Psalm 139:16 ...All the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be.
God wrote my story. And He wrote your story. Could you imagine what our life story would be if we followed God's will completely? The story of our journey would be breathtaking. Oh, to live out the book He has written for us!
Two years ago, God wrote a chapter in my book of life that transformed me. I would like to share that chapter with you. All you need to do is to sit down in a comfortable chair with a cup of coffee or tea and open the page on the front of the blog. I pray that the testimony of how He became my Center will bless you.
Dear Heavenly Father, I pray that my testimony pleases You, and I pray for each person who decides to read my story -- one of healing and restoration which You lovingly wrote for me. You showed me that Your Presence is absolutely undeniable in our lives. I pray that whoever chooses to read about that amazing year will be blessed. Amen.
Wednesday, January 30, 2013
Monday, January 21, 2013
He Hears Each Prayer
Psalm 17:6 I call on you, my God, for you will answer me; turn your ear to me and hear my prayer.
Psalm 141: 2 May my prayer be set before you like incense; may the lifting up of my hands be like the evening sacrifice.
God hears our prayers. He hears our prayers as we lift our voices, no matter where we are in our walk with Him. I have a friend who prays so beautifully it is like listening to poetry... I love to just close my eyes and listen. Her words of prayer come from a deep love and relationship with her Heavenly Father and I am blessed to hear her heart as she prays. I also have dear friends who prefer to pray silently... in quiet, sweet communication with their Father in Heaven. I am also truly blessed to hear my children pray. I loved their prayers when they were very small -- sweet, simple, and innocent. And I love to hear their prayers now as teenagers -- pure, straightforward, and truthful.
Oh, I can just picture God listening to all these prayers! I can picture Him smiling and listening intently. He's listening to the silent prayers, just as intently as the beautiful poetic prayers. He's listening to the seasoned prayers of a "prayer warrior." And He's listening carefully to the halting prayer of the person who is lifting their prayer to the LORD for the very first time. Yes, our Heavenly Father hears our prayers. Yes, He hears each and every one.
Dear Heavenly Father, I thank You for prayer. LORD, I am so humbled that You have provided a way for us to communicate with You, our Creator! I am so thankful that You hear our prayers, and they are all important to You. Each prayer is like incense to You... each one is pleasing... each one is heard. I am so very thankful that You turn Your ear to us and meet with us wherever we are. Amen.
Psalm 141: 2 May my prayer be set before you like incense; may the lifting up of my hands be like the evening sacrifice.
God hears our prayers. He hears our prayers as we lift our voices, no matter where we are in our walk with Him. I have a friend who prays so beautifully it is like listening to poetry... I love to just close my eyes and listen. Her words of prayer come from a deep love and relationship with her Heavenly Father and I am blessed to hear her heart as she prays. I also have dear friends who prefer to pray silently... in quiet, sweet communication with their Father in Heaven. I am also truly blessed to hear my children pray. I loved their prayers when they were very small -- sweet, simple, and innocent. And I love to hear their prayers now as teenagers -- pure, straightforward, and truthful.
Oh, I can just picture God listening to all these prayers! I can picture Him smiling and listening intently. He's listening to the silent prayers, just as intently as the beautiful poetic prayers. He's listening to the seasoned prayers of a "prayer warrior." And He's listening carefully to the halting prayer of the person who is lifting their prayer to the LORD for the very first time. Yes, our Heavenly Father hears our prayers. Yes, He hears each and every one.
Dear Heavenly Father, I thank You for prayer. LORD, I am so humbled that You have provided a way for us to communicate with You, our Creator! I am so thankful that You hear our prayers, and they are all important to You. Each prayer is like incense to You... each one is pleasing... each one is heard. I am so very thankful that You turn Your ear to us and meet with us wherever we are. Amen.
Saturday, January 12, 2013
I Will Walk Among You
Leviticus 26:11-12 I will live among you. I will not turn away from you. I will walk among you. I will be your God. And you will be my people. (NIRV)
Isaiah 7:14 Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel.
