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THROWING SEED

Sometimes, those of us who write a blog, have a podcast, write a book, get up as a preacher or those who share with others about Jesus, wonder if anyone is listening. You don’t see any results of your hard work and love for the Lord. We all live in a microwave society. We want results and answers right now. We want to know we have actually served God in a way, that throwing the seed out there, helps others and turns their lives towards God. Our faithfulness to God, to continue, is tested.

Faithfulness is defined as: obedience over a long period of time-steadfast in affection or allegiance-firm adherence to promises or in observance of a duty-a place of trust and loyalty. It is not just simply belief but also strong conviction on our part to a certain commitment, no matter what the result. We have to have love-longsuffering-patience-endurance-steadfastness-dedication.

In Hebrews 11:1 we learn, “Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.” This verse is a description of what faith does: the substance or reality of hope and evidence of what we can’t see. Faith itself proves that what is unseen is real. This chapter continues to tell us about the heroes of faith. So many faithful people thru the ages, who did not even see the promise of a Savior.

James 5:17-18 tells us about a man named Elijah. He prayed to God and said to Ahab, a very wicked king, that there would not be rain on the land for three and half years, causing a drought. Ahab called Elijah, “…a troubler of Israel…” and “…my enemy…” During this time, Elijah took care of a widow and her son. (read 1Kings 17-18) Elijah also had a victory at Mount Carmel, seizing the idols and priests of Baal, executing them and burning the idols. Rain was brought back to the land. So, he was busy for the Lord “throwing seed.” But then, in chapter 19, Jezebel (Ahab’s wife) threatened to kill Elijah. So, he ran for his life. Which brings him into depression and the Bible shows how God took care of him. If you have never read this story before, take some time to read it. One fact it shows is that even a man of God can become down and lose hope after sowing seed for the Lord. And also shows, God is faithful to His promises, if we just don’t give up. Such an amazing read and testimony of Elijah’s faithfulness during the visual and invisible acts of God. So many lessons to be learned.

Something I want to bring to your attention about the story of Elijah is this. In the reading of James, we are told, “And he prayed again and the heaven gave rain, and the earth produced its fruit.” Have you ever thought about that last part? When it actually rained, fruit was produced even though there was not rain for three and half years! During those years, there was actually someone scattering seed. People who had faith in God to continue on feeding the land with seed, believing, having faith, that God would provide for them. If no one had been scattering the seed during that three and half years, there would not be any seed to produce with the awaited rain. We might look around and don’t see anything coming from our efforts teaching others about Jesus and we quit. Even when we don’t see any visual effects of our continued faithfulness, God is working in the unseen. Our seeds are not going to waste!

1Corinthians 3:6-8 says “I (Paul) planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the increase. So, then neither he who plants is anything, nor he who waters, but God who gives the increase. Now he who plants and he who waters are one, and each one will receive his own reward according to his own labor.” Paul had started the church in Corinth. Apollos continued the ministry after Paul left. Both men were only servants through whom God worked. They could not boast about the increase or number of seeds thrown, because God GIVES THE INCREASE. Only God brings unbelievers to Himself, and works through our faithfulness when we do our part.

We must follow God’s commands, even when we don’t see any results. We are going to have doubts, like Elijah had, but if we must continue on down the path of faithfulness that our seed will take hold and produce fruit, even through those doubts we might have. It is our responsibility to do our job no matter what the results, for God will reward us for our efforts, and the quality and faithfulness of our work. We get so caught up in the things we have not seen yet that it causes us to question God’s faithfulness.

You may be saying that you don’t have enough faith to accomplish anything for the Lord. You don’t even think you can scatter any seed for Him. Matthew 17:20-21 says “…If you have faith as a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there’ and it will move; and nothing will be impossible for you.” Mustard seeds are usually about 1 to 2 millimeters (an inch is defined as exactly 25.4 millimeters) in diameter. It is so tiny, one of the smallest seeds on the planet, and yet it grows into a towering and outstretched tree. The measure of our faithfulness and the impact it brings is up to God and the obedience of the receiver. We can have a ripple effect on others, even when what we do is not seen by man.

