WHAT NERVE!!!

Greetings,

As we prepare to celebrate Mother's Day this weekend, let's take a look at one fabulous, inspiring mom from the Bible whose name is Hannah.

Hannah desperately longed for a baby, but she could not get pregnant. It was heartbreaking, and to make matters worse, another woman, who had the blessing of children, "taunted her cruelly" because of it. I guess mean girls have always been around.  And, surprise surprise, her own husband didn't understand her. He was so clueless that in 1 Samuel 1:8 he asks her, "Don’t I mean more to you than ten sons?” 

(Eye roll, please).

Hannah did the wisest, most powerful thing she could do.

"Crushed in soul, Hannah prayed to God and cried and cried - inconsolably. 'Oh, God...take a good, hard look at my pain, go into action for me by giving me a son, I’ll give him completely, unreservedly to you. I’ll set him apart for a life of holy discipline'" (I Samuel 1:11-12).

Hannah prayed...And from what the verse above says, it was a desperate, no holds barred, anguished plea; it was also a mighty invitation.

GO INTO ACTION FOR ME!

That's kind of bold.  Little made-of-dust us telling Almighty God to take a good, hard look at our suffering and then demanding He do something about it? What nerve!

But that's precisely the kind of "nerve" God responds to.

By the time we get to verse 20 in this same chapter we read, "Before the year was out, Hannah had conceived and given birth to a son. She named him Samuel, explaining, 'I asked God for him.'”

This phrase, "before the year was out," really touches my heart and fills me with hope.  I have several prayer requests that I would love to see answered before the end of the year.

Do you? 

Then let's pray! 

PRAYER: Dear Lord, Thank You for moms. Some of our moms are in Your tender care, and we are grateful we will see them again. For those moms here on earth, bless them with long healthy lives. And we also praise You for the bold language of the Bible: GO INTO ACTION FOR US.  I especially need to see Your power displayed in this area of my life _________________________, and may You grant my request before the year is out. In Jesus' name, AMEN~

Saddle Your Horse!

"The horse is made ready for the day of battle, but victory rests with the LORD" Proverbs 21:31.

Tuesday greetings,

You and I were created to use our brains and make meaningful contributions in this life.  We were made to grow in our responsibilities.  Adam, the first human ever created lived in a sin-free world, but he wasn't lounging around sipping virgin piña coladas all days while tamed monkeys fanned him with palm fronds. Adam was hard at work naming the animals.  "Adam gave names to all the cattle, and to the fowl of the air, and to every beast of the field" Genesis 2:20.  I am certain God could have easily done this Himself, but He knows that when we have something to do it makes our lives more meaningful. I can't imagine lying around all day and doing nothing.  I enjoy feeling productive and like what I have done has made a difference. I like that God expects me to do my part - that I should and do have active faith.

Even so I have met all sorts of folks who are all about placing a lot of responsibility on God and not nearly enough on themselves.    

“I don’t wear a seat belt because God will protect me.”

“I don’t need health insurance because God is my doctor.”

“I know God has a soul mate for me, and He will send the right one my way even though I never go out because I am too busy binge watching TV.”

God does heal, protect, and provide, but we just learned in the very beginning of the Bible that Adam named the animals.  We all have to do our part!  Noah built the ark, Moses lifted the staff to part the Red Sea, David yanked back on that slingshot and let the stones fly straight into Goliath’s forehead, Hannah had to make love to her husband to get pregnant with the child God promised, and Christ Himself became human to save our souls.

We prepare, plan, battle, and pray, and God gives the victory. We have a job to do, and God does as well. The verse in the heading makes us responsible for saddling up the horse but puts the responsibility for the win in God's capable hands!

Amazing things happen when our measly selves partner with God.  Giants tumble and children of promise are born.   Obstacles that block our path move out of the way and entire families are saved!

What victory does God have for us today?  Better yet, what do we need to be preparing, planning, and praying over so God can bring the victory?

PRAYER: Dear Lord, We want to be ready, and the first step in any good battle plan is to pray.  Give us the wisdom to saddle up our “horses” to be effective in battle.  And thank You that the victory is in Your hands!  In Jesus’ name, AMEN~  

Surprise!

