"By awesome deeds in righteousness You will answer us, O God of our salvation, You who are the confidence of all the ends of the earth, And of the far-off seas..." Psalm 65:5
When God calls me to do something, He often "stirs" my heart with an idea. I could be minding my own business about life in general, but then a thought pops into my head. It's often about something I would never seriously consider, but the more I try to push it out of my mind, the more it keeps coming back.
It's at those moments when I know it's time to seriously pray. I ask, "Is this of You, Lord? And if it is, can you confirm it to me, because that is not something I was planning on doing?" And, in time, I do get a confirmation. And then I pray for enablement, because often it's doing something I feel ill-equipt for.
I'm not alone in this stirring, either. I know many Christians who have felt God tugging at their heart about something. And the Lord is persistent, too. That pulling does not go away easily. If we truly want to do the Lord's will in our lives, then we need to listen to His call and obey with willing hearts.
The wonderful thing, though, is that when we do listen and obey, we feel fulfilled. That's how it was when I felt God calling me to write. I questioned, asked for confirmation, and when I received it, and began to write, I felt fulfilled.
Is God stirring your heart to action of some kind? Listen, ask, and then obey. You won't be sorry!
My tennis shoes have been making noise. I thought perhaps it was the laces, but this noise was different. It sounded more like a rattling sound. So I took off my shoes and examined them. Then I noticed that the bottom had little slits in them, and it was in these slits that I found about a dozen little pebbles that had embedded themselves into my shoes, causing the elusive sound.
It's amazing to think that all those pebbles had found their way inside, merely by slipping in undetected. It reminds me of little sins that don't seem much at first, but after awhile they accumulate and start to make themselves more noticeable to the point they become a nuisance. In order to get rid of them, we must thoroughly examine ourselves, find the source of entry, and purge them from our lives. This can only come through God's grace and redemption.
Are there some hidden things in your lives that are causing noise? Ask the Lord to forgive you and heal you so that you can obtain peace.
Years ago things took time to accomplish. Phone calls weren't always answered because a person was out of the house. Food was prepared slowly. Shoes and clothes were handmade. Mail took weeks to deliver across country. In today's world we can reach a person's cellphone in seconds. We can be in and out of the drive-thru line in minutes. Machines make our clothes and shoes. And mail can reach the other side of the country in one day. We expect immediacy.
But God doesn't work that way. He takes His time. We can get frustrated. We can pace all we want. But shouldn't we just wait for Him to move? If He's in control of everything, then His timing is perfect, and all we do is waste energy waiting for Him to fit our timetable when that isn't going to happen.
So next time you make a request of God, give Him some time to work. It will save you loads of frustration and stress.
I spent a few hours this past Friday trimming our overgrown tomato plant. What I find amazing is that I started this plant a year ago from seed. I never thought we'd have such a hardy plant. It had sprouted well, but when I transplanted it to a bigger pot, it didn't flourish. I worked again and again, trying everything from digging around the soil to watching my watering techniques. But even though the plant was alive, it wasn't growing.
Next, I replanted it into a much bigger pot. It grew some more, but I had no tomatoes growing. Finally, out of desperation, I planted it in my backyard, paying my son to faithfully water it every day. Now I saw growth. Flowers began to form, and eventually we had some wonderful tomatoes. When winter hit, and we had our chilly (for California) nights, I thought the plant would die. But no! Up until January we had homegrown tomatoes.
I hadn't trimmed my plant until the other day. But I had watched it spring forth and grow beyond all comprehension. Isn't that like faith? It starts small, but if it's nurtured, watered, trimmed, and cared for, it will grow abundantly. It will produce wonderful fruit that others can enjoy, even when one would not think it would.
So don't hesitate to share your faith. You may be planting a little seed that will eventually grow into beautiful fruit.
I find great comfort in reading God's Word, especially when life doesn't seem so nice and rosy. There are wonderful verses of hope and encouragement and promise within those 66 books. The Psalms are probably the most sought after for comfort. Most were written by David whose life was filled with ups and downs, doubts and triumphs. He knew first hand about trusting in God when there seemed no possible means of help. Yet time and again he called out to God, knowing with confidence that his requests would be answered.
Are you having a tough time right now? Do you feel as if all has abandoned you? There is hope in God's Word. Open it, read it, trust it. It will change your life.
Our country needs a lot of prayer. We are struggling in our economy and in our morality. I was reading Psalm 80 the other day and I realized that even though this psalm was originally for the nation of Israel, it applies to our nation today. This should be our prayer at this present time.
Take a moment to read Psalm 80 and put in the United States instead of Israel. And then pray the psalm that the Lord could heal our land!
I pray for many things for my children. But one thing that tops the list is that they will know that God is real -- that He will make Himself evident to them in some way, shape, or form. The cool thing is that I see it working. I see them wanting to draw closer to God. My oldest son especially has been telling me he has been praying more often. He thinks it's strange that he's doing this all of a sudden. I think it's an answer to prayer and a fulfilled promise of Scripture, "Draw near to God and He will draw near to you" (James 4:8a).
Are you praying for your children? Have you thought about how you should be directing your prayers? The most important thing is their relationship with the Lord. Everything after that is extra.
I've needed reading glasses ever since I was in 7th grade. I was such an avid and voracious reader, and I read in all kinds of lighting conditions, that I'm sure I strained my eyes. As I age, I notice that my vision is getting worse, especially in low-light situations. You should see me reading labels in the market! I rarely think to bring my glasses in the daytime, and the supermarkets don't have the best light, so I have a difficult time reading that small print.
There are many times when I refuse to wear my glasses because I don't want to feel as if I "need" them. Such stubbornness. Of course, I wear them at the computer and at night when I drive, but I rarely take them to my writers' group or at a talk or book signing (well, actually, I do take them -- I just don't wear them). I know I'll have to come to terms with this soon. I don't want to make my eyes any worse than they already are.
Sometimes people are this stubborn when it comes to their relationship with God. They want to do things their way, trying to evaluate life through their own eyes, instead of looking at it through the sharpness and perfection of God's vision. But that's not true sight, is it? Since life is God's creation, then we, as His creations, need to look at life His way.
Are you looking at life with blurred vision? Be honest with God. Acknowledge that you need some optical help, and then He can start giving you true sight so you can better see the world.
"But God demonstrates His own love towards us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us." Romans 5:8
There is no greater love, no greater sacrifice, than Christ's death on the cross. When we accept this sacrifice, acknowledging that our sins deserved death, but Christ substituted himself for us, saving us from total separation from God, then we are washed clean and made brand new.
Don't you want a clean slate? You can only get that through Jesus.
Welcome to Riding His Coattails. My desire is that you will find a bit of hope and inspiration as I share about my life, writing, etc. from the perspective that it is God who has given me the skills and talents to put forth these thoughts and encouragements. I hope you will visit often.
I have been a published freelance writer since 2003 and have written numerous inspirational articles for adults and many fiction and non-fiction stories for children.
