Month: January 2023

Trusting God with Prayer

Posted on by Wendy
“For we walk by faith, not by sight.” 2 Corinthians 5:7

 

As someone who enjoys writing, I try to keep a notebook close by most of the time. I never know when a phrase or conversation might inspire me and I know if I don’t jot inspirations down immediately, I will likely lose them.

I have often read about people keeping prayer journals, but I have never really done that. I try to talk to God all day long about even trivial things and it would simply be too time consuming to write it all down.

But, for some reason, I was led to write down a prayer on New Years’ Day 2020. It was a prayer of hopes and dreams for the future. Both of my kiddos were in college and I felt I was at a bit of a crossroads regarding my next chapter.

Keep in mind that we had never even heard of Covid 19 before March of 2020.

I was flipping through one of my old notebooks and I found that prayer. I was a little stunned as I read through it.

God has been amazingly faithful and answered those prayers in so many unexpected and beautiful ways. When I look at that written prayer on the other side of Covid, I find it particularly timely. I recently listened to a sermon about how God holds time. He is never surprised by what is coming. That’s why Biblical prophecy is always correct.

When I was led in 2020 to write down a prayer, the Holy Spirit was at work. I had no way of knowing then that seeds were being planted in my heart, but God knew. God knew about the chaotic chapter that was about to come for all of humanity and He got busy on changing my focus way before I even knew it needed to be changed.

Finding that prayer reminded me that God is always listening and always working. He is also always planting. We get to choose whether or not we are receptive to the seeds. Do we provide fertile hearts and souls? Are we open to His plans? Are we brave enough to trust that they are better than our own?

Finding that prayer was like finding an old black and white photo. It lets me compare where I was to where I am and it fills my heart with both hope and joy. Writing prayers down allows us to look back and see how very faithful God is in our lives. Sometimes I need reminding. Perhaps you do too.

Have an Awesome Day!

Wendy 🙂

Reading the Bible Expectantly

Posted on by Wendy
When we read the Bible expectantly, beautiful things can happen.

I recently heard a pastor speak about how we read the Bible. He asked if we read it because we are supposed to or do we read it because we want to draw closer to God. He suggested that most of us do both and admitted to doing so himself. He then challenged us to start reading it expectantly. He said if we want God to communicate with us, we need to intentionally read His word, not just skim over it to check a box.

I was intrigued by this concept. What does expectantly look like? When I pray about something or for someone, do I expect an answer?  Are both my heart and hands open for the blessings I hope for?

As I pondered the idea of expectantly, I decided to start keeping a pen and paper handy when I read my morning devotion. If I am reading expectantly, then I would think I would receive information worth writing down.

I was not disappointed.

I took a few days and wrote down the verses that spoke to me. I had been praying about some life changes and my focus word for the year is trust. As I read back over what I wrote, here’s what I found.

“See, I am doing a new thing!  Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland.” Isaiah 43:19

He (Jesus) replied, “Because you have so little faith. Truly I tell you, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you.” Matthew 17:20

“For the Spirit God gave us does not make us timid, but gives us power, love and self-discipline.” 2 Timothy 1:7

I just had to smile as I read what I had written and then I felt a little convicted. A little nudge reminded me that trust wasn’t just meant for think of when making future plans.

A couple of weeks earlier, I was driving to work in the rain. The rain quickly turned into a flash flood. It was dark and each time I drove through standing water, it would splash all the way up to my windows. I drove to work at a snail’s pace in a white knuckled panic and I was in tears when I arrived, so very thankful for my safety.

Thinking back on the experience, I now wonder if I was ever truly in danger. The God I trust with my future is the same God who kept me safe in that particular storm and the same God who has held me close during all the storms I have weathered. That thought filled me with a deep sense of peace.

Reading the Bible expectantly reminded me to trust that God holds me close yesterday, today and tomorrow. Perhaps you needed reminding too.

Have an awesome day!

Wendy 😊

Evident Signs of a Devoted Faith Walk

Posted on by Wendy
A close walk with Jesus should be evident to those around us.

I recently met a friend of mine for a lunch time walk. She commented on how much she liked my running shoes and asked me if they were new. I told her they were not. I think I have had them for about a year. She asked the brand and said she would have to try it because she has to get a new pair of running shoes every six months.

I laughed about that. I normally have to get a new pair of running shoes every January. The ones from the year before usually have become smooth on the bottom from use.  The truth is I have done very little running in those shoes over the past year. We adopted two new pups and we did some casual walking, but not a lot of running. The shoes still look pristine likely not because of the quality, but because they haven’t been used like they should have been.

A few days ago, I pondered that idea as I was actually using them as they were intended. On this side of Eternity, things tend to show wear with use. A child’s favorite toy will get ragged. Our favorite shirt will fade. Our favorite jeans will get a hole in them. And yes, our running shoes will wear out.

If we live long enough, our bodies will eventually wear out too.

However, wear doesn’t have to be a negative thing. A well used Bible should have highlighter marks and notes written in the margins. A prayer journal should run out of paper from all of the writing. Both can serve as maps for where we have been and where we are going. They remind us of God’s faithfulness in the past and the present. They can serve as hope for the future.

A good leather chair gets more comfortable with every passing year. Its marks and scars soften it and give it character. People of faith should be the same. The longer we walk in faith, the softer our hearts should become. We should become slow to anger and quick to forgive. We have made mistakes and have received mercy and grace. That should make it easier for us to offer them to others. Our hearts have inevitably been broken at some point and so we should be able to offer comfort to the brokenhearted.

With every passing year, the fruits of the Holy Spirit should become more evident in us because they are a guaranteed byproduct of a close walk with Jesus. If we are struggling with love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control, then maybe we need to lean in closer to Jesus.

The beginning of a new year tends to motivate people to go to the gym. Maybe it should motivate us to work on our faith walk too. A pair of pristine shoes reminded me. Perhaps you needed reminding too.

Have an awesome day!

Wendy 🙂