365 Days of Prayer - 4 - I will undo all that afflict thee

Nothing major yesterday. I was extremely tired, which is common after such a bad headache. They're a little out of control right now -- I get them probably five days a week. I hate the word "headache". I hate to be defined by it. I hate how they slow me down... and, unfortunately, I think that's what they're there for, to slow me down to prevent a more serious underlying condition (dissected carotid arteries) from doing some damage. I've been told in a blessing that the Lord will not remove them at this time... which I take to mean that they serve a purpose. I hate that it makes me "not strong", but with a vulnerability.

So I take great hope in today's scripture: "I will undo all that afflict thee" (Zephaniah 3:19). It has a much broader meaning but it occurs to me that I didn't list one of the things I frequently pray for, to have some relief from blistering, frequent migraines. Well, these little "afflictions" won't last forever, they're going to get "undone" someday. Hurray!

I was greatly and sweetly influenced yesterday by the story of a man I knew nothing about. Cresimir Cosic. He was a basketball player from Croatia who went to BYU in Utah (in the 60's or 70's). He was already an Olympian, he was not a nobody, he was well-renowned. In fact, he has been known as the "Michael Jordan" of Europe.

He was also not a Mormon when he arrived at BYU. He was an avowed atheist, he drank, he smoked, he had wordly morals. But it all made for a beautiful conversion story -- he was touched by his Mormon friends, read the Book of Mormon and prayed about it and knew it was true, and he repented and turned his life over to God on the spot. He wound up getting baptized and when he was done with BYU, he played, I think, on three different American NBA teams. He said becoming a member of the church even changed the way he played basketball -- he was kinder, less cocky and boastful. But he felt like God wanted him to help establish the church in Croatia so he turned down multi-million dollar contracts and returned to Croatia. He was the ONLY member of the church there.

There's much more to the story. In short, he worked tirelessly to introduce people to God's plan of happiness and to let them know that His true church was on the earth today. He was in a position to influence leaders of his country to permit the church to function there. He went on to play basketball throughout Europe, became a coach, and then, with so much war in his country, he went into politics and became the Croatian deputy ambassador to the United States, where he sought to keep people aware of what was happening in his country and to try to bring peace to his beautiful homeland.

I found a connection with him in that he got non-Hodgkins lymphoma and he died from that. I do marathons for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society to help fight those diseases. His friends reported that, in his final days, he was very concerned that people who'd been fasting and praying for him to recover might lose their faith when he wasn't healed, so he prayed that the Lord would help them. He thought of others clear til the end.

I think I want to find a book or something about him, but I just googled and you pretty much just get foreign language sites when you plug his name in. I'll keep looking.

Anyway, very special experiences in prayer yesterday. The Lord is showing me what He wants me to pray for, and He is most definitely listening. Of course, He knows how my heart and prayers are drawn to others, but there is something sanctifying about putting such a special effort into it. It's all about "His will be done", but He kind of whispers to you what to pray for with these people and these situations.

I have done prayer experiments before, but they are usually the "four days of 20 minute prayer" and "30 days of 20 minute prayer". This time, I'm shooting for "365 days of prayer for OTHERS". And I'm keeping track of what I pray for and what happens to those people and in those situations. I read a scripture to see what the Lord wants me to know about what I'm praying for and I'm journaling it.

Today, I'm adding prayers that Joran van der Sloot is found and arrested after the murder of a lovely young woman in Peru. Just so you know, I read the news all the time and as you can tell from reading my very first posts, I often seek God's intervention in reducing the victimization of women and children and to catch those who prey on them. I am praying for the safety of a young LDS woman who is in Thailand to help make a documentary to expose and stop human trafficking (that is the nice term for what is really happening). I believe in prayer and I often wonder how long we would have these evils in our midst if we all prayed consistently to get rid of them. (And you realize it's not that simply, it's about praying for law enforcement and for good parenting and for good influence to spread and triumph over people who are inclined to do bad).

I really have two scriptures for today.

One comes from the story of Hannah. She went every year to the temple with her husband and she prayed for the Lord to let her have a child, a son. She was persecuted for not having children, although her husband loved her dearly and spoke to her most tenderly. 1 Samuel says "she was in ^abitterness of soul, and prayed unto the Lord, and wept sore" (1 Samuel 1:10).

