May 2021 Archives
God Still Answers Prayer
I never doubt that God hears me when I pray, but I too often marvel at how quickly He answers my prayers. I have two examples of this that happened just this week.
After a couple busy weeks of traveling and activities, celebrating my birthday with various family members, things finally slowed down so that I was able to get back into a regular routine. On Monday, as I was thinking over my schedule and the things I needed to be working on, I decided to ask the Lord for more editing work. I don’t have another conference until October so it seemed like the perfect time to make my petition. Shortly after I opened my computer, I received a message from a friend letting me know that she was passing my contact information on to a friend of hers who was looking for an editor. Then the next morning, another friend emailed to let me know about a ministry that is looking for a part-time copy editor. Keep in mind that this is not something I posted on Facebook. I had just asked the Lord if He would provide this for me and, although I don’t know if these will come through immediately, it was the perfect way for Him to let me know that He heard my prayer.
As if that wasn’t enough, the next morning I was walking and crying, overwhelmed by the needs of several family members, feeling like I’m letting people down and yet reminding myself that I can only be one place at a time, and I’m where I believe God wants me at present. In the middle of this, I received a text from a friend to let me know that she was praying for me for “rest and provision, a joyful and pain-free day.” Talk about timing! I can’t say that I cheered up right away but God answered her prayers, and I have had a much better day today. I don’t think I even had pain last night which is a rare occurrence.
I don’t write this to brag as if I am someone special or super spiritual. Definitely not. I do, however, want to remind you that often we do not have because we do not ask. I can go months talking about how I would like more work or how my family needs help, but talk is cheap if not accompanied by prayer. Sure, God knows our thoughts, but He desires us to come to Him and make our requests known.
I can hear someone now sputtering, “That’s great that God does that for you but He doesn’t do that for me.” God is not a genie in a bottle who is waiting with a wand to grant every whim. There are many prayers that God has not yet answered in the way I would like Him to. But I keep praying until He makes it clear that it is not His will. When I am tempted to become frustrated with unanswered prayers, I quote Matthew 6:33: “Seek ye first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added unto you.” If my greatest desire is to serve Him, He will give me everything that I need. And if I’m honest, I admit that He also grants many of my wishes as well. Come to think of it, I feel spoiled. But I know that the love He has for me, He has for you as well. Luke 12:32 tells us, “Fear not, little flock; for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom.” He has also promised in Matthew 6:30: “Now if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is, and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will He not much more clothe you, O you of little faith?”
I was filling out an application today for a part-time job with a ministry, and one of the questions had to do with areas that I’ve grown in since walking with the Lord. I believe that one of those areas is trust. Only time will tell if I have mastered it, but the older I get and the more I look back at instances where God hadn’t left me even when it felt like He had, the more I can attest to His faithfulness.
This week, I encourage you to think about the situation that you’ve been complaining about, the person who has hurt you, your friend who needs a healing touch from the Lord. Then turn those concerns over to the Lord. Pray specifically for those needs and know that He hears you. If God has recently answered your prayers, I would love to hear about it in the comments. God bless you as you seek to draw closer to Him.
Live Like You Were Dying
A friend of mine was recently diagnosed with a brain tumor. She went from seeming fine one day to being confused and disoriented the next. It is hard on her family, but they are clinging to God and finding the strength they need to take each day as it comes. Although aware that God can heal and could choose to do so, they are taking advantage of this time to draw closer as a family. If God chooses to take this wife and mother Home, He has given those who love her a gift in being able to appreciate whatever time they have left with her.
Not everyone receives advanced notice that a loved one is going to die. Even when someone has an extended illness, it seems there is never enough time to brace yourself for the day when they will no longer be around, especially if the person is young. And so people continue on with life as usual, filling their lives with busyness while ignoring the ones they love until it is too late, and they wish they had taken even a few moments to let that person know how much he or she really did mean to those still living.
I harp on this a lot because I feel that it’s really important. Although there are things we must do each day, we should not allow life to be so busy that we neglect those around us. You don’t know who might need someone to listen to them or encourage them today. You may know someone who is always smiling as she tries to mask the pain that has sent her into a depression that she can’t seem to get out of. Or there may be an elderly person who is struggling to know why he or she is still here when no one seems to care. One text or email or phone call may perform a world of wonders in lifting someone’s spirits.