John 14:15-18 If you love me, you will obey what I command. And I will ask the Father and he will give you another Counselor to be with you forever -- the Spirit of truth. The world cannot accept him, because it neither sees him nor knows him. But you know him, for he lives with you and will be in you. I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you.
Revelation 21:3-5 And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, "Now the dwelling of God is with men, and he will live with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away. He who was seated on the throne said, "I am making everything new!" Then he said, "Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true."
Sometimes Bible verses just seem to leap off the page and into your heart and mind. Years ago, earlier in my journey with the LORD, I remember coming across a verse in Leviticus. It talked about God living and walking among us. Oh, I really liked this verse! It gave me a sense of peace. I quickly wrote it down on a little post-it note and carried it around in my car for a long time. The verse didn't say God was high above us, looking down upon His creation with minimal involvement. No, it didn't say that at all. It said He walks and lives among us. I found this verse at time in my journey when I was unsure of His level of involvement in our lives. Yes, I knew God was involved, but how much? Did He only get involved in the really big things of life? Did God hear all our prayers?
Immanuel... God with us. As I read and studied the Bible and grew in my knowledge and in my relationship with Him, I saw that this was indeed a consistent promise from God throughout the Old and New Testaments. And I learned...
Yes! Without a doubt, God is involved in our lives and He is with us. Our Heavenly Father is involved in the big things and the little things. Psalm 139 clearly tells us He knows us completely. Right down to the details of our thoughts and even our movements before we make them. We are told He is behind and before us, hemming us in. Yes, yes, yes, He is with us! He is our God, and we are His people. And Jesus is our Savior... and the Holy Spirit is our wonderful Counselor. Father, Son and Holy Spirit... dwelling among us.
In my last post, I encouraged you to open the door and invite God in. But don't just crack open the door a little bit, peeking around the corner, only letting just a hint of His Glory into your life. I encourage you to throw open the door, and wholeheartedly invite Him in! Jesus told us in Matthew 22:37 that this is the first and greatest commandment: "Love the LORD your God with all your heart, and with all your soul and with all your mind." When you throw open the door to Him, loving Him with all your heart, soul and mind, the LORD will truly transform your life. You will know He walks with you. You will know He dwells with You. You will know His loving Presence.
Dear Heavenly Father, what a joy it is to walk with You! I am so humbled to know that You are so deeply involved in my life. You are engaged in everything I do. LORD, I want to always throw open the door to You; loving You with all my heart, soul and mind. Thank You for Your Word which promises that You will dwell with me -- always. Oh, what comfort and peace that promise brings! In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.
Isaiah 7:14 Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel.
John 14:15-18 If you love me, you will obey what I command. And I will ask the Father and he will give you another Counselor to be with you forever -- the Spirit of truth. The world cannot accept him, because it neither sees him nor knows him. But you know him, for he lives with you and will be in you. I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you.
Revelation 21:3-5 And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, "Now the dwelling of God is with men, and he will live with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away. He who was seated on the throne said, "I am making everything new!" Then he said, "Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true."
Sometimes Bible verses just seem to leap off the page and into your heart and mind. Years ago, earlier in my journey with the LORD, I remember coming across a verse in Leviticus. It talked about God living and walking among us. Oh, I really liked this verse! It gave me a sense of peace. I quickly wrote it down on a little post-it note and carried it around in my car for a long time. The verse didn't say God was high above us, looking down upon His creation with minimal involvement. No, it didn't say that at all. It said He walks and lives among us. I found this verse at time in my journey when I was unsure of His level of involvement in our lives. Yes, I knew God was involved, but how much? Did He only get involved in the really big things of life? Did God hear all our prayers?
Immanuel... God with us. As I read and studied the Bible and grew in my knowledge and in my relationship with Him, I saw that this was indeed a consistent promise from God throughout the Old and New Testaments. And I learned...