Our largest faithfulness is in our everyday lives: at the grocery store-cleaning up after our children at home-cleaning the church building-making sure the lights and heat or air conditioning are on before people arrive to services-the tone of our voice during telephone calls and texts-the smile we give to an elderly person. I could go on and on with selfless acts we can do. When my husband was sick, he told me that he couldn’t do anything for the Lord any more. I sat down and wrote down and gave him 100 things he could still do sitting at his computer. We can all show our faithfulness to our God each and every day, even when no one is around, even when it seems hard.

We let our external circumstances define the internal temperature of our faith. Being faithful to God is not contingent on your circumstances. When you think that, the devil is working on you! 

Continue to throw out that seed, whether you are a blogger, podcaster, or person living their best life in faithfulness to the Lord. There is someone needing and waiting to receive that seed. Robert Louis Stevenson said ‘Don’t judge each day by the harvest you reap but by the seed you plant.’ The result of your actions may never be seen by you, but keep throwing that seed! God will reward you one day!

Till next time!

                                                                     Keela

THE FEELING OF SINKING INTO THE DEEP

The feeling that there is something wrong with you. The feeling that something is pressing on your chest and it wants to pull you down into the abyss. The feeling of overwhelming sadness that no matter what you do, you keep failing to bring the light back into your life. The feeling of sheer emptiness causing loss of or more eating, trying to do away with or fill up to feel whole again. The feeling of sadness, even if you try to figure out why and there is no real reason, because you have all you need. The feeling of wanting to curl up in a ball-stay home alone-stay in bed. The feeling no one cares, even though you know that is not true. The feeling you just want to sit and stare into space, not feeling or thinking about anything or anyone. The feeling you are not worthy to live this life, because you don’t think your life has any value or meaning to others. The feeling that you don’t want to participate in activities that you have always enjoyed before and had interest in. The feeling of hopelessness. The feeling that you have become very negative about everything. The feeling you can’t remember things or function or concentrate. The feeling of fatigue that affects you mentally and physically. The feeling you can’t talk to anyone about how you are feeling because it will bring so much judgement. The feeling that this earth would be better if you weren’t in it. The feeling of wanting to sink into the deep and never surface again.

These are some feelings of depression. I have had some before and I am sure you have too.  My husband suffered with depression for ten years, two of those years in bed 24-7. My husband even came to the point of neglecting his hygiene; not showering for days on end. Feeling sad-depressed is a normal reaction to certain events in life such as the death of a loved one, work issues, financial problems, isolation from family, health problems causing you to not be able to function normally, ending of a relationship or any number of other things that we can be incumbered with in this world. These feelings are normal, a part of us, a part of being human. (There is a book in the Bible called Lamentations, after all!)

 The problem comes when we find ourselves feeling these feelings for 6 months or more and they seem to intensify, even causing some to lean towards suicide. When this happens, a medical professional can help. Years ago, people who were depressed were thought to be possessed by the devil. They were put in irons in prison, beaten, starved, subjected to bloodletting, electrical shock or put into deplorable crazy houses, (as they were called.) In the 50’s, there were antidepressant drugs introduced. Depression was starting to be known as a medical condition-a chemical imbalance.

 In the past, these feelings were thought to be something that a person should be able to cure themselves and it was wrong to seek medical help if you were a Christian. But that is NOT true. Depression can be a chemical imbalance in the brain, genetic vulnerability, stressful life events. Seeking medical help and Christian counseling to talk through your feelings and getting medicine to help control them, is a must if you find yourself in depression for a long period of time. NOTHING to be ASHAMED of!

