This poem was written as a reflection of some of the different ways in which God speaks to us. We like to put God in a box. We often forget that God has an infinite way of relating to us, and allowing us to hear his voice. When Elijah was in the process of running away from Jezebel, God revealed Himself to him. Elijah had put God in the box of coming to him in a “great and mighty way”. Instead, he whispered to him in the still, small voice. God knows what we need, and when we need it. He is a God who meets us right where we’re at.
Picture by Sarah Pflug
He Speaks
He Speaks! He Speaks!
But where will it be?
In a message, in a song, or the birds in a tree?
Will it be in the coolness of the wind blowing at night?
Will it be in the calmness of the crickets singing in flight?
Will it be in the morning when the rabbits talk to squirrels?
Or the munks tunneling through grass, and the robins dancing a twirl?
Will it be in the waves that are splashing at the beach?
Or the smiles of the saints as they’re waving “Hi” to me?
Will it be in the sun that is setting in the sky?
Or the swans overhead that are reaching by and by?
When he speaks, will I hear him, same voice as before?
About a year ago, I was looking out of the
kitchen window, and I thought that what I was witnessing was a bird
fight. Instead of it being a fight, it was more like bullying.
Bullying among two birds. One robin decided that he wanted the other
robin to leave the grass. (Granted there was more than enough room for both of
them.) The second robin (victim) tried to stay there.
However, the first robin (bully), continued
to peck him. The second robin went over to the bird bath to relax
there. And what do you know? Mr. Bully came over there and pecked
him until he left that area. Eventually the second robin flew into the
happy face tree (someone literally drew a happy face on the tree itself) and
stayed there for a while. This made the bully very happy.
Reflection
on Enough
In the spring, I saw several birds in the
backyard after it rained. No one had the bullying and victim title.
They were all scavenging for food after it rained. They knew that there
was more than enough to go around.
God revealed something to me in that very
moment. Sometimes we are like the two birds from a year ago. We
feel that we are not satisfied until we are the only star. We feel that
there will not be enough of God’s grace, goodness, and mercy to go
around. We think we have to fight in order to get the blessings, or there
won’t be enough.
Other times, we are like the birds from the
spring, realizing that there is more than enough, God is the one who owns it
all, and is running it all.
The earth is the Lord‘s, and the fulness thereof; the world, and they that dwell therein. (Psalms
24:1, KJV)
Even with whatever talent it is that he has
blessed us with, he has to tell the door to open and to close. Some of us
will be blessed with a lot, and some of us will be blessed with little. However, when we realize that there is more
than enough for everybody, then we can look to God, rather than other people to
receive the blessing.
“O my people, listen as I speak. Here are my
charges against you, O Israel: I am God, your
God! I have no
complaint about your sacrifices or the burnt
offerings you constantly offer.
But I do not need
the bulls from your barns or the goats from
your pens. For all the
animals of the forest are mine, and I own the
cattle on a thousand hills.
I know every bird
on the mountains, and all the
animals of the field are mine. If I were hungry,
I would not tell you, for all the world
is mine and everything in it.
Do I
eat the meat of bulls? Do I drink the
blood of goats? Make thankfulness
your sacrifice to God, and keep the vows
you made to the Most High. Then call on me
when you are in trouble, and I will rescue
you, and you will give
me glory.” (Psalms 50:7-15, NLT)
Dear God,
We thank you for the gifts that you have blessed us
with. We pray that you will help us to realize that we don’t have to
worry about being threatened by anyone else, because you have blessed all of us
with different gifts/talents that are unique to us. Please help us not to
compete, but to work together for your glory.
Scripture
ReadingJames
5:13-18We Are All Qualified
Being a prayer warrior is one job that doesn’t require a special set of qualifications. We don’t have to worry about God looking at our application, and going, “No, I am sorry, but your resume doesn’t meet the qualifications for our idea candidate. I will keep your resume on file for a year just in case something else comes along.” We are all broken. And because of this brokenness, we are in the perfect position for God to use us. The bible gives us one example after the other of how God used a bunch of mixed up, messed up Christians to do his work. What does the scripture say about the combination of prayer and broken people?
