About 1980 is when I started to pray for others and it got to the point that my prayer list became long. Praying for others would take an hour daily.
Then I thought, if God wants me to pray for all of these people, He would remind me of their names during prayer. Well, I would only remember a few.
Now, I don’t know if it was Satan that put that thought in my head or if it was my own sinful self. All I could really remember was, “Don’t grow weary of doing good.”
People had entrusted me with prayer requests for them. God had entrusted me to bring prayers to Him.
My Lord God Almighty, your divine secrets rest in my heart and mind. Help me to continue to learn Your truth that knows no bounds for all eternity. Let me be your visible proof of what I believe. Let my harvest reveal the fruit from the seed that You planted within me. Help me to be what You designed me to be. Amen
It appears that we are in the last days before the tribulation period. That which is right is now wrong and what is wrong is now right. It will become even darker before the return of Jesus Christ. The Bible says that things will be like in the days of Noah before the flood. Man’s heart has not reached that depth of darkness, but we are fast approaching it.
The children of God need to nurture our light, the Holy Spirit within us. We nurture by studying His word, praying, and worshipping. The world can snuff out our light or cause it to glow only dim.
Now is the time for our light to shine brightly and pull others into the light so that they may see Christ.
I have begun my Bible Study Fellowship study for this year and we are studying the “Kingdom Divided”. Although I have studied this part of the Bible in-depth before a number of times, I always come away with amazing new knowledge. I love the Old Testament because I learn so much about the character of God. Well, a few things each time. We can always depend upon Him but how He reacts or answer prayers is always unpredictable. We can have faith in His character, but His ways are complex and hard to understand.
Isaiah 55:8-9
For My thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways My ways, declares the LORD. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My way’s higher than your ways and My thoughts than your thoughts.
Remember that God thinks and moves for the long term and His wisdom is eternal.
Beloved, please be in prayer. Be in a state where you trust God and can hear the Holy Spirit’s leading. He will give you peace in a troubled world, but you must have a relationship with Him so you will know when to turn right or left. If fleeing from bad weather or something else, you need to know which way to go. God can lead you to safety.
Many years ago, God asked me to give his word to a person I met in another city in our state. He was from California. I knew that this person would be in our city, but I did not know where this person would be. God told me when to turn left and right. I went to exactly where this person was at that moment. He will do this for you, my friend. But being in prayer and walking with Him before you need Him in this type of situation, is essential. Don’t chance on waiting until the last minute.
May these verses help you in your faith.
God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.
therefore we will not fear, though the earth change, and though the mountains slip into the heart of the sea;
The Lord of Hosts is with us; The God of Jacob is our stronghold.
Cease striving and know that I am God. I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth. Psalm 46:1-3, 7, 10 NAS
Psalm 34:4 I sought the LORD, and He answered me, And delivered me from all my fears.
A wife’s and mother’s primary influence in the home is to fill it with joy, peace, laughter, and an essence of the Lord.
In order to do this, one must bathe themself in God’s essences. Pray daily that He will guard your home. You want all who enter to be of the spiritual realm to be only from God. You do not want your family’s emotions to be in a tug of war with those not from God. You want them to find peace in your home. Their hearts and minds are precious to you. So pray, Beloved.
Your morning prayers are so important. At the beginning of the day, place your home, children, and husband in the presence of the Lord. Ask Him to protect your family and make your home a refuge for your family. Your home can become a stronghold of God.
It is here in the home that your husband can find rest from his daily work in the world. It is here in the home with God, that your Beloved husband can renew his mind and gain strength in his integrity and ethics. Here in the home, the family members become precious to one another.
It is here, in the home, that children will learn how to have a home that honors God. It is here that they learn how to serve others. It is in the home where children learn about humility, grace, mercy, and compassion.
In the home, the family can find strength in their battles. The home can make it easy for its members to pray. So ladies, call out to God. ask God to help you to change the atmosphere in your home. Beloved, God is always near. Call out to Him and let Him guide you in His love and peace.
Be shepherds of God’s flock that is under your care, serving as overseers, not because you must, but because you are willing, as God wants you to be; not greedy for money, but eager to serve; not lording it over those entrusted to you, but being examples to the flock. And when the Chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the crown of glory that never fades away. I Peter 5:2-4 (NIV)
I was at a person’s house a few years ago when she answered the phone. It was from her neighbor, who asked her if she could pick up her child from school when she picked up hers. She said yes. She hung up the phone, turned to me, and said, “Now she owes me,” with a tone.
I was at the person who called, talking to her husband about some real estate when the lady came out and said to her husband, “I ironed your shirt. Wasn’t that nice of me.”
Now each of these women may have gotten a thank you from the other person, but I doubt they got any credit in heaven. If they were Christians, Christ forgave them. I doubt these acts brought joy to Christ. Our attitude determines how it is remembered by Christ. You serve because Christ loves you. With His love, you love and serve others.
I Corinthians 15:58 Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your toil is not in vain in the Lord. (NAS)
You are holding your newborn baby. Love swells up within you and you thank the Lord for this blessing. This happens often in the coming years, especially at night before you retire for the evening. Those are beautiful times as you look down at them while they are sleeping. A loving time with your child, you, and God. This is a time of love, thankfulness, and a time of protection. This may be a time for a special blessing or maybe a blessing for their future.
Lamentations 2:19 Arise, cry aloud in the night at the beginning of the night watches: Pour out your heart like water before the presence of the Lord; Life up your hands to Him for the life of your little ones.
Beloved, stir the Throne Room of God’s goodness and feel Him near, especially when they have been hurt. Prayers for your children are to be unending.
One evening the Lord lead me to ask for a special blessing for each of my children. One of the blessings that I asked for was that she would have a beautiful voice for singing praises to Him. One day when she was 7 years old and practicing a song for church, the Lord spoke to me. “Remember the prayer you prayed.” Then He brought to my memory the night I prayed for special blessings for my children. When this child was a senior in high school she would come upon car accidents and would see people in the cars. As an adult, she went to school and became an EMT. She continued her education. Now she is a Family Nurse Practitioner and has her own clinic. She has sent one of her four children through college and still sings for the glory of the Lord. With God all things are possible.
Another example of praying for a child happened when I was on the board of starting a Crisis Pregnancy Center in our city. The child I prayed for at this time was a junior in high school. At this time there were 3 girls in her history class expecting a baby. When it came time to teach ladies how to care for and counsel those who were expecting, I asked my daughter if she would like to go. I thought maybe this class could help her help these girls. The first day of class was from 9:00 am-9:00 pm. I felt like it might be boring for my daughter. But when we walked out at 9:00 pm, my daughter said with excitement, “This was wonderful.” I remember my prayer for her. It was that when she spoke, people would listen. She went on to get a double master’s in which one is counseling. She went on to work in different states Pregnancy Centers and for 8 years as a state social worker with children. God has lifted her up beyond that level, plus she is a pastor’s wife. Her words have guided many people.
I could go on about my other children, and my 19 grandchildren, but this would be very long. (One great-grandchild and one on the way) There is a blessing in getting older. You can see prayers being answered for your children and how those prayers bless your grandchildren. If you teach your children about prayer, a legacy can be passed down for generations.