I was in a “funk” recently. It has been a year since I have seen my daughters’ family, my grandkids, my son-in-law. They are growing up without their Nana. I felt deep sadness. Also, my dad moved into my home. My life has changed dramatically. So many responsibilities, needs and doctor visits. But God has helped me through His Word and special friends, to work towards healing. Isn’t that what we are to do when we go through a trial? Isaiah 26:4 tells us “Trust in the Lord forever, for in YAH, the Lord, is everlasting strength.” Or as some versions say “Rock.” Go to Him first! He is so strong to uplift us if we just reach out to Him. I am guilty of trying to figure things out by myself and THEN turn to God. I could have saved myself so much aggravation and stress if I would have just looked upward to heaven, instead of downward to this earth! Go to God’s Word and search for help. Here are a few verses which I have turned to which have led me to healing and peace.

Isaiah 41:10 “Fear not, for I am with you, be not dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, yes, I will help you, I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.”

Psalm 40:1-3 “I waited patiently for the Lord, and He inclined to me, and heard my cry. He also brought me up out of a horrible pit, out of the miry clay, and set my feet upon a rock, and established my steps, He has put a new song in my mouth-Praise to our God; many will see it and fear and will trust in the Lord.”

Psalm 34:17-18 “The righteous cry out, and the Lord hears, and delivers them out of all their troubles. The Lord is near, to those who have a broken heart, and saves such as have a contrite spirit.”

1Peter 5:6-7 “Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time, casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you.”

Matthew 11:28 (Jesus is speaking) “Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.”

When you feel the deep pain of depression, turn to these verses and let them sink into your heart deeply to help sooth your heart and soul.

There are so many other verses to lean onto. Great people of the Bible suffered with this illness. Seems like I turn to the book of Psalm and hear David, who shares his honest heartfelt feelings with us and his cries out to God. Elijah in 1Kings 19, is depressed when he was on the run and God’s angels minister to him. There are other examples too. God lets us know through these examples, that being depressed is normal. It is part of living in this broken world. Jesus shared His pain to God in the garden, “And being in agony, He prayed more earnestly. Then His sweat became like great drops of blood falling down to the ground.” (Luke 22:44) Jesus gives us the example of turning to God in deep heart felt prayer. God has created men and women with the knowledge to help heal the brokenhearted and the scientists who can create the medicine that can help. God also shares with us His healing power, the way to peace.

Philippians 4:6-7 “Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God’ and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.” And verses 8-9 “…whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy-meditate on these things. The things which you learned and received and heard and saw in me, these do, and the God of peace will be with you.”

Come to God as you are in your agony. Reach out to others. Start a journal and write out your feelings. Think on positive instead of negative. There are more people out there that suffer with depression than we think, because they are ashamed to let others know their pain. After and during the pandemic, it was predicted that 25% of people were affected with depression, throughout the world. Use the God given resources we now have for this epidemic of deep pain.

When you feel that you are sinking into the deep abyss of depression, reach out to God and He will lead your steps to healing. When you realize those feelings, you have that you are sinking into a deep depression, reach out. You are not and have never been alone!

Till next time!

                                                 Keela

(I want you to know readers, that I am here for you. I don’t always have the answers, but I can listen and not judge. I don’t have medical training, just life and God training and I keep things people tell me close to my heart and do not share. You can contact me at: keelight@sbcglobal.net)

CRACKED POTS

Patsy Clairmont wrote a book called “God Uses Cracked Pots.” Years ago, she was one of the original founders and speakers at the Women of Faith conventions, that I was so blessed to be able to attend several times. There were so many amazing speakers, singing, laughter and tears. When you have an arena full of thousands of women singing, you begin to wonder if this is what heaven will be like. Usually about 12-20 women went with me and we had such an encouraging day together. One year, our preacher was on an airplane and talked to another one of the original Women of Faith, Barbara Johnson, and she gave him free tickets that were right next to the stage. Wow, what great memories!

