Category: Prayer

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Nap Time

As I was searching for an image to use on this morning’s blog, I came across a picture of a napping child and the caption read “When is a child too old for a nap?”. My answer, never!

Yesterday day was busy. Not the crazy, hectic, week-before-Christmas busy but busy. Getting everything ready to travel safely and then setting up again once we were back to our permanent site.

Dave does the hard work; my jobs are little and detailed. After we were settled, I made lunch and we sat down to relax. About an hour and a half later, I woke up. Dave smiled and asked, “did you have a good nap”? Oh yes, wonderful.

If we listen, our bodies will tell us what we need and when we need it. We get thirsty and so we get a drink. We get hungry and we eat. (The trick to weight loss is to eat only when we are hungry). We rest when we are tired.

“O God, you are my God; I earnestly search for you. My soul thirsts for you; my whole body longs for you in this parched and weary land where there is no water.” Psalm 63:1 NLT

Our bodies have these internal signals that are God-given and we need to listen to them so we don’t damage our health. If we push past these warnings it can be detrimental. Oh yes, I know this project MUST get done – the kids NEED to be at this activity. Just a couple more hours and I can rest. But if we keep that pace harm ourselves with physical and mental burnout.

“Come to me all of you who are tired from the heavy burden you have been forced to carry. I will give you rest. 29 Accept my teaching. Learn from me. I am gentle and humble in spirit. And you will be able to get some rest.” Matthew 11:28-29 ERV

I was reminded of a time when Jesus took a nap. He was in a boat, in a storm, with his disciples and he laid down and went to sleep. He wasn’t up fretting or helping them row. He was resting. We need to learn from Jesus.

“Jesus was inside the boat, sleeping with his head on a pillow. The followers went and woke him. They said, “Teacher, don’t you care about us? We are going to drown!” 39 Jesus stood up and gave a command to the wind and the water. He said, “Quiet! Be still!” Mark 4:38-39 ERV

Sounds like good advice when we are in life’s storms. We can fret and worry and it will change nothing. But when we come to Jesus with those problems, He will speak to our storms and give us rest.

Trusting Him gives us a spiritual nap!

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Hope for Living

Last night Dave and I were visiting and listening to the radio. We’re not big radio listeners – never have been but the last few days, here at the racetrack, it’s something we’ve started. What station? Glad you asked, KLOVE.

What a great way to start and end each day; one song after another filled with the power of God’s promises and the encouragement of praise.

Without Jesus, we really have no hope. I know what that’s like and being on the other side of that now, I can tell you I never want to go back to that prison again.

“Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. God has great mercy, and because of his mercy he gave us a new life. This new life brings us a living hope through Jesus Christ’s resurrection from death.” I Peter 1:3 ERV

As Dave and I talked we were reminded of where we’ve been. There have been times that we were desperate – almost hopeless. He was working 100+ hours a week, we had a toddler and a baby on the way. Things were bleak. Another time we had to close the door on our business.

With our heart’s cry of desperation, we said “Lord, we need You. We need You to show us the way out, the way forward. We need Your direction. We need help!”

The Lord gave us two verses back then.

“Christ is the one who gives me the strength I need to do whatever I must do.” Philippians 4:13 ERV

“ Jesus, our high priest, is able to understand our weaknesses. When Jesus lived on earth, he was tempted in every way. He was tempted in the same ways we are tempted, but he never sinned. 16 With Jesus as our high priest, we can feel free to come before God’s throne where there is grace. There we receive mercy and kindness to help us when we need it.” Hebrews 4:15-16 ERV

We’ve had other times when we either forgot to ask the Lord for His leading or have just ventured out to do things on our own and have faced failure and hopelessness, but God has been faithful to pick us up, help us through and bring us to a good place.

“But keep the Lord Christ holy in your hearts. Always be ready to answer everyone who asks you to explain about the hope you have. 16 But answer them in a gentle way with respect…” I Peter 3:15-16 ERV

A song came on the radio right before we were heading to bed. What a powerful message of hope! “In Jesus Name” by Katy Nichole

I speak the name of Jesus over you
In your hurting, in your sorrow
I will ask my God to move
I speak the name ’cause it’s all that I can do
In desperation, I’ll seek Heaven
And pray this for you

[Chorus]
I pray for your healing, that circumstances would change
I pray that the fear inside would flee in Jesus name
I pray that a breakthrough would happen today
I pray miracles over your life in Jesus name
In Jesus name

This is my prayer for you – I speak the name of Jesus over you, over every circumstance, over every fear. I pray that you will have a living hope!

