Tonight I heard him coughing and went to give him cough drops candy.
When I went over to him, he was busy praying quietly but through loud whispers. You could hear the genuine prayer. Eyes closed tightly oblivious to me even being there. He always told me that he prays but I never believed the fervency.
I went and sat on on the bench in the room until his voice finally faded into amen.
Inaudible, I Couldn’t hear what he was saying but I was taken aback by his earnest prayer for us, as family and children.
This moment brought me to reflective tears. A time of truth. A time of emotion.
Trust God. Praise Him for unplanned enlightening experiences because there are no coincidences.
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?
GREENLiGHT 