Mark 7:37 "People were overwhelmed with amazement. 'He has done everything well,' they said. 'He even makes the deaf hear and the mute speak.'"

Last night Rayray called me at 8 PM and asked me where I was.  I was about to take a bath because somehow - I totally blame myself - I thought the dinner she had invited me to was for tonight not last night.  I threw on my favorite t-shirt, put a whimpering Hershey Pie in his cage, hurried out the door with Jorge, and arrived 45 minutes late! 

To be honest, I sort of had a clue that we were invited in honor of our 30th wedding anniversary, which is today. And I was kind of relieved that the dinner was last night because what kind of child asks their parents to dinner on the actual day?  But it was still a night of surprises!

When we arrived, Hormone and his lovely wife, Lis, were there.  Shiny helium number 30 balloons were strung up. The girls, with full support of their husbands, had prepared our favorite foods, presented us with our favorite dessert, gifted us a family tree complete with pictures of each one of them and my granddogs, and even had a Q&A game for me and Jorge to play. When asked what my super power would be I replied, "I want to squish people." In retrospect, I should have said something better, but I was overwhelmed and feeling grateful and nostalgic, and then I started a teary-eyed speech about how much I love every one and they poo-pooed it saying I was too dramatic... Jorge's epic advice of the night was, "Pray and laugh every day." 

Nonetheless, surprises can be wonderful, and the Bible is full of them.

Surprise, Hannah,  you're finally having a baby!

Surprise, King Darius, Daniel is still alive even though you threw him in the Lion's den!

Surprise, Pharoah's daughter, there's a baby in this basket you just found in the river,  and he will grow up to deliver the Israelites!

Surprise, Mary, you are going to have  a baby, and He will be the Savior of the world!

Surprise, all you onlookers, Jesus makes the deaf hear and the mute speak!

Surprise, Peter, Jesus Christ, the King of kings and Lord of lords, is going to wash your feet!

Surprise, all you judgmental people, Jesus hangs out with sinners and protects adulterous women!

God always does the unexpected, but whatever it is, the Bible verse above tells us that He does everything well!  So as we pray today and every day,  let's embrace God's awesome unpredictability.  He will answer our prayers above and beyond our wildest dreams (see Ephesians 3:20),  and we should all live in holy anticipation of God doing something wonderful in our lives!

PRAYER: Dear Lord, Thank You that You surprise us in miraculous, wonderful ways.  We open our lives up to You today to receive more blessings than we ever imagined.  Many of us our praying about our families, jobs, health, emotional well-being, which direction to take, and relationships.  Whatever our need may be, surprise us with Your power, love, and might as You answer us.  Thank You that we can trust You to do everything well in our lives. In Jesus name, AMEN!

What Nerve!

Thursday greetings~

Today I am revising a DEVO originally published a few years ago.  May the Lord bless your soul as you read.

***

We all have something very beautiful and amazing in common: MOMS!  As we prepare to celebrate Mother's Day this weekend, let's take a look at one fabulous, inspiring mom from the Bible whose name is Hannah.

Hannah desperately longed for a baby, but she could not get pregnant. It was heartbreaking, and to make matters worse, another woman, who had the blessing of children, "taunted her cruelly" because of it ( I guess mean girls have always been a problem).  And, surprise surprise, her own husband didn't understand her. He was so thoughtful that in 1 Samuel 1:8 he actually asks her, "Don’t I mean more to you than ten sons?” 

Hannah did the wisest, most powerful thing she could do.

I Samuel 1:11-12, "Crushed in soul, Hannah prayed to God and cried and cried - inconsolably. 'Oh, God...take a good, hard look at my pain, go into action for me by giving me a son, I’ll give him completely, unreservedly to you. I’ll set him apart for a life of holy discipline.'"

Hannah prayed...And from what the verse above says, it was a desperate, no holds barred, anguished plea; it was also a mighty invitation.

GO INTO ACTION FOR ME!

That's kind of bold.  Little ole us telling Almighty God to take a good, hard look at our suffering and then demanding He do something about it? What nerve!

