Prayers of My Heart

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One day while writing, I wondered in anticipation what words the Lord would give to me next. How ready are you for God to work in your life? What are you doing that shows your readiness and your anticipation? Knowing that God sees us and responds to our drawing near to Him should encourage us to live anticipatory lives. We anticipate Christmas. We anticipate Easter. Why not anticipate God? I believe the disciples lived anticipatory lives. They had seen Jesus do miracles so why should He not continue them? If you want to live a more anticipatory life where you see God working, begin recording the daily praise from my email devotional, “365 Days of Praise” in Prayers of My Heart.  Ask God to make His character more real to you. Watch for how He’s working in your life. Go through your day in anticipation of what God is going to do.

Happy New Year! By the way, who was it that decided time would be marked by years? Hmmm – have you ever thought about that and that when we celebrate a new year, we’re celebrating what our Almighty Creator established?  Yes, Genesis 1:14 states that at the creation of the world, God said,

Let there be lights in the expanse of the heavens to separate the day from the night, and let them be for signs and for seasons and for days and years. 

“Year” and “years” are mentioned over 800 times in the Bible. The Bible records the number or years people lived, the years people were in captivity, the number of years rulers reigned, and on and on. In God’s eyes, the first day of a new year is not simply another day. It has past, present, and future value.  Consider a sampling of how God keeps note of years:

Genesis 7:11 In the six hundredth year of Noah’s life, in the second month, on the seventeenth day of the month, on the same day all the fountains of the great deep burst open, and the floodgates of the sky were opened.

Genesis 18:14 Is anything too difficult for the LORD? At the appointed time I will return to you, at this time next year, and Sarah will have a son.”

Leviticus 27:24 ‘In the year of jubilee the field shall return to the one from whom he bought it,

Numbers 10:11 Now in the second year, in the second month, on the twentieth of the month, the cloud was lifted from over the tabernacle of the testimony

2 Kings 25:27 Now it came about in the thirty-seventh year of the exile of Jehoiachin king of Judah

1 Samuel 27:7 The number of days that David lived in the country of thePhilistines was a year and four months.

Isaiah 6:1 In the year of King Uzziah’s death I saw the Lord sitting on a throne, …with the train of His robe filling the temple.

Years have significance to our Heavenly Father. He ordains events for certain years. He marks them. He takes note of them and uses people who are sensitive to His call. Rather than letting today come and go with perhaps some passing thoughts about resolutions, let’s pray to our Heavenly Father with anticipation about what He has in store for this year and how we can be a part of what He is accomplishing.

Heavenly Father, how exciting that You, Creator God, set years, months, and days in which to accomplish Your will. Use us! Let us be a part of the unfolding of Your eternal plan.  

Prayers of My Heart

Do you ever wonder who you can believe? One person says one thing and another claims the opposite. Yes, it can sometimes be difficult to know who to believe, but not in the case of Jesus’s words.  Revelation 1:5 describes Jesus Christ as “the faithful witness, the firstborn of the dead, and the ruler of the kings of the earth. To Him who loves us and released us from our sins by His blood-” Jesus is a faithful witness. A witness of what? He witnessed to us about heaven, His Father, about angels, crowns of righteousness awaiting believers, resurrection bodies, thrones, powers, kingdoms, the judgment seat, forgiveness, redemption, His Father’s house, and about Satan. Jesus testified about the fact that Abraham, Noah, Moses, and Jonah were real people and the Old Testament is true. Our confidence in the Bible and its teachings solidly rests on Christ because He is a faithful witness to us that they are true.

Lord Jesus, we praise You, the faithful WITNESS! Thank You for the confidence we have in the Bible and You because of Your word.

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Happy Thanksgiving, friends!

One of the things I love about the change in seasons is it’s such a reminder that whatever we’re experiencing or whatever we’re going through, it is just that – a season. It doesn’t mean that things are always going to stay that way. We must never feel stuck. 

I’d like to invite you to join me in a Thanksgiving blessing. Regardless of where we are – alone or with family and friends, whatever our circumstance, Psalm 136:1-9 points out the things for which we can be thankful. 

In this Psalm, after each statement of thanksgiving, we’re invited to join in a chorus and say, “For His lovingkindness is ever lasting.” So please join me after each statement and say, “For His lovingkindness is ever lasting.”

Psalm 136:1-9

Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good,

For His lovingkindness is everlasting.

Give thanks to the God of gods,

For His lovingkindness is everlasting.

Give thanks to the Lord of lords,

For His lovingkindness is everlasting.

To Him who alone does great wonders,

For His lovingkindness is everlasting;

To Him who made the heavens with skill,

For His lovingkindness is everlasting;

To Him who spread out the earth above the waters,

For His lovingkindness is everlasting;

To Him who made the great lights,

For His lovingkindness is everlasting:

The sun to rule by day,

For His lovingkindness is everlasting,

The moon and stars to rule by night,

For His lovingkindness is everlasting.

