I am a Christian, a retired teacher, a mother and a grandmother. I love to read and I love the Lord Jesus Christ! Unless otherwise specified ,all visual illustrations are from the YOU VERSION APP of the Bible.
This prayer is part of my devotional today and I really needed it to remind me of God’s constant presence. Life keeps throwing darts at me and so far, I have been able to dodge them, but honestly, I am weary.
Yesterday, I had to return to Ortho Virginia because of a shoulder problem that has been building for the last month. It has gotten so painful that I cannot extend my right arm, either forward or up without excruciating pain. When the doctor checked me yesterday and had me do all kinds of movement that hurt as well as pressing in places that almost caused me to defend myself, he concluded that I have a problem with my rotator cuff. He cannot say definitely that there is a tear because I have not had an MRI yet, but he did say the symptoms point to that as the issue. I received a steroid injection and a referral for physical therapy for the next six weeks.
While I was doing my deep breathing to get through the injection into the bone of my shoulder, I was thinking to myself, “Seriously, God. I have only been out of the boot for a fractured foot for less than a month and now my shoulder is giving me problems. I mean, really. Couldn’t we face this particular battle another time?” God didn’t speak audibly, but He continues to speak to my heart that He is walking this valley with me. He hasn’t gone anywhere, but He has stepped closer to me, to comfort me during the diagnosis, the injection and the feeling of absolute despondency.
God has never walked away from me, as He so lovingly reminded me yesterday and again this morning in this prayer. And since He doesn’t play favorites, He hasn’t walked away from you, either. He is right there, waiting to answer your prayers and to be by your side until whatever the battle that is taking place in your life is over. There will always be a battle to fight, but the good news is, there is always God there to protect you, heal you, comfort you and reassure you of His presence.
Every once in a while, I come across a real gem in my Substack email. Today was one of those days, so I am sharing with you. Click on this link, and go to “Pause, Pray, Proceed and Two More.”
I actually thought her original idea of three P’s was brilliant, but the last two she added are absolutely necessary before proceeding! Check it out and let me know what you think.
I am one who tends to jump in, find out I am in the frying pan and then try to jump out before it gets too hot for me there. You know, the whole leap before looking dilemma. Lately, since I have a broken foot, I am moving much more slowly with my body and making deliberate choices with my mind. After all, if I have to get up and move around, causing great pain to several other parts of my body besides my foot, I make sure that I am doing all that I need to do during that trip. That being said, I proceed to do most things with great caution these days and I am finding out that perhaps that is the way I should approach all choices.
I am fairly certain that no one enjoys taking tests. When I was in high school and college, I used to suffer from what people today call “test anxiety.” I would study diligently, but when I went to school to take the test, I would be so nervous that I wouldn’t remember what I had studied. I usually took deep breaths, looked away from the test and out the window or at something distracting and then took the test. I generally did well (except on math tests on which I scored lower than I wanted but high enough to stay on the honor roll), but I was never satisfied unless I got a top score.
When I became a mom, I encouraged my children to pray before tests. They had done their part by studying, so I instructed them to pray that God would help them remember what they had studied. I believe that as a result, all three children did well in school and had no more than what I considered normal test jitters. All three finished college and did well, so kudos to the Lord for getting them through.
So, what kind of tests do we take today? Every day we face a test of our faith with the choices we make and the things we do once we make that choice. Jesus showed us how to face life’s tests and excel by setting an example for us to prepare us for tests.
First, in the wilderness, Jesus answered Satan with God’s Word. We cannot give an answer to Satan or any friends, neighbors or acquaintances about our beliefs if we don’t study God’s Word diligently and faithfully. Jesus knew and applied God’s Word appropriately. I think when we hide God’s Word in our hearts, then the Holy Spirit will remind us of just what we need from His Word when we need it. (See John 14:26) We have to choose to turn from wickedness (sin) daily.
Jesus also prayed consistently and found a solitary place to do so, one without distractions.
It’s not always convenient to get up early or find a solitary place, but it is a part of being ready for life’s tests each day. Maybe you pray late at night or even in the middle of the day. Whenever and wherever you pray, be like Jesus and consistently make time to talk to God. You can’t hear from your Heavenly Father in the middle of a tough situation if you don’t regularly tune in to have a conversation with Him when there are no outside pressures.
Jesus was also continually in the temple. In fact, when He was arrested, He asked the officials why they came to arrest him in a garden at night instead of in the temple where he was daily. (Matthew 26:55) So should we not neglect getting together with other believers for the purpose of worship, fellowship, exhortation and enlightenment from His Word.
So, what does our test entail? What is on it? How do we pass it if we don’t know the questions? Well, the test is almost the same daily. What will you do if faced with temptation? Don’t say you are never tempted, because everyone is in some way. Just accept that it will happen. For example, your choices may be to watch a show you have really looked forward to or to spend time with your spouse and children. Which would be more pleasing to God? Watching the show is not a bad thing; it’s just not the best choice. Like a multiple choice test for which you are told to choose the BEST answer, there can be more than one right answer and you have to discern which one is the best one.