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Do It For Me

Yesterday all of us were touched by the sights and sounds of the invasion in Ukraine. I went to bed praying for those in the heart of this war.

I saw the images of people sleeping in subways for safety. It reminded me of the pictures I have seen of those who would rush to the air raid shelters in England during WWII. I also heard an interview with a man who heads three orphanages. He expressed his concern for the children’s safety and wondered how many more children would be coming for help.

A pastor I know opened his church for prayer yesterday and this morning I would like to encourage all of us to pray for those who in harm’s way; the people of Ukraine and those in Russia who have no desire to be involved in this war.

“‘When I was hungry, you gave me something to eat, and when I was thirsty, you gave me something to drink. When I was a stranger, you welcomed me, 36 and when I was naked, you gave me clothes to wear. When I was sick, you took care of me, and when I was in jail, you visited me.’

37 Then the ones who pleased the Lord will ask, ‘When did we give you something to eat or drink? 38 When did we welcome you as a stranger or give you clothes to wear 39 or visit you while you were sick or in jail?’

40 The king will answer, ‘Whenever you did it for any of my people, no matter how unimportant they seemed, you did it for me.’” Matthew 25:35-40 CEV

We can be thankful that we were able to sleep safely last night, that we will be able to go about our normal routine today – work, shopping, visiting with friends. But we need to remember those whose lives are anything but normal.

Let’s pray for an end to come quickly. For the Lord’s solution, for safety and protection. When we don’t know what to pray I found the best thing to do is pray God’s word. Join me.

“I love you, Lord God, and you make me strong. 2 You are my mighty rock, my fortress, my protector, the rock where I am safe, my shield, my powerful weapon, and my place of shelter. 3 I praise you, Lord! I prayed, and you rescued me from my enemies…You rescued me from enemies, who were hateful and too powerful for me. 18 On the day disaster struck,
they came and attacked, but you defended me. 19 When I was fenced in, you freed and rescued me because you love me…27You rescue the humble, but you put down all who are proud.” Psalm 18:1-3, 17-19,27 CEV

Father, this is our prayer for those in Ukraine – protect and rescue them, in Jesus’ name.

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The Power of Prayer

For the last several mornings a bit of my quiet time has had me reflecting on Daniel. When he was a young man, many from the nation of Israel had been taken captive and led away to Babylon.

There he was taken into the king’s palace and groomed to be a royal aid. Daniel remained faithful to the Lord and refused to serve any other gods. The Lord blessed Daniel for his faithfulness. The kings whom Daniel served, recognized his wisdom and promoted him, even over those who were citizens of the land.

The other advisors in the king’s palace were jealous of Daniel and tried to figure out a way to get rid of him. The only flaw they could find in Daniel’s character was his faithfulness to God. The advisor’s had the king draft a law which said anyone praying and worshipping anyone but the king would be sentenced to death in a den of lions. When the king realized he had sealed Daniel’s fate he was filled with remorse. But the law was the law and Daniel was sealed in the lion’s den.

“ So King Darius gave the order. They brought Daniel and threw him into the lions’ den. The king said to Daniel, “May the God you serve save you!” 17 A big rock was brought and put over the opening of the lions’ den. Then the king used his ring and put his seal on the rock. He also used the rings of his officials and put their seals on the rock. This showed that no one could move that rock and bring Daniel out of the lion’s den.” Daniel 6:16-17 ERV

“The next morning, King Darius got up just as it was getting light and ran to the lions’ den. 20 He was very worried. When he got to the lions’ den, he called to Daniel. He said, “Daniel, servant of the living God, has your God been able to save you from the lions? You always serve your God.”

21 Daniel answered, “King, live forever! 22 My God sent his angel to save me. The angel closed the lions’ mouths. The lions have not hurt me because my God knows I am innocent. I never did anything wrong to you, King.” Daniel 6:19-22 ERV

Daniel’s crime was prayer. God’s answer was deliverance. It was then and it still is now.

“So be humble under God’s powerful hand. Then he will lift you up when the right time comes. 7 Give all your worries to him, because he cares for you. 8 Control yourselves and be careful! The devil is your enemy, and he goes around like a roaring lion looking for someone to attack and eat. 9 Refuse to follow the devil. Stand strong in your faith.” I Peter 5:6-9 ERV

We have an enemy, the devil, and he is “like” a roaring lion, but he won’t defeat us or devour us if we stand our ground and remain faithful to the Lord. I like to say the devil is a toothless lion because Christ defeated him and stripped him of his powers.

