Not Just for Mothers, Part 1

Sit down and start to read the New Testament. Before you even finish Matthew, you’ve read four times that whatever you ask for in prayer, God will give you (Matthew 7:7, 11; 18:19; 21:22). Your head starts to swim – digital camera, a good one! Xbox, iPad, Kindle! New shoes, golf clubs, living room couch! But you may have noticed “all God’s children” aren’t rich!

So what’s the deal? If we reread those verses in Matthew and look a little deeper into Scripture, we begin to notice a thing or two. Matthew 21:22 says, “If you believe, you will receive whatever you ask for in prayer.” That one we pretty much knew – believe in God, believe in Jesus Christ, believe He can accomplish what we are asking, believe His promises. Mark 11:24, pins it down a little more: “Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours.”

Jesus says Himself in John 14:13: “And I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Son may bring glory to the Father.” Now we’re getting somewhere. Not only are we to ask in Jesus’ name, but the reason He will do it is to bring glory to the Father. If we believe, and if we really, honestly trust God and believe that He wants good for us, then we want what He wants. And it’s at that point that our will begins to line up with His. (John 14:12) “I tell you the truth, anyone who has faith in me will do what I have been doing. He will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father.”

And because God is faithful, unchanging and consistent, we can believe His Word. It is eternal. And it is certainly His will. So will you agree then that if we pray His Word, we are praying His will?

I have for some time been meaning to pull Scripture to pray for my family. I finally finished it and Steve (my husband) thought today would be the perfect day to share it with you. Even if you don’t see the need or think you want to pray God’s Word for your family, just read a couple of the passages below and decide if it’s something you would want for your brother, husband, son, father.

And Matthew 18:19 promises “Again, I tell you that if two of you on earth agree about anything you ask for, it will be done for you by my Father in heaven.” Can you imagine the impact that two sisters praying God's Word for a third, two grandparents praying for a grandchild or parents praying for a child would have?

You’ll notice a “Part 1” at the top of this blog. The scriptures below have been adapted for prayer for a male. I will also have scriptures for a female in Part 2 and finish up with scripture for discord among several in Part 3. I hope you will begin to pray God’s Word over your family. It’s time we accessed His power available to us through Jesus Christ (Ephesians 1:18-20).

Prayers for ________ (boy)

(Ephesians 1:16-19) I give thanks for ________ and I ask You, the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, to give him the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that he may know You better. I pray also that the eyes of ________’s heart may be enlightened in order that he may know the hope to which You have called him, the riches of Jesus’ glorious inheritance in the saints, and His incomparably great power for us who believe. In Jesus’ name I pray….

(Jeremiah 29:11-13) For I know the plans You have for ________, LORD, plans to prosper him and not to harm him, plans to give him hope and a future. Then he will call upon You and come and pray to You, and You will listen to him. He will seek You and find You when he seeks You with all his heart. In Jesus’ name I pray….

(1Corinthians 1:4-8) I always thank You for ________ because of Your grace given him in Christ Jesus. For in Him he has been enriched in every way—in all his speaking and in all his knowledge — because our testimony about Christ was confirmed in him. Therefore he does not lack any spiritual gift as he eagerly waits for our Lord Jesus Christ to be revealed. You will keep him strong to the end, so that he will be blameless on the day of our Lord Jesus Christ. In Jesus’ name I pray….

(1Corinthians 2:12) ________ has not received the spirit of the world but the Spirit who is from God, that he may understand what God has freely given him.

(Corinthians 1:19-22) For the Son of God, Jesus Christ, who was taught to ________ was not “Yes” and “No,” but in Him it has always been “Yes.” For no matter how many promises God has made, they are “Yes” in Christ. And so through Him the “Amen” is spoken by us to the glory of God. Now it is You, Father, who makes ________ stand firm in Christ. You anointed him, set Your seal of ownership on him, and put Your Spirit in his heart as a deposit, guaranteeing what is to come.

