Girls To Grow

Happy week before Easter! There’s much to be thankful for as we remember Jesus’ death and celebrate his resurrection.

Our younger daughter is flying in from college tonight and will be home with us for several days. I’ve already received her list of requested meals and my grocery shopping list is ready to go!

Each Easter morning, I read about the resurrection in Matthew 28. Let’s look at verses 5 through 8 and see what the angel said to the women who came to the tomb looking for Jesus’ body.

And the angel answered and said unto the women, Fear not ye: for I know that ye seek Jesus, which was crucified. He is not here: for he is risen, as he said. Come, see the place where the Lord lay.

And go quickly, and tell his disciples that he is risen from the dead; and, behold, he goeth before you into Galilee; there shall ye see him: lo, I have told you. And they departed quickly from the sepulchre with fear and great joy; and did run to bring his disciples word.

As I looked at those verses, I found three lessons we can learn from what the angel said to the women.

1. God always keeps His Word.

Did you catch what the angel said? “He is not here: for he is risen, as he said.“

In Matthew 16:21, we read, “From that time forth began Jesus to shew unto his disciples, how that he must go unto Jerusalem, and suffer many things of the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and be raised again the third day.“

Even his enemies remembered that he predicted his resurrection! Matthew 27:62-63 says, “Now the next day, that followed the day of the preparation, the chief priests and Pharisees came together unto Pilate, Saying, Sir, we remember that that deceiver said, while he was yet alive, After three days I will rise again.“

Jesus told his followers that he would die and rise again…and he did. And just as he was true to his word then, so he is in our lives today. We can know that he will keep every promise we find in our Bible.

2. God wants us to share with others what we’ve experienced.

“And go quickly, and tell his disciples that he is risen from the dead.“

The women weren’t to keep the good news to themselves! They were to go and tell others.

Do we tell others the good news of Jesus’ death and resurrection? Pray for opportunities to share your faith.

Let’s share the gospel and even beyond that, let’s encourage our fellow believers. Tell someone your salvation testimony. Share with Christian friends what God has done and is doing in your life. Build each other up in the faith by talking about spiritual things.

3. We have the promise of seeing Jesus one day.

“Behold, he goeth before you into Galilee; there shall ye see him: lo, I have told you.“

The angel assured the women that they would see Jesus again. Now you and I won’t see Jesus here on earth, but we do know that, if we’re saved, we’ll see him in Heaven. Remember John 14:2-3?

“In my Father’s house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also.“

In Revelation 21:2-5, we get glimpses of what it will be like when we’re with him.

“And I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.

And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, and be their God.

And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away.

And he that sat upon the throne said, Behold, I make all things new. And he said unto me, Write: for these words are true and faithful.“

On Monday, I listened to a podcast about celebrating Easter. One of the hosts mentioned that in the church where she grew up, they opened the Easter service with the choir singing The Hallelujah Chorus. I thought I’d finish today’s post with some of those lines.

The kingdom of this world is become the Kingdom of our Lord and of His Christ, and of His Christ; and He shall reign forever and ever.

King of Kings, and Lord of Lords, and He shall reign forever and ever.

Hallelujah! Hallelujah! Hallelujah! Hallelujah! Hallelujah!

We have so much to celebrate this Easter!!

Related posts:

• 5 Easter Truths to Give Us Hope
• Who Was at the Tomb that First Easter Morning?
• 5 Simple Easter Bible Verses to Teach Your Children

One thing we all have in common is that we face trials.

A dictionary definition of a trial is “a situation that tests a person’s endurance or forbearance.”  Those trying situations differ from one person to another.  For example, a trial could be a medical diagnosis, a financial difficulty, or a family problem.

Admittedly, in our humanness, it’s hard to welcome a trial.  If there were a sign-up sheet for trials posted in our church each week, I don’t think there would be many names on the list!

Our perspective in a trial can make a huge difference.  Do we see our trial as a burden to bear or as an opportunity to grow in our faith?  God allows trials in our lives to mature us and to draw us closer to Him.  When we fight against those trials, we can’t learn the lessons God wants us to learn.

In the midst of one particular trial we faced in our family, I ran to the book of Job.  If ever anyone faced trials, he certainly did!  Surely I can learn from his example.  And I did.

The following four truths helped me during that time, and continue to guide me when a trial comes into my life.

1.  Trust.  “Though He slay me, yet will I trust in Him…” ~Job 13:15  God is good, faithful, loving, and just.  Whatever comes into my life is for His glory and my good.  If my fears cause me to doubt, I should go to God’s Word and claim the promises I need for that moment.  I can pray that promise to God, “reminding” Him of what He has said He will do.

