PRAYER

Greatest in the Kingdom :: Prayer Journey

GOD LIVES UNDER MY BED

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Unknown Author- My brother Kevin thinks God lives under his bed. At least that's what I heard him say one night. He was praying out loud in his dark bedroom, and I stopped outside his closed door to listen. "Are you there, God?" he said. "Where are you? Oh, I see. Under the bed." I giggled softly and tiptoed off to my own room. Kevin's unique perspectives are often a source of amusement.

But that night something else lingered long after the humor. I realized for the first time the very different world Kevin lives in.

He was born 30 years ago, mentally disabled as a result of difficulties during labor.

Apart from his size (he's 6-foot-2), there are few ways in which he is an adult. He reasons and communicates with the capabilities of a 7-year-old, and he always will.

He will probably always believe that God lives under his bed, that Santa Claus is the one who fills the space under our tree every Christmas, and that airplanes stay up in the sky because angels carry them.

I remember wondering if Kevin realizes he is different. Is he ever dissatisfied with his monotonous life? Up before dawn each day, off to work at a workshop for the disabled, home to walk our cocker spaniel, return to eat his favorite macaroni and cheese for dinner, and later to bed.

The only variation in the entire scheme are laundry, when he hovers excitedly over the washing machine like a mother with her newborn child. He does not seem dissatisfied. He lopes out to the bus every morning at 7:05, eager for a day of simple work.

He wrings his hands excitedly while the water boils on the stove before dinner, and he stays up late twice a week to gather our dirty laundry for his next day's laundry chores.

And Saturdays-oh, the bliss of Saturdays! That's the day my Dad takes Kevin to the airport to have a soft drink, watch the planes land, and speculate loudly on the destination of each passenger inside. "That one's goin' to Chi-car-go!" Kevin shouts as he claps his hands. His anticipation is so great he can hardly sleep on Friday nights.

And so goes his world of daily rituals and weekend field trips. He doesn't know what it means to be discontented.

His life is simple. He will never know the entanglements of wealth or power, and he does not care what brand of clothing he wears or what kind of food he eats.

His needs have always been met, and he never worries that one day they may not be. His hands are diligent. Kevin is never so happy as when he is working. When he unloads the dishwasher or vacuums the carpet, his heart is completely in it. He does not shrink from a job when it is begun, and he does not leave a job until it is finished.

But, when his tasks are done, Kevin knows how to relax. He is not obsessed with his work or the work of others.  His heart is pure. He still believes everyone tells the truth, promises must be kept, and when you are wrong, you apologize instead of argue.

Free from pride and unconcerned with appearances. Kevin is not afraid to cry when he is hurt, angry or sorry. He is always transparent, always sincere. And he trusts God.

Not confined by intellectual reasoning, when he comes to Christ, he comes as a child. Kevin seems to know God - to really be friends with Him in a way that is difficult for an "educated" person to grasp. God seems like his closest companion.

In my moments of doubt and frustrations with my Christianity, I envy the security Kevin has in his simple faith. It is then that I am most willing to admit that he has some divine knowledge that rises above my mortal questions.

It is then I realize that perhaps he is not the one with the handicap - I am. My obligations, my fear, my pride, my circumstances - they all become disabilities when I do not trust them to God's care.

Who knows if Kevin comprehends things I can never learn? After all, he has spent his whole life in that kind of innocence, praying after dark and soaking up the goodness and love of God.

And one day, when the mysteries of heaven are opened, and we are all amazed at how close God really is to our hearts, I'll realize that God heard the simple prayers of a boy who believed that God lived under his bed. Kevin won't be surprised at all!

PRAYER DIRECTIVE

While I was in the middle of a crisis with my pregnant daughter the Lord gave me a vision with a message.

The vision: I saw a large heart superimposed over the United States. The heart had four chambers and from it came arteries, veins and capillaries. I had the impression that there was blood running through the veins, etc. The veins and capillaries stretched out around the world and particularly to Israel. I felt that the four chambers each represented a particular group of prayer warriors.

The message: The Lord was telling me that the “blood” in the body of Christ is prayer. And, just as physical blood has many components such as electrolytes, oxygen, red blood cells, etc., spiritual blood also has many components. We are all aware that people pray in different ways. Some fast, others travail and still others make declarations. Some prayer warriors carry out prayer journeys while others spend most of their prayer time in their “prayer closet.”

What the Lord impressed on me the most during this vision was that a key ingredient of the prayer “blood” was not there. What was missing was the “oxygen” – the “pure in heart.” The “pure in heart” are the handicapped, the orphans, the widows, the elderly and little children.

In the human body, if any component of the blood is missing or out of balance, the body can become sick and even die. The Lord impressed on me that the same held true in the spiritual “body.”

If a person becomes depleted of oxygen they will often pass out and if this depletion is over an extended period of time it will adversely affect the major organs. Eventually a person with low oxygen supply will die. In fact, after major surgery most patients are given extra oxygen for 24 hours because “oxygen promotes healing.” (Quote from a doctor at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, MN 1/12/05)

The message that was coming through loud and clear from the Lord was that the body of Christ is suffering from a sever loss of oxygen! The “pure in heart” are not being allowed to develop and use their spiritual gifts! And – the reason this is happening is because much of the “Church” is too proud to allow the handicapped, the orphans, the widows, the elderly and little children to be considered spiritually equal to them.

The Down Syndrome Anointing

            If you spend any time interacting with people who were born with Down syndrome you will notice that they usually do not take offense at anything other people do or say.  If someone is mean to them, or if someone says something to hurt their feelings, the Down syndrome person will usually tell the truth and say something like,” That was mean.  You hurt my feelings.  And I don’t like you any more.”   Then, if you wait about 5 or 10 minutes, you will probably find the person with Down syndrome warming up to the person who hurt them and probably giving them a huge hug.

            Most of us “normal” people take offense quite easily.  If someone is nasty to us or hurts our feelings we usually will hold it against them for a very long time.  Many close friendships and family relationships are broken because someone took offense – quite possibly over something that was not meant as an offense in the first place.

            Most of us also are quick to make a judgment about someone else’s motives often even before we talk to the other person.  Most people with Down syndrome love and trust everyone just because!

            I am not advocating that we should trust everyone we come in contact with.  I am suggesting that it would do us good to treat our family, friends and those we believe the Lord has placed in our lives with the type of love a person with Down syndrome displays.

            Most people with Down syndrome are not calculating or sneaky.  They are not afraid to do things like worship the Lord, dance in delight, burst into song or tell someone else that they look pretty.  The things they seem to do the best are to just be themselves and to love everyone!

            When we take offense at something that someone else has done or said we are actually mainly thinking about ourselves.  Taking and holding on to an offense is really a sign of self centeredness.

            We are always going to have to deal with people who do not like us or some of the things we do.  There are times that we need to stand up for or against things that others will disagree with.  Perhaps we should approach our encounters with others after first asking the Lord to give us the gift of the “Down syndrome anointing.”

            I believe that the following Scriptures explain the heart of most people with Down syndrome.  “Love is patient and kind; love is not jealous or boastful; it is not arrogant or rude.  Love does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice at wrong, but rejoices in the right.  Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.” I Corinthians 13:4-7

            May we all strive to understand and work under the “Down syndrome anointing!”