Carried Home

I have been reading a book about praying for our children and it is challenging to pray with the author's prayers.

"I have cared for you since you were born. Yes, I carried you before you were born. I will be your God throughout your lifetime--until your hair is white with age. I made you, and I will care for you. I will carry you along and save you." Isaiah 46:3-4 

The author talks about how we can be carried along and saved by God. That's what we should all want for our children and grandchildren. He talked about carrying his children and how much he treasured those moments even though he felt limited by his own strength-or lack thereof. But God's arms are strong-strong enough to carry each of us.

Each of us can probably remember a time when we had to carry a sleeping or sick child and how much love we had for our baby. It doesn't change, no matter how old they get. Our prayer today is that God will continue to carry them, loving them because He has made them.

Our prayer is that He will continue to carry them, even when we are no longer around, and that He will love them till their final days here on earth.
  

I think this impacted me because, just the other day when I was taking care of my granddaughter when she wasn’t feeling well and she had to go with my to my dr. appt., she was feeling pretty tough when we got home. I unbuckled her car seat and she reached her arms around my neck and said, “Grandma, carry me.” It was almost too much,  as she is getting so big (she's 6), but I would not have said no. As I carried her into the house and into her bed, I thought of all the other times I had carried her, and carried each one of my kids and my grandkids at some point. What a blessing. So I am thankful for God allowing me to do that for my kids and grandkids. And I truly do pray that He will continue to carry each one of one of them, all the way home.

 

It also became personal as I have been thinking a lot about/and praying for my daughter who had her second ankle surgery yesterday and the fact that someone (her cat) that she counted on to comfort her in her recuperation was not there. So I have been praying that she will be comforted by GOD, who is better than any animal in providing the care and love we so much need.

 

 

Are we sharing?

Just reading my devotional this morning in Psalm 145:1-18 and two verses really jumped out at me. The first, verse 3 states, "One generation will declare Your Mighty Works to the next." Are we doing a very good job of that? It doesn't mean just posting a few scripture verses now and then, or even every day. To me it means SHARING God and His Mighty Works with all we meet. And praying for people when we say we will, and sharing with others the answers God generously provides to those prayers.
The second verse was verse 18 which states, "The Lord is near to all who call out to Him with integrity." That means no matter who you are or what you have done, God will answer if you call--with a heart of honesty. If you really mean what you are communicating to God, HE WILL ANSWER.
Why don't you pick up a Bible and read Psalm 145 in its entirety and see what God will have to say to you today.

Letting go!

Let God!

Today in our church service the pastor spoke on Esther Chapter 5. His topic was The sovereignty of God is at work (vs 1-5) with subheadings of Esther approaches the king; The king responds favorable to Esther, and Why didn't Esther immediately inform the king of Haman's plot? Here is my perspective.

The sovereignty of God is at work. God is in control and He will show us a time to act.
      I remember once, many years ago, when I was talking with our pastor (not the same as now) about how we can know that God is at work, how we can know that He is truly in control and how we know what he wants us to do and how. The book of Esther, Chapter 5 talks about Esther coming to the king and how she prepared for that audience. The same can be said of us in going to our heavenly Father. As my pastor shared with me all those years ago, we need to prepare.

     We need to spend much time (daily) in the Word and in Prayer and Communication with God. Although we rarely hear an audible voice when we talk to God in prayer, I believe we hear him; in His Word, in our silent meditation, and in the voices of others. Those were the three things my pastor said to me in response to my question about how to know God's will for my life. Pray, Read the Word, and Seek Counsel of solid Christians. I have endeavored to do that very thing. I am human and I fail, but God never does.
     The king responds favorably to Esther and bids her to come into his presence for an audience. I am so thankful I am not living in that day where the Queen took her life in her hands by going into the hall uninvited by the king. As our pastor shared this morning, Esther probably breathed a huge sigh of relief to know that she did not face immediate death. Yes, I am thankful that ANYTIME and ANYWHERE I seek Him, God bids me to come into His presence without fear.

     The king held out his hand and Esther came to touch the tip of his scepter. All we have to do is reach out and take God's hand, whenever we want. God asks us to do that very thing in His Word. And we can expect a favorable response. We do not need to fear and tremble at what God will do. We can KNOW He is looking to present us with His very best.
     Esther realized that the timing for her to share Haman's plot was not when she went into the king's hall. The timing was wrong. We can know that whenever we seek God, whenever we need to share something, to tell him our troubles, concerns and grief, that he will ALWAYS take the time for us. The place is ALWAYS right. And then God gives us His Divine Wisdom to know what His will is for us.
     God complies when our desires are in line with His will. When it seems that our prayers are not answered, or that God sends us an answer other than what we desire, it is because we have either not prepared ourselves properly, we are not expecting God to answer in His way in His time, or we are asking something that God knows is not good for us and withholds that in our best interest.
     As the pastor wrapped up his message he asked this question, "What miracle of God's grace do you need?" I thought about that, in the context of Esther presenting herself to the king without his request. She expected a miracle and God gave that to her by having the king give her a favorable response and in acquiescing to her request.
     We often think that WE need to be the one to make ourselves perfect BEFORE we present ourselves to God. The exact opposite is what is true. God wants us to come as we are and allow His grace to flood over us. This truly is the miracle.
     I remember what my father-in-law said numerous times when I was first married to my husband and in the years following; "God is in Control." As I grew and matured as a Christian I came to understand and TRUST that God IS in Control. He always has been and He always will be. The miracle that I still need, is to remember that very thing every day. He will hear me, receive me and take care of me. I just need to open my hand and give the control back to the One who holds it best.

What will tomorrow bring?

Sometimes I wish I knew what tomorrow would bring.

There have been many times in my life when I wished I knew what the next day or year would bring. It would be so easy to make plans and figure out where our lives are headed if we only knew the things that would happen.

I Corinthians 13:2-"If I have the gift of prophecy and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith so that I can move mountains but do not have love, I am nothing."

As we begin the brand new year of 2015 we may wish we knew what was just around the corner. In my particular case it might be, "Is there a new job waiting for me?" or "Will I ever be able to have my entire family together at one time in one place again?" We often seek that which is not ours to understand.

I remember once, a long time ago, when I was talking to my pastor and asked him how we were to know God's plans and will for our lives. He gave me this advice. 1) Pray. Ask God to show you what He wants you to do. 2) Read the Bible. It tells us in Jeremiah 29:11 that God DOES have plans for each of us. 3) Seek Godly counsel from solid Christian friends and family. 4) Step out in faith in whatever direction you feel you are being pointed.

Reading those steps, it seems so simple. But in reality it is hard, so hard to step out in faith. 2014 was a year of the unknown. I had been without a full-time job for several years and we had been making ends meet but it seems we struggled more and more. We cut expenses as much as we could. But things seemed to be getting no better. I applied for several different teaching positions and other types of jobs but nothing worked out. I kept searching but nothing popped. Finally I came to the conclusion I was supposed to stop looking and let God totally direct.

The one thing I DO know for sure is this. If we follow the steps above and then in every opportunity God presents us with--take advantage of that opportunity and do it with love, He will bless and provide.

Many people make New Year's Resolutions; to lose weight, to save money, to be more available for family and friends, reading my Bible through in a year, etc. I have never been one for doing that as I always have a hard time following through on my resolution---evidence of that is here in this blog which I sporadically publish a new post on. I have been much better at spending time in the Word and talking with my Lord. But it is not about the resolution. It is about trusting God for each tomorrow and showing love to everyone I connect with during that tomorrow.

God's blessings for this New Year. May you seek Him and His plans and trust Him for those mysteries that are before you.