Return to your House

My husband has just finished a series on the first six chapters in the book of Daniel. Lately, I have been painfully aware of how lacking my prayer life can be. In both chapter 2 and 6 of Daniel we saw that when Daniel was faced with a crisis he "returned to his home" and sought the Lord. But there was one more word that struck me this morning in my quiet time.

" 10 Now when Daniel learned that the decree had been published, he went home to his upstairs room where the windows opened toward Jerusalem. Three times a day he got down on his knees and prayed, giving thanks to his God, just as he had done before.

Philippians 4:6 also reminds us to pray "with thanksgiving".

So, I tried something a little different this morning. I first began to thank God for all that He has done in my life, all that He is doing, and all that His word promises. It's amazing how when I begin this way, everything that I thought was so "BIG", all of a sudden seemed so "small" in light of who He is.

Praying...

for the tragic and heart wrenching loss of two children on the same day. Steven Curtis Chapman's young daughter and for Elijah Carlson, the grandson of a sweet couple in our church who passed away in his home today of cancer.

Our thoughts and prayers are with both families today.

Praying for our Husbands - Day 13

Today I am praying that I would build-up my husband through my words, actions, and even in my thoughts.

I was having lunch with a friend the other day at our local fast food restaurant. While our two little tykes ran up and down the play area, we spent the majority of our conversation on the topic of our husband's love languages. We quickly discovered that both men had the same primary and secondary language. I think we spent the remainder of our visit laughing at all the similarities in the things that minister to our husbands and speak love to them.

It is important that I pray for my husband daily, but it is also important that I build him up (or speak his language). Proverbs 31:11-12 says, "The heart of her husband trusts in her, and he will have no lack of gain. She does him good, and not harm, all the days of her life."

I know that I am doing him good when I pray for him, but am I doing him harm in other ways?

This is the question that I often ask myself. As a result I came up with a short list of things "to do him good."

1. Send or email him a note, just because. Before the days of email, I would occasionally mail him a fun card to his office. He loved displaying them.

2. Listen to him without interrupting

3. Call him at his place of work just to say, “I love you!”

4. Let him know that you are proud of him. We are good at complimenting our husbands to others, but fail to tell them directly.

5. Tell him you are going to rub his back, or whatever…and then do it as planned

6. Buy his favorite snack, or drink and have it ready for him when he comes home. My husband loves a cold coffee drink. I don't buy them all the time, but occasionally I'll surprise him.

7. Do the one chore you always ask him to do for you without saying anything, maybe several times. Just because! For example: take the trash out, get the
car washed, or return the movies.

8. Provide a peaceful place of rest for him by encouraging him to relax and watch his favorite movie or provide a quiet place for him to finish a book.

9. Keep his trust. In other words, never say anything about him to others that would make him uncomfortable or embarrassed.

10. Build him up with your words. When he comes home, greet him! Thank him for all that he does for your family.

Prayer is so simple...

Prayer is so simple;

It is like quietly opening a door

And slipping into the very presence of God,

There is the stillness

to listen to His voice;

Perhaps to petition,

Or only to listen:

It matters not.

Just to be there

In His presence

Is prayer

pg 37 A Young Woman's Call to Prayer by Elizabeth George(Eleanor Doan, Speaker's Sourcebook)

My twelve year old daughter read this to me tonight from this book. I thought I would share.

Praying for our Husbands - Day 3

It is so easy to be blinded to the blessing we have in our husbands. I am easily bogged down at times with the little things, even when it comes to praying for him. I am tempted to look at only those areas which "I" want changed.

Many years ago I was confronted head on with this issue. One afternoon I was minding my own busines sitting quietly at my dining room table preparing for a bible study I was teaching when God revealed a deep issue in my own life. There were several things in my heart concerning my husband and as I sat there distracted by my thoughts, I asked the Lord to reveal to me how I should pray for him.

And this is the question (verse) God asked me that day.

Why do you see the speck that is in your brother’s eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye? Luke 6:41

Even as I write that verse out, the memory and the reality of that moment is still very fresh in my mind. I knew that I had spent too much time being irritated by the little specks in my husband's life, while I sat there with this HUGE log in my own eye.

It was a defining moment for me. A deep revelation of the condition of my own heart and life. God began to reveal to me all the things that I had held onto and all the places I had not allowed him to work through because I was too busy noticing all the little things in my husband's life.