But that's precisely the kind of "nerve" God responds to.

By the time we get to verse 20 in this same chapter we read, "Before the year was out, Hannah had conceived and given birth to a son. She named him Samuel, explaining, 'I asked God for him.'”

This phrase, "before the year was out," really touches my heart and fills me with hope.  I have several prayer requests that I would love to see answered before the end of the year.

Do you? 

Then let's pray! 

PRAYER: Dear Lord, Thank You for moms. Some of our moms are in Your tender care, and we are grateful we will see them again. For those moms here on earth, bless them with long healthy lives. We also praise You for the bold language of the Bible; GO INTO ACTION FOR US.  I especially need to see Your power displayed in this area of my life _________________________, and may You grant my request before the year is out. In Jesus' name, AMEN~

My Praise Phrase

Greetings in the name of our generous Lord,

I Samuel 2:1-2 “My heart rejoices in the Lord! The Lord has made me strong. Now I have an answer for my enemies; I rejoice because You rescued me....No one is holy like the Lord! There is no one besides You; there is no Rock like our God. For all the earth is the LORD's, and He has laid out His operations on a firm foundation. He protectively cares for His faithful friends, step by step...No one will succeed by strength alone. The childless woman now has seven children. God will set things right all over the earth…”

The above-verses were gloriously uttered by Hannah – a woman whom God mightily blessed. She went from being barren and being made fun of to having seven children, including Samuel.  Samuel was so special that he has two books in the Bible named after him! Hanna’s words are powerful, and they are up for grabs, meaning we all have a praise phrase that we can utter.  First, we have to trust in the Lord.

My praise phrase goes like this: “My kids are finally settled into happy and healthy marriages!”  But please know that long before I had my praise phrase, there were plenty of tears, fears, and pleas to God for His help.  Thank God that He was willing and able to give me my praise phrase. And He is willing to give you one as well.  I Thessalonians 5:17 says, “Never stop praying.”  God wants us to keep on praying so He can keep on answering. 

One more thing! Hannah originally asked for one child. But God is so generous that He gave her six more beautiful children.  The same Lord Who went above and beyond for her is the same One Who will go above and beyond for us.

What would you like for your praise phrase to be?  Think about it, and let’s pray.

PRAYER: Dear Lord, Thank You that when we ask You to go into action for us, we can expect a praise phrase to follow.  I need Your help with ____________________________, and I thank You that I will soon declare that You rescued, strengthened, cared for and made things right for me! In Jesus’ name, AMEN, AMEN, AMEN!

What's Your Praise Phrase?

“My heart rejoices in the Lord! The Lord has made me strong. Now I have an answer for my enemies; I rejoice because You rescued me....No one is holy like the Lord! There is no one besides You; there is no Rock like our God. For all the earth is the LORD's, and He has laid out His operations on a firm foundation. He protectively cares for His faithful friends, step by step...No one will succeed by strength alone. The childless woman now has seven children. God will set things right all over the earth..."

I purposely sent out the same verse from Friday’s DEVO and highlighted the words above to get us all thinking about our own praise phrase.  Just this morning I spoke with a buddy whose praise phrase is, “My son’s medical issues are stabilizing, and I am trusting God for a complete recovery.”  Trust me when I tell you that long before she said those words to me, there were plenty of tears and fears and pleas for God to go into action for her.

I also shared one of my praise phrases, “My children are finally settled into happy and healthy marriages!”  But please know that long before I had my praise phrase, there were also plenty of tears, fears, and pleas to God for His help.

The take away for all of us is that God is willing and able to give us all a praise phrase.  Actually, He wants us to have a life filled with them.  I Thessalonians 5:17 says, “Never stop praying.”  God wants us to keep on praying so He can keep on answering.  And notice how generous God is.  Hannah asked for one son, and God gave her six more beautiful children.  The same Lord Who went above and beyond for her is the same One Who will go above and beyond for us.

What would you like for your praise phrase to be?  Think about it, and let’s pray.

