Journey4Jesus
Praying Gods Word in all areas of life… The Good, The Bad, & The Ugly
Somewhere between then and there…
When I first wrote this Journal entry and prayer below, it was 2 years ago and we were facing a seemingly unsurmountable mountain. Everything around us seemed to be disappearing, and we struggled to hold onto our hope for any type of reprieve. All we were able to see, were the crags & peaks of the challenges in front of us every day.
There were so many things we could have done. We could have continued to strive.. doing exactly the same as we had with no hope of change, yet that seemed pointless… the hamster wheel wasn’t really going anywhere but round and round, we knew we needed to get off and find stability.
The problem is, where do you find stability when all you’ve known for most of your life was self- sufficiency. Trusting in our strength… our ability…our wisdom…after all, were these not gifts from God? Hadn’t He given us the ability and talents to do the things we were doing? Our plan and our goals were to make enough money with the business, so that we could go and serve God…why wouldn’t He bless our efforts?
We were stuck in this thought pattern for quite some time, before God started changing how we saw things and brought us more into alignment with how He saw things. It didn’t happen overnight nor did it occur quickly. It was a slow process of our release and submission. Releasing our plans, goals & purposes to him, releasing our business and abilities to him. Then in turn submitting to His plan, His will and His authority in our lives.
When God first drew me to chapter 40 in Isaiah, it was the verses 10 & 11 that jumped off the page to me. The image of the Shepard spoke deeply to me, (gentle and holding onto His children with a tender loving kindness, not over his shoulder in strength, but cradled in his arms for protection). While at the same time, reminding us the the Lord was coming to rule in power and strength.
I desperately needed to hear these words, as we were feeling very much like the young lambs; scared, meek and unable to move forward on our own. These verses showed me that He would show us the way out through His leading and protection. What that would look like we had absolutely no idea, yet we felt confident that if we continued submitting to His will, He would do something new.
As I sit and write this today, I am somewhere on the other side of that time in my life… not fully by any means, yet the journey has begun in transforming our loss into Gods glory. God has led us to another place, working for a Christ centred organization, learning new skills along with being able to use the same skills that He had previously gifted us with.
We still have lots of past stuff to clean up, but He has answered our heartfelt prayers about change…about the desire to serve Him together. I am so thankful for this prayer journal, as God is showing me His incredible faithfulness in all areas of my life…both bigger than I thought possible as well as the little unspoken desires in which He provides.
He is a God who hears… who listens… who responds. He Loves us – His children, more than we could ever imagine. He has never promised that we would go through life unscathed, it is during the rough times we are open to learning and receiving more of him. When we are humble we are ready to grow.
My greatest prayer is that the Lord would use the lessons we have learned; the ability to spend time in His presence, to not only pray but to listen for Gods response, the willingness to be stretched so that we could be used for His Glory. Maybe He’ll even use these writings to draw others to himself…
Journal Entry: #32
Yes, the Sovereign Lord is coming in power. He will rule with a powerful arm. See, he brings his reward with him as he comes. / He will feed his flock like a shepherd. He will carry the lambs in his arms, holding them close to his heart. He will gently lead the mother sheep with their young. Isaiah 40: 10-11 NLT
Heavenly Father,
Thank you for your many promises to us your Word, from the prophesies of your servant Isaiah to the fulfillment of them in your son Jesus. Your Word shows us of your promises: leading…guiding…providing…and caring for your children.
Thank you that as your child, I can be assured of these words for me as well. Lord, as we navigate these deep waters we are in, would You continue to lead us to safer ground. Would you carry us when the road seems too difficult on our own. Would you continue to hold us close to you, as we put our trust in your firm footing… and give us rest.
Such a beautiful image to hold onto… thank you Father. I want to specifically pray for guidance and wisdom today Lord. Thank you for your provision of this new work for us. All praise and glory to You, thank you for such perfect timing.
Help us Father, to not repeat the same mistakes we have done in the past. Keep us from falling into old habits and poor choices. Lord God, we desire with our whole hearts to serve You in All of our ways. Help us to continue using the funds you provide to pay off our suppliers, and keep us from furthering the debt and perpetuating the problem.
Lord God, we have been seeking your will and your provision and those seem to be coming to us in the form of more work. Help us to be cautious & careful, thoughtful & deliberate with each and every decision we need to make. Help us to live humbly and give to You first what belongs to you.
Continue to give us wisdom and timing on moving forward Lord, and I pray, If any of this work in front of us, is just a carrot being dangled by the enemy to get us off track, then I pray You would SLAM the door shut. I pray Your hedge of protection over us. By Your Spirit, give us wisdom & knowledge Lord, so that we can stay secure on the true path for us.
We praise You for your care and loving kindness towards us Father, thank you for always being our Shepard and leading us on this oftentimes perilous journey.
In Jesus name ❤️ Amen.
My Final Thoughts & Encouragement:
It is a little surreal looking back not so long ago, yet seeing so much change in our lives. In the midst, the journey felt perilous and long, it seemed impossible to overcome the obstacles we were facing. Yet bit by bit God chipped away at those obstacles, preparing us for a new set of experiences.
Maybe you are still in that chipping period, feeling the pain in the midst of your surroundings. Possibly, you too are looking from the other side, grateful for answered prayer and new beginnings… More likely, you’re where most of us are… somewhere between there and then. Then is the past place, the place you want to leave , There is the place we eventually hope to get to… when we arrive in the place of rest and peace in God.
I want to assure you that no matter where you are; stuck in your past…lost in the present or swimming upstream against the current. God is in this exact time with you. He does not cause terrible things to happen to us, because He is Love and love does not harm. But He will allow us to go through the consequences of our own making.
The sooner we can start to see where we are, is often due to the choices and decisions (even those made with the right intent but without seeking Gods approval in them first) have inadvertantly led us to where we are. It’s so much easier to blame God or someone else. ” If only…” ( fill in the blank) or/ “why would God do this to me?”
The enemy would like to see us stuck in these places, because if he can keep us stuck we will never move forward into freedom. I urge you to release (your past, your sins & failures, your self-sufficiency) to God, lay them at the foot of the cross… refusing to pick them back up. Surrender (your plans, your goals & your abilities) to Jesus, and allow Him to create within you His purpose and plans.
Let me just finish with a final thought, as I need to remind myself of this daily. We are in a place of growth from birth until death… we will not arrive at that place of rest until we enter the Kingdom of God. So when you, like me, fall off the intended path… show yourself some grace and cry out to the Lord… for the sheep hear His voice and He will lead them back onto His path.
Blessings, Janet❤️. Journey4Jesus
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Journey4Jesus 