Claire's Prayer

“𝕋𝕙𝕣𝕠𝕦𝕘𝕙 𝕥𝕙𝕖 𝕃𝕆ℝ𝔻’𝕤 𝕞𝕖𝕣𝕔𝕚𝕖𝕤, 𝕨𝕖 𝕒𝕣𝕖 𝕟𝕠𝕥 𝕔𝕠𝕟𝕤𝕦𝕞𝕖𝕕, 𝕓𝕖𝕔𝕒𝕦𝕤𝕖 ℍ𝕚𝕤 𝕔𝕠𝕞𝕡𝕒𝕤𝕤𝕚𝕠𝕟𝕤 𝕗𝕒𝕚𝕝 𝕟𝕠𝕥. 𝕋𝕙𝕖𝕪 𝕒𝕣𝕖 𝕟𝕖𝕨 𝕖𝕧𝕖𝕣𝕪 𝕞𝕠𝕣𝕟𝕚𝕟𝕘; 𝔾𝕣𝕖𝕒𝕥 𝕚𝕤 𝕐𝕠𝕦𝕣 𝕗𝕒𝕚𝕥𝕙𝕗𝕦𝕝𝕟𝕖𝕤𝕤.”

These are the glorious and poetic words of Jeremiah the weeping prophet. The nation of Judah was crumbling and Jeremiah, only a child when he was called, was sent to give Judah one last warning.

He cried tears of great sadness, knowing that God’s people would not listen.

They had stopped putting God first.

Jeremiah felt alone, full of grief and sorrow.

During her incarceration at Ravensbruck, a horrific Nazi prison camp during World War II, Corrie ten Boom spoke these truth-filled words; “𝕋𝕙𝕖𝕣𝕖 𝕚𝕤 𝕟𝕠 𝕡𝕚𝕥 𝕤𝕠 𝕕𝕖𝕖𝕡 𝕥𝕙𝕒𝕥 𝔾𝕠𝕕’𝕤 𝕝𝕠𝕧𝕖 𝕚𝕤 𝕟𝕠𝕥 𝕕𝕖𝕖𝕡𝕖𝕣 𝕤𝕥𝕚𝕝𝕝.”

Both Jeremiah and Corrie ten Boom knew the marvelous truth of the love and faithfulness of our heavenly Father. 𝐍𝐨 𝐦𝐚𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐰𝐡𝐚𝐭, 𝐆𝐨𝐝 𝐢𝐬 𝐚𝐥𝐰𝐚𝐲𝐬 𝐟𝐚𝐢𝐭𝐡𝐟𝐮𝐥, 𝐇𝐢𝐬 𝐦𝐞𝐫𝐜𝐢𝐞𝐬 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐚𝐥𝐰𝐚𝐲𝐬 𝐧𝐞𝐰.

When you look back upon your life, you will see God’s faithfulness woven like a golden thread through the tapestry of your days.

Today let’s take a moment to look back and find that thread that reminds you of His faithfulness, the one that reminds you of His goodness, the thread that reminds you of His love, knowing that because we serve a God who never changes – it is a constant, a golden thread that will always be there.

I often have great intentions, but the busyness of life, procrastination on my part, and the squirrels in my head, (oh those squirrels! ) often distract me from my destination. But I am learning, and one of those things that I have learned is that nothing about being in relationship with our Eternal God is passive. 𝙏𝙝𝙚𝙧𝙚’𝙨 𝙖𝙡𝙬𝙖𝙮𝙨 𝙖 𝙥𝙖𝙧𝙩 𝙬𝙚 𝙢𝙪𝙨𝙩 𝙥𝙡𝙖𝙮, 𝙖 𝙘𝙝𝙤𝙞𝙘𝙚 𝙬𝙚 𝙝𝙖𝙫𝙚 𝙩𝙤 𝙢𝙖𝙠𝙚. Let’s take a look at a few examples:

“But they that 🆆🅸🆃 upon the Lord shall renew their strength…” Isaiah 40:31

“🆃🆂🆃🅴 🅽🅳 🆂🅴🅴 that the Lord is good; blessed is the one who takes refuge in him.” Psalm 34:8

“🅻🅴🆃 🅷🅸🅼 kiss me with the kisses of his mouth— for your love is more delightful than wine.” Song of Songs 1:2

“🅳🆁🆆 🅽🅴🆁 to God, and he will draw near to you.” James 4:8

“The name of the Lord is a strong tower; The righteous 🆁🆄🅽 🆃 🅸🆃 and are safe.” Proverbs 18:10

“But you, O man of God, 🅵🅻🅴🅴 these things and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience, gentleness. 🅵🅸🅶🅷🆃 the good fight of faith, 🅻🆈 🅷🅻🅳 on eternal life, to which you were also called and have confessed the good confession in the presence of many witnesses.” 1 Tim 6:11-12

So many verbs. So many action words.

