Was it Really Plan A?

As they stood at the front of the church you could tell without them saying a word that they were nervous.  Really why would you think that two teenagers about to give a presentation wouldn't be? 

With several minutes before the service was to begin, the two walked over my way.
The young man shared with nervousness that their video would not work.  He felt that it was so important to their talk but then offered with resolve all he could think to say.  "Well I guess we go to plan B."  I gently smiled back and told him, "Maybe your plan B was God's plan A in the first place."
With that a smile graced his face and took his place to proclaim what God had given him to share.

Isn't that how we are so many times in our personal lives?  We start making plans, start coming up with how things are going to happen on our calendars or even in our everyday or long term lives.  We stand there excited, proud and even safely dependant on our plans.  Oh yes they might seem they are right on track but then things don't work, stuff falls through the cracks or they just plain 'ole fall apart.  We quickly assume we have to resort to plan B.

But what if our plan B was God's plan A in the first place?  What if God allowed all the stuff to fall apart or shift in another direct so that we will join Him in His BEST plan?


Jeremiah 29:11 says, "For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord. Plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future."

Sounds like long before we made those plans, long before we dreamed that dream, long before we started down this current path, God knew His best for us.

Proverbs 3:5-6 says, "Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not unto your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him and He will direct your path."


God's plan A is not just over your eternal life is is also over your everyday lives. Are you relying on a plan B or are you trusting in His plan A?

Don't get frustrated when your plan B seems the only option, it just might have been Plan A along!

Blessings!

Time for Pondering

Have you ever had those times where you've had something to share but you just didn't know how?

You hear God's voice softly speaking to your soul but to type it out the words, well they just wouldn't flow?

That's how I have been lately.  Listening to God, overflowing with His richness but just not knowing how to put it in words.  Every time I would begin to sit down to share, the words just wouldn't flow from my brain to my fingertips.  I think God wanted the words He was giving me to settle deep in my heart, His words to become my heart beat.  Although we are to share what God has and is doing in and through us I think there are times He says ponder this a while.

These times of pondering have be wonderful for my soul.  Refreshing times have been enjoyed as I let His word replenish in my time of quiet reflecting.  But now...

Now I think it is time for the quiet to be over.  Now is the time to allow the words to flow again from my fingertips to page.  Now is the time to let go and let God have free reign over my writing and ministry. 

I can't wait to see what He has in store from this time of reflecting!

His!

Cynthia

Let Go and Let God

Standing there on the wooden platform high above the ground all harnessed up with nylon straps really had me thinking about the word trust.

In one hand was a metal contraption and the other hand was free so that I could reach high to grab hold of the wire cable then bringing the two together clamp myself to it.  Adrenaline rushing through my body as my turn came.  I was told to sit back into the harness, pick up my feet and glide through the tree tops of rain forest to the next wooden platform.  Imagine if you will looking up and seeing a cable that was not much thicker than a nickel was round and you are told to clamp onto it.  That moment when you pick up your feet, you are experiencing Trust with a capital T.

All kinds of things could cause you to fret over your situation.  Who made that cable?  Who sewed this harness?  Did the one that hung the cables get them good and secure to the trees? What if? What if? What if?

Many times when facing tough or scary situations in our lives we start to worry, asking all kinds of questions instead of trusting. What if…? What if…? What if…? Well at least that has been my default. But God has a different plan for us at those times.

Psalm 37:3 says, “Trust in the LORD, and do good; [so] shalt thou dwell in the land, and verily thou shalt be fed.

The word trust in the Hebrew is ba’tach which means to attach to or secure to.

Here the psalmist is telling us than when things are tough, scary or even confusing we are to attach ourselves to the Lord.  We have to do just like when I was zip-lining through the treetops.  Reach up and secure ourselves to The One and Only then sit back into the harness of His hands and let Him be the support and security. 

A friend often tells me, “We have to let go and let God.” 

Let God carry us through a trial. 

