Claire's Prayer

Early in the spring of 1905, Civilla Martin and her husband met Mr. and Mrs. Doolittle.  Mrs. Doolittle had been bedridden for 20 years and her husband was confined to a wheelchair.  Despite being so afflicted they bought comfort, inspiration, and encouragement to all they met.  One day Mrs. Doolittle was asked the secret to her bright hopefulness and her response was, “𝑯𝒊𝒔 𝒆𝒚𝒆 𝒊𝒔 𝒐𝒏 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒔𝒑𝒂𝒓𝒓𝒐𝒘, 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝑰 𝒌𝒏𝒐𝒘 𝑯𝒆 𝒘𝒂𝒕𝒄𝒉𝒆𝒔 𝒎𝒆.”  This simple, beautiful expression of great faith inspired the hymn, “𝗛𝗶𝘀 𝗘𝘆𝗲 𝗶𝘀 𝗼𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗦𝗽𝗮𝗿𝗿𝗼𝘄.”

He watches me!  He watches you!  How incredibly comforting are those three unassuming words.  Wherever you are, no matter what you are doing, the Father is watching you. 

In John 1:48 Nathanael enquires of Jesus, “𝑯𝒐𝒘 𝒅𝒐 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒌𝒏𝒐𝒘 𝒎𝒆?”  𝑱𝒆𝒔𝒖𝒔 𝒂𝒏𝒔𝒘𝒆𝒓𝒆𝒅 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒔𝒂𝒊𝒅 𝒕𝒐 𝒉𝒊𝒎, “𝑩𝒆𝒇𝒐𝒓𝒆 𝑷𝒉𝒊𝒍𝒍𝒊𝒑 𝒄𝒂𝒍𝒍𝒆𝒅 𝒚𝒐𝒖, 𝒘𝒉𝒆𝒏 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒘𝒆𝒓𝒆 𝒖𝒏𝒅𝒆𝒓 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒇𝒊𝒈 𝒕𝒓𝒆𝒆, 𝑰 𝒔𝒂𝒘 𝒚𝒐𝒖.”  𝗜 𝘀𝗮𝘄 𝘆𝗼𝘂!  I saw you praying under your fig tree.  I’m watching you.  I saw you as you picked up groceries.  I saw you when that tear slipped down your cheek in the car.  I saw you in that meeting, talking with your friend, driving to work.  In every situation 𝗜 𝘀𝗲𝗲 𝘆𝗼𝘂! I see you.  My eye is upon you.  I’m watching you.

Your loving Father sees you in all your wonderful potential.  Washed clean and beautiful by the blood of Jesus.  He sees you in your good moments and in your bad.  You are never invisible or too small and insignificant – the ever-watchful eyes of your Savior are upon you!  He sees you.

“𝑰 𝒘𝒊𝒍𝒍 𝒊𝒏𝒔𝒕𝒓𝒖𝒄𝒕 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒕𝒆𝒂𝒄𝒉 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒊𝒏 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒘𝒂𝒚 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒔𝒉𝒐𝒖𝒍𝒅 𝒈𝒐; 𝑰 𝒘𝒊𝒍𝒍 𝒈𝒖𝒊𝒅𝒆 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒘𝒊𝒕𝒉 𝑴𝒚 𝒆𝒚𝒆.”Psalm 32:8 

When I first read this scripture, I wondered to myself, “How does someone guide you with their eye?”  I chuckled to myself as I tried to imagine it!  Wouldn’t you have to be looking at that person to see which way the eye was indicating? When I think of the LORD guiding me, I think of Him taking me by the hand and leading me down the pathway, the LORD in front and me behind and sometimes He does do that!  But then, I began to imagine something else: 

A huge, lavish banquet is being held by the most important man in the land – His Majesty, the King.  Every dignitary and significant person in the country is seated around a glorious table; there are roses, crystal glasses and delicacies of every kind!  And you, why you are His Majesty’s right-hand man!  You stand to attention off to the side and intently watch your King’s every move.  At a strategic point during the evening, the King raises His head and looks in your direction. Immediately, you know that it’s time to bring in the entertainment!  𝗬𝗼𝘂 𝘄𝗲𝗿𝗲 𝗴𝘂𝗶𝗱𝗲𝗱 𝗯𝘆 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗞𝗶𝗻𝗴’𝘀 𝗲𝘆𝗲!

At times, I can look deep into my husband’s eyes, and I know just what he is thinking.  There is a profound connection that has developed over the years.  We know each other so well – not only can we finish each other’s sentences, but we can communicate without words.  Isn’t that the LORD’s desire for us, that we draw so close to Him, that we seek such intimacy with Him, that we see our reflection in His eyes?  That we get to know Him so well that no words are needed – we will know what He is thinking and with just a slight movement of His beautiful eyes, we will be instructed to go to the left or to the right. 