(Ephesians 1:15-20) Ever since I heard about ________’s faith in the Lord Jesus and his love for all the saints, I have not stopped giving thanks for him, remembering him in my prayers. Dear God of our Lord Jesus Christ, Glorious Father, please give him the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that he may know You better. I pray also that the eyes of his heart may be enlightened in order that he may know the hope to which You have called him, the riches of His glorious inheritance in the saints, and Your incomparably great power for us who believe. That power is like the working of Your mighty strength, which You exerted in Christ when You raised Him from the dead and seated Him at Your right hand in the heavenly realm….

(Ephesians 3:14-21) Father, I pray that out of Your glorious riches You may strengthen ________ with power through Your Spirit in his inner being, so that Christ may dwell in his heart through faith. And I pray that ________, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that he may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God I know you are able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to Your power that is at work within ________, to You be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen.

(Ephesians 6:2, 3, Father, I ask that ________ would honor his father and mother—which is the first commandment with a promise— that it may go well with him and that he may enjoy long life on the earth.

(Ephesians 6:13-17) Father I ask that you put on the full armor of God on ________, so that when the day of evil comes, he may be able to stand his ground, and after he has done everything, to stand. He will stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around his waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with his feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to all this, let him take up the shield of faith, with which he can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one and take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.

(Romans 8:28) Father, I claim your promise that in all things You will work for the good of ________, who loves You and has been called according to Your purpose.

(Philippians 1:8, 9) Father, I pray that ________’s love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight, so that he may be able to discern what is best and may be pure and blameless until the day of Christ….

(Philippians 4:13,19) Father, ________ can do everything through Jesus who gives him strength…And You will meet all his needs according to Your glorious riches in Christ Jesus.

(Colossians 1:9-14) Father, I ask You to fill ________ with the knowledge of Your will through all spiritual wisdom and understanding. And I pray this in order that he may live a life worthy of You and may please You in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God, being strengthened with all power according to Your glorious might so that he may have great endurance and patience, and joyfully giving thanks to You, Lord, who has qualified him to share in the inheritance of the saints in the kingdom of light. For You have rescued him from the dominion of darkness and brought him into the kingdom of the Son You love, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.

(1Thessalonians 5:23) Dear Lord, God of peace, I ask you to sanctify ________ through and through. May his whole spirit, soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.

(2Thessalonians 2:15-17) Father, I pray that ________ will stand firm and hold to the teachings we passed on to him. May our Lord Jesus Christ himself and God our Father, who loved him and by His grace gave him eternal encouragement and good hope, encourage his heart and strengthen him in every good deed and word.

(Hebrews 13:20, 21) Dear God of peace, who through the blood of the eternal covenant brought back from the dead our Lord Jesus, that great Shepherd of the sheep, I ask you to equip ________ with everything good for doing Your will, and may You work in him what is pleasing to You, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen.

(2Peter 1:2-7) Grace and peace be ________’s in abundance through the knowledge of You, Dear Lord, and of Jesus our Lord. Your divine power has given him everything he needs for life and godliness through his knowledge of You who called him by Your own glory and goodness. Through these You have given him Your very great and precious promises, so that through them ________ may participate in the divine nature and escape the corruption in the world caused by evil desires. For this very reason, help him make every effort to add to his faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; and to godliness, brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness, love.

My Eyes Will See and My Ears Will Hear (and My Nose Will Smell)

My senses let me down if I quit paying attention to them. Steve’s sense of smell is much more acute than mine, but when I listen to it, my nose speaks plenty loudly. I got out of the golf cart last night after spending an evening at a friend’s house and, for the second time yesterday, I was assaulted by the loveliest smells – the clematis vine blooming by the mail box and the gardenia bush getting ready to pop. Something else was contributing, but more on that later.

I’m studying a book on Heaven by Randy Alcorn with a group of ladies. My eyes open wider every time I read more about what’s going to await us on the New Earth. It’s exciting stuff and, more than ever before, I want to bring everyone along with me! The chapter I read today is about what our new, resurrected bodies will be like and whether we will have our same senses.

