Ooo… Ahh… We have a brand spanking new bathroom. After gutting our old one, we put in a new one with the most beautiful floor to ceiling tiles and clean white vanity.
That’s probably why our hearts hit the floor this morning when our son took a shower, went downstairs, and discovered a major leak from the new bathroom above.
“No!!!”
Morning Surprise
We opened the closet, shone a flashlight on and around the pipes behind the new tub, and everything was drenched, especially our new so-called “drywall.”
How could this be, Lord? Don’t we have enough fires to put out today? Yes, I know this isn’t of earthquake proportions, but still, God. It’s just soooo disappointing.
My husband and I prayed both together and apart. As I watched my big guy press into the light and push back the darkness, something struck me, so I let it slip off my lips:
Prayer is like bathroom caulking. We put prayer covering over every area of our lives because we want to prevent leaks and seal old ones. Yep, prayer is our spiritual caulking.
After my husband who’s used to me gave me a brief smile, I cracked open my prayer journal to spill my leaky thoughts.
Ok, Daddy, here I am again. Good morning! Hey, I’d like some of the usual, please. Could you kindly bring my family closer to you? Help us make wise decisions. Help us with our hearts, our schedules, our relationships; oh, and please heal our bathroom!!!
Prayer Gift
Prayer is our armor and war. It is both defense and offense. It is intimate Spirit-language that reaches heaven and is bigger than any conceivable freakout.
Have you ever wondered what would happen if we could see the invisible under-workings of prayer? Or what it would be like to closely examine the before and after results? We’d see pictures more dramatic than my cushy bathroom, because prayer is that radical. No wonder why Satan tries to get us to doubt, forget, get busy, fall asleep, and leak, leak, leak.
Satan sniffs around for the slightest trace of mold and weakness, the tiniest nook and cranny opening where he can reap, wreak, and leak destruction. Satan hates our motion to pray, because he knows it ushers angels to action.
No Fear
If we forget to cover ourselves in prayer, we don’t need to worry because Christ is still our covering. Every day, He’s our heavenly intercessor. He covers and recovers what has been lost and stolen. What a privilege to partner with Him and entrust our lives to His Sovereign care.
It’s easy to forget the privilege of prayer when our brand spanking new bathroom leaks on our heads from who knows where while we’re already doing everything we can to stay above the water.
However, we’re mountain-movers, all of us. We need to look to the one who holds the mountains and see how teeny tiny they look beside this God of ours whose earth is His footstool.
Prayer Time
Here you go, big capable Daddy. Now take this mountain. We cast it off because you want it. Thank you for your power that so mightily works within us. You’ve got this and we thank you we can face it together.
We align ourselves with you and trust you with all our internal and external remodels and renovations. You are able to do exceedingly abundantly more than we could ever ask or imagine.
You are God, and we rejoice in your provision, your joy, your patience, your presence, and oh, yes please, your wisdom.
Haha! Now off to call the plumber!
Sorry, I’ve missed you so long, dear friend. I’ve been writing a new book, which you’ll hear about soon, soon, soon.
What would you like to entrust to our co-intercessor today? I want to stand with you, so please feel free to comment below.
By the way, what do you think of our new bathroom remodel (besides the small fact that it leaks)?
I love the new bathroom, I wish I had the strength and want to get clear out my not used in a long time bathroom. need that and so much more done…don’t know if it’s “a leaking gut” problem. the drs are supposed to do MRI…so please pray for healing and renewed physical and mental strength please. hate feeling like this, get nothing done.
Thanks Virginia. Mind if I pray for you here?
Father, thank you that Virginia stopped by to visit today. I pray you’ll touch her body in Jesus’ Name. She needs a miracle, and you are a miracle-working God.
Lord, breathe life and hope into her from the top of her head to the bottom of her feet. Please give her an extra big dose of joy like a cherry on top. May this day mark a change to the glory of God! In Jesus’ Name we thank you and praise you. Amen!
thank you …amen and amen
Dear Cheryl, I have a leak, too. I am leaking from my eyes. I can praise the Lord that Jesus took my Dad’s hand and freed him from suffering from cancer. My heart still hurts and it causes my eyes to leak. Please pray for our hearts to heal from our grief.
THANK YOU SWEET FRIEND!