Psalm 17:8 says this: “𝑲𝒆𝒆𝒑 𝒎𝒆 𝒂𝒔 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒂𝒑𝒑𝒍𝒆 𝒐𝒇 𝒀𝒐𝒖𝒓 𝒆𝒚𝒆; 𝑯𝒊𝒅𝒆 𝒎𝒆 𝒖𝒏𝒅𝒆𝒓 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒔𝒉𝒂𝒅𝒐𝒘 𝒐𝒇 𝒀𝒐𝒖𝒓 𝒘𝒊𝒏𝒈𝒔.” We are the “𝗮𝗽𝗽𝗹𝗲 𝗼𝗳 𝗛𝗶𝘀 𝗲𝘆𝗲,” literally translated in Hebrew to mean, ‘little man of the eye’. It is that reflection you see of yourself in someone’s eye when you are really close to them.  The Father is watching you so closely and so intently, you are the apple of His eye, and all He sees is you!  

𝕀𝕥 𝕒𝕝𝕝 𝕔𝕠𝕞𝕖𝕤 𝕕𝕠𝕨𝕟 𝕥𝕠 𝕜𝕟𝕠𝕨𝕚𝕟𝕘 𝔾𝕠𝕕.  Knowing the character of God.  Knowing that He is a God who gives liberally, openly and with sincerity, not for one moment thinking of reminding you of just how unworthy you are.  The Father weaves wisdom into your life until it is an inexplicable part of who you are.  He braids in knowledge of both things human and supernatural and folds in understanding.  He gives you the gift of having a “word in season” and teaches you how to impart Christian truth to encourage and strengthen the one who is struggling.  He pours out intelligence upon you and lavishes you with the knowledge of how to live a Godly life.  𝗧𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗶𝘀 𝘄𝗶𝘀𝗱𝗼𝗺, 𝗴𝗶𝘃𝗲𝗻 𝗹𝗶𝗯𝗲𝗿𝗮𝗹𝗹𝘆!  Not simply a “help me make the right choice,” but so much more!   

James 1:5-8 tells us; “𝑰𝒇 𝒂𝒏𝒚 𝒐𝒇 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒍𝒂𝒄𝒌𝒔 𝒘𝒊𝒔𝒅𝒐𝒎, 𝒍𝒆𝒕 𝒉𝒊𝒎 𝒂𝒔𝒌 𝒐𝒇 𝑮𝒐𝒅, 𝒘𝒉𝒐 𝒈𝒊𝒗𝒆𝒔 𝒕𝒐 𝒂𝒍𝒍 𝒍𝒊𝒃𝒆𝒓𝒂𝒍𝒍𝒚 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒘𝒊𝒕𝒉𝒐𝒖𝒕 𝒓𝒆𝒑𝒓𝒐𝒂𝒄𝒉, 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒊𝒕 𝒘𝒊𝒍𝒍 𝒃𝒆 𝒈𝒊𝒗𝒆𝒏 𝒕𝒐 𝒉𝒊𝒎.  𝑩𝒖𝒕 𝒍𝒆𝒕 𝒉𝒊𝒎 𝒂𝒔𝒌 𝒊𝒏 𝒇𝒂𝒊𝒕𝒉, 𝒘𝒊𝒕𝒉 𝒏𝒐 𝒅𝒐𝒖𝒃𝒕𝒊𝒏𝒈, 𝒇𝒐𝒓 𝒉𝒆 𝒘𝒉𝒐 𝒅𝒐𝒖𝒃𝒕𝒔 𝒊𝒔 𝒍𝒊𝒌𝒆 𝒂 𝒘𝒂𝒗𝒆 𝒐𝒇 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒔𝒆𝒂 𝒅𝒓𝒊𝒗𝒆𝒏 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒕𝒐𝒔𝒔𝒆𝒅 𝒃𝒚 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒘𝒊𝒏𝒅.  𝑭𝒐𝒓 𝒍𝒆𝒕 𝒏𝒐𝒕 𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒎𝒂𝒏 𝒔𝒖𝒑𝒑𝒐𝒔𝒆 𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒉𝒆 𝒘𝒊𝒍𝒍 𝒓𝒆𝒄𝒆𝒊𝒗𝒆 𝒂𝒏𝒚𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒇𝒓𝒐𝒎 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝑳𝒐𝒓𝒅; 𝒉𝒆 𝒊𝒔 𝒂 𝒅𝒐𝒖𝒃𝒍𝒆–𝒎𝒊𝒏𝒅𝒆𝒅 𝒎𝒂𝒏, 𝒖𝒏𝒔𝒕𝒂𝒃𝒍𝒆 𝒊𝒏 𝒂𝒍𝒍 𝒉𝒊𝒔 𝒘𝒂𝒚𝒔.”

We need to ask for this wisdom, and we need to ask in faith.  Not wavering between the hope that He will give it to us and the fear that He won’t!  We need faith, simple faith in the One who gave us life, salvation, and redemption.  Faith that Jesus Christ is who He says He is. Faith in His Word and in the character of God, in His goodness, in His kindness, and in His love for us.  𝗪𝗲 𝗱𝗼𝗻’𝘁 𝗻𝗲𝗲𝗱 𝗺𝗼𝘂𝗻𝘁𝗮𝗶𝗻𝘀 𝗼𝗳 𝗳𝗮𝗶𝘁𝗵, 𝗷𝘂𝘀𝘁 𝗳𝗮𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗶𝗻 𝗚𝗼𝗱.  It is not the quantity of your faith that matters; it is the object of your faith. Who do you put your faith in?  Just trust, just believe, and rest in who God is believing He will give you abundant wisdom!

