In His Name

And I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son. John 14:13

Friend, would you lead a Sunday School class?

Dear, would you hand me the flashlight?

Aunt, can we stay at your house a few days?

Daughter, would you come visit me?

Gramma, can we spend the night?

The list goes on including neighbor, cousin, great aunt, niece, and more.  These are all my names, and those who truly know me, know that this is so and are not afraid to use them.  Those who don't know me will say no more than "hello" until they are introduced and may even then choose to ignore me and consider me unworthy of their personal friendship.  That is their choice. 

It is the same with God.  Those of us who truly know Him know Him by many names: Father, Healer, Forgiver, Warrior, Shield, Rock, Fortress, Savior, Mercy, and many, many more.  However, we tend to be lazy (at least I do at times) and so want to make a blank statement and simply pray in Jesus' name.  After all, it was Him Who made the statement in the verse above.  However, how much more intense would my prayer life be if I were to pray using His name represented in my prayers?  For instance, if I am praying regarding finances, why do I not remind myself through saying to God, "Father, You are the Provider of all my needs....." rather than simply closing  with "in Jesus' name I ask this"?

I don't believe that it will change God's perception of me, my needs, desires or situation, but it just might change my perception of Him in a more powerful way.  When I read the Psalms I see evidence of this in David's life.  When he needed protection, he cried out to his Protector; when he needed help or wisdom; he asked his Provider;  when he needed strength in battle, he cried out to his Banner.  Once again, I could go on for quite some time with this list.  What was the result?  God answered David's prayers in much the same manner as He does mine, but David was called a "man after God's own heart."  David knew God just that well!  He got to know Him better each time he prayed and I'm thinking it was because he was constantly reminding himself of just Who God really is.

Lord God, You are all we ever have needed, do need and ever will truly need.  You are Provider, Defender, Helper, Healer, Resurrection, Life, Direction, Truth and so extremely much more.  You reveal more and more of Yourself to us daily if we will simply seek, watch and learn.  Help us to remember that we are a forgetful people and need to remind ourselves on a regular basis of Who You really are in our lives.  If we admit that it is You Who are our everything, perhaps we will begin to act like it.  May Your childrens' deepest longing be to bring You great joy through recognizing Who You are, who we are and that we belong to You and then to live it through obedience to Your Word.

Never in Vain

I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know him better.  I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in his holy people,  and his incomparably great power for us who believe. That power is the same as the mighty strength  he exerted when he raised Christ from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly realms....Ephesians 1:17-20

This is my daily prayer for my children.  It is difficult at best to look back on my life and realize the mistakes I made as a young mother and wife.  However, in so doing I am able to not only receive forgiveness and forgive myself, but I am also able to share those mistakes with my children in hope of having them steer clear of them in their child rearing.

The one thing I did do and am still doing for them is pray. My children brought me such great joy that this both the least and the greatest thing I can ever do for them.  It is the least in that it is simple, quick and brings me blessing as well.  It is the greatest because there is no one more powerful, more loving, more generous or more anything else ever that is good than our God.  I can go to Him with absolutely anything that is bothering me without fear of being overlooked, condemned, neglected or or rejected.  I know that I am loved more greatly than I could ever dream or imagine.   I also know that anything I pray in accordance with His will and lining up with His word will not be prayed in vain.  Every time I pray in His Spirit according to His will He will answer.  He promises:
"As the rain and the snow
    come down from heaven,
and do not return to it
    without watering the earth
and making it bud and flourish,
    so that it yields seed for the sower and bread for the eater,
so is my word that goes out from my mouth:
    It will not return to me empty,
but will accomplish what I desire    and achieve the purpose for which I sent it."  Isaiah 55:10-11

He gave us His word to use. 

Too often I purchase things thinking how much easier they will make my life.  Through the years I have wasted more money in this than I care to think about.  Even today I considered purchasing a pedometer to track my steps - again.  I purchased one in the past and found it just yesterday packed away tidily in a box in our basement.  I think I used it twice.  Thankfully, it was one of the less expensive items I've purchased and ended up discarding.  Instead of going through with htis idea, I checked my phone and found a free pedometer app. 