2.  Praise.  “…the Lord gave, and the Lord hath taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord.” ~Job 1:21  Circumstances change, but God does not.  He is always worthy of our praise.  Focusing on God and His character will help me take my eyes off of my problems and turn my thoughts toward Him.  Unbelievers won’t understand how we can praise God in the middle of hard times, and our lives can be a testimony to our faith as we allow the Holy Spirit to work through us.

3.  Live Righteously.  “In all this, Job sinned not, nor charged God foolishly.” ~Job 1:22  Going through a trial doesn’t give me an excuse to sin.  In spite of all that Job lost, he continued to walk with God.  That same God can give me strength to walk through my trials while remaining faithful to God’s Word.

4.  Be grateful.  “What? Shall we receive good at the hand of God and shall we not receive evil?” ~Job 2:10  How many of God’s blessings have I taken for granted?  I am so very blessed, and no matter what trial I’m going through, I still have so many things for which to be thankful.

When I don’t acknowledge God’s hand at work in my trials, I act foolishly.  Notice the end of Job 1:22, which says that Job didn’t “charge God foolishly.”  And in Job 2:10, addressing his wife who has told him to “curse God and die,” Job says, “Thou speakest as one of the foolish women speaketh.”  My goal is to be a wise woman, not a foolish one!

I hope I’m learning to honor God in my trials.  During the trial that prompted this study of Job, my husband reminded me that this was all part of a bigger plan, to which I replied “I suppose.”  He corrected me – and rightly so.  Nothing takes God by surprise; He directs our every step.

Job came through his trial with a renewed appreciation for the God He worshiped.  He says in Job 42:1, “I know that Thou canst do every thing…”  In the same way, we can get a whole new vision of our amazing God as we yield to Him in our trials and allow Him to do His perfect work in us.

*Originally published March 6, 2017.

Related posts:
What Ruth Teaches Me About Trusting God
Not “Why Me,” But “Why Not Me?”
Living Grateful:  Making a Daily Choice to Give Thanks

Hello! We’ve hit the middle of March and while that means Spring is close at hand, it certainly hasn’t felt like it here this week! We’ve pulled out the warm jackets one more time before they’re put away for next winter.

Lately, I’ve been thinking about what it means to be successful. Maybe there are certain benchmarks you meet in a job or career that equal success. It could be earning a certain income or a specific job title. How about buying a new house or car or achieving a position of power or influence? Even just having lots of friends to hang out with could be an external thing we use to measure success.

But when we look at life through a spiritual lens, what does success really look like?

Here’s what I’ve come up with. Being successful is faithfully doing what God has set before us to do today.

That could be homeschooling children or running errands. Perhaps it’s working in an office or teaching in a classroom, taking care of an aging parent or ringing up customers’ purchases at the grocery store. Each one of us has specific things that we will do today.

Being successful isn’t about being noticed by others or getting rewarded for our effort…although that does happen sometimes. If we’re doing what God’s called us to do right now, and we’re doing it for His glory, then we’re successful.

In 1 Corinthians 4:2, we read, “Moreover it is required in stewards, that a man be found faithful.” As we manage all that God has entrusted us with – our homes, children, finances, time, skills, and abilities – our responsibility is to be faithful.

In the parable of the talents in Matthew 25, we find that the master applauds his servants who’ve invested their talents well by saying, “Well done, good and faithful servant.” The one who entrusted them with those talents is pleased because they were faithful with what they’d been given.

Note that each one of those servants was given different amounts to manage. God also gives each of us different things to oversee. But it’s not about who gets more…it’s about being faithful to manage what you do have well.

There’s nothing wrong with all the measurements of success I mentioned above. We can have goals and strive to reach them. We may end up with some really nice stuff or lots of recognition from other people.

But at the end of the day, let’s ask ourselves this question. “Have I been faithful to do what God gave me to do today?” If, by his grace, we can answer yes, we know that we’ve been successful in accomplishing what matters most.

Related posts:

• What Does It Mean to Walk with the Lord?
• 11 Different Ways to Study the Bible
• 8 Things That Will Matter When You’re 80

March is here, my friends! It’s the month when spring arrives, at least on the calendar. Our temperatures lately already feel like spring – and the pollen is out in full force.

Today we’re continuing to focus on prayer by looking at a prayer of praise we find in 1 Chronicles 29:10-19. I love this heartfelt prayer from David! If we want to learn to praise God as we pray, I think this prayer is a wonderful example to follow.

Since this is a long passage, I’m going to just put each section of verses under the respective point rather than add it here at the top of the post. Let’s examine this prayer to find five things that show us how to offer prayers of praise to God.

1. Praise God for who He is.

 Wherefore David blessed the Lord before all the congregation: and David said, Blessed be thou, Lord God of Israel our father, forever and ever.

