We are writing to God’s holy people in the city of Colosse, who are faithful brothers and sisters in Christ.
Colossians 1:2
Friends, check out the words that Paul uses to describe the people who belonged to the Colossian Church: “…the saints1 and faithful brothers and sisters in Christ.” Or as the author of Deuteronomy describes God’s people in his day, “… a holy people, who belong to the Lord your God. Of all the people on earth, the Lord your God has chosen you to be his own special treasure.” Or as the LGG journal entry encourages us, “We are His holy people, chosen and set apart for Him. We have been called out of the world to live for the world to come.”2 You see, while Paul is speaking specifically about the Colossian believers in his letter, and Deuteronomy’s writer is referring to the people of Israel, the terms saints and holy people apply to us who are believers as well.
The Christian life is lived by trusting in God’s grace, given to us in Jesus. We are God’s beloved children, and it is His grace, not our performance, that will provide us with all we need to live for Him.
LGG Journal, Christ Is All I Need, p36
It is important to understand that Paul’s description isn’t meant to elevate us or reflect how wonderful we are but rather how wonderful God is. After all, it was Paul who wrote that all have sinned and fall short of God’s glory (Rom 3:23) and that the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus. choosing us and setting us ~ imperfect as we are ~ apart for Him. This calling and gift is ours only through the grace of God when we place our faith in Christ who came to die so that we might live. It is as simple and yet profound as that.
“If we could truly understand grace and receive what Christ has accomplished for us, our hearts and lives would be filled with peace. The Colossians needed to hear this truth, and so do we today.”
LGG Journal, Christ Is All I Need, p36
It is my prayer that as we journey through the book of Colossians together, we will learn not only to know Jesus better but to more fully understand His grace and truth and be filled with His peace.
This is not a reference to ‘ultra holy people’ but refers to believers (those who followed Christ). ↩︎
If God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is alive and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not much more clothe you, o you of little faith?
Therefore do not be anxious, saying, “What shall we eat?” or “What shall we drink?” or “What shall we wear?” For the Gentiles seek after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them all. Seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.
Matthew 6:30-33
As we’ve learned/seen on our journey through Matthew 6:25-29 this week, Jesus’s early followers either had real concerns about food and clothing, or He was preparing them for a time when these concerns would become real. Whatever the situation, Jesus uses the well-fed birds of the air and the beautifully clothed flowers to illustrate and assure them that their Father will provide for them in every need. No area of their life is beyond His care.”1 The point – at least in large part – is that Jesus doesn’t want them to be anxious about where their needs will come from. He wants them to trust that God will provide for them even more than he does for the birds and flowers. He impresses on them that God’s love for them is greater than what He feels for the birds and flowers.
Hear the Words of Jesus again:
25That is why I tell you not to worry about everyday life — whether you have enough food and drink, or enough clothes to wear. Isn’t life more than food, and your body more than clothing? 26Look at the birds. They don’t plant or harvest or store food in barns, for your heavenly Father feeds them. And aren’t you far more valuable to him than they are? 27Can all your worries add a single moment to your life?
28And why worry about your clothing? Look at the lilies of the field and how they grow. They don’t work or make their clothing, 29yet Solomon in all his glory was not dressed as beautifully as they are. 30. And if God cares so wonderfully for wildflowers that are here today and thrown into the fire tomorrow, he will certainly care for you. Why do you have so little faith?
Matthew 6:25-30
Friend, “If you feel anxious, ask yourself what you’re chasing. If you’re chasing temporary things, you’ll always crave more. And your anxiety will increase as you watch life slip through your fingers. Jesus tells His followers to prioritize things of eternal value because God will handle the big deals and the details. He wants to set their hearts at peace by reminding them that God can be trusted.2
I love that Jesus used things we see or hear every day. A strategic picture lesson that, no doubt, will be a daily reminder to trust that God, our Father, is our good and faithful provider. It is also an illustration that we can easily use to share this character of God with others around us.
