Aglow prayer

The following blog was contributed by Jessica Wilson, Administrative Assistant – Prayer Office and Anti-Trafficking Specialist

I am still digesting what went on during our 2012 Aglow U.S. National Conference, and the amazing things that God did in our midst.  In particular, I have been mulling over the phrase “It is no longer ‘business as usual’.”

I recently re-read the book Alice In Wonderland and was struck by a great quote that seemed to explain this to me in a fresh way.  Alice had just picked up a piece of cake, expecting to start growing bigger or smaller after eating it and then –  “She was quite surprised to find that she remained the same size.  To be sure, this is what generally happens when one eats cake, but Alice had got so much into the way of expecting nothing but out-of-the-way things to happen, that it seemed quite dull and stupid for life to go on in the common way.”

Isn’t that the epitome of ‘faith like a child’?  When God does unexpected things in our life, we should continue to expect the unexpected – not expect things to go back as they were before!  No more ‘business as usual’!

The following blog was contributed by Martha Stanley, Aglow Administrative Assistant –  International Field:

I had a sobering experience that I’d like to share with you.  It demonstrated how God will orchestrate detail upon detail to have us in the exact place at the exact time to fulfill His plan.  It was also an example of how he can avert disaster in our lives without us ever knowing there was a danger in the first place.

This past December I was decorating the entry way to our subdivision with neighbors.  At one point we determined that we needed one more set of a specific kind of Christmas lights, so I was tasked with the reconnaissance mission.  It was about 1:00, and I was getting hungry, so decided to go home and grab a quick bite to take with me in the car on the road.  I put a Hot Pocket in the microwave, was going to take it out 20 seconds early, but felt impressed that I was to leave it in for the full 3 minutes.  20 seconds, Lord?  Really? Having learned long ago not to argue with those impressions no matter how strange they may sound, I waited the full 3 minutes then took off with my lunch down the road.  Bear with me, these details are very important. 

Driving to the exit of the subdivision the thought came to my mind to go left to Walgreens instead of right to Wal-Mart because Walgreens was closer.  I went to Walgreens, no success, and had to backtrack and go in the opposite direction all the way to Wal-Mart.  When I finally got to the Wal-Mart parking lot, my cell phone rang and it was my neighbor saying that they didn’t need the lights after all.  As long as I was already there, I decided to go in and pick up some medication my husband had waiting at the pharmacy.

This put me in line at the Wal-Mart pharmacy at that exact moment in time.  There was a frail, elderly woman next to me bent all the way over looking at something on the bottom shelf.  Suddenly, a big burly dude came around the corner with his shopping cart at Mach 2.  His cart was speeding straight for grandma’s head.  I reached out, grabbed the cart, and stopped him before the impending impact.  If I hadn’t grabbed the cart he would have hit her square in the head knocking her backwards.  Who knows what the extent of her injuries would have been?  He gave a muffled apology, backed up, and went down another isle.  Grandma, still bent over, was completely unaware of the entire interaction.  She found what she needed on that bottom shelf, then went on her merry way.  Since I was next in line when this happened, had I arrived 20 seconds earlier I would have already been up at the counter looking back at a horrible scene.

How many times in our lives has a plan of the enemy been thwarted by the God who sets the stars in motion….while we never knew……