The author (and I) believe that, not only will we have them, but that they will be improved and amplified. One statement in particular caught my attention: “Will our eyes be able to function alternately as telescopes and microscopes?”

Understand, while this one statement sounds a little out there, this man does not believe a lot of what might sound outlandish, like our being able to fly or walk through walls. His opinion (and I think I agree) is that, even though Jesus was able to appear suddenly in a group of disciples (John 20:19) or “disappear” from the sight of the two disciples at Emmaus (Luke 24:31), these were qualities that could very well be an expression of His omnipresence and not necessarily qualities of a resurrected human body.

I wear contact lenses and for a while, I used the concept of “monovision” until I got my new and improved bifocal lenses. (Just a personal note: I am really looking forward to my new resurrected eyes!) Monovision happens when I wear one contact lens to help me with my farsightedness and leave my other very weak eye to account for my nearsightedness. And it works! My eyes adjust so that each eye does what it is supposed to do. And because of this experience, the whole “eyes as telescopes and microscopes” makes perfect sense to me and doesn’t seem out of the realm of possibility.

So my senses have been on my mind today. When Steve wanted to go out on the water, I couldn’t imagine a better time to put them to work. And God’s sweet creation did its work on my eyes, ears and nose. As we pulled away from the dock and moved down the canal on the way to the lift, I saw big turtles sunning themselves on the bank. Then as we made the turn, a beautiful great blue heron stood by the water enjoying the day. So majestic.

Fish were jumping full out of the water and an osprey flew over us. I sat reading my Heaven book as the boat gently rocked back and forth. The breeze has lost its winter edge but we’ve not yet entered that oppressive summer stillness. I sat smiling in utter and complete peace, thanking God for letting me live this close to paradise.

The rocking was not as wonderful for Steve, who was ready to head back. I was amazed to find out we had been on the water for two hours! I told him I’ll be reading and at peace whether on the water or the back porch. Then as we started back up the canal, the same great blue heron lifted out of the bank weeds and flew directly in front of us almost until we reached the dock! A treat for both my eyes and my heart.

We remarked about the purple irises growing in clusters on the banks. And as we drove the golf cart across the back yard and around to the front of the house, Steve shouted, “The magnolia tree! We have a bloom! No two!” As we came around the tree we both began shouting out numbers. We found eight blossoms clustered in one beautiful, fragrant bunch. My nose smiled.

Psalm 75:1; 79:13
We give thanks to You, O God, we give thanks! For Your wondrous works declare that Your name is near…So we, Your people and sheep of Your pasture, will give You thanks forever; we will show forth Your praise to all generations.

Sweet Spot

(Disclaimer: okay, I’ll admit it. I knew this would get the golfers’ attention. It applies, but be forewarned, this is in no way about golf.)


Do you have a favorite place? Perhaps you remember and treasure the place where your husband proposed? Or maybe a coffee shop has eavesdropped on some pretty deep conversations between you and a friend. I love the train station in Woodbridge because I used to take my toddler grandson there to sit for hours just to see the occasional train go by. I’m pleased to say my granddaughter and I could both break the bank together in Borders.

We lived in a colonial house in Virginia and my favorite spot was in one of the second-floor bedrooms. When the architects planned the stairwell, a small approximate three-by-four-foot niche in the front of the bedroom by the window remained. It wasn’t walled off or made into a closet and I’m so glad! It became my own private window both out onto the neighborhood and into the Word of God.

With Travis on the footstool, I sat for hours in my rocker-glider and mused, cried, laughed, read and remembered. I will never forget my love for that place. So when we sold the house and planned our move to South Carolina, that loss was near the top of my list just below leaving family, friends and church behind.