The More We Know
Finally, Jesus speaks to those with little or no money. He tells them not to live in anxiety over the basic needs of life, even if they don’t know how they will pay for food and clothing. God the Father feeds the birds and clothes the lilies, and His people are far more valuable than that. Worry accomplishes nothing. Believers should make it the point of life to pursue God’s kingdom and His righteousness. We can concern ourselves with that, trusting Him to provide all we truly need. Let tomorrow worry about tomorrow. Trust God for today’s troubles (Matthew 6:25–34).3
Reflection and Application
Friends, how have you seen God’s provision? Have the birds or the flowers ever reminded you of God’s love and provision?
Why are you anxious about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin, yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these.
Matthew 6:28-29
As a child, to my remembrance, I didn’t want for anything. We had food and clothing, a comfortable and safe home. My dad worked as an inspector at a local plant, and my mother was home with us before we started school. At some point after that, she began working as a receptionist in the local doctor’s office. She had various other jobs after Doc Sadler retired. Most of my growing-up years, there was only one car; if my dad drove to work, we did without the car during the day, but our small town was equipped with a grocery store, a bank, a pool, our schools, and friends and family all within walking distance. Our clothes were from thrift stores, rummage sales, the local Sears department store, and occasionally from one of the nicer/bigger downtown stores, particularly on dollar day. I didn’t know it at the time, but they scrimped and saved and took advantage of layaway plans, and life was always good. I truly do not recall ever having thought that the grass was greener on either side of the fence. However, I’m sure after growing up and hearing the stories of how they scrimped and saved, life wasn’t as easy or rosy for my mom and dad as it was for me.
Today’s snapshot of God’s character is still zoomed in on Him being a God of peace. Just as my mom and dad provided in ways that never left me wondering if we would have food, a place to live, or clothes on our backs, our God does the same. He’s never left me wondering, even when money’s been tight, or I didn’t know how repairs would get done, or I would manage on my own when my husband left – God always provided, always sent help, always made a way. He is a good and loving provider and a loving Father who has also taught me not to put too much emphasis and/or focus on having to have all the latest and greatest clothes, shoes, and purses. The lessons haven’t always been easy or comfortable, but they have been valuable and even life-altering.
Friend, let me close with this encouraging quote from The God Shot:
God is your provider. He knows all your needs. He is attentive to them. That means you have enough for this moment. And the next. And the next.
God Shots, p 17
Reflection and Application
Are there times/places where you’ve forgotten that He is a trustworthy provider? Thank Him for meeting your needs in the past. Ask Him to meet your needs in the present. Trust Him to meet your needs in the future. Rest in the peace of His provision. He’s where the joy is! (p 17, God Shots)
Ask yourself, do you see God as your provider, as an all-sufficient provider? Or do you feel like He leaves you wanting and needing to strive harder to have more or keep up with others around you? ~ Let’s face it, in this world of excess and pleasure, it is difficult not to get caught up in the desires of the culture and ‘keeping up with the Joneses’; my prayer is that I/we will remember to not focus on what we have or don’t have or what the people beside us have, or being the trendiest. Instead, may our focus be on God, our provider, and what’s important to Him, which is to reflect Jesus to the world around us.
Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life?
Matthew 6:26-27
Years, probably more like decades ago, I remember a little ditty/chorus that turned into the catch-phrase of the day. I’m guessing you’ll remember it too:
“Don’t worry, be happy ~ put a smile on your face ~ don’t worry be happy”
Then the chorus would just repeat itself … or so I thought. However, when it came to my mind today after I read today’s verse, I looked it up and learned that there were also three or four verses with the chorus. The premise of every verse is that “In every life we have some trouble ~ but when you worry you make it double.” Then the chorus would repeat… “Don’t worry be happy, don’t worry be happy …. put a smile on your face 🙂 Don’t worry be happy”
As Jesus continued His teaching, known as the Sermon on the Mount, He not only continued His instruction on not being anxious, but He posed the question, “Which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life?” He uses an example that most, if not all, of His audience can relate to, pointing out that if God takes care of the birds, “how much more attention/care will He give to His children”?
