His Plan is Best~

Greetings~

This is one of my favorite verses in the Bible: Jeremiah 29:11 "'For I know the plans I have for you,'" declares the LORD, "'plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.'"

This verse is such a comforting and beautiful promise for all God's children.  No matter what is going on in your life right now, you can boldly say that God is on your side.  He is all about setting you up to bless you, not harm you.  To give you hope, not despair. To give you something to look forward to, not leave you perpetually crashing into one dead end after another.

Ooohhh--I can hear some of you lamenting, "God's plan is not happening for me.  I am not prospering.  I am under a lot of stress. I am hopeless..." 

Hit the brakes, people!  Let's break it down, okay? 

The very first thing we learn from this verse is that the plans belong to God.  

It doesn't say, "I know the plans I have for myself," declares Yenise, "plans to prosper myself..."

This does not mean I don't have plans.  I do – lots of them.  But right now I am quaking in my ankle socks just thinking about what would have happened if I could have somehow exerted control over Rayray's life and sent her to school in 2012.  She had graduated with her bachelor's in April and was ready to start grad school right away.  She did not want any time off, and was looking forward to starting her master's program. However, a clerical error was to blame for her having to defer enrollment for one extra year, which was not part of my plan nor hers either. And at the time, I called, cajoled, and cried to the admissions committee, even had a minor temper tantrum, but they would not budge.

The worse part was that I remember hanging up the phone feeling so smug – thinking to myself, "You won't budge?  Fine.  But you'll see; I know Someone Who will make you."

I turned to God and pleaded with Him to move the red-tape mountain.  I asked Him to unholster His heavenly guns and cause a ruckus.  I begged Him move the hearts of the inept ding dongs who messed up.  

Crikey! NOTHING HAPPENED.  

Except that all along God was busy behind the scenes setting us up to bless us. When we couldn't see how it would work out, He could.  When neither Rayray nor I could think of one good reason for this inopportune delay, He could. Rayray wound up working as a high school volleyball coach when she didn’t get into grad school.  That’s how she met her future husband. God always knew His plan was best.   And He also knew that we would eventually come to our senses and thank Him for being in control.  (The older and wiser we get, the more quickly this happens).  He knew that we would re-embrace this life of faith and accept that our way of thinking must take a bow to His will for our life.  

Sometimes that can be difficult because we are just so sure that everything would be better if ________ (fill in the blank).

What did you fill in the blank with?  I am not saying to let it go completely. After all, Rayray did eventually start grad school.  In fact, she is graduating in a few months. What I am saying, however, is that God knows best, including the timing of things.  If you're still waiting for something or someone, or if your dreams are on hold or even non-existent, let's take a step of faith together and embrace God's plans.

Ecclesiastes 3:11 "It is beautiful how God has done everything at the right time."     

PRAYER: Dear Lord, If we're being honest, sometimes it's hard to believe that Your plans are best.  There are things You have allowed that we would not have chosen for ourselves. But today, as one big DEVO family, we take a step of faith straight toward You and thank You that You are in control.  Nothing and no one else has a say in our lives.  We open our arms wide to receive all the good You desire to do in us and in those we love, and we find comfort in knowing You have perfect timing.  In Jesus' name, AMEN~     

ASAP!

Greetings,
 
This past Saturday Jorge and I finished a 40-day prayer adventure.  It was a time of joy as we realized that no one else on this planet cares about our needs and our children’s needs more than we two do, so who better than us to pray together!  (I highly recommend Draw the Circle: The 40 Day Prayer Challenge by Mark Batterson). One thing that kept coming up was our desire to see our prayers answered ASAP. But aren’t we all kind of the same?  We want what we want, and we want it now!
 
Our Lord, however, makes it clear in Acts 1:7 that “You don’t get to know the time. Timing is the Father’s business (The Message Version).”
 
Knowing when a prayer is going to be answered is none of our business; it’s God’s business.
 
Well, that’s a little discouraging until we read verse eight, “What you’ll get is the Holy Spirit. And when the Holy Spirit comes on you, you will be able to be my witnesses in Jerusalem, all over Judea and Samaria, even to the ends of the world.” 

Even though we don’t get to know the time, we get something better.  We get the Holy Spirit.  Who is the Holy Spirit?  He is that part of the Trinity Who guides us, leads us, empowers us, comforts us, teaches us to pray, washes us, brings unity, sets us free, reveals the deep things of God to us, speaks to us, strengthens us, gives us access to God, infuses us with joy and more…

The disciples received Him and were empowered to be Christ’s witnesses to the ends of the world.  And when we get Him, when He comes on us, we will be able to (fill in the blank). I highlighted that part of the verse above and then again in this paragraph to draw attention to the fact that there are certain things we will only be able to do because we have the Holy Spirit’s help.  

Do you need to be able to forgive someone? Know what decision to make regarding a business matter or relationship issue? Do you need strength for a crisis you are facing?  Does your hope need restoring? No matter what it is, as we leave the timing of our answers to the Lord, we must embrace the power of the Holy Spirit in our lives.  Having Him is better than knowing when.

