Keep Praying, Keep Watching for the Son to Rise

The weather forecast has most of us holding our breath. For the south, we’ve had a pretty hard winter. The cold temps have dipped and stayed low for a long time. Not much clear bright sunshine to speak of. 

When winter first comes we meet it with excitement. We can do this. The wood pile is full, the jackets and boots are taken out of storage and we anticipate changes of snow to play. But eventually winter is just winter. No longer fun, no longer tolerable, we’ve had it. Snow is messy, the wood pile is waning and the sun hasn’t shined much at all. We need spring. We need some sunny days and warmer temperatures. We’re tired of bundling up everywhere we go. 

Just as we prepare for winter, we also prepare for hard times. We know the Word and we speak it into our own hearts with confidence. We can do this. We can get through it. Sometimes though, the hard, cold reality is the chill of hard times gets to us. Spring gets delayed and our hopes get delayed. We were willing to believe God would get us through, that we’d have enough spiritual insight to get by, but now we’re done with it. Chilled to the bone, we want the Son to shine again. We want Jesus to come and take away the pain and make things new. The anticipation has given way to heartache. 

Maybe you’re there. You prayed, you quoted Scripture, you held tight to God’s hand and you bundled up in His love. But you’re tired of it. The prayers are waning, the hope is diminishing and even though the Word forecasts that better days are ahead, you’re beginning to doubt it all. You put all your hope in the forecast, but it’s not happening and you’re weakening. Where is God when the winter times linger, when the answers to prayer don’t come quickly and the chill of the present situation is starting to cause frostbite to your heart and mind?

Oh beloved, this is the time to hold tighter to God’s unfailing promises. His forecast is the only one you can rely on. He promises that better days are ahead, but we think that means everything is going to be fine quickly. Sometimes winter lingers far into the days that should be sunny. But God says you will be better. You will overcome. You will be victorious. You will live in the warmth of His light and His love. Keep praying, keep quoting Scripture, keep looking for Him. He’s your answer to hard times, bad outcomes and worse weather. He is the One who makes all things new. Even when the spouse stays gone, the money stays low, the friends stay gone and the child stays wayward. Even when you see no sign of the Son. Especially when you grow weak and weary and unsure if spring’s answer will come.

Whatever you are hoping for, praying about and trying to get through, God will see you through. Don’t give up now, for just as the forecast says warmer days are ahead, you know that the answer is just ahead. Just as you cannot choose the exact day that warm weather and sunny days will return, you cannot choose when God answers or how He will answer, but answer He will. The situation you are presently in is just a passage where your faith is growing and your knowledge of God is growing and your hope is becoming more steadfast. 

God loves you and He’s for you and that’s why you can endure the winter of waiting, knowing that God has an answer to your heartfelt cries as you look to Him.

Philippians 4:6-7 Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus.

Ephesians 6:18 Pray in the Spirit at all times and on every occasion. Stay alert and be persistent in your prayers for all believers everywhere.

James 1:6 But when you ask Him, be sure that your faith is in God alone. Do not waver, for a person with divided loyalty is as unsettled as a wave of the sea that is blown and tossed by the wind.

Isaiah 60:19 No longer will you need the sun to shine by day, nor the moon to give its light by night, for the LORD your God will be your everlasting light, and your God will be your glory.

I Thessalonians 5:16-18 Always be joyful. Never stop praying. Be thankful in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you who belong to Christ Jesus.

Psalm 55:22 Cast your burden upon the Lord and He will sustain you; He will never allow the righteous to be shaken.

Were You On a Roll?

As I reached into the deep recesses of my purse to find the office key a penny fell out. I bent to pick it up but it was rolling. So I followed it! It kept rolling until it hit a floor mat and then it fell over. I stooped to pick it up and God spoke to my heart.

Many times our lives are like that penny.  We roll along, doing our own thing, fully upright, having a great time. We may not even be reading the Bible or praying all that much, but hey life is good! We’re “on a roll”!