“The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much. Elijah was a man with a nature like ours, and he prayed earnestly that it would not rain; and it did not rain on the land for three years and six months. And he prayed again, and the heaven gave rain, and the earth produced its fruit.” (James 5:17-18, KJV)
These verses hone us in on knowing what the requirements are to getting our prayers answered: 1) willing hearts, 2) consistency, and 3) fervency (intense passion). Let us all be mindful of this as we prepare our resume for review.
Dear God, We thank you for giving us examples in your Word of how you used broken people like us to pray and do your will. Please help us to be consistent and committed when it comes to getting our prayers answered. You tell us in your word that if we delight ourselves in you, that you will give us the desires of our heart.
It is amazing how we are all are wired up differently, and with this wiring, we all have different things that take us back to childhood. For the last few nights, I have been taking a quick five minute walk in the neighborhood in order to get a whisp of the slightly cool, fresh air and to hear the sound of the crickets. These two things have been my favorite since I was a kid. They remind me of visiting my relatives in Memphis and hearing the calming effect of the crickets at night.
Photo by Katina Horton
About a week ago, I was trying to decide what to make for dinner. My mind landed on the box of pasta that was still in the cabinet. I decided to jazz it up with my two favorite ingredients for most meals: spinach and diced tomatoes.
Here is the recipe:
Total Prepping and Cooking Time:
45 minutes
Ingredients:
1 box of penne pasta
2 jars of tomato and basil pasta sauce
1 tablespoon of thyme
3 tablespoons of parsley
1 can of diced tomatoes
1 can of cut-leaf spinach
1/3 cup of quinoa
1/4 cup of oil
Directions:
Boil a pot of water, adding the oil to the water to prevent the pasta from sticking.
Add the pasta and the quinoa once the water has started boiling.
While the pasta and quinoa are cooking, saute the spinach and diced tomatoes.
Drain the pasta and quinoa in a colander and dump them back into the pot.
Dump all the rest of the ingredients into the pot and stir.
Eat and enjoy!
Food for thought:
What foods do you eat, or activities do you participate in that take you back to your childhood? Would love to hear your comments!
When did you find yourself “missing the message” because you were in a rush? How did it make you feel? What happens when you slow down so that you can take in what seems to be the smallest of moments? These missed messages can be God’s time with us if we allow him the opportunity.
Would you consider yourself a person of grace and truth, or a person of just truth? What is the difference? Find out by listening to today’s podcast to see what happens when we have one without the other. Remember to catch up on last week’s episode here first.
Relationships are hard. It doesn’t matter whether it’s family,
friends, or coworkers, it can be challenging. One thing about relationships is that they
require time, energy, grace, and love.
When disagreements arise, and they will, we can be so intent on wanting
to be right, that we can damage the relationship even more.
God tells us in his word: “And
you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” (John 8:32,
NLT) We shouldn’t be foolish, and pretend that the truth doesn’t matter. When
we ignore the truth, we train our minds and bodies to slowly downplay the cues
they tell us that signify something is wrong.
Only applying the truth can also bring in legalism. Because God gives us grace, we are able to
extend grace to others. Only applying
grace without truth and boundaries leads to being taken advantage of, an out of
control situation, and the other person constantly pressing the envelope to see
how far they can go. “Then we will no
longer be infants, tossed about by the waves and carried around by every wind
of teaching and by the clever cunning of men in their deceitful scheming. Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will
in all things grow up into Christ Himself, who is the head.” (Ephesians
4:14-15, BSB)
There are
individuals in my own life who have hurt me dearly. I cannot ignore the revelation of truth that
healing has brought me. At the same
time, if I focused only on the truth of these situations, it would make my
heart bitter. The truth is, we are all
broken individuals, and since we are all broken individuals, we all have sin in
our lives. If it weren’t for God’s mercy
in eliminating certain people and things from my life, I could very well have
gone down that path. Offering grace and
truth to people doesn’t mean restoration of the relationship. It could mean grieving what is no longer
there, acceptance, and the ability to move on.
Dear God,
We thank you
for the relationships that you have blessed us with. We pray that you would give us discernment
when it comes to applying grace and truth in difficult situations. Please help us to understand that we are all
broken individuals in need of a Savior.