Joshua 6:20 says, “𝑾𝒉𝒆𝒏 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒕𝒓𝒖𝒎𝒑𝒆𝒕𝒔 𝒔𝒐𝒖𝒏𝒅𝒆𝒅, 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒂𝒓𝒎𝒚 𝒔𝒉𝒐𝒖𝒕𝒆𝒅, 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒂𝒕 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒔𝒐𝒖𝒏𝒅 𝒐𝒇 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒕𝒓𝒖𝒎𝒑𝒆𝒕, 𝒘𝒉𝒆𝒏 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒎𝒆𝒏 𝒈𝒂𝒗𝒆 𝒂 𝒍𝒐𝒖𝒅 𝒔𝒉𝒐𝒖𝒕, 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒘𝒂𝒍𝒍 𝒄𝒐𝒍𝒍𝒂𝒑𝒔𝒆𝒅; 𝒔𝒐 𝒆𝒗𝒆𝒓𝒚𝒐𝒏𝒆 𝒄𝒉𝒂𝒓𝒈𝒆𝒅 𝒔𝒕𝒓𝒂𝒊𝒈𝒉𝒕 𝒊𝒏 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒚 𝒕𝒐𝒐𝒌 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒄𝒊𝒕𝒚.”

Can you imagine the Israelite army being given this absurd order to march around the mighty city of Jericho without saying a word? I wonder what was going through their heads… For some, it was probably, “This is silly,” or “I feel stupid.” But for others, it was certainly, “We are going to do this! We are going to take this city!” The more they walked, the more their confidence grew. Perhaps some of them, looking forward to that final day, were thinking, “𝗜’𝗺 𝗴𝗼𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗼 𝗯𝗲 𝗹𝗼𝘂𝗱, 𝘀𝗼 𝗟𝗢𝗨𝗗!” Faith was stirring within their hearts, and the expectation that God was going to do something great was getting bigger and bigger.

Imagine for a moment the sound of the trumpets and that huge, loud roar going up from the army on that final day. The volume of noise coming from thousands and thousands of men must have been so loud and intense that it shook the very ground they were walking on. The New King James Bible tells us, 𝗮𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗹𝗼𝘂𝗱 𝘀𝗵𝗼𝘂𝘁, 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘄𝗮𝗹𝗹𝘀 𝗳𝗲𝗹𝗹 𝗱𝗼𝘄𝗻 𝗳𝗹𝗮𝘁! Walls that had seemed high and insurmountable flattened at one loud shout! The Israeli army totally destroyed Jericho; nothing was left.

The Canaanites that lived in Jericho would have been a serious threat to Israel’s spiritual welfare. They were steeped in idolatry and immorality. 𝗧𝗵𝗲𝘆 𝘄𝗲𝗿𝗲 𝘀𝗾𝘂𝗮𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗿𝘀 𝗶𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗣𝗿𝗼𝗺𝗶𝘀𝗲𝗱 𝗟𝗮𝗻𝗱! 𝗧𝗵𝗲𝘆 𝗱𝗶𝗱𝗻’𝘁 𝗯𝗲𝗹𝗼𝗻𝗴. I know that in my own life there are Jericho’s that are holding me back. Huge walls that may seem insurmountable, chains that seem too big to be broken. 𝗪𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗚𝗼𝗱 𝗳𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗯𝗮𝘁𝘁𝗹𝗲𝘀, 𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘆 𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗴𝗹𝗲 𝗼𝗻𝗲 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗼𝘀𝗲 𝗝𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗰𝗵𝗼’𝘀 𝘄𝗶𝗹𝗹 𝗳𝗮𝗹𝗹! What is it that is holding us back? 𝐋𝐞𝐭’𝐬 𝐮𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐨𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐬𝐞 𝐬𝐪𝐮𝐚𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐬. 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐏𝐫𝐨𝐦𝐢𝐬𝐞𝐝 𝐋𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐢𝐬 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐭𝐡 𝐢𝐭!

𝔻𝕚𝕤𝕥𝕣𝕒𝕔𝕥𝕚𝕠𝕟𝕤! They pop up like so many unwanted interruptions throughout our day! I don’t know about you but the minute I settle down, with a cup of hot tea, and hour of my time, and a determination to spend that with the Father, a million distractions will fall from the ceiling!

Facebook, a phone call, what’s for dinner, I wonder what my daughter is doing today, don’t forget the taxes! On and on like ping pong balls bouncing off the walls! Somedays anxiety creeps in as a distraction – those ‘what happens if’ thoughts! Before I know it half an hour has passed as I spun endlessly down the rabbit hole.

Jesus tells us a story in Matthew all about soil. An interesting story and right in the heart of it is a verse about distractions. “𝑵𝒐𝒘 𝒉𝒆 𝒘𝒉𝒐 𝒓𝒆𝒄𝒆𝒊𝒗𝒆𝒅 𝒔𝒆𝒆𝒅 𝒂𝒎𝒐𝒏𝒈 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒕𝒉𝒐𝒓𝒏𝒔 𝒊𝒔 𝒉𝒆 𝒘𝒉𝒐 𝒉𝒆𝒂𝒓𝒔 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒘𝒐𝒓𝒅, 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒄𝒂𝒓𝒆𝒔 𝒐𝒇 𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒔 𝒘𝒐𝒓𝒍𝒅 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒅𝒆𝒄𝒆𝒊𝒕𝒇𝒖𝒍𝒏𝒆𝒔𝒔 𝒐𝒇 𝒓𝒊𝒄𝒉𝒆𝒔 𝒄𝒉𝒐𝒌𝒆 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒘𝒐𝒓𝒅, 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒉𝒆 𝒃𝒆𝒄𝒐𝒎𝒆𝒔 𝒖𝒏𝒇𝒓𝒖𝒊𝒕𝒇𝒖𝒍.” ( Matthew 13:22).