She made a covenant with God -- which we know she kept -- and it would involved a great sacrifice, giving up this son that she was praying for.

The priest, Eli, saw her quietly praying, assumed she was drunk, and went to speak with her, whereupon she let him know that she had a "sorrowful spirit" and was pouring out her soul to God. Eli told her, "Go in peace: and the God of Israel grant thee thy petition that thou hast asked of him" (Samuel 1:17).

The second is from Zephaniah. I opened at random and had these notes in the margins:

8/12/2007 - 2nd set of 30 day prayer experiment. All problems not gone but after 2 months of intense, consistent prayer and change of heart, I feel like God is telling me he is pleased [with me] and that He will undo all that afflict me. What a great shot in the arm today.

3/11/2010 - No coincidence as I'm going another prayer experiment and have [these] trials that I find this -- "undo all that afflict me".

Here it is:

Sing, O daughter of Ziom [that's me]; shout, O Israel; be glad and rejoice with all the heart, O daughter of Jerusalem.

The Lord hath taken away thy judgments, he hath cast out thine enemy: the king of Israel, even the Lord, is in the midst of thee: thous shalt not see evil any more...

The Lord thy God in the midst of thee is mighty; he will save, he will rejoice over thee with joy; he will rest in his love, he will joy over thee with singing...

I will undo all that afflict thee.

Zephaniah 3:14-19

P.S. I saw the other missing kitty in the crawl space, Tigger, and he's eating and drinking. I should be able to catch him or coax him to me soon and get him out of there.

365 Days of Prayer - 3 - I will grant unto thee according to thy desires

Endured my own "thorn in the flesh" yesterday. Bad, bad headache, meds not entirely removing it and making me very tired. Felt very sick. Left office early, bought a new pillow that will supposedly alleviate headaches, and went to bed.

Different kind of prayer tonight. These headaches make me feel very dismal, it's a natural by-product. I realize that so I just roll with it, try to avoid conversations and situations where it might come out and affect someone else. But I expressed it to Heavenly Father and He is so kind.

Then I sang my prayer list! Just laid in bed because I felt so sick and softly sang it! I'd been listening to a prayer song on an old Maranatha Music tape and kind of got the tune in my head -- it was slow and repetitive -- and I sang my prayer list :-) It was very interesting how what I should pray for about these people and situations came into my simple little verses.

I'm lifting up my little brother's family in earnest. The passages in Enos, which I opened to at random, have a whole new meaning. "I will visit thy brethren according to their diligence in keeping my commandments." (Enos 1:10). Yet Enos continued to pray earnestly and the Lord told him, "I will grant unto thee thy desires because of thy faith" and "whatsoever thing ye shall ask in faith, believing that ye shall receive in the name of Christ, ye shall receive it".

And then he records that, despite how vicious and hateful the Lamanites were, "the people of Nephi did seek diligently to restore the Lamanites unto the true faith in God."

I found myself wondering how to diligently help people understand that there is a true and living Christ, that we need a redeemer and He is ours, that He loves us more than we can comprehend. I thought about some very dear friends at the office who want nothing to do with God and religion, and yet they love their families and are good people. I think my prayers need to be a little more along the lines of "how can I help in the mighty work God is doing"... Yes, continue to pray for all these people and needs, but turn ever so slightly to see if there is anything ELSE He would like me to pray for and to act on.

Blessings yesterday for J., who, despite having already taken a job, received a call from another employer who desperately wants to interview her, and THEY have benefits, vacation time, insurance, and 401k.

Scriptures today come from the Book of Enos in the Book of Mormon.

Any my soul hungered; and I kneeled down before my Maker, and I cried unto him in mighty prayer and supplication for mine own soul; and all the day long did I cry unto him; yea, and when the night came I did still raise my voice high that it reached the heavens.

And there came a voice unto me, saying: enos, thy sins are forgiven thee and thou shalt be blessed.