The book, “God Shots” states that, “We’re given to anxiety when we forget that God is attentive and active in our lives, so Jesus again makes the point that He doesn’t want them to be anxious.” So important is this lesson of “not being anxious”, that my little “God Shots” book points out the warning/instruction is given “366 times in Scripture God tells His children not to be afraid.” He says it over and over but only to His children, which the book suggests is, because He wants them to know that He is will take care of them.
Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life?
Friend, let me ask you a question the book poses, “Is your heart at peace right now? Or does it need to remember the goodness of your Father’s attentive love? if you’re feeling anxious , be on the lookout today for all the ways your Father has provided and is providing.” Write them down, thank Him for these reminders and keep a running list for all the times ahead when anxious thoughts fill your mind. Use them to speak truth and calm to your mind – that Your Father who cares for the birds also cares for you – and even more.
Now back to that little song that seems so nonsensical, but oddly enough, when I stopped to consider it aligns quite nicely with the teaching of God’s Word. For Jesus told His disciples that in this world they would have troubles. But He follows that up with the encouragement for them not to lose hope because “He has overcome the world.” (John 16:33)
So, don’t worry – be happy, put a smile on your face 😎
In today’s blog, we will zoom in on Matthew 6:25 where Jesus says:
Therefore, I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing?
Those of you who have followed my posts for very long have likely heard my story and know that I used to battle anxiety. It was a noose around my neck and choked the life out of me more times than I can count. BUT GOD, in His goodness, set me free from the grip anxiety had on me. This is not to say that anxiety doesn’t still seek to grab hold of me, but today’s verse and others like it (Philip. 4:6-8, 1 Peter 5:7, Isa. 26:3…) are ready weapons that silence the anxious thoughts and give me victory over the enemy who, as Paul wrote, “…seeks to steal, kill, and destroy”(John 10:10).
You see, what I had to learn years ago is to retrain my focus. If I focused on my circumstances (the things of this life), the enemy, with his fiery darts of anxiety, was sure to win the battle; BUT GOD showed me that when I set my mind on Him and His Word, where we find that His character is one of truth … goodness … faithfulness … ever-present …. abounding in love (and so much more)… then the battle and the victory belonged to Him and the anxious thoughts no longer had any power over me!
As the author points out in today’s ‘snapshot’1, “Jesus says we should aim to focus on our true home, which is in the next life–in God’s kingdom. The things that cause us anxiety are often things that are ‘passing away’ (1 John 2:17), but Jesus wants us to focus on the things that will last.”
Reflection and application
Today’s reflection and application are from “The God Shot”, p 13
Are you anxious over temporary things?
What is disrupting your peace today?
Where do you feel like God has forgotten you?
Talk to Him about it.
Remember He can be trusted, and
His trustworthiness is the only thing that can truly set your heart at peace.
The More We Know
THE GOD SHOT, 100 SHAPSHOTS OF GOD’S CHARACTER IN SCRIPTURE, pages12-13 ↩︎
Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning. ~ James 1:17
God is good! His love and blessings surround us, fill us, delight us, intrigue us, and astound us. He loves us with an unfathomable love. A love undeserved but so deep that He gave His only Son to save a world of sinners. Actually, His word describes us as his enemies. Yet still He loved us and gave us the gift of all gifts, the perfect gift that came down from above. He didn’t stop with the gift of Jesus; but to all who believed Him and accepted Him, He gave the right to become children of God, and to all who received Him by faith, He gave the gift of everlasting life. He continued to pour out His blessings on us and continues to this day ~ mercies that are new every morning, all-sufficient grace, the privilege of prayer and the promise that He will hear and answer them. He gifts us with provisions of daily bread and other needs, renewed strength, forgiveness of sins, daily mercies (holding back what we do deserve), and unbelievable grace (giving gifts we don’t deserve). Then there’s also the gift of His active presence in our lives, His promise to never leave or forsake us, forgiveness for unimaginable sins, hope for tomorrow, and as Peter wrote, “everything we need for life and godliness”(2 Peter 1:3-4).