The farmer sowed good seed, but some fell among the thorns and the thorns strangled the seeds. Distractions, like thorns, will choke us and cause us to be unfruitful! The cares of the world, anxiety about the future, worry about success, the amount of money earned, will all be diversions from our goal. Drawing nearer to our beloved Savior, Jesus Christ.

How do we stop the ping pong balls from falling? The distractions from sucking up our time? Perhaps we simply need to turn our phone off, take every thought captive when it comes again and again, perhaps a worship song will ground us. Often I speak my prayers out loud as it seems when they are spoken in my head those squirrels will invade!

𝗗𝗼 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗵𝗮𝘃𝗲 𝗮𝗻𝘆 𝘄𝗮𝘆𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗱𝗲𝗮𝗹 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝘁𝗵𝗼𝘀𝗲 𝗱𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗿𝗮𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀? I would love to hear them as my desire is to be fruitful and hear the voice of the Holy Spirit in those precious times with Him!

“𝑰 𝒌𝒆𝒆𝒑 𝒂𝒔𝒌𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝑮𝒐𝒅 𝒐𝒇 𝒐𝒖𝒓 𝑳𝒐𝒓𝒅 𝑱𝒆𝒔𝒖𝒔 𝑪𝒉𝒓𝒊𝒔𝒕, 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒈𝒍𝒐𝒓𝒊𝒐𝒖𝒔 𝑭𝒂𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒓, 𝒎𝒂𝒚 𝒈𝒊𝒗𝒆 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝑺𝒑𝒊𝒓𝒊𝒕 𝒐𝒇 𝒘𝒊𝒔𝒅𝒐𝒎 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒓𝒆𝒗𝒆𝒍𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏, 𝒔𝒐 𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒎𝒂𝒚 𝒌𝒏𝒐𝒘 𝒉𝒊𝒎 𝒃𝒆𝒕𝒕𝒆𝒓. 𝑰 𝒑𝒓𝒂𝒚 𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒆𝒚𝒆𝒔 𝒐𝒇 𝒚𝒐𝒖𝒓 𝒉𝒆𝒂𝒓𝒕 𝒎𝒂𝒚 𝒃𝒆 𝒆𝒏𝒍𝒊𝒈𝒉𝒕𝒆𝒏𝒆𝒅 𝒊𝒏 𝒐𝒓𝒅𝒆𝒓 𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒎𝒂𝒚 𝒌𝒏𝒐𝒘 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒉𝒐𝒑𝒆 𝒕𝒐 𝒘𝒉𝒊𝒄𝒉 𝒉𝒆 𝒉𝒂𝒔 𝒄𝒂𝒍𝒍𝒆𝒅 𝒚𝒐𝒖, 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒓𝒊𝒄𝒉𝒆𝒔 𝒐𝒇 𝒉𝒊𝒔 𝒈𝒍𝒐𝒓𝒊𝒐𝒖𝒔 𝒊𝒏𝒉𝒆𝒓𝒊𝒕𝒂𝒏𝒄𝒆 𝒊𝒏 𝑯𝒊𝒔 𝒉𝒐𝒍𝒚 𝒑𝒆𝒐𝒑𝒍𝒆, 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝑯𝒊𝒔 𝒊𝒏𝒄𝒐𝒎𝒑𝒂𝒓𝒂𝒃𝒍𝒚 𝒈𝒓𝒆𝒂𝒕 𝒑𝒐𝒘𝒆𝒓 𝒇𝒐𝒓 𝒖𝒔 𝒘𝒉𝒐 𝒃𝒆𝒍𝒊𝒆𝒗𝒆.” – Eph 1:18-19

𝕋𝕙𝕖 𝕖𝕪𝕖𝕤 𝕠𝕗 𝕠𝕦𝕣 𝕙𝕖𝕒𝕣𝕥?! Who knew that our heart has eyes! Eyes that can be enlightened, or stay dim and unfocused. Eyes that can be flooded with inspired light or stumble around in the darkness trying to find their way. Eyes that are opened by the Spirit of wisdom and revelation so that we may know Him better! So that we may know Him with our whole heart, deep down in the depths of our being. So that we might learn about His great power and the hope of our calling.

If a heart has eyes, then perhaps it also has ears. That we would hear Jesus with our heart, not just our mind, not just in knowledge, but that our hearts would be open to hear what He is saying in the Spirit, not in the natural, in the supernatural. Let’s be filled to the brim with the Spirit, let’s be full of the Spirit of wisdom and revelation! Let’s live in the place where we can see Jesus, where we get to know him more, where the eyes of our heart are opened to the glorious light of our Saviour. Where we can walk with our Father and hear His Heart. Where our wants and needs diminish and His thoughts and desires become the focus of our being. In the Spirit. 𝗛𝗲𝗮𝗿𝘁 𝘁𝗼 𝗛𝗲𝗮𝗿𝘁!

