Bear with me today. Two rather dissimilar musings are rattling around in my head. I think there’s a link between them. You can make up your own mind. For those of you for whom history is lost in the maze of the contemporary, know that today is an American holiday. It’s Juneteenth or Freedom Day and it marks the day the slaves in the state of Texas heard the news that slavery had been abolished. Yes, President Lincoln had signed the Emancipation Proclamation two years earlier. But if we’ve taken to calling today’s postal service “snail mail,” you can imagine how slowly such an announcement traveled in 1863. Anyway, today’s a day of celebration in Texas and in many other states that embrace its significance. I grew up in Dallas and remember fondly that Juneteenth was as much a holiday as the 4th of July; for many even more so. The prayers for freedom from the chains of bondage were finally answered (kinda sorta as continuing history would bear witness) but at least in that moment and on that day, the slaves could exhale! God had responded to the prayers of the oppressed. Hallelujah! That’s musing # 1.
Musing # 2. A writer always prays two prayers when a manuscript is completed; that a publisher will leap at the chance to publish it and that once published, the book will achieve wide distribution and land in the hands of all who need to read it. My second book, Sonshine: Reflections of Faith, was published in 2017 – first prayer answered. Two recent incidents reflect that God is about the business of answering the second. Several months ago a fellow volunteer bought the book for his wife who was recovering from surgery. She was so impressed she bought copies for friends and family and then went a step further; she took a picture of the cover and shared it on her Facebook page urging her friends to get a copy. Just yesterday, my AC serviceman asked to take a picture of the cover because one of the office staff wanted to get a copy. I had shared it with him on his diagnostic service call a couple of weeks earlier. He also took my website information to share. Now I consider these incidents proof positive that prayer number two is being answered.
If you’re scratching your head and trying to figure out the link, let me help. Here’s how I perceive it. Ephesians 3:20 reads in part, “Now to him who by the power at work within us is able to accomplish abundantly far more than all we can ask or imagine…” I see in these words of Paul the manifestation of just that promise. The prayers of our ancestors who knew the bitter rod of slavery have been answered beyond anything they could have imagined in their time. My prayer for wide distribution continues in ways I could never have imagined. God was and is about the business of responding to the prayers of the faithful. That in my mind is the link.
Love. Joy. Peace.