Let God carry us through a desert. 

Let God carry us through the storm.

Let God carry us through the peace as well.

Are you facing a situation that has you baffled?  Have you attached yourself to God?  Are you letting go and letting God? What’s keeping you from lifting up your feet and soaring through the tree tops with God?

Oh the zip-line was a blast! I loved soaring through the sky giggling and smiling the entire way down.  But let me tell you it doesn’t hold a candle to attaching yourself to God.  That my friend is a lot more fun and is an adventure beyond compare!!!!

Cynthia

Prayer is...

It happens all the time, we drive up to a speaker on a board and voice our request.  Easy huh?  Just say what we want and within minutes we are pulling forward to quickly add to our possession that which we just ordered.  This is such an easy time to obtain things.  Using the verse out of context it is a… ”ask and you shall receive” time in the thoughts of many.  But that is not how our asking of God should be.

Many are so accustomed to this type of lifestyle that they think that is how prayer is supposed to be.  Things go wrong, in a tight fix, confused…just throw out the request into the speaker and you shouldn’t have to wait for more than a few minutes and here’s the answer or solution. When you don’t get immediate answers it may lead you to think that God must only snatch up the prayers that sound good to Him. 

Is this really what prayer is?  Is it just a request line like calling in to the local D.J.? A throw it out there and see if this one will be picked up?

No, Prayer is a relationship.

It is that one on one time with a God that desires your fellowship.  He is not a distant God that only allows a one sided conversation.  Rather He is a God that wants you to know Him and experience His love and presence. A God that longs for a growing relationship with you!!!

Let’s think of it this way.  Have you ever said you were close friends with someone but have never spent time with them?  I didn’t think so, how strange would that be?  To build a close relationship you spend time with someone to get to know them.  You learn what they are about, what their likes and dislikes are and even at times what they will say in certain situations.  This is exactly how our relationship with God can be.

As we communicate with Him, and He with us our relationship with God grows.  We voice our thoughts, not just our list, to Him as we share everything that is going on in our lives.  He speaks to us through the reading of His Word. 

John 15:7 states, “If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be given to you.”

T.W. Hunt says it so well, “A love relationship with God is the point at which effective prayer begins.”

So how do we become people who pray effective and bold prayers?

We answer His invitation to enjoy His fellowship.  Make it our passion to know Him and His Word and He promises to respond to our prayers.

Pouring Out in Prayer

There she was discouraged and reduced to tears. Her lips were moving but nothing was heard by the man standing near.  He assumed she must have come into the tabernacle drunk with wine.  Having enough he demanded that she must have been drinking and to throw away her wine.

 “Oh no, sir!” she replied.  “I haven’t been drinking wine or anything stronger. But I am very discouraged, and I was pouring my heart out to the LORD.” 1 Samuel 1:15 NLT

Hannah had plenty of reasons to wallow in gloom.  Unable to bear children and her husband’s  other wife was taunting her.  She shared some of her sadness with her husband but she knew only God could truly hear her pleas.  She got up from the dinner table and found a quiet place in the Tabernacle to begin spilling out everything within her that breathes.

Have you ever had a day like that?  A day where it seemed you could do no right?  A day when everything was falling apart?  Have you ever felt like you needed to spill out everything to God?

 The definition of prayer is a spiritual communion with God or an object of worship, as in supplication, thanksgiving, adoration, or confession.   It is simply talking things out honestly with God or maybe even writing them down. 

I confess that I have found that at times my prayers have been a list...a list of wants, needs, hurry up and do type things.  But when I pray, when I really pour myself out to God I learn that He is listening and planning out to lift me up.

Recently I was having one of those days.  Discouragement was my shadow that day and it didn’t seem to be moving away anytime soon.  I finally got to the point that I spilled it all out to God then said, “Please God can I have something to know that you really love me today?”  Not only did He show me once but three times within the hour that He loved me.  I know had I not spilled out everything within me that I would most likely not have been looking for His love.  Although I was still facing the same things He lifted me out of the discouraging moments. 