What will you do when you are with another person and the Holy Spirit is prodding you to share something about your faith? The quick answer is, of course, that you will share. But is that true? Or do you spend your time with non-believers talking about the weather, politics, health conditions and children? See how easily I named those things? That is because that is how I deflect from talking about the Lord. More and more, the Lord’s Spirit is prompting me to say something about Him and what He has done in my life. I don’t feel called to stand on a street corner with a sign that says “Repent” and follow that with preaching through a megaphone. But I can still offer hope to someone who doesn’t know the Lord just by sharing a word with them about God’s work in my life. I don’t have to give a sermon, just an encouraging word to get them thinking about God and His influence on their lives. It’s called sowing a seed and I want to get better at it.
Test anxiety is a real thing, but Jesus promises that He will be with us and that we will not fail, because loves never fails.
Okay, I am done telling you all about tests. Now, go out and do your best knowing that God goes with you and is cheering for you to pass with flying colors! Ask Him for the help you need to pass today’s test and He will help you…He promises!
I used to watch the people that I admired closely so that I could be more like them. One particular person comes to mind immediately. My high school Spanish teacher was Sra. Mary Smith. She was my teacher for four years and I learned some important lessons by watching her. I learned to look for the good things students were doing and praising them for that before I offered any criticism or instruction. I learned to smile no matter how challenging a day was, with a smile that I hoped others would see sparkling from my eyes. And I learned that the louder students got, the softer I should speak. Those were important lessons for me to learn, especially since Sra. Smith is the teacher who encouraged me to study languages and I became a Spanish teacher for over thirty years myself.
These days my focus is more about wanting to be more Christ-like, so I am learning to imitate God. How do I do that?
I try to do good for others, as much as I can. I want other people to see proof that God lives inside me. I may be the only representative of God they see that day. Children imitate what they see and hear. Go to a grocery store, for example, and listen to the words children say. If a bunch of expletives come out of a small child’s mouth, it is imitation of what they have heard. The child needs to be corrected (not by a stranger, of course), but the behavior doesn’t change unless the source that they are imitating changes. Whether they are imitating words from the TV or from the parents, they are saying what they have heard repeatedly.
As Christians we are being trained daily to speak and act as the Father does. The only way to do that is to spend time with Him, praying, worshipping and reading and studying His Word. We don’t become more like Christ by watching TV or (alas!) by reading books that are not the Bible. My priority time each day is spent with God. Am I succeeding? Well, some days more than others, to be honest. But I am trying every day and God rewards my efforts with a peace that I can’t explain and by answering prayers that may seem small to others, but they are big to me because they show how faithful to details God is if we are watching for His hand at work in our lives.
My prayer for each of my readers is that you will strive to imitate Christ because even if we are not aware of it, others are watching us and may want to be more like us. Let’s be the good example for them to follow and let’s lead them to be more like Christ, not more like our worldly selves.
From the YouVersion Bible App Devotional, “Daily Power by Craig Groeschel, Day 3”
Sometimes I wake up in the middle of the night and can’t go back to sleep. My mind spins with thoughts of appointments, responsibilities, and obligations for the following day. I worry about my kids, my friends, and members of our church. When everyone seems to be doing okay, I worry that I can’t think of anything to worry about! The best thing I do, though, is simply pray about all that’s weighing on me.
Sometimes people say, “All we can do now is pray.” It’s tempting to treat prayer like it’s a last line of defense. In actuality, though, prayer is our first line of offense.
We all have so many people depending on us that it can be hard to feel strong enough to do all that needs doing. We want to keep standing firm in our faith, but we become weary and feel so exhausted. That’s when we have to cry out for help, just like the psalmist says in today’s verse. We have to put our hope in the promises of God’s Word.
When you wake early because your mind and heart are troubled, you can rest in remembering what your Father has promised. He is with you and will never abandon you. He is in control and devoted to your growth for his good purposes. You don’t have to do everything that’s spinning around in your mind.
Today you can rest easy knowing that your hope is in God and not in your own efforts.
Power Lift: Today I cast my burdens before you, Lord, and trust that you can handle all that weighs on me and more. My hope is in you and I trust your timing to meet my needs as you show me my next step.
My Thoughts
I come from a family of hand-wringers and worriers. So, you might say that I have been perfecting this art of worrying for decades. I have also been learning (for fewer decades) how to let go and trust in God. I am not there yet because I still awaken in the middle of the night with my mind spinning. But I have learned to take deep breaths, release the troubles to God and go back to sleep. For me, that is good progress. I also recite scriptures that I have memorized to myself and sing praise songs in my mind. Sometimes it takes longer to go back to sleep, depending on what the issue is. But my belief is that I am awakened to pray, so I do and fall back to sleep when I feel comforted and the reassurance that God is taking care of things for me.
Please go to the original post and follow. Also, please register and vote…this election is so important and we need Christians to make their voices be heard.
