Indeed, He
knows the meaning of every tear, every sob and every sigh. And
when I weep, shedding more tears [than] can be counted (by
me), crying what becomes
a flowing stream or river, He sees each individual tear and can tell what each
one represents. Then He responds.
The LORD hears His people when they call to Him
for help. He rescues them from all their troubles. Psalm 34:17
Pray without ceasing …
I Thessalonians 5:17
If any of you lacks wisdom, you should
ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be
given to you.James 1:5
And this is the confidence that we have
toward Him, that if we ask anything according to His will He hears us.I
John 5:14
In the same way, the Spirit helps us in
our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit Himself
intercedes for us through wordless groans.And He who searches our hearts knows the mind
of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for God’s people in accordance
with the will of God.Romans 8:26-27
Call to Me and I will answer you,
and will tell you great and hidden things that you have not known.Jeremiah
33:3
Everyonewho calls on the name of the Lord will be saved. Romans 10:13
Tonight … I am just praying With so many hurting in Oklahoma,
I am praying for those who have been impacted by severe tornadoes, who have lost everything material. I am praying for those who
have lost loved ones and especially the parents of the children who have been
lost. A couple of years ago, I
published a post 'if nothing changes' which included these words: How is it reasoned when the healing does not manifest? When the marriage fails? When the job ends? When the aloneness persists? When the ministry does not increase? When the child ends up on drugs? When the child dies? When the weeping endures longer than a night? And, although the joy comes in the morning, it is within the context of the present reality and in light of the fact that the prayer was not answered exactly the way it was hoped or desired. Where is the comfort?
…
I heard someone say … ‘When someone loses a husband, you call her a widow; when someone loses a parent, you call them an orphan; when someone loses a child, you don’t call them anything – because it is so unimaginable, so painful and so grievous that there is not a word to describe it.’
We grieve with those who grieve.
Yet, even as I pray for the people of Oklahoma, I cannot
help but to continue thinking of and praying for people everywhere who have lost
loved ones this year
Long after these stories have faded in focus from the front
pages of newspapers and magazines, after they have been replaced with another ‘lead
story’ on the evening news … there are people who remain …still grieving, still
hurting, still trying to pick up the piecesof their livesand find some degree
of normalcy again.
Please join me in praying for all of those who are hurting …
all over the globe.
‘…He brought us out from there to bring us
in ...’ Deuteronomy 6:23
This was the verse I was reading today …
This was the verse I was thinking about as
I was driving home today – when someone almost plowed into the side of the van
I was driving (they were texting while driving). The enemy will always attempt to distract you from what God is saying.
But I thank God for His faithful hand of
protection ...
For the past few days, I have been thinking
a great deal and I feel like it culminated yesterday at church when one of my
brothers in Christ, one I had not seen in a while, asked, ‘Hindsight being
20/20, would you change anything you have experienced in the past few years?’
My honest answer was, ‘I might have done
things different with the house … so that I would not lose my home.’ But then I
went on to say, ‘Well, not even that because it drew my sons and I closer
together and enhanced all of our perspectives. I would not know God as I know
Him today, I would not trust God as I trust Him today – but for the challenging
road that I have had to walk … and continue to walk some days.
What does that have to do with my leading
verse?
Well, there are times when you know that
you absolutely have heard from God – the way I knew it was His voice when I turned
down the alternate position offered to me when my job was eliminated in 2007.
But, I would be lying if I didn’t say that I have questioned one hundred times
since then whether it was really His voice, whether it was really His leading.
Yet today, in a very quiet way, without ‘goose
bumps’ or extreme emotionalism – I was gently reminded that He brought me out
... to bring me in …to give me all that He promised.
Naturally, what He promised me is
very likely different from what He has promised you, and different still from
what He had promised the children of Israel – a land of their own. And,
although not all of the Israelites partook of that promise, I firmly believe, He did not bring you out to let
you die in the middle of your experience. He did not bring you out to let your
hope perish in the ‘in between’ time.
Now,
with respect to the Israelites, some of them did indeed perish, due (in part)
to ungrateful hearts, willful disobedience and unyielding spirits. That is why
I am so thankful for grace – made possible by the sacrifice of Jesus. Whether you have had to wander as a result
of someone else’s actions, or if you are circling a mountain because of poor
choices on your part, know that He is a God who forgives and who redeems … lost hopes, lost
dreams, lost souls.
He brought you out of that job to lead you
in to a career, a ministry, a mission
He brought you out of that unhealthy
friendship to bring you in to divine relationships which will help you grow into
the godly man or woman He has called you to be
He brought you out of that dangerous
relationship to carry you in to a place of peace and to secure a future of
safety for you and your children
He is constant and faithful –
He is always working in us and through us; always working all things together for our
good and for His glory. He will never leave you or forsake you.
Keep Standing, Keep Trusting & Keep
Moving Forward with God
Here is a lovely song by Meredith Andrews –
Not For a Moment
Mother’s Day - It is a time
when we let the mothers in our lives know how much we love and appreciate them,
although this should be a continual and not annual occurrence. There is nothing
quite like the love of a mother.