Gary Thomas in his book, Sacred Influence shares a story that is a very visual reminder to us all that we should not let the little things that can irritate weigh us down, but instead be thankful for the husband God has blessed us with.

On the first anniversary of the 9/11 attacks, Lisa and I watched several interviews with women widowed as a result of those attacks. "What has changed most about your perspective in the past year?" one interviewer asked. The first widow to respond said, "The thing I can't stand is when I hear wives complain about their husbands." Every woman nodded her head,
and then another widow added, "It would make my day if I walked into the master bathroom and saw the toilet seat left up."

Their words have a profound ring. The little things we allow to annoy us seem trivial compared to the loss of blessings once taken for granted. In the face of their enormous loss, these women no longer cared about the little irritations; instead, they had to face the big, black hole of all that their husbands had done for them, suddenly sucked out of their lives forever. (pg. 49 Sacred Influence)

This morning as I prayed for my husband, I listed all those things that I am so thankful for. I want to focus my heart on these things. I made a list to remind myself. It is amazing how many good things there are if we only would choose to focus our thoughts there.

Praying for our Husbands - Day 1

I am so happy that March is here. I am not sure completely why, I just am. It may be because spring is just around the corner.


The last two months have been very hard. For one it is winter and cold. The kids have been in and out and then in and out of school. It makes for some very interesting weeks.


The loss of my biological dad in January still finds me asking many questions and I find tears surfacing at the strangest and most inconvenient times.


Our church is in the middle of 40 days of prayer and fasting. Today is the 20th day. Tonight we prayed together as a family for our community, our church, and our home. Our church family has filled a board with their names so that everyday some one is praying and fasting. It has been a sweet time of hearing testimonies of God's grace and power.


I too have enjoyed the time. But, I have also been extremely challenged by it as well. The flesh screams very loud for attention!


Over the next 20 days I am adding my husband to my list. Yes, I pray for him regularly, but the Lord has reminded me of a devotion I read recently that convicts my heart deeply. It is this devotion by Lisa Ryken in the book Devotions for Ministry Wives that reminds me of the privilege I have to pray for him faithfully. I pray you would join me in praying not only for your own husband, but also for your Pastor as well.


Pray also for me, that whenever I open my mouth, words may be given me so that I will fearlessly make known the mystery of the gospel, for which I am an ambassador in chains. Pray that I may declare it fearlessly, as I should. Ephesians 6:19-20

One of the most challenging sermons I've ever heard was based on this text from Ephesians, urging believers to pray for their preachers. The apostle Paul was a brilliant preacher and a bold evangelist, yet he recognized that, in order for his ministry to be effective, he needed people to pray for him. Preaching the gospel is a solemn task. To proclaim the Word of God a
preacher needs words from God, so that he will depend on God's Word and not on his own skill. he needs the freedom and boldness to proclaim the gospel fearlessly, not telling people what they want to hear but what God wants them to hear. A preacher must proclaim the mystery of the gospel, not a carefully calculated plan for moral improvement. He must make sinners uncomfortable with their sin and point them to Jesus Christ. Finally, ministers need endurance in tribulation. They need to bear the burdens of their congregation as they stay tender to the pain of sin.

By the end of the sermon I was in tears. I realized how much I need to pray for my husband and how little I actually did pray for him. Even more than that, I felt the weight of his burden to preach the gospel. As his wife I must bear that burden with him and pray for him faithfully.

Lord, thank you for the faithful preachers who open your Word to us plainly. Thank you for my husband and his gift for proclaiming the gospel. Please give him boldness and endurance. Please forgive me for praying infrequently and weakly. Equip me to be his constant prayer warrior. Amen.

PRAYER NEEDED!!

Thank you to everyone who prayed today, those who left comments and those who emailed me. It means so much to Lyndsey and her family. Praise God who is "...the blessed and only Ruler, King of kings and Lord of lords." 1 Timothy 6:15

Update 9 pm ~ Lyndsey is out of surgery and back in her room. Her mom said she was resting. The surgery which should have taken three hours ended up taking six. Thank you so much for your prayers. Please continue to pray for her recovery. May the Lord bless each of you.

Update 12:15 pm ~ she is still in surgery and they have been reassured that things are going fine. It is just taking a little longer than expected. Please continue to pray.

Please keep my dear friend's daughter in prayer. Her name is Lyndsey and tomorrow she is having a colectomy (removal of the colon). She is only fourteen. For privacy reasons I won't go into the details of her illness. I have known this beautiful young lady since birth. Her parents are wonderful long time friends.

