To Worship You

A prayer from my Journal written a few years ago.

Dear Lord,

I have been standing firm in the truth that you are God and you have loved me from the beginning. You desire only good things for me- like I do for my daughter Rose. At times I have disappointed you- but your love for me never changed. 

This disappointment is only of a loving nature- because you desire only good for me- it hurts you to see your children miss the opportunity.

I pray for you to reveal to me my purpose within the purpose "to glorify you". Today you told me my purpose is to worship You- in worship I receive your love.

And that's what I love to do at my church Free Chapel ! Watch and be blessed as I was that Wednesday night this was recorded. We so often will spend the whole service singing and praising  our Lord Jesus.

Marvelous Happenings

Today's "God Calling" Devotion-

Our Lord, with hearts full of joy we thank Thee for Thy marvelous blessings showered on us today and every day.

I am beside you. Follow in all things My Guiding. Marvels beyond all your imaginings are unfolding. I am your Guide. Joy in that thought. Your Guide and your Friend.

Remember that to Me a miracle is only a natural happening. To My disciples, to My chosen, a miracle is only a natural happening. But it is a natural happening operative through spiritual forces, and therefore the man who works and understands through the senses only, regards it as something contrary to Nature. 

Remember too that the natural man is at enmity with God. Realize fully, and pray to realize more and more fully, that there is no wonder too marvelous to be with you an everyday happening, if you are guided and strengthened by Me. My children, the children of My Kingdom are a peculiar people, set apart, different hopes, and aspirations, and motives, and sense of reward.

  

You see a marvelous happening (as that today), happening so easily, so simply, so free from all other agency, and you wonder. My children, listen, this has not happened easily and simply. It has been achieved by hours, days, months of weariness and heartache battled against and overcome, by a steadfast, unflinching desire to conquer self, and to do My Will and live My teachings.

  

The frets and the worries and the scorn patiently borne mean spiritual Power acquired, operating marvelously. 

The Lord is my shepherd; Psalm 23

This is such a beautiful reading from my  "God Calling"  book, I have used this devotion book for years- underlining, making notes in the margin, highlighting, rereading over and over. Jesus is speaking directly to me- just me, and I grow closer and more intimate with my savior; a deeper understanding evolves as I daily walk and talk with Him. My spirit is strengthened with every devotion. Today's reading  is a good one, it helped me to understand why God's ways are different from my ways, and dear reader's, that is a  very good thing- for God is so good. Amen!

Hurts in the Past

An excerpt taken from a page in my notes last summer. A candid answer, I share candidly with you now.

The question in my Bible Study asks "What comfort has God given to me as I have sought comfort from hurts in the past? Journal about that, focusing on whether or not you are willing to pass on the comfort?

"I was angry and hurt when my life's plan for marriage and motherhood was shattered. I was raw with emotions, feeling no comfort, because I had turned my back on God. It was a dark and lonely place, the only light inside my heart was artificial and burned out repeatedly- I was running on empty. I had to run  into the desert, for a season of barrenness and drought. As I reached the end of myself, fallen face down, exhausted and lost, I finally surrendered and gave it all up to God. I had a lot inside that literally was making me sick. I purged and purged (prayed and repented) and sought the help of God (forgiveness), and life (love) began to come back into me. I still felt so alone, but continued to seek God for my daily manna. My prayers were on my knees, and Jesus was comforting me through the healing process. He is my rod and staff, and my desert is now a beautiful highland meadow, full of lush green grass and a babbling brook- My God sent me a help mate to stand with me. He was in need of the savior too, and we comforted each other. Today I am writing in a blog  "Dreams Do Come True"; I am doing this to help other's. I want my readers to see Jesus as the only way to true comfort."

Rooted in Love

Ephesians 3:14-21

New International Version (NIV)

A Prayer for the Ephesians

 ¹⁴ For this reason I kneel before the Father, ¹⁵ from whom every family^[a]in heaven and on earth derives its name. ¹⁶ I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, ¹⁷ so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, ¹⁸ may have power, together with all the Lord’s holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, ¹⁹ and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God. ²⁰ Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, ²¹ to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen.

Contentment

I love rainbows! Just recently I was surprised and blessed to see a beautiful one over my city on a hill. I did not have my  camera phone with me to snap a picture- and yet I believe it was meant to be that way, for that moment to be an experience of prayer and praise alone. The feeling of contentment was soul deep, a God moment. I had been praying for God to show me his presence that day, and he did in the most beautiful way. The rainbow, the promise.
  
Paul says in Philippians 4:12-13 "I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. ¹³ I can do all this through him who gives me strength."


I have learned that knowing and trusting Jesus is the secret. If you know only this dear one- then you know enough about my God:


^{Ephesians 2:4,5}
"But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions".


That was me once- dead in spirit and a slave to my weakness to sin, a shell of a body, void of the spirit that I was made to possess. I knew no true peace and happiness. My search for worldly reward and promise came up short every time. 
I knew no contentment or love in the pit of which I lived. 


But because of His great love for me- a rainbow reached down into my mire and the light of the words of Christ shone through the darkness and cut through this heart of stone and saved me from my misery. You ask what? How? I answer-


An invitation by a friend to church, a gift, a living bible, a guitar, a beautiful song, prayers, a message spoken,  a hand, a kind face, a smile, tears on my cheek, a feeling of love I had never known, the memory of a child's voice drifting back into my 20 year old heart; a young girl staring out of  an ice covered window pane singing-


"Jesus loves me this I know, for the Bible tells me so. Little ones to him belong. They are weak but he is strong. Yes, Jesus loves me. Yes, Jesus loves me, Yes Jesus loves me. The Bible tells me so."


But Jesus did more than that. He told me, He showed me, and He never left me, even when I turned back to sin and walked away. 
Even when I despaired of life itself and wanted to see it end.


Why? Because I matter to Him dear one, just as you matter to him. This is the great secret, everyone, yes everyone was created in Him and through Him. You are a part of Him and He loves you so.