Philippians 4:19 Be strong and of a good courage, fear not, nor be afraid of them: for the LORD thy God, He it is that doth go with thee; He will not fail thee, nor forsake thee.
At some point yesterday, our heating unit quit. I don’t know how cold it was last night, but when I got up this morning, the inside temp read in the mid to upper 40’s.
In bed, we had two electric throws, a comforter and bedspread, so Jonathan and I both slept warmly, regardless.
Obviously neither of us froze to death overnight and today. Other than practicing speed typing and accuracy so I can warm up my hands, all is well.
I actually think the forecast is predicting a gradual warming trend this week, so at least this didn’t happen when it was bitterly cold, although, praise God, we have places we could have stayed.
Last night I sent out requests for others to join me in prayer that the unit would start working. Although it never turned on, was no indication the Lord was not watching out for us nor that He did not care if we were cold!
What I do know about The Father is that He does nothing without a purpose and He does not waste a single opportunity. The Lord can transform any situation into a “teachable moment”.
Today I am praising God for whatever reason our system stopped working. I pray that He will get the glory for whatever He determines should come from this.
Exodus 16:3 And the children of Israel said unto them, Would to God we had died by the hand of the LORD in the land of Egypt, when we sat by the flesh pots, and when we did eat bread to the full; for ye have brought us forth into this wilderness, to kill this whole assembly with hunger.
Sometimes I just read this and shake my head that they could really get to a point of such bitterness and discouragement. Could they actually believe the Lord of Hosts would drag them away from the provisions they had, only to have them perish?
They longed for empty stability of captivity, whining and dragging their heels all the way to the Promise Land.. hmmm, are things really that much different today? We read God’s eternal promises, yet we cling on to bondage like Linus’ security blanket, something familiar and comfortable.
The Lord is directing us to our destiny with Him and with scowled faces and resistant attitudes, we trudge begrudgingly toward it like foolish children, too ignorant and short-sighted to understand the glory awaiting us! !
PRAYER
Abba, Father
You are so patient and loving
How frustrating we must be to You
But You show us such mercy and grace
Even and especially times when we
Resist Your guidance
And insist our ways are better
Then, Lord, we dare get frustrated with You
When things do not turn out the way we anticipated
Lord, please give us hearts of thanksgiving
Not a mentality of self-reliance nor entitlement
For Your perfect provision
Father, You give us what we need
You know how to care for us, O God
Amazingly, You anticipate things we would not consider
Lord, please forgive us when we take credit for being self-sufficient
Because we are not
Mankind is woefully incapable
Please be with those today who have physical, mental, emotional and especially spiritual needs
Those who are homeless and hungry
Both physically and spiritually
Please let them know there is this One called Jesus
Willing and able to satisfy and provide
Please turn their hearts toward You
We ask that You open our eyes and hearts
To opportunities where we are able to serve You
To reach out with the resources and blessings You have given us, and help those in need
Through the Power and guidance of our Heavenly Father
Thank You and please protect the missionaries around the world who answered your call to serve
And for the military and their families who sacrifice daily to guard and protect this nation
Regardless where the trends are headed, we long to be one nation, under God
As believers, we know the most secure place to be is under wings of the Most High God
Thank You for watching out for us
For supplying our needs
All glory to You
Our Lord and God
Our All in All’
In the Name of Jesus
AMEN
songs
“Mighty to Save”
“He Reigns”
“Bring the Rain”
credits: God the Father, Jesus, Holy Spirit, Scriptures
Chapters and verse from the Word of God and life experiences from family, friends and my own
Encouragement of family and friends
Ability and venue to share God’s Word with others
google, google images, biblehub, blueletterbible, biblegateway, Merriam-Webster, Charles Shultz brilliant creation