Patsy was one of my favorites because she used her experiences of life thru humor, to inspire us all. She talked about her personal flaws, mistakes and struggles and showed how God used those as lights to others. One fact she shared was that she had been an agoraphobic. A person who fears leaving environments they consider safe, which in her case, was her home. She shared how all those flaws can shine through all those cracks and broken places in our lives to show the light of Jesus. She showed a clay pot that had a huge crack in it. Most of us would have thrown that pot away because it was beyond repair. But then she put a light in the pot as they dimmed the lights. You guessed it! The light shone brightly through that crack! Wow! What a visual, I will always remember!

I want you to think about yourself as that cracked pot. We all struggle with so many flaws and heart aches every single day. So many things of this world, that grab ahold of us and cause our faith to “crack.” Have you ever asked God why? Have you ever questioned your faith? Maybe you wonder if you have enough faith to make it to heaven one day. Some trials seem long and hard. When I was taking care of my mentally and physically sick husband for ten years, there were many times I wondered why was this the journey that He had me on. When we had gotten married at such a young age, my life was not envisioned to be like this. I had not had an inkling that he would die before he turned 60.

Have you ever wondered why someone you know seems to “have it all.” They have a huge bank account, beautiful home, good health, able to travel and what seems like a bright future. During the time my husband was sick, there were many months that fear gripped my heart because I had no idea how I was going to pay the water bill. One month, it was the day they were supposed to come out and shut off our water. Thankfully, I went to the mail box and there was an unexpected check that covered it and I paid that water bill very quickly. Last year, it would have been my husband and my 50^th wedding anniversary. They have all been hard in the almost fifteen years he has been gone, but this one seemed harder. There were many of my friends who had gotten married the same year and I saw on Facebook, all the celebrations and trips those blessed people were taking. So happy for them. But why did I not have that blessing? It definitely felt like a “crack in my pot of life.”

John 16:33 Jesus tells us “In the world you will have tribulations…” James 1:2-3 tells us “…count it all joy when you fall into various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience.” Oh, so there is a God given reason why we have these trials? Why we have to wait! Why we have pain and worry about these earthly things! The aim of testing and trials, are not to destroy us but to refine and purify us in our faith. How can we know we have faith, if we don’t have things in our life to test that faith? It is essential in our Christian maturity, to produce in us patience and endurance. When we have faith and can look back and see that God was faithful to help us through the last trial we had, we can remember and be assured that He is working in our lives for us and through us, in this trial. Patience includes the idea of standing fast under pressure, with a staying power that turns adversity into opportunities. We can share with others, who are going through a similar trial, how and with Whom we made it through.

Mark 6 tells us of a time the disciples were in a boat and Jesus had gone to a mountain to pray. A huge storm came up and Jesus was on the land. Jesus saw that they were straining against the wind. The verses say that at the fourth watch Jesus went to them walking on the water. The fourth watch lasted several hours in the night-early morning. So, Jesus had waited to come save them for probably four to six hours! Of course, the disciples thought He was a ghost, but they soon found out it was Jesus walking to them on the water. Jesus speaks and tells them who He is and for them to not be afraid. When Jesus got into the boat the storm ceased. I can’t even imagine how hard it was for those disciples to try to control their boat and how scared and tired they had to have been! Jesus wanted to show them that He was in control and show them of His deity, even in the wind and the waves of the tempestuous sea.

Those long 10 years of my life, I asked God so many times to help me but there was no answer in the way I wanted. God let me struggle in those hard days for my future and the testimony of my faith even in the storm. God let me “crack” under the pressure of those days, in my earthly “pot,” so that I can now let others see the light that shines for the Lord by writing and speaking through those “cracks” in my life. Those “cracks” have taught me so many valuable lessons. I have learned that there is always hope if you keep your faith in God. There is a reason why we all struggle on this earth and carry heavy burdens. Don’t give up. Don’t give in to the devil who tries to grab us when we are down. God keeps His promises. Lean into God’s healing and His strength. There is a heaven one day when this earthly body gives up. We can go there thru our obedience and faith. Matthew 11:28-29 says “Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.”

