Banners and Doors and Lots of Prayer

My friend, Jo Ann, had asked me to go with her to Lansing, Michigan for the National Day of Prayer. She was in a group that was going to be playing shofars for the first time in the local ceremony. A shofar is a rams horn. It is believed that this is the instrument mentioned as trumpet in the Bible. It does many things, one of which is a call to attention.

I was not in this group so, as a veteran of Lansing celebrations with the Aglow organization, I went on the Internet to try to find a group to hook up with. Several tries yielded no fruit so I decided to just give the day to the Lord and see what happened.

We got there in fine time and got a great parking place. Jo Ann met her group and they practiced. They all had assigned seats. I looked around. I didn't see any group of ladies that looked promising. So I stood in a great spot for the festivities. School children gave the pledge of allegiance to the flag. Then a wonderful troupe of dancers praised God with such invigoration, emotion and beauty. In the background were banners of the twelve tribes of Israel.

Then the shofar group went on stage. They did two loud blasts outward and then two long ones inward. Later in the session, whenever a great point was made or many amens, the shofars blew the wonderful sound which accentuated whatever was spoken or prayed.

Then there was prayer. Before this ceremony and afterwards, rooms in the capital were used as various groups prayed most of the day, following the printed pamphlet, or as led. The prayer in the presentation covered what my friend Cindy calls the gates: the church, the government, business, the schools, and the family among others. Then the dancers came back for an encore.

While the dance went on, I roamed around looking for anyone who might be Aglow ladies. I found some and they were so sweet. I didn't know them. They invited me inside for further prayer. That's what I wanted to do from the beginning, but it was too late. We needed to go.

On the way home, we were looking for a good restaurant. While near Flint, I mentioned a place where I used to go for Aglow meetings and which just happened to have a fabulous buffet. We found it. But the place where the ladies and I, in bygone times, used to eat lunch, was changed so as not to be recognizable. There was another room that we had used on occasion before. They had a salad bar, but no buffet. We both had the chili which was as great as ever. Just the way I remembered it. On the way out, I ran up to look at the room where - oh my -such glorious things had happened. In our old Aglow room the Holy Spirit was always present. I went up for prayer nearly every week. I got to serve as treasurer even though I had never been one. I played my tambourine, we sang and I heard some of the best messages ever by the mostly lady speakers. All of this came back with that one peek into the empty room furnished only with tables and chairs. I didn't go in. Well, there was no reason.

Somehow I feel like that wonderful Aglow door is gently closing. I really have to look ahead and see what else the Lord has for me. I need a place that stirs me like Aglow, where I can be useful and grow. It's out there. Yesterday was a little push from behind. The Lord is up ahead and he is beckoning me on. Unsure where, I go because He is smiling and I think He is saying, "you haven't seen anything yet."