Friends, may we never become oblivious or unresponsive to His good and perfect gifts. May our gratitude flow continually for every gift and every act of love and kindness. May we stay alert to the enemy’s schemes and never allow our emotions and sinful thinking to trick us into turning away from God.
In the previous verse, James urged his readers not to be deceived. Emotions and sinful thinking can trick us into turning away from God. It’s important to cling to the truth, which is that every good thing in our lives is a gift from God. In the midst of our trials, we are tempted to change our opinion of the trustworthiness of our God. We start to make lists of all the things we think we are missing in our lives, of all of the things we have lost. If God were good, wouldn’t we have those things?
This attitude leads to even more temptation. We begin to look elsewhere for the good things we think we’re missing. “If God won’t provide them,” we think, “we’ll have to go and get them for ourselves.” We attempt to take control. We struggle to find our own satisfaction.
Now, however, James urges us to flip the typical human script. He calls us to make a new list: all the good things we do have. Where did all those good things come from? James is encouraging believers in Christ to tell themselves the truth: God gave you every single good thing in your life. He is the source of all the good you have and all the good you crave. Who God is does not change when our circumstances change. He doesn’t go from being a good God to a bad God when our trials begin. He is still the source of all the good in our lives; He never changes.
Bibleref.com/James 1:17
Reflection and Application
What does it mean to remain faithful in hard times?
Bibleref.com explains: It means continuing to acknowledge that God is the source of what is good in our lives and what will be good in the future.
What else do you think it could mean?
A Challenge
End each day by thinking about, listing out, or simply thanking God for the gifts of grace you saw throughout the day. I write mine in my prayer journal almost every evening. I call them Daily Graces. Let me know if and how you do them.
Don’t be anxious about anything. Instead pray about everything… (Phil. 4:6-8)
You will keep in perfect peace all who trust in You, all who put their hope in You. (Isa. 26:3)
Do not be discouraged for I am your God. Do not be afraid, for I am with you; I will strengthen you and help you; I will hold you up with my victorious right hand. (Isaiah 41:10)
Give thanks to the Lord for He is good … (Ps 13)
Trust in the Lord with all your heart. Do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will direct your path. (Prov 3:5-6)
He has given you everything you need for life and godliness through our knowledge of Him who called us by His own glory and goodness. Through these He has given us His very great and precious promises so that you may participate in His divine nature, having escaped the corruption in this world caused by evil desires. (2 Peter 1:3-4)
I can do everything through Christ who strengthens me. (Phil 4:13)
Today’s ‘verse of the day’ from my reading plan is another of those verses. When the thing you have been called to do, or life itself, seems futile, filled with anxiety, difficult, disappointing, or brings suffering; when you can’t see how things are going to turn out, when it looks like there’s no hope, or your head is barely above the water, Paul’s declaration and encouragement is to walk by faith and not by sight. Elsewhere, he tells his readers to set their minds on things above, not on earthly things (Col. 3:2), and to others he wrote, think about things that are true and noble and pure and right and lovely and admirable. He tells them, if there is anything excellent or praiseworthy, to think about those things. (Phil 4:8)
For we walk by faith, not by sight.
2 Corinthians 5:7
The devotion I read about this verse explains that Paul wrote these words while his body was literally breaking down. He was wrestling with an unnamed affliction- failing eyesight; he had been beaten and shipwrecked. He was dealing with churches that were splitting, the betrayal, abandonment, and desertion of close friends and fellow missionaries, and prison walls. Yet, through it all, he held on to his faith.
