Years ago I did the study, Experiencing God by Henry Blackaby. It was such a blessing in my life. I learned about the ways that God speaks to me and ministers to my heart and my needs.

One truth that stuck with me was the need to connect my prayers with what happens next. We tend to get on our knees and pray, then get up, dust ourselves off, and move on with our day. The Lord is at work around us and wants us to join Him in His work, but we’re mindless of His activity, or of how He is answering the prayer we prayed a few hours earlier.

Earlier this week I poured my heart out to God about needing His enablement and His heart concerning a speaking opportunity I have in a couple of weeks. I had tried to put together a lesson, but felt empty and dry. I came to the Lord in prayer, several times in the day, asking for His mind in the matter.

While texting with my daughter at one point in the day, she mentioned a topic that was somewhat related to what was on my heart to share with the young women I’ll be addressing. “Connect what happened with your prayer,” my husband wisely advised. I did. I went to bed, still uncertain, however, how to put it all together.

At 5am the next morning I awoke and knew very certainly that the Lord was nudging me awake. I slipped out of bed and back to the room where I have my quiet time. I thought of the Garden of Eden, where Adam and Eve had walked with God in the cool of the evening. I was thankful for this dew of the morning, and time to “walk with Him” here. Again, on my knees, I cried out to the Lord to speak to me and teach me what I was to teach the women. As I opened His Word, the truths flowed from the pages of God’s Word, first to my heart, then to my readied pen and paper. “The Woman God Uses” is the study He gave to me, and it’s so precious because of how He spoke it into my heart.

The lesson here is this – if I’m truly longing to know God’s heart, I must listen to His nudges and whispers. If He calls early in the morning or in the middle of the night, I must, like Samuel, be ready to answer, “Here am I” and connect what is happening to my prayers. God is always faithful to hear and to answer. May I be faithful to listen and obey.

Are you seeking His face concerning a matter? Think back to each thing that happens after you pray – each phone call, each meeting, each “interruption.” He is at work around you, Friend, and is speaking. Will you hear Him?

Tell me about a time when you heard from the Lord.

With love,

Last evening after supper my husband suggested we ride the Greenbelt Bike & Walking path in Kingsport. We loaded up our bikes onto the trailer and headed off for our first adventure on this trail. We followed the directions we found on-line about a parking area. After unloading our bikes we found ourselves riding on a gravel path – downhill…for a long way! I called out to my husband who was ahead of me, “You know, whatever goes down has to come up!” I knew coming back would be harder than the path we were taking now.

Soon we hit the paved path of the Greenbelt and enjoyed a lovely ride. We saw a little water fall, a riverbed beside us, a family of ducks swimming, and others sunning themselves in the grass. It was beautiful!

We’d timed how long we’d ridden so we could make it back to the car before dark. It was now time to turn around. I kept thinking about the steep hills we’d ridden down. I was riding an old-fashioned bike – the kind with no gears. Pretty soon, I looked ahead and a hill loomed before us, and there I saw a man walking and pushing his bike up the hill (not real encouraging!) Determined to make it, I began pedaling harder. Soon I stood and pedaled – I was riding past the man (albeit, very slowly!), then I sat and pushed, thinking to myself “one more pedal, one more pedal.” Finally I made it! This was repeated a couple more times before we reached the gravel path. Ugh! Now it was even harder.

Slowly, but surely, we made it back to the car. We did end up walking up the gravel path – it was just too steep to climb without gears, but even walking, it was quite a workout. The point was, with the Lord’s enablement and strength, we made it!

The Christian life isn’t about coasting downhill every day, is it? Many television evangelists would tell you that’s what it’s like, but that’s not what the Bible teaches. “Many are the afflictions of the righteous…” Psalm 34:19 There can be many days all bunched together that we literally feel like we’re standing up on the bike and pedaling for all its worth and moving very slowly. Then we get really winded and have to get off and walk. The important thing is to keep moving. I knew if I stopped while on my bike I’d never make it to the top. If you’re going through a difficulty right now, the enemy will tempt you to question God’s ways, his love for you, and will urge you to quit, but he’s not telling you the truth. The truth is that the unrighteous man also has troubles, but the last part of Psalm 34:19 says the Lord delivers him (the righteous) out of them all. The unrighteous man is on his own. However, we have an advocate, praying for us when we’re panting, out of breath, and needing strength. He will see us to the end. Think back to the blessings of the past; answered prayer, God’s provisions, and His mercy and keep on pedaling! Don’t quit – with the Lord’s enablement, we will make it!

Because of Calvary,