Surely, if our heart has eyes and ears then maybe it has a voice? A mouth to speak the truth. A mouth to shout out the things that are not as though they were! 𝑨 𝒉𝒆𝒂𝒓𝒕 𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒓𝒆𝒋𝒐𝒊𝒄𝒆𝒔 𝒊𝒏 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝑳𝑶𝑹𝑫 (1 Sam 2:1) 𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒄𝒓𝒊𝒆𝒔 𝒐𝒖𝒕 𝒇𝒐𝒓 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒍𝒊𝒗𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝑮𝒐𝒅(Ps 84:2). 𝑨 𝒉𝒆𝒂𝒓𝒕 𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒑𝒓𝒂𝒊𝒔𝒆𝒔 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝑳𝑶𝑹𝑫 𝒘𝒉𝒐𝒍𝒍𝒚 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒄𝒐𝒎𝒑𝒍𝒆𝒕𝒆𝒍𝒚 (Ps 111:1). A heart that has rivers of living water flowing from it just because we believe in the Son! (Jn 7:38)

𝑪𝒓𝒆𝒂𝒕𝒆 𝒊𝒏 𝒖𝒔 𝒂 𝒄𝒍𝒆𝒂𝒏 𝒉𝒆𝒂𝒓𝒕, 𝑶 𝑮𝒐𝒅, 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒓𝒆𝒏𝒆𝒘 𝒂 𝒓𝒊𝒈𝒉𝒕 𝒔𝒑𝒊𝒓𝒊𝒕 𝒘𝒊𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒏 𝒖𝒔. (Ps 51:10) 𝑮𝒊𝒗𝒆 𝒖𝒔 𝒉𝒆𝒂𝒓𝒕𝒔 𝒕𝒐 𝒌𝒏𝒐𝒘 𝒀𝒐𝒖, 𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒀𝒐𝒖 𝒂𝒓𝒆 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝑳𝑶𝑹𝑫. (Jer 24:7) Give us a heart that continually praises your name, that always gives thanks and tells of your wonderful deeds! (Ps 9:1) Let us be always beside You, always with You, constantly listening to You, yearning for You, pouring out our hearts to You (Ps 62:8), 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗬𝗼𝘂 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝘁𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘀𝘂𝗿𝗲 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘄𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲 𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝘁𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘀𝘂𝗿𝗲 𝗶𝘀, 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲 𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗵𝗲𝗮𝗿𝘁𝘀 𝘄𝗶𝗹𝗹 𝗯𝗲 𝗮𝗹𝘀𝗼.(Mt 6:21)

Perhaps Lewis Carroll was absolutely and categorically correct when he wrote Through the Looking Glass. When faced with an impossible event the White Queen stated, “𝘕𝘰𝘸 𝘐’𝘭𝘭 𝘨𝘪𝘷𝘦 𝘠𝘖𝘜 𝘴𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘰 𝘣𝘦𝘭𝘪𝘦𝘷𝘦. 𝘐’𝘮 𝘫𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘩𝘶𝘯𝘥𝘳𝘦𝘥 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘰𝘯𝘦, 𝘧𝘪𝘷𝘦 𝘮𝘰𝘯𝘵𝘩𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘢 𝘥𝘢𝘺.’ ‘𝘐 𝘤𝘢𝘯’𝘵 𝘣𝘦𝘭𝘪𝘦𝘷𝘦 𝘛𝘏𝘈𝘛!’ 𝘴𝘢𝘪𝘥 𝘈𝘭𝘪𝘤𝘦. ‘𝘊𝘢𝘯’𝘵 𝘺𝘰𝘶?’ 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘘𝘶𝘦𝘦𝘯 𝘴𝘢𝘪𝘥 𝘪𝘯 𝘢 𝘱𝘪𝘵𝘺𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘰𝘯𝘦. ‘𝘛𝘳𝘺 𝘢𝘨𝘢𝘪𝘯: 𝘥𝘳𝘢𝘸 𝘢 𝘭𝘰𝘯𝘨 𝘣𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘵𝘩 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘴𝘩𝘶𝘵 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘦𝘺𝘦𝘴.’ 𝘈𝘭𝘪𝘤𝘦 𝘭𝘢𝘶𝘨𝘩𝘦𝘥. ‘𝘛𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦’𝘴 𝘯𝘰 𝘶𝘴𝘦 𝘵𝘳𝘺𝘪𝘯𝘨,’ 𝘴𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘢𝘪𝘥: ‘𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘊𝘈𝘕’𝘛 𝘣𝘦𝘭𝘪𝘦𝘷𝘦 𝘪𝘮𝘱𝘰𝘴𝘴𝘪𝘣𝘭𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘴.’ ‘𝘐 𝘥𝘢𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘢𝘺 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦𝘯’𝘵 𝘩𝘢𝘥 𝘮𝘶𝘤𝘩 𝘱𝘳𝘢𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘤𝘦,’ 𝘴𝘢𝘪𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘘𝘶𝘦𝘦𝘯. ‘𝘞𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘐 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘢𝘨𝘦, 𝘐 𝘢𝘭𝘸𝘢𝘺𝘴 𝘥𝘪𝘥 𝘪𝘵 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘩𝘢𝘭𝘧-𝘢𝘯-𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘢 𝘥𝘢𝘺. 𝑾𝒉𝒚, 𝒔𝒐𝒎𝒆𝒕𝒊𝒎𝒆𝒔 𝑰’𝒗𝒆 𝒃𝒆𝒍𝒊𝒆𝒗𝒆𝒅 𝒂𝒔 𝒎𝒂𝒏𝒚 𝒂𝒔 𝒔𝒊𝒙 𝒊𝒎𝒑𝒐𝒔𝒔𝒊𝒃𝒍𝒆 𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒏𝒈𝒔 𝒃𝒆𝒇𝒐𝒓𝒆 𝒃𝒓𝒆𝒂𝒌𝒇𝒂𝒔𝒕!”