That’s the thing about sight ~ it’s a terrible judge of reality. Sight says your prodigal isn’t coming home. Sight says the diagnosis is final. Sight says you’re too old, too young, too broken, too ordinary to matter. Sight counts the bank balance and panics. Sight watches the news and despairs. ~ourdailyverse.com
Friends, I don’t know about you, but I’m thankful for the reminder that faith isn’t pretending everything is fine – it’s trusting God even when everything is not fine … when the way is too dark to see – or the the storm blows so hard we can’t stand – or we don’t know where the money will come from – or how the “story” will end… As I read in my devotional, “Faith is knowing that what we see is temporary, but what we can’t see is eternal.”
Today, your sight might be showing you impossibility. Good. That’s exactly where faith does its best work. ~ourdailyverse.com
I am so thankful for all the ways God has shown me that I can trust Him … for all the times I couldn’t see how things would work out, but I could tell He was near … and for all of the fears that were squelched by His peace that truly passes all understanding. I’m thankful that He has taught me to surrender my desperate need to know how things will work out … and to wait for His perfect timing when answers or outcomes don’t come quickly. The sweetness of being able to place all of the unknowns and concerns of this life in His trustworthy and capable hands is an unexplainable blessing for this previously impatient and anxiety-ridden creature. The other reminder that grabbed my heart and mind today was the comfort of knowing that even when I cannot see His hand, it is still there holding mine. ~ Friends, rest assured we can trust His heart of love and His never-ending faithfulness.
Reflection and Application
Let’s consider these words from Bibleref.com regarding Paul’s words, “We walk by faith, not by sight”, and ask ourselves if we are making a habit of walking by faith and not by sight. Do we so thoroughy believe the gospel and find that the struggles we face are not the most important concern in our lives? Can we truly say that we count the unseen things waiting for us with Christ as more real than the suffering of the moment? ~ If we aren’t there yet – what are some things we can do to foster this mindset?
Preaching the truth of Christ to the world has brought Paul and his co-workers much suffering. Yet they continue to strive and contend for the faith. They refuse to quit—they live with courage—because they are convinced that after they die, they will be resurrected as Christ was. They will receive glorified, eternal bodies where they will finally be free of all burdens and the groaning experienced by every living thing on earth.
As Paul sums it up in this verse, they walk—here meaning to live or make a habit—by faith and not by sight. In other words, they so thoroughly believe the gospel, including their own resurrection and eternal satisfaction, that the struggles facing them are not the most important concern. What they “see” includes death, pain, suffering, opposition and challenge. They feel the burden of those things deeply (1 Corinthians 1:8), but they count the unseen things waiting for them with Christ as more real than the suffering of the moment (2 Corinthians 4:18).
Today’s Scripture Reading: Genesis 25 and Ephesians 3:20
From being barren for twenty long years to a complicated pregnancy to delivering twins, the road to having children was not an easy one for Rebekah and Isaac.1 Unlike today, barrenness in the days of Isaac and Rebekah came not only with the disappointment women experience today but with the added stigma of social shame and disgrace. This was in large part due to the cultural beliefs that childbearing was equated with a blessing from God and/or a woman’s worth. So, like Hannah and others2 we have studied in our journey through the women of the Bible, barrenness could frustrate marriages or have crushing mental effects on a woman who struggled to conceive.
Rebekah also serves as an example that when we feel barren God can intervene. She, volume 4/p58
I particularly appreciate one of the commentaries by Biblehub.com, which points out (and I paraphrase) that the stigma not only affected the barren woman but also her husband and extended family. However, as the commentator points out, God often used these situations “as a backdrop for miraculous divine intervention.” I know the reality of this statement from my own years of barrenness, and I am forever grateful for God’s sovereign timing (divine intervention) in opening not only my womb but my mind and heart to His saving grace and mercy. These gifts (mercy and grace) led me out of the physical barrenness, but also out of the hopelessness and spiritual wilderness I had been wandering in for far too long.