We just need to trust in Him and have faith that God will work out your trials for your own good. God is always taking care of us. It just may be through all those “cracks” of tribulation we suffer on this earth. We just have to have the faith that this earthly “pot” which has been cracked over and over, shines with God’s light inside of us. We can shine brightly through that “cracked pot”

2 Corinthians 4:6-10 “For it is the God who commanded light to shine out of darkness, who has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellence of the power may be of God and not of us. We are hard-pressed on every side, yet not crushed, we are perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed-always carrying about in the body the dying of the Lord Jesus, that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our body.” God’s glory is manifested through broken-cracked pots-vessels, through you and me, who endure earthly trials by relying on His power!

Till next time!

                                                         Keela

AGGRAVATION OR SURRENDER

Have you ever had to surrender to something that has been aggravating in this world? Well, I did today and earlier this week. My dad is living with me. A company comes on Monday and Fridays to help dad to get cleaned up, whatever he wants done in his room and then they fix his meals, clean the bathrooms, dust, vacuum, etc. Which is amazing for me. Well, they did not show up at the usual time of 10am today. Every couple of hours, my dad or I have been calling them to see if they are still coming. It is almost 5pm and someone is supposed to be here soon. Our frustration and aggravation level has been high to say the least. After they were supposed to come this morning, I was going to leave and go do some “shopping therapy.” The later it has gotten in the day, the less likely it has been that I could go. Something important I had to do? No. Something I needed to do? No. Something I wanted to do? Yes. By the time I am typing this, I have surrendered my aggravation to the fact that I can’t go. Was I kept home because I was going to get in wreck or for some other harmful reason (maybe I was going to spend too much money? Ha!)

Also, a couple of days ago, we were at dad’s heart Dr. visit. The Dr. had just finished talking to us and the lights went out. It was pitch black in that room. Dr. quickly opened the door and there was light. The electricity had gone out. The hospital there had a generator but the medical building did not. Since dad is in a wheelchair, guess what, we could not use the elevator. (I was sure to thank God that we had not been in the elevator when the lights had gone out!) So, we were stuck. In fact, stuck for two hours. The nurses were trying to get someone to come help dad get down the stairs. They finally got ahold of the paramedics who had a special chair to get him down those stairs. Of course, that was all an aggravation, but what was even more of an aggravation, was that I was going to take food to our preacher’s family because of a surgery going on in their family. A friend was helping with the meal, so I surrendered my aggravation, and called her. I gave her my garage door opener numbers and told her where everything was in my fridge and on my kitchen table. She had to deliver it by herself, late, but it got to them. What a week full of aggravation which led finally to surrender!!

So, you are thinking that was a hard week, but what does that have to do with God? There are things of this world, we have to surrender to our God. Surrender is actually a gift. We have to realize there is stress and weariness tied to holding onto something too tightly that we think we need to control. Somethings in this complicated world are completely out of our control. We need to change our aggravation, into surrendering our tight control. Surrender leads us to: peace-rest-trust-faith in our God. God lets you rest and take some deep breaths (you can believe, I sure was) and calm our spirits that come with aggravation and our need for control. We just have to surrender that control, when things in this earth try to bring us down.

Years ago, when my daughter was getting married, we thought we had crossed all our T’s and dotted our I’s. 24 hours before the wedding: the photographer called her to say he was not coming-we went to pick up the flowers for the centerpieces, corsages and bouquets, they had mistakenly sold them to someone else and, to top that off, her dad was officiating the service and he was having a hard time breathing that day. Talk about aggravation! (Good thing no one took my blood pressure that day!) My daughter was better than I was at surrendering that aggravation. Ended up, the flowers were delivered and we set up a long table in my living room and family helped us with getting the bouquets, corsages and centerpieces, etc. together the night before-sweet friend took all the pictures day of the wedding and they were amazing and a dear friend went to where my husband was and gave him a breathing treatment so he could make it to the wedding. Wow! What a lesson of surrender that had to be learned that couple of important days!