What a great truth from the Lord for us to remember during this Thanksgiving season when we may not have much else for which we can say, “I’m so thankful for this.” There are many things for which we may not be thankful. But for the things we just read as well as many other things, we can say, “Give thanks to the Lord for….”

During this Thanksgiving season, I invite you to join me in focusing our minds, hearts, spirits, and souls on that for which we can be thankful. 

We have a wonderful God who made the heavens and earth, who brings us the seasons that are a reminder that just as the seasons change, things in our life change. We can always know that God is constant, faithful, and above all rulers and all authorities. We we will one day see Him, and it will make this time on earth a blink in light of eternity. 

So, sweet friends, give yourself a hug from me and tell your Heavenly Father thank you for His loving kindness that is everlasting. 

God bless you and Happy Thanksgiving. 

LISTEN

LISTEN

“I don’t know what to do.” How many times have you said or thought that? Perhaps you’re trying to figure out your finances. Maybe you’re at a crossroads in life and trying to figure out God’s will. Or maybe there’s a personal or business relationship that’s troubling you that needs to be handled in the wisest of ways. Whether you’re wondering whether to take your child to the doctor or your question is of another nature, look to Jesus. Why? We’ve seen in other Scriptures how Jesus is a treasure that we have within us. But Colossians 2:2b-3 gives us more insight. It says that all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge are hidden in Jesus. Ponder what that means for you. Talk to Jesus. Look to Him. Listen to Jesus. Record what He tells you to do. Follow up on His instructions. Walk in the wisdom and knowledge you have in Jesus. It’s an incredible blessing that would be a shame to miss and can help prevent future heartbreaks.

TIP: Each morning after recording God’s attribute in the first column of Prayers of My Heart  and interceding for others, I record God’s “prayer prompt” of what He wants me to do in the ‘Meditations, Notes, and Prayers’ section. Yes, God has things for us to do. When we pause with pen in hand, we’re positioned to listen to God and do what He places on our heart. Returning to celebrate the wisdom of Christ’s ways increases the joy in our hearts. Walk daily by the Treasury of Wisdom you have in Christ Jesus. 

Prayers of My Heart is a meaningful gift for family, friends, teachers, and Bible study group members.

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Do you ever save a note someone has written you? I have a special one that my daughter wrote to me when she was five. It says, “Have fun with God and practicing BSF, ” a Bible Study I taught at that time. Lauren associated me having fun teaching a Bible study in the same way she had fun at her dance class. It raises a good question. Do we have fun with God? No doubt the disciples did when followed Jesus’s advice and threw their fishing net where He showed them. They had so many fish they could barely haul them to shore! Although life has hard and sorrowful times, as believers we should also know the joy of the Lord, as Galatians 5:22 explains. How can you experience more joy? Daily record ways God is working in your life and those for whom you pray. You’ll experience an increase in joy when you do. Get more tips for a joy-filled life.

Have you ever been driving and keeping your eyes on the road before you when suddenly a car came up too fast behind you? If so, do you remember the startling feeling? Do you remember hoping the driver would slow down rather than rear-end you? Often, we speak of the Lord leading us, but Isaiah 52:12 also speaks of the Lord as watching out for our back.

... the Lord will go before you, and the God of Israel will be your REAR GUARD.

In this verse God is referred to as a rearguard when the Israelites escaped Egyptian bondage. God is also our rear guard. He watches over us, leads us, and not until heaven will we know how many times He’s protected us from encroaching evil and danger. Just as it was important for Moses and the Israelites to pay attention to and follow God’s instructions, it’s important for us to pay attention and follow His instructions. How do His warnings and instructions come to us? In the Bible and the Holy Spirit’s promptings. How well are we paying attention with a grateful heart?

Lord, thank You for being our REAR GUARD and for all the ways You watch over us and protect us. Help us be ever sensitive to Your promptings. We love You so much. 

Do you ever find something to be beyond difficult? If so, I can relate. I’ve often found myself in “over my head.” I wanted to quit. Many of the things we find difficult are not those we can or should give up on. Our marriage, parenting, families, job, health, church, and friendships all require commitment. When we find them to be difficult, we can remember what Jeremiah 32:17 says, that with God NOTHING IS TOO DIFFICULT.

Ah LORD GOD! Behold, You have made the heavens and the earth by Your great power and by Your outstretched arm! NOTHING IS TOO DIFFICULT FOR YOU.

Isn’t that a great verse? I hope it makes you smile. It does me. God wants us to know “He’s got this.” It’s an incredible reminder that instead of cratering when we’re under pressure, we can call on God who “made the heavens and earth by His great power and outstretched arm.” He can help us with whatever we’re facing. He wants to help us! Call on Him now. Then, prayerfully record in Prayers of My Heart the things weighing you down. Ask God for wisdom for how to handle them. Then, be sure and record how He guides you in the “Meditations, Notes, and Prayer” section of your journal. Date and record your thanks to Him as He walks you through each day.

LORD, NOTHING IS TOO DIFFICULT FOR YOU! Thank You for Your presence, Your power, and You’re provision. We love you!