Hello, friends! I’m praying for you to feel extra hopeful and encouraged in your faith today.
This vlog is an encouragement to bloom where you are planted at this time – even if it is somewhere you weren’t expecting to be!
To view my most recent vlog, please click the link: https://youtu.be/FnhvDAFetnk
When a Biblical figure earns a mention in Hebrews 11 (also known as the Bible’s faith chapter), it is worth diving into their story and contemplating what we can learn from it.
Hebrews 11:7 says, “By faith Noah, being warned by God concerning events as yet unseen, in reverent fear constructed an ark for the saving of his household. By this he condemned the world and became an heir of the righteousness that comes by faith.”
When we turn the page to Genesis to read Noah’s part of the story, we discover that he had found favor in God’s eyes and that Noah had deemed God worthy of wholehearted faith.
Noah had never seen rain or floodwaters, but when God told him a flood was coming that would destroy all living creatures, he believed Him. When God said something, Noah believed it without requiring visual evidence or further clarification.
God gave Noah precise directions concerning the measurements and materials to use in the ark’s construction, and he followed them to the letter. Genesis 6:22 says, “Noah did this; he did all that God commanded him.” And Genesis 7:5 says, “And Noah did all that the Lord had commanded him.” Noah had no interest in cutting corners or half-heartedly attempting to complete his assignment.
It might have seemed ludicrous to the typical bystander when Noah built a gigantic ark. If Noah had been motivated by people’s reactions, this story could have gone in a different direction. However, as we have found, Noah’s motivation was wholehearted faith. And that wholehearted faith produced wholehearted obedience.
Noah’s wholehearted way of living had history-changing, life-altering results:
Although God may not command us to build a gigantic ark anytime soon, if we respond to Him with wholehearted faith and obedience, we will see history-changing, life-altering results in our own lives.
Prayer: Dear Lord, help us to see who You truly are and that You are worthy of our wholehearted faith and obedience. Give us the desire and courage to follow You wholeheartedly. Amen.
One way to invite blessings into the lives of your children throughout their lives is by praying for them to grow and thrive in their faith. I would like to share a prayer to lift up to the Lord on your child’s behalf. Please feel free to print it and put it in a place where you will see it often. What a blessing to serve a God who hears and cares about everything and everyone we bring to Him in prayer!
Click here for a printable version of this prayer.
Dear Lord, thank You for who You are. Thank You for hearing my prayers and caring about every concern I have. I am beyond grateful for Your unfailing love and forgiveness.
Lord, I lift my children to You in prayer.
Please come alongside them today in a way they can feel powerfully. Let there be no mistaking Your presence in their life today! Replace any loneliness and abandonment with a tangible assurance of Your perfect love.
Remind them that You are not only with them but also for them. Change their perspective in any situations where they are not sensing Your closeness.
Lord, increase their faith in You and Your incomparable power. Enable them to rest in that faith, especially when life is complicated. Remind them that You make all things work together for good for those that love You.
Give them Your indescribable peace as You help them surrender to Your will for their lives. Renew their excitement for the plans You have lovingly orchestrated for them.
Lord, help them desire a deeper relationship with You. Empower them to understand more fully Your character and holy nature. Give them a hunger for studying and understanding Your Word and a yearning to spend more time with You in prayer.
May they listen for and readily recognize Your Holy Spirit’s voice. Help them become remarkably sensitive to Your voice, and may Your voice compel them to immediately and lovingly obey.
Give them the courage to pray bold prayers as they approach You with expectancy. Help them to believe for miracles in their own lives and in the lives of those they pray for.
May they reflect Your light in all of their encounters. I pray that Your love will spill out of their lives and that their words, actions, and attitudes will give others a glimpse of Your character in this world that desperately needs to see more of You. In Your name, Amen.
In our church Bible Study, we have found that the book of Daniel is challenging and encouraging at the same time.
In Daniel 9:23, the angel, Gabriel, said these words to Daniel: “At the beginning of your pleas for mercy a word went out, and I have come to tell it to you, for you are greatly loved. Therefore consider the word and understand the vision.”
The answer to Daniel’s prayer was granted and set in motion as soon as he began to pray. God had already responded before Daniel knew it.
Even though there are times that God responds before we realize it, let’s keep persevering in prayer anyway! Praying helps us to align our requests with the will of God as we spend time talking and listening to Him. And God wants to hear from us! God created us for a relationship with Him, and prayer is a beautiful part of that.
I confess certain thoughts might cross my mind when I am not sensing an answer to prayer: He has forgotten about me, my dreams and desires don’t matter to Him, or He isn’t listening. But those thoughts just aren’t true. So a perspective shift reminds me that He is indeed working behind the scenes, and it is already taken care of. I just need to rest, keep communicating with Him in prayer, and watch the answer play out in His time and His way.
Oh, and did you catch the other part of the verse above? The angel told Daniel He was greatly loved. I’m sure Daniel already knew that, but our God is an awesome God who tenderly reassures us of His love.
Daniel 9:23 is a great reminder to continue praying confidently to the God who loves us beyond measure. ❤️
If they form their opinion about you without knowing the facts, their opinion doesn’t matter. On the other hand, if they form their opinion about you while knowing the facts…their opinion still doesn’t matter. 😉
Let’s talk about God’s opinion. That is the one that matters.
Here is a tiny glimpse into how highly He thinks of us: He loves us so much that He sent His son to die for us. He loves us so much that He redeems us, restores us, and renews us. He loves us so much that He gave us unique gifts, personalities, and stories to share with the world.
We can rest knowing that is His opinion of us!
But also… let’s not rest so well that we are content to say, “This is just who I am,” because God gives us daily opportunities to evolve into the person He created us to be.