𝗪𝗮𝗶𝘁!

𝗧𝗮𝘀𝘁𝗲 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗦𝗲𝗲.

𝗟𝗲𝘁 𝗛𝗶𝗺.

𝗗𝗿𝗮𝘄 𝗡𝗲𝗮𝗿.

𝗥𝘂𝗻!

𝗙𝗹𝗲𝗲!

𝗙𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁!

Much of the Word of God requires action on our part. We cannot just sit, doing nothing, and expect to grow in the knowledge of our God. Good intentions and good ideas don’t get us anywhere! That’s why I love the consistency of our Abba Father and why I so want to be like Him. If I consistently wait, consistently taste, consistently draw near, I will get to know my LORD. This has become the cry of my heart, “𝕃𝕆ℝ𝔻 – 𝕞𝕒𝕜𝕖 𝕞𝕖 𝕔𝕠𝕟𝕤𝕚𝕤𝕥𝕖𝕟𝕥, 𝕞𝕒𝕜𝕖 𝕞𝕖 𝕕𝕖𝕡𝕖𝕟𝕕𝕒𝕓𝕝𝕖, 𝕞𝕒𝕜𝕖 𝕞𝕖 𝕦𝕟𝕤𝕨𝕖𝕣𝕧𝕚𝕟𝕘, 𝕒𝕟𝕕 𝕤𝕥𝕖𝕒𝕕𝕗𝕒𝕤𝕥 𝕚𝕟 𝕞𝕪 𝕡𝕦𝕣𝕤𝕦𝕚𝕥 𝕠𝕗 𝕪𝕠𝕦, 𝕚𝕟 𝕞𝕪 𝕚𝕟𝕥𝕖𝕣𝕒𝕔𝕥𝕚𝕠𝕟𝕤 𝕨𝕚𝕥𝕙 𝕠𝕥𝕙𝕖𝕣𝕤. 𝕋𝕦𝕣𝕟 𝕞𝕪 𝕘𝕠𝕠𝕕 𝕚𝕟𝕥𝕖𝕟𝕥𝕚𝕠𝕟𝕤 𝕚𝕟𝕥𝕠 𝕒𝕔𝕥𝕚𝕠𝕟!”

Recently I listened to a song and the lyrics went, “𝕀𝕗 𝕚𝕥’𝕤 𝕟𝕠𝕥 𝕘𝕠𝕠𝕕 𝕥𝕙𝕖𝕟 𝔾𝕠𝕕’𝕤 𝕟𝕠𝕥 𝕕𝕠𝕟𝕖 𝕨𝕚𝕥𝕙 𝕪𝕠𝕦 𝕪𝕖𝕥!” and a light went off inside my head. Yes, that’s so true. God is always working for the good of those who love Him! God will do a miracle, He will answer my prayers, my part is to keep seeking Him, keep praying, keep believing, and simply wait for the goodness to come.

𝗕𝗲𝗰𝗮𝘂𝘀𝗲 𝗶𝘁 𝘄𝗶𝗹𝗹!

𝗕𝗲𝗰𝗮𝘂𝘀𝗲 𝗚𝗼𝗱 𝗶𝘀 𝗴𝗼𝗼𝗱!

Because He is always true to His Word and that’s what the Word of God says.

Are you waiting for a miracle today? I pray that today you will have that revelation that your glorious Father is working so very hard on your behalf, He has your best interests at heart. Keep praying and seeking Him because He is indeed “𝕒 𝕣𝕖𝕨𝕒𝕣𝕕𝕖𝕣 𝕠𝕗 𝕥𝕙𝕠𝕤𝕖 𝕨𝕙𝕠 𝕕𝕚𝕝𝕚𝕘𝕖𝕟𝕥𝕝𝕪 𝕤𝕖𝕖𝕜 ℍ𝕚𝕞!”