Her husband prayed to the Lord on his wife’s behalf.
While our focus is on Rebekah in this part of our journey through God’s Word, it should also be noted, as the my study journal points out that Isaac prayed for his wife because she was barren and the Lord heard Isaac’s plea and God gave them even more than they asked for, or, as He so often does ~ He gave them exceedingly abundantly more than he asked or even imagined (Eph 3:20). When it came time for her to deliver she delivered twin boys. In Genesis 25:23 the Lord had described them to her as “two nations…two manner of people would come from her…one would be stronger and the other would serve the younger. Of course, if you know the story of Jacob and Esau, you know that every word God spoke to Rebekah about her babies was proven true, they could not have been more different.
“Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us.”
Ephesians 3:20 KJV
Reflection and Application
How did Rebekah go from barren to doubly blessed? (list out all the ways/things that you can think of that played into it.)
Think of ways God has blessed or doubly blessed you and/or someone else you know and why it happened.
The More We Know
Rebekah did not have an easy pregnancy and Scripture tells us that she talked to the Lord about the difficulty (Genesis 25:22) ↩︎
Notable matriarchs who wrestled with the stigma of barrenness include: Sarah (Sarai): She endured years of childlessness before God miraculously enabled her to conceive Isaac in her old age (Genesis 11:30, Genesis 21:1-2). Rachel: She famously cried to her husband Jacob, “Give me children, or I’ll die!” (Genesis 30:1). Hannah: Mocked by her husband’s other wife due to her infertility, she poured out her anguish in prayer to God, eventually giving birth to the prophet Samuel (1 Samuel 1:6-8, 1 Samuel 1:20). Elizabeth: In the New Testament, she was publicly disgraced for being childless, but gave birth to John the Baptist in her old age (Luke 1:7, Luke 1:24-25). ↩︎
Who doesn’t love a sweet ‘love’ story? Whether it’s in a book, a movie, or you see it unfold in real life ~ there is just something about that first moment when they meet. Isaac undoubtedly knows why Eliezar had been gone. Perhaps he had been anxious about who he would bring for him or if he would find anyone suitable for him. Either way, when Eliezar and Rebekah arrived, Isaac was out meditating in the field. As for Rebekah, she knew she would soon meet the man God had planned for her to marry. Having left her family so willingly, I can only imagine she was ready, if not eager, to become his wife. When she looked up and saw a man walking in the field to meet them, Eliezar told her it was Isaac. She covered herself with a veil, indicating that she was not only “fair to look at” or “very beautiful,” as one translation says (Genesis 24:16 but also modest. Commentator David Guzik explains that the veil “signified chastity, modesty, and submission.” He goes on to say, “This was how Rebekah wanted to meet the man she would marry.”
Rebekah also serves as an example that God can hand-pick our spouse for us, and then unite us with them through His divine providence 💜 She, volume 4/p56
Eliezar tells Isaac all that had transpired on his journey and the outcome of his mission; undoubtedly, he included the way God had made it clear that Rebekah was the one. Then Scripture gives us a bird’s-eye view of their “wedding,” telling us that “Isaac took Rebekah into his mother Sarah’s tent, and she became his wife … and the best part is the confirmation that it was truly a love story, as we are told that Isaac loved her” (Genesis 24:65-67). God richly rewarded/blessed Isaac, not only did he love her, but she was someone who brought him comfort.
Reflection and Application
How does this encourage you to follow the Lord’s direction?
In our previous post, we traveled with Eliezer, Abraham’s oldest servant, to Abraham’s homeland1. Abraham, desperate and determined that Isaac not marry a Canaanite woman, had sent Eliezar on a mission to find a wife for his son Isaac from among his own people. Eliezar took the mission seriously, promising Abraham that he would do just as he had requested. He not only relied on Abraham’s promise that God would send an angel to help him, but when he arrived in the land of Abraham’s brother, he prayed a very specific prayer. We read it on yesterday’s journey and again today as he recounts both the prayer and God’s answer to Rebekah’s family.