PRAYER: Dear Lord, Thank You that when we ask You to go into action for us, we can expect a praise phrase to follow.  I need Your help with ____________________________, and I thank You that I will soon declare that You rescued, strengthened, cared and made things right for me! In Jesus’ name, AMEN~

A Prayer of Praise Will Follow~

TGIF Greetings :)

 

This past week I enjoyed a little get-a-way with my in-laws, affectionately known as Chini and Isa.  But Hannah's words - "Go into action for me" - and the Bible saying "God began making the necessary arrangements in response to what she had asked" - were front and center in my mind.  In between getting henna tattoos, posing for pictures all up and down the state of South Carolina, and even while taking a communal bubble bath, those words kept popping up in mind; they now hold a permanent place in my heart.

Even so, when Hannah initially prayed those words, her soul was crushed, and she was inconsolable.  But what a difference prayer makes!  Look at her prayer of praise after God answered her: (1 Samuel 2)

“My heart rejoices in the Lord! The Lord has made me strong. Now I have an answer for my enemies; I rejoice because You rescued me....No one is holy like the Lord! There is no one besides You; there is no Rock like our God. For all the earth is the LORD's, and He has laid out His operations on a firm foundation. He protectively cares for His faithful friends, step by step...No one will succeed by strength alone. The childless woman now has seven children. God will set things right all over the earth..."

Amen amen amen!  We may have moments when we think we will never enjoy life again, but if we can pray through our pain, a prayer of praise will follow! 
PRAYER: Dear Lord, We rejoice in You. You have made us strong. You rescue us. No one is Holy like You. You are our Rock. You care for us and our families. Thank You that You make it right!  In Jesus 'name, AMEN!

 

The Lord Has Granted my Petition~

Thursday greetings~

Today we revisit a woman named Hannah who was bold in her prayers. 

Hannah could not get pregnant, and it was heartbreaking.  To make matters worse, others in her community made fun of her because she didn’t have children.  (I guess mean girls have always existed), and surprise surprise, her own husband didn’t understand her.  “Don’t I mean more to you than 10 sons?” 1 Samuel 1:8. 

What did Hannah do?

1 Samuel 1:11-12, “Crushed in soul, Hannah prayed to God and cried and cried –   inconsolably.  ‘Oh God…take a good hard look at my pain, go into action for me by giving me a son.  I’ll give him completely, unreservedly to you.  I’ll set him apart for a life of holy discipline.’”

Hannah is crushed, and by now we know that her own husband doesn’t get it.  She could have nagged him, tried to get him to see it her way.  But Hannah shows us a better way.  Rather than complain that he is not meeting her needs, she goes straight to God and cries out to Him – not just telling Him how much it hurts, but also boldly asking Him to go into action for her.

When we are inconsolable, there is no one better to turn to than to God.  

And then we read verse 19 and learn that as Hannah and her husband made love, “God began making all the necessary arrangements in response to what she had asked.”

But wait a minute?  If Hannah asked God to go into action for her, why did she have to make love to get pregnant?

Sometimes we have to do something that is natural for God to move supernaturally.

It’s called taking a step of faith, and this is a principal we can apply to almost everything in life.

You want to get into a certain college?  God wants you to fill out the application first.

You need a job? God wants you to set up some interviews.

You want to get married?  God wants you to go out on a date and meet new people.

In other words, we pray, we take a step of faith, and then God acts accordingly.

Verse 20 says that “before the year was out, Hannah conceived and gave birth to a son.  She named him Samuel, which means, ‘I asked God for him.’”

This chapter concludes with Hannah joyfully testifying, “For this child I prayed, and the Lord has granted my petition.”

When we pray amazing things happen in our families.  Samuel grew up to be a mighty man of God who was powerful and prominent in his nation of Israel.  

One more thing.  Hannah went from having no kids to having three more sons and two daughters for a total of six. AMEN!

PRAYER: Dear Lord, We have learned that in order for You to grant a petition, we have to offer it up.  So we pray today and ask You to go into action for us just like You did for Hannah.  Here is my specific petition for You: _________________________________. I have prayed, show me how and when to take a step of faith, and thank You that You will act accordingly.  In Jesus’ name, AMEN~