Peace. We all long for it and yet at times it seems that as soon as we have it, it slips away once more.

God’s Word tells us that we can indeed have the peace that we fervently desire. “𝑩𝒆 𝒂𝒏𝒙𝒊𝒐𝒖𝒔 𝒇𝒐𝒓 𝒏𝒐𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒏𝒈, 𝒃𝒖𝒕 𝒊𝒏 𝒆𝒗𝒆𝒓𝒚𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒃𝒚 𝒑𝒓𝒂𝒚𝒆𝒓 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒔𝒖𝒑𝒑𝒍𝒊𝒄𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏, 𝒘𝒊𝒕𝒉 𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒏𝒌𝒔𝒈𝒊𝒗𝒊𝒏𝒈, 𝒍𝒆𝒕 𝒚𝒐𝒖𝒓 𝒓𝒆𝒒𝒖𝒆𝒔𝒕𝒔 𝒃𝒆 𝒎𝒂𝒅𝒆 𝒌𝒏𝒐𝒘𝒏 𝒕𝒐 𝑮𝒐𝒅; 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒑𝒆𝒂𝒄𝒆 𝒐𝒇 𝑮𝒐𝒅, 𝒘𝒉𝒊𝒄𝒉 𝒔𝒖𝒓𝒑𝒂𝒔𝒔𝒆𝒔 𝒂𝒍𝒍 𝒖𝒏𝒅𝒆𝒓𝒔𝒕𝒂𝒏𝒅𝒊𝒏𝒈, 𝒘𝒊𝒍𝒍 𝒈𝒖𝒂𝒓𝒅 𝒚𝒐𝒖𝒓 𝒉𝒆𝒂𝒓𝒕𝒔 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒎𝒊𝒏𝒅𝒔 𝒕𝒉𝒓𝒐𝒖𝒈𝒉 𝑪𝒉𝒓𝒊𝒔𝒕 𝑱𝒆𝒔𝒖𝒔.” (Phil 4:6-7)

We all know this scripture, in fact, Amazon released data stating this is the most highlighted passage of scripture in the Kindle Bible!

I don’t need to point out the obvious, that we need to pray about everything, raising our voices in thanksgiving to the God of the Universe, to the One who deserves all our thanks, I know you know that. But there is something in this scripture that speaks loudly to me. “𝑻𝒉𝒆 𝒑𝒆𝒂𝒄𝒆 𝒐𝒇 𝑮𝒐𝒅 𝒘𝒉𝒊𝒄𝒉 𝒔𝒖𝒓𝒑𝒂𝒔𝒔𝒆𝒔 𝒂𝒍𝒍 𝒖𝒏𝒅𝒆𝒓𝒔𝒕𝒂𝒏𝒅𝒊𝒏𝒈.” As we pray and seek the LORD with thanksgiving, w̲e̲ ̲m̲u̲s̲t̲ ̲r̲e̲l̲i̲n̲q̲u̲i̲s̲h̲ ̲o̲u̲r̲ ̲r̲i̲g̲h̲t̲ ̲t̲o̲ ̲u̲n̲d̲e̲r̲s̲t̲a̲n̲d̲, release our questions to Him and give up our need to understand it all, acknowledging that we don’t need to understand, just trust.

Then peace will rise above and surpass our need to understand and guard our hearts and minds! Herein lies the secret to peace, praying, seeking God, thanksgiving, and giving up the right to understand.

My prayer for you today is that you would be able to trust and find God’s peace, and with that peace would come joy, overwhelming thanksgiving, that you would indeed be like the trees of the field clapping their hand in praise to our beautiful Savior, Jesus Christ! 

𝗕𝗲𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗿𝗼𝗼𝘁𝗲𝗱 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗴𝗿𝗼𝘂𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗱 𝗶𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗹𝗼𝘃𝗲 𝗼𝗳 𝗝𝗲𝘀𝘂𝘀 𝗶𝘀 𝗰𝗿𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗰𝗮𝗹. It is where our identity begins, foundational to knowing who we are in Christ. As I was praying into this scripture, I could see a tree with deep roots. The soil was saturated in love. Beautiful, fertile soil. Then I saw one little root grow off to the side, rooting itself in unforgiveness, poisoning the whole tree. I could see a root grounded in hate. Pride. Judgment. Malice. Gossip.