I am ever thankful that God is not like me.  He is truly wise in all things, therefore knows what is very best for me and never forsakes His promises.  If He promises that His word will not return without first accomplishing what it was set forth to accomplish, then it will do what it was meant to do. 
The verses above in Ephesians give us a beautiful example of how God wants us to pray for our children and all those we care about.  Imagine if we would pray scripture over our children daily.  We could pick a verse daily or weekly, etc. and pray it over them for that amount of time, then move on to another verse.  These in Ephesians pretty much cover every area needed, but I like to get down to specifics too.  However, I can think of nothing greater than for my children and grand children to daily know God more fully.  I pray that everyone who reads this will grow in wisdom and understanding of God's great love for them and their family.  In so doing, may they (we) grow a deeper burden to pray the same for our families and loved ones.

Father, pour out Your wisdom and understanding on Your children.  Give us gainful insight into Your ways and Your great love.  Help us then begin to love as You do so that we are burdened to pray according to Your will written in Your word for us as a tool in communication with You.  Deliver us from pride of knowledge and every other sin that besets us and tries to destroy our relationship with You.

Be Still My Heart

The Lord will fight for you; you need only to be still.  Exodus 14:14

There are so many reasons to sit back and laugh at myself.  This is just one.  Here is what this morning's devotional says, and I quote: "...taking things into our own hands to fix school issues and problems.  When we wield the 'weapons of our warfare' by praying for our children and their schools instead of complaining or striving, the Lord will undertake the situation in His own way. Is there a situation troubling you at your child's school that you could pray about with others?"  As if that were not enough, God throws the above verse in my lap as if to say, "So, what will you choose now?"

Yesterday I wrote about my feelings on childcare for school staff when they are required to work longer hours and have to also keep their children under toe while doing so.  I then spoke of how I was choosing then to pray.  However, shortly thereafter another situation arose that angered me, not for my grandchildren alone, but for every child involved in a certain program on the school campus.  There are a few safety issues that seem to be being disregarded, one of them involving mold the adults and children will have to breathe.  The other issues were bad enough, but this one caused me to blow a fuse, so to speak.  Since I do not have a child or grandchild in this program, I knew my voice would not be heard, so I went to a neighbor who does.  He says he will attend the next school board meeting and ask about it. Then this morning hit, I read the passage and the verse above and started laughing at myself.  I apologized to Father God and am now seeking out Mom's In Touch - a prayer organization for women who want to pray for their schools.

It is amazing to me how often something like this happens.  God deals with me regarding any subject and I get it in my head quite easily.  However, to get things into our hearts, planted firmly and well rooted so they are difficult to pull back up, we must take them from our minds and allow the soil of our hearts to be plowed and dug, the seed planted, watered and allow the Son to shine on it and allow it to grow, be pruned at times and flourish.  This takes time, energy, commitment and patience.  So why do I laugh?  Because I recognize God at work in all of this, and while there is a small of amount of shaking of the head in wonder at my own stupidity, there is mostly a great joy in knowing that my Father loves me enough to keep working on me where I need it most.  He never gives up on me and is He ever patient!! 

Thank You for Your great love Father!!  Thank You for continually planting new seeds in the soil of my heart.  Help me remain steadfast, continue to water them with Your word and remember to speak with You every morning so that Your Son can shine His light there to nourish and make these knew bits of wisdom grow so they can produce fruit to be shared.  Continue pruning back the bushes, pulling up the weeds, making me uncomfortable when necessary so that I might, when all is said and done, be a delight to You.  I pray this for each of Your children - in Jesus name!!

Beware Grandma Bears

II Timothy 1:12 For this reason I also suffer these things, but I am not ashamed ; for I know whom I have believed and I am convinced that He is able to guard what I have entrusted to Him until that day.

The first day of school is just around the corner.  If I dwell on it I will get sick to my stomach.  This year six of my seven grandchildren will be attending public school.  While I know we have a great school district, that is not what can terrify me if I allow it.  What can is thinking about what my grandchildren are doing after school hours while parents have to continue work until four or four thirty.  Children can get into a lot of mischief and even danger in an hour or so if not supervised.  While I know my adult children do their best to keep an eye on them, I also know that it isn't always enough.  If a head is turned in the wrong direction for even a moment, a child can slip away unnoticed.  This has actually happened a couple of times.  When I received the call that they couldn't find a particular child, my heart sank and I began praying frantically for God's intervention.  I felt helpless and heartsick.  Personally, I feel that if a school position is going to keep a parent longer than normal school hours, free supervision should be provided.  The district will tell you that they provide a latchkey program, but even teachers and staff have to pay quite a bit of money to use the service, even though it is run by the district.  This should not be.  The teachers and staff are providing extra service for the district, do not get paid extra to do so, and therefore should not have to pay.  Their compensation should be free child care.  Since this is not happening, at least as yet, what can I do?  Entrust my grandchildren to God. 

