Rubble Prayers

Okay. So I am writing this at 2:29 in the morning because I can’t sleep. The overall continuity of the blog may take a little winding path. Maybe everything will fit together in the end. Maybe not. I hope Truth is found scattered amongst my morning musings. Or is it still considered nighttime?

Anyway. This blog is inspired by a quick trip to St. Simons Island. Sadly, it was cold as a well digger’s destination, so I didn’t get to walk the beach. The tide was in and we were in a time crunch, so there was no driving around to find better beach access. We enjoyed a few minutes of watching the waves and headed home.

Isn’t the rock in the picture above a magnificent piece of granite? I could imagine it sliced and polished and adorning a countertop.

Instead, it and its fellows stood as strong sentinels, holding back the sea. Kinda poetic for this time of the morning, don’t you think?

I wish I had thought of the blog while I was there. I would have taken better pictures.

But – I swiped a picture from the tourism site for the ‘Golden Isles’.

I can’t imagine how much each of those massive rocks weighed. Breakwater structures are part of coastal management all over the world. I guess this type is called Rubble, the idea being to lessen the effects of wave energy. The lovely park and fun little tourist town may not be safe from a tsunami or horrendous hurricane, but the rocks strewn across the shore offer protection against erosion.

Right turn. Hang on.

I’m not sure if any of my dad’s people have read the Sackett series by Louis L’Amour, but the characters remind me of my family. The premise of many of the books is the interdependence of relatives and the support they unhesitatingly give their clan. Other traits the men and women of the Sackett line had in common were faith, integrity, and heaps of grit.

U-turn.

The parallel between the rocks that protect the shore and my relatives is obvious to me. Let me explain.

I mentioned Dad’s family first because I am in contact with more of them via Facebook and the phone. Being of rugged, West Texas stock, both sides of my family share the attributes of survivors and a godly heritage. (Remember only God gets the big G!)

When any one of us calls out an ‘all call for prayer’, they circle the wagons. I know without a doubt my siblings, their families, and a whole bunch of cousins and their offspring will storm heaven on behalf of the one who is in crisis.

But then again, so does my spiritual family – those friends who share a common faith – those who believe that prayer is powerful.

Just like the strong rocks protect the shore and deflect destruction, relatives and friends banding together in ‘Rubble Prayers’ to the Heavenly Father can bring peace into the most horrible situations. ‘Rubble Prayers’ can keep a person from being worn down from her troubles. ‘Rubble Prayers’ can be the lifeline that keeps a distressed person from going under. ‘Rubble Prayers’ can turn back the tide of wickedness and bring strength and faith into any circumstance. ‘Rubble Prayers’ make a difference!

I hold the belief stated in James 5:16, TLB. ‘The earnest prayer of a righteous man has great power and wonderful results.’ Another New Testament writer states the Truth in Hebrews 4:15 TLB. ‘So let us come boldly to the very throne of God and stay there to receive His mercy and to find grace to help us in our times of need.’

Good words, right?

As much as I love the powerful and dependable, prayerful thoughts of relatives and friends, I love what Psalm 139:17-18 TLB says about God’s attentive faithfulness. ‘How precious it is, Lord, to realize that You are thinking about me constantly! I can’t even count how many times a day Your thoughts turn toward me.’

Blessings

Kara Beth