Impossible circumstances are exactly what our Father thrives on! He is known for doing impossible things – parting the red sea, knocking the walls of Jericho down, making the sun standstill, or water cascade from a rock. Now that’s only four impossible things! I could not begin to name the number of miracles God has done or even those talked about in the Bible!

Jeremiah recognized this incredible fact when faced with an impossible situation, his soul literally cries out to the Living God; “𝘼𝙝, 𝙇𝙤𝙧𝙙 𝙂𝙤𝙙! 𝘽𝙚𝙝𝙤𝙡𝙙, 𝙔𝙤𝙪 𝙝𝙖𝙫𝙚 𝙢𝙖𝙙𝙚 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙝𝙚𝙖𝙫𝙚𝙣𝙨 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙚𝙖𝙧𝙩𝙝 𝙗𝙮 𝙔𝙤𝙪𝙧 𝙜𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙩 𝙥𝙤𝙬𝙚𝙧 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙤𝙪𝙩𝙨𝙩𝙧𝙚𝙩𝙘𝙝𝙚𝙙 𝙖𝙧𝙢. 𝙏𝙝𝙚𝙧𝙚 𝙞𝙨 𝙣𝙤𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙩𝙤𝙤 𝙝𝙖𝙧𝙙 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝙔𝙤𝙪.” (Jeremiah 32:17) Whatever the task – God is up to it! There are no limitations for our Father, nothing is difficult. 𝕋𝕙𝕖 𝔾𝕠𝕕 𝕨𝕙𝕠 𝕞𝕒𝕕𝕖 𝕥𝕙𝕖 𝕦𝕟𝕚𝕧𝕖𝕣𝕤𝕖 𝕚𝕟 𝕒𝕝𝕝 𝕚𝕥𝕤 𝕘𝕝𝕠𝕣𝕪 𝕔𝕒𝕟 𝕞𝕒𝕜𝕖 𝕪𝕠𝕦𝕣 𝕚𝕞𝕡𝕠𝕤𝕤𝕚𝕓𝕝𝕖 𝕔𝕠𝕟𝕕𝕚𝕥𝕚𝕠𝕟𝕤 𝕡𝕠𝕤𝕤𝕚𝕓𝕝𝕖!

I may not know the exact number of miracles in God’s Word or how many impossible things our LORD does, but I do know that He does them. I do know that we serve a miracle working God! I know that whatever you are facing, whatever trial or difficult circumstance, God can and does work all things together for the good of those that love Him!

John Newton proclaimed,”𝗧𝗵𝗼𝘂 𝗮𝗿𝘁 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗼 𝗮 𝗞𝗶𝗻𝗴, 𝗟𝗮𝗿𝗴𝗲 𝗽𝗲𝘁𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗧𝗵𝗲𝗲 𝗯𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗴; 𝗙𝗼𝗿 𝗛𝗶𝘀 𝗴𝗿𝗮𝗰𝗲 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗽𝗼𝘄𝗲𝗿 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝘀𝘂𝗰𝗵, 𝗡𝗼𝗻𝗲 𝗰𝗮𝗻 𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗿 𝗮𝘀𝗸 𝘁𝗼𝗼 𝗺𝘂𝗰𝗵.” Let’s petition the King of Kings, our beloved Father, and practice believing that God does impossible things, things beyond the bounds of human comprehension, 𝗽𝗲𝗿𝗵𝗮𝗽𝘀 𝘀𝗶𝘅 𝗶𝗺𝗽𝗼𝘀𝘀𝗶𝗯𝗹𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴𝘀 𝗯𝗲𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝗯𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗸𝗳𝗮𝘀𝘁!

Believing for the impossible with you!