If I am truly convinced, as the above verse states, that God is able to guard what I entrust to Him until my day of joining Him in heaven, then I should give them over to His care completely.  This is not to say that wisdom should not be employed.  Rather that I should hand them into His care and seek His face to see if there is anything else I personally need to be doing to ensure their safety. 

This is difficult even now after all these years of serving God and seeking Him out.  I admit that I want to go in, take the superintendents by the throat, get in their faces and tell them how neglectful, insensitive and uncaring they are being by charging those who serve under them to protect their children, when they are supposed to be in the business of freely caring for them in the first place.  However, this would accomplish one thing only - me being thrown in jail.  I would from then on be deemed a fool and no one would ever listen to a word I had to say again.  Instead, I do as God's word instructs and pray for those supers.  I ask that God would bless them with understanding and wisdom.  That He would guide their hearts to see that they are placing undo burden on those trying to do their utmost in their position and that they should be supportive of them, especially when it comes to their children's safety.

Today's study was on relinquishing our children to God.  I have had to go through that process more deeply than ever before most recently when asked if I would continue serving God if my spouse, children or grandchildren were taken away.  The grief that consumed my soul felt almost more than I could bear, but yes, most definitely yes!!  I will continue seeking my Father's face, with His help, no matter what befalls me.  However, the war may be over and victory won within me, but the skirmishes still take place and have to be squashed.  If I do not fill the voids left by the empty space left when the fretting was removed, it will fill again with the same worries, only they will become much stronger within me.  Therefore, when a skirmish arises, I must run to the Father, pour out my heart to Him, seek His word and allow Him to fill that void with the "peace that passes all understanding" that comes from a genuine relationship with Him.
Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.  Philippians 4:8

There is that verse again.  It is one I must cling to and that is hanging on one bathroom wall as a reminder.  These are the things to dwell on rather than the "what-ifs" the evil one loves to throw at us in order to consume us with fear and doubt.

Father, I pray for the schools of this nation and every other in this world.  They are supposed to be the protectors and guides of our children and grandchildren.  In some areas they go way overboard and in others they seem to be lacking.  Lord, I pray that You would place in leadership of the schools those You heart has prepared for the positions.  I ask that You would bless them with understanding along with wisdom.  Show them where they have erred and guide their hearts to do what is right for the protection of our children, but help them understand that things need to be done in a manner that does not breed fear, but instead breeds faith and a real sense of security in You rather than in the power of man, which is no real power at all.  Guide the hearts of the parents and grandparents to know what needs to be done for the safety of their families and help us all to walk in faith believing You in each and every situation that arises.  In Jesus' precious name I ask this.

In His Presence

Those of you who truly know me know that I love to use daily life experiences to learn more of God and His ways.  Therefore, it should not be a surprise that my favorite quote from today's devotions is the following: "As you pick up your little girl's tennis shoes, pray that her feet will stay on God's path.  Ordinary things around you can be visual aids and catalysts to prayer that will help you to pray without ceasing."

This gets me to thinking about other things that could be catalysts in my life.  As I do laundry I can pray that my family will be clothed in the armor of God, wearing the breastplate of righteousness, the helmet of salvation, shield of faith, belt of truth, shoes of peace and lifting the shield of faith while wielding the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.  That they be covered through prayer in every area of their lives.

As I make my bed in the mornings, or lay down in it at night, I can pray that their sleep may be the sleep of the righteous, peaceful and restful in the knowledge that they are loved and cared for by their heavenly Father.

As I fix a meal I can pray that they will hunger after the Lord and to know more of Him and that He fulfills that hunger.

As I sweep I can ask that the Lord reveal to them when they need to sweep the dust off their relationship with Him and spend more time with Him in prayer and study.

As I drive to the store or anywhere else I can ask that the Lord be the driving force behind their actions and words they speak.

As I shop I can ask the Lord to bless them in meeting their every physical need in this life.