Do you have family members that you have been estranged or separated from? Never underestimate the power of God to allow a reunion as God did with Joseph and his brothers. We can let God do the work as we pray for willing and open hearts. “Reunion” is the story of the reunion of Joseph and his brothers. God bless!
Researchers
state that it takes one “bad” person to ruin five good people.
Remember the figure of speech that you were lectured on as a kid when it came
time to picking your friends: “One bad apple ruins the whole bunch.”
We got tired of hearing our parents and other adults say it, but what they were
saying was basically synonymous with Galatians 5:9: “A little leaven leaveneth
the whole lump.” (KJV) Whether we are kids or adults, we must be
careful of the company that we keep.
When
we hang out with our friends, coworkers, family members, etc, it just becomes
natural to start saying some of the things that they say. This is what happens
when we are in relationship with anyone. Just as when we are reading God’s
Word, and in relationship with him, our thoughts and behaviors will reflect
that relationship.
However, if you are like me, where everything
that is heard on tv, radio, and by mouth is internalized and leaks into your
emotional, mental, and spiritual space, then you’ll find that you must be extra
careful. Why? When we least expect it, words that are not our own start
entering our mind.
And if we’re not careful, they are coming out
of our mouths. I have found myself rebuking Satan many a day when this happens.
I will never forget when one of my friends said that
she told her son to be careful with what he
allows to come in from other people, because 1) it will go into our minds, 2)
it will go into our hearts, and 3) it will come out of our mouths.
Dear God,
Thank you for
giving us the gift of relationship. Please help us in using discernment in these
relationships, as well as being self-aware of how we operate, so that we don’t
fall prey to the devil.
In case you missed our last episode on surrendering, you can find it here. Today’s episode is Episode 35: The Value of Prayer. What are some of the things that you value in life? Why do you value them? Have you ever thought about prayer having value? Tune in to our latest episode to find out why prayer should be at the top of our list.
The Value of Prayer Podcast Outline
Necessity of Prayer
Examples of Prayer
Praying for Our Children
The Act of Praying Over Food
We Can Pray Alone
Podcast Transcript
Welcome to Healing Our Brokenness. Today’s episode is entitled, “The Value of Prayer”.
Photo by Brodie Vissers
Value of Prayer Breakdown
Prayer is necessary in developing our relationship with God. Sometimes the hardest part about doing anything, including prayer is getting started. Satan fills our hearts with so many excuses as to why we aren’t doing something, when the bottom line is that once we are willing to start, God can give us the desire, strength, and perseverance to finish: “For I am confident of this, that He who began a good work in you will continue to perfect it until the day of Christ Jesus. (Philippians 1:6, BSB) Jesus’ prayer life was a perfect example of the who, what, when, where and how’s of praying.
Luke’s Account
Luke gives us an account of the impact placed on one of Jesus’ disciples from watching him pray, and witnessing John teaching his disciples. He wanted in on this action: “Now Jesus was praying in a certain place, and when he finished, one of his disciples said to him, “Lord, teach us to pray, as John taught his disciples. And he said to them, “When you pray, say: “Father, hallowed be your name. Your kingdom come. “(Luke 11:1-2, ESV) When we pray with earnest hearts and conviction, it rubs off on other people, and they want what we have.
Jesus’ Example
Jesus showed
us how to pray for our children: “Then people brought little
children to Jesus for him to place his hands on them and pray for them.
But the disciples rebuked them. Jesus
said, “Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for
the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.” When he had placed his hands on them, he went on from there.” (Matthew
19:13-15, NIV)
When our children are little, there are so many ways that we can pray for and with them. We can place them on our laps and pray for them, and as they get older, we can pray for them even as they are sleeping. Sometimes I have found myself praying with my kids before they leave out the door on the way to school, or as we are literally pulling out of the driveway to begin our day.