Mothers Love – they take the time to pour into the lives of those
around them: praying, inspiring, uplifting, embracing, helping, correcting when
necessary, providing wisdom and loving without measure.
Not too long ago, I was having a discussion with my sons and
explaining to them that they just do not understand the love of a mother. It
never stops. It is, at times, almost like an involuntary action. You cannot
simply turn it off. It continues –
Therefore, I would like to take some special time today to
acknowledge some of the moms who might be experiencing a bittersweet Mother’s
Day. Whether it is a relationship that has gone awry, whether their child is
incarcerated or, worse, they have lost their child forever – I know that the
love does not end. I pray that the God of all peace would give you comfort
today. I pray His presence would be real and overwhelming, that He would wrap
you in His arms in a way that is tangible.
To all the moms out there, thank you for nurturing, caring
and sharing; for never giving up, for doing what is necessary, even if it is
not always what is desired. Whether you are a mom biologically, by adoption or have simply
been like a mom to the people in your life:
Thank you for being selfless and
for demonstrating …A Mother’s Love.
It is not quite 5AM … but I wanted to get this post up
before I head out the door.
Much to do today and so thankful that the LORD has blessed
me with this day, with family, friends and strength. Thankful most of all for
His presence in every moment of every day.
'This is the day the LORD has made; I will rejoice and be
glad in it.’ Ps. 118:24
Several weeks ago, my mom ended up in the hospital – the stroke
unit
It was quite a scare and she could have easily died. Which, although she is born-again and would have
immediately been in the presence of our LORD and Savior, it would have
devastated me and my siblings. Well, after being released from the hospital
after a week and being in physical rehabilitation for the past several weeks …
she gets to come home today … just in time for Mother’s Day!
My youngest son had a birthday on Thursday, my oldest son
graduated from college on Friday and my middle son started a new job on Monday.
Most of my nieces and my nephew have already made it safely home from college
for summer break. And me … well I survived another week and completed my
Theology coursework last night with a full 30-minutes to spare. Now I get to ‘rest up’ for the next two days and
start my Psychology class on Monday.
So much to be thankful for ….
Here’s hoping you will take some time to truly and enjoy and
be thankful for the blessing in your life.
'Every good and perfect thing comes from the LORD'. James 1:17
Here’s a great song by TheAfters to get your morning going …
I pray you all
are having a great day. I am looking forward to a nice and restful weekend.
Wrapping up my theology class this week and getting ready for my summer classes
will definitely keep me busy. However, I wanted to get this post up that I have
been trying to write for two days.
Sometimes it is
challenging to capture in words what you are feeling in your spirit. I thought
about this a few days ago when I changed my calendar. My co-worker bought
the calendar for me at the beginning of the year and, as I always do when I get a new calendar, I immediately started
to flip through to look at the pictures. Well, when I glanced at the picture
for May (a storm cloud with a boat), I immediately thought and voiced, ‘I don’t like that picture. I
feel just like that little boat with an enormous storm hunting me down.
Well, Wednesday was May 1st, and there was that picture again ...
Yet, this time
as I looked at it, something happened. I again paused when I saw
the picture of that massive storm and I thought: 'I am going to have to look at this picture all month.' However, the momentary thought of it being a menacing storm was
quickly overshadowed by an unmistakable voice in my spirit:
‘That storm is no
longer chasing you. That storm is in your past. You have outrun it and survived
it. You thought it would capsize your vessel (your life). Yes, it did try to
destroy you - causing you at times to take on water and experience bouts of
anxiety. Yet you have passed through and are forging a path through the waters
- moving toward everything that I have prepared for you. Understand, that ‘boat’
is larger than you perceive – that is a tanker. And like that tanker, you are
larger than you realize because you have My Holy Spirit dwelling on the inside.
As enormous as the storm was … My cloud of blessing is just as large (and
larger) … and is overtaking you.’
‘WOW!’ was all
I could say. It was a follow-up and
confirmation to an amazing time in His presence earlier in the week and made me
recognize the incredible power of perspective. You see – sometimes
you experience something for such a long time that you unwittingly begin to
expect more of the same. We begin to speak what we have experienced. And as we give voice to those thoughts and expectations, we begin to see what we say. We have creative power in our words. Yet, God wanted me to know – at the beginning of that
day, at the beginning of this month – IT IS A NEW SEASON! Now, this
particular post may not be for everyone. However, I know in my heart that it
was not just a message for me. Like myself, many have walked through times of
tremendous and extended trials. Yet, I am writing today to let you know – even the
worst of storms have a day when they cease. I encourage you to expect great
things! Pray for spiritual insight to see what God is doing presently in your
life. Then, align your words and your actions with His will. God has wonderful
things in store for you. Be Blessed! 'Behold,
I am doing a new thing; now it springs forth, do you not perceive it? I will make a way in the wilderness and rivers in the desert.' Isaiah
43:19 ESV ‘Sing to the LORD a new song, for He has done marvelous
things …’ Psalm 98:1 NIV