Enos 1:4-5

365 Days of Prayer - 2 - Without ceasing I have remembrance of thee in my prayers night and day

I'm giving praise and thanks to Heavenly Father for blessings on my prayer list:

J - 89-year-old - Found her purse and all is well. No need for crisis replacement of her door lock.
J - friend with lymphoma - She has been out of work and had lost her insurance so had no place to turn for meds for a possible bladder infection. She dug through old meds in her house and found an antibiotic, went to the pharmacy and spoke with the pharmacist who told her that med was okay. She was still feeling very sick so she went to a Planned Parenthood clinic -- where, I didn't know this, they treat all kinds of women's problems for low-cost, including bladder infections. She saw a doctor and got meds, whole visit was $26... But she was STILL feeling very very sick, sick enough to call me Sunday night to find out what ER she could go to on no insurance. She wound up getting a priesthood blessing from the father and brother of a friend, went home, felt dramatically better and slept well for the first time in weeks. No sign of having been sick today, although she plans to keep her oncology appointment this week and will finish out the meds.
Gabby - She clearly doesn't feel great but she is more active than when I first found her and she is nibbling on a little food and taking in some water. When kitties stop eating, it's very hard to get them to start back up. I will continue to give her canned food and kitty supplements until she is better.
Tigger -- I haven't seen him and the dry food I left for him has barely been touched but the water was gone. If he's like Gabby was, he was mostly thirsty. I've left canned food for him -- don't want to try to trap him if he is not attracted to food at this point. I need him to eat so I'll leave food out until it looks like he's eating and I see some sign of him, then I'll try to trap him or coax him to me.

I realized I forgot some things on my prayer list and need to add one new one...
For our ward choir and choir director -- Choir is off for the summer but the choir director is discouraged because a) nobody wants to sing in the choir, everyone is too busy, and b) there is no money for any music. We had a meeting with the ward music committee last week -- the first I can ever remember! It was a fabulous meeting (I am the organist) and it felt like instead of each of us being alone in our callings, we had come together. I suggested that we make this a concerted effort of prayer so several of us are praying for the choir and choir director.
Kirby - Took her to the vet last week and she has a bladder infection and a bacterial infection in her intestines. Giving her pills is VERY difficult. Need divine intervention!
DY - And a very dear friend of mine is working on an assignment in a different state and he lost his wallet. To replace the drivers license, he has to go back to his home state. Lots of consequences and risks and fears -- no sign yet that anyone is using the credit cards. So I am earnestly praying for DY to safely make it through this crisis.

See 365 Days of Prayer - 1 for my main prayer list.

Giving special thanks today that I was able to help two people in the ward drill buckets for their bucket gardens, and I gave each many plants -- tomatoes, zucchini, cucumbers, peppers. Total, I have given plants to three people at the office, two of my Team in Training marathon coaches, I sent a boatload of plants to a friend's office where she gave them to many grateful co-workers, and to about half a dozen people in the ward, maybe more. I still have one person that I'm setting up with a bucket system. She is a working mom with several kids, husband is disabled, and it's from a conversation with her that I set this whole project up.

Scripture for today:

I thank God, whom I serve from my forefathers with pure ^aconscience, that without ceasing I have remembrance of thee in my prayers night and day; 2 Timothy 1:3

Since I open to these scriptures at random, asking what Heavenly Father has for me today, I consider it a confirmation that the Lord knows I am embarking on a special prayer journey and He is mindful of who and what I'm praying about, and how (night and day, my morning and evening prayer).

365 Days of Prayer - 1 - The Lord fulfill all thy petitions

Spoke with my little brother last night. He's a wonderful, wonderful person, great husband and father. While catching up on how his wife and kids are, realized I needed to bump up my prayers for he and his family. He works in the prison system. When I told him he is in my every prayer, he said he needs it. While the prisoners usually just go after each other, he does sometimes get their ire. His wife has some health concerns, and two of his boys are really in need of sustained prayer. It's really because of them that I decided to morph this blog into a larger effort.