This picture made me think and ask myself the question, what am I grounded in? 𝗔𝗺 𝗜 𝗿𝗼𝗼𝘁𝗲𝗱 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗴𝗿𝗼𝘂𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗱 𝗶𝗻 𝗹𝗼𝘃𝗲?

If we are grounded in love, we will grow in love, blossom, and bloom in love. Our tree will be fruitful and the flowers fragrant, a sweet-smelling fragrance.

If we are rooted in unforgiveness, our tree will become stunted and twisted, only bearing the hard fruit of bitterness. Or hate, will we allow our roots to drink of the waters of hate where violence and anger rage, where resentment and wrath are produced? Or perhaps pride, bringing forth envy and arrogance – resulting in loneliness?

What scares me most is that we will be rooted in fear, producing a tree that won’t grow at all, whose leaves will be paralyzed, and whose fruit will be depression, anxiety, and sickness.

Perhaps it is time to take stock of our roots, Matshona Dhliwayo says it well, “𝗜𝘁 𝗶𝘀 𝗶𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗿𝗼𝗼𝘁𝘀, 𝗻𝗼𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗯𝗿𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗵𝗲𝘀, 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗮 𝘁𝗿𝗲𝗲’𝘀 𝗴𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘁𝗲𝘀𝘁 𝘀𝘁𝗿𝗲𝗻𝗴𝘁𝗵 𝗹𝗶𝗲𝘀.”

“𝕃𝕆ℝ𝔻, 𝕣𝕠𝕠𝕥 𝕞𝕖 𝕒𝕟𝕕 𝕘𝕣𝕠𝕦𝕟𝕕 𝕞𝕖 𝕚𝕟 𝕪𝕠𝕦𝕣 𝕚𝕟𝕔𝕣𝕖𝕕𝕚𝕓𝕝𝕖 𝕝𝕠𝕧𝕖, 𝕒 𝕝𝕠𝕧𝕖 𝕥𝕙𝕒𝕥 𝕚𝕤 𝕤𝕠 𝕕𝕖𝕖𝕡 𝕒𝕟𝕕 𝕤𝕠 𝕨𝕚𝕕𝕖 𝕥𝕙𝕒𝕥 𝕀 𝕨𝕚𝕝𝕝 𝕟𝕖𝕧𝕖𝕣 𝕣𝕖𝕒𝕝𝕝𝕪 𝕔𝕠𝕞𝕡𝕣𝕖𝕙𝕖𝕟𝕕 𝕚𝕥, 𝕓𝕦𝕥 𝕀 𝕨𝕒𝕟𝕥 𝕥𝕠 𝕥𝕣𝕪. 𝕀 𝕨𝕒𝕟𝕥 𝕞𝕪 𝕚𝕕𝕖𝕟𝕥𝕚𝕥𝕪 𝕥𝕠 𝕓𝕖 𝕣𝕠𝕠𝕥𝕖𝕕 𝕚𝕟 𝕪𝕠𝕦𝕣 𝕝𝕠𝕧𝕖 𝕒𝕟𝕕 𝕟𝕠𝕥 𝕚𝕟 𝕥𝕙𝕖 𝕥𝕙𝕚𝕟𝕘𝕤 𝕠𝕗 𝕥𝕙𝕖 𝕨𝕠𝕣𝕝𝕕. ℍ𝕖𝕝𝕡 𝕞𝕖 𝕦𝕡𝕣𝕠𝕠𝕥 𝕒𝕟𝕪𝕥𝕙𝕚𝕟𝕘 𝕚𝕟 𝕞𝕪 𝕝𝕚𝕗𝕖 𝕥𝕙𝕒𝕥 𝕚𝕤 𝕟𝕠𝕥 𝕘𝕣𝕠𝕦𝕟𝕕𝕖𝕕 𝕚𝕟 Y𝕠𝕦!”

The detail that the LORD put into His Word is astounding. The way we are loved by our God is so overwhelming. Let’s take a look at God’s glorious promise to us in the Jewish wedding ceremony.