“He defeated the rulers and powers of the spiritual world. With the cross he won the victory over them and led them away, as defeated and powerless prisoners for the whole world to see.” Colossians 2:15 ERV

The Lord closed the mouths of the lions for Daniel, and He will do the same for us. We have the power in prayer to resist the devil and he must flee!

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Let’s Talk

Dave and I spend a lot of time talking. Good talking.

When we were making the plan to sell the house and move into an RV full-time, we did a lot of talking. So much to consider and it was going to be a life-changing move, we better have all the cards on the table and not hold anything back.

Apprehensions, reluctance, details, hopes and aspirations, everything had to be talked through.

Even before the house sold, we talked about what to keep and what needed to go. Family heirlooms, pictures, my wedding dress, special mementos. How much wall space did we have, how much artwork could we take? Everything had to be considered – his tools, my crafts, dishes, fishing poles, etc.

Neither one of us like clutter, really, neat and tidy is how things should be! Lived in and comfortable is good but not messy or unkept. Lots of discussion on this will go there, this will go where?

Yesterday we were having another one of those organization conversations. This time we were in the truck headed to Lowe’s to find a light-weight storage cabinet for cleaning supplies, the mop, broom and vacuum. We didn’t like anything we had seen on-line and hoped to find something locally. We talked the whole way and from the talking we decided we needed a gym locker – perfect!

Why am I telling you all of this? Well, talking is good. Sometimes it can seem ominous – those words “let’s talk”. Yikes! What does that mean? It simply means that communication is needed, and communication is healthy.

Did you know that God likes to talk?

He came and talked to Adam and Eve in the garden. He talked to Noah and told him how to build the ark. When he talked with Moses, He gave the Ten Commandments and the pattern for the tabernacle. He talked with the prophets and gave them hundreds of prophecies on the coming of Jesus.

Of course, we know He talked with Jesus but also with Peter, Philip, Paul and John. He desires to talk with us. Yes, you and I. We’re His children and He desires to be part of our lives. He wants to be included in our decision making. He wants to hear about our joys and our sorrows.

“I, the Lord, invite you to come and talk it over. Your sins are scarlet red, but they will be whiter than snow or wool. 19 If you willingly obey me, the best crops in the land will be yours.” Isaiah 1:18-19 CEV

He wants us to know that we are forgiven. He chooses to cleanse us from our wrong doings, from our sins. He plans good things for us, not just good but the best things.

“Don’t keep worrying about having something to eat or drink. 30 Only people who don’t know God are always worrying about such things. Your Father knows what you need. 31 But put God’s work first, and these things will be yours as well. 32 My little group of disciples, don’t be afraid! Your Father wants to give you the kingdom.” Luke 12:29-31 CEV

I would like to encourage you to open up an honest line of communication with the Father. Talk to Him each day while you do the dishes or work on the car, driving to work or sitting quietly with a cup of coffee.

Take time. He loves it when we say “Let’s Talk”!

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Set the Table

Years ago I was acquainted with a lady named Dorrie. She was in her mid-forties, her children were grown and gone and she had been divorced and had no one to share her day-to-day interests with.

She told me that life had been lonely for her until she decided to set the table and welcome her lifelong Love to have coffee with her each morning and dinner with her each night.

“ I pray that you will enjoy the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit.” II Corinthians 13:13 CEV

Each morning before she left for work, she would put 4 coffee cups on her kitchen table. She would fill hers and then she would sit and talk about her day, her children, her desires and her fears. She would have sweet conversation with Jesus, the heavenly Father and the Holy Spirit. She would ask them for guidance and direction. She didn’t do all the talking, she had her Bible open on the table and would read to get Their insight for her day.

When she came home at night, once again she would set the table for four. She would make her meal and over dinner they would once again discuss her day. Now, to some this may seem strange, even a bit bizarre, but not to Dorrie. She knew that the Father, Son and Holy Spirit were as close as her next breath. She experienced a sweet fellowship that many desire but some never know. She made time in each day to spend, on purpose, talking with Those she loved the most.

“ Ask me, and I will tell you things that you don’t know and can’t find out.” Jeremiah 33:3 CEV

I remember after my grandpa died that I would go to my grandma’s house for lunch. She lived close to the elementary school and I could walk there and back during my lunchtime. She spent her day talking to the Lord, her closest friend. It wasn’t a “heads bowed, eyes closed” kind of prayer but a walking through the house dusting, vacuuming, washing dishes, kind of prayer. Whatever was on her heart, she talked it out with the Lord.

“Always be joyful 17 and never stop praying. 18 Whatever happens, keep thanking God because of Jesus Christ. This is what God wants you to do.” I Thessalonians 5:16-18 CEV

Dorrie said she was never lonely anymore because she realized she never was alone. She was always surrounded by the Ones would loved her most.