Thine, O Lord is the greatness, and the power, and the glory, and the victory, and the majesty: for all that is in the heaven and in the earth is thine; thine is the kingdom, O Lord, and thou art exalted as head above all. [Verses 10-11]

God is so far above us. He is holy, all-powerful, full of glory and majesty, creator of Heaven and earth, and Lord of all. And that’s just the beginning!

Write out a list of God’s attributes that you can praise him for. To get you started, you can find five of God’s names here and use them in your praise. You can also check out these ten simple verses from Psalms to inspire your praise life.

2. Praise God for what he does.

Both riches and honor come of thee, and thou reignest over all; and in thine hand is power and might; and in thine hand it is to make great, and to give strength unto all.

Now therefore, our God, we thank thee, and praise thy glorious name. [Verses 12-13]

God is in control of all that happens in our lives. Every situation is allowed and orchestrated by him. Whether now in the present or when looking back at the past, we can see his hand at work in our lives.

How often have we been kept safe or recovered from an illness or come through a trial to joy on the other side? God does so much in our lives – including answering prayer – that we can praise him for.

3. Let God know that you recognize that all you have comes from him.

But who am I, and what is my people, that we should be able to offer so willingly after this sort? for all things come of thee, and of thine own have we given thee.

For we are strangers before thee, and sojourners, as were all our fathers: our days on the earth are as a shadow, and there is none abiding.

O Lord our God, all this store that we have prepared to build thee an house for thine holy name cometh of thine hand, and is all thine own. [Verses 14-16]

David realized how blessed he was. He knew there was nothing in him or his people that caused them to deserve all the blessings that they had received. David clearly recognized that everything they had came from God.

Stewardship involves using what God has entrusted us with to bring him glory. That includes our time, abilities, and money. Here King David and his people willingly brought some of their material blessings and gave them to God.

Recognizing that everything comes from God leads us to gratitude. And grateful people who want to steward their blessings well become generous people.

4. Examine your spiritual condition.

I know also, my God, that thou triest the heart, and hast pleasure in uprightness. As for me, in the uprightness of mine heart I have willingly offered all these things: and now have I seen with joy thy people, which are present here, to offer willingly unto thee. [Verse 17]

David knows that God wants praise from a heart that is seeking to honor and please him. David declares that his offerings to God are from an honest, sincere, and willing heart.

As we come before God in praise and worship, let’s make sure that we’ve dealt with any known sin in our lives. Let’s ask God to reveal to us those things that would keep us out of fellowship with Him so that we can praise Him from a pure heart.

5. Ask God to continually give you a heart full of praise and to bless those you love.

O Lord God of Abraham, Isaac, and of Israel, our fathers, keep this forever in the imagination of the thoughts of the heart of thy people, and prepare their heart unto thee:

And give unto Solomon my son a perfect heart, to keep thy commandments, thy testimonies, and thy statutes, and to do all these things, and to build the palace, for the which I have made provision. [Verses 18-19]

David wants his people to continually remember this time of praise and worship. And he closes his prayer by asking God to guide his son, Solomon, into following him.

As we close out our own prayer of praise, let’s ask God to bless our families with a rich heritage of keeping God’s commands and living out His plans for their lives.

I hope we make it a habit to praise God as we go to prayer. Often our minds are full of requests for His help and guidance. But let’s take time to praise God as we seek His face.

If you’d like to know more about using the Bible in your prayer life, check out my printable prayer guide on How to Pray the Bible for Yourself and Your Family.

Related posts:

• 3 Women in the Bible Teach Us How to Praise God
• How to Make Our Words and Thoughts Pleasing to God
• What Does It Really Mean to Rejoice in the Lord?

Hello, friends! It’s hard to believe I’m coming to you on the last Wednesday of this month! Spring will be here before we know it.

Recently, we’ve been talking about prayer here on the blog. In last week’s post, we looked at 5 Simple Truths About Prayer from The Lord’s Prayer. Today we’re going to dig into a prayer from the Old Testament.

We find a prayer of King Hezekiah recorded in 2 Kings 19. Just a little background…Hezekiah and the people at Jerusalem are preparing for an attack from the Assyrian army. Before the battle can commence, the Assyrian army has to leave the area to deal with another enemy. However, Rabshakeh, their spokesperson, sends a letter to Hezekiah, basically saying don’t think this is over! I’ll be back and no god will be able to save you from being defeated by the Assyrians.

Here’s Hezekiah’s reaction to this message.

And Hezekiah received the letter of the hand of the messengers, and read it: and Hezekiah went up into the house of the Lord, and spread it before the Lord.

And Hezekiah prayed before the Lord, and said, O Lord God of Israel, which dwellest between the cherubims, thou art the God, even thou alone, of all the kingdoms of the earth; thou hast made heaven and earth.

Lord, bow down thine ear, and hear: open, Lord, thine eyes, and see: and hear the words of Sennacherib, which hath sent him to reproach the living God. Of a truth, Lord, the kings of Assyria have destroyed the nations and their lands, And have cast their gods into the fire: for they were no gods, but the work of men’s hands, wood and stone: therefore they have destroyed them.

