The Shofar Is Calling

November 1, 2007

The Shofar Is Calling

"I want you to teach me to pray." The words came from Abby's neighbor, Sarah, who was standing at her front door. The timing seemed inconvenient. Abby was tired. Her work at church was taking up a lot of her time lately and she felt the beginnings of an illness coming on. Just as she was about to lie down to rest, she heard the knock at the front door and opened it up to find Sarah.

In the years Abby's family had lived in the neighborhood, Sarah had walked by their home many times, often stopping to admire their garden. Sarah knew Abby did not share her religious beliefs, and had even received a copy of the Bible from their family, but Sarah had never given any indication that she was interested in learning more about Abby's beliefs.

Abby led Sarah into their home and started to pray out loud for her, asking God to reveal Himself to Sarah. Sarah began to weep as Abby continued to pray when suddenly she cried out, "Lord, I'm not worthy!" When Abby finished praying, Sarah shared how embarrassed she was that Abby had seen her cry, and how tired she was. Abby invited Sarah to take a nap in one of their rooms, but Sarah said she could not sleep because she had no peace.

Abby decided to read aloud from the Psalms until Sarah fell asleep on the couch. Remembering her own weariness, Abby went to her room to take a nap. She awoke later to the sound of voices coming from the living room. She walked in to find her 10-year-old daughter reading to Sarah from the book of John. When she saw her mother approach, she whispered, "Mommy, we're almost to John 3:16!"

After listening to three chapters in John, Sarah told her friends, "You are the shofar that's calling us back to God."

Pray that Sarah will have a personal relationship with the One calling her to Himself. Pray that the people group that Abby and her family work with will hear the voice of God, calling His people back to Him, and that they will answer in repentance.

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