Tag: Jesus

A Prayer for SIL, Day 60

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Jesus, I hold up SIL to You this morning. Heal her physically, emotionally, and spiritually. She says she knows that You call us to holy lives, yet she doesn’t think twice about doing things her way even when they contradict Your Word. Show her where she strays from the life You want her to live. Show her when her light is tainted by selfish desires.

But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellences of him who call you out of darkness into his marvelous light. 1 Peter 2:9

In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven. Matthew 5:16

Lord, help her to remember she is here to exalt You in what she says and does. I pray that You call her out of the darkness she has lived in for so long, that You heal the pain and scars that bind her, so that she will be free to live the life You made her for and so that her life will reflect Your light to those around her.

In Your Marvelous Name,

Amen

A Prayer for SIL, Day 59

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Jesus, bless SIL this pre-dawn morning as she sleeps. Fill her dreams with thoughts of You and restore her body with health.

And it shall come to pass afterwards, that I will pour out my Spirit on all flesh; your sons and daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, and your young men shall see visions. Joel 2:28

Lord, God, SIL is a daughter. I pray that she hears from You like You promised in Joel. Make Your Word burn in her heart until she can no longer ignore it. And I also pray that you give her dreams like you promised the old men – dreams of You and Your love for her and Your desire for her to love You like she once did. Use Your words and dreams to teach, guide, strengthen, encourage, and draw her heart back to You.

In Your Faithful Name,

Amen

Life is Like Enlarging a Fish Pond, Part 13 – The Unexpected

On By LindaIn allegories, analogies, and parablesLeave a comment

Really? A freeze this far into spring? I knew the possibility existed but I had begun planting flowers as if it only existed in the minds of the forecasters. Coming from Florida not too many years ago, I still have trouble thinking in terms of Virginia seasons. And so I had been happily adding much needed color to my fish pond. Now all my work was threatened by something I couldn’t see nor control.

I looked at the freeze warning on my phone again. Maybe freeze warnings here were like hurricane warnings in my part of Florida – a lot of hype that tended to dwindle out by landfall. Well, there was that one hurricane about seven years ago that was worse than predicted. But that was very unusual. Most of the time hurricanes were just thunderstorms that quickly passed. If freeze warnings here were the same as hurricane warnings there, then my garden and I had nothing to worry about.

Besides, it had been hot – in the eighties – for several days. Surely the temperature couldn’t drop over fifty degrees in one day. Maybe I could ignore the forecast and just continue doing what I have been doing. But thoughts of the plants I had lost to freezing temps my first year here came to mind. If I ignored these new warnings, more plants could die.

Groaning with frustration, I went outside. Everything looked so pretty in the warm bright sunshine. The leaves were a nice deep green and some of the plants were beginning to flower. Moving them would probably affect their growth, and there were so many of them. It would take numerous trips with the wagon to get them to the greenhouse, and they might not all even fit inside. Maybe if I just threw a blanket on them, they would not all have to be moved. That’s what I had done in Florida when it got cold. But if I was wrong, all my beautiful flowers would die. My unbelief and laziness would kill them just as much as the cold temperature.

Choosing safety over sorrow, I began transferring the new plants back into pots, loaded them on to my wagon and walked the twenty yards to the greenhouse.  I put the water plants in plastic tubs with several inches of water and strained to lift it into the wagon before sloshing my way across the yard. It eventually took almost a dozen trips to get everything into the greenhouse and by the time I latched the door closed, my knee was aching. It was time to go inside, ice my knee, and trust that I had done all I could. The rest was up to nature.

Just as my progress in my garden was disrupted by the freeze, our lives can be disrupted by events that we can’t control. A car accident can put us in the hospital. A stolen identity can empty our bank account. A misunderstanding can destroy a relationship. Cancer can challenge our perseverance. The death of a child can send us into a pain-filled depression from which we see no way out.

Unlike the freeze warning that went out, there is usually no alert that our life is about to change. One day all is well and we’re fussing about frizzy hair – the next we wish we had hair. There are no life-radars to alert us to an approaching disaster. But we do have the Bible, which has a lot to say about navigating life’s storms.

Before a storm

When things are going well, we might want to either ignore any thoughts of possible disasters or to live in worry that something could happen at any moment. Jesus told His disciples not to worry but to watch and pray. Paul said to be watchful and pray continuously. Peter said to be watchful, sober, and self-controlled for the sake of our prayers. In the Old Testament, David said to stay near God and seek Him as refuge. The word s ‘watch’ and ‘pray’ occur many times throughout the Bible. That means it’s important that we avoid complacency. We need to keep watch for danger (like scams and unhealthy food), stay alert (use discernment and be open to hear from God), and stay sober (self-disciplined and eyes focused on Jesus). We need to pray always, stay close to God, and make Him our refuge at all times – in both good and bad times.