I considered that I would never find another place where I could get as close to God. I love our house here. My back porch is welcoming and bright and cheery. But it wasn’t a private little corner. I have a cute red couch that I sit on. I know it’s red because I get to enjoy the color every few days while I’m changing the sheet on it to protect it from dog hair.


But this morning...I smiled as I sat and praised God for “my little corner” here. My own private island where I can meet with Him and muse, cry, laugh, read and remember. And it occurred to me that, as physically pleasurable as this place is for me, it’s not about the place at all! It’s about Who meets with me here, our private meeting place…and really, it could be anywhere.


Psalm 32:7; 55:6-8; 84:1
You are my hiding place; you will protect me from trouble and surround me with songs of deliverance…I said, “Oh, that I had the wings of a dove! I would fly away and be at rest— I would flee far away and stay in the desert; I would hurry to my place of shelter, far from the tempest and storm…How lovely is your dwelling place, O LORD Almighty!

Falling Down Healthy

I can’t remember where I bought it – my gorgeous, large-leafed dieffenbachia. But I can tell you when. We moved to South Carolina two years ago and I had to leave all my beloved houseplants back in Virginia. Don't get too sad; know that I left them all in good homes with friends who care.

Before you plant/animal people start berating me for having “dumb cane” in my house, let me tell you that yes, I am aware that the leaves can cause numbness and are toxic. But first, my grandchildren are well over the age of 5 and, frankly, if I catch them chewing the leaves of my houseplants, I think we have much more serious issues to address. And my dogs aren’t in the least interested in them.

I love this plant. I think my affinity for them goes back to the years we were stationed in Hawaii. Steve and I bought a “trunk” of one at a flea market. It was literally a stub with a couple of limbs on either side, the diameter being about seven inches. The man who sold it to us for less than five dollars assured us that it would come out and grow to be beautiful. With a little bit of a sense that we’d bought magic beans, we took it home and potted it. Within weeks, shoots of leaves began to sprout. When we left Hawaii (and our beloved dieffenbachia), it stood over five feet tall, with leaves over twenty inches in length.

We’ve not had that success since, but we do seem to have a knack for growing them. The plant I bought two years ago when we came here is absolutely beautiful with healthy, large leaves.

Imagine my disappointment when I walked through the great room yesterday and found it lying on its side in the pot! I immediately thought of root rot, usually caused by overwatering. I’ve loved more than one plant to death and I figured I’d done it again.

I was pleased when I felt into the dirt and found strong, healthy roots. The problem is that the plant needs a bigger pot and the roots need to be planted deeper. (I’m so pleased you’re already getting the message on this one!) As I told you, all my lessons learned lately by listening or reading seem to point to the need for healthy roots and being firmly attached to the vine of Jesus for spiritual health and in order to produce good fruit.

About three months ago right after the New Year, I was “soaring with eagles.” My Bible studies were going well and I was doing some writing. My Christmas things were pretty well packed away. My house was in order and my calendar was under control. I was on Weight Watchers and the pounds were melting away. I felt like I knew what God’s will was for my life for the next several weeks and I was feeling confident. I was on top of the world and I was in control!

Then wham! I got zapped with a bronchial infection combined with insurance issues and a doctor who had left town. I carried a chest and head cold for two weeks and left to go on a cruise with not much hope. Asking for prayer was on my “to do” list along with unpack capris and pick up EmergenC and NyQuil.

And all along I was moving farther away from Him and repeating my mantra, “I can do this, I just need to be a grown-up.” So I coughed and sniffled my way across the Caribbean and landed back in South Carolina with pretty much the same cold but with far fewer reserves. I was beaten down physically and completely too tired for praying or getting into scripture. I wanted nothing but rest and sleep. And had I not been so tired, I’d have taken the time to ask God why, oh why, had He not taken care of this?

I ended up with a case of the flu and an illness that stretched out well over six weeks. But more than that, I carried a sense of resentment that God had not chosen to heal me more quickly. How had I, a “healthy plant” been laid so low so quickly? Turns out my leaves looked fine but my roots were not planted deep enough. I was reading scripture and praying, but mainly I was living life under my own steam, going through all the correct motions.