There is no better example of showing that there are no restrictions when telling our children about God, his goodness, and his Word than in Deuteronomy 11: 19-21: “You shall teach them to your children, speaking of them when you sit in your house, when you walk by the way, when you lie down, and when you rise up. And you shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates, that your days and the days of your children may be multiplied in the land of which the Lord swore to your fathers to give them, like the days of the heavens above the earth.”(NKJV)
How to Pray
Jesus showed
us how to pray over and give thanks for our food. He showed us that even though he was the one
distributing the food, the fact that he had it to give himself was God’s
grace: “After he said
this, he took some bread and gave thanks to God in front of them all. Then he
broke it and began to eat.” (Acts 27:35, NIV)
The two fish and five loaves of bread multiplied after he said the blessing. This was a pure reenactment of the story of Elijah and the widow at Zarephath. Jesus showed us the results of what the power of praying and trusting in God with the little we have can do: “And he directed the people to sit down on the grass.
Taking the five loaves and the two fish and looking up to heaven, he gave thanks and broke the loaves. Then he gave them to the disciples, and the disciples gave them to the people. They all ate and were satisfied, and the disciples picked up twelve basketfuls of broken pieces that were left over. The number of those who ate was about five thousand men, besides women and children. (Matthew 14: 19-21, NIV)
Jesus showed us the importance and power of praying
with others. Luke 9:28 tells us, “About eight days after Jesus said this, he took
Peter, John and James with him and went up onto a mountain to pray.”(NIV) There
is something about experiencing the presence of the Holy Spirt as we pray with
others.
Jesus also showed us the
importance of praying alone: “After
dismissing the crowds, He went up on the mountain by Himself to pray. When
evening came, He was there alone.”
(Matthew 14: 23, Holman) In order to avoid suffering burnout and
spiritual emptiness, there is a need for us to pour into ourselves before we
can pour into others. Once we are filled
up, we are ready to go out and serve.
Dear Father,
We thank you for your grace and
power of prayer. Please help us to
remember that prayer reaches the doors of heaven, and changes things. We also ask that you would help us to get
into the habit of developing a routine for prayer, whether it is by ourselves
or with others.
In your name we pray,
Amen
Thank you for visiting Healing Our Brokenness, and if this episode has blessed you in any way, please tag a friend on Social Media, share it, review it on Itunes, and pray for the show as well.
In case you missed last week’s episode, “Episode 33: Praying During Desperate Times”, you can find that episode here. Today’s episode, “Episode 34: Surrender”, is covering the topic of surrender.
Episode 34: Surrender Podcast Outline
What is surrender?
What does surrender look like?
How I Am Learning to Surrender
Podcast Transcript
Surrender
When you think of surrender, you think of yielding, giving up control, crying “Uncle”, giving in, waving the flag. Surrender has a negative connotation, but it can have a positive outcome when it’s done in the proper context.
If we had the choice, there are some trials that we just wouldn’t sign up for. However, God gives us these trials in order to refine us like gold. These trials will show that our faith is genuine. It is being tested as fire tests and purifies gold—though your faith is far more precious than mere gold: So when your faith remains strong through many trials, it will bring you much praise and glory and honor on the day when Jesus Christ is revealed to the whole world. (1 Peter 1:7, NLT)
One of the worst
things that we can do is to think that we have it all under control. The devil tricks us into thinking that we can
fix problems on our own, and that we just have to figure out the right plan, or
perhaps we just didn’t do something “enough”. A very tender spot for any
mother’s heart is their children. Oh,
how I wish that I could take away the pain and effects from trauma that my kids
have endured over the last five years.
However, this isn’t possible. No matter how old they are, our kids’ issues
stay on our hearts. However, if we don’t
surrender these very issues to God, then we find ourselves emotionally,
mentally, and spiritually drained. Of
course, because of the mind-body connection, these issues then takes a turn on
the fourth area: physical. They can
literally eat us alive with immobility and heaviness of heart. I have just recently had my moment of
realizing that my kids will have to have their own journey of healing. I can support them. However, I can’t take on the responsibility
of doing the work for them. It hinders
them from growth, and the ability to get clarity on their own.
Surrender is not
a once in a lifetime thing. If only it
was that easy. It is daily. In Luke 9: 23, Christ tells us: “If anyone would come
after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and
follow me. (ESV) Focusing on God
and his promises helps us in this journey called life.
Dear God,
Thank you for the
shining beauty that comes from our trials when we are refined. Thank you that we can take all of our burdens
and our kids’ burdens and lay them down at your feet. Please help us to understand that surrender
is a daily thing, and that we have to put our trust in you.
