Pray Big!

Guest Blog by Linda DeYmaz

I’m not one who is obsessed with cars. Don’t get me wrong; I like them clean and running well, and I do appreciate a beautiful car when I see it. In fact, I can still remember my Dad’s cherry red Mercedes convertible. It was really cool!

But here’s a confession … I did, once, have an obsession with a particular car. Like my Dad’s Mercedes it, too, was bright red; and though not a convertible, it was darling! We practically ran into each other one day when I was flying down the freeway in my own, cream-colored, Volkswagen Jetta – music blaring and the sun roof open – when all of a sudden the car pulled in front of me, far too close for comfort! But when I recovered from the close encounter, my eyes were fixed on the license plate. In bold letters it read, PRAY BIG.

Now in those days, I was going through a very difficult time in my life and I needed to hear from God. I didn’t know what to do or where to turn, and I definitely wanted to make the right decision. In fact just moments before I saw the car, I had called several dear friends asking for advice. And that’s when it happened! Just as I hung up the phone from my final call, that red car came out of nowhere with a message: PRAY BIG.

Having seen God’s visual work in my life before, I knew this message, and it’s timing, was from Him. I soon became obsessed with the darling red car. I grabbed my iPhone and started taking pictures of the license plate, driving insanely fast and, at points, getting very close to the back of the car. No matter where that car went, I followed. When it existed off the freeway, I even found myself following the car to another city! My not-so-subtle pursuit lasted nearly forty-five minutes. Finally, though, I realized what I was doing and more importantly what I would need to do in the future. God had spoken. He had responded to my prayers for wisdom and direction. Plain and simple, God wanted me to stop obsessing over the red car – a metaphor for my worries – and instead, PRAY BIG. God knows me intimately. He does these crazy things to get my attention!

What does it mean to PRAY BIG? Could it be that God wants us to be obsessed with Him? I believe so! He wants us to recognize there is nothing too big for Him. He desires for us to bring to Him our deepest hurts, concerns, and the anxieties of life on an hourly basis. And He wants you to know that you are His darling, too.

In the Song of Songs, the author writes …

 “My lover, said to me, “Rise up, my darling! Come away with me, my fair one!” Look, the winter is past, and the rains are over and gone. The flowers are springing up; the season of singing birds has come … Rise up, my darling! Come away with me!” 
                                Song of Songs 2:10-13

So why not draw close to Him today? Take a moment to enjoy His pleasure. And if by chance you encounter a darling red car with the license plate PRAY BIG, chase it obsessively. I can guarantee it’s will be worth the journey!

Linda DeYmaz is a wife, mother and author of two books, including Mommy, Please Don’t Cry (Random House,Waterbrook/Multnomah 1996), a 2004 Retailer’s Choice Nominee, an anointed resource providing hope and comfort for parents who grieve the loss of a child. The book was borne from Linda’s own experience resulting from the death of her daughter, Alexandra Grace DeYmaz on Easter morning in 1995.The book has sold nearly 100,000 copies to date.

She is a graduate of Multnomah University in Portland, Oregon (1985).

Linda and her husband, Mark, pastor of Mosaic Church in Little Rock, were married in 1987 and currently reside in Little Rock, Arkansas’ with their four children Zack, Emily,Will and Kate. A horse named Skeeter.Mama and Marley the cats and the latest addition Jeter, an English,  yellow lab who has affectionately won her heart!

Linda is passionate about helping women who have experienced the deep loss of a child. Her own personal grief took her on a journey that in time unleashed a new gratefulness and love for Jesus. She desires that all women have the same confidence of one day seeing their child in Heaven.

She is also the owner of Linda DeYmaz Interiors . A company that provides professional design services to personal and corporate clients.