Then we hit a snag. Something looming in front of us stops us dead in our tracks. We can do nothing but fall over. The rolling merrily along comes to a grinding halt and we’re done. We find ourselves flat on our faces and not enjoying it at all!

There’s nothing left to do when we find ourselves flat except to cry out to the One who is higher than we are! Who can reach down to help us?  Other people who are having a hard time? Folks who are having their own great time? 

Unless we acknowledge Him as Lord over our “roll”, it’s hard to believe we can cry out to Him when we’re flattened by life’s circumstances. But we can!  When we realize that we aren’t the masters of our own fates, we aren’t the ones who punch out our own lives, we don’t keep ourselves going, keep ourselves up or keep ourselves “on a roll” we have no problem crying out to God to help us.

Maybe you were on a roll. Everything was as neat as an entire roll of pennies. You had things in order, you enjoyed your life and it was good. Suddenly you hit a snag. You came to the edge of yourself and fell over in pain, discomfort, sorrow, fear, disappointment, disillusionment, dismay, self-condemnation. You thought you’d be fine, but now you just aren’t fine! You feel like you’ve been stepped on, kicked over, thrown on the sidewalk or mashed through the vending machine.  You’re hurting and you don’t know if you can ever get up and walk again, much less get on a roll. Merrily has been replaced with barely and you’re hurting.

Oh beloved! Don’t despair! Cry out to Jesus, for He has been following you all along. He has been watching over you, hoping that you would stop the chaos and give Him some time. He may have let you fall on your face, but only to seek Him. He may have watched the events of your life unfold, but He was never disinterested.  He had wonderful plans for you before the foundation of the world. He still has wonderful plans for you. He will pick you up and set you on a fresh course of freedom and joy as you put your hope, your plans and your future in His hands.  It doesn’t matter how you got to this point. All that matters is that God sees your plight and hears your cries.

Go ahead, call out to Him no matter what your situation because He loves you and He’s for you and He will answer and restore you every time.

Psalm 119:93  I will never forget Your precepts, For by them You have revived me.

Psalm 119:67-68 Before I was afflicted I went astray, but now Your word do I keep [hearing, receiving, loving, and obeying it].  You are good and kind and do good; teach me Your statutes. (AMP)

Lamentations 3:55-56 But I called on your name, Lord, from deep within the pit.  You heard me when I cried, “Listen to my pleading! Hear my cry for help!

Psalm 51:10 Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me. (NAS)

Psalm 107:2 … Let the redeemed of the Lord say so! (entire chapter)

Isaiah 59:1 Listen! The LORD's arm is not too weak to save you, nor is His ear too deaf to hear you call.

Jeremiah 32:17 O Sovereign LORD! You made the heavens and earth by your strong hand and powerful arm. Nothing is too hard for you!

God Hears

Our pastor shared about giving blood this week-end. He and his wife usually go to Hope to give blood since it’s the closest place. But this time they went to a blood drive in Hot Springs, which is 75 miles away from their home. He just felt that was what he was supposed to do. So they went. 

While he was being prepped for his turn, there is a battery of questions they usually ask everyone who gives blood. While he was answering those questions, he noticed the lady had a photo of a little baby girl who looked incredibly like his own youngest granddaughter. They got to talking and before he knew it she was asking him if he was in a hurry. He replied no and she began to pour her heart out to him.  She shared things that no stranger would share with you.  He shared God’s love with her. Between them she made a decision to give her life fresh and new to the Lord.  He prayed for her and with her and God did the work.

Because that woman needed a touch from the Lord, God sent a man and his wife 75 miles out of their way just for her. God does this kind of thing all the time. He moves heaven and earth for people, He went to the cross for people, He makes intercession in heaven for people and he sends His children to minister grace and peace and life to others who are parched and thirsty and desperate for just a drop from the Lord.

Two things occurred that day: a man felt the nudge to go out of his way, out of his comfort zone, out of his area. A woman was undoubtedly crying out to God for help.