During the storm

When things get rough, we may be tempted to throw a bunch of prayers, like a blanket, at the problems and hope it’s enough. We may plead with God out of desperation like the disciples did when their boat was caught in a storm. We may sink under the waves like Jonah did hoping God save us. We may get angry and fight the gale winds. But in each case, our eyes are on the wrong thing. The Bible tells us to run to Jesus and let Him handle it. David tells us to seek refuge in God’s presence. God says to trust His promises and to wait on Him. We need to keep our focus on God – on who He is and what He has promised. We need to be patient with both the situation and its impact on us and those we love.

After a storm

When things calm down both inside and outside of us, we can rejoice and watch for God to keep His promises to comfort, heal and restore. We will discover that we have been made stronger and wiser as God used what went through to transform us into the image of Jesus.

Back in Virginia, the freeze did come and I was glad that my plants, crowded as they were in my greenhouse, were safe. Once the weather warms up again, I will be able to restore them to their places in or near the pond. Until then, I will turn my thoughts towards God, wait patiently for the weather to change, and spend my time doing what I can do, which may or may not include cleaning my neglected house.

(Many) Scriptures:

Before a storm:

Watch and pray that you may not enter into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.” Matthew 26:41

Be watchful, stand firm in the faith, act like men, be strong. 1 Corinthians 16:13

Continue steadfastly in prayer, being watchful in it with thanksgiving. Colossians 4:2

Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. 1 Peter 5:8

Praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication. To that end, keep alert with all perseverance, making supplication for all the saints, Ephesians 6:18

Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. Philippians 4:6

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

But you, beloved, building yourselves up in your most holy faith and praying in the Holy Spirit, Jude 1:20

The end of all things is at hand; therefore be self-controlled and sober-minded for the sake of your prayers. 1 Peter 4:7

You also, be patient. Establish your hearts, for the coming of the Lord is at hand. James 5:8

He is not afraid of bad news; his heart is firm, trusting in the Lord. Psalm 112:7

During the storm:

Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer. Romans 12:12

And thus Abraham, having patiently waited, obtained the promise. Hebrews 6:15

Not only that, but we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not put us to shame because God’s love has be poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us. Romans 5:3-5

The Lord is near to the brokenhearted and saves the crushed in spirit. Psalm 34:18

Wait for the Lord, be strong, and let your heart take courage; wait for the Lord! Psalm 27:14

Is anyone among you suffering? Let him pray. James 5:13a

Is anyone among you sick? Let him call for the elders of the church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord. And the prayer of faith will save the one who is sick, and the Lord will raise him up. And if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven. Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working. James 5:14-16

God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Psalm 46:1

Let me dwell in your tent forever! Let me take refuge under the shelter of your wings! Selah. Psalm 61:4

Trust in him at all times, O people; pour out your heart before him; God is a refuge for us. Selah Psalm 62:8

Bur for me it is good to be near God; I have made the Lord God my refuge that I may tell of all your works. Psalm 73:28

He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will abide in the shadow of the Almighty. Psalm 91:1

Every word of God proves true; he is a shield to those who take refuge in him. Proverbs 30:5

In the fear of the Lord one has strong confidence, and his children will have a refuge. Proverbs 14:26

The Lord is good, a stronghold in the day of trouble; he knows those who take refuge in him. Nahum 1:7

So we do not lose heart. Though our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day. For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison, as we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal. 2 Corinthians 4:16-18

For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us. Romans 8:18

This is my comfort in my affliction, that your promise gives me life. Psalm 119:50

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in our affliction, so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God.. 2 Corinthians 1:3-4

Be merciful to me, O God, be merciful to me, for in you my soul take refuge, in the shadow of your wings I will take refuge, till the storms of destruction pass by. Psalm 57:1

“Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted. Matthew 5:4

For the mountains may depart and the hills be removed, but my steadfast love will not depart from you, and my covenant of peace shall not be removed,” says the Lord, who has compassion on you. O afflicted one, storm-tossed and not comforted, behold, I will set your stones in antimony, and lay your foundation with sapphires. I will make your pinnacles of agate, your gates of carbuncles, and all your wall of precious stones. Isaiah 54:10-12

After the storm:

He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds. Psalm 147:3

And after you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish you. 1 Peter 5:10

But I will sing of your strength; I will sing aloud of your steadfast love in the morning. For you have been to me a fortress and refuge in the day of my distress. Psalm 59:16

The Lord sustains him on his sickbed, in his illness you restore him to full health. Psalm 41:3

You will increase my greatness and comfort me again. Psalm 71:21

Sing for joy, O heavens, and exult, O earth; break forth, O mountains, into singing! For the Lord has comforted his people and will have compassion on his afflicted. Isaiah 49:13

For the Lord comforts Zion; he comforts all her waste places and makes her wilderness like Eden, her desert like the garden of the Lord; joy and gladness will be found in her, thanksgiving and the voice of song. Isaiah 51:3

He restores my soul. He leads me in paths of righteousness for his name’s sake. Psalm 23:3

A Prayer for SIL, Day 56

On By LindaIn prayersLeave a comment

Lord, heal SIL’s body as You work in her heart. Use this time to speak to her, to call her to renew her friendship with You – to be someone who loves and obeys You. Create in her a thirst to live a holy life centered around You. Help her to release her grip on what she feels she can’t let go of – so that You can replace it with what You want to give her. Wake her up, open her eyes, and show her what time it is.

