LONG TIME.  It's been... well...it's been NEVER - which is way longer than a long time.  I have NEVER ever, ever, ever even thought about praying for a dead person to come back to life. 

It's not that I don't think God can do it... or that I'm stuck in some theological dogma club that refuses to believe God is still able to do anything God wants to do... anywhere... at any time.... BUT.. I've never been a "Raise Someone From The Dead Kind of Pray-er."   Are you?  Truth is,  if someone dies, I just go the funeral.  I have never walked up to the casket and laid my hands on the dead person and said anything even close to, "Arise."    I just let them stay dead and try to grieve with those who grieve. It never occurs to me to pray for a resurrection.  And yet... Jesus raised people from the dead.  Yes, but He was Jesus.  So then why did He say:

“I tell you the truth, anyone who believes in me will do the same works I have done, and even greater works, because I am going to be with the Father. You can ask for anything in my name, and I will do it, so that the Son can bring glory to the Father. Yes, ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it!" ??

Why did Jesus say that?  Yeah, I'll get back to you on that.

In the past I've been more of a "HELP, LORD!... HHHEEEELLLLPPPP!" kind of pray-er. Prayer was mostly my

BACK UP PLAN

 when my "back was up against the wall", and I couldn't figure out something on my own, then I would cry out to God for help. And in His immeasurable mercy and grace, He always helps me when I call to Him.

And to be honest, the subject of my desperate prayers usually have to do with "stuff" like submitting to my husband (HELP!); having wisdom to raise Godly children (HELP!); holding on when the finances are dangerously non-existent (HELP!); feeling better about myself (HELP!); forgiving others (HELP!)

Prayers for raising the dead don't exist because I'm too busy praying real life, every day struggles and challenges. And in the past I've been mostly satisfied with that kind of prayer life and prayer results...

Well.. right... except for that disturbing little thing called Scripture.. in which my LORD.. my LEADER.....my SAVIOR...my KING...says:

 “I tell you the truth, anyone who believes in me will do the same works I have done, and even greater works, because I am going to be with the Father. You can ask for anything in my name, and I will do it, so that the Son can bring glory to the Father.  Yes, ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it!"  (John 14:12-14)

Really?  Yeah, I'll get back to you on that.

So then, as a woman who loves God, am I supposed to be focused on raising the dead or raising my kids?  

Is it o.k. with God if you just FOCUS on YOUR FAMILY and let the world around you take care of itself?
 
What kind of "GREATER THINGS" should a wife and mother be doing in 2015?

The next few blogs will be filled with thoughts about that.

Please keep reading... and please... take the time to comment...

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XO,
Mrs. Older