We can do all things through Christ who gives us the strength
Let’s face it, sometimes we feel overwhelmed. We find it difficult to handle what comes in life. We feel lost, unable to pray for ourselves. That’s where a prayer partner comes in. Someone you trust and who cares for you physically and spiritually.
A Prayer To Strengthen Your Day
Here’s a simple prayerful wish to strengthen your day.
May the lord go before you today preparing you mentally and physically.
May the Lord grant you patience and resilience to ‘grin and bear’ the foolishness that comes along your paths at work, school or play.
May he respond when you can’t.
Mostly may the Lord be your strength in times of need.
May the Holy Spirit lead and guide your every move.
And if the lord is doing all that, may you remain confident that He has everything under his control (even when things seem out of wack).
Above all , may the lord grant you his perfect peace today, tomorrow and always.
It was a long drive. Seven hours round trip in a day. So I was hesitant. Wasn’t really up to it. Needed to check car though I had just changed tires. But…. still, peace of mind.
Reluctantly, I had prepared myself the night before. Half slept as I had to be out at daybreak. Got up wee hours of the morning. Very slowly got dressed. Makeup applied. Bags packed. Made quick breakfast. Step by step I did everything, robotically while slowly praying. I just wasn’t in the mood.
In the same way-methodically, I got in the car, text loved ones and I was off for my long drive.
Less than an hour in, my mood slowly changed. I Listened to the Bible App using the audio that read the scriptures aloud. 2 Chapters of Exodus (Bible in a year). Then a message… all as previously planned. Hours went by as in a flash as the early morning traffic whisked by.
I arrived at the event, quietly excited. I attended presentation sessions. Met new people. Interviewed some. Browsed around. Then surprisingly, mid-afternoon I felt accomplished and decided to jump in my car to take the long return trip home. Pleased. I had obeyed.
Prayers Work
Ever felt like that? Hesitant about doing something? Prayers work. Let no one tell you otherwise. Share your heart’s desires with the Lord most high. Then just follow his lead. He always come through. Sometimes he says yes, other times he says no, or wait.
Whatever your desire, talk with him. Devotionals like RedLight are great companions for your daily walk with the lord. So don’t hesitate.
Mary awaited the healing of her brother. As her anxiety soared, she called on her friend Jesus and sought his intervention. Afterall, he had healed many. But he didn’t show. Eventually her brother passed away. Then days later, Jesus showed up, called Lazarus and he got up. Alive and well he joined his family and friends.
Trust in the Lord with all your heart. Lean not on your own understanding. In all your ways, acknowledge him and he will direct your path.
Proverbs 3:5-6
Maybe you are like Mary waiting on the Lord for answers to your needs. It might be for a job, children, relationships, finances or something else. Hold onto the Lord’s unchanging hand. Wait. His timing is always right.
Lord, please grant us the strength to bear the times in between our wait. While we are waiting, often we struggle with trying to find the answers for delays. Please grant us the courage to hold fast onto your all-knowing power. Grant us the patience to wait in quiet solace knowing that you remain in control.
It’s done. Happy danced. Wrote it. Declared it. Shared it. The GreenLight book series is complete. An intrigued believer countered with the question “how do we hear from God?”
God’s answers come in different ways. Here are a few.
1) Through quiet whispers when you least expect it. Listen keenly.
2) Specific asks that you can easily recognize when the answers come.
3) Through reading the Bible because that’s when God speaks but we must be listening or we will miss it.
4) God speaks through others directly or indirectly. It may just be something they say ‘coincidentally’.
5) Answers may come through opportunities often that we didn’t even know we wanted or needed.
6) God also speaks through sickness, Job loss, failure, disappointments, times of need because that’s when our deepest and most earnest prayers are prayed.
Are there other ways that you can share how God has answered prayers for you? Do share. We would love to hear.
Petting, scratching, and cuddling a dog could be as soothing to the mind and heart as deep meditation and almost as good for the soul as prayer.
Dean Koontz
Zeus the dog loves comfort. For years we bought the softest coziest floor rugs to enhance the living room while making it attractive. The problem was Zeus loved comfort. The more we bought, the more he rolled over in exhilarated joy. As time went on, the wear and tear (literally) were hard to bear. Whenever I visited my college student, I would see the empty floor because–oops he did it again!
I’d go out and replace it with another beautiful rug. Then one day I gave up. I decided to replace it with one that was not as comfortable to him but provided the room with an aesthetically pleasing sight that was a delight to see.
What can I say? He avoided it. All he wanted was soft cozy comfort.
How about our relationship with the Lord? Aren’t we like Zeus who wants comfort while neglecting his purpose?
Trapped is how I feel
Trapped when the desires of my heart goes unfulfilled
Trapped when I’m relying on what the Lord has blessed others with
Trapped yet I’m grateful for his continued provisions
Trapped financially
Trapped by impatience
Trapped as bills pile and late payments rise
Trapped by ideas waiting to be birthed
Trapped by age, status and racial discrimination
Trapped by life’s restrictions
Trapped by my mind’s melancholy
Trapped yet I know that I can do all things through Christ
Trapped by God's love yet his swift rescue is my desire
Trapped but still surrounded by God’s grace and forgiveness
In the cleft is my favorite place to be. This temporary space helps me hide from my infirmities, wants, needs and desires.
Beneath the shadows I lie in wait for the Lord’s amazing answers. In between He comforts, leads, and guides. As I wait (at times impatiently) he grants me peace and quiet solace. The pace, growth, love and understanding is all he asks.
My Flight to Rome took me through Philadelphia. I arrived next day. Tired, I slept the rest of the afternoon through the evening into the night. Refreshed I awoke next day six hours ahead of the United States.