I challenge you this week to think of someone who means the world to you and make time to let them know. If you can fit it into your schedule, invite the person out for lunch or coffee. Take time to catch up and to find out what is on their mind. This isn’t about you and making you feel better about yourself as much as it is about caring for others. If you’re an introvert, this may take you out of your comfort zone, but I assure you that you can’t go wrong when you reach out in love as unto the Lord.
Lessons from Jeroboam
And at that time, when Jeroboam went out of Jerusalem, the prophet Ahijah the Shilonite found him on the road. Now Ahijah had dressed himself in a new garment, and the two of them were alone in the open country. Then Ahijah laid hold of the new garment that was on him, and tore it into twelve pieces. And he said to Jeroboam, “Take for yourself ten pieces, for thus says the Lord, the God of Israel, ‘Behold, I am about to tear the kingdom from the hand of Solomon and will give you ten tribes (but he shall have one tribe, for the sake of my servant David and for the sake of Jerusalem, the city that I have chosen out of all the tribes of Israel), because they have forsaken me and worshiped Ashtoreth the goddess of the Sidonians, Chemosh the god of Moab, and Milcom the god of the Ammonites, and they have not walked in my ways, doing what is right in my sight and keeping my statutes and my rules, as David his father did. Nevertheless, I will not take the whole kingdom out of his hand, but I will make him ruler all the days of his life, for the sake of David my servant whom I chose, who kept my commandments and my statutes. But I will take the kingdom out of his son’s hand and will give it to you, ten tribes. Yet to his son I will give one tribe, that David my servant may always have a lamp before me in Jerusalem, the city where I have chosen to put my name. And I will take you, and you shall reign over all that your soul desires, and you shall be king over Israel. And if you will listen to all that I command you, and will walk in my ways, and do what is right in my eyes by keeping my statutes and my commandments, as David my servant did, I will be with you and will build you a sure house, as I built for David, and I will give Israel to you. ~1 Kings 11:29-28
Wow. What an honor. Solomon had turned his heart away from God and began to worship idols which caused God to look for someone else to lead His people. For some reason, He entrusted Jeroboam the son of Nebat with this task. It didn’t take long, however, until Jeroboam did the very thing that God warned Him against.
And Jeroboam said in his heart, “Now the kingdom will turn back to the house of David. If this people go up to offer sacrifices in the temple of the Lord at Jerusalem, then the heart of this people will turn again to their lord, to Rehoboam king of Judah, and they will kill me and return to Rehoboam king of Judah.” So the king took counsel and made two calves of gold. And he said to the people, “You have gone up to Jerusalem long enough. Behold your gods, O Israel, who brought you up out of the land of Egypt.” ~1 Kings 12:26-28
This became Jeroboam’s legacy. Throughout the rest of Kings and Chronicles, almost every other king was compared to “Jeroboam son of Nebat who made Israel to sin.”
You would think that someone who had been promised great things from God would have taken God’s admonitions seriously. But, alas, Jeroboam let his own fear get in the way, proving that he wanted the kingdom, but He didn’t trust God to do everything that He promised.
It’s sad to say, but we can be just like that. Throughout Scripture, we are told how to live in order to experience fellowship with God and yet, for many, His presence doesn’t mean that much. We somehow think we can have the world and Jesus too but, according to Scripture, that is not possible.
Adulterers and adulteresses! Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Whoever therefore wants to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God. ~James 4:4
No one wants to be called an adulterer and yet that is what those who love the world are called. It is possible to be in the world while not of it, but the majority don’t even try to find that distinction. Here in America, we don’t have idols like some other countries, but we still have things that we worship. If you are spending an inordinate amount of time doing anything while neglecting time with the Father, that just may be an idol. Don’t be known as the man or woman who put other things ahead of their relationship with Christ so that they caused others (namely their children) to sin. Be that person who is so faithful that generations upon generations will follow the Lord because of your example. It may take work, but it is not impossible.
CD Report: Make It Count (The Sound)
I really like the latest CD from The Sound. It’s progressive, but it’s a progressive sound that I don’t mind. A couple of older songs join mostly new songs to produce a CD that’s nice to listen to while working around the house. Well, that’s when I listen to music anyway, and this is upbeat enough to serve that purpose well.
As I write this, I’m listening to the song I Am Becoming. What a blessing to know that I’m not what I was but I’m not what I’ll be. I am becoming who God desires me to be!
Songs on this project include: City of Joy, It Was Grace, First Church of Mercy, Make It Count, Can I Get a Witness, On the Road to Emmaus, I Am Becoming, Great God Almighty, Something ‘Bout Love, and Rain.
