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Welcome!

On By LindaIn Uncategorized3 Comments

Welcome to Amazing God Stories!  Christian allegories, parables, analogies, fiction short stories as well as creative nonfiction stories that show the variety of amazing ways God has been working in my life. And if He has done all this for me, I can only imagine what He’s been doing for you!

My  goals are simple:

#4.  To brighten your day with a little entertainment, for you to leave feeling a bit better than when you arrived.

#3. To teach, warn, and clarify Biblical issues we face as Christians so we can be all that God calls us to be. 2 Timothy 3:16-17 All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.

#2.  To inspire you to keep on keeping on in your own walk with God.  God is working in your life as much as He’s working in mine. Maybe something I’ve learned or experienced will help you get through a rough patch or to grow in your own desire to know God.

And the #1 reason: To glorify God – to acknowledge and thank Him for all the ways He has been faithful to me! From the day I met Him, He has been by my side. He’s been my Friend, Coach, Counselor, Father, Teacher, Comforter, Defender,  Provider, and a million other things.

This blog is my way to shout to the world that GOD IS AMAZING!

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If my stories do what I hope they will do – like, comment, follow, and/or share them!

It would mean a lot to me to to know that they are being read and to hear what you think!

A Prayer for SIL, Day 87

On By LindaIn prayersLeave a comment

It’s funny, Lord, how things can look so encouraging one day and so discouraging the next. And how hard it is to see the one we aren’t currently experiencing. When things with SIL look good, I feel that will only continue getting better. But when they aren’t looking good, like now, I feel they never will. I feel like a yo-yo. I wonder if SIL feels the same way I do. Does she get discouraged when things don’t look good on her side?

Why are you cast down, O my soul, and why are you in turmoil within me? Hope in the God…Psalm 42:5a

But God, who comforts the downcast, comforted us by the coming of Titus. 2 Corinthians 6a

Why are we cast down and filled with turmoil? We both know better. At least I know I do and pray that SIL does also. Help us to turn our eyes to You, to place our hope in You and not in what we are currently feeling. Feelings are fleeting and deceptive at times. You are not. Lord, You said in Your Word that You comfort the downcast. May we accept Your comfort in whatever form You send it.

In Your Comforting Name,

Amen

Life is Like Enlarging a Fish Pond, Part 17 The Net

On By LindaIn allegories, analogies, and parables, UncategorizedLeave a comment

My heart dropped at the sight of the dead fish laying on the rocks outside the pond. How did it get there? There was no way it could jump high enough to clear the sides of the pond. It must have been carried there. What could do that to a fish? I had never seen a possum or raccoon in my yard in the three years I’ve lived here so I doubt it was one  of them. A toad might try to eat one but wouldn’t be able to jump up out of the pond with one in its mouth. Even if it did, it wouldn’t just leave it once it started eating it. It had to be a bird. One of the many that live around the area, many of which eat fish.

I imagined a bird swooping down, grabbing a fish, and then accidently dropping it as it flew away. No way was that going to happen again, not if I can help it. I don’t care that other people say it’s just the circle of life and that if I want a pond with fish, I should let nature take its course. My heart is for my fish. They didn’t ask to be easy prey contained in my small pond. I’m the one who set them there. And I’m going to protect them.

I grieved for the lifeless fish in my hand. It had survived two winters under snow and ice, two hot summers when the water temperature rose to bath water temp, the recent traumatizing chase and capture in a net, and a temporary stay in a plastic tub. And now it was dead. Captured by the enemy. Dropped and forgotten. I buried it in my raised garden bed. At least it’s death is not wasted. And then I covered my pond with a large net. It may not look as pretty, but it’s much safer for my fish.

God chose the Israelites to be His. With the call of Abraham, He set them in place. His heart was for His people and He protected them.  There were other nations, but this is the one He focused on.

The Bible talks about people being protected under the shadow of God’s wings. Birds have wings. Angels have wings. Somehow I don’t think God actually has wings, although I could be wrong. I think God was using the same imagery Jesus used when He cried over Jerusalem.  “O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the city that kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to it! How often would I have gathered your children together as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, and you were not willing! Matthew 23:37

No one likes to be confined. We all long for freedom, which is what God created in us when He created Adam. The Bible doesn’t explicitly say that but it seems if Adam and Eve were told to go forth and dominate the world, that that was a lot of freedom. But sin entered the world and through disobedience Adam and Eve lost that freedom. There was an enemy now that wanted them and their offspring dead. And so God set His wings over the Israelites just like I set a net over my fish pond. As long as the Israelites stayed where He set them by loving and obeying Him, they were safe. But if they strayed out from under it through disobedience, they were easy prey for those who sought to harm them.

The net is not pretty. It was not what I wanted for my pond. But it is necessary at this time.

God’s laws may feel confining. They may not be what He wanted for mankind. But they are necessary at this time.

Instead of complaining about His commandments, maybe we should thank Him for setting His heart on us and protecting us from things we can’t see.