You may be the one God is nudging. You may feel the urge to do something different, ride a different road, stop at a different gas station, cash your check at a different bank, whatever…if you belong to the Lord it just may be the Holy Spirit nudging you in the direction of some poor fainting hungry person who needs rescuing. God wants to use you – are you willing to listen? Are you willing to answer the call? Are you willing to move in the Spirit? If you are, God will use you beyond your wildest imagination. For people everywhere you go need a touch from Jesus and you are the arms and hands in this world just for that.

You may be the one calling out to God. No matter what you are calling on Him for, rest assured beloved He hears you! Rest assured precious one that He is sending the answer to your every need. It may be just outside the door of your heart. It may be just around the corner of your mind. But you can know for a fact the answer – the Lord Himself – is coming your way.

Why would God do this? Because He loves you! Why did He go to the cross, why did He suffer the shame, why is He seated at the right Hand of God the Father Almighty? Why is He coming again? Why is He preparing a place for you? Because He loves you!

Oh beloved, God loves you! If you can get that one fact settled in your heart today everything will change.  He has a love for you that’s beyond words yet He conveys it in His actions, in His gifts and in His Word. And because He loves you He will make all things good, all things new and all things work together. He’ll even use you as you yield yourself to His love. 

Ask Him this morning to show you His love and then pledge your love back to Him. Ask Him and He will show you the keys to the Kingdom and give you a life that’s out of this world – all for Love, all for Love.

Psalm 138:1-3 I give You thanks, O Lord, with all my heart; I will sing Your praises before the gods.  I bow before Your holy Temple as I worship.  I praise Your name for Your unfailing love and faithfulness; for Your promises are backed by all the honor of Your name.  As soon as I pray, You answer me;  You encourage me by giving me strength.

Psalm 138:7-8  Though I am surrounded by troubles, You will protect me from the anger of my enemies. You reach out Your hand, and the power of Your right hand saves me.   The Lord will work out His plans for my life— for Your faithful love, O Lord, endures forever. Don’t abandon me, for You made me.

Romans 10:14 But how can they call on him to save them unless they believe in him? And how can they believe in him if they have never heard about him? And how can they hear about him unless someone tells them?

Psalm 145:19 He grants the desires of those who fear Him; He hears their cries for help and rescues them.

Romans 8:34 Who then will condemn us? No one—for Christ Jesus died for us and was raised to life for us, and He is sitting in the place of honor at God’s right hand, pleading for us.

I Peter 2:9 But you are not like that, for you are a chosen people. You are royal priests, a holy nation, God’s very own possession. As a result, you can show others the goodness of God, for he called you out of the darkness into his wonderful light.

 

Need Some Light in your Darkness?

My parents loved to travel in the wee hours of the morning. They’d set out for their destination at 3:00 o’clock in the morning. There were no all night stores at the time, so they’d have to make sure they had a thermos of coffee and a full tank of gas. By daylight they would be able to fill up and use the bathroom. Except on Sundays hardly anything was open.

There are stores that stay open around the clock nowadays. You can usually find a gas station or a fast food joint open somewhere. Even the huge discount centers stay open all night most places. You’d think they would meet all the needs a person could have because of their availability. But even the discount centers aren’t completely open. You can’t get a prescription in the night, you can’t buy glasses or have your glasses fixed. While you might be able to drop off your roll of film, you can’t get your picture taken in the photo shop.  And the banks or fast food restaurants located within the stores are closed to business in the night.  There may be exceptions somewhere but in our part of the world this is the way it is.

Even though we have an instant access world for the most part there are just some things that aren’t available in the middle of the night. If you run into a real emergency you’re just going to have to wait until morning.  

While many of our physical needs must wait for regular hours, we have a God who is available to us 24/7. In the night, on the hospital floor, at the bedside, in sickness, under duress, during sleepless times and during sorrow, God is available. He never leaves us, He never sleeps, He never posts a closed sign and He always comes to our assistance. We never have to worry if God will hear us when we cry out, no matter when it is, for He promises to hear the contrite heart, the repentant heart, as well as those who sorrow, gasp in fear or those who have no hope.