Anyone who has followed me on my blog for a while knows that I have a few health problems. Well, actually, maybe more than a few. But I am totally blessed that God has taken care of me and is continuing to watch over me. My attitude of gratitude did not come easily as I spent much time angry about my health conditions and my inability to change them as well as God’s silence on the matters. Then, in 2015, my stroke happened. It was a bad one, or so I was told. If it had not happened at school where I was closer to the hospital and where the school nurse could immediately diagnose me and get help, I would likely not have survived. Coincidence? No…God watching over me.
At the time of my stroke, I could not move any limbs on my right side and could barely stutter out an intelligible word. But what I could do is pray and pray, I did! In the ambulance, I was praying silently to the Lord. The paramedic asked me if I needed something because it seemed I was trying to speak. Well, I did need something (healing) but I wasn’t telling the paramedic. I was talking to God. My husband was late arriving at the hospital because the school nurse had trouble getting him to answer the phone, so I was all alone for a little while. And I prayed, as multiple health workers did their jobs all around me, buzzing about the fact that I was probably having a stroke. The end result was that my husband arrived, I had the option to get a clot-busting shot that could kill me (30% chance) or save my life. My husband called our daughter Hope and together we prayed that the shot would work. It did…but I’m here to tell you that the medication was injected into my body but the Lord did the healing.
I have just been through a series of medical tests and the doctors could not find anything seriously wrong with me except for a reaction to my medication. I feel in my heart and soul that I was healed…God used my symptoms of fainting, vision loss and dizziness to built my faith in Him as I trekked to one specialist after another. In the end, He spoke quietly to me that He had healed me because of His great love for me. Once again, God reached down and touched me, not because of who I am or what I have done but because of Who He is.
My response to God’s grace and mercy is praise and thanksgiving. I am thankful for each day that I get to spend here on earth with my family and friends. God is wonderful to me and abounds in blessings for me. Today, I get to travel again, this time to see my sister who had to move to NC because of her health conditions. If you knew me well, you would know that I dislike traveling. I like the comforts and familiarity of home and would never go anywhere if we did not have family at a distance. Nevertheless, I am blessed to be healthy enough to travel and to get to see my sister who celebrated her birthday this week.
Every day is a miracle. The sights I see around me are evidence of God’s working on the earth. Birds singing, rain falling, squirrels scampering around the bird feeders…all are wonderful signs of God’s creation that He cares for so well. And the best thing is that He has shared it with me to enjoy…and with you! Look around you. You may not see or be aware of God’s miracles, but they are everywhere. Every breath we take is a gift from God. Everything we see is a gift from God. All that we are able to hear is a gift from God. Thus, I have learned and I’m still learning to pray, believe and receive…then to be thankful that I am able to do all of these because of a great and marvelous God who loves me beyond all that I can imagine.
It is very easy to think about our everyday circumstances and the current news cycle and how it affects us. It is even easier to get caught on that merry-go-round of scattering our thoughts every time a new event happens that distracts us. God’s Word, however, is clear in telling us to choose to think about the things above, the things that really matter to God. Spending time in God’s Word will tell us what is important to Him and what should be important to us.
Once we start thinking correctly, then we can follow this admonition to always rejoice, continuously pray and be thankful in everything. After all, God’s will is for us to be joyful Christians who are tuned in to His will and thus our prayers are tuned in, too. In following God’s instruction book, the natural result is that we will be “setting our mind on things above” and giving thanks in all of our circumstances. God knows, He cares and He desires for us to be more like Him.
Just when I was beginning to think that I was on the mountaintop, looking down into the valleys of all my trials and worries, a new medical test comes along, and boom! There I am, calling out to God for help to get through this one. I awakened a lot during the night, knowing that my EMG is early this morning. Each time, God would bring a praise song to my mind and I would drift back to sleep. It doesn’t help my state of mind that I have had this test before, know that it’s uncomfortable and takes about an hour of pins and electric shocks, simultaneously. Nevertheless, I am trusting God to get me through it without tears of anguish and frustration. The last time I had the test was over eight years ago, after my stroke, so I don’t recall a lot, just the pain and the feeling that it was taking a long time. I think a “long time” is relative when you are in pain that is being dealt out by a machine in the hands of a technician who gently says that it will be slightly uncomfortable. But, just as God has been with me through all the other tests, He will walk with me through this one, too. It reminds me of the wilderness experience of the Israelites. God took them through the wilderness, not around it. So, through this trial I go and I am confident that I will come out the other side, more compassionate for others going through tedious and painful medical procedures.
Fixing my thoughts on God helped me sleep during the night, so I know that fixing my thoughts on Him will help me get through the pain of electricity coursing through my body. Honestly, childbirth does hurt more, so there is that. And I know that my Lamaze breathing helped the last time I had the test done, so I will take deep breaths and with each inhale, I will say a prayer of thanksgiving that I am able to have the test done and a prayer that the test will show what the doctors need to know.
I think that peace comes as a result of prayers, so I am wearing my full armor today, including the shoes on my feet that come from the peace of God’s Good News. As He continues to remind me, nothing will happen to me today that He and I cannot handle together!
Vickie's Book Nook and Meditation Corner 