Scriptures:

And he said to him, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.  This is the great and first commandment.  And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself.  On these two commandments depend all the Law and the Prophets.” Matthew 22:37-40

 “See, I have set before you today life and good, death and evil.  If you obey the commandments of the Lord your God that I command you today, by loving the Lord your God, by walking in his ways, and by keeping his commandments and his statutes and his rule, then you shall live and multiply, and the Lord your God will bless you in the land that you are entering to take possession of it.  But if your heart turns away, and you will not hear, but are drawn away to worship other gods and serve them, I declare to you today, that you shall surely perish. You shall not live long in the land that you are going over the Jordan to enter and possess.  I call heaven and earth to witness against you today, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and curse. Therefore choose life, that you and your offspring may live, loving the Lord your God, obeying his voice and holding fast to him, for he is your life and length of days, that you may dwell in the land that the Lord swore to your fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, to give them.” Deuteronomy 30:15-20

How precious is your steadfast love, O God! The children of mankind take refuge in the shadow of your wings. They feast on the abundance of your house, and you give them drink from the river of your delights. For with you is the fountain of life;
in your light do we see light. Psalm 36:7-9

Then God said, “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness. And let them have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over the livestock and over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.” Genesis 1:26

Behold, to the LORD your God belong heaven and the heaven of heavens, the earth with all that is in it. Yet the LORD set his heart in love on your fathers and chose their offspring after them, you above all peoples, as you are this day. Circumcise therefore the foreskin of your heart, and be no longer stubborn. Deuteronomy 10:14-16

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places, even as he chose us in him before the foundations of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him, in love. Ephesians 1:3-4

“Because he holds fast to me in love, I will deliver him; I will protect him, because he knows my name. Psalm 91:14

A Prayer for SIL, Day 86

On By LindaIn prayersLeave a comment

Lord, I lift SIL up to You again. She still needs You. Thank You for what You are doing in and around her because I know You are working even when I can’t see it.

But Jesus answered them, “My Father is working until now, and I am working.” John 5:17

Have you not known? Have you not heard? The LORD is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He does not faint or grow weary; his understanding is unsearchable. Isaiah 40:28

Jesus, sometimes I get tired of praying. And I imagine SIL gets tired of the changes You are making. But You never get tired of working in us, cleaning us, teaching us, healing us, and guiding us. So I know You are doing all this in SIL. And I thank You as I wait for Your timing in all things for Your understanding, Your wisdom, is so much greater than ours. It’s unsearchable.

In Your Wise Name,

Amen

A Prayer for SIL, Day 85

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Lord, SIL’s new behavior is so irritating. I don’t know if she’s aware when she’s doing it, whether it’s something she can’t control, or if she has found a way to intentionally irritate me. If it’s the latter, it’s probably subconscious. Or it may have nothing to do with me at all.

Walk in a way worthy of the calling to which you have been called with all humility and gentleness, with patience bearing with one another in love, eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. Ephesians 4:1b-3

Help me, Jesus, to walk worthy of the call concerning SIL to which You have called me. Help me to humbly and gently be patient with her. Help me to bear her new behavior, and help her to bear with my behavior, so that we can maintain the unity of Your Spirit in the bond of peace between us. I know You love her despite her irritations, just like You love me despite my irritations.

In Your Love,

Amen

A Prayer for SIL, Day 84

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Jesus, walk closely with SIL on this hard path. Open her heart little by little each day. Give her courage to confront the truth – and the lies – that dwell in her. Convict her when she lies or deflects so she will quit doing it. Focus her eyes on Your Word; speak to her as she ponders Your ways.

But the path of righteousness is like the light of dawn, which shines brighter and brighter until full day. Proverbs 4:18

I pray that her understanding of You and your ways will grow brighter and clearer each moment, and that the path of righteousness will be illuminated to her brighter and brighter until she has full knowledge of it. I pray that she then forsakes the path she has made for herself and chooses to walk the path of righteousness which You have set out for us.

In Your Enlightening Name,

Amen.

A Prayer for SIL, Day 83

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Lord, as SIL spends time with your people, may they share their hearts and faith with each other. May they each speak and hear truth, and be strong enough to accept the truth.

Let the Word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God. Colossians 3:16

Jesus, as they talk with each other, let Your Word dwell richly in their conversations, teaching and admonishing each other in all wisdom. I doubt SIL will sing, but let spiritual songs bubble up from her spirit into her mind. Maybe she will consider the words with thankfulness to You. Bless every attempt she makes no matter how awkward.

Don’t be slothful in zeal, be fervent in spirit, serve the Lord. Romans 12:11

Fill her with Your Spirit, Your Truth, and Your zeal for our Father who is in heaven. May she serve You instead of herself.

In the Richness of Your Name,

Amen

A Prayer for SIL, Day 82

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Lord, walk close with SIL today. Guide her mind as You guide her steps. Remind her moment by moment what Your Word says.

