Category: Whispers (Page 61 of 162)

Dear Ones,

Hope you had a great weekend and that those of you who are hunters got your deer. Today I am going to Aldi’s and my exercise class and have Mexican pies made. Would appreciate prayers for Al tomorrow as he goes in for cataract surgery. We have been busy putting drops in his eyes this past week and pray that all goes well.  

Devotions from Judy’s heart

 We all need to give care for our soul, and we must guard against becoming so busy that we neglect that most important part of our lives. Caregivers are often so busy helping others that they neglect themselves and both can go downhill. We are reminded when we board a plane and are told that if there is a loss of cabin pressure the oxygen mask will descend and to put that on first, before doing it for someone else. There is a reason for that. We can’t help others when we become depleted. Care of our soul involves taking time to read and meditate on the Word, to pray, to worship and praise the Lord and to listen to Him. Some people put that into their daily planner and are not available to others or checking their phones and computer until that is done. What a wonderful way to start the day and get our focus on the Lord.                                                                        

  In my readings lately a pastor wrote how He speaks to the Lord out loud in his prayers and it keeps His mind from wandering. He lives by the church so goes to the sanctuary and prays aloud there; staff are instructed to wait before starting activities around the sanctuary until prayer time is over. Jesus prayed to His Father aloud in the garden on the night that He was betrayed.  Some people write prayers to the Lord and helps them see what is in their hearts and if they are moving forward or slipping behind.  

                                                                                 

  Each of us must do what works for us to set up a time to let our soul be nourished. It may change in different stages of our lives like young mothers with children needing attention first thing in the day. She may have to postpone her time with the Lord until naptime. Since we are all created differently, we don’t need to copy someone else, but to find what is most meaningful for us. You may want to read aloud, confess your sins to another Christian who will pronounce absolution, walk in nature as you converse with the Lord, illustrate with art what God is telling you etc. The important thing is to focus our attention on the Lord and listen to Him speak and tend our souls. Just as the deer pant for the water brook, may our soul long for the Lord. (Psalm 42:1-2)

Challenge for today: Take time today to let your soul be nourished and try a new way of relating to the Lord.
Blessings on your week and prayers and love, Judy

  Recently I got an e-mail from Cup of Cold Water Ministries, which we are familiar with as one of our elders in a previous church went out under them as a missionary to Bolivia. This e-mail was from David Hiller, who had also been a missionary in Caranavi, Bolivia, for over 30 years. He writes the struggle they have been going through as it is a time of drought and they have had a lack of adequate water. At most they had access to water for 2 hours a day but some days none. They were getting desperate, and this is what he writes:

  “This morning, we have great news from Caranavi! “Yesterday the mayor summoned the Caranavi area Pastors to his office to ask what could be done spiritually to alleviate the dire situation of drought and uncontrolled forest fires in Caranavi. We read from II Chron. 7:13-14 what God told Solomon when God ‘closes the sky and it doesn’t rain.’ We said to the mayor, ‘We need to humble ourselves, pray, seek God’s face, and turn from our wicked ways. We should hold nightly meetings of prayer and public crying out to God, and end a day of prayer and fasting.’

  Yesterday morning, the mayor emitted a decree, canceling in-person classes and all outdoor activity, due to heavy smoke in the air. The only public activity allowed was the public outcry to God in the main square. Last night was the first night of public prayer and crying out to God in the public square.” 

  Then there were pictures of a couple pastors on their knees praying and the mayor and 2 city councilmen standing behind them, as well as, pictures of a great number of people praying in the plaza etc.

  And then comes the good news. At 5 a.m.the very next morning, the rains came, just as they had prayed. There was no rain in the forecast, but God answered their prayers, and you can imagine the celebrating. What a faith builder and we can ask ourselves how desperate we are when situations arise, to call off all other activities and simply pray and seek the Lord.

Blessings on your weekend and prayers and love, Judy

Dear Ones,

Hope you have a wonderful weekend and enjoy some time to get renewed. This morning I am going to church to help set up for a funeral of a friend who is now home with the Lord and Al will join me later for the service.

Devotions from Judy’s heart

  We may find it easy to praise the Lord when things in our lives are going well and our prayers answered quickly, but what about those other times? Maybe we have waited and waited, and the answer hasn’t come yet and we begin to lose hope and wonder God where are you? Do you see what is happening? It’s in those times that we learn to bring a sacrifice of praise, for He is still working, but not in the way or timing we desire. Like it says in Heb. 13:15, “Through Jesus we should always bring God a sacrifice of praise, that is, words that acknowledge Him.” That may mean praising Him with a heart of trust, believing that He is working in the situation… and just maybe He wants to do more than we asked for.