My first order of interest was to visit the Vatican. To give thanks and commit the rest of my stay to the Lord most high. Afterall I still didn’t know the intent of my trip.
My mind wondered to my visit to Paris with my daughter. Where was the Eiffel Tower? How could we get there? It was almost nightfall, and we were not sure where we were heading. Ask. We did, but most didn’t speak English or were reluctant. Off the train, around the bend and there it stood majestic!
I reflect on that day in Paris as I headed out to find the Vatican in Rome. As the saying goes When in Rome do as the Romans do. They trek. So I trekked. The Problem was I didn’t know where I was trekking to. The hotel’s front desk said it was 15 minutes away from their location. Of course I could handle that trek. But after walking, walking, walking I still couldn’t find it. Thirty minutes later still walking steadily taking pictures of Rome’s dynamic architecture and views of the historic city, I became curious wondering if I was walking in the wrong direction.
The memories of Paris flooded back. Where is it? Don’t know. I finally asked a guy preparing to welcome lunch guests at one of the common outdoor cafes. Around the corner he replied, speaking very little English. I proceeded. No signs. Made no sense anyway because I didn’t speak the language. Pronunciations differed but I thought that at least I would see the name somewhere if it was close.
Ten minutes later I saw a young woman and a nun get out of a taxi. Hmmm good person to follow, right? Yet still I hesitated. Waited a bit then a few minutes later saw the nun down the road walking hastily amidst the crowd. I guess it was time to follow that direction as they disappeared. Slowly I walked. Down to the road’s end.
Suddenly what appeared was the sunlight that illuminated the vastness of an arena. A new world opened. Reminded me of Roman soldiers that I read about in the Bible and reminders of movies I had seen. Like many others, I sat on a curb to rest tired feet. Took pictures as keepsake to share with my girls. Drank water then headed to the long lines that winded up to the entrance of the cathedral. This was the start of Winter with limited tourists, I can’t imagine what it would be like during summer’s busy season and I am not interested to find out. So I determined to stand in line. Heck there’s nothing more planned for the day. I might as well wait in the line for an hour or 2.
Surprisingly the line moved at a good pace and I was eventually inside. Mesmerized by the beauty and unique artistry of the architecture, visitors’ eyes were drawn upward. Yet the interior was filled with the sense of being in a holy place. Traveling solo, I tried to take selfies which were mostly crooked but that didn’t stop me.
I walked to the holy sanitarium where no photos were allowed. I proceeded. In that small space it was reserved for prayer. I sat filled with innate holiness and emptied my mind of everything I had in my heart.
Prayers for the future.
Prayers for my two girls together and alone.
Prayers for family
Prayers for friends. One by one I named them.
I prayed until all I had left was peace that he had heard my cry. Thanksgiving followed with praise for my obedience to follow his lead.
In that moment as the amazing artistically carved figure of Christ on the crossed looked down at me and others in the silence of that sanctuary, I felt the journey was accomplished because I had obeyed. Hmmm what if that was the reason he drew me there?
When we step out in obedience, we can bask in the confidence that God’s got our back. He is in control. There are no surprises with Him. The surprises are for us.
-Dr Shelly Cameron, GreenLight
Journey of Discovery. Discovering the Lord’s will. Discovering new places – just wandering the unknown. Discovering his purpose for the rest of my life
For over two decades the Lord laid on my heart to visit Italy. Go figure. I have consistently misread thinking I’ll go at some point.
Then five years ago my eldest surprised me with a birthday trip to Paris. As I landed, I retorted … omgee it’s not Paris but Italy I am to go!
Last year, I decided to start a few things after I received news from the doctor that my cholesterol was a little high. Figured I had to do something to not be added to a growing list of medications Soooo … I started ballroom dancing. Yep. Loved it! But it didn’t let me lose too many pounds fast enough, so I ‘accepted’ a 6-week challenge from a gym I had ignored when I moved to the new area. The challenge was to lose 20lbs. At the end of the challenge, I had lost over 13lbs – a little shy of my goal but boy was I encouraged to continue.
Italian Itch
Afresh, there was a very strong urge again to go to Italy. I know the best time to go is April or October since it’s cold at year-end and not the best time. But the strongest urge was there to not let the new year go by without being obedient to his leading. So, I made plans to go end December which was pushed forward to January. I didn’t have a clue where I was going. But when he said go, I finally got moving.
I followed the lord’s leading. I was going alone. Yep, alone. Yikes! It was a solo retreat with me and him only. Asked the Lord to pave the way for flights, accommodation and everything else. Maybe I would finish up the book RedLight when God says No. Hmmm I really didn’t know.
I didn’t tell anyone except hinting to my girls who are strong supporters of their mom and understand her ‘madness’.
I began thinking deeply of the possibility in the fall. A few weeks later my hotel association colleague offered me to stay at her apartment in Milan. Only problem, its night life is ‘amazing’ so not much sleep or a place to write I was told.
Points Considered
It would be cold
Don’t know where I’m going
Need for adequate funds
Obedience to his leading
I shared with two prayer partners to keep me in prayers as I journeyed. Partial funds came through a project I had been working on which coincidentally ended immediately before I was scheduled to leave. Godwink? Like Mary Magdalene I kept all these things in my heart.
The solo retreat touched hearts with inspiration even before it began. Before it was even paid for or properly planned.
I was going on a one-way ticket initially without a rush while asking the lord to route my way. I was following his lead for flights, accommodation, location of where to stay, what food to eat (I’m not a foodie) and when to return. Crazy going so far without a plan. To a planner, it was a quiet nightmare. I said, “really Lord?” People will think I’m crazy.
GREENLiGHT 