“𝙁𝙤𝙧 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙬𝙚𝙧𝙚 𝙤𝙣𝙘𝙚 𝙙𝙖𝙧𝙠𝙣𝙚𝙨𝙨, 𝙗𝙪𝙩 𝙣𝙤𝙬 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙖𝙧𝙚 𝙡𝙞𝙜𝙝𝙩 𝙞𝙣 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙇𝙤𝙧𝙙. 𝙒𝙖𝙡𝙠 𝙖𝙨 𝙘𝙝𝙞𝙡𝙙𝙧𝙚𝙣 𝙤𝙛 𝙡𝙞𝙜𝙝𝙩 (𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙛𝙧𝙪𝙞𝙩 𝙤𝙛 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙎𝙥𝙞𝙧𝙞𝙩 𝙞𝙨 𝙞𝙣 𝙖𝙡𝙡 𝙜𝙤𝙤𝙙𝙣𝙚𝙨𝙨, 𝙧𝙞𝙜𝙝𝙩𝙚𝙤𝙪𝙨𝙣𝙚𝙨𝙨, 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙩𝙧𝙪𝙩𝙝), 𝙛𝙞𝙣𝙙𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙤𝙪𝙩 𝙬𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙞𝙨 𝙖𝙘𝙘𝙚𝙥𝙩𝙖𝙗𝙡𝙚 𝙩𝙤 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙇𝙤𝙧𝙙.” Ephesians 5:8-10

𝗗𝗮𝗿𝗸𝗻𝗲𝘀𝘀. Pitch black darkness. The “𝗜 𝗰𝗮𝗻’𝘁 𝘀𝗲𝗲 𝗺𝘆 𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗶𝗻 𝗳𝗿𝗼𝗻𝘁 𝗼𝗳 𝗺𝘆 𝗳𝗮𝗰𝗲” kind of darkness. Ephesians 5:8 tells us that “𝒘𝒆 𝒘𝒆𝒓𝒆 𝒐𝒏𝒄𝒆 𝒅𝒂𝒓𝒌𝒏𝒆𝒔𝒔,” not that we lived in darkness but that we were darkness! Quite a sobering thought. Now we are light, not just in the light but we are “𝒍𝒊𝒈𝒉𝒕 𝒊𝒏 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝑳𝒐𝒓𝒅!” As the moon reflects the glorious light of the sun, so we reflect the light of Jesus. We have no light of ourselves, but we are light in the LORD! We are new creations, no longer created out of darkness but out of His wonderful light. Hallelujah – that certainly is something to thank our Father for!

When I think of the reflectors on the wheel of a bicycle, they have no light of themselves; but when the light of a car’s headlights hits that reflector, the reflector glows and shines so brightly and everyone can see that the cyclist is there. We are those reflectors just like a light shining on a hill for all to see! Reflecting the glowing, blinding light of Jesus Christ!

Christ’s light is always shining upon us, His face is always turned toward us. Numbers 6:24 and 25 says,“𝑻𝒉𝒆 LORD 𝒃𝒍𝒆𝒔𝒔 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒌𝒆𝒆𝒑 𝒚𝒐𝒖; 𝒕𝒉𝒆 LORD 𝒎𝒂𝒌𝒆 𝒉𝒊𝒔 𝒇𝒂𝒄𝒆 𝒔𝒉𝒊𝒏𝒆 𝒖𝒑𝒐𝒏 𝒚𝒐𝒖, 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒃𝒆 𝒈𝒓𝒂𝒄𝒊𝒐𝒖𝒔 𝒕𝒐 𝒚𝒐𝒖.” The LORD’s face shines with light and is upon you! Like Moses who “𝒘𝒂𝒔 𝒏𝒐𝒕 𝒂𝒘𝒂𝒓𝒆 𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒉𝒊𝒔 𝒇𝒂𝒄𝒆 𝒘𝒂𝒔 𝒓𝒂𝒅𝒊𝒂𝒏𝒕 𝒃𝒆𝒄𝒂𝒖𝒔𝒆 𝒉𝒆 𝒉𝒂𝒅 𝒔𝒑𝒐𝒌𝒆𝒏 𝒘𝒊𝒕𝒉 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝑳𝑶𝑹𝑫.” – Exodus 34:29.

Spending time in the presence of our Savior makes us glow with His reflected light! It makes us radiant, and others will be drawn to that radiance. Let’s spend time in His presence so that we, too, glow with His reflected light!

I am very easily distracted and love crafts of every kind. I love the colors, textures and sparkles, and can see potential in every beautiful fabric! My problem is, I begin to knit or sew with enthusiasm, and then my eye is caught by another tantalizing project. So I pack away my half-finished work and begin another! 𝗗𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗿𝗮𝗰𝘁𝗲𝗱. 𝗘𝗮𝘀𝗶𝗹𝘆 𝗱𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗿𝗮𝗰𝘁𝗲𝗱!

Isn’t it wonderful that our Heavenly Father is not easily distracted? Our King doesn’t start something and not finish it. Philippians 1:6 says, “𝘽𝙚𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙘𝙤𝙣𝙛𝙞𝙙𝙚𝙣𝙩 𝙤𝙛 𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙨 𝙫𝙚𝙧𝙮 𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙣𝙜, 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙃𝙚 𝙬𝙝𝙤 𝙝𝙖𝙨 𝙗𝙚𝙜𝙪𝙣 𝙖 𝙜𝙤𝙤𝙙 𝙬𝙤𝙧𝙠 𝙞𝙣 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙬𝙞𝙡𝙡 𝙘𝙤𝙢𝙥𝙡𝙚𝙩𝙚 𝙞𝙩 𝙪𝙣𝙩𝙞𝙡 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙙𝙖𝙮 𝙤𝙛 𝙅𝙚𝙨𝙪𝙨 𝘾𝙝𝙧𝙞𝙨𝙩.” God will not begin a work without finishing it in its entirety—totally completing it.