And I could go on and on and on. 

We truly can pray without ceasing.  He has given us this life to learn how.  What is prayer?  Simply talking with God, have a conversation with Him.  When we arrive safely in heaven, it is hopefully the first thing we are going to want to do, so we need to know how to relate to Him. 

Father, thank You for this lesson on praying unceasingly.  I begin to see that it is really a very simple process, as is everything You ask us to do when we really seek it out.  Sometimes, okay, most of the time, You make things so simple that we cannot conceive them.  We owe You so much that we want to have to struggle and yet we are so lazy that we really don't want to have to struggle, so we make it difficult.  Help us understand that it is out of Your great love for us that You make communication with You so extremely easy.  Help us to jump at the opportunities You place in front of us and use them to our fullest capabilities.  Help us strive to show You our love for You even though we will never be able to show You as much as You have given to us.

Last night, as I lay snuggled in my husband's arms, he said, "I love you."  I replied, "I know you do by how hard you are always working to show me.  I wish I could do as much for you as you do for me."  He is currently removing all the popcorn ceilings and replacing them with beautiful ones.  Extremely hard and messy work all because I mentioned it would be nice if we could get rid of them.

Once again God speaks to my heart that this is the way it is supposed to be.  Marriage demonstrates our relationship with Jesus so vividly when we search it out.  He gave us way more than we will ever be able to give back, and just as Michael is filled with joy to give, give, give to me, Jesus is thrilled to give us more than we can ever give back to Him.

I am filled to overflowing with joy and love for you all this morning and at the same time I grieve for those who do not know Him and therefore cannot experience this joy for themselves.  I pray that the eyes of their spirit man may be opened, that they might see the beauty of His holiness and desire to be cleansed of all unrighteousness and be clothed in the Fruit of His most Holy Spirit.  Revel in His love for you!!  Celebrate the day, one with which to give back a tiny portion of what He has given us.

Daily In His Presence

Rest in the Lord and wait patiently for Him; Do not fret because of him who prospers in his way.  Psalm 37:8

I came across this verse yesterday as I did my reading portion for reading through the Bible in a year.  I felt it went handily with this study on prayer, so I jotted it down.  Today I was instructed to read Martha's story in Luke 10:38-42.  God set me up again to be ready for today.  He is simply marvelous my darlings. (If you've never watched the BBC you won't get that joke. Sorry.)

In my early 30s I was asked to lead a women's Bible study in my home.  I did so cheerfully and had fun studying for it and presenting it. Enter pride.  Along came the day I knew the study was ending.  Some folks became involved that wanted to get into areas that bring division, and division came.  That was the final day and it grieved me.  Daily study became weekly and prayer became intermittent for me.  I lost that close fellowship I had had.  I do not blame anyone for this but myself.  It was my choice to allow grief and bitterness a door of opportunity.  This lasted, believe it or not, several years.  I still studied for children's church and Sunday school, but it lacked the depth I needed.  Then one day I cried out to God that I missed Him.  It's amazing at how much more He misses us!!  However, it was my responsibility to dig in and get close to Him again.  He hadn't moved away; I had. 

Being too busy for God is a devious lie Satan employs successfully due to our desire to be successful in not simply an area or two, but in every area we attempt.  He will whisper to us that we will get to a quiet time just as soon as.....we get the house in order, get the kids to their practice and game sessions, get dinner prepared, clean up afterwards, after our daily shower.....and the list grows as he adds more to it.  The marvelous thing about God is that He can take our sacrificial gift of time and give it back to us multiplied several times over.  That seems impossible and is, unless you are God.  Nothing is impossible with Him.  (Luke 1:37) 

One day (I cannot pin point a date for you) I got out my Bible and a devotional and started reading for the joy of it once again.  At first there was little change in me and then one day it hit me that I was gaining new insights once again and I was overjoyed!!  I cried out to God in delight and thanked Him for loving me even though I had, in a sense, turned my back on Him.  Now I delight in God's word once again and seek his face and praise daily.  I lift  up my praise to Him in thanksgiving, for there is no greater place to be than in His presence on a daily basis.  As far as being busy....I'm more busy now than I have ever been in my life and yet I am at peace with it.  I do not feel overwhelmed, nor do I worry myself over the things I do not get accomplished.  I simply pray for God to do the work through me that He desires to have done in each day's time and trust Him to "get 'er done!"  The one thing I pray I never allow to happen again is giving up my daily quiet time with Him.  I am willing to give up many things, like choir and nursery work, but not our quiet time.  When you've been there and walk away, life becomes desperately lonely, fears creep in and the things of the heart are accomplished without joy.