So have you spilled your very being to God?  He has a big shoulder and can handle it.  He’ll be there listening.  I promise!

Praying Boldly, What does that look like?

The little booklet sat there for some time on the kitchen island. It had arrived in the mail one day packaged with catalogs of resource and study items. A little booklet that caught my eye, not enough to read immediately and not enough to throw away either. So there it sat receiving glances each time I passed by.

Finally I decided it was either time to read it or throw it in the trash so I snatch it up and sat down to see what this was all about. That was when my mind and heart  received a challenge.

This little booklet opened with the Talmud Jewish literature story of a man. An eccentric sage that lived during the time line spread during the silent period between the Old and New Testaments. A man named Honi.

Legend has it that during a great drought Honi went out into the village and drew a circle in the sand. He then stepped into the circle and began praying stating the he would not leave the circle until God sent rain. As his prayers continued God sent a light sprinkle of rain and the people danced with joy but Honi said to God, “This is not what I am praying for.” God then sent a torrential rain, people ran to their shelter but yet again Honi prayed, “God this is not what I am praying for and will not leave this circle.” At that time a nice steady rain was provided by God and Honi stood and left the circle.

Upon reading this little booklet named “Be a Circle Maker” by Mark Batterson I really began to think about prayers.  Although this is not a Biblical example we do find many times is scripture where a bold prayer was lifted up to Elohim The God of all gods. My favorite example is in the Book of Joshua in chapter 10. When facing an overwhelming number of enemies Joshua prayed to the Lord in front of all the people asking God to let the sun stand still.  So the sun stood still upon God’s command and victory was theirs.

How do we now put these two accounts together and infuse them into our lives?  Can we do that?  Is that something from Biblical times to never be repeated again?  My God is the same yesterday, today and tomorrow so what stops us from praying with boldness?

Although on the day the sun stood still Joshua didn’t draw a circle but what about Jericho?  He did seek the Lord and the Lord told him to lead the people to walk in a circle around to walls.  Maybe this is not an actual drawing of a circle but a showing of persistence and consistant calling upon the Lord in faith.  Not a praying once then tucking our heads and not mentioning it again.  Maybe we are to cover every side of that dream, diagnosis, fear, situation, etc. with prayer.  Maybe as we circle that thing we will begin to see it more through God’s eye and learn more of how to pray in a way that lines up with God. 

Thoughts on prayer are flooding my mind.  I want to dig into prayer a little more in the next few post or however long God leads.  Questions fill me and I know God’s Word has much insight and answers. Questions like when does bold become bossy?  God is not our puppet so what does His Word say about how we approach Him and pray.

Hopefully my post will come more often than every Monday because of this topic. (Or as in this case Tuesday.  Please forgive me on my tardiness) I do hope you will join me in the conversation and let’s grow together as we seek a prayer life that pleases the One to which we pray.

1 John 5:14 “and we are confident that he hears us whenever we ask for anything that pleases him.”

Let’s learn what that means!

Letting Go

There I was, standing in the closet looking for something to wear.  Oh I am such a creature of habit by grabbing the clothes that are hanging right in front therefore causing me to wear the same old thing time and time again.  “Not today.” I determined.  I moved further to the back of the closet and started rummaging through items that not seen the outside world in a while.  As I sorted through long forgotten (as in out of sight out of mind) garments my hands fell on a piece of fabric that almost made me laugh and cry at the same time.  Wrapping my fingers around the hanger and I pulled out a dress that I have kept for too many years.  The blue suit I now held before me was the dress I wore away from my wedding reception.  The corners of my mouth lifted upward and my eyes brightened as I remembered the day this dress was first worn.  As the memories slowly passed through my thoughts I shook my head and questioned…”why had I kept this thing hanging around for so many years?”  My husband and I just last month celebrated our 25^th wedding anniversary.  I had worn the dress several times those next few years but now it just hangs there. Yes for 25 years, hanging in my closet. Can you say antique?

