Prayer Warrior

She’s always been there. Some folks show up for weddings, births and funerals. Others have been around for a season to see me through specific trials. Very few have walked out life with me. My sister, my forever friend, is special. She understands me, because we think alike. I can tell her anything, and it doesn’t matter how badly I fumble the words or even what I have left unsaid. She knows my heart. We’ve raised our kids together, swapped recipes and favorite books, planted gardens, hosted special parties, laughed and cried and danced. And, now she’s moving.

God has out of state plans for her family as He returns her to her husband’s family homestead. This week we had a big party and gathered many of their family’s close friends to celebrate their adventure. Another night they hosted a packing party. The women packed the boxes, and the men dismantled the beds and moved furniture into the garage in preparation for the big day.

My dear friend is moving far away, and I don’t know what I’ll do without her so close. I want to celebrate with her and enjoy all the victories as God clears her path and brings the details together. At the same time, tears flow freely whenever I think about her leaving. I will miss her so much.

Broken Heart

What is your heart wrapped up in? What would you miss if it were gone? What would break your heart? Would you miss your house? Your car? Your phone? Your family? “Where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” (Mt. 6:21, Lk. 12:34) Where do you store your treasure? Let’s take the next few minutes and explore what God has to say about His treasure.

God’s Treasure

One last time, before his death, Moses restated the law for the people and encouraged them to follow God. As he concluded, he instructed the people, “The Lord has declared today that you are His people, His own special treasure, just as He promised, and that you must obey all His commands. And if you do, He will set you high above all the other nations He has made. Then you will receive praise, honor, and renown. You will be a nation that is holy to the Lord your God, just as He promised.” (Dt. 26:18 NLT)

Look again at the passage. Did you notice what God considers His special treasure? What does God prize above all else? What does He guard? What would break His heart if it was missing? His people! If you are serving Him, You are His treasure! The most precious treasure in all of His creation is God’s people.

Jesus’ Treasure

The Master admonished His followers to “store up for yourselves treasures in heaven (Mt. 6:20 NAS).” He said, “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal (Mt. 6:19 NAS).” There are precious few treasures that we can store in heaven while living here. You can take your character, your education and your redeemed loved ones.

So, just like His Father, Jesus was instructing us to invest in true riches, people. After Jesus told the story of the unrighteous steward, He said, “Therefore if you have not been faithful in the use of unrighteous wealth, who will entrust the true riches to you (Lk. 16:11 NAS)?” God’s true riches are people. That’s the highest trust He can endow us with. How do you care for His treasure?

A King’s Promise

God made a promise to the pagan King Cyrus that I believe is ripe for us today. “I will give you the treasures of darkness and hidden wealth of secret places, so that you may know that it is I, the LORD, the God of Israel, who calls you by your name (Is. 45:3 NAS).”

We know that God’s ultimate treasure is His people. Some of His precious people are hidden in secret places, in darkness. As I read this promise, I can’t help but think of my own brother who walked away from Jesus many years ago. God’s heart must be broken as He longs for that precious jewel to come home. He promised to give us this treasure hidden in the enemy’s darkness. (Ps. 2:8).

Hidden for You, Not from You

“It is the glory of God to conceal a matter, but the glory of kings is to search out a matter (Pr. 25:2 NAS).” God hasn’t hidden treasure from you; He’s hidden it for you. It’s part of the big adventure. His ways are higher than our ways (Is. 55:9), and sometimes we cannot understand. God knows how to protect His treasure until the season is right. Let’s look back at the Judean exile as an example.

“In the third year of the reign of Jehoiakim king of Judah, Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came to Jerusalem and besieged it. The Lord gave Jehoiakim king of Judah into his hand, along with some of the vessels of the house of God; and he brought them to the land of Shinar, to the house of his god, and he brought the vessels into the treasury of his god (Dan. 1:1-2 NAS).” Daniel recorded that God delivered His people and the treasures of His temple into the hands of the Babylonian king Nebuchadnezzar. The Temple treasure was hidden in a pagan temple.

What would have happened to the sacred vessels of the Temple if Nebechadnezzar hadn’t stored them? Surely, the raiders who descended on the vacant Jerusalem would have smelted the gold and consumed the entire treasure. Instead, God chose to hide them in a dark, unlikely place until Israel was able to properly care for it again.

In the first year of king Cyrus, the king decided that God wanted him to rebuild the Temple in Jerusalem. He brought out all the hidden Temple treasures and returned them to the Jews. God didn’t give His treasures back to His people until they were in a position to protect and care for it.

I firmly believe that He has treasure (people) hidden in darkness today, and He’s waiting for the time that His people are prepared to care for His treasure. Then, He will move the treasure from the secret place once again.

The Call

Are you ready to polish the treasure? Perhaps it’s time for us to call again into the darkness. Call the treasure out of the secret place. God’s treasure is His precious people, and some are still missing. I know the ache in my heart as my sister simply moves out of state. I will still see her and talk with her. I can only imagine the longing in God’s heart for His own who haven’t come home. The separation must be unbearable.

Paul said, “I am not ashamed; for I know whom I have believed and I am convinced that He is able to guard what I have entrusted to Him until that day. Guard, through the Holy Spirit who dwells in us, the treasure which has been entrusted to you (2 Tim. 1:12,14 NAS).”

A treasure has been entrusted to you. Your charge is to guard it. Call your precious one back home.♥