Maybe today would be a good time to set the table or at least grab the coffee cups and have time with the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit.

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A Solitary Place

I think the thing I enjoy most about the mountains is the quiet – the solitude!

Each morning and evening I watch the campers come to enjoy the beauty of the morning sun on the lake and the evening glow but it’s the quiet and sense of peace that overwhelm me. I don’t think there is any other place on earth where I have experienced the Scripture, “Be still and know that I am God”, anymore than here.

Throughout the day, the side-by-side’s and pickups are headed to the lake and out to the trails. Campers are laughing, waving as they head out. There is such a sense of joy, even when it’s raining.

But it’s in the peace that the Lord speaks to my heart!

“God, you give true peace to people who depend on you, to those who trust in you.” Isaiah 26:3 ERV

We all need a place to come away and enjoy the quiet presence of the Lord.

“You have shown me the path to life, and you make me glad by being near to me. Sitting at your right side,  I will always be joyful.” Psalm 16:11 CEV

Life gets so hectic that we all need a place to unplug. Jesus knew this.

We tend over spiritualize Jesus life and forget that He faced difficult issues on a daily basis. The religious leaders hated him and were openly plotting his demise. The country he lived in was under the rule of a foreign dictator. The masses came seeking Him but most only wanted to see the next miracle and didn’t really embrace His message. His own disciples questioned his actions on numerous occasions. From early morning until late at night demands were made on His time and His strength.

“After Jesus said goodbye to the people, he went up into the hills by himself to pray. It was late, and he was there alone.” Matthew 14:23 ERV

“The next morning Jesus woke up very early. He left the house while it was still dark and went to a place where he could be alone and pray.” Mark 1:35 ERV

On the night that He was arrested He took His disciples with Him to the garden where He prayed.

“Jesus went with his disciples to a place called Gethsemane. When they got there, he told them, “Sit here while I go over there and pray.” Matthew 26:36 CEV

Jesus needed a place to pray, we all need to follow His example.

I remember when our oldest children were two and four my quiet place was our walk-in closet. Honestly, that was where I had no distractions. I would put them down for their afternoon nap and I would go into the closet to pray. It wasn’t nearly as serene or beautiful as the view I now have of the lake but it was quiet and I was alone.

I encourage you to find a place – even a closet – that becomes your quiet place where you can go and sense God’s peace, be filled with His joy and come away refreshed.

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Talking to the Kids

How many of us love talking to our kids?

Everything else in our day comes to a stand still when we see their number on caller id or their faces pop up on Facetime. A friend and I were exchanging emails the last week or so and I told her that the only thing I was having a hard time with in our summer RV adventure was the inconsistency of conversation with the kids. She agreed. There are so many suggestions on how to successfully full-time RV but none of them really deal with the separation from family.

Before we left home for the summer, I would have Facetime conversations nearly everyday with our youngest daughter and get to see our littlest grandchildren. They might not say much but there would be lots of smiles, “I love you’s”, waving and throwing kisses. They grow up so fast. She and I would get to talk – talk about everything.

And it was nothing for our oldest daughter just call to say hi and tell me about her busy schedule or send me a picture of her granddaughter, our great grand. We talk about camping trips, what they had done for the weekend, just a lot of staying in touch.

Our son always finds time to call when he is headed home after a forty-eight hour shift at the firehouse. He and his dad can talk on and on about boats and fishing and refurbishing. There isn’t a subject they don’t enjoy exchanging ideas on.

It means so much that they like to call – we love it!

Yesterday, all three of them called. A perfect day! One that fills a parents’ heart with love and joy!

This morning, I sat here still enjoying hearing their voices and then I thought I’m sure our heavenly Father feels the same way when we call. He’s always ready to share His heart.

“Ask me and I will tell you some remarkable secrets about what is going to happen here.” Jeremiah 33:3 TLB

Talking to the Father shouldn’t always be a 9-1-1 call. We don’t need to be in a crisis situation to pray. No, if we follow the example of Jesus we will be talking to the Father morning, noon and night. It’s a conversation of loving exchange.

“And when He had sent the multitudes away, He went up on the mountain by Himself to pray. Now when evening came, He was alone there.” Matthew 14:23 NKJV

The Father loves to talk with us and when He sees that we are reaching out to Him, He drops everything to take our call because we are His kids and He loves us. Maybe some are resistant to prayer because they think they might get scolded for one mistake or another. Our Father will correct us when needed but always with a heart of love. He loves to give!

“Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. In Christ, God has given us every spiritual blessing in heaven.” Ephesians 1:3 ERV

Take time to talk with the Father today – He loves talking to His kids.

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Stand Tall

I’m praying that you stand strong and tall today.

While reading in I Corinthians, I found the Apostle Paul’s instruction to us. He didn’t want us to be like the Israelites in the wilderness who complained about God’s provisions and who worshipped the idols of Egypt.

“Even if you think you can stand up to temptation, be careful not to fall. 13 You are tempted in the same way that everyone else is tempted. But God can be trusted not to let you be tempted too much, and he will show you how to escape from your temptations. 14 My friends, you must keep away from idols.” I Corinthians 10:12-14 CEV

One of the biggest temptations they faced was discontentment.

We are susceptible to the same temptation. Murmuring because we think things should be better; we’re being mistreated; everyone else has it better than us. They also worshipped idols. We face that same temptation as well. No, not the gold and stone statues that they crafted but the idols of fame, success, pleasure, education, relationships.

Any of these can draw us away for serving the Lord.

However the good news is this. God knows about these temptations and He has given us the power to resist them and escape their grasp. Jesus didn’t come to make us miserable – not at all.

“A thief comes to steal, kill, and destroy. But I came to give life—life that is full and good.” John 10:10 ERV

“Don’t worry and ask yourselves, ‘Will we have anything to eat? Will we have anything to drink? Will we have any clothes to wear?’ 32 Only people who don’t know God are always worrying about such things. Your Father in heaven knows that you need all of these. 33 But more than anything else, put God’s work first and do what he wants. Then the other things will be yours as well. 34 Don’t worry about tomorrow. It will take care of itself.” Matthew 6:31-34 CEV

Our Father promised to provide all for the Israelites as they journeyed to their promise land. He still promises to be our provider. God is always present to provide as we journey to our promises land. He promises to never leave us or abandon us.

When we spend time on our knees in prayer our Father will reassure us of His promises. With confidence in God’s Word we can stand strong and tall just like the Apostle Paul said.

Take the Father at His word!

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Flash Mob Style

Every once in a while Dave and I will sit and watch flash mob videos on YouTube. They make us smile!

It’s a large group of people breaking out in “spontaneous” song and dance in what seems to be a completely random moment. (However, they really have been practicing behind the scenes for weeks.)

Yesterday morning I found a flash mob moment in the Bible. I know, I’m as surprised as you are.

“Then Moses and the Israelites began singing this song to the Lord: “I will sing to the Lord!  He has done great things. He threw horse and rider into the sea. 2 The Lord is my strength.
 He saves me, and I sing songs of praise to him. He is my God, and I praise him. He is the God of my ancestors, and I honor him. 3 The Lord is a great soldier. The Lord is his name.
4 He threw Pharaoh’s chariots and soldiers into the sea. Pharaoh’s very best soldiers
drowned in the Red Sea. 5 The deep water covered them, and they sank to the bottom like rocks.” Exodus 15:1-5 ERV

Their song continues for twenty-one verses and ends with the women playing tamborines and dancing.

“Then Aaron’s sister, the woman prophet Miriam, took a tambourine. She and the women began singing and dancing. 21 Miriam repeated the words, “Sing to the Lord! He has done great things. He threw horse and rider into the sea ….” Exodus 15:20-21 ERV

All of this occurs immediately after they cross through the Red Sea. They have just seen the Egyptian army drown as the waters covered them over. They had been worried and complaining just hours before but they did what the Lord said. They stood still, and saw the Lord win this battle for them.

Now comes the singing and the dancing. Praising the Lord for His mighty deliverance!

The Bible is filled with stories of people just like us. People who worry and complain when the circumstances aren’t right – people who think they have a solution to their circumstances and don’t seek God’s help. People who are more willing to live in a bad situation then to trust God, who is leading them, and go into unknown territory.

I’ve been so guilty of all of this. I stayed in the wrong job for years because in my mind it was better there than in the unknown of where will I go. And then there are the times that I basically said “I’ve got this God. I know how to handle this” and so I went forward without praying and having the Lord’s leading and things fell apart.

But then the Lord would come to my rescue and it was a flash mob of one but I was singing and dancing and praising God for the way He rescued me! Does anyone relate to this?

Maybe you’re in a place where the Egyptians are behind you and the Red Sea is in front of you and you’re worried. Trust God!

Or maybe you’ve just been delivered and are in your Flash Mob moment. Trust God!

Remember always, He is our strong tower, our defense, our deliverer and our Savior!

“The Lord is my strength. He saves me, and I sing songs of praise to him. He is my God, and I praise him.” Exodus 15:2 ERV

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