You can rest assured that no matter what you seem to be in need of, God fills every single one of them. And you can call on Him, no matter what the hour, for He’s an always available God.  You don’t have to wait till Sunday to speak with Him or to hear from Him. God knows your every need and He’s fulfilled them already through His Word. He owns the earth, the seas and the skies and all that is seen and unseen. He is accessible, ready and willing to care for every need, no matter what, no matter when.

Oh beloved, run to the One Who is the only One who can meet all your needs! He knows you and He’s well acquainted with your hurts, your fears, your hopes and your desires. He sees your situation and He’s no mere distant figurehead – He’s available! He’s with you before you call, His door is always open and everything  - absolutely everything – you need is met in Him! You may feel alone, unloved, or hungry and thirsty for relief. God is there, God is here with you always! He turns your hopeless situation into peace. He turns your darkest night into light.  He will give you peace and assurance no matter what the problem is, so that you can rest in the middle of the darkness.

Call on Him, He will answer! Pick up His Word and read for His Word is alive! Instant access is always there, because He loves you! You don’t have to wonder if He has time for you, if you are worthy or if He will accept your call. God is for you and because He’s for you, He’s available always! Forever and a day and then some! What an awesome and wonderful God!

Psalm 18:6 But in my distress I cried out to the Lord; yes, I prayed to my God for help.   He heard me from His sanctuary; my cry to Him reached His ears.

Psalm 62:8 O my people, trust in Him at all times. Pour out your heart to Him, for God is our refuge.

2 Samuel 22:29 O Lord, You are my lamp. The Lord lights up my darkness.

Romans 10:11 The Scripture says, No one who believes in Him [who adheres to, relies on, and trusts in Him] will [ever] be put to shame or be disappointed. (Amplified Bible)

Deuteronomy 4:7 For what great nation has a god as near to them as the LORD our God is near to us whenever we call on Him?

Are You Wondering if God Even Hears You?

Heading down the interstate, I was praying for someone I’ve been praying for a long time. I was asking the usual petitions. “Lord, speak to their heart. Lord, come into their home and be the Lord of their life. God, speak and move and change things for them. Send salvation and sanctification and regeneration into their home and their family.”  I heard a voice from Heaven speak, “What makes you think I have not already been speaking to their heart?”

I was surprised and relieved. I felt a very calm spirit relaxed over my heart. I realized I had been praying as though every prayer was just reaching the ears of God. Almost begging God to do something! And then through that still small voice I realized that God is speaking and calling and urging the one I am praying for to return to Him.

It changed how I pray. I now pray in more faith.  Lord, I know that you are speaking to their heart. I pray that their ears will be open to your call. Thank you Lord that you are calling them to You.  Thank you Lord that You love them and are working out Your marvelous plan for their life.

If you’re like me you may not be sure who prayed for you to have a walk with Jesus. I just know that from my earliest childhood I was always thinking about God and always asking Him for things that were beyond me. Because of that I believe someone in my family history interceded for me.  If you’re like Danny you can point to at least one person in your family who was a true intercessor. In Danny’s case it was a godly grandmother and she prayed both him and several of his closest friends into the Kingdom and into service for God. (that’s a whole other story I’d love to share with you)  Most of all I believe it is God who calls and God who wills humanity to believe and live for Christ.

Oh beloved are you having a hard time seeing the results of prayer? Are you wondering if God is listening or if He really cares? Have you been praying consistently for a long time for a loved one? Maybe you’re dealing with personal issues. Have you been asking God for His help and don’t feel like you’ve seen the answer yet?  I can assure you that He surely listens – you can believe this morning that He hears you and He cares. One is His Word. He says so and His Word is His Bond.  The other is practical application – I’ve seen Him work and I’ve heard Him answer. God is no respecter of persons – He hears all His own when they pray. He even hears the penitent prayer of those who have wandered off from His will.

