God is There, Listening for All~

What’s worse than getting stuck in an elevator?  How about getting stuck in an elevator with a roach?

Yes, dear ones, it happened to me.  There are four things that really freak me out: Roaches, rats, snakes, and sharks.  Roaches are number one because I see more of them than the other three.  

So there I was stuck in the elevator with a huge two-inch roach, and it may as well have been an escaped convict.  I was terrified, and of course the space was limited, so it scurried around trying to avoid me too and came close – too close – so I screamed bloody murder.

Not my finest moment, but amen and glory, someone hit a switch somewhere and the door soon opened.  I ran out and never did find out if the roach made it.  Don’t honestly care.

I have zero doubt that God heard my, “JESUS, HELP ME!”

But I will admit there may have been a time when I would have had to scream saying: “DEAR GOD, I KNOW I HAVEN’T TALKED TO YOU IN A WHILE BUT I NEED YOU.  ARE YOU THERE? I AM IN THE MIDDLE OF A CRISIS AND COULD USE YOUR HELP!”

Look at how long it took to read all that.  By the time I would have finished praying, the roach could have started munching on my nails.  Yes, people, roaches eat nails and hair.

God always hears us when we cry out.  But we are the ones who feel the barrier because we don’t make prayer a habit, and that’s when we start our prayers with excuses and/or apologies. 

It is kind of awkward to run into someone for the first time in six months and ask for a favor without at least finding out how they are doing.  But our Lord is not just any someone.  The Bible says in Psalm 145:18, “God’s there, listening for all who pray, for all who pray and mean it.”

I highlighted the word “all” because God is there, right there, waiting for you and me and anyone else who prays and means it.  It is never a question of how we feel, or what we think, but rather an acceptance of this truth – that God is always right there, wherever we are, listening for us.

PRAYER:  Dear Lord, Thank You for always listening out for us.  It is reassuring to know that You are always so close to us.  We need you, and we mean it!  In Jesus’ name, AMEN~

Adrenaline for Our Souls~

Happy Tuesday, dear and beautiful children of God~

 

I woke up this morning to the reminder that today is the one-year anniversary of the Boston bombing.  Somedays the bad news and suffering seem relentless.  And honestly, we do not have to turn on the national news to be reminded of all the junk in life; we’ve all gone through something or are currently in the midst of something.  Our struggles can be small or they can be big.  The point is they are real, and they cause upheaval in our lives.  How are we to cope?  It is not very practical to disengage from life, retreat to a room, cover our head with a lavender-scented pillow, snuggle under a blanket, and wait until the glory.    

 

Hebrews 12:2-3 “Keep your eyes on Jesus, who both began and finished this race we’re in. Study how He did it. Because He never lost sight of where He was headed - that exhilarating finish in and with God - He could put up with anything along the way: Cross, shame, whatever. And now He’s there, in the place of honor, right alongside God. When you find yourselves flagging in your faith, go over that story again, item by item, that long litany of hostility He plowed through. That will shoot adrenaline into your souls!”

 

Part one: “Keep your eyes on Jesus!” 

 

We keep our eyes on Him by studying how He lived, and the most important thing He did was pray.

 

He prayed when He was alone, when He was with others, before He ate, before healing others, at His own baptism, in the morning, before walking on the water, and at the Lord’s supper.  He prayed over the little children, in the Garden before the betrayal, and once pulled an all nighter before choosing the 12 disciples.  While being nailed onto the cross He prayed, while suffering on the cross He prayed, and in His dying breath He prayed, “Father, into Your hands I entrust my spirit.”  In fact, He is still praying – right now – for you and for me.  Romans 8:34 “Christ Jesus died for us and was raised to life for us, and He is sitting in the place of honor at God’s right hand, pleading for us.”

 

In other words, it’s always a good time to pray – to have a little conversation with our Lord.  This is one of many aspects that “will shoot adrenaline into our souls!” 

 

PRAYER: Dear Lord, We are excited to pray today.  By following Christ’s example, we are strengthening our faith.  We could all use a shot of adrenaline!  Help us plow through.  In His blessed and risen name we pray, AMEN~

Let's Jump~

Good afternoon~

Mark 10:51 "Bartimaeus threw aside his coat, jumped up, and came to Jesus."

All of Batimaeus' actions show he was eager to go to the Lord. He didn't casually stand up, or stretch his arms, or take a moment to fold his coat. He tossed the garment and jumped! Other versions say he leaped up, sprang up, and got on his feet at once! How could you not get excited about an invitation to pour out your troubles with the greatest Man Who ever lived?

And yet, I will be the first to admit that I haven't always been excited about going to Christ. Shame on me!!! We have been given the awesome privilege of direct access to the Almighty Creator of heaven and earth - the One Whom has all the power for everything we need - the One Whom according to Ephesians 3:20 "...is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine." He wants a vibrant relationship with little ole' us. He desires to lead us and bless us, and I, well, there have been days when I didn't even pray.

What? Yes, you read that right: There have been days when I didn't even pray.

Trying to raise my kids, however, really helped me prioritize my prayer life, and prayerless days are honestly a thing of the past. I love Him too much, and I need Him too much. Bartimaeus reminds us all that we should be excited and in a hurry to meet up with Jesus. He has stopped, is waiting for us, and ready to do something awesome! Let's jump!

Prayer: Dear Lord, We come to You today with our hearts open to receive Your love, goodness, guidance, and protection. Forgive us for those times when we were slow to come or didn't come at all. We must have temporarily forgotten Who You are: The Best of the Best! In Jesus' name, AMEN~

The Talking Woodpecker~

This morning I woke up to a constant and loud tap tap tap at my bedroom window. I opened the shutter to see a woodpecker with the most beautiful red crest pecking away. I was temporarily awestruck, and then I realized that it might actually break the window. I tried shooing it away, but it would not leave. I physically went outside, and that's when the woodpecker started flying toward me. I froze for a second then started flailing my arms to scare it away. The woodpecker was not deterred. Rather, it came closer and closer. I turned to run back inside the house and tripped on the front steps of my porch. I almost had a panic attack as I saw the woodpecker approaching again. It flew straight to my ear and said, "Help! I have nothing to eat!"

NOT! A bird will never ask us for food!

Matthew 6:26
"Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they?"

We, dear people, are much more valuable than the birds. This means that God will care for our every need. Going back to this week's DEVO topic, we have been focusing on prayer. And believe it or not, there is still so much more richness to the verses we have been studying, so we will continue next week. But I have received so many emails about various concerns that today is all about encouraging you to keep on praying.

The verse that follows verse 26 above states:
Verse 27: "Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life?"

If that were the case I might live to be 1,000 years old :(

But I have learned and am still learning that asking God for His kingdom to come into the middle of my problem is the first step toward eliminating worry. God, in His incomparable wisdom, set up the universe to include our prayers as part of what gets Him to move on earth with His power. If we can somehow get this truth into our lives we will realize that whenever we face a problem or difficulty, we do not have to sit around not knowing what to expect. We can get involved through prayer.

If you, your spouse, your child, or one of your relatives or friends is having a crisis or problem, activate verse 33:

"But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well."

"All these things," are whatever you need to thrive and survive physically, emotionally, mentally, and spiritually.

What is the first thing we should all be doing?

PRAYER:
Dear Lord, Thank You that You are our very first and finest source of EVERYTHING we need. We have decided not to worry, but rather to seek You and invite You and Your power to transform our lives. ________ needs ________ today. If You so freely take care of the birds, and if we are more precious to You than they, then we know that we know that we shall receive today that which we have prayed for. In Jesus' name, AMEN~