Let us do as the song goes, “We bring the sacrifice of praise into the house of the Lord…and offer up to You the sacrifices of thanksgiving. And we offer up to You the sacrifices of joy.”

Challenge for today: Give God a concern you have on your heart and offer up praise and thanksgiving.

Blessings on your weekend and prayers and love, Judy

Dear Ones,

Hope you have a day of joy! Al is off to meet with a friend, and I am going to do food prep and then go downstairs for Donuts! Later today is Bible Study here and a crisp walk!

Devotions from Judy’s heart

  Is it a burning desire within us to share the Lord with others? Do we pray fervently for our families and loved ones and those we are in contact with to come to know the Lord?  It is something we need to ask ourselves on a regular basis to be reminded that we are in battle for the hearts of others to find Jesus. The enemy will try to have us dismiss those thoughts and tell us that our words will bring offense and just to keep quiet. But there is so much at stake when we remain silent and fail to share the most important news ever.

 I was convicted as I read Laura Bailey’s devotional as she said every morning she prays the same prayer, “Lord, open my eyes and heart to see people who need to hear the Gospel today. Give me the courage to proclaim the Good News boldly.” She goes on to say how excited she gets about the prospect of sharing Jesus but then gets full of critical thoughts and self-doubts and often fails by keeping her mouth shut.                            

 We can probably all say there are many times we have missed opportunities to share the Lord because we lacked boldness and were afraid to offend the person, or perhaps we missed the open door that the Holy Spirit had created in our conversation. We hide our lights under a bushel instead of boldly sharing.                                                              

 Many people here where we live pray so much for our kids and grandkids as we don’t want to come to the end of our lives, not knowing if they really know the Lord. We instead want to be sharing Him every chance we get, ask questions, let them know we are praying for them, and then live as one who loves the Lord.                                          

 Part of the prayer that Laura wrote can be a good place to start:                                   

   “May we be bold, leaning into the power of the Holy Spirit, who guides and directs our words and actions. We pray for those who don’t know You as Lord and Savior; please open their eyes and hearts to receiving You. Please help us to make the most of every opportunity, for the days are short. Let us live each day as if it were our last and give us a sense of urgency and conviction. We love you, Lord, and are so grateful for the gift of your Son. We are so undeserving, yet you died for us while we were still sinners (Romans 5:8). May we be vessels, the blessed feet which carry the Gospel to the ends of the earth. In Jesus’ Name, Amen. 

Blessings on your day and prayers and love, Judy

  Isn’t that what we should do to handle all of our fears and anxieties? We don’t need to hesitate to tell God exactly what concerns us…how we see the situation without denying our feelings but rather asking Him to listen and to help. As we wait and listen and hope in Him, we can watch for what He will do instead of trying to figure it all out; The Psalmist says we are to be like watchmen that wait for the morning. Those on the wall just waited and watched and knew that morning would come eventually but at times must have seemed like a long wait. Our grandson works security at the Viking Practice Facility and has to be alert to what is going on around him during his shift. I’m sure at times the hours seem long but he has to be alert and watchful.

Blessings on your day and prayers and love, Judy

Dear Ones,

Hope you are keeping warm. We have snow and so beautiful. The Halloween party last night was a fun time with the community room highly decorated and candlelight, games, costumes, prizes, good food and lots of laughter. Such a fun evening for all. This afternoon we are invited to friends for coffee and fellowship. 

Devotions from Judy’s heart

Change comes and sometimes very quickly! When it was getting dark last night, I looked out on a clear sidewalk and a green lawn with some colored leaves. Much to my surprise as I opened the blinds this morning, everything was all white and covered with a blanket of snow. It was beautiful but what a sudden change. Fortunately. I had put away the chairs and small table from our balcony yesterday and got out the shovels, not realizing I would need them so soon.;

   My thoughts went to the clutter we may have in our lives and how it just seems to keep growing and branching out and one day we realize we can’t see clearly. Our vision is blocked, and we are missing the good things the Lord puts before us because we are blinded by worldly things. Our clutter can be possessions that seem to grow in importance, or pursuits that get to be more important than Him, or overextending ourselves with no time left for Him. Something doesn’t feel right for we are missing most importantly our close relationship with Him. When we come to the realization and let go of whatever is blocking our vision, we begin to see again what was there all along, only we missed out.

