Bible

He Hears Our Prayers

~ Extravagant Hope ~ 3 Comments

David’s confidence and assurance that when he prayed the Lord heard him and WILL answer encourages me. I love his boldness! David doesn’t say, “I think He heard me and I hope He will answer.”

David doesn’t tell the Lord all the different ways He can answer the prayers and give Him a carefully thought out to-do list. David simply believes and trusts that God WILL answer.

I have been known to get stuck in a pattern of worry and control when I pray. I already have an idea or plan in my mind of how my prayers should be answered and the issues worked out. I rehearse and overthink trying to forecast the outcome. This doesn’t promote trust, faith, and belief that God knows what He’s doing. It’s fear and self-reliance trying to micro-manage whatever circumstances are happening around me.

I’ve gotten much better in trusting God with me, those that I love, and all the trials, and situations that enter our lives. It isn’t easy and it takes effort. It takes remembering all the times God has answered prayers, maybe not how I envisioned, but how He knew things needed to play out.

He is good. He is trustworthy. He is safe. He’s your protector.

I’m so thankful that He knows what lies ahead. He isn’t worried, fretting, fussing, and asking for myriad opinions on what He should do. He is God and He knows.

I have learned and continue learning, that He’s got me and is right there with me for every single thing that I go through. Nothing is wasted and nothing is random. I trust in His goodness and His love for me and mine. I don’t always understand His ways. He tells us that we won’t, but to trust Him because He loves us. He in enough.

Whatever it is you are praying for, trust Him. Believe, even if that belief is a wobbly, flickering flame, that He hears you, sees you, and has a beautiful, mysterious, perfect plan just for you.

His Smile

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Jesus smiling at me… When I slow down and let the image come to me, it is breathtaking.


A smile from another human shows acknowledgement. I am seen. The space I occupy is recognized and validated. And sometimes the smile is genuine, friendly, and true.


But, the smile of Jesus’ face shining on me takes it to a whole new level. There is no ulterior motive, social politeness, underhanded intentions, or false friendliness. He isn’t buttering me up before asking something of me, or figuring out what He can get from me at no cost to Himself.


His face full of kindness, empathy, and wisdom. He knows all of me. The ick, the good, and all the in-between and He still smiles at me. Accepts me. I’m seen, I’m noticed, I’m wanted, and sought out. The delight in being with me shows in His eyes – the way people’s eyes light up at the sight of one that they love, but on a much deeper level.


He isn’t seeking what He can get from me. He’s seeking me out. He wants to bless me, protect and provide for me. His smile reminds me that I’m loved beyond what I can understand just for who I am.
In His smile, there is healing and hope. I feel safe. His smile shining on me is powerful. The One who’s footstool is the Earth, the One who’s name is the foundation of all life, the One who is Warrior and Good Shepherd looks at me, and He looks at you, and smiles. He is gentle and fierce, kind and wise, Creator and King. He smile of His face shines on us because He delights in us.

My Shield

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When I envision the Lord being my shield, it transforms how I imagine myself walking through this day of unknowns.


I think we are often completely unaware of the pitfalls, near misses, and battles going on around us that we are protected from daily. The Lord shields us from so much.


The fender bender that ruins our day, makes us late, and costs us money…did the Lord shield us from something far worse?


The random encounter with an unsavory stranger that left us shaken…did the Lord block the evil intentions that could have gone a different and terrible way?


The beautiful and precious time spent with Him that was uninterrupted…did He shield us from distractions so we could be filled up, loved on, and encounter Him?


This verse really spoke to me. It’s been a hard around here lately. We’re tired and rough around the edges. I wonder what else Jesus has shielded us from?


I am so grateful that the Lord of Heaven, Prince of Peace, and King of Kings sees me and chooses to shield me and lift my head when the harder days come. It’s a beautiful and comforting thing to be seen and deeply loved by Jesus. He loves you, too. Peace be with you. 

Fruit

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“Bearing fruit each season without fail.” Hmm… Reading this verse feels hopeful. It feels encouraging; relief that despite seasons where nothing goes right, one difficult, trying thing after another happens, and you feel blindsided, and exhausted – even then we bear fruit. It may not be loud, obvious, beautiful fruit, but the scripture DOES say “each season.”

Maybe you are in a season, like me, where things are not going as planned or hoped, and you feel disappointed , and blindsided by events you never saw coming. It’s not an easy place to be.

I wonder if we slow down, breathe a minute, and look around us, we will see that there is fruit here. Perhaps it’s a fruit called trust, rest, patience, hope, letting go, or compassion for another who’s struggling.

God is with you in whatever season you are in right now. I know it doesn’t always feel like it or look like it, but He is. He promises to never leave us alone. He is the Promise Keeper. He is faithful and He keeps His promises.