I was flying so high I had forgotten that the updrafts come completely from God. I had abandoned the truth that I am totally dependent on His grace and mercy. All He asks in return is that I love Him and depend on Him completely. So I’m continuing the prayer and Bible study, but I’m stretching my roots deeply enough to take advantage of His love, care, and protection.

Ezekiel 17:5, 6; Romans 11:18
He took some of the seed of your land and put it in fertile soil. He planted it like a willow by abundant water, and it sprouted and became a low, spreading vine. Its branches turned toward him, but its roots remained under it. So it became a vine and produced branches and put out leafy boughs...Do not boast over those branches. If you do, consider this: You do not support the root, but the root supports you.

One Tiny Branch

I jumped the gun this year. I bought hanging baskets and bedding plants a couple of weeks before I was supposed to. Our weather reminds me of that – yesterday’s hard wind and today’s cooler temps. I think we’re safe though, far from my sweet Virginia friends who are expecting snow this Sunday.

When we bought the house, we fell in love with the smallish live oak that had been planted in the back corner of our yard. It was our little piece of real South Carolina. We’ve been amazed at how quickly it has grown. The shade it produces gets us through the summer. My oasis from the heat, it shelters a pretty flower garden and bench. It was strategically planted so that the sun sets behind it and we get relief from the late afternoon summer glare. I captured some Spanish moss that had been set free by some landscapers and now it truly is our reminder of where we live.

Our oak is a beautiful, dignified and impressive tree. Yet as I sit on my porch this morning looking out, my eye is continually drawn to a place close to the trunk about three feet from the ground. There hangs a beautiful impatiens basket filled with fuchsia, pale pink and white. I suspended it from a small branch yesterday and it has completely stolen my attention from the tree.

As so often happens, lately the devotionals I read, the sermons I hear, books, Sunday school lessons and Bible study all tend to repeat messages about being a part of the vine, pruning, deep roots down into water, having sustenance during drought, etc. And as almost always happens, I notice the trend and begin looking for some great plan that God has for my life pertaining to what I’ve heard. I’m getting the idea that He just wants me to get the point!

As He sometimes does, this morning He’s used my quiet porch time to do that. Although the oak is impressive and some of its branches are sturdy and strong, the one little branch that’s doing the work of holding my basket is the one that’s blessing me these days. It’s the branch that’s bearing fruit.

Do you sometimes wish you were doing something grand and inspirational? Do you wonder if anyone’s noticing or if you’re invisible? Know that fixing a taco salad, making sure there’s clean underwear, driving kids to any of the assortment of things they have to attend, just loving someone with a hug or a smile – these things are a bouquet of beauty to someone. I’m resisting going down a “bloom where you’re planted” road, but it’s true, isn’t it? God’s will for our lives usually involves doing the next chore, making the next phone call, wiping the next nose and doing it with a cheerful heart. You are showing Jesus' love in the little things. You are somebody’s fruit basket!

John 15:16, 17
You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you to go and bear fruit—fruit that will last. Then the Father will give you whatever you ask in my name. This is my command: Love each other.

Perspective

My computer crooks its finger and invites me in. The wallpaper picture from Alaska whispers peace with deep teal water, dark purple mountains, and a frozen waterfall. At least I think they’re mountains! I can’t remember the landscape when we took this particular picture – we took hundreds.

So as I stared into it the other day, my imagination left the ship and began to climb up the deep gulley where the water started down. Then I realized I didn’t know if I could make the top in a few steps or whether it would take weeks! I looked at the evergreen mass and tried to decide whether I was looking at moss – in which case I’m up in a snap – or trees. If it’s trees, I’m giving up and climbing back on the cruise ship because there’s no way I’m going to make it.

I had no perspective. At least I thought that was the word. So I looked it up.

