Paul's Prayer for a Prosperous Journey

"Making request...if by any means...I may have a prosperous journey, by the will of God, to come to you" Romans 1:10

We read in Romans of Paul's heart, that his journey may be prosperous in doing the will of God, for the benefit of others.

He prayed that God would make a way and that his journey would be 'prosperous'. We first see that his main priority was for the benefit of others where ever God sent him...as he does not mention his own safety. He wanted to share with others the same truths that he had learned..."imparting to them some spiritual gift"...."For I long to see you, that I may be encouraged together with you by the mutual faith both of you and me" Romans 1:12. There is absolute truth in the encouragement we bring to others and the encouragement we are also given as we journey with God and share His truth to those along our path.

We think so often that situations riddle with great despair, famine, nakedness and discouragement are experienced only in places in far off lands. How the voice of hope is so desperately needed in the lives of those God puts in our path....and as we pray like Paul...our eyes will be opened as to those we meet..as our hearts are purposed to listen to others and hear 'their story'.

"That through endurance and through the encouragement of the scriptures, we might have hope" Romans 15:4. Hope and endurance....oh how my own heart needed these words to march on. As I prayed I heard the voice of the Lord 'to GO' and visit my uncle last week who has been battling a serious illness along with packing up his home after 40 years to move to Florida. He has been enduring in his own personal journey and I was praying for God to do a work during our visit, how ever God intended, in hopes that he would be encouraged with the hope Christ gives.

God opened a door along my trip as I was able to witness to a young woman working at a convenience store, sad and hopeless in her day as I asked to hear her story and I heard, believing how God was wooing her back to him as I heard her share of her mothers prayers for her. So often the unexpected difficulties we experience God uses as we met that morning because of a detour on the road that was very inconvenient to say the least but I soon realized God must have a reason. Often too our own sorrows God will use to share with others of the eternal realities. Paul shares with us this heavenly perspective when he writes about his benefit of being in prison and I often reflect back as I experience my own 'prisons'..."Now I want you to know, brethren, that my circumstances have turned out for the greater progress of the gospel, so that my imprisonment in the cause of Christ has become well known throughout the whole guard and to everyone else" Philippians 1:12-13.

I finally arrived a few hours later at my uncles and a dear woman friend of his came by to visit him and after an hour of casual conversation I quickly realized God orchestrated the visit as she began sharing of her own personal journey...her belief in God....and her own story....as tears began running down her cheeks as she spoke of the burden she had for family members salvation and much needed healing.

All of them experiencing suffering and trying to gain God's perspective through it all. Although distance, age and life experiences separated us...one thing was certain, God brought us together and the journey was prosperous.

As I prayed with them, God was surely in our midst, in that simple gathering. He was answering my prayer, according to His will. As I was able to share of life's sometimes unpredictable events so hard to understand and my story....I too was able to encourage them in the trustworthiness of the Lord....and remind them of this by reminding them too of how He divinely brought us all together. He had already prepared my heart and filled it with life giving water to be used to pour out the hope drawn only from Christ upon their weary hearts. They shared of the difficult places God was asking them to walk in but how quickly despair turned to victory as we spoke of the faithfulness of God, as we prayed, gave thanks and praised God for the hope and encouragement He gives.

I was forever thankful to the Lord for refreshing my soul, for His Divine appointments, for quenching my thirst and for allowing me to witness the thirst quenched of other souls so many miles from home. We each have our own course or "line" to travel, where we are to GO....as we take steps to where the Lord is leading. I thought of my trip on my drive home...a prosperous journey indeed....I then thought and began praying for our dear missionary friends who were departing for India that dayfor , and our friends who were sent to Guatemala still on a missions trip, for the homeschool mom who journeys each day praying for a 'prosperous trip' as God sends her to teach her child, for those in the workplace, those visiting family and friends, and for all the various opportunities God gives us each day to minister to others as we travel on our course or "line"..... 'that all may be established' and in doing so we will be encouraged together.

I love this quote...as it speaks great truth of the secret to the Christian life and Gods perspective on where ever we fins ourselves this day...."The secret of the Christian life is Christ in me, not me in a different set of circumstances" (E. Elliot)

"Their line has gone out through all the earth, and their words to the end of the world" Psalm 19:4....May our journey's be prosperous as we pray according to His will and His priorities, believing He will hear and answer our requests that we make known...for the benefit of others...and for the encouragement we need.