The Power Of Twenty

What image does your desk create of you? Some individuals have a perfectlly clean desk. They cannot tolerate clutter. Others have a desk that speaks volumes as it contains them. A bunch of missing keys forced  a scrutiny of the desk. They were not hiding there. A desperate search, it continued to the top right drawer. Ready to leap out with a message was a black composition book labeled Prayer Journal .Interrupted in the middle of journaling, I had placed it out of sight hurriedly. Now, I paused to roll back the curtain of time.

Dated 3 July 2007, the entry began simply:

 Today I began a prayer journal using the Prayer Connection concept. A few weeks ago I was ironing an outfit when the Holy Spirit spoke me and He said: “The power of plenty begins with twenty.”

Prayer Connection concept.  Just prior to Easter one year, my twin sisters and I made a recommitment to God and organized a prayer group. We had seen the need for more prayer in our lives as well as the urgency for intercession, especially for family members and prayers. A few friends relished the idea and we named the group 'The Prayer Connection'. Since I like to write, I was chosen as scribe- unopposed. With both twins asleep in Jesus now, I have felt so alone at times. However, during a dog fight in a dream, I received the distinct message that 'the prayer connection can never be severed'- which is too ambiguous for me.

Nearly a page, that entry was the last one.  Reading that entry reminded me of a question I had seen on the sidebar of a hub on Hubpages. The person who initiated the discussion wanted hubbers to share their experiences about the goodness- that is the favour and divine intervention of God in their life . Before I could share   my testimony, the connection timed out and getting back online proved to be a critical hardship. I returned the journal to the drawer and continued to look for the keys. The drawers were sorted and reorganized; but the keys had not been left  in any of them.

Cleaning the desk drawers forced me to look down. Sometimes papers, files and objects fall in the back of the drawer; and it is difficult to retrieve them. But it is not an impossible task. Initiative and ingenuity are wholesome partners in such an activity. No keys.   When I looked up , the Holy Bible- which had been placed on the top of a stack of textbooks - stared back at me. I reached for it. What did God want to share with me? I asked Him to reveal His will.Expectantly, I opened my Bible.

 

The text that caught my attention - the one I had opened the Bible to - was made famous in modern times by an author who focused on the prayer of Jabez. A former student and prayer partner had given me a copy of the book- Prayer Of Jabez.   From the moment I received the gift, I sat enthralled as I read and reread the pages. That I had turned directly to the text after asking God to reveal His will filled me with awe. God is aweful! The God I serve is full of awe! But, how did the prayer of Jabez link to my situation?

 I needed to find my keys fast.  Yes, there was a spare key; but how could I entice my brother to bring them?  He would remind me that losing keys invited strangers to have free access to one’s home and privacy. Often, he would say, it is not what a stranger takes but what the intruder does while in the home. No, I could not tell my brother about my predicament.  My heart looked up in deep despair.

Casting all your cares upon Him for He careth for you.

Does God really care about the vicissitudes of the human existence? Why did I feel so   helpless? For a few moments, I rested my head on the desk and  meditated. Revitalized, I decided to walk to the car again.

Order my steps, I begged God.

The steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord… came the reply.

 A beeline to the car resulted in the recovery of the keys. For a few moments I satinside the car- speechless- with my face buried in the steering wheel. Does God speak to His people? He speaks to everyone, sinners and saints. Hearing God is not the problem that most people face today. Like Saul on the road to Damascus, individuals hear and recognize His voice too. They may not respond to the call of God on their life; and eventually the things of God are relegated to the back burner.  But, where can a person run from God? He owns the universe and is familiar with every nook, cranny and corner!

 

Have you ever asked God for His will? Have you spoken directly to God and said:

What will you have me to do?

God had told me through the prayer of Jabez text. But, human beings long for clarification and insight and the minute details. Whenever I ask God about His will, He gets busy with the drama. While I was writing Journey To Svelte, Healthy And Wise and Journey To Svelte, Healthy And Wise Part II, I became aware of The SONshine Newsletter. I have served as editor, writer and publisher of that Christian publication since May 1992.  God introduced me to the idea of the power of twenty  in February 1992, when the inspiration to produce a newsletter surfaced again.

