Thursday, February 21, 2008

Unanswered Prayers...

Unanswered Prayers - Garth Brooks


Sometimes I thank god for unanswered prayers-Remember when you're talkin' to the man upstairs-That just because he doesn't answer doesn't mean he don't care-Some of god's greatest gifts are unanswered prayers. (He answered Garth, - He just said "No")
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Sometimes we think God doesn't hear us or doesn't care what we need or desire, but God hears all of our prayers and He faithfully answers each and every one. It's just not always the answer that we wanted or that we expected. Sometimes it's easier to say God doesn't care than to accept that what we wanted may not be what we really need or now may not be the time for it.

Ecclesiastes 3:1 says there is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under heaven. ~This includes death and weeping and tearing down as well as birth, laughing and building up. God's ways are not our ways and God's timing is not our timing, but we have to trust that God's ways and timing are perfect and are only meant to bring us the best. It can be hard to understand why God can let bad things happen, but there are always things, repercussions that we don't see resulting from everything that happens. Nine years ago, I had a miscarriage. I had prayed for the life of that child and lost it anyway. What I can see now, that I couldn't see then is the chain of events that loss set in to motion that landed me where I am today. I can't say that the loss of that child was worth it, but I know where I am today is much better than where I would have been. Not because of the circumstances of my life are so much better now, but because the relationship that I have with God is so much better now. God used that time in my life to draw me closer to Him and put me in a position to surround myself with Godly friends who lift me up and help me keep everything else in a Godly perspective.


Jeremiah 29:11 says For I know the plans I have for you, declares the LORD, plans to prosper you, plans to give you hope and a future.


When one door closes another door opens; but we so often look so long and so regretfully upon the closed door, that we do not see the ones which open for us. ~Alexander Graham Bell~

Wednesday, February 20, 2008

Why Psalm 46:10?



Psalm 46:10 says, "be still and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth." My grandmother passed away on February 6, 2008. We were very fortunate in that she lived a very long, very happy life, she was only 28 days away from her 100th birthday when she died. The last week of her life, we knew the end was coming any day and were able to make the most of the time that we had left with her. My grandmother taught me more in the last week of her life than she did during the previous 40 years I had been on the earth.

During the last week she would have days that she would only grunt and nod in response. These days were usually followed by a day of almost non-stop talking. I believe that during her times of quiet she was conversing with God and on the days she talked she was so excited about "going home" that you couldn't help but share her joy, and let me tell you she was full of joy! She actually told me after the first day of quiet that she and Jesus had talked about the things above and he was real. She said she was so excited she just had to talk about it. Three days before her death was one of her "quiet" days. When I would ask if she wanted me to read to her from the Bible, her reply was suprisingly "no", "be still and know". If you tried to engage her in conversation all she would say was "be still and know". At first I thought she had found a biblical way to tell us all to "shut up and leave her alone". But as the day went by, I changed my thought. I think she was telling us that we needed to be still and know God. That was the secret to her joy. I don't ever remember seeing my grandmother any way but happy. You didn't have to spend more than a few minutes with her to know that she loved the Lord and sought to live her life to please him. The last day that she really spent talking with the family she challenged us all to "read your Bible more, I wish I had". During the previous week I had found three of her Bibles, all held together with duct or packing tape. This dear, sweet woman, who had worn out at least three Bibles in her life (I'm sure there are more somewhere) wished that she had spent more time reading the Bible. I hope that I wear out at least one in my life.

Genesis 1:27 says "so God created man in His own image, in the image of God He created him." God tells us we were made in His image, this means we are to reflect Him in everything we do. My grandmother reflected the image of God in everything that she did and this came as natural to her as breathing. I believe it was because she spent so much time in God's word and filling her mind with Godly thoughts that she didn't even have to think about what was right and what was wrong - she just did it right.

I want to reflect the image of God in everything that I do, I want people to see God in me and know how much I love Him. So, I will take the advice of a very wise woman, who on her death bed where she had been literally sitting at His feet off and on for several days told me "be still and know", "be still and know that I am God". I will be still and I will read my Bible. I will spend time with my God daily and fill my mind and my heart with thoughts of Him and hopefully someone will see God in me and see my joy and want it for themselves.