Psalm 37:23-24 reads “The steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord, and He delights in his way. Though he fall, he shall not be utterly cast down, for the Lord upholds him with His hand.” The righteous know that when they fall, they are never left lying there; when they stumble, they are never completely forsaken. God’s word is the roadmap for Christians and that if followed and obeyed, that map allows God to order our steps, and that leads to a happier life. There is surrender in that! Proverbs 16:9 reads “A man’s heart plans his way, but the Lord directs his steps.” Does that sound similar in your life? We plan something and because of strange things being thrown in our paths by the world, we realize that we need to surrender our lives to God. After all, He is really the one in control. Sometimes, as humans, we forget that.

It is scary to give up control of a situation, isn’t it! When we hold onto aggravation about a situation, before we go to the gospel, we are all about self: self-control, self-protection, self-preserve which are not the best options to a solution. We need to replace that with surrender with knowing: He is worthy, He is true to His promises, He is truth. God is ultimately in control, even thou He has given us freedom to make our own choices. Sometimes, we think God is too busy to see what we are going thru, and we need to hold onto control. We don’t want to surrender all those aggravations of this world to Him. But we must.

There is a song by the name of “I Surrender All” by Judson Wheeler Van Deventer. Here are a few of the words: “All to Jesus I surrender, all to Him I freely give, I will ever love and trust Him, in His presence daily live…humbly at His feet I bow, worldly pleasures all forsaken, take me Jesus take me now…make me Savior wholly Thine, let me feel the Holy Spirit, truly know that Thou art mine…Lord I give myself to Thee, fill me with Thy love and power, let Thy blessing fall on me…(chorus) I surrender all, I surrender all, all to Thee my blessed Savior, I surrender all.” That is easier said than done isn’t it. But when we keep our focus on our Savior, life is so much more peaceful and ordered.

Our identity is in Christ thru His shedding His blood on the cross. He surrendered to the plan God had, in order to save us. For us to surrender is to be like Christ. We need to release our hold onto things of this world and anchor them in Christ! If you are carrying a weight, something that is beyond your control, bigger than you can imagine to carry, remember-you are not alone. Jesus will carry you just like He carried that heavy cross. When we surrender, we exchange our worry and anxiety for His peace and His power. When we hold onto aggravation which is beyond our control, we become bogged down with worldly troubles.

We need to save ourselves aggravation, and remember who is ultimately in control. Hebrews 13:8 says “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever.” Jesus never changes, He is never too busy for us. We can be sure of His grace and mercy. We can be assured if we give up our control, Jesus will take over for us. When we do that, we can find peace!

Surrendering instead of giving in to aggravation, is so much better on us (and our blood pressure.) Most things of this life, are not worth the aggravation and stress. In surrender we can find so much peace and happiness in life! Aggravation on the other hand robs us of so much time on this earth that we should be using for service to Him. We can either go throughout our lives with our fists clenched or we can go thru our lives with our fists wide open surrendering our lives to God! Give it to Him! That is the ultimate type of surrender we have the power to give. We have to put our minds back in focus to God, when the things of this life hit! Surrendering to God is what He wants us to do and our lives will be more peaceful in our souls. Sure, there are struggles every day, but keep focus on God. He is the only true way. He is Who we are to surrender our entire life in service, to Him.

Aggravation or surrender. Which do you choose today?

Till next time!                            

                                                  Keela

VENDING MACHINE

I thought about kicking it. I tried to shake the heavy machine. I started to get angry at that machine. I had been at the hospital with my dad and I just wanted that bag of Cheetos to get me by till I could leave and go home. I don’t try to get something out of a vending machine very often. How many times have you tried to get something out of a vending machine and it gets stuck? It can’t give you your money back. Sometimes, it won’t work no matter what we do.