Wilderness

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“For forty years I led you through the wilderness, yet your clothes and sandals did not wear out.” Deuteronomy 29:5 NLT

Something about this tugged at my spirit as I read it.

The Lord led the Israelites for forty years through unforgiving desolate places. How exhausting, how defeating, how infuriating it must have felt a lot of the time as they battled sand, wild animals, and exhaustion on every level. They didn’t want to be in this fierce and untamed wilderness. It isn’t what they thought it would be when the Lord said He was rescuing them.

Yet…the goodness of God. For forty years He kept their shoes and clothing from wearing out. An absolute necessity for the areas they were traveling through to have good clothing to protect their skin and solid shoes to protect their feet as they walked the road He laid out for them.

He had to remind them of the ways He had protected them and looked out for their basic well-being.

Reading this verse gave me hope. Hope that this season I’m in has divine purpose. That I’m not forgotten in an untamed, desolate wilderness. I’m walking through what He knows I need to walk through whether or not I see the merit or understand the big picture of what this season will produce once I’m on the other side. There is another side. He is going with me, He’s before me, and surrounding me on all sides. He’s there for you in this way, too.

Hope and gratitude bubble up in my heart as I see that my shoes and clothes haven’t worn out yet. My feet can still move me forward, even at a limp sometimes, on this path that I often don’t like or want to be walking.

Looking beyond the frustrations, fear, and disappointments, I know without a doubt that He has shielded and protected me from far worse things. I’ve gotten glimpses of those things, people, and situations and I am so grateful He loves me enough to block, rebuke, and protect me from them. He filters every single thing that touches me or those I love through His scarred hands.

Wherever we are on our life journey, perhaps there’s room for some hope for what’s to come, and gratitude that our provision hasn’t run out, even when it doesn’t look like what we think it should. He is providing for us. Maybe we can look at where we are today with a different lens and find glimpses of His goodness, His kindness, and provision in unexpected places. Not to minimize or dismiss the hard things, but to bring hope, peace, and the knowledge of how deeply we are loved into the mix.

Photo credit: Charl Durand

Your Song

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A divine song was created just for you.

As the Creator spoke you into being, crafting every nuance of personality, eye color, and skin tone He sang over you as He put the finishing touches on His Masterpiece. He called you good, cherished, beloved, worthy. His child.

The song He sang swelled and flowed into your spirit infusing the tiniest parts of you with each note. It’s holy, mysterious, and unique. There is no other song like it – heavenly breath poured out over you, calling into being what wasn’t, into the divine purpose and plan He has just for you. There is no one like you. You are needed.

On an ordinary morning, as the sun rises over the hilltops you hear your song in the way the birds sing that one note that brings you such joy. Intentional.

You catch wisps of your song in the way the afternoon breeze shushes and sighs in the top of the Redwood trees – nature singing to you the very song He breathed into you. Peace.

On a dark summer evening the crackling and snapping of the campfire gentles your mind as your song fills you with safety. Rest.

The wild and fierce crashing of ocean waves onto rocks brings deep feelings of connection and reminders of His unrelenting love that follows after you always. You are seen.

Listen as you go about your days, in the sacred and the ordinary moments, for nature singing your song. He is everywhere and He is always with you. He causes creation to sing His love song to you and refreshes you with breezes that call to your spirit. Deep calls to deep as He sings to you in the silence when there are no words to speak. It is sacred. Mysterious, divine, holy.

Photo by Quang Nguyen Vinh on Pexels.com

The Road Not Chosen

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Photo by Mehmet Turgut Kirkgoz on Pexels.com

Isn’t it amazing that before we were born, God perfectly mapped out the twisty, windy road that would be our life journey? He carefully planned for every mountain, valley, and stretch of road, equipping us with exactly what we need for each roadblock we navigate and person we meet. He leaves nothing to chance. It’s all divinely orchestrated, this seemingly chaotic, yet beautifully crafted planet populated with humanity that is messy, precious, delightful, and completely known. Loved.

It doesn’t catch Him off guard when we worry, rehearse, and stress over our future. He knows we have plans, ideas, and dreams because He placed them in us. He omnipotently sees the path we need to follow to accomplish the purpose we were created to fulfill. Our journeys brush up against others following the road set out before them. Interwoven with blessings and kindness. A human tapestry that He calls His masterpiece.

I wonder, if like me, you question why and how you ended up on the road you are traveling. Sometimes it’s smooth, easy, and all is going your way. Other times it is not. You know the dreams and passions you have inside that are bursting to get out. You have things to do and places to go, but the road you are walking is not the one you would have chosen. The obstacles you have to overcome—pain, loss, loneliness, and fear—seem to serve no purpose. They feel so heavy on your shoulders. So tired, so weary…where is this road leading? How much longer do you have to struggle through?