Oh, Dianne. That’s so difficult. Your tears are such a beautiful sign of how deeply you loved him. Jesus is there to wipe your tears. You’re not alone. He is familiar with suffering and acquainted with grief.
Heal their hearts, Great Heart-Healer. Thank you that you are close to the brokenhearted. You save those who are crushed in spirit. Please wrap your arms around Dianne and her family during this heart-wrenching time. Give them supernatural peace to guard their hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.
Hi Cheryl
I just came across this tonight and found it very uplifting to read. Over here in Ontario Canada they are changing the Sexual education curriculum In the schools. For the most part the gym and health stuff is fine but they are adding lessons on various genders and sexual orientation (homosexuality) that as a Christian go against what we believe. This is a big issue for many religions who don’t wish their children to learn such things at school that go against our own values. I was talking to another mom just yesterday about this and when she told me she did not know what to do I said we need to pray!!! It is only through prayer that I think this situation can be resolved. As it stands this new material including homosexuality will be introduced into our schools September 2015. We need a miracle to stop this and I believe God is able to handle this for He cares so much for us and especially the children for it was Him who said let the little children come to me. So now I pray that the Lord may protect our kids from this curriculum that the enimy may have to destroy them.
Hi April! Thanks for stopping by with your important prayer request.
Father, we come against the spirit of confusion that is trying to wrap its sly and deceptive tentacles around the minds of our children and their futures. We ask you to stop this enemy scheme and send it back where it came from.
Bring freedom to those who are bound. Thank you that you came to set the captives free. Bring freedom to those who are bound. Reverse the plans of those who blindly push Satan’s harmful agendas.
Father who died for all sinners, may your plans prevail. Save our nation. Heal our land. Move on the hearts of leaders and voters to see how your truth has been exchanged for a lie. Spirit of truth, may truth prevail for your Namesake and for the sake of your beloved children and their children to come.
Your praying heart is a blessing. Thanking God for you. Thanking God He knows our needs before we do, and better than we do. He knows how to help us and to help us be a blessing to others.
So true, Connie: He knows. Thanks for blessing me today by sharing how God used me to be a blessing to you. So many times we never know how God uses us. Our only job is to keep trusting and obeying, so we can move forward. I love how our greatest obedience is love; and we can’t even do that without Him. He’s our everything. May He bless you in an extra special way today.
Cheryl, how nice to receive a Devotional from you today! I have missed your Devotionals. So you are working on a book and soon we will hear about it.
Your bathroom is beautiful. I love the contrast between the browns of the floor and walls to the white of the vanity and the toilet.
I love the way you built your Devotional around the leaky shower. How devastating it must have been to discover your new shower was leaking!. I hope the solution to the problem is simple.
Gentle hugs
Rachel
Aw, thanks Rachel. You’re so encouraging. Good news about the leak: The plumber was able to fix it quickly and simply. (Thank you, Lord!) There’s a closet beside my shower, so he was able to cut through the closet wall to get to the problem. He didn’t need to mess with our new tiles. Phew. On top of that, he gave us a good discount, and God gave me a blog post out of it, too; so it all worked together for good. 🙂
Thank you for the encouraging words. God is so much bigger than what we worry about.
“God is so much bigger than what we worry about.” Amen. And yet how easily we forget. Lord, give us the lenses to see as you see. Have a great weekend, Renee!
Thank you so much for sharing. I googled “spiritual caulk and seal”, and your article came up. In prayer today, I caulk and seal where the fiery dart has pierced my family for so long. I reject the lie that our hearts are irreparable… Nothing is too hard for God. He can do more that I ask or imagine. Thank you for asking if you could pray. I appreciate it very much. There is power in our agreement. Pray that my children’s hearts are completely healed from the wounds I inflicted from my pain. God is faithful to complete the good work He began in us. Blessings, Shellie L
Hi, Shellie!
It’s a joy to hear from you today! God’s in the details. God sees you and hears your prayers.
He is 100% for you and is all about healing you and your children. As you know, He paid for that healing on the cross.
Father, we thank you that as we come into agreement today that you are moving in their hearts in a mighty way by your Holy Spirit. Thank you that you don’t just do a halfway job. You’re going in for completion. A full work of healing and restoration, in Jesus’ Name!
Much love!
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God bless!