  It is good for all of us to ask ourselves what hinders our walk with the Lord. What seems to creep up as more important? I love to read many of Al’s books, and I find that when I have been drifting from that closeness with the Lord, that if I go to the Word or read about the Saints or books by authors who have a passion for the Lord, my sight returns. Everything seems right and in order again and I experience joy Why didn’t I realize it sooner?

Blessings on your week and prayers and love, Judy

  At the close of our Bible Study on Thursday, a friend shared something that happened to her last Sunday in church, and I was left with the feeling that God was directing the whole scenario. It was just after the pastor had finished the sermon that my friend began feeling weak and faint, and quickly sat down in the pew. The next thing she knew she was lying down and someone was holding her hand and another man examining her and taking her vital signs. It wasn’t long before an ambulance arrived and took her to the hospital where it was discovered that the infection she had been treating with an antibiotic, was still active in her body. She was given a hearty dose of another antibiotic and later sent home to recover. She was so grateful for the ones who had shown care to her and wished to thank them. After asking a few questions she discovered that the one who was taking her vital signs was indeed a retired doctor who just happened to be at the early service. Then there was the EMT who was seated across the aisle from her who rushed to help and held her hand and recorded her vital signs; it was his first-time visiting the church. Plus, there was a retired nurse sitting right behind her ready to help. The pastor told her that when she had heard a commotion she looked back and saw so many people praying for my friend. All were used of the Lord to care for her and willing to step up to the plate and help. My friend said she was never nervous or afraid as she felt so much love.

We never know when the Lord will put His hand on us and tell us He has work for us to do in the situation at hand. We can tell him we are not qualified to do whatever is needed, but He would not ask us if He wasn’t going to enable us. We might also protest that we have a schedule to keep and if we were to stop and help, we will miss out on an appointment. But since our time is in His hands, again He wouldn’t have prompted us in the first place.

It is quite exciting when we put our lives in the Lord’s hands and are willing to do whatever He tells us, Let us all respond to the Holy Spirit and follow His lead by stepping up to the plate, Like it says in Gal 5:25, “If we live by the Spirit, let us also walk by the Spirit.”

Blessings on your weekend and prayers and love, Judy

  Sometimes my glasses are smudged, and I hold them up to the light to see where they need cleaning. Once they are cleaned, I see clearly and wonder why I waited so long. Of course, we all get smudges throughout our day when we fail to forgive someone or when we miss seeing who they really are. We become judgmental and soon we have a heart that is cold and hardened and without love.
  However, when we come to know how loved we are, we become spiritually aware, and we see things that we were spiritually blind to previously. Instead of focusing on the negative in others, we may see the failings of our own lives, wrong attitudes, and sin patterns that we need to deal with. Perhaps we suddenly become aware that there are idols in our lives as we spend our time and money and focus on some temporal things that we thought would give us significance. We may see areas where we have compromised and not been faithful to the Lord.

  Then one day, we sense the Holy Spirit working in our hearts and we see more clearly what things need to go and that the Lord is more important than any of them. I wonder if that is how the Psalmist felt when he wrote in Psalm 73:25-26, “Whom have I in heaven but you? You’re all I want! No one on earth means as much to me as you. Lord, so many times I fail; I fall into disgrace. But when I trust in you, I have a strong and glorious presence protecting and anointing me. Forever you’re all I need!”

 

 

  Today I read from Matt. 15:8-9 (Message) when Jesus responded to the Pharisees and Scribes by saying, “These people make a big show of saying the right thing, but their heart isn’t in it. They act like they’re worshiping me, but they don’t mean it. They just use me as a cover for teaching whatever suits their fancy.” We can just imagine how upset this made the Pharisees and Scribes who loved the applause of men and Jesus blew their cover. But are we also like them sometimes?

  Maybe we begrudgingly do something outwardly good but inwardly complaining and not doing it from a caring heart. God sees our heart and is more concerned with why we are doing things than what we do. I read today of how Jesus always responded by how His Father was directing Him. It wasn’t always convenient and there were many times He must have been so tired from people pressing in on Him and all wanting healing or their questions answered. After He got the news of his cousin John being decapitated, I’m sure He must have wanted to be alone as He grieved. He tried by slipping away by boat alone but someone saw Him, and word got out and the crowd walked around the lake to where He was. He didn’t hide from them but had pity and compassion and healed many all day long. Not only that but He fed the crowd before they went home. Jesus did it all to please His Father and His motive was love.

  Now we might ask ourselves how we would respond? I might have told the crowd to just give me some time and space to grieve since someone I loved died. But when we do what we feel the Holy Spirit is directing us to do, He will give us the energy and strength to do all that is needed; and I’m quite sure our hearts will expand with joy.

Blessings on your day and prayers and love, Judy