Listen quietly this morning and take ALL your needs to Him. Thank Him for His answers even before you see them.  Praise Him for His marvelous work in your life and the life of those you pray for. Never quit praying and seeking and asking for God rewards those who seek Him. He responds to those who are persistent. Never quit praising Him for God inhabits praise.

I John 5:14 And we are confident that He hears us whenever we ask for anything that pleases Him.

Psalm 66:19 But God did listen! He paid attention to my prayer.

Colossians 4:2 Be earnest and unwearied and steadfast in your prayer [life], being [both] alert and intent in [your praying] with thanksgiving. Amplified Bible

Matthew 7:7-8 Keep on asking, and you will receive what you ask for. Keep on seeking, and you will find. Keep on knocking, and the door will be opened to you.  For everyone who asks, receives. Everyone who seeks, finds. And to everyone who knocks, the door will be opened.

Isaiah 65:24 I will answer them before they even call to me. While they are still talking about their needs, I will go ahead and answer their prayers!

Time Flies - How's Your Conversation Skills?

My family on my mother’s side is planning a reunion. One of my cousins has taken on the task and I’m so grateful to her. It’s a monumental effort to find a place, figure out the feeding of people and make sure everyone is happy with their surroundings. It’s also tough to figure out who will come and who won’t be able to make it. Many of my cousins (along with my own brother) are teetering on their 70’s. It gets harder to navigate and age creeps up on us all without warning. You never hear age say, “Hello, I’m Age, I’m coming after you and I will catch you”.

While getting in touch with various cousins, I found one particular cousin’s email bounced back. So knowing he had email through his business, I contacted him there. I got a response from him. He’s been sick and won’t be able to make it to the reunion. Although we were together just a little over a year ago, I had not talked with him all that time. So I was shocked to find out he had been very ill. His progress into healing will be slow as well.

Often we get out of touch with family because of daily life. We get busy, time flies and next thing you know we don’t have any contact with them for months, sometimes years. Other times it’s because of a simple misunderstanding or hurt feelings. It’s easier to stay away from the person who hurt you or someone who misunderstood you. It doesn’t take long to fill in the gaps of family time with other things. A good example is drawing a line in the wet sand along the the shore of the ocean. It covers back over and fills in in moments and the next person who comes along doesn’t even know anyone was there.

Maybe you are the one who has been left alone. Someone got offended or didn’t get their way and now you are the one sitting by yourself. Maybe you tried to contact them once or twice, but figured there was no point.  You feel left out, discarded, embarrassed or sorrowful.  Many times you’ve wished you could go back and make things different.  You wrack your brain searching for your mistake and then berate yourself and take all the blame.  Regardless of the reasons, you want to blame yourself and then you want to fix it yourself.

Even if it’s just that time has flown and things got busy, there’s still time to make contact and renew connections, companionship and affection.  

Oh beloved! There’s still time! First things first, pick up your prayer line and talk with Lord. He will direct you and counsel you on which way to go. He is your greatest ally, your best friend and your forever companion. He doesn’t quit you, He won’t turn His back on you and He’ll always be within the breath of a prayer. Even if you’ve been too busy to talk with Him, today is the day and He will answer immediately. He doesn’t hold a grudge or say it’s been too long.

He will speak to your heart and give you instructions if you need to make amends, reach out or start over.  This marvelous relationship we have with our Lord lets us go to Him in prayer for everything! This prayer we pray is no mere memorization of words, but a real conversation with a real and available God. He knows your hurts, He knows the situation, He knows how time flies.  This intimate relationship we can have with the Lord is worth pursuing so that we have His heart about relationships and fellowship and more. 

Then pick up the phone and talk with that long time no see cousin, that old and dear friend, that special someone who hasn’t been in contact in many years.  God will open the doors for you and He will make fellowships sweeter and relationships renewed, if you let Him choose the way. And always remember, God is the way maker, so that if things don’t work out, you are still drawing closer to God with every conversation you hold with Him and that’s something eternal that will never be taken away.

