Power of a Praying Woman 10/17/06 9:02 AM Page 96
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The Power of a Praying Woman
There is nothing else known about Tabitha, but from this short account of her life it’s clear that she was a woman who had her priorities in order. She loved the Lord. She loved others. She had a servant’s heart. She lived her life in a way that pleased God and blessed people. All this information about her is found in that one word—“disciple.” When trouble came into Tabitha’s life and she was struck down even to the point of death, God sent one of His faithful disciples to pray for her and raise her up again. Would this have happened if she were just a nominal believer, living on the distant edge of the life God wanted her to live? Would this have happened if she didn’t love God? Didn’t love others? Didn’t have a servant’s heart? Didn’t give of herself? Didn’t obey? I don’t think so. Her life was in order and God blessed her because of it. And He gave her a second chance. That’s what He wants to do for us if we will put Him ?rst.
Top Priority
We can’t live successfully without right priorities in our lives. Yet some of us try to do that every day. Correct priorities are not something we can ?gure out on our own. We have to be led by the Holy Spirit and have a clear knowledge of God’s Word in order to understand what they should be. Our two most important priorities come directly from the Word of God. Jesus told us about them saying, “ ‘You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ This is the ?rst and great commandment. And the second is like it: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself’ ” (Matthew 22:37-39). It can’t get much clearer than that. If you maintain these two top