Oh, I have cleaned out my closet many times over the years but time and time again I would hang this dress back into the recesses of the dark abyss. Each time making excuses why to not discard it. Can you just imagine my reasoning?

“I will wear this again.  One day I’ll be back to that size.”

“I will regret if I get rid of it, of course it will come back in style.”

“I’ve had it this long, would it be bad luck to discard it now?”

Crazy thoughts I know but hey you never know when you will need that exact style.  Maybe for 80’s dress up day?  LOL

Why can’t I let go of it?  I have found that it’s not just sentimental dresses or other material things that are hard to let go but some action and emotions as well. Why are there things we simply just hang on and on to?  Whether it is something that is weighing us down keeping us from moving quickly to where God wants us or an emotion caused by a hurt inflicted on us.  Why do we find it hard to release that which is either old, no longer of use or that which is being a hindrance to our lives? Letting it wrap us in tightly in strips of bondage keeping us from freedom.

Unfortunately we (I) often keep those feelings around just like that old dress of mine.  Finding reasons to hang on and not let go.  Often justifying why need to keep those things, thoughts and feelings around.  Maybe it is better called just like it is…being stubborn or holding a grudge.  We’ve gotten a little comfortable having it around.

We may rationalize in our thoughts…

“It doesn’t hurt having that in my life because it has always been “by my side”.  I might not have the same life if I remove it.”

“I am going to keep this in my little thought book and remind them of how they hurt me.”

“If I let that go surely I will need it again.”

“It is too soon to let this go. They’ll have to apologize first.”

“I might need that to recall if this ever comes up again.”

“I don’t think I can live without it.”

We can even get to the place when we know we must let go but have no idea how.

 I have learned over my years that some things have come into my life or happened that have been easy to let go.  I was quickly able to let the waters wash it away never to be seen again.  That is such a great feeling and comfort! 

However there have also been times where the hurt is so deep, the betrayal so harsh, the pain so severe or the safety of it being there has caused letting go very difficult. 

So how do we learn to let go?  How do we let the waters wash un-needed things away so we can live with a peaceful and even forgiving heart?

Sadly I, and maybe you, have been at this juncture very recently.  I know God wants me to let it go into His strong and ready hands.  He wants to wash it away from my battered soul or relieve me from the weight that is dragging me down.  But I am often the one hesitating in letting this happen.

I get angry as to why that person who hurt me doesn’t have to admit their wrong.   Or confused how they can walk around me with smiles on their face like they didn’t filet me open and leave me gaping with wounds? 

Standing confused as to how and why God calls me even requires me, to let it go into His hands.

God is teaching me that it is only when I take my hands that are cupped, holding this hurt or object then place them over His open hands letting it flow out of my hands into His can I truly let it go.

The Bible tells us in 1 Peter 5:7, “Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.” And in Psalm 55:22, “Cast your cares on the LORD and he will sustain you; he will never let the righteous fall.”

Cast means to roll it over, to place all that weight on something else.  Isn’t that just like Jesus, wanting the weight of that hurt or object to be placed on Him instead of us?

As we release that which is in our hands into His He will keep us from falling, falling from the weigh that we are trying to bear on our own.  But, there is one thing we must remember.  Nowhere after these verses does it say, “To let Him have them just for the moment or just for the day.”  It never tells us to hang them back in the closet for future use because we might need them again.

I don’t know about you but this is probably the hardest thing for me.  To let it go.  To let that which is entangling me and hurting me fall into His hands and let Him wash it away.  I am learning to ask God, “What does that look like to let it go?  Please teach me how.  Help me to let you wash it away.”

Some days are easier than others.  Some days I have to repent from wanting to take it back but I believe that since I am asking God to show me how to do this He will be faithful in teaching me!  For a life unhindered by burdens and hurts is something He wants for all of us. 

Oh Father, teach me to let it go!