Spoke with an 89-year-old woman who came to the church for help. Over the last year, church help has drifted off but I've stayed in touch with her. She is fragile and easily overwhelmed but is in denial, I think, of how bad things are. I suspect whenever she talks to family and friends, she is perky and "all is well". To me, 90% of the time, it's "I'm about to give up, so many worries", and yet, because if you give her an inch she'll take a mile, I don't always inquire and dig into her problems. She burns people out because she calls five times an hour when she first gets acquainted with you, and she lives in near-constant crisis so she'll call last minute with urgent needs. She somehow lost or misplaced her purse Saturday and had to call the police to let her into her house. She has no money for a new lock, no one to help her. So I told her I'd get her a new lock and I expect to ask a neighbor to help install it if I can't do it myself. Watched a YouTube video yesterday to see how it's done.

Spoke with a friend who has had lymphoma recently, hasn't yet had her six-month checkup. She was feeling very sick and thought she had a bladder infection. Yesterday, she and another friend called to get my advice on where to go for no-insurance urgent medical care. They wound up self-diagnosing a kidney stone and she decided to wait it out. I urged her not to put herself through that and gave her some places to go. She called while I was on the phone with my brother last night, didn't leave a message, didn't answer when I called back, so I don't know what's up. She did make an appointment with her oncologist to get in early for a checkup, just in case.

So, in other words, lots of prayer needed. My commitment is to pray for all of these prayer concerns daily, and to note impressions and manifestations of God moving in their lives.

My prayers sometimes are a direct prayer for someone's behalf, and as often as possible is thanks for what I see happening for that situation.

Always...

• For the prophet
• For countries to open their lands to the preaching of the gospel
• For people to have a chance to get to know the Savior and to know of his redeeming love
• For the people of Haiti to be protected and to recover, and to praise God for holding back the severe weather as long as possible
• For those who suffer and are in need
• For God's intervention in stopping the oil gusher in the Gulf of Mexico, to inspire and motivate any involved who are listening to Him, to give them power to make the right things happen
• For Mariah Proctor, student and Meridian Magazine columnist, who is in Thailand working on a documentary to stop [child] human trafficking, for her safety

Bumping up for more specifics with my family prayer

• For nephew D -- Alma the Younger -- [his father] prayed with much faith concerning thee that thou mightest be brought to the knowledge of the truth" Mosiah 27:14
• For nephew B -- Recently graduated, for "a future and a hope" Jeremiah 29:11

Here it is, in context:

Jer 29:10-14 (NIV) This is what the Lord says: "When seventy years are completed for Babylon, I will come to you and fulfill my gracious promise to bring you back to this place. For I know the plans I have for you," declares the Lord, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. I will be found by you," declares the Lord, "and will bring you back from captivity. I will gather you from all the nations and places where I have banished you," declares the Lord, "and will bring you back to the place from which I carried you into exile."

• For sis-in-law K -- Health and well-being through surgery and family challenges

• For sis V -- Ability to provide for herself, jobs and income, always health and well-being
• For bro S -- Recently laid off again, for his encouragement and ability to see opportunities for employment perhaps beyond his desired field

Other
For intervention in resolving my mortgage stuff and financial woes
For my ability to resolve some spiritual obedience challenges
For keeping peace at work and resolving a thorny personnel dilemma at work (and praying for C and MW and K and M and, well, all of them)
For J - 89-year-old mentioned above
For J - Friend with cancer mentioned above
For P - Old friend and co-worker who contacted me this week for prayer in her behalf
For Gabby, kitty recently fostered from a friend who died in April... she and Tigger escaped into my crawl space and haven't come out for weeks... I thought they were coming into the kitchen at night to eat and get water but I found Gabby yesterday and she was dehydrated and starved and thin... she is now isolated in my front bedroom and is responding to good water and kitty supplements and food and attention...
For Tigger, that I can find him and take care of him, as well... I've now put food and water in the crawl space and so far, [it's only been 18 hours] it doesn't look like he's eating it
For Kirby, bladder infection, took her to the vet last week, she's on meds...
Yes, I do pray for my cats!

Here are the scriptures I opened to today, in preparation for my prayer request...

Psalm 18-19-20

The Lord hear thee in the day of trouble; the name of the God of Jacob defend thee;
Send thee help from the sanctuary, and strengthen thee out of Zion; (20:1-2)

We will rejoice in thy salvation, and in the name of our God we will set up our banners: the Lord fulfill all thy petitions.
Now know I that the Lord saveth his anointed; he will hear him from his holy heaven with the saving strength of his right hand.
Some trust in chariots, and some in horses [a reference to war]: but we will remember the name of the Lord our God.
They are brought down and fallen [the enemy]: but we are risen, and stand upright.
Save, Lord: let the king hear us when we call. (20:5-9)

The message is, right here on the "Official Day One" of my 365 Days of Prayer, that the Lord will "fulfill all my petitions"!

