"Touching" and Touching

 I am musing about....

Touching and Touching

How many of you received that map from the Voice of the Martyrs ministry that depicts the nations where Christians are being persecuted? The light gray indicates the nations where things are hostile towards Christians and the dark gray means they are actually being persecuted.

Hard stuff. Their stories are "touching:". Very.

I hung the map up in the basement where I can see it as I walk around in my exercise circle. It is hung up to remind me to pray for them. As I walked by this morning, I brushed up against the picture. It touched me. I had hung it in such a way that it stuck out. I considered re-taping it; moving it over.

But then I stopped. In my mind, I felt God was revealing a Truth to me. How easy is it to be "touched" by a story or a situation. But how often do I really get involved with a needy or hard situation in a "hand's on", physical, "I am here for you" way?

In regards to the persecuted church, it is difficult to really understand what it must be like. As we go about our comfortable day to day, our weekly Sunday worship services to our many Bible Studies to our huge Bible conferences or worship concerts, to our abundant outreaches as well as our frequent potlucks and gatherings in the name of Jesus and fellowship...how often do we stop and realize the tremendous blessing it truly is?

How often do I contemplate the actual plight of those whose lives are so different? Where these freedoms are non-existent, where difficulty, pain, harassment, imprisonment, hardship and maybe even death is part of their worship equation? I can not fathom it, really.

I do pray for them... that they will experience a beautiful bonding relationship with their Savior that empowers them with grace and carries them forward in a courageous and precious way through the hard that is such a part of their reality.

I think we all wonder if this will be the plight of our own or our loved ones' lives in the days ahead. But if so, the reality is still beyond true comprehension.

All this to say...

All this to pray...

"Lord, help us to be more than "touched". Help us to touch others in a tangible way. As you lead and open up opportunities. Here, in our own "little corners", in our "pockets of influence", where you have placed us.

Help us to pray more fervently for those whose lives are beyond our weak physical touch, but never   beyond yours. Your almighty, sovereign, grace filled, loving, unfathomable, redeeming, empowering touch!  

Only by your grace, only with your power, only because of your love. We are nothing without you.

Teach us to touch others, Lord Jesus, in ways that will point them to you.

Amen."

We are (at least I am)....

Convicted and challenged...

Touched by the Spirit.

To be touched and to touch!