I just pray....

I found this in my drafts! I don't really know why I never published this.....so here it is...

As a minister to young people, I realize almost daily that I do not have all the answers. I hear of things going on in their lives and I am sometimes hurt and catch myself wondering what I could have done to help prevent it. Last night I began to think about all the students that will be leaving and going off to college, for many of them, this will be the first time in their short lives that they will be with out their normal support system. I began to feel all kinds of emotions: was I able to do everything in my power to help prepare them for this day, I know there were things that I meant to say but never got to...would those comments have helped, will they stay faithful to the one and only LIVING GOD as they are faced with things they never imagined, will I be able to still have a part in their lives even though most of them are miles away, and finally had I prayed enough for them individually that they could really feel God working in their lives.



Over the past few months I have really tried to be a more fervent praying servant of God! I will have to admit I do get caught up in the "craziness" of life too many times and lose my focus, but I am quickly reminded how much prayer means to me. I find myself making the time to pray for more people than I once did. I also have found that prayer does work....maybe not in the sense that I get everything I pray for or about, but by praying God gives me the peace I need to know that it is in HIS hands!! Peace is a huge comfort to me, knowing that I have someone that will listen to me and share the burdens I am experiencing.



I have also found myself praying more and more for His will, and for the most part many surprises are around the corner. Yet, knowing that you have really put all your cares and concerns in the hands of the Master helps you deal with God's will and how it is best for us and in our lives!! I really love the job I have, but I often struggle with knowing that I am ministering like God wants. So, I just pray.....It is my prayer that God will continue to soften my heart, it is my prayer that God will continue to use me for HIS GLORY, it is my prayer that many lives will be touched in this ministry in God's name, and it is my prayer that the fruits of this labor will be great and build up the church for the future!!



Matthew 11:28,

Nick