At the bottom of many funeral obituaries, you will find the statement "Professional Services Entrusted To" and then the name of the funeral home. This past weekend I kept being drawn back to that on the front page as I read the obituary of my aunt's husband's. It was a beautiful homegoing celebration with kind words and uplifting spiritual songs. Naturally, as a feeler, I've felt somber and interceded heavily over the past week. I'm talking about profound grief and sorrow. Gut-wrenching pain, and immense wailing and sobbing in the bathroom. If my husband wasn't spiritually sound, I'm sure he would've thought I had done something to myself and come to my aid immediately, but he didn't. He knew I was interceding.
I haven't experienced much death over the years or been in close proximity to people who have, so this was my first time experiencing GRIEF. Over the past 2 years, I know a couple of people who have lost loved ones, and I've prayed for them but this past week was just different.
As I prayed, I FELT grief. I FELT pain. I FELT heartbroken. True intercessors understand that intercessory prayer means to "pray as" or stand in the gap for others. I think intercessory prayer is similar to "Professional Services Entrusted To". God entrusts those who are burdened and in need to us as intercessors.
Entrusted or entrusted to means to assign the responsibility for doing something to (someone) or put (something) into someone's care or protection. So, God assigns us the RESPONSIBILITY of interceding for others. For that particular moment, God puts these individuals into our care and protection.
It's our job as intercessors to ensure that we can carry the responsibility out well. How much of a blessing would it be to know that as intercessors we carry out our assignments so well that God endorses us by stamping, "Professional Services Entrusted To _____" on our lives. You put your name in the blank! He knows that He can count on your service. He knows that the people who need the service will be well taken care of. He knows that you will show up as a willing vessel ready to be used at any moment.
I also think about how our lives are entrusted to God.
Professional Services Entrusted to God.
NOW I KNOW THATS SOME GOOD SERVICE! I KNOW I WILL BE TAKEN CARE OF AND PROTECTED. God is THE ultimate healer. He can take any burden, pain or grief away and replace it with joy. Replace it with goodness. Replace it with revival. Replace it with a new look on life. He can do that, because His service is top notch.
A few questions for you today.. Who have you entrusted your life to? Who entrusts you with theirs? We've got to be able to intercede and be interceded for.
My prayer for you today is that you would entrust God with your life. I pray that you would see Him as someone who can professional take care of you. I pray that you see and understand it's His job to take care of and protect you. I pray that you are able to be the kind of vessel the Lord can use fully. The kind of person He can say, "I am entrusting the professional services to ____, because I know that he/she will provide their best service." I pray that whatever your need is today that flowed over from yesterday, that God would meet it. I pray that you be blessed and wherever this post finds you, whether its morning, afternoon or night.. know that you are so LOVED.