First, please pray for a miracle~complete and total healing of her colon.

Next, pray that the surgery would go smoothly and her healing would be quick. She will face two additional surgeries over the next year.

The surgery is scheduled for tomorrow morning (9/7) at 8 am central time. Please pray!

Join me in praying for our children

Many years ago when my oldest daughter was entering 1st grade and I felt completely unqualified to be her teacher, I took this prayer from Stormie Omartian's book, The Power of a Praying Parent and adapted it to meet the needs of my child. I now pray this prayer over all four of my school age children and can easily pray it for my two year old as well.

Praying for our children as with all prayer does not have to be eloquent or fancy. It is simply acknowledging our great dependence on God to care for, train, and teach the children He has blessed us with.

"Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one.You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might. And these words that I command you today shall be on your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise.
Deuteronomy 6:4-7

Lord,
Today is the first day of a new school year. Thank you that my children are healthy and excited about a new year. Thank you for the provision of new pencils, glue sticks, shiny new shoes and the many blessings you have provided for our family.

I pray that each child will have a deep reverence for You and Your ways. May each child hide Your Word in their heart like a treasure. Give them a good mind, a teachable spirit, and an ability to learn. Instill in them a desire to attain knowledge and skill, and may they have joy in the process. Above all, I pray that they will be taught by You, for Your Word says that when our children are taught by You they are guaranteed peace. You have also said, "The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge; but fools despise wisdom and instruction." (Proverbs 1:7)

I pray they will respect and obey the wisdom of their dad and I and be willing to be taught by us. May they also have the desire to be taught by the teachers You bring into their life. I know that you handpick each one, Lord, and may they be godly people from whom each of my children can learn.
Help them to excel in school for your glory. Make the pathways of learning smooth and not something with which they must strain and struggle. Connect everything in each of their minds the way it is supposed to be so that they have clarity of thought, organization, good memory, and strong learning ability.

I say to each of them according to Your Word, "Apply your heart to instruction, and your ears to words of knowledge" (Proverbs 23:12)
"May the Lord give you understanding in all things" (2 Timothy 2:7)

I pray today as I have prayed everyday that each of my children will hunger and thirst for Your righteousness. Go before them, protect them, watch over them through each day of this new school year. Thank you Lord, for each of my children, Lauren (sophomore), Kelsey (sixth grade), Theo (fifth grade), Hunter (1st grade), and of course the two year old at home. Give me patience and understanding as I teach his little hands to play softly, watch his little feet as they run through the house, and help him to learn to sit and listen as I read.

Lord, thank you for the awesome privilege of being a mom. May my children learn, while growing older that You are the source for all beauty, all knowledge, and all wisdom. This I ask in your most worthy name. Amen.

School Starts Thursday - Join me in prayer!

I can remember the feeling so well. The new clothes neatly layed across the chair usually with the same outfit hanging in the closet but in a different color. The new wallaby's barely out of the box that had just been purchased from Thom McCan. And of course who can forget the new underwear and socks. Never could I start a new school year without them. My favorites were the year I received the days of the week swirled in cursive across the front of each pair. New clothes, shoes, and even underwear are childhood memories of a new school year beginning.

I remember the butterflies fluttering through my stomach the night before and waking up while it was yet dark. My face was shining, nails were trimmed and I was ready for the new year.

Through the years I have tried to create some traditions with my kids for each new school year. Of course, it has always included at least one new outfit even it means a new pair of shorts and shirt found on the summer clearance rack since the weather is usually very hot. Each child gets to go out with either mom or dad to shop for a new pair of shoes. And who can forget school supplies. My kids look forward to filling their backpacks with new folders, pens and glue sticks.

But a few of our favorite traditions is the ridiculously huge breakfast we prepare and dad's back to school prayer for each kid. And who can forget the picture taken of the whole group every year in the same spot. The kids love looking back at the changes and their growth and I do too.

This year my oldest daughter who will be a sophomore at the high school is planning to meet with a group of friends at the school early on the first day to pray for their school year. I am so excited that they have taken the initiative to do this.

I would like to invite each of you to join me on Thursday morning as I pray for my own children, even if you have already started your school year. I would love to invite everyone over to pray in my living room but that is a physical impossibility or maybe not if you live near me ;). But what a wonderful opportunity we have to pray together via technology. I used to pray with one or two friends over the phone. Hopefully, Thursday I will be praying with many more.

