Inspirations

  Thank you, God that in times of  extreme sadness  when it seems all is lost, I can pray and receive help in my time of need. When my joy cannot be contained and overflows what a joy to converse with you. When my way is unclear and my steps seem uncertain, my joy is found in coming to you for direction. It doesn't matter whether it's the dead of night or the middle of the day.  There's never a time when God does not care  or when he's not there. No problem is so trivial that you cannot be bothered or so great that you are not greater still. What a joy just to chat with you anytime anywhere. Not just to ask for things  but to let you know all the details of our life. To tell you we care about the needs of our friends and the cares of our family, the body of Christ. As we pray we find that peace is restored and our joy is greater and deeper than we can imagine.

In the past God spoke to our ancestors through the prophets at many times and in various ways. Hebrews 1:1   I gave a silent scream. “God, are you Listening?” I think that we have all felt that way a one time or another. We feel as though our prayers are falling on deaf ears. We believe, at that moment, God is not listening, and if you haven’t, hang in there, your time is coming.  Yet, deep in my soul, I know for sure he hears. For, God is not deaf to the cries of his children, and he quiets our soul with his presence,  and the Almighty speaks in the laughter of a child  or in the pastor at church on Sunday,  in the words of a friend, or the train wreck at work, and in the beauty of nature  or even the doctor you dread to visit. God is not limited in how or when he speaks as though he were human, but he does speak. He’s the nudge to do the right thing, or the voice prompting you to visit a neighbor or friend. His ...

As I checked my phone on Saturday, I noticed a message from my daughter.  “Mom, can you pray for me”?  It went on to say, “I've been sick and throwing up all night."  Of course, I stopped right there and said a prayer for her.  Later, as I thought about the exchange, it made me smile that when my daughter had a problem, she came to me and asked for prayer.  Over the years, I have had others who have stopped and asked me to pray with them.  Sometimes they were people that I knew well and at other times, it was someone I barely knew.  Yet as I thought about it, I was humbled and honored that people understood that I would stand in the gap for them.  I would lift them up before God.  Yes, I believe in the power of prayer and I do not always wait for others to ask me to pray for them.  However, until now, I never thought about what a privilege it is to know that others see you as a person of prayer.  It is truly amazing when I realize t...

We all make New Years resolutions.  If you're like me, they go something like this.  I want to lose weight.  I want to save more money this year than I did last year.  If I'm feeling really "spiritual", I want to read through my Bible, be kinder to others, listen to God and the list goes on.  Don't get me wrong, there is nothing wrong with resolutions and setting goals.  In past years,  I have made them myself. Lately, God has shown me some problems with this way of setting goals. First, why are you waiting untl New Years Day to change a habit.  If God has convicted you about a problem in your life in July are you going to tell God, "sorry I can't do anything about this because it's not January yet"; of course you wouldn't.  If God shows us a problem, we need to set about correcting it right then, not later. Later is simply another way of putting off what we don't really want to deal with. Second, We end up feeling one hundred per...

Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.  Philippians 4:6 Last week I went to see a place called Jakes Rocks in the Allegheny National Forest.  I had my GPS, so I felt confident that I could locate the site.  When I left a little place called Warren, Pa I had a quarter of a tank of gas.  If I had been wise, I would have gotten gas then.  Sadly, I was not wise; I did not get gas. We started down a byway that took us through the Allegheny National Forest.  The farther I drove down the road (if you could call it that), the more concerned I became that I would run out of gas on a road that with no houses AND no one travels; there were only trees (lots of them).  So, I whispered in God’s ear, “Lord, I’d really like not to run out of gas”.  After going a little distance, we met a man doing some sort of work on the roads or paths.  I stopped and asked ...

Surely you have granted him unending blessings and made him glad with the joy of your presence. Psalm 21:6 Did I mention that I absolutely love chatting with my daughter while she’s away at college?  It is always a pick me up. In a small way, it makes me feel connected to her.  This weekend she came home for a very short visit.  It was wonderful to have her home. Chatting with her on the phone or computer is nice, but it can never compare to having her right here with me; that is “the bees knees”.  I sent her back this morning; as I did I was reminded of how God must feel about us, his children.  I imagine that God must long for the time when we go to his house and see him in person.  We chat with him; read his letter, the Bible; even fellowship with other believers, but that will not compare to the satisfaction we will know when we finally see Jesus in the flesh. For Him, that will be the fulfillment of his joy.