Finding the Will of God

October 3, 2017October 3, 2017 RefreshHer1 Comment

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High school students taking geometry class have no concerns as to whether or not they’ll come up with the right answers for these math problems. Oh, they’re no good at formulas, theorems, and postulates, because they either skipped class or perusing Facebook during class, but it’s no big deal! Why? They have every confidence that to get the answers all they have to do is ask Google!!

That sad scenario was passed on to me from a long-time geometry teacher recently. He said that his students don’t study or put time into learning the in’s and out’s of geometry when they feel sure that Google can give them the answers for homework or tests. He reminded them that they are sadly mistaken. In order to do well in his class, they need to spend some time alone with their book, their notes, assignment their homework.

Before we get too hard on those failing freshmen, perhaps we need to check and see how we go about getting our answers. Oh, we might not need formulas for geometric shapes, but how do we go about getting directives from God? When we need to know His will, aren’t we often eager to just find the quickest way to hear it?

I think of Elijah when he was on the mountain. Do you remember the story? He had been running from Jezebel – the wicked queen who was hunting his life. God told him to go stand out on the mountain.

And, behold, the Lord passed by, and a great and strong wind rent the mountains, and brake in pieces the rocks before the Lord; but the Lord was not in the wind: and after the wind an earthquake; but the Lord was not in the earthquake:

¹²And after the earthquake a fire; but the Lord was not in the fire: and after the fire a still small voice.

¹³And it was so, when Elijah heard it, that he wrapped his face in his mantle, and went out, and stood in the entering in of the cave. And, behold, there came a voice unto him, and said, What doest thou here, Elijah?

Elijah thought he would see God in Big ways – a wind, an earthquake, a fire, but no. God didn’t speak to him in BIG ways – he spoke in a still, small voice.

What truth does this show us? We might want to know God’s will so much, and we think (or even say!),

If God would just show me what to do, I’d do it! Can’t He just tell me what I’m supposed to do?

But God doesn’t write it in the sky. He doesn’t thunder His voice to us while we’re sleeping. So, how does God reveal His will to us?

It comes when we do what Elijah did.

Get alone with God. We must take the time regularly to set ourselves apart with the Lord so that we might be still.
Don’t do all the talking. We need to open His Word and read. What to read? Start with the psalms and pray them back to God. Praise Him. Love Him. Sing to Him. Ask Him what/where you should read next. Be still and listen for the Spirit of God to direct your thoughts. Read after asking God to illumine the Word to your heart.
Pray about what you don’t understand. One day when I was studying the life of Elijah, I got to the part of the story that we’re talking about today. I didn’t understand it. So, I prayed and asked “Lord, what does this mean? Why did you tell Elijah to go out on the mountain? What about the wind, earthquake and fire?” Then I sat still and listened. I continued to read the passage silently. It was then that God showed me…
In order to hear my voice, you must seek me in the Quiet Place – not in grand miracles or loud demonstrations of my power. Listen for my voice, still and soft.

Maybe that passage has always been easy for you, but when God showed me that Truth, I wept and rejoiced over its understanding. How simple. How profound. There are no 1,2,3 steps to get an answer from God. God loves us enough that in order to show us His will, He wants to have a relationship. We draw near. We read His Word and come to know Him. We listen. Then we learn. We get up from our Quiet place after who knows how many hours, or days, not just knowing His will, but also being so close to Him that we’re not afraid to go do it!

Elijah got his marching orders from God that day. So will you and I, when we do what that geometry student needs to do – take time to draw near and listen to the Teacher.

If you’re seeking God’s will, don’t go ask people. Don’t look for a quick way to find the answer. Draw near to God and He will draw near to you.

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children · Christian Life · Motherhood · Prayer

Family Friday – How To Pray for Your Children/Grandchildren

March 31, 2017March 30, 2017 RefreshHerLeave a comment

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When I became an adult there was a day when my mom apologized to me for the lack of “big” family vacations while my sisters and I were growing up. It was such a surprise to me to hear her even mention that because it never entered my mind that I had missed out on anything! We didn’t have yearly adventures at theme parks or cross-country road trips, but our family had daily/weekly worship times, family times, games, fun and a loving environment and that was enough to allow me the blessing of growing up fulfilled and more than satisfied with all that our home provided.

But I understood my mom’s heart. Parents who love their children know that those little ones need so much. From nurturing, to physical care, education, and daily provision, there’s so much to provide for each child. But if we are trusting the Lord for wisdom to know how to give them what they need, He will not only give to them spiritually, but will also provide everything else that is essential in their lives, just as He did in our home.