Father, make us a determined people - determined to know You and seek Your face.  It is then, and only then, that we will experience Your free gift of the Fruit of the Holy Spirit - love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. (Galatians 5:22-23.  When we are away from You, these things seem a challenge.  When we are in Your presence, they come naturally.  Help us to realize our need.  Then grant us the strength and determined will to "come boldly to Your throne of grace" Hebrews 4:16,  and get to know You more fully in order to have that Fruit multiplied in our lives in order to have some to spare to share with others.

Children of Malnourishment

Sitting in my big glider crocheting, my stomach growls.  Hmmmmmmmmmmm.  I am getting hungry.  What do I want to eat?  I have some left over chicken from last night's evening meal.  I could heat that up and make a fresh salad from our garden to go with it.  But then a thought creeps stealthily through my mind.  "There are cream pops in the upstairs freezer."  The words are seductive and send my taste buds reeling in desire.  My heart speaks directly and a bit firmer than before that the chicken and salad are a much healthier choice and will stick with me longer.  The sensual voice returns and lulls me, trying desperately to draw me into its trance.  "The orange flavor mixed with vanilla ice cream is one of your favorites.  It wouldn't hurt this one time to allow yourself a little eating pleasure."  I get up and head for the freezer, while thoughts of how much I deserve the ice cream for all my hard work swirl around in my head.  But then I remember something.  I have a choice.  I can eat the ice cream and regret 20 minutes later when my stomach begins to growl again from being under nourished, or I can simply eat the chicken and salad, which is more preparation, but will stick with me until dinner time.  I eat the chicken......this time.  All too many other times I listen to the seductive voice.True Nourishment
Rise during the night and cry out. Pour out your hearts like water to the Lord. Lift up your hands to him in prayer, pleading for your children, for in every street they are faint with hunger.  Lamentations 2:19

When I read this verse yesterday morning, I immediately thought of all the children in the world being fed the food of "I want" rather than "I need."  I want to play football, or soccer, or basketball, etc. and even thought the games are are Sundays during church, it only lasts for a season.........and then I want to take dance lessons, cheerleading, join a choir, etc. and, yes, they meet on Sundays as well, but it too only lasts a season. There is absolutely nothing wrong with these activities they are great for the body.  They stretch it, work it and build solid muscle throughout it, but they do little to nourish the soul.For while bodily training is of some value, godliness is of value in every way, as it holds promise for the present life and also for the life to come. I Timothy 4:8

I believe God wants us to keep our bodies as healthy as is possible in this day and age, but He is more concerned with our spiritual health. 

It is not only physical, musical or instrumental abilities that can seduce us away from spiritual growth, there is also intellect.  Schools, in order to try and win the educational battle with other nations, pile on homework so deep that children no longer have time to play, let alone spend time with their Creator.

Parents have an honest dilemma.  The world is crying out not only to pull their family into the busy, busy world of activity, but of academia, financial achievement, keeping up with neighbors and peers so their children do not get mistreated, but above all, don't discipline for fear someone will misconstrue and infer that you are an abusive parent.  The end result is that in every street children are faint with hunger....hunger for their Savior, and they don't even realize that they are desperately trying to fill the void with the call of the world.

Father, in this world today we are confused as parents and grandparents.  Things have gotten so very out of hand that we no longer truly know what is best for our children.  We have moments of clarity, but they are brief as the world grows louder and more creative in its approach.  Lord, I pray that You would open the spiritual eyes and hearts of today's Christian parents to see and hear when they are making worldly choices for their children and family.   May their hearts break with the knowledge so that they are drawn back to the true nourishment of spending precious time with their children and spouses, nourishing each other in the things of God and, in so doing,  teach their children to honor You first and foremost in every choice they make, so that they may truly succeed in life.  Help them realize that true success comes from knowing You to the fullest measure.  It not only satisfies the hunger of our hearts, but the malnourishment of our minds and bodies.  Knowing You and continuing to strive to know You better teaches us the answer to every situation that arises in our lives, which blesses all those our lives touch.