The groom would go with his father to the bridegroom’s family, a contract would be drawn up and the father would give his son a glass of wine, he would drink and then pass the cup to the one he had chosen, with the words, “this cup I offer to you.” The essence of what he was saying was, “I’m offering you my life, will you marry me!” If she accepted his offer, she would take the cup and drink, offering her love and life in return.

𝕋𝕙𝕖 𝕕𝕖𝕒𝕝 𝕨𝕒𝕤 𝕤𝕖𝕒𝕝𝕖𝕕.

ᴛʜᴇʏ ᴡᴇʀᴇ ʙᴇᴛʀᴏᴛʜᴇᴅ.

𝗙𝘂𝗹𝗹𝘆 𝗺𝗮𝗿𝗿𝗶𝗲𝗱 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗳𝘂𝗹𝗹𝘆 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗺𝗶𝘀𝗲𝗱.

Only a divorce could separate them now.

The groom would then leave to prepare a place for his beloved bride, often taking a year or more to do this. The groom would not drink of the fruit of the vine until the day of their glorious reunion, a great wedding feast, and much rejoicing.

Now let’s look at Passover, the LORD’s supper. During Passover, 4 cups of wine are offered. Jesus offered the 3rd cup, The Cup of Redemption or the Cup of Salvation. As He offered the cup to His disciples He said, “𝑻𝒉𝒊𝒔 𝒊𝒔 𝒎𝒚 𝒃𝒍𝒐𝒐𝒅 𝒐𝒇 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒄𝒐𝒗𝒆𝒏𝒂𝒏𝒕.”

“I am giving you my life, will you take it, will you marry me?”

Then the words, “𝑰 𝒕𝒆𝒍𝒍 𝒚𝒐𝒖, 𝑰 𝒘𝒊𝒍𝒍 𝒏𝒐𝒕 𝒅𝒓𝒊𝒏𝒌 𝒇𝒓𝒐𝒎 𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒔 𝒇𝒓𝒖𝒊𝒕 𝒐𝒇 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒗𝒊𝒏𝒆 𝒇𝒓𝒐𝒎 𝒏𝒐𝒘 𝒐𝒏 𝒖𝒏𝒕𝒊𝒍 𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒅𝒂𝒚 𝒘𝒉𝒆𝒏 𝑰 𝒅𝒓𝒊𝒏𝒌 𝒊𝒕 𝒏𝒆𝒘 𝒘𝒊𝒕𝒉 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒊𝒏 𝒎𝒚 𝑭𝒂𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒓’𝒔 𝒌𝒊𝒏𝒈𝒅𝒐𝒎.”(Matt 26:29)

The promise that He has gone to prepare a place for us, the promise that He will return for us bringing us to that final banquet, that wedding feast in His Father’s kingdom! Every time we take communion, we drink of that cup, it is the one offered by Jesus, our bridegroom. Each time we drink we are saying Yes! Yes, LORD, I will marry you, I will wait for you, I give you my life in return!

𝕋𝕙𝕖 𝕕𝕖𝕒𝕝 𝕚𝕤 𝕤𝕖𝕒𝕝𝕖𝕕.

ʏᴏᴜ ᴀʀᴇ ʙᴇᴛʀᴏᴛʜᴇᴅ.

𝗙𝘂𝗹𝗹𝘆 𝗺𝗮𝗿𝗿𝗶𝗲𝗱 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗳𝘂𝗹𝗹𝘆 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗺𝗶𝘀𝗲𝗱!

James 4:7 tells us, “𝕊𝕦𝕓𝕞𝕚𝕥 𝕪𝕠𝕦𝕣𝕤𝕖𝕝𝕧𝕖𝕤, 𝕥𝕙𝕖𝕟, 𝕥𝕠 𝔾𝕠𝕕. ℝ𝕖𝕤𝕚𝕤𝕥 𝕥𝕙𝕖 𝕕𝕖𝕧𝕚𝕝, 𝕒𝕟𝕕 𝕙𝕖 𝕨𝕚𝕝𝕝 𝕗𝕝𝕖𝕖 𝕗𝕣𝕠𝕞 𝕪𝕠𝕦.” If we want to take authority over the enemy and his evil schemes to rob, steal, and destroy we first have to submit.

𝐒𝐮𝐛𝐦𝐢𝐭 𝐭𝐨 𝐆𝐨𝐝.