PRAYER: Dear Lord, Thank You so much for giving us the Holy Spirit Who empowers us to live a blessed life.  We welcome Him into our lives ASAP and are ready to receive all the good He is wants to do in us and for us.  Fill us now with the joy that comes from having Him in our lives.  We know You know how impatient we can be while waiting for answers, but even as we wait we pray for renewed strength from the Holy Spirit.  In Jesus’ name, AMEN~

God's Way~

Wednesday Greetings~

 

Jeremiah 29:11 "For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future."

This verse is such a comforting and beautiful promise for all God's children.  No matter what is going on in your life right now, you can boldly say that God is on your side.  He is all about setting you up to bless you, not harm you.  To give you hope, not despair. To give you the something to look forward to, not leave you perpetually crashing into one dead end after dead end.

Oooohhhh--I can hear some of you lamenting, "God's plan is not happening for me.  I am not prospering.  I am under a lot of stress. I am hopeless..."

Hit the brakes, people!  Let's break it down, yes? 

The very first thing we learn from this verse is that the plans belong to God.  

It doesn't say, "I know the plans I have for myself," declares Yenise, "plans to prosper myself..."

This does not mean I don't have plans.  I do--lots of them.  And right now I am quaking in my ankle socks just thinking about what would have happened if I could have somehow exerted control over Rayray's life and sent her to school last year.  And don't think I didn't try.  I called and cajoled and cried to them, but they wouldn't budge.  (I may have initially had a minor temper tantrum).

I was so smug--thinking to myself, "You won't budge?  Fine.  But you'll see; I know Someone Who will make you."

I turned to God and pleaded with Him to move the red-tape mountain.  I asked Him to unholster His heavenly guns and cause a ruckus.  I begged Him move the hearts of the inept ding dongs who messed up. 

Crikey! NOTHING HAPPENED.  

Except that all along God was busy behind the scenes setting us up to bless us.  When we couldn't see how it would work out, He could.  He always knew His plan was best.   And He also knew that we would eventually comes to our senses and thank Him for being in control.  (The older and wiser we get, the more quickly this happens).  He knew that we would re-embrace this life of faith and accept that our way of thinking must take a bow to His will for our life.  

Sometimes that can be difficult because we are just so sure that everything would be better if ________ (fill in the blank).

What did you fill in the blank with?  I am not saying to let it go completely.  After all, Rayray is in school this year.  I am saying, however, that God knows best, including the timing of things.  If you're still waiting for something or someone, or if your dreams are on hold or even non-existent, let's take a step of faith together and embrace God's plans.

Ecclesiastes 3:11 "It is beautiful how God has done everything at the right time."     

PRAYER: Dear Lord,  If we're being honest, sometimes it's hard to believe that Your plans are best.  There are things You have allowed that we would not have chosen for ourselves.  But today, as one big DEVO family, we take a step of faith straight toward You and thank You that You are in control.  Nothing and no one else has a say in our lives.  We open our arms wide to receive all the good You desire to do in us and in those we love, and we find comfort in knowing You have perfect timing.  In Jesus' name, AMEN~     

Timing is Key~

Greetings:)

 

Proverbs 25:11 "A word spoken at the right time is like gold apples on a silver tray."

 

OK--Today I need to clarify because one of you lovely and precious children of God wrote back to me to say that you have tried repeatedly to "impress" God into the heart of your teenager, but all you have gotten are hostile stares, and one time, you swear you were almost physically attacked.

 

After a little more digging, you and I discovered that your timing might be off--just a tad. Maybe right when they wake up and are in a hurry to get to school on time and can't find matching socks is not the best moment to declare, "Jesus is your friend; don't disappoint Him!"

 

When I said yesterday that if I were to have waited until my children were receptive before speaking..., it was meant largely as a joke in order to make a point. The point being that there will be times when you have to speak up no matter what.

 

But in the grand scheme, we all instinctively know when our kids or husbands or friends or relatives are in the right frame of mind to hear what we have to say.

 

When Rayray was in 10th grade her very best friend in the whole wide world was diagnosed with a brain tumor. (Breathe a sigh of relief right now because it turned out to be benign, and she is perfectly healthy today).

 

It was a mega scary time for everyone, and Rayray camped out by her friend's side--at one point even sleeping on the waiting room floor--for two weeks until she was released from the hospital. She would not leave her friend's side, and I remember thinking at the time that Rayray is going to take good care of me when I am geriatric.

 

To say that Rayray was exhausted is an understatement. She was emotionally and physically spent, and I reigned in the Jesus talk.

 

"Mom is praying for you and your buddy"...is about all I said. And even when Rayray came to me one night and was crying her eyes out and wondering whether her friend would be OK, I did not, I repeat, I did not sermonize the moment and rant on and on about getting a grip--Jesus heals--He's in control...

 

In other words, sometimes we impress our kids and others the most when we just hug it out instead of talking it over.

 

A few weeks after everything happened, when Rayray was relieved and happy to have her buddy back, we went over everything that happened and concluded that God deserves the highest of praise, or as the young folk might say, the highest of props.

 

We thanked Him so very very much for the postivive outcome, and Rayray came away with a little treasure impressed on her heart that God hears the heartfelt, desperate prayers of two teenaged gal pals. Glory and Hallelujah!

 

PRAYER: Dear Lord, Give us wisdom. Help us to speak at the right moment. There is so much we want to say sometimes, but we must be wise not to overdo it. Help us to remember that saying the right thing is only valuable when said at the right time; it's a beautiful and lovely thing. In Jesus' name, AMEN~