Besides this you know the time, that the hour has come for you to wake from sleep. For salvation is nearer to us now than when we first believed. Romans 13:11

Wake up from your drunken stupor, as is right, and do not go on sinning. For some have no knowledge of God. I say this to your shame. 1 Corinthians 15:34

Jesus, may SIL wake from her self-centered complacency. She is undisciplined and full of excuses for what she does. Speak to her about her condition so that she will not go on sinning. Some people have no knowledge of You, but SIL does. She not only knows about You, but she knows You. And she loves You. She recognizes that she is full of shame but doesn’t understand why. Show her what You see. Show her what she needs to do. You are waiting with outstretched arms – may she run into them and be healed.

In Your Cleansing Embrace,

Amen.

A Prayer for SIL, Day 54

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Lord, life is getting messy. Could this be the result of the enemy’s desperation because You are making progress in SIL? I don’t always see it, but from time to time I glimpse a changing heart attitude in her.

Since therefore Christ suffered in the flesh, arm yourselves with the same way of thinking, for whoever has suffered in the flesh has ceased from sin, so as to live for the rest of the time in the flesh no longer for human passions but for the will of God. For the time that is past suffices for doing what the Gentiles want to do, living in sensuality, passions… the end of all thigs is at hand, therefore be self-controlled and sober minded for the sake of your prayers. Above all, keep loving one another earnestly, since love covers a multitude of sins. 1 Peter 4:1-3a, 7-8

Lord, since You suffered in the flesh, I pray that SIL arms herself with the same way of thinking. I pray that she uses any suffering in the flesh she experiences as a means to cease from sin. May she no longer live for her own passions but for Your will, for she has had enough time in the past to live for herself. As the end days approach, encourage SIL to be self-controlled and sober-minded for the sake of her prayers. And above all, to love others earnestly, for it is love that will cover the multitude of irritations and frustrations that accompany human relationships. I also pray that she allows Your love to cover the frustration and disappointments she continues to feel for herself. Help her to see herself as You see her.

In Your Loving Care,

Amen.

A Prayer for SIL, Day 50

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Jesus, You hold us in Your hands. You mold and shape us. You purify us in the fire of You Spirit. I pray that SIL yields to You as You hold, shape, and purify her.

Hold me up, that I may be safe and have regard for your statutes continuously. Ps 119:117

Will what is molded say to its molder, “Why have you made me like this?” Rom 9:20b

For he is like a refiner’s fire. Malachi 3:2

You have been grieved by various trials so that the tested genuineness of your faith – more precious than gold that perishes though it is tested by fire – may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ.  1 Peter 1:6b-7

He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. Matthew 3:11b

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

Lord, hold SIL, keep her safe. May she yield herself to You rather than to the world. Reveal to her her needs – and show her how to buy refined gold, how to put on white garments, and how to anoint her eyes. Lord, may she buy the garments and salve from You and not from the world, nor try to do it in her own power. Help her to stay focused on You both in the day when she is awake and at night as she sleeps.

In Your Mighty Name,

Amen.

A Prayer for SIL, Day 49

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Lord, help me to let go and let you work in SIL at the pace and the way You choose. She is not changing the way I think she should, or as fast as I think she should. But she’s not mine to fix. She belongs to You. She answers to You. I release her, again, to You. Heal her. Teach her. Guide her. Convict her. Love her. I pray that she responds to You, cooperates with You, and seeks You above all else.

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 Timothy 3:16 (17)

Jesus, I pray that You draw SIL to Your Word, that she craves it and feeds upon it every day. And while she does so, that You use it to teach, correct, and train her in righteousness.

In Your Hands,

Amen.

A Prayer for SIL, Day 47

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Lord, I lift up SIL once again. Heal her heart – she is still struggling. Give her understanding – she is still confused. Fill her with Your love – she is still needy. Fill her with Your peace – she is fearful of the future. Cover her with Your protection – for the enemy wants to destroy her.

Be sober-minded, be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. 1 Peter 5:8

Jesus, show SIL what it means to be sober-minded and watchful. Protect her from the devil who would like to devour her. Raise SIL up so that not only is her life dedicated to You, but that she encourages everyone else to be dedicated to You, too. You have gifted her in the way that people want to listen to her. I pray that what she says is Biblically accurate so that she doesn’t lead anyone away from You.