“God loves you just the way you are, but He refuses to leave you that way. He wants you to be just like Jesus.” Max Lucado
I have two challenges for myself and you!
1. Let’s not allow anyone’s opinion of us to affect our attitude.
2. Let’s obey God as He lovingly shapes us to become more like Christ.
Here is a new phrase I’m going to embrace, and I invite you to embrace it, too: “You can think what you want about me. I’m over here doing my best to become all God created me to be.”
Have a great day, Friends!
Dear Lord, thank You for faithfully listening to our prayers. You care about every single one of our requests and heart cries. Your Word says we can confidently bring our burdens to Your throne and that You will equip us with Your mercy and grace. Enable us to release bitterness, unbelief, or anything else that might prevent Your mercy and grace from having their full impact. Help us remember that You are ceaselessly concerned about our lives and that while You might intervene in an entirely conspicuous manner, there will also be times when Your work will be behind the scenes and, therefore, not as visible. When we can’t see Your hand and the wheels You are setting in motion, may we still have an unwavering belief that You are actively moving. Open our hearts to what You are teaching us in the midst of trials.
In our world today, confusion and chaos can sometimes threaten to overwhelm us. When we find ourselves in that position, Lord, help us to set our minds on You, the Prince of Peace, instead of the problems. Remind us that You have given us access to Your matchless, perfect peace. Empower us to wait expectantly for Your peace to wash over us and to protect us from strife in even the most difficult circumstances.
Help us to rest in the promise that You always cause all things to work together for our good. Remind us that what we think is good might be different from what You know is good and that Your definition of good supersedes our definition. Assure us that You are sovereign, have everything under control, and are for us, not against us.
Lord, thank You for Your unfailing love for us. Help us surrender to Your will, way, and wisdom.
In Your holy name we pray, Amen.
Hebrews 4:16, Philippians 4:7, Romans 8:28
Just a quick thought I want to share with you:
Whatever our need is, Jesus is the only One who can meet it perfectly. Whatever our void is, He is the only One who can fill it to overflowing.
Let’s take our needs, our emptiness…our everything – to Jesus today. Let’s tell Him we trust Him to deliver. And then let’s step back and watch Him work in our lives in the way only He can.
“And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together.” Col. 1:17 ESV
Ever since I can remember, I have had a comfortable, continual conversation with Jesus. Engaging in silent prayer regardless of where I am or what I am doing has been a natural part of my daily rhythm – most of the time.
However, there have been brief periods when intense emotional pain disrupted that rhythm and rendered me speechless before Jesus. When I have been unable to articulate a prayer amid hardship, a particular Bible verse has become a lifeline. Romans 8:26 says, “In the same way the Spirit also joins to help in our weakness, because we do not know what to pray for as we should, but the Spirit Himself intercedes for us with unspoken groanings.” Friends, in our silence, the Holy Spirit lifts our burdens to the throne of Jesus on our behalf! Thank the Lord there is no communication gap when our pain temporarily prevents us from expressing our needs.
When we do not have the strength to pray, be encouraged – the Holy Spirit has us covered.
It is not unusual to feel overwhelmed by negative emotions such as anger and sadness from time to time. Let’s be honest: our world is full of complex people and complex situations, so it is understandable when we experience and express complicated emotions. However, it is essential to remember that we are not required to stay stuck in that state! In other words, we do not have to wait for challenging people to start treating us better or for difficult situations to improve before we start reacting in a Christlike manner. (I’m sure we can agree that in some cases, we would be waiting a lifetime!) Therefore, choosing whether or not to let negative emotions have control over how we live is our own decision to make.
When we dwell on anger or sadness, we lose the opportunity to move forward in expectation of what God has in store for us. We may also miss chances to reflect Christ – which is an integral part of our mission on this earth.
So, what can we do when we find ourselves stuck in that unwanted state? Spend time with Him by reading His Word and praying. The Bible is chock-full of treasures for all of us, such as peace, comfort, and love. Talking to God reminds us that He is relational, and He understands what we are going through. Spending time with Him will help us view our circumstances with a fresh set of eyes and a renewed perspective.
The next time we feel stuck in negativity, let us open His Word and remind ourselves of His many promises. Let us ask God to help us stop wallowing in negative emotions and start welcoming new ones that He is eager to offer us.
Dear Lord, when we experience negative emotions, help us exchange them for a new, better alternative. We are grateful that You bless us by replacing our anger and sadness with Your extraordinary peace. Thank You for being ready and willing to come alongside us and help us become the people You want us to be. Amen.
The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. Lamentations 3:22-23
Friends, I have been feeling a little overwhelmed lately. If you can relate to that feeling, allow me to assure you that God wants us to reach out to Him. He is listening and He cares.
I wrote a couple of prayers that I want to share with you; one in this post and one in the previous one. The prayer below is based on Romans 5:1-5
Dear Lord, life seems complicated right now, and I am physically and mentally exhausted. I know You hear my prayer and see my situation. It is an unimaginable blessing that You are a relational God who knows and cares how I feel. I am deeply grateful for Your Holy Spirit’s outpouring of love and divine encouragement. Your Word says I can rejoice in my sufferings because I will develop endurance, character, and hope – traits that will help me become more like You. Bring to my mind Your promise to not only give me hope but to be my hope. Instead of focusing on the problems I am experiencing, enable me to focus on You and what You are teaching me through them. Lord, help me to surrender to You and to embrace Your plan for my life. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.
Romans 5 1 Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we[a] have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. 2 Through him we have also obtained access by faith[b] into this grace in which we stand, and we[c] rejoice[d] in hope of the glory of God. 3 Not only that, but we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, 4 and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, 5 and hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.
gwenthielges.com 