I wonder if gratitude is the answer. It seems completely counterintuitive. It feels wrong and dismissive of the hardships, but maybe it isn’t? When I look back on my life, there are portions of my road that I disliked to my core. Seasons that filled me with fear, anger, physical and mental pain, and sadness. I saw no blessings there. I saw nothing to be thankful for, and I did not feel any gratitude for what I had to slog through. It felt pointless and mean.

I did make it through that season of life, but not without scars and memories. I wasn’t filled with the joy of the Lord or brimming with thankfulness. Definitely not. It was a road that I would not have chosen. But…

Now that I am past that part of my journey, I can look back and see that things played out the way they needed to. Those difficult sections of the path were necessary. Never minimizing or dismissive of the pain, but it is part of my life story. He holds my tears in lovely crystal jars, continually speaking blessings, prophesy, healing, and peace over them.

The lessons learned about God’s faithfulness, goodness, mercy, and healing needed to happen the way they did. Not everything turned out the way I hoped and dreamed, and He has helped me wrestle with that loss and disappointment. It is a blessing to know that parts of my life story have brought hope and healing to others who needed to see that scars can be beautiful, reminders that there is always light in the darkest of nights. The pain and obstacles others have faced have done the same for me. All interconnected and planned to bless and heal—a revelation of Himself. God does dwell in and bless the broken road that in our finite human wisdom we would not have chosen.

Can You Hear Him?

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On a summer night when cricket symphonies lull and soothe as the moon sails high and pinprick stars wink…He whispers in dark, nocturnal rustlings with deep, supernatural words of mystery.

When the wind shushes and sighs through the Redwood canopy as you hike and soak in the forest…He whispers timeless songs of creation.

Opening your eyes as a new day starts, before the mad rush of living takes over and you savor your morning coffee…He whispers an invitation, “Come and talk with me.”

As you putter in the garden, trimming and admiring the flowers…He whispers promises of new life and a season of rebirth in the rich scent of turned earth.

When the day is done and your tired body falls into those in-between moments before you drift off to sleep…He whispers words of rest and speaks to you in your dreams.

Can you hear Him?

When your heart feels heavy, you retreat to the hidden bench under the willow branches that skim over the pond…His whispers of healing and hope perfume the air around you.

When the cruel, hurtful words sting your heart, and tears spill over and down your cheeks…He whispers songs of love and belonging. He captures each tear. You are His.

As waves crash along the lonely beach and you fling your deepest needs and fears to the relentless tides…His whispers become a divine exchange, taking your hurt and giving you Himself. He is enough.

Taking that first frightening, tentative step of faith into something new and unknown…He whispers courage and strength into your mind, spirit, and body. He is with you. Worry must flee.

With pain so deep and raw that you have no words or tears left…His whispers become intercession in heavenly languages, traveling straight to the Holy of Holies.

Can you hear Him?

When loved ones are far away and your mind is full of frightening thoughts and the chaos of the unknown…He whispers safety and protection. Their names are written on the palm of His hands. He speaks peace, and fear bows.

When the world is filled with injustice, cruelty, and division…He whispers compassion and authority—He is King. There are none before Him. Alpha and Omega.

When self-reliance has taken its toll and you finally unclench your fists and cry to Him in exhaustion…He whispers gentle songs of rest and comfort. All is well, He’s got this.

And…

On the lighter days, when the hurry is hushed and you sit under the apple tree, talking to Him, thanking Him, and whispering that you love Him, an incense of thankfulness, praise, and love rises and dances its way to His throne. As the sacred aroma swirls and fans around Him, He sings, shouts, and prophesies over you with blessings, peace, and joy. Can you hear Him?

Shoulders of God

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“Let the beloved of the Lord rest secure in him, for he shields him all day long, and the one the Lord loves rests between his shoulders.”

Quiet your mind a moment. Imagine how it feels to rest between the Lord’s shoulders. I feel joy, delight, peace, and so much safety wrapping me up tightly in warmth and the scent of Heaven. It’s beautiful.

We are shielded all day long. We can rest, we can let go, and we can be ourselves because He wants us that way – just how He created us.

I can think of no better, safer, more joyful, and freeing place to be then in God’s presence – resting between the shoulders of the King of Heaven’s Armies.

As you navigate all that today holds in store, I pray that you pull up this image of being tucked in and held by the One who’s footstool is the heavens. Let that wash over you and bathe you in peace and confidence. He’s got you and yours. You are so loved. Peace be with you.