An Answered Prayer and a Beautiful Gift

Then Mary took a pound of very costly oil of spikenard, anointed the feet of Jesus, and wiped His feet with her hair. And the house was filled with the fragrance of the oil.

John 12:3

I listen to an audio recording of the life of Lillian Trasher and the tears spring to my eyes. A life of faith, lived out in trust, for so she believed the promises and found Him faithful-- Through acting upon the precious Word of God, the precious Word to her soul, when all around her seemed impossible, He was the God who saw and heard and listened and answered. 

I sought the Lord, and He heard me,

And delivered me from all my fears.

They looked to Him and were radiant,

And their faces were not ashamed.

This poor man cried out, and the Lord heard him,

And saved him out of all his troubles. 

Psalm 34:4-6

Praise stirs in my heart and the gentle laughter of thanksgiving . . . a prayer answered. The Lord sought . . . in fasting and prayer these last weeks and I asked the Lord to reveal in my present circumstances that He would provide for the ministry that He called me to, that He presses upon my heart. Unexpected . . . someone gave . . . so unexpected; unasked for, except to the Lord, the answer came and my soul bubbled up in quiet praise. 

The firstfruit and the glory of heaven; the banner raised in my soul. 

And I write about it here because not only was it an answer to my prayers, but it was also a beautiful gift, a gift that astonished me and surprised me and was wrapped in a sacrifice, by the grace of God, who gave Himself first, an offering for all, so that we could also give. 

Someone unexpected gave, gave everything that they had, offered up a sacrifice, took the flask and broke it over the feet of Jesus. 

And the fragrance filled my heart . . . 

The fragrance rose, a precious gift; this individual spared nothing and gave. 

One of the poor in this world but rich in faith gave, and the beauty fell. 

Gave not because there was something to fall back on, because there were adequate savings in the bank, but because God constrained them in His love and this small, humble servant obeyed. 

And I praise Him. An answer to prayer, an encouragement again to live by faith. The gift and the promise and the sacrifice. Because the gift should always have something of the sacrifice in it, if it is pure . . .

Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God. 

And blessed is the one who gives out of their poverty, who gives not from their abundance but from their joy . . .

for all these out of their abundance have put in offerings for God, but she out of her poverty put in all the livelihood that she had.

Luke 21:4