W O M E N
F I N D I N G
"The Lord bless thee, and keep thee, The Lord make His face shine upon thee, and be merciful unto thee, The Lord lift up His countenance upon thee, and give thee peace." Numbers 6:24-26 The Aaronic blessing given to speak over the children of Israel is so beautiful. My husband speaks it over our small congregation each Sunday with full faith that the Lord will bless and keep them. Praying God's Word is so powerful and when mixed with faith can move the heavens. I love praying Psalm 23 for those in need of comfort, healing, peace, guidance or freedom from fear... "The Lord is (my) _________ shepherd,(I) _________shall not want. He maketh (me) _________to rest in green pastures, and leadeth (me) _______by the still waters. He restoreth (my) _________soul, and leadeth (me) ________in the paths of righteousness for his Name's sake. Yea, though (I) _________walk through the valley of the shadow of death, (I) __________will fear no evil, for thou art with (me) _________, thy rod and thy staff they comfort (they) _________. Thou dost prepare a table before (me) __________in the sight of (mine) __________adversaries: thou dost anoint (mine) _________head with oil, and (my)___________cup runneth over. Doubtless kindness and mercy shall follow (me) _________all the days of (my)____________life, and (I) __________shall remain a long season in the house of the Lord." Psalm 23 (Geneva Bible 1599) Filling in the blanks with names of those in need or even leaving it as a personal prayer is very comforting, knowing He is our shepherd and all our needs are met in Him. Another of my favorites to lean upon when I really need direction in matters which remain unclear is Proverbs 16:3.. "Commit thy works unto the Lord, and thy thoughts shall be directed." Proverbs 16:3 I have prayed this verse many times and leaned heavily upon the promise found there. ~ Lord, I commit my works unto you, all of them, and you promised my thoughts will be directed. ~ Many times I have found comfort in the fact that He promised to direct my thoughts as long as my works are committed to Him and I have walked in faith in those decisions knowing He is directing me. Praise the Lord we have His Word to guide us ~ even in prayer. There is a perfect pattern for prayer found in "The Lord's Prayer." "After this manner therefore pray ye..." Matthew 6:9-13 Worship and Acknowledgement - acknowledge His right to rule and reign in your life every day, deliberately submit to His lordship. "Our father which art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done even in earth as it is in heaven." Petitions - both personal and others "Give us this day our daily bread." Repentance - heart check "And forgive us our debts, as we also forgive our debtors." Intercession "And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil" Praise and Thanksgiving "For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory forever. Amen." Matthew 6:9-13 Scripture prayer can be anything from a petition, praise or repentance and it is amazing how much comfort is found there. Look to the Psalms for praise verses... "Every day will I bless thee; and I will praise thy name forever and ever." Psalm 145:2. Also in Psalms can be found verses for repentance. "Let the meditation of my heart and the words of my mouth be acceptable in thy sight, O Lord my strength and my redeemer." Psalm 19:14. Praise God for His Word and the wonderful promises found there. As Women Finding Grace ~ Let us be found praying God's Word and finding the comfort, guidance and peace we need.
1 Comment
"Let us not be weary of well doing: for in due season we shall reap if we faint not." Galations 6:9 Weary - to lack courage, lose heart, be fainthearted. "Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest." Matthew 11:28 Rest - to refresh, take ease An invitation from the only one who can give rest ~ refreshing ~ from our fatigue, relief from our burdens. Weariness comes physically, emotionally, or spiritually, but the promise of refreshing and rest are only a prayer away. As women we can get weary in well doing. The burdens of life can wear us down. Healing is there...Rest is there... "Come unto me...I will give you rest." "I will give you rest." The promise from our Savior. All we have to do is go to Him, lay our burdens at His feet. Trust in His promises ~ trust in Him. The availability of the God of the Universe never ceases to amaze me. The provision He provides for us is constant. Just as sure as the stars in the sky will shine, every night, so are His promises to us ~ Always there and always available. And although there are nights in which they are indiscernible, they are still there and they will shine again. No matter how dark our nights...His promises are still there, available, and He will be seen again. Constant as the stars in the sky, so are His promises to us, and so is He... "The sovereignty of God is the pillow upon which the child of God rests his head at night, giving perfect peace." C.H. Spurgeon As Women Finding Grace ~ Let us find the rest we need in His promises.
I am not one that is comfortable at being the center of attention. Birthdays, Mother's Day, and any other event that requires direct attention is just not my "cup of tea." I am better at "throwing the party."
It has become our normal routine on these occasions that the girls ask what I want for my gift and my response, teasingly and yet sincerely is, "World Peace." I wholeheartedly desire world peace and although it has become our repartee, I know that someday it will become reality. As my dad is in the hospital recovering from brain surgery, which failed to relieve his anguish from debilitating facial nerve pain, the heaviness in my heart became overwhelming. The consistent global bad news, the corruption, the violence, and confusion which seems to have taken control of the world and our own nation, weighs heavily upon my heart. ~ I sincerely long for world peace. ~ A world with no more suffering, no more confusion, no more hate. So, what does this have to do with Mother's Day? I guess only because of the pun between my daughters and myself. I know many of us, as mothers, as women, are carrying burdens which would seem to crush us. This world is full of bad news, but we can say with David, "I will lift up my eyes..." Psalm 121:1-2, "I will lift up mine eyes unto the hills, from whence cometh my help. My help cometh from the Lord, which made heaven and earth." ~ I will ~ ~ lift up ~ ~ my eyes ~ There is coming that day where there will be world peace. He is that peace and when He comes back to reign there will be no more suffering, no more hate, no more crime....no more questions. Praise God for that hope, this is not the end. It won't be this way forever. There is hope and promise and it's found in Him. He has all the answers...He is the answer and when He returns all things will be restored. I long for that day and I guess when I say I want world peace as my gift what I really mean is... I'm just so ready for His return because He is the only hope for world peace. Happy Mother's Day and, "Let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not." Galations 6:9 |