“Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort,4 who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God.”—2 Corintians 1:3-4
God is our Master Weaver. How He works in life is similar to my knitting. I have balls of yarn that look like nothing, but when I take a pattern and combine the yarn with it, something of beauty (usually) is created. This is how my life has been too. What I saw as a tangled mess, God has been able to use.
As I go to the Bible, the ultimate pattern book for life, it guides me on how to live my life. When I trust God and walk with Him, He will guide my day where He can best use me.
For those of us that knit and crochet, we know what a labor of love it is to make something for someone. When we hear of a need, we don’t think twice before we pick up our needles or hook to create something for that person or organization.
For me, personally, I have a heart for making prayer shawls for people. When I hear of someone that is hurting in some way that I may know or is an acquaintance, I will start a shawl for them. In the event I may encounter someone that might benefit from one, I also try to have 1 in my car as well.
Everyone we meet needs encouragement. I have to believe a prayer shawl that I selflessly make and give away has to touch even the hardest of hearts. When I feel that nudge, I act on it. God blesses what we obediently do in His name.
In fact, a few weeks ago, one of the prayer shawls that had been in the back of my car for at least 6 months found a new home. 3-4 times a year, I help in a showroom at the Dallas Apparel Mart during their fashion market. This past market, there was a new hire that I met.
While we were taking a lunch break together, we started talking about working out. This resulted in me sharing my story about being widowed. I started working out about a year after my first husband’s death to both gain weight and have a healthier lifestyle.
After I shared my story, she said, I know you will understand. She went on to tell me it was the 1 year anniversary of her brother’s death. I said, look at how God placed us together today because He knew I would understand your pain. She said, I know. I don’t know how people do it that don’t have their faith. I replied, me either, but that was when I found mine. I didn’t know Jesus. Either you become bitter or better when tragedy strikes.
Only God could place me there at the exact moment on that exact day, knowing He could use me to minister to her hurting heart. Thankfully, I had the perfect prayer shawl already made to give her the next morning.
I gave her a big hug and told her when she missed her brother to wrap herself in it to feel God’s loving arms around her. When I was knitting and praying over it, I had no idea who would receive it, but God did.
This story shows how God masterfully weaves someone into our pathway at exactly the right time and place. In all honesty, I almost didn’t work that market. It only gave me one day to prepare for my 10-day trip to Italy, but for some reason, I decided to do it. Of course, now I know why. God wanted to use me let her know, He sees her, loves her and wants to give her comfort.
Father God
Only You can weave the right circumstances into my day to use me to bless someone with Your love. You see inside someone’s broken heart and know how to give them comfort when they need it the most. Thank You for showing me where and how I can serve others with Your compassion and love. Continue to use me to draw others to You through my handmade gifts as well as giving me the right words to say to those who are broken and hurting. I pray these things in the name of Jesus. Amen.
September Verse
“Gracious words are a honeycomb, sweet to the soul and healing to the bones.”—Proverbs 16:24
If you are knitting or crocheting gifts to give away, please make sure you tweet @KnitPrayShare or share your projects on the Knit, Pray, Share Facebook page or Instagram using the hashtag #KnitPrayShare. Be sure to attach a tag to whatever gift you make.