And the very hairs on your head are all numbered (Matthew 10:30, ESV).
I was recently listening to a speaker who said that God told him, “If it is important to you, then it is important to Me.”
I haven’t been able to get this thought from my mind. It has ignited my prayers. If it is important to me, then it is important to God!
The speaker was Jim Chamberlin, a friend who also serves as an elder at Fellowship Church in Springfield, Ohio. Jim was telling a story of mowing his grass before leaving the next day to travel with me and a team to the Philippines.
As he was mowing his grass, he noticed dark clouds gathering. He knew that he wouldn’t finish mowing before it rained, so he prayed, “God, this might not be important to you. You uphold the entire universe. But, if possible, could you hold off the rain until I finish mowing my grass.”
Jim told this story to a group of Filipino leaders who are involved with First Steps Discipleship throughout the Philippines. We were together on a retreat, and I had asked Jim to speak for a few minutes about the power of the Spirit.
He opened his talk with a story of mowing grass.
You rarely find lawns in the Philippines. Green lawns are the indulgence of wealthy countries.
At first, I was embarrassed for Jim and thought, “Oh no, discussing mowing the grass in the Philippines – what a culturally irrelevant topic.”
Jim continued talking…
Just as I finished praying, God said to me, “If it is important to you, then it is important to Me!”
A God moment! A Spirit moment! Stop your negative thinking, Pastor Grant! I haven’t been able to get this thought out of my mind.
The statement had the same impact with the Filipinos in the room. They couldn’t stop talking about it. For the rest of our retreat every speaker, every time we prayed, even during our worship the refrain kept surfacing…
If it is important to you, then it is important to God!
The “mowing the grass” context didn’t matter to the Filipinos and in repentance, it doesn’t matter to me anymore. God does care about mowing the lawn, your bill due today, your headache, and whatever concerns you!
I’ve changed my approach to praying.
This statement has caused me to reflect that my recent prayers have been about great matters (at least I think they are great matters). And that while praying, I wasn’t talking to God about me and my personal concerns.
If it is important to me, it is important to God!
I tend to parse God’s goodness. I now know His grace and mercy can’t be diminished into the great versus the mundane. God loves everything about me – every little detail.
With you too!
If it is important to you, it is important to God!
Everything – the hairs on your head, finding a parking place, whether or not you get a promotion, and even holding off the rain until you finish mowing the grass!
If it is important to me, it is important to God!