Join me Thursday morning (August 23rd) as we pray for our children as they start a new school year. I will post a prayer for my own children. I would love to join you in prayer for yours. I will try and set up a Mr. Linky (this will be my first time) so that we can all hold hands and agree in prayer together for our children.

Behold, children are a heritage from the LORD, the fruit of the womb a reward. Psalm 127:3

Did you read the sign?

A sign in a cotton factory read: "If your threads get tangled, send for the foreman." One day a new worker got her threads tangled. The more she tried to disentangle them, the worse the situation grew. Finally, she sent for the foreman. He asked, "Why didn't you send for me earlier?" She replied, "I was doing my best." He answered, "No, your best would have been to send for me."

This little story is often a reminder to me of how I am tempted to respond to life. I'll fix it myself. After all I would like to show them that I am capable. When the threads of my life get tangled up, It is my reminder that I am a sinner, saved by grace and in desperate need of my Savior's help.

Prayer opens up the floodgates of God's infinite grace and power to flow toward the person in need. God can act without prayer, but He chooses to operate within the boundaries of human will and invitation. He allows us to participate in His work on earth with each prayer.

Prayer for Cyndi @ One Day More

Our wonderful friend and fellow blogger Cyndi leaves tomorrow May 19th for a missions trip to China. Please check her blog for updates from her husband and keep her and her teenage daughter in your prayers as they travel and share the gospel in this country.

More on "trust"

This morning we concluded our time together at ladies bible study looking at the very familiar passage, Proverbs 3:5.

To trust in the Lord means I lean upon Him; I rely upon Him: I commit the whole weight of all I am and all I need to His care. 1 Peter 5:7 says, casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you. (ESV) Trust should not be based on anything but God, His word, His character, His integrity, His divine attributes.
To trust in the Lord means we trust in His purposes for our lives. God is at work in your life fulfilling His good purpose. What is that purpose? To conform you to the image of His Son, to make you and me like Jesus. He is always working.
To trust in the Lord means we trust in His plan for us. Psalm 37:23 says, The steps of a man are established by the LORD, when he delights in his way; (ESV) and Eph. 2:10 says, For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them. (ESV)

The next part of Proverbs 3:5 says, ... and do not lean on your own understanding. The command to trust in the Lord is reinforced by the command to not trust in our own understanding. Isaiah 55:8 says, For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, declares the LORD. (ESV)

This afternoon as I reflected on our time together this morning I was reminded of Jeremiah 17:5-8:

5Thus says the LORD:"Cursed is the man who trusts in man and makes flesh his strength, whose heart turns away from the LORD. 6He is like a shrub in the desert, and shall not see any good come.He shall dwell in the parched places of the wilderness, in an uninhabited salt land. 7"Blessed is the man who trusts in the LORD, whose trust is the LORD. 8He is like a tree planted by water, that sends out its roots by the stream,and does not fear when heat comes, for its leaves remain green,and is not anxious in the year of drought, for it does not cease to bear fruit." (ESV)

What a beautiful promise we have here to those who "trusts in the LORD"

These verses present us with a contrast between a man who trusts in himself and another who not only trusts in the Lord but also makes the Lord his total trust. Linda Dillow

Trusting in myself is making my flesh my strength. yuck! When I use control, intelligence, manipulation, strategies, I am trusting in myself. Often times "trust" forces us to "wait". Waiting can be hard and painful, so we help God out. What is the result? Look back up at Jeremiah 17:6, He is like a shrub in the desert, and shall not see any good come.He shall dwell in the parched places of the wilderness, in an uninhabited salt land. (ESV)

Linda Dillow in her book "Calm my Anxious Heart" states, "Our hearts become a desert, and we do not enjoy the prosperity of the heart in communion with God. Our focus is on what we can do to get what we want rather than on how we can trust."

Yet when I make the Lord my trust what am I promised? verse 8 says, "He is like a tree planted by water, that sends out its roots by the stream,and does not fear when heat comes, for its leaves remain green,and is not anxious in the year of drought, for it does not cease to bear fruit."

Notice that heat will come. But when my eyes are so focused on my Sovereign Lord that even when a year of drought (or continued problems) comes, I will stay green and continue to bear fruit. What a glorious picture!

As I have put these thoughts together tonight, I couldn't help but think of Heather at Especially Heather. Her post today speaks of seeing God at work in the midst of it all. I have gone to her blog purposely at the end of each day as a reminder to continually pray for her healing.