Hold The Rope

Yesterday at church Bro. John was preaching on missions. We have two ladies from our church leaving soon to go to Honduras and then we have twenty-eight youth (including Kristina) and parents going on a mission trip to Manila, Arkansas. Yesterdays sermon was making sure those of us left at home knew how to pray for each and every one of them. He preached out of Acts 9 and the sermon touched me so deeply that I just had to share it with you.

.

"Saul’s preaching became more and more powerful, and the Jews in Damascus couldn’t refute his proofs that Jesus was indeed the Messiah. After a while some of the Jews plotted together to kill him. They were watching for him day and night at the city gate so they could murder him, but Saul was told about their plot. So during the night, some of the other believers lowered him in a large basket through an opening in the city wall." Acts 9:22-25 (NLT)

.

Saul trusted other believers to "hold the rope" and lower him through the city wall. When I close my eyes and think about this city wall I picture a huge thick concrete type wall. A wall that possibly has vines growing all over it, some with thorns, maybe large insects crawling around. Saul put alot of trust in these believers. I'm sure as he was laying in the large basket he was unable to see what was below him, beside him and the closer he got to the ground he was unable to see what was above him because they did this as night! I would have been scared to death! Much like our missionaries...I'm sure they are also scared to climb into the basket and be lowered down.

.

Although Bro. John's sermon was "holding the rope" for our loved ones who are going on these mission trips I spent the better part of yesterday and this morning thinking about "holding the rope" for my children, my husband, my parents, my sister, my sister's family, my co-workers, my friends, and the list goes on and on.

.

There are times in life where you are not the person for the job. You cannot reach that lost soul, you cannot fix that problem, you cannot control that situation, you are helpless. But, there is always someone else who is able to win that lost soul, has a solution to that problem, knows the answer to controlling that situation and that is where your job is simply to "hold the rope."

.

There is no minimal task in serving God. Every job is important just as every job in the human body is important. Like eyelashes...without them we would get bacteria in our eyes. Sometimes you just have to hold the rope! Pray for your loved ones...hold that rope. Pray for your pastor...hold that rope. Pray for our missionaries...hold that rope. Pray for the lost...hold that rope. Pray for our President...hold that rope. Pray for our country...hold that rope.