But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you. John 14:26

Jesus, may the Helper, the Holy Spirit whom the Father has sent to SIL in Your name, teach her all things and bring to her remembrance all that You have said to her through Your Word, the Bible, and through other people, and through direct communication with her heart. She says she can’t hear You, but the Bible says otherwise.

You know him, for he dwells with you and will be in you. John 14:17b

May SIL recognize, honor, and obey the Holy Spirit in her.

In Your Name,

Amen

Life is Like Enlarging a Fish Pond, Part 16 – Watching

On By LindaIn allegories, analogies, and parablesLeave a comment

One day I stood next to my pond, quietly admiring the parts that were finished. The flowers were growing well and blooming. The tadpoles were swimming from one underwater rock to another as my shadow fell on them. The fish were happily devouring the fish food flakes I had just scattered. The burbling waterfall was mesmerizing as it splashed over rocks. It was a world of its own pretty much oblivious to me except for the occasional shadow and tossed food.

Suddenly my eyes landed on eyes looking back at me. Large eyes, unblinking, focused completely on me. A toad had somehow looked outside his world into my world. With wonder, I took out my phone. After snapping his picture, I let my eyes continued drifting across the pond but they kept going back to this toad. What was it thinking as it watched me watch him? There was no way he could understand me or my world, but his look acknowledged my existence. I wanted to reach down and gently pick him up between my hands to bring him closer to me. I wanted to give him something although I didn’t know what. Even if I tried, it would only scare him. And so I watched as he watched until eventually I had to go.

Bye, little toad. Thank you for this moment, a moment I won’t forget.

Most people in this world are like the fish and tadpoles – living in their own world with little or no thought to the One who provided it for them. Some of those people may acknowledge a god of some sort, but few take the time to actually look at the one true God. Yet God loves them and enjoys them like I do my pond.

However, unlike my accidental notice of the toad looking at me, God is actively searching for those who are looking at Him. And when He finds them, He makes promises that He makes to no one else.

The LORD looks down from heaven on the children of man, to see if there are any who understand, who seek after God. Psalm 14:2

For the eyes of the Lord run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to give strong support to those whose heart is blameless toward him. 1 Chronicles 16:9a

For the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous, and his ears are open to their prayer, but the face of the Lord is against those who do evil. 1 Peter 3:12

The toad sat without moving the whole time I was there. How often do we still ourselves to look at God? Really look at Him? How often do we focus on what He is doing in this world?

Whereas the toad merely looked, we can do more. We can choose to put our faith in God. We can choose to follow Him, serve Him, love Him. And we have a capability that no toad has. We can communicate with the One we are watching.

Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you. James 4:8a

Are most of our days spent on our own interests and needs? Are we too busy with our own lives to pay more than a glance at our Creator like the tadpoles did with me? Are we only focused on what He gives us like the goldfish when I fed them? Or do we take time to sit still like the toad and acknowledge our Creator?

Be still, and know that I am God. Psalm 46:10a

A Prayer for SIL, Day 81

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Jesus, hold SIL close to You this night. Heal the wounds created long ago that impact her current behavior. As You open her heart, spread Your balm over the sore areas to soothe them and so that they will be truly healed.

Is there no balm in Gilead? Is there no physician there? Why then is there no healing for the wound of the daughter of my people? Jeremiah 8:22

Is there no balm in SIL’s heart or mind? Is she unaware of You as her Great Physician? Or unaware of her need for You in this area? Is that why it seems her healing is coming so slowly? Jesus, in the Old Testament days, balm was a sticky sap-like residue from plants. To the prophets it represented healing, restoration, spiritual health, and divine intervention. In the New Testament days, I think this healing ointment would be Your Holy Spirit but I’m not sure.

I counsel you to buy from me gold refined by fire, so that you may be rich, and white garments so that you may clothe yourself and the shame of your nakedness may not be seen, and salve to anoint your eyes, so that you may see. Revelation 3:18

SIL appears to be as lukewarm as the church in Laodicea so this verse may apply to her as well as to the Laodiceans. I don’t know what You meant by buying the gold, white garments, and salve (which I assume is like balm) because You bought these for us, but I pray that You show SIL how to do so.  I pray that she would ask for and apply this spiritual balm to every part in her that hurts. Guide her to find those places.

In Your Care,

Amen

A Prayer for SIL, Day 80

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Lord, open the eyes of SIL’s heart to see what You see.

That the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give you the spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of him, having the eyes of your hearts enlightened, that you may know what is the hope to which he has called you, what are the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints, and what is the immeasurable greatness of his power toward us who believe, according to the workings of his great might. Ephesians 1:17-19

Father of glory, give SIL the Spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of You. Enlighten the eyes of her heart that she may know the hope to which You have caller her. Reveal to her supernaturally the riches of Your glorious inheritance in Your people, and the immeasurable greatness of Your power towards her – not because she has earned it but because of the workings of Your great might and the faithfulness of Your great Name.

In Your Powerful Name,

Amen