Category: Whispers (Page 1 of 183)

The Lord is so faithful, and we have no cause to worry, fret or be anxious about our lives. We have a loving Father who wants us to give Him all our anxieties and cares. We are told not to worry about anything. (Phil 4:6) That means with every need we have, we go to Him first, pray, and let Him handle things. If we do that, we are promised peace that stands guard over our hearts and minds. We will never be free of problems in life, for they come to all of us, but we can have peace in the midst of whatever concerns us if we give it to the Lord.

There are times God answers in surprising ways. After giving Him some concerns I have had on something that is coming up on the schedule, there are times he has canceled them, much to my astonishment! I didn’t have to deal with it at all. Other times, He gives the grace for us to go through the difficult things, and we have a real sense that He is right beside us through it all. It helps to slow down, be still, and just focus on Him and His mighty power. We might find a scripture that speaks to our worry and we carry it in our heart. After going through a trying experience, we can recognize His hand was with us and we are full of gratitude. Let us not worry, but pray and trust!

I was reading a devotional by Demontae Edmonds, a writer and preacher, who shares about the holiness of a life lived from a heart given to God. It may be seen in our very countenance as it shines with His love. Demontae was once asked by a relative what he had been doing for his skin, as it was glowing. At first he was puzzled, for he had done nothing for his skin. But then he realized she was seeing in a spiritual sense. He responded by saying, “I’ve been with Jesus. I’ve been in a lot of prayer.” It was evident just like it says in Isaiah 60:2, “But the Lord shall arise upon you, and His glory will be seen upon you.” Wow!

 “Let the beauty of Jesus be seen in me
All His wondrous compassion and purity;
O Thou Spirit divine, all my nature refine
‘Till the beauty of Jesus be seen in me.

Let the fruit of the Spirit be seen in me
Grant me grace all sufficient that I may be,
True and faithful each day, every step of the way
Pointing souls to the Savior on Calvary.”

If we are parents, do our children sense God’s love in our care for them? Or if we are a boss, do our employees sense we are a person of integrity and truth? In our friendship with others, do our responses show compassion and God’s unconditional love?  Let us love not just in words, but deeds and truth.

I will tell you a humorous story on myself, as I remember back when we were moving into Northern Lakes almost eight years ago. In the process of moving out of our former house, we left some furniture for our daughter’s family and bought some for our much smaller apartment. Al’s sister, Ann Marie came from Michigan and helped us shop to find furniture, and she spotted the perfect desk for me that I love and where I usually write. We bought a sofa, and then Al spotted a big greenish colored chair that can be put in many positions, heats up, massages and reclines. I thought it was a monster for our house and said to Al, “You’re kidding!” But he was not. He wanted that chair and I couldn’t imagine where we were going to put it. Ann Marie assured me there was room, and we found the one and only possible place to put it. I have never liked that chair,  and have thought at times we should give it away to someone with a bigger house. But after almost eight years, it is the answer to my prayers. Since I fell at the lake, I must recline often during the day to give my leg a rest and guess what? That ugly chair is the answer, and Al calls it my “Sweet Spot.” When my leg gets tired and needs a rest, I go to that chair, elevate it and thank the Lord. It is perfect!

Let us learn our valuable lessons even if when we’re not sure we need the lesson now, for maybe they are meant to help us in the future. Our part is to trust the Lord with all our hearts and not lean to our own understanding, but let Him direct our path. (Proverbs 3:5-6)

This is where prayer gets so important, and we don’t need to rehearse with the Lord how He should change others. We can simply pray they will become all God wants them to be, and that healing and wholeness would happen in His timing and His way. We are in the book of Philippians in our Bible study here at Northern Lakes, where Paul tells the Philippians, “It is God who works in you, both to will and to work for His good pleasure.” The Amplified Bible says, “(Not in your own strength) for it is God Who is all the while effectually at work in you, (energizing and creating in you the power and desire), both to will and to work for His good pleasure and satisfaction and delight.” (Phil. 2:13) We all need to will and to work at what is His pleasure.

We have to also show patience and grace to ourselves, for we know we also need to make many changes and it doesn’t happen over night, even though we may want to be on a fast track. He loves us right where we are now, but has more for us as we cooperate with the Spirit. In my own life, I know that is going to be a continuous process until He takes me home to glory. There will always be more changes needed in all of us, but let us accept others and ourselves as we take the journey of becoming more like Him.

I am quickly learning that I must accept that I am no longer in the care-giving role, but in the care-receiving position. I am one who needs help, and that puts me in the humble position of being a bother for others, especially Al. But the truth is we talk together more than ever, pray, and enjoy each other, even though there is more work for him.

A big thing is that I am learning to slow down and enjoy each day, and not trying to rush through and accomplish a lot. I believe I am finally learning to just enjoy the moment!!! I live a day at a time and can’t plan far ahead, as I don’t even know yet what I will be able to do by then. But of course, none of us really know!

I also am seeing the power of prayer, as so many of you prayed along with us as Al was expected to do my wound care after two times of observing the wound specialists. He was willing, but was really something for experienced nurses. After prayer, the idea came to call our family doctor, and he and his nurses were God’s answer.

I think I am also seeing how poor in faith I really am. Like Paul said in Phil 4:6, we aren’t to be anxious about anything, but to pray with thanksgiving and let Him know our concerns. That means to pray about anything and everything. Our concerns for the day might be different, but nothing is too hard for the Lord.