And I came this day unto the well, and said, O Lord God of my master Abraham, if now thou do prosper my way which I go:
43 Behold, I stand by the well of water; and it shall come to pass, that when the virgin cometh forth to draw water, and I say to her, Give me, I pray thee, a little water of thy pitcher to drink;
44 And she say to me, Both drink thou, and I will also draw for thy camels: let the same be the woman whom the Lord hath appointed out for my master’s son.
45 And before I had done speaking in mine heart, behold, Rebekah came forth with her pitcher on her shoulder; and she went down unto the well, and drew water: and I said unto her, Let me drink, I pray thee.
46 And she made haste, and let down her pitcher from her shoulder, and said, Drink, and I will give thy camels drink also: so I drank, and she made the camels drink also.
47 And I asked her, and said, Whose daughter art thou? And she said, the daughter of Bethuel, Nahor’s son, whom Milcah bare unto him: and I put the earring upon her face, and the bracelets upon her hands.
48 And I bowed down my head, and worshipped the Lord, and blessed the Lord God of my master Abraham, which had led me in the right way to take my master’s brother’s daughter unto his son. ~Genesis 24:42-48
Friends, praying ‘specifically’ not only builds a more personal relationship with God, but it also enriches our prayer life with trust, confident boldness, and joy. Last year, when I was going weekly to the knee doctor and my knees were really bad, I would pray for God to save me a parking place. I would remind Him of my pain and how the parking lot gets so crowded, and the steps in the parking garage were excruciatingly painful. I would pray the day before, the morning of, and on the way to the appointment. I learned to watch for His answers and would often laugh and rejoice as I pulled up and saw an empty spot or a car backing out of a spot very close to the door. A smile would line my lips, and praise would flow forth.2
This is similar to how Eliezar responded when God so specifically answered his prayer: from
Rebekah showing up at the well
to her offering not only Eliezar a drink
but also his camels, just as Eliezar had prayed
and then finding out she was the daughter of Abraham’s brother
26 The man bowed low and worshiped the Lord. 27 Praise the Lord, the God of my master, Abraham,’ he said. ‘The Lord has shown unfailing love and faithfulness to my master, for he has led me straight to my master’s relatives.’
Genesis 24:26-27
~God’s attentiveness to the prayers of His people is evident and a tremendous encouragement, not to mention a source of motivation for us to pray specifically. Even more so would it have been an encouragement to Rebekah and her family when they sat together hearing Eliezar recount his prayer concerning a wife for Isaac, his master’s son, and how Rebekah (not knowing his prayer) had responded just as he had prayed. Now she had listened as Eliezar retold why and how God had led the servant to them, and why he believed Rebekah was the one God intended for Isaac. So, when given the choice to stay or go, she said, “I will go”. As we will see in the remainder of our Journey, “Rebekah has many blessings awaiting her because of her willingness to do what the Lord had purposed for her”.3
Rebekah also serves as an example of what can be found when we are willing to go where the Lord directs.
~She, Volume 4/p54
Reflection and Application
Where is the Lord directing you to go?
Then I heard the Lord asking, “Whom should I send as a messenger to this people? Who will go for us?” I said, “Here I am. Send me.” ~ Isa. 6:8
The Rest of the Story…Make no mistake, there were days when there was no parking place available within a comfortable walking distance – yet, even on those days, I learned to praise Him. I learned to trust that there was a reason for the answer I had received (yes, “no, not today” is an answer). On one of those days, as I was wondering why He had me park in the garage, nowhere near the elevator ~ I was blessed on the walk out of the garage to be able to share the love of Jesus with a young man who was having a rough day. My guess is I will never see that young man again, but I fully believe that God parked me in the garage for the purpose of talking to that man. I continued to pray for the close spots, but I trusted and watched each time for His better purpose, and praised Him just the same. ↩︎
Me From the Inside Out 