God loves you and He’s for you – that’s why you can talk to Him about anything and everything – now that’s an amazing Savior.

Psalm 73:25-26 Whom have I in heaven but you? I desire you more than anything on earth. My health may fail, and my spirit may grow weak, but God remains the strength of my heart; He is mine forever.

I Timothy 2:1 I urge you, first of all, to pray for all people. Ask God to help them; intercede on their behalf, and give thanks for them.

Philippians 4:6 Don't worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank Him for all he has done.

Who Are You Following? God Leads His Redeemed!

The ornaments went on the tree last night. Among them are a rag tag angel from 1956, a plastic Rudolph from 1957, ornaments from each year our children were born, a key ornament given to us from my mother the year we bought the house we live in, motorcycles of all varieties, birds, crosses and more.  Each one is significant in that it holds a special memory in my heart.   Occasionally I’d just like to start from scratch, do something different, make a new memory and decorate the tree totally different. But each year I mention it, someone will invariably say, “Noooo, we have to have it the way we always have!” I understand. I want things to be the way they were when my kids were little. When they just believed what we told them, knew we were right and followed along willingly. We can’t take credit for it, because we didn’t choose Him, He chose us. But we have chosen to follow God, imperfect though we may be - we have chosen to follow Perfection. 

There’s a lot you can follow in this world. You can follow the headlines. Follow the stock market. Follow cattle and timber prices. Follow Paula Deen, Martha Stewart, actors, singers and more. You can follow your own instincts, follow your heart, follow your dreams. You can follow the flesh, follow your cravings, follow the crowd. Everything you follow will end up somewhere. Every person you follow you will end up being taken to an undisclosed destination.  That is until you arrive. Do you know where you’re going?

The wise men followed the Star. They looked up into the sky and set their eyes on that one thing and let it guide them to their destination. Maybe their motives weren’t that pure, after all they were sent by Herod to spy things out for him. Why indeed would a King of his stature be worried about a baby born in Bethlehem? 

We follow Christ all the way. From the Babe in a manger to the Teacher on the hillside, to the Crucified on Golgotha’s hill. But we don’t leave Him in the manger… We follow His beatitudes but we don’t call him Teacher… We follow the cross, but He’s not dead….We follow Him past the grave for He is Risen…we follow the eastern sky…for we look for His return.

Oh beloved! Who are you following and where do you want to go? If you are looking for a different destination then you’ll have to change your course. Follow Christ! Perhaps you have a loved one or loved ones who are following things that will hurt them, destroy them, or take them where they don’t need to go. Pray for them to follow Christ! Keep praying, keep seeking, keep asking! For Christ Himself has promised He will answer when we call! No one else may believe that God will answer, but you can be assured that when the course is changed the destination will be changed as well.  

He says to you this morning, Behold I AM the One Who is Risen and Coming Again for you and for all who put their trust in Me! Look for Me in every aspect of your life! Watch for Me in every situation of your life! Rest in Me for every heartache and pain in your life. Look up! As you follow Me with your whole heart I will show you great and magnificent things you have only longed for and dreamed of!  You may not have seen all the answers to your prayers yet, but I AM the One Who hears you, Who answers you and Who blesses your life. Every one of my Promises is truer than the stars in the sky and the moon in its orbit. Nothing is too difficult for Me. Follow Me and together we will redecorate your life for My glory! I love you and I AM for you and on that you can depend.

John 8:12 Jesus spoke to the people once more and said, “I am the light of the world. If you follow Me, you won’t have to walk in darkness, because you will have the light that leads to life.”

2 Peter 1:19 Because of that experience, we have even greater confidence in the message proclaimed by the prophets. You must pay close attention to what they wrote, for their words are like a lamp shining in a dark place—until the Day dawns, and Christ the Morning Star shines in your hearts.

I Timothy 2:1 I urge you, first of all, to pray for all people. Ask God to help them; intercede on their behalf, and give thanks for them.