Allow our Abba Father to have control of our lives.

In every area.

That’s what gets me sometimes, I am submitted to my LORD, joyfully. He is my God and I am His. He is LORD of my life, I have accepted Jesus, and said Yes LORD! You are my Saviour, Redeemer, the love of my life, I accept the gift you have given me and offer you all of me in return.

𝗪𝗮𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗮𝗹𝗹 𝗼𝗳 𝗺𝗲?

𝗘𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘆𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴?

Sometimes I allow worry to overtake me, I worry about my Mum and Dad, my children, work situations, money! Oh dear, that list can be endless. I need to submit every situation, every concern to the God who cares, the God who works on my behalf, and let Him lead and guide. Just trust.

Then there are those things that suck up my time, Netflix, my phone, I love a good show! I know you all hear me!! . But am I submitted in this area to God, less phone = more seeking His face. Help me Abba!

Our Father desires total submission, total trust, the knowledge that He knows what’s best and has everything under control. We need to let Him take the steering wheel of our lives and sit in the driver’s seat. Relinquish control, submit to our God who is so good.

𝗧𝗛𝗘𝗡 we can resist the devil, move in the authority we have in Christ, the authority given to us as daughters of the King of kings, and He will have to flee!!

Many years ago while going through a tough time, when fear continually raised its ugly head, the LORD gave me the scripture “𝒄𝒂𝒔𝒕𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒅𝒐𝒘𝒏 𝒂𝒓𝒈𝒖𝒎𝒆𝒏𝒕𝒔 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒆𝒗𝒆𝒓𝒚 𝒉𝒊𝒈𝒉 𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒆𝒙𝒂𝒍𝒕𝒔 𝒊𝒕𝒔𝒆𝒍𝒇 𝒂𝒈𝒂𝒊𝒏𝒔𝒕 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒌𝒏𝒐𝒘𝒍𝒆𝒅𝒈𝒆 𝒐𝒇 𝑮𝒐𝒅, 𝒃𝒓𝒊𝒏𝒈𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒆𝒗𝒆𝒓𝒚 𝒕𝒉𝒐𝒖𝒈𝒉𝒕 𝒊𝒏𝒕𝒐 𝒄𝒂𝒑𝒕𝒊𝒗𝒊𝒕𝒚 𝒕𝒐 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒐𝒃𝒆𝒅𝒊𝒆𝒏𝒄𝒆 𝒐𝒇 𝑪𝒉𝒓𝒊𝒔𝒕.” 2 Cor 10:5.

Daily when fear would arise and my thoughts would spiral I would repeat this scripture over and over in my head until I had stopped spiraling downwards. Sometimes I had to repeat this scripture 𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘆. 𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗴𝗹𝗲. 𝗵𝗼𝘂𝗿!

Four of these words are very interesting – 𝕥𝕙𝕖 𝕜𝕟𝕠𝕨𝕝𝕖𝕕𝕘𝕖 𝕠𝕗 𝔾𝕠𝕕. What is your knowledge of God?

𝗪𝗲𝗹𝗹, 𝘄𝗲 𝗸𝗻𝗼𝘄 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗛𝗲 𝗶𝘀 𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗱, 𝘀𝗼 𝘀𝗼 𝗴𝗼𝗼𝗱, 𝗳𝗮𝗶𝘁𝗵𝗳𝘂𝗹 𝘁𝗼 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗲𝗻𝗱𝘀 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗮𝗴𝗲, 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗛𝗲 𝗹𝗼𝘃𝗲𝘀 𝘂𝘀 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗮𝗻 𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗿𝗹𝗮𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗹𝗼𝘃𝗲, 𝗼𝗻𝗲 𝘄𝗲 𝗰𝗮𝗻𝗻𝗼𝘁 𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗻 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗽𝗿𝗲𝗵𝗲𝗻𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗱𝗲𝗽𝘁𝗵𝘀 𝗼𝗳. 𝗪𝗲 𝗸𝗻𝗼𝘄 𝗛𝗶𝘀 𝗽𝗹𝗮𝗻𝘀 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝘂𝘀 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝗴𝗼𝗼𝗱 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗻𝗼𝘁 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗲𝘃𝗶𝗹 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗟𝗢𝗥𝗗 𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗻𝘀 𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘆𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗼 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗴𝗼𝗼𝗱 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝘁𝗵𝗼𝘀𝗲 𝘄𝗵𝗼 𝗹𝗼𝘃𝗲 𝗛𝗶𝗺! 𝗪𝗲 𝗸𝗻𝗼𝘄 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗛𝗲 𝗶𝘀 𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗔𝗯𝗯𝗮 𝗙𝗮𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿!