“The appearance of objects, buildings, etc., relative to each other, as determined by their distance from the viewer.” There were no birds, buildings or people to give me an idea of what I was looking at. And I realized that without a constant, something to count on, I was floundering.

“A visible scene, especially one extending to a distance; vista.” When I’m on a trip and driving long hours and distances, I make it through by fastening my attention on some sign or exit down the road. Without them, we’d all be sleeping drivers! When I was a child and the interstates had yet to be built, every trip was an adventure because there were interesting landmarks and bizarre “World’s Largest Egg Carton”-type stops with souvenir shops. Then the interstate came along and the drive no longer mattered. The trip was all about the destination. We had lost perspective.

“A view over some distance in space or time.” We all leap through days and months of our lives by fixing on the next vacation or event. Without that timemark life loses its perspective – one day blends into the next and boredom threatens. Or we run so fast that we wake up one day and another three years has gone. Young people think they’ll never die; old people seeing it coming faster and faster.

“A mental view or prospect.” Proper perspective puts us in our place, timewise. We are a breath that shows up on a cold wind. “You have made my days a mere handbreadth; the span of my years is as nothing before you. Each man’s life is but a breath.” (Psalm 39:5) If I’m looking merely at my time here on earth, it’s gone so quickly I might as well not even have been here.

“The faculty of seeing all the relevant data in a meaningful relationship.” However…my life matters. I have important work to do here. “For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do." (Ephesians 2:10) Work that was planned for me before I even set foot on this earth. “All the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be." (Psalm 139:16)

And I am a child of the King, the Creator of the Universe! “For He chose us in Him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. In love He predestined us to be adopted as his sons through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will….” (Ephesians 1:4-5)

My perspective? Peace for now; joy for later. Everlasting joy in the presence of my God!

(Definitions were taken from www.dictionary.com: Random House Dictionary, 2011; Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged 10th Edition, 2009.)

Sounds of Spring

The sun warms the grass and the buds. I stumble over furniture for lack of sleep. I set my clocks forward yesterday and I will adjust for a couple of weeks.

Not really that big of a change, the daylight savings time affects me mightily every year. It honestly is my least favorite day of the year. I have a suspicion sleep means way too much to me. I won’t bother quoting the Proverbs about laziness. Because truly, when I’m awake I use my time fairly productively. I just like sleep!

The buzz of crickets hums a little louder every night. The bullfrogs are croaking. Spring sounds are my favorite. Though fall thrills me more than any other season, cold weather drives a silence ahead of it.

Birds make up the majority of the music I hear from my back porch. (Three mourning doves are eating birdseed just outside my window as I write.) However, one sound makes me smile more than any other – a yodel deep from my coonhound’s throat when she sees her first spring rabbit.

A coonhound on the scent in the woods will bark, bawl, chop bark and finally bay when it trees its prey. I know my coonhound’s got it in her, but I’m not in a hurry for her to discover all those voices, nor are my neighbors.

But the rabbits in our neighborhood have elaborate plans to draw her out. When we think they’re burrowed down in a hole somewhere away from the cold night air, they’re actually leaning over blueprints spread out on a stump in the woods.

Chloe has a round electronic parameter. She knows her limits and she doesn’t push them. The rabbits know them as well. They come as far as the edge and wiggle their eyebrows and ears at her. She’ll stand taunting from other dogs, golf carts and squirrels, but the rabbits test her dignity.

They generally hang out in the azaleas across the back of the yard. And that’s where she heads when I open the door. I love to watch her run after them. She comes close, until she has to skid into the bushes because she can’t go any farther.

Will she ever catch one? I suspect not. Only once did she get the opportunity. Before the electronic parameter, we would put her out on a lead. One time she broke out of her collar and took off after a rabbit. He ran; she chased, around and around a group of three neighboring houses, until Steve interfered with a golf cart. I’m absolutely certain that’s what she’s reliving when she’s napping and whimpering with all four legs running.

(If you’d like to read more, see “Life in the Wild” from July 2009.)