 My first attempt in the 1980 with Crache [an acronym for Create A Cheer] had survived two issues. Critics said it was a mini magazine; and a friend in Canada told me that it was French for spit!. When I reflect, I realize that the student writers who participated in the  first publication have chosen the noble profession, specifically as  Language Arts teachers. One, whose voice stirred the heart at age fourteen, is a Religious Studies teacher and an evangelist.  During this century, another  group of student writers inspired me to build a website- edu-matter.com. That website is linked to the Ripple_ of_ Love experience.

Within the newsletter that had created an awareness I found several poems that I shared with a bereaved sister and classmate. She liked the poem A Time and asked for permission to include it in the obituary for her father. Was God speaking through her?  Did God want me to share more of the poems, tomes of which have never seen the light of publication?  Since the first collection of poetry- Just A Minute Lord was published in 2000, the idea to publish more books and keep the newsletter alive has been a recurring theme.  Being a published author with several books emerged as a priority during the Ripple of Love chat.

After the poetry collection was published, I wrote a book with twelve chapters-  on the Shepherd theme – while in the Holy Ghost’s classroom. Although I did not feel hungry,  I was allowed breaks. But my only desire at the time was to be a scribe. The book is ready except for the last chapter, which is untyped. The manuscript was riddled with typographical errors; and the more I proofread it, the more   I discovered errors. Each time the typist retyped the manuscript, she expected me to pay for her mistakes! Finally, I gave up when she printed the manuscript in red ink. Her computer crashed, she claimed; and I decided that when God was ready, He would provide the funds for me to purchase a computerized secretary who would type my spoken document. That manuscript lies in the bottom drawer of my filing cabinet with other notebooks containing lyrics, poems and articles - many yet unpublished.

As I perused the back issues of the newsletters, I felt awe surrounding me. One issue, Bound By A Promise, captured my attention. It sounded like a suitable theme for a long range project. That issue had been published commercially in March 1997! Was it coincidental or deliberate that a thirteen year old newsletter proved ideal? Other ideas for projects paraded before me; but I did not record them. Experience has taught that prominent ideas remain… as if by destiny.They form recurring themes!

My mind considered the work I have published on Hubpages, Shekinah SONshine,The SONshine Garden, SONshine For Today and AYL Depot. I realized that Live Spaces and Blogger need more content. Then I thought about the 'faithful few' fans on Hubpages,at Gather and Facebook . How I appreciate them! They serve as an audience as well as do the hubbers who may not be fans but who leave a comment. While I was pondering the idea of a long range project, I realized that enlarging my coast or territory could lead to new and exciting adventure. After reading a hub - the opening chapter of a novel with an adventure set on the high seas, I knew that there were several novels within me, including the one I began at sixteen.

The manuscript for that novel was destroyed inadvertently; but the gestation for it spans maturity. Some events in the fictitious story actually occurred; and the name chosen for one character - especially the relationship to the main character- proved incredible. That novel had peered down the corridor of possibilities, revealing some actual future events in the life of my family.

The power of plenty begins with twenty. To some, twenty is merely a number. However, in a recent dream, all the numbers between sixteen and twenty one appeared out of sequence. When I rearranged them, twenty was missing. That fact forced a smile. Although my earnings on Hubpages are microscopically low, I am forced to wonder if the hubs from eighty onward- the next twenty- will turn on the flow. Which hub will generate twenty or more comments and confirm what God told me in 1992? Which hubs will produce an income of twenty or more dollars?

Lost keys which mounted a search and led to reading a journal entry and a Bible text declare whispers of an inner task. Keys are significant for they represent man. Within him are many answers- solution to personal and global problems. Spiritually, God hold keys.He can unlock closed doors and shut tight opened ones. The fact that my name was not on a transfer list but I am residing on Crooked Island presently confirms the power of God. I asked for a transfer to Crooked island in 2006, was told my name was not on the list; but God put it there for a distinct purpose. How I thank God! Hopefully, time will proclaim the jubilant results, especially since publishing and earning a lucrative income has become a present priority.

Like the speaker in one of Robert Frost's poem says:

I have promises to keep

And miles to go before I sleep...

Yes, I am bound by a promise for I believe the power of plenty begins with twenty. Since God is able to exceed all of our requests and thoughts according to the power that is at work within us, I expect to harness the power of twenty with jubilant results.