Saturday, October 8, 2016

Come, Find Rest


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“Come to me, all who are weary and burdened and I will give you rest.
 Take my yoke upon you and learn from me,
for I am gentle and humble in heart,
 and you will find rest for your souls.”
Matthew 11:28-29 (NIV)

“Come to me,” Jesus invites us to come. I get a mental picture of Jesus standing in front of a large group of people with his hands extended and saying, “Come.”

“all who are weary and burdened” Our Lord invites ALL to him. Those who have tired from the strain of their jobs, those who perform as caregivers, and those who find themselves mentally beat because of issues in their lives.

“I will give you rest,” Jesus promises that we will receive good from Him. For those of us who are spent from physical strain, mental stresses, and illness, He provides what we need. He vows to give us rest and relaxation.

“Take my yoke upon you,” As Jesus invites us, He wants us to draw near to Him. In the western movies, if a farmer had oxen as work animals, he yoked them together side by side. With the words Jesus uses here, I believe He wants those who need Him to stand close to Him.

“learn from me,” As we walk with Jesus, He imparts facts to us. These bits of information are for our better understanding of what we need to serve Him. We learn from Him each day. A saying from my early teen years comes to mind, “I count the day a loss if I don’t learn something new,” I will add that I count the day a loss if I don’t learn something new about Jesus.

“I am gentle and humble in heart,” This is the self-description our Lord gives of Himself. We have times when we need to hear a gentle and humble voice guide us through our anxiety. I received word that a cousin of mine has had her world drastically change. Her granddaughter died in a car wreck the end of August. This event brought on an onslaught of heartbreak for her. In addition, both of her brothers have medical issues. I visited the oldest brother at an area nursing home on Saturday.

“you will find rest for your souls.” I love this thought. I have learned if circumstances torment my soul, I cannot rest physically. When I cannot rest my body, I find I move slowly and react to things in a not so admirable way. I am praying about the needs my cousins face in their lives.

Also, please pray for our neighbor. He has had two weeks of trips to the hospital and was transported to a regional heart hospital for heart cath and implanting of pacemaker/defibrillator. He is a widower and his five children are quite concerned.Thank you.


Wednesday, October 5, 2016

Prayer Rally in Indy





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“If my people, who are called by my name,
will humble themselves and pray and seek my face
and, then will I hear from heaven and will forgive
their sin and will heal their land.
2 Chronicles 7:14 (NIV)”

            At the time I prepare this blog post, I look forward to a road trip to Indianapolis on Wednesday, October 5. A group of us from our church will journey down there to be an infinitely small part of the Franklin Graham Decision America tour on the lawn of the Indiana State House.

            By Election Day, Franklin Graham will have traveled to each of the state capitols of our nation to hold a time of prayer for the upcoming election.

            Here lately, I think of our focus verse when our nation faces a divisive issue or circumstance. It seems that every day we hear of unrest and confusion exhibited in one or more of our cities. We need to be on our knees before God. We need to search our hearts and learn what we are to do to combat the anxiety and tension that comes with life in this world.

            We have certain key words and phrases in this verse that are important:

*My people: God claims you and me as His. He does not refer to us as “those people.”

*Called by my name: We all have family names in this world. We also carry a Spiritual family name with us, that of Christian. 
    
*Humble themselves: When we go before the LORD, we have to remember that He is in control and that we are sinners saved by grace.

*pray and seek my face: We have to have sincere hearts to ask God for our needs and for those of our friends. We are to seek Him and truly pray for His guidance.

*turn from their wicked ways: God wants his people (us) to repent of our sins. He wants us to turn away from activities and attitudes of which He does not approve. He wants us to fully belong to Him.

*then will I hear from heaven: God says this. When we pray and seek Him, He rewards us by hearing our prayers.

*will forgive their sin: When we admit our sins and seek to eradicate the not so lovely traits from our lives and our minds God deems us worthy. 


*will heal their land: I believe we all want our world to be at peace. We are weary of the stories we see on the newscasts .People should not be taking their frustrations on others. In order for God to heal our land(s), we should obey God and learn to approach Him and give Him our emotions and the problems that concern us.

Monday, October 3, 2016

Book Review Touchable God, By Jeanette Levellie

Touchable God: Finding the Lord's Friendship Through Prayer
www.lulu.com

  



Subtitle: Finding the Lord’s Friendship Through Prayer

            Jeanette Levellie has approached the issue of prayer in her unique style; she shares stories about her journey in prayer. She also supplies her readers with prayers for different circumstances they may run into in their walk with Jesus.

            I shared one of the stories with a prayer group in which I participate. It is my favorite one. She calls it “Prayer Cues.” In her story, a friend who was having trouble with her teenage stepdaughter asked her to pray for that girl. Jeanette made a little sign, an acrostic of the teenager’s name, and placed it above her kitchen sink. Whenever Jeanette saw it, she prayed the words she had written.
 
            This is a marvelous way to pray for people needing special touches from God. I have incorporated this acrostic idea  into my prayers. It brings a new element into my prayer life. 

            I recommend “Touchable God” to anyone who desires a closer walk with Jesus. If anyone is struggling with his or her faith, this book can help.

            This is Jeanette’s fourth book. People like her sense of humor and her style. I am certain those who those who read her stories will never tire of reading her works.
           
            I received this book from the author. All she asked was I give an honest review.



            

God Alone

  Jesus and the children at our church's prayer walk.          I will both lie down in peace and sleep;  For You alone, O LORD make ...