In Your Holy Name,

Amen.

A Prayer for SIL, Day 44

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Jesus, may Your Spirit minister to SIL as she sleeps tonight. Bring her hurt parts into good health. Remove her hardened heart and replace it with a soft heart that is focused on You.

I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you shall be clean from all your uncleanness, and from all your idols I will cleanse you. And I will give you a new heart, and a new spirit I will put within you. And I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. And I will put my Spirit within you and cause you to walk in my statues and be careful to obey my rules. Ezekiel 36:25-27

Lord, as SIL responds to Your Spirit, I pray You clean her, remove her hard heart and give her a heart of flesh so that she will walk in Your way and she will be careful to obey Your rules.

In Your Cleansing Name,

Amen.

Life is Like Enlarging a Fish Pond, Part 9 – Tadpoles

On By LindaIn allegories, analogies, and parablesLeave a comment

As the murky water cleared in my new pond and I was able to look down through the water, I was dismayed to find a bunch of  leaves and muck on the bottom. I had tried so carefully to prevent anything from falling into the water while working on it, so where did all this stuff come from? And how do I get rid of it?

I know that a little muck is beneficial for the fish and plant life, but I didn’t like seeing it. Apparently I wasn’t alone. Some people get rid of the muck by draining the pond and getting inside to scrub the lining and rocks. That wasn’t going to happen in my case, but I did have a pool vacuum which other people mentioned that they used. However, a larger group of people said to leave it, at least for this year. Next year I would have to clean out some of it but for now, just enjoy the pond as it is.

I spent several days debating which group of people to follow. Clean it out or leave it in until later?

And then I noticed something that made my decision easier for me. Tadpoles. Hundreds of tadpoles. Maybe even thousands throughout the entire pond. Tiny squishy spots that swam from place to place. No way could I vacuum the muck without vacuuming up these babies. I decided that I will wait until they are mature frogs and find their own places to live before I get rid of the muck.

Jesus once told a parable about a similar situation. A man sowed good seed in his field but while his men were sleeping, his enemy sowed weeds among the wheat. When the plants came up and bore grain, the weeds also appeared. The workers asked whether to pull up the weeds but the man said that it would harm the wheat so let them grow. When the wheat is harvested, the weeds could be easily separated and burned. Jesus later explained that He was the man who sowed His people in the kingdom of God. But the devil sowed his followers in with them. At harvest time, the angels will separate out the lawless ones from the Believers and cast them in a fiery furnace.

In today’s world, we see two groups of people. Those who are living for God and those who aren’t. Removing the ones who aren’t might damage those who are so God lets them stay until the time is right. He protects His people even if that means others appear to get away with sin. But at the right time, they will pay for their sin.

Fret not yourself because of evildoers; be not envious of wrongdoers! For they will soon fade like the grass and wither like the green herb. Trust in the LORD and do good; dwell in the land and befriend faithfulness. Psalm 37:1-3

For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus, our Lord. Romans 6:23

Just like He told His angels not to remove the weeds in case it hurt the wheat. I chose not to remove the muck in case it hurt the tadpoles. A little muck doesn’t overcome the beauty of the flowers that surround the pond, the mesmerizing ripples of the water flowing over pebbles, the peaceful splash of the waterfalls, and the joyful fun of watching the tadpoles grow and develop.

I wonder if that’s what God thinks when He looks down from heaven at us.

Matthew 13:24-30, 36-43

He put another parable before them, saying, “The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a man who sowed good seed in his field, but while his men were sleeping, his enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat and went away. So when the plants came up and bore grain, then the weeds appeared also. And the servants of the master of the house came and said to him, ‘Master, did you not sow good seed in your field? How then does it have weeds?’ He said to them, ‘An enemy has done this.’ So the servants said to him, ‘Then do you want us to go and gather them?’ But he said, ‘No, lest in gathering the weeds you root up the wheat along with them. Let both grow together until the harvest, and at harvest time I will tell the reapers, “Gather the weeds first and bind them in bundles to be burned, but gather the wheat into my barn.”’”

Then he left the crowds and went into the house. And his disciples came to him, saying, “Explain to us the parable of the weeds of the field.” He answered, “The one who sows the good seed is the Son of Man. The field is the world, and the good seed is the sons of the kingdom. The weeds are the sons of the evil one, and the enemy who sowed them is the devil. The harvest is the end of the age, and the reapers are angels. Just as the weeds are gathered and burned with fire, so will it be at the end of the age. The Son of Man will send his angels, and they will gather out of his kingdom all causes of sin and all law-breakers, and throw them into the fiery furnace. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. Then the righteous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father. He who has ears, let him hear.