If you need wisdom -
if you want to know what God wants you to do -
ask him, and he will gladly tell you.
He will not resent your asking.
But when you ask him, be sure that you really expect him to answer,
for a doubtful mind is as unsettled as a wave
of the sea that is driven and tossed by the wind.
People like that should not expect to receive anything from the Lord.
They can't make up their minds.
They waver back and forth in everything they do.
James 1:5-8 (NLT)
if you want to know what God wants you to do -
ask him, and he will gladly tell you.
He will not resent your asking.
But when you ask him, be sure that you really expect him to answer,
for a doubtful mind is as unsettled as a wave
of the sea that is driven and tossed by the wind.
People like that should not expect to receive anything from the Lord.
They can't make up their minds.
They waver back and forth in everything they do.
James 1:5-8 (NLT)
Oh how these words spoke to my heart this morning. I have been going through a time of pruning(God's pruning). I asked for it...I prayed for it and the Lord is doing it. I have to admit...it is exhausting, some days it is all I can do to get through it... so don't ask for this if you aren't ready. I guess it is kinda like praying for patience. :)
As I read the above words I had an overwhelming sense of myself. How many times did I bow my head to pray to the Lord...but as I was praying began to take it back...or began to doubt...yes doubt, I'll be totally honest that He could really take care of the matter that I was praying about. (but, oh how I wanted to believe!)
First of all...I have learned that God doesn't always answer our prayers the way we hope that he will. For me, this has been a large part of my struggle with infertility...after years and years of tearful prayers...my prayers weren't answered as I had hoped. As believers...sometimes, we have to accept circumstances that aren't what we want...but if we sit back (and for me think about it)and trust, have faith (or learn to have faith) then we can begin to see God's plan for our life. I have given this so much thought over the past six months or so...I prayed, cried, screamed at times to my Lord to take this infertility away from me over the years. Wanting to have another child made my empty arms ache. When my dad was diagnosed with a cancer that we knew not many survive...how I (we)prayed for him...never giving up...but in my life...in both of these instances God had a different plan. This can be very hard to accept. But, when we were created...when the first signs of our life were formed...God knew all of our days. The ins and outs, the sorrows and the the joys. It is up to us to follow Him so closely that we don't have room for doubt. I hate doubt don't you?
So, today, I just felt like sharing a little bit of what I have been working on lately with my Lord. I love depending on Him to take care of me. I don't think that I have fully understood all that this meant for all of these years as I do now in this season of my life. With all of life's responsibilities it is such freedom to me to just cast off my cares on Him. To depend on Him, my Creator that He is working all things out for MY good.
How about you? Have you ever done this yourself? Spent time in prayer only to pick it back up after you were done praying...or later on in your day...or again the next morning? I don't think that I am alone in this. Even my daughter admitted that she does it too...
I do not want to live my life as though I am tossed in the wind...unsettled as the waves of the sea...I want to just let the word of God pour from my soul...I want to encourage you today to believe that he will never forsake you...that he will never let the waters cover over you or give you more than we can handle.
Thank you Jesus for your promises!
Wishing you a Monday full of blessings!
Joyce Marie
As I read the above words I had an overwhelming sense of myself. How many times did I bow my head to pray to the Lord...but as I was praying began to take it back...or began to doubt...yes doubt, I'll be totally honest that He could really take care of the matter that I was praying about. (but, oh how I wanted to believe!)
First of all...I have learned that God doesn't always answer our prayers the way we hope that he will. For me, this has been a large part of my struggle with infertility...after years and years of tearful prayers...my prayers weren't answered as I had hoped. As believers...sometimes, we have to accept circumstances that aren't what we want...but if we sit back (and for me think about it)and trust, have faith (or learn to have faith) then we can begin to see God's plan for our life. I have given this so much thought over the past six months or so...I prayed, cried, screamed at times to my Lord to take this infertility away from me over the years. Wanting to have another child made my empty arms ache. When my dad was diagnosed with a cancer that we knew not many survive...how I (we)prayed for him...never giving up...but in my life...in both of these instances God had a different plan. This can be very hard to accept. But, when we were created...when the first signs of our life were formed...God knew all of our days. The ins and outs, the sorrows and the the joys. It is up to us to follow Him so closely that we don't have room for doubt. I hate doubt don't you?
So, today, I just felt like sharing a little bit of what I have been working on lately with my Lord. I love depending on Him to take care of me. I don't think that I have fully understood all that this meant for all of these years as I do now in this season of my life. With all of life's responsibilities it is such freedom to me to just cast off my cares on Him. To depend on Him, my Creator that He is working all things out for MY good.
How about you? Have you ever done this yourself? Spent time in prayer only to pick it back up after you were done praying...or later on in your day...or again the next morning? I don't think that I am alone in this. Even my daughter admitted that she does it too...
I do not want to live my life as though I am tossed in the wind...unsettled as the waves of the sea...I want to just let the word of God pour from my soul...I want to encourage you today to believe that he will never forsake you...that he will never let the waters cover over you or give you more than we can handle.
Thank you Jesus for your promises!
Wishing you a Monday full of blessings!
Joyce Marie
What a great reminder. Sometimes I find myself just praying with a list a mile long. This morning I did that and then stopped and realized what I was doing.
ReplyDeleteMy prayer lately is for him to make himself known to my family in a different way. Not in the way the modern day church way, but a much more intimate way. I want to go back to simplicity in my walk with Him.
Anyway, thanks for sharing your heart!
It is hard to just accept that the Lord knows our troubles and knows when to give us what we need!
ReplyDeleteTaking our concerns back just says...Lord, I don't trust You enough to take care of me!.
Oh dear friend, this is such a struggle for me, especially during this trial that we are going through as a family.
But I just keep remembering that His promises are truthful and He loves me and my family!
This keeps me going everyday...
Excellent post!!!
Blessings,
Maria
Joyce Marie, gosh I love that you posted this because I have recently asked for some pruning in my life as well. I feel the need to not only let God take care of my spiritual pruning but taking charge of pruning the little things in my life that I have control over like the house! Today I listened to CWI podcast as I purged and pruned the cabinets under my island in the kitchen along with a few other cabinets. I got 3 trash bags full! It made me feel so good and thought I know through this time of God pruning my life I will spiritually feel so much better in the end. God is so good. I am so glad he works on me everyday to be a better steward for Him. I can't have more space for God if I have it full of stuff, spiritually or otherwise. Thanks for your kind words friend, I enjoy your visits.
ReplyDeleteblessings, angie