Suspect gave info to find Meredith's body

Perhaps it would seem odd to people who do not believe in God or to those who do not see His hand in the events surrounding the death of Meredith Emerson, but I'm praising God that both her killer has been arrested and her body has been recovered.

http://www.cnn.com/2008/CRIME/01/08/georgia.hiker/index.html

I don't comprehend it at all and wish, with others, that God could have intervened to save her life. But of all things that I do know, it's that we live in a fallen world where evil abounds. Good people -- angels, really, like Meredith -- for some reason were sent to live in it. That we survive with so much that is good and that evil can be exposed and stopped or contained tells me there IS a God.

So many victims die and their bodies are never found. Their killers are never found. Some of these killers kill for years and years and are never stopped. You can imagine, when a person disappears in a huge forest, we might never have known what happened. Had there not been people who were suspicious, we might have thought Meredith fell in the woods or got lost.

I am praising God for the good things that did happen:

The ex-cop who noted the strange man on the trail with the police baton
The person, perhaps the cop, who noted the license plates of the guy's vehicle
The many witnesses who noted the places where that vehicle had been parked, including in another wildlife area
The people who found Ella's dog -- had someone ignored the dog or just taken it home, her wallet and clothing might never have been found
The people who spotted the suspect at a convenience store and reported it
The investigators who patiently worked to get him to tell them where her body could be found
And that the killer, himself, for whatever reason, told where she was
The potential that other disappearances and murders can be solved
The likelihood that this man killed several people and will never kill another one -- he has been stopped
That it all happened in under a week, not dragged out over years and years
That her family has as many answers as were possible and that they can lay her to rest

I do continually pray that evil and evil-doing will be exposed and stopped; that victims will be rescued as quickly as possible; that family members and friends will be strengthened and comforted; and that organizations, including law enforcement, will be magnified and powerfully successful as they protect us and seek to stop those who do harm.

I'm so grieved for this outcome but I'm grateful to have had the experience of praying for Meredith. My life is better for having been mindful of her this week. God keep you, Meredith.

ABCNews: Child Porn Find Sparks Urgent Search for Victims

Here is a story that needs every prayer and for which there is time to find victims alive. So today I will add this to my prayer list. Thank you, Father, for exposing this evil and for helping law enforcement find evidence of kids being abused. Let us now pray that people will step forward, will recognize the young women in the pictures, and stop the continuing evil and get these kids rescued and into recovery.

http://abcnews.go.com/TheLaw/story?id=4094050&page=1

I was not abused as a child but because of my involvement in church singles and welfare ministries, I have met many who were. This particular crime weighs very heavy on my heart and is most often in my prayers. I am so grateful whenever I hear that police are energetically seeking victims when they find this stuff on perpetrators' computers. I know that these kids will be found.

Police believe Meredith is dead

A lot of evidence has been recovered near where Meredith's dog was found, and the police have charged that "person of interest", Gary Michael Hilton, with kidnapping with intent to cause bodily harm. They've said they are no longer on a rescue mission, rather, it's "search and recovery". They have said they believe she is dead.

http://www.cnn.com/2008/US/01/05/missing.hiker/index.html

http://abcnews.go.com/US/story?id=4091406&page=1

It's very sad and disappointing but I am grateful that they so quickly found the suspect and I'm sure they will soon find her. The case seems to be progressing very rapidly.

I've prayed before for people who were most likely dead before I even ever heard about it on the news. I've wondered about this. But I pray anyway. I've learned to pray for the larger picture, for law enforcement to swiftly find what they need to stop predators and for people, in general, to be alert and to expose evil.

I prayed long ago for Elizabeth Smart and lo and behold, she was found and is back with her family.

So I will continue praying for the various circumstances and individuals that I read about in the news. God can count on one more little prayer to add to the many that are uplifted when loved ones go missing.