Colossians 1:3 We always pray for you, and we give thanks to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Exodus 15:13 With Your unfailing love you lead the people you have redeemed. In Your might, You guide them to Your sacred home.

Psalm 43:3 Send out Your light and Your truth; let them guide me. Let them lead me to Your holy mountain, to the place where You live.

Micah 4:5 Though the nations around us follow their idols, we will follow the LORD our God forever and ever.

Listen! God Hears and He Answers You! Trust Him.

As our oldest granddaughter and I went to pick up chicken the other night, I received a phone call/prayer request. Talking with my friend on the other line, I finally just pulled into the parking lot of the restaurant and sat there a few minutes. As we finished our phone conversation  I prayed for my friend.  When we were through, I hung up the phone and prepared to move into the drive through to retrieve our supper.  My granddaughter began, “I have two problems with your prayer…” I said, okay, what’s up? She responded, “You said tah-morrah (instead of tomorrow) and you used the word folks. Who says folks?” I laughed as I asked her if she was a prayer “critiquer”. She laughed too! She said, no that it was just funny to hear the way I talked. We both laughed as I said that I was thankful that although we might speak in dialects that someone else might not understand or might think is funny, God hears and understands every word we speak to Him even the different common terms and enunciations throughout the world.  She agreed and off we went with our chicken back to the house full of family.

I don’t know about you but I have prayers that really need an answer. My friend on the other end of the line that night really needed an answer. People throughout the world need an answer. Whether they are foreign speaking maids, international dignitaries, northern farmers or southern wage earners, everyone is hoping and praying for answers. We might not all have the right jargon, the right posture, the right inflections but God hears us all. His desire is not that we come to Him “correctly” but that we come to Him!  He hears the heart, adjusts the desires and soothes the pulse of all who talk to Him.  He knows the desperate cries of the deepest hurts, desires, hopes and more. We are most fortunate that we don’t have to bow a certain number of times, walk backwards, be in fear or reprimand or worse…we just have to ask.

Oh beloved, if you’re like me, you have deep, deep concerns that only a Savior can understand. You may have been put on the chopping block of someone you love, the cinder block of he refiner’s fire or the cold hearth of the rejector’s rebuke. But God hears. He speaks to you and to me this morning and He says, “Are you going to trust Me? Are you going to let Me work this all out? Are you going to give your loved one, your trouble, your situation to Me so that I can do what only I can do? I AM trustworthy, faithful and true. What I said I can do I will do. Just lay it all before Me, turn completely loose of it and watch as I make it all work together for your good and My glory. I love you, I love to lavish My Answers on you because you are Mine. You may have to go through things that are unjust, unfair, unwarranted and unimaginable, but together we will be more than conquerors. Watch in peace and rest in My promises as I unfold the real story, answer the true prayers and give you more than your wildest imaginations can comprehend. I love you and I AM on your side – what else do you need to know?

Isaiah 59:1  Listen! The LORD’s arm is not too weak to save you, nor is His ear too deaf to hear you call.

Psalm 91:15  When they call on Me, I will answer; I will be with them in trouble. I will rescue and honor them.

Psalm 4:3  You can be sure of this: The LORD set apart the godly for Himself. The LORD will answer when I call to Him.

Psalm 62:8  O my people, trust in Him at all times. Pour out your heart to Him, for God is our refuge. Selah

Jeremiah 32:17 O Sovereign Lord! You made the heavens and earth by your strong hand and powerful arm. Nothing is too hard for you!

Isaiah 65:24  It will also come to pass that before they call, I will answer; and while they are still speaking, I will hear.

Zechariah 13:9  “And I will bring the third part through the fire, Refine them as silver is refined, And test them as gold is tested. They will call on My name, And I will answer them; I will say, ‘They are My people,’ And they will say, ‘The LORD is my God.’”

Genesis 22:14 Abraham named the place Yahweh-Yireh (which means “the Lord will provide”). To this day, people still use that name as a proverb: “On the mountain of the Lord it will be provided.”