A huge part of the spiritual provision comes when we pray for our children. As I’ve mentioned before, if we’re not praying for our children, who is? Here’s a great list of prayer requests to pray for your child, with Scriptures to use as your platform to come to God.

To know the Scriptures which are able to make them wise unto salvation. II Tim. 3:15
To grow in grace and knowledge of Jesus Christ. II Pet. 3:18
To be obedient to parents. Eph 6:1
To be respectful to parents Eph. 6:2
To have a heart for God. Deut. 5:29
To know God and serve Him. I Chron. 28:9
To hate sin. Ps 97:10
To understand their sin will be found out. Num 23:23
To choose the right friends. Prov 13:20, I Cor:15:33
To say “no” to sin. Prov 1:10
To learn to submit to God. James 4:7
To have a repentant heart. Ps 51:103
To be teachable. Prov 13;1
To be a servant to others. Phil. 2:3,4
To trust God for their future mate and ministry. Prov. 3:5,6
To remain pure for their future mate and future mate pure for them. II Cor. 6:18-20
To surrender their heart and life completely to God. Rom. 12:1,2
To stand perfect and complete in all the will of God. Col. 4:12

There is no greater gift you can give your child than to faithfully pray Scripture for them. It’s bigger than Disney world, and more impacting that the view of the Grand Canyon. Also, aside from what it will do for your child/grandchild, it will also change you, and that’s something NO vacation can do!

Pray and refresh others!

Have a great weekend,

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Christian Life · Prayer

It Smells of the Lamp

January 17, 2017January 2, 2017 RefreshHer2 Comments

I have parents that haven been a quilting duo! My dad, the engineer mind in the family, cuts the fabric squares. My mom, the crafter, sews them together, then Dad cuts them again to get them perfectly square. Each square gets a heavy ironing before it’s sewn again. The picture you see here is that of the pieces being laid out to see where each one should go. After placing and replacing, they will take this up very carefully, row after row and stack it the way it needs to be sewn together. Of course after the batting and backing are put behind it there’s all the hand quilting to be done. Whoa! Many, many hours go into the making of a quilt! However, when it’s all finished it’s not only warm and cozy, it is a piece of art!

This week as I was studying Proverbs 31 I read verse 18 –

She perceiveth that her merchandise is good; her candle goeth not out by night.

As I studied the last part of this verse, I learned that it was often said of an elaborate piece (of art, needlework, a literary work, etc), “It smells of the lamp.” That means that there were many long hours put into making that piece – so much that it even went into the night hours. You could tell by looking at it that it wasn’t done quickly; it took much labor and effort.

When you understand the hours of labor that a quilt takes you appreciate it all the more! When I look at the quilts that my parents have made for each of their children and grandchildren I am reminded of the sacrifice of time and labor that it took to make them. They “smell of the lamp.”

While I’ve pondered that phrase for the last several days, the cry of my heart to the Lord is that my prayer life would be what “smells of the lamp.” More and more I understand how weak I am and unable to do anything without God’s enablement and power in my life. Oh, that I would wake up in the morning with the burden to pray, go into the noon hour with prayer on my lips, enter the evening with a continued heart-cry to my God, and go to bed at night and be awakened to “turn on the lamp.”

Nothing else will go lacking if prayer is the center of my life. For when I am praying my needs are met, my steps directed, my thoughts established, my heart made right, and my burdens lifted. What a beautiful thing a prayer life like that would be.

Oh, God, may my prayer life smell of the lamp!

Christian Life · Prayer

Who Will Choose Your Place to Pray?

December 1, 2016December 1, 2016 RefreshHer7 Comments

A prayer closet – what picture comes to your mind of your own space? A cozy corner in your bedroom, a spot in front of the sofa while the family sleeps, or the floor beside your bed? It doesn’t matter what it looks like – or if it’s a true “closet.” The important thing is that you have a space where you regularly talk to God in prayer.

What does it mean to pray? Here’s my definition –

Prayer is Humbling myself before God, recognizing that I am utterly dependent upon Him, and giving to Him the care of my life, and everything that touches it.

As I read Jonah 2:1 yesterday, the Lord reminded me that if you and I as believers (Jonah was one, too) neglect to recognize the Lord each day and run to Him for cleansing, forgiveness, guidance and power, He has a loving way of making us realize that we’re not so good at running our own lives. The verse says,

Then Jonah prayed unto the Lord his God out of the fish’s belly.

Jonah was running in disobedience to God’s command.

Jonah was the reason the storm came on the sea.

Jonah was the only one on that rocking boat that wasn’t praying!

