His Eye Is on the Sparrow
God does not reject or forget us. Ever.
There may be seasons when we FEEL like He is silent or distant, but our feelings are not to be trusted over the facts about God’s character! He never forgets about us or takes a break from caring about every single detail of our lives! He is near us and loves us so much that He is constantly working in our lives, teaching us to become more and more like Christ. What an amazing God.
Dear Jesus, I am overwhelmed. My mind is racing as I contemplate my to-do list and decide where to start. Reveal what I should prioritize, and give me the wisdom to know if there is something I should clear from my schedule. Bring clarity to my mind. Help me feel confident about my choices regarding how to spend my time. Help me put forth my best effort in all my upcoming responsibilities. Thank You for caring about even the most minor details of my life and for being beside me every step of the way. In Your name I pray, Amen.
Dear Jesus, my schedule seems almost unmanageable right now. I feel unprepared to tackle my numerous appointments, commitments, and obligations. Remind me that You will give me the ability to accomplish all You have called me to do. Keep me encouraged through complicated times. Please take away the fatigue I am experiencing. Refresh and revive my soul. Energize me as I complete my tasks. Thank You for being who You are. I am grateful for Your promise never to fail or forsake me. You are so good, and You have good plans for me. In Your name I pray, Amen.
Dear Jesus, keeping a positive mindset with all the chaos and confusion around me is challenging. When I fix my eyes on the world’s problems, please help me focus on You instead. I am so grateful that You promise us peace beyond our understanding. Empower me to embrace Your perfect peace and allow it to radiate from my speech and actions. Direct my thoughts, guide my decisions, and help me calmly respond to crisis situations as they occur. Thank You for the blessing of Your nearness and for loving me so perfectly. In Your name I pray, Amen.
Hello, Friends!
I am excited to share my seventh original piano piece, It Was Always You, with all of you!
In two previous posts, I shared the information about my first three pieces. This post will include all seven! They are all available from musicnotes.com, priced at $5.99.
I hope you’ll consider adding these pieces to your sheet music collection!
2. Learning to Leap Click here to purchase
3. Radiant Once Again Click here to purchase
4. Beginnings Click here to purchase
Below are the first three pieces that were available:
5. Return to the Promise Click here to purchase (transcribed by mysheetmusictranscriptions.com)
6. Glimpses of Light Click here to purchase (transcribed by SteveAhomusic.com)
7. Hope Restored Click here to purchase (transcribed by SteveAhoMusic.com)
One day we will all stand before God. I secretly hope that when I have the beyond-words experience of standing in His presence, He will tell me my faith was something else.
Okay, not so much a secret anymore, but allow me to tell you why that phrase appeals to me.
The account of the Canaanite woman who approached Jesus to heal her demon-possessed daughter is found in Matthew 15:21-28.
She cried out for Jesus to help her, and His disciples urged Him to send her away. This is when Jesus reminded them that God had sent Him to take care of the lost sheep of Israel first.
The Canaanite woman could have felt ignored and given up. Instead, she knelt before Jesus and again asked for help. This time, He responded directly to her with a reminder that the Israelites were to take precedence. He said, “It’s not right to take bread out of children’s mouths and throw it to dogs.” This comment would likely be perceived as an insult in today’s context. However, He was using this example to explain the priorities of His ministry, and the Greek word He used for a dog was not a derogatory term. And remember, this is Jesus we are talking about; insulting her would not be His intent. In verse 27 (ESV), she quickly remarked, “Yes, Lord, yet even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their masters’ table.” And Jesus’ reply? “O woman, great is your faith! Be it done for you as you desire.” Scripture tells us her daughter was healed at that instant.
Using the word ‘great’ to characterize the Canaanite woman’s faith is high praise from Jesus! Countless Bible versions of this passage use that same adjective. Still, I will always be enthralled by the Message version’s wording for this particular account: “Oh, woman, your faith is something else.”
How did the Canaanite woman’s faith attain the ‘something else’ label? Even though Jesus did not immediately acknowledge or answer her request, she stayed focused on what she knew: that Jesus was a healer who had performed miracles for numerous people. She did not allow doubt, social norms, or onlookers’ reactions to prevent her from confidently and boldly begging Jesus to attend to her non-Israelite daughter. The Canaanite woman set a powerful example of staying strong in her faith while pressing for recognition and resolution for her suffering daughter.
There are reasons God does not answer all of our pleas right away. God loves us so much that He has a masterfully-designed plan for each of our lives that teaches us to become more Christlike. Sometimes those life lessons require a wait. It is up to us to decide how our faith will be affected by waiting. With His help, we can learn to wait well.
I aspire to live out a great faith like the Canaanite woman did. A faith that trusts there is a growth opportunity attached to the wait. A faith that persists and perseveres. A faith that God will specifically describe as “something else” when I someday stand before Him. I acknowledge that intentional prayer and work are required before I earn that compliment. Today is the perfect day to begin.