Sometimes we think of God as that vending machine. Always ready to give us what we want. Always there when we think we need something. But when God supposedly does not give us that want, that we pray for, we get angry at Him. We ask why is God not listening to me. Does He not care? Then we realize that, just like that vending machine that we have not been to in a while, we have not gone to God in prayer for a while. Shouldn’t He be happy that we are finally praying to Him and He will give us what we want?

Well, God does not work like that. He does not give us what we think we want sometimes. Philippians 4:19 tells us “And my God shall supply all your needaccording to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus.”  Did you notice that word need?Whatever we have prayed for, may not be the best for our future. C.S. Lewis says “Whether we like it or not, God intends to give us what we need, not what we now think we want.” Garth Brooks has a song called “Unanswered Prayers.” Some of the words are: “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.” Unanswered prayers are a gift for our future.

God knows what our future will be. He loves us and wants the best for us. ‘We pray for what we see as the best possible option in the moment, but the reality is that our vision is limited to what we know today and so often there is so much more that we couldn’t possibly know yet still out there. We simply don’t have all the information to be able to see that there is a much bigger and better option for us and we just don’t see it yet. And when that is the case, God withholds giving us what we asked for so that He will be able to give us that bigger and better option He wants us to have.’ (taken from an article by Amy Rees Anderson)

When we were going to lose our home to foreclosure, I spent a lot of time on my knees praying for God to not let that happen. But we ended up losing our home after all. I could not understand why, after praying so hard, that God did not answer that prayer! A few years later, when my husband had trouble walking without losing his breath, I realized that God had answered that prayer. It was a raised ranch and had thirteen steps to get into and out of the house. After he passed away, I would have had the burden and stress of trying to sell that house. The house had a lot of things that needed fixed. I did not have much money at the time, even though I was working two to three jobs. We would have had trouble selling that home. Our boys had their own lives and it would mean a lot of sacrifice on their part to do the labor to fix what they could. God answered those tearful prayers, just not in the way I wanted! But in the best way that I needed them answered!

When hard times come, and they will, God assures us He is right by our side helping us and working for us, whether we see it or not. This is beyond our understanding. Philippians 4:6-7 reads “Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God, and the peace of God which surpasses all understanding will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.” Our part of God’s plan is to pray with thanksgiving and tell God what is in your heart. God’s part is to answer, according to His purpose for our lives and what is best for us. We can’t, in our human minds, understand why that answer is no and we can’t understand how praying to God can give us peace in that answer.

Did I really need those Cheetos that day? No, of course not, they are not good for me. I just wanted them anyway. Did getting upset at that vending machine help the situation? Of course not. If I would have kicked it, I would have hurt my toe. If I would have tried to shake the heavy machine, I would have hurt my back. How important were those Cheetos really? Were they a need or a want?

Now, I don’t want you, when you finish reading this blog, to think I am comparing a vending machine to God! Of course not! But what I am trying to say is-just because we want something that looks good to us in this life, it does not mean that we really need it. God only gives us what is the best for our lives-what is according to the plans He has for our purpose-for what we need to serve Him-what will help another. Jeremiah 29:11-14 reads “For I know the thoughts that I think toward you says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope. Then you will call upon Me and go and pray to me and I will listen to you. And you will seek Me and find Me, when you search for Me with all your heart. I will be found by you says the Lord…”

Pray with all your heart. Talk to God about what is troubling you. Ask God to help you through a tough time. Talk to God when you think a want you have is a need. Go to Him at any time, any place, any situation and trust in the fact that whatever the answer is, that God is for us and not against us.

Vending machine. Who would have thought, that day I thought I needed those Cheetos in that big vending machine, that I would think of an application for our everyday lives! (My mind works in strange ways sometimes!)

When you ask God for something, try to think, is it a need or a want and then trust in His answer!

Till next time!

                                                                    Keela