The other men were giving feeble attempts to pray to their gods, to no avail. They woke Jonah up, and he confessed to them that His God is the Lord of the universe (a powerful storm will remind you of your omnipotent God!). The other men forsook praying to their idols, and began praying to Jonah’s God, asking for deliverance! Meanwhile, they cast Jonah out of the boat at his request.

THEN Jonah prayed unto God out of the fish’s belly. He has a new Prayer Closet! It wasn’t:

in Ninevah’s where he was supposed to be preaching.
on the road walking, making his way to Ninevah, while the sun shone down on his back.
with other believers, in unity and oneness that comes in corporate prayer.

His new prayer closet was in the fish’s belly. No light. No warmth. No comforts. Just utter, complete, desperate dependence on his God! This place of prayer was really Jonah’s choice. He had lost the realization that he could do anything if he depended on God. He had failed to run to the Quiet place to seek his God’s face for courage and wisdom to obey.

Jonah’s new place to pray was in the closet of humility.

The wonderful thing is that God heard his prayer from that desperate place! Verse two tells us that the Lord heard his voice! God can humble us to make us realize we need Him so very much, but then He lovingly listens when we pour out our burdens to Him!

The choice is ours, just as it was Jonah’s. Will we make time for humble prayer in a place of our choosing, or will we ignore the need to depend on God, and end up in a humble place of God’s choosing? He loves us too much to let us go on in our proud way.

Let’s humble ourselves before Him and receive the blessing and joy a fervant prayer life brings!

Christian Life · obedience · Parenting · Prayer · trust

What To Do When You Don’t Know What To Do

November 29, 2016November 29, 2016 RefreshHerLeave a comment

midway

While visiting my parents in Kentucky over Thanksgiving, we took a drive to some old home sites and places I grew up. One drive took us to a small town where I had originally thought I’d go to college. My husband pulled the car into the entrance gate and my mind played back the scene as I looked through the car windows and recalled the last time I was there…

My plans were made, and in my heart, my future was set. As a senior in high school, I thought I was sure what God wanted for me. I would attend a local college, literally up the road.

I would live at home.

I would become a nurse and serve the Lord with that ministry.

It was settled.

Then one Friday night I drove through the entrance of the college pictured above for a weekend visit of the campus. This was a time for perspective students to visit and get an idea of what college life was like on this campus. It was labeled as a Christian school. I was excited about that, because Christ is my Savior, and I desired to live my life and be in places that honored Him. I had visited a large Christian university in another state earlier that year, just for a fun weekend, and was so impressed with the spiritual temperature of the campus and in the lives of the students.

However, what I had anticipated seeing and hearing on this weekend was not at all what I saw or heard. Though this was supposed to be a Christian school, that was definitely not the testimony I witnessed. I was heartbroken. At the end of my visit, I got in my car, pulled away from the school, and cried the 15 minute ride home.

I couldn’t have been more sure that God was saying a firm, “No” to all my plans.

At the time I remember how devastated I was. I wasn’t sure what I would do now. I had literally had the rug pulled out from under my feet.

I cried and I prayed.

I also talked with my parents, whom I knew were much wiser, and would give me godly counsel. I suggested the Christian college that I had visited earlier in the year, but they had valid concerns and they lovingly said, “No.”

When you’re an 18 girl who is a child of God, and you live at home, have no job, or no idea about where to get an education, you quickly enroll in the school of prayer. As I submitted to my parents counsel, and prayed for God’s direction, He provided me with a job at the Coca Cola Bottling Company, working in the accounting department. That was totally of the Lord, seeing I had NO experience in this field, and didn’t even do super well in my math classes!

I went to work there, and enjoyed my life as a young single adult, all the while praying that if God would allow, He would open the door for me to attend the Christian college eight hours from my home. In the middle of the year, my mom asked if I was still desiring to attend school there. I answered that I was. She gave me their blessing! I finished out the summer working at Coca Cola and prepared to leave in the fall.

That move to the large Christian university in September changed the direction of my life forever and in wonderful ways.

God’s timing was perfect.

His provision was complete.

His grace was sufficient.

His plan was perfect because He is God.

I learned some really important lessons during those months of waiting and wondering that have served me well as an adult. In my mind’s eye, when I visit that driveway of the other school, I don’t just remember God shutting that door, I remember the lessons I learned about trusting Him, the sweetness of prayer, and of Him opening the next door – in His time and in His perfect way.

What are you waiting for today? God’s will to be revealed? A test result? A mate? A provision? An answer? Don’t give up and do your own thing. You can trust God with every detail that He will arrange in His sovereign ways. Wait and trust. You’ll be glad you did.

So thankful,

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