Charles Spurgeon puts it so eloquently: “𝘞𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘪𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘢𝘯 𝘪𝘯𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘎𝘰𝘥 𝘣𝘦𝘨𝘪𝘯𝘯𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢𝘯𝘺 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘬 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘷𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘪𝘵 𝘪𝘯𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘱𝘭𝘦𝘵𝘦? 𝘚𝘩𝘰𝘸 𝘮𝘦 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘰𝘯𝘤𝘦 𝘢 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘭𝘥 𝘢𝘣𝘢𝘯𝘥𝘰𝘯𝘦𝘥 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘳𝘰𝘸𝘯 𝘢𝘴𝘪𝘥𝘦 𝘩𝘢𝘭𝘧 𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘮𝘦𝘥; 𝘴𝘩𝘰𝘸 𝘮𝘦 𝘢 𝘶𝘯𝘪𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘴𝘦 𝘤𝘢𝘴𝘵 𝘰𝘧𝘧 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘎𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘵 𝘗𝘰𝘵𝘵𝘦𝘳’𝘴 𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘦𝘭, 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘥𝘦𝘴𝘪𝘨𝘯 𝘪𝘯 𝘰𝘶𝘵𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘦, 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘥𝘢𝘺 𝘩𝘢𝘭𝘧 𝘩𝘢𝘳𝘥𝘦𝘯𝘦𝘥 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘮 𝘶𝘯𝘴𝘩𝘢𝘱𝘦𝘭𝘺 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘪𝘯𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘱𝘭𝘦𝘵𝘦𝘯𝘦𝘴𝘴.”

Our Savior has begun a good work in you and He will take all the time needed to make you into someone worth boasting about! He is putting time and effort into you and will not leave His work incomplete!💕🦋

Isn’t it a mystery how you can read a scripture dozens of times when suddenly, a sentence will jump out at you as if highlighted, and you’ll wonder – “𝗪𝗵𝘆 𝗱𝗶𝗱 𝗜 𝗻𝗼𝘁 𝘀𝗲𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗯𝗲𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗲!?” This is the miracle of the Word of God. The words etched on these pages are not dead, they are not passive or lifeless, but alive, endless, they have a power of their own!

While reading the account where Peter denied Jesus three times, I noticed a few details that I hadn’t seen before. “𝘽𝙪𝙩 𝙋𝙚𝙩𝙚𝙧 𝙨𝙖𝙞𝙙, “𝙈𝙖𝙣, 𝙄 𝙙𝙤 𝙣𝙤𝙩 𝙠𝙣𝙤𝙬 𝙬𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙖𝙧𝙚 𝙨𝙖𝙮𝙞𝙣𝙜!” 𝙄𝙢𝙢𝙚𝙙𝙞𝙖𝙩𝙚𝙡𝙮, 𝙬𝙝𝙞𝙡𝙚 𝙝𝙚 𝙬𝙖𝙨 𝙨𝙩𝙞𝙡𝙡 𝙨𝙥𝙚𝙖𝙠𝙞𝙣𝙜, 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙧𝙤𝙤𝙨𝙩𝙚𝙧 𝙘𝙧𝙤𝙬𝙚𝙙. 𝘼𝙣𝙙 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙇𝙊𝙍𝘿 𝙩𝙪𝙧𝙣𝙚𝙙 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙡𝙤𝙤𝙠𝙚𝙙 𝙖𝙩 𝙋𝙚𝙩𝙚𝙧.” Luke 22:60-61a

“𝑨𝒏𝒅 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝑳𝑶𝑹𝑫 𝒕𝒖𝒓𝒏𝒆𝒅 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒍𝒐𝒐𝒌𝒆𝒅 𝒂𝒕 𝑷𝒆𝒕𝒆𝒓!” The LORD was there! Our Savior heard every denial Peter made, one blow to His heart after another. Jesus heard every defiant renunciation that fell from Peter’s lips. How did I miss this, how did I miss the fact that Satan sifted Peter right in front of Jesus? Oh, how that must have stung, how personal and painful this rejection! And from Peter too – the one who knew that Jesus was the Messiah. The one on whom Christ promised to build His church. But even more than that, this denial came from one of His closest friends!

It was this look that broke Peter causing him to weep bitterly, this look that finally brought Peter to the end of himself. If Peter had not been completely broken, he could not have been completely transformed. Peter’s transformation was so dramatic that he did indeed become the rock on which God’s church was built, bringing the gospel to the gentiles. He died a martyr’s death being crucified upside down upon a cross.

𝗢𝗳 𝗰𝗼𝘂𝗿𝘀𝗲, 𝗝𝗲𝘀𝘂𝘀 𝘄𝗮𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲! He always is. He is always standing beside you, watching over you, taking care of you, looking upon you with a love that is never ending. He is there in the good times and the hard ones. He is there when you fail, when you stumble, flounder, or fall. He sees the potential within you and believes wholeheartedly in you. He knows that when you come to the end of yourself, then His story can begin. The purposes and works that He has planned for you can begin and be established. When you find yourself at the end of your rope, remember, Jesus is always there. 𝗪𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲 𝗲𝗹𝘀𝗲 𝘄𝗼𝘂𝗹𝗱 𝗛𝗲 𝗯𝗲?!

Thankful that Jesus is always there.