That’s the knowledge of God right there! When we meditate on these things then all those anxious thoughts will come into captivity!

In the book of Luke, nestled in amongst the stories of the most incredible healings are two short verses.  When I first read them, I wondered why they were there, they seemed of such little consequence.  But knowing what an amazing God we serve; He would not put these two verses in His Word without thought or for no reason.  

“𝑵𝒐𝒘 𝒘𝒉𝒆𝒏 𝑱𝒆𝒔𝒖𝒔 𝒉𝒂𝒅 𝒄𝒐𝒎𝒆 𝒊𝒏𝒕𝒐 𝑷𝒆𝒕𝒆𝒓’𝒔 𝒉𝒐𝒖𝒔𝒆, 𝑯𝒆 𝒔𝒂𝒘 𝒉𝒊𝒔 𝒘𝒊𝒇𝒆’𝒔 𝒎𝒐𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒓 𝒍𝒚𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒔𝒊𝒄𝒌 𝒘𝒊𝒕𝒉 𝒂 𝒇𝒆𝒗𝒆𝒓.  𝑺𝒐 𝑯𝒆 𝒕𝒐𝒖𝒄𝒉𝒆𝒅 𝒉𝒆𝒓 𝒉𝒂𝒏𝒅, 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒇𝒆𝒗𝒆𝒓 𝒍𝒆𝒇𝒕 𝒉𝒆𝒓.  𝑨𝒏𝒅 𝒔𝒉𝒆 𝒂𝒓𝒐𝒔𝒆 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒔𝒆𝒓𝒗𝒆𝒅 𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒎.” Luke 4:38-39

These verses tell us that Jesus came to Peter’s house, Peter was married, and this was his mother-in-law.  There were no crowds in this house, Jesus didn’t heal Peter’s mother-in-law to show off His credentials or to spread the word.  𝗛𝗲 𝗵𝗲𝗮𝗹𝗲𝗱 𝗵𝗲𝗿 𝗯𝗲𝗰𝗮𝘂𝘀𝗲 𝗼𝗳 𝗛𝗶𝘀 𝗴𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘁 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗽𝗮𝘀𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘀𝗶𝗰𝗸, 𝗛𝗲 𝗵𝗲𝗮𝗹𝗲𝗱 𝗵𝗲𝗿 𝗯𝗲𝗰𝗮𝘂𝘀𝗲 𝗛𝗲 𝘄𝗮𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗱 𝘁𝗼, 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝘄𝗮𝘀 𝗛𝗶𝘀 𝘄𝗶𝗹𝗹.

These two beautiful verses show us that Jesus cares about even the smallest of problems in our lives.  This was simply a fever, not leprosy, not blindness, but 𝗝𝗲𝘀𝘂𝘀 𝗰𝗮𝗿𝗲𝗱.  He reached out and touched her hand, healing her.  No problem, no sickness, no pain is too small that we cannot take it to the LORD.  He cares about every hair on our head and His thoughts toward us are more numerous than the grains of sand upon the beach!  

More importantly, what should we do about these two verses?  How do they speak to us?  How do they change us?  Luke tells us that “𝒔𝒉𝒆 𝒂𝒓𝒐𝒔𝒆 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒔𝒆𝒓𝒗𝒆𝒅 𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒎.”  After a touch from the LORD our response should be to serve Him!  When Jesus brings healing and restoration into our lives, our desire should be to serve Jesus.  𝗕𝗲𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗸𝗳𝘂𝗹 𝗶𝘀 𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘆 𝗶𝗺𝗽𝗼𝗿𝘁𝗮𝗻𝘁 𝗯𝘂𝘁 𝗮𝘀𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗦𝗮𝘃𝗶𝗼𝗿 𝗵𝗼𝘄 𝘄𝗲 𝗰𝗮𝗻 𝘀𝗲𝗿𝘃𝗲 𝗛𝗶𝗺 𝗶𝘀 𝗮 𝗺𝘂𝘀𝘁!

Praying for your healing in every area today.

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.