Yes! Without a doubt, God is involved in our lives and He is with us. Our Heavenly Father is involved in the big things and the little things. Psalm 139 clearly tells us He knows us completely. Right down to the details of our thoughts and even our movements before we make them. We are told He is behind and before us, hemming us in. Yes, yes, yes, He is with us! He is our God, and we are His people. And Jesus is our Savior... and the Holy Spirit is our wonderful Counselor. Father, Son and Holy Spirit... dwelling among us.
In my last post, I encouraged you to open the door and invite God in. But don't just crack open the door a little bit, peeking around the corner, only letting just a hint of His Glory into your life. I encourage you to throw open the door, and wholeheartedly invite Him in! Jesus told us in Matthew 22:37 that this is the first and greatest commandment: "Love the LORD your God with all your heart, and with all your soul and with all your mind." When you throw open the door to Him, loving Him with all your heart, soul and mind, the LORD will truly transform your life. You will know He walks with you. You will know He dwells with You. You will know His loving Presence.
Thursday, January 3, 2013
Filling Your Tank
Luke 10:39-41 She (Martha) had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord's feet listening to what he said. But Martha was distracted by the preparations that had to be made... "Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her."
Revelation 3:20 Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with him, and he with me.
Oh, I did it again... I emptied my tank! I can just imagine God patiently waiting for me, watching me, as I run here and there, being busy. Yes, over the past month I've truly tried to spend time with Him daily, but I have to admit that many days it was not the quality time He deserves. Time with Him was squeezed out of my day and my tank slowly emptied. Those Martha tendencies have a funny way of creeping up on you when you are in a season of busyness. Even when your season of busyness is filled with blessings. However, today, I chose to be a Mary. I carved out purposeful quiet time with God... and it felt so good to have my tank being filled again. Filled in such a way as only He can do. Filled with His Word, His Presence, and His Love.
Our Father in Heaven loves us and He wants to spend time with us. Jesus is knocking... I pray that I stop to open the door. Even when I am busy, busy, busy behind the door. I pray that I stop what I am doing, throw open the door, and sit down and eat with Him, savoring whatever He may be feeding me that day. I hope to not miss a "meal" that would fill me up and nourish me as only He can.
Sit at His feet. Open the door. Fill your tank. Even when you are busy.
Dear Heavenly Father, I am thankful You are patient with me. It is so much easier to spend time with You when I am not in a busy season. LORD, when the busy seasons come, teach me to keep my time with You as the center of my day. I want to keep my tank full to the point of overflowing with Your Presence. I want to sit at Your table each day and be filled with Your Word and Your love. I pray this all in Jesus' name, Amen.
Revelation 3:20 Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with him, and he with me.
Oh, I did it again... I emptied my tank! I can just imagine God patiently waiting for me, watching me, as I run here and there, being busy. Yes, over the past month I've truly tried to spend time with Him daily, but I have to admit that many days it was not the quality time He deserves. Time with Him was squeezed out of my day and my tank slowly emptied. Those Martha tendencies have a funny way of creeping up on you when you are in a season of busyness. Even when your season of busyness is filled with blessings. However, today, I chose to be a Mary. I carved out purposeful quiet time with God... and it felt so good to have my tank being filled again. Filled in such a way as only He can do. Filled with His Word, His Presence, and His Love.
Our Father in Heaven loves us and He wants to spend time with us. Jesus is knocking... I pray that I stop to open the door. Even when I am busy, busy, busy behind the door. I pray that I stop what I am doing, throw open the door, and sit down and eat with Him, savoring whatever He may be feeding me that day. I hope to not miss a "meal" that would fill me up and nourish me as only He can.
Sit at His feet. Open the door. Fill your tank. Even when you are busy.
Dear Heavenly Father, I am thankful You are patient with me. It is so much easier to spend time with You when I am not in a busy season. LORD, when the busy seasons come, teach me to keep my time with You as the center of my day. I want to keep my tank full to the point of overflowing with Your Presence. I want to sit at Your table each day and be filled with Your Word and Your love. I pray this all in Jesus' name, Amen.
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