Now therefore, O Lord our God, I beseech thee, save thou us out of his hand, that all the kingdoms of the earth may know that thou art the Lord God, even thou only. ~2 Kings 19:14-19

As far as I know, none of us are under an actual physical attack from an army! However, we’re each likely facing some other type of trouble. It could be a financial shortage, a relationship that’s falling apart, a health crisis, a spiritual struggle, or a long list of other trials.

In Hezekiah’s prayer, we see five keys to praying during a time of trouble.

1. Tell God exactly what the problem is.

I love verse 14! Hezekiah took the letter and actually spread it out before the Lord.

Whatever our trouble is, we can take it to God in prayer. We can talk to Him specifically about our needs.

2. Recite God’s greatness.

Hezekiah begins his prayer by praising God. He says that God is God alone, over all kingdoms. He is the maker of Heaven and earth.

As we state truths about God, it helps us put our current trouble in perspective. We have a God capable of handling anything we face.

3. Ask God to hear your prayer and see your need.

God already knew about the threat Jerusalem was facing from the Assyrians. But Hezekiah still asked God to hear his prayer and to notice the predicament he was in.

God knows all about your problem, too. But go to God in prayer and ask Him to hear you. Pray for His attention to be drawn to your distress.

4. Believe that God will intervene on your behalf.

Hezekiah knows that the threat is real – Assyrians have totally destroyed other countries. He says, “Of a truth, Lord, the kings of Assyria have destroyed the nations and their lands…” But He also knows that the gods of those countries weren’t able to save those people because they weren’t real gods.

Without God, there was a very real possibility that Jerusalem would fall to the Assyrians. And without God helping us, our trouble seems overwhelming. Yet when we go to God in prayer, we can trust Him to help us deal with our problems.

5. Pray for God to receive the glory through how He answers your prayer.

The prayer ends with Hezekiah’s desire for God to get the glory. As God saves Jerusalem from Assyria’s army, Hezekiah wants all kingdoms of the earth to recognize that God is God alone.

However God chooses to deliver you from trouble, seek to give Him the glory.

And in case you don’t know how this story involving Hezekiah ends, here’s 2 Kings 19:35.

“And it came to pass that night, that the angel of the Lord went out, and smote in the camp of the Assyrians an hundred fourscore and five thousand: and when they arose early in the morning, behold, they were all dead corpses.“

May we each see God work in a mighty way as we pray to Him in our times of trouble.

Related posts:

• A Prayer for When You’re Feeling Overwhelmed
• How to Find Comfort in Praying the Names of God
• 7 Things a Wise Woman Can Pray For

Hello! I hope today finds you doing well! After a very soggy weekend, we’ve had a couple of beautiful February days here. I’ve also been enjoying the sunrise coming a bit earlier and those few more minutes of daylight in the evening.

Lately, I’ve been thinking a lot about prayer. During my morning Bible time, I’m re-reading Jodie Berndt’s book Praying the Scriptures for Your Adult Children. (Amazon affiliate link) I’ve also been working on my own project related to prayer and I’ll be sharing more about that soon.

When we think of memorable prayers in the Bible, one of the top ones is surely The Lord’s Prayer. While we call it The Lord’s Prayer, I realize that it’s actually a model prayer for Jesus’ disciples to pray. The verses below are part of what is known as the Sermon on the Mount.

After this manner, therefore, pray ye: Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name.

Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread.

And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil:

For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, forever. Amen. ~Matthew 6:9-13

Let’s look at five simple truths about prayer found in this well-known passage.

1. Because we pray to an almighty God, anything can happen in response to our prayers.

God is not limited in how he answers our prayers. He is our Heavenly Father who loves us.

Jeremiah 32:17 says, “Ah Lord GOD! behold, thou hast made the heaven and the earth by thy great power and stretched out arm, and there is nothing too hard for thee:”

As you bring your requests to a holy God, consider how great and all-powerful He is.

2. Praying for God’s will to be done is more important than praying for my will.

He sees and understands what I cannot. I think I know what’s best for me or for someone I love, but I may not. Just as God’s will is unfailingly accomplished in Heaven, so we want His will to be accomplished here on earth.

3. God wants to meet our needs.

This instructional prayer from Jesus includes one of our most basic needs – bread. Our physical needs are important to God, and He wants us to bring them to him.

Just a few verses later, Jesus talks about God’s care for the birds of the air and the lilies of the field. As surely as He feeds and clothes them, so He will take care of us.

4. Forgiveness matters.

Isn’t it interesting that our being forgiven is tied to our forgiving others? That tells me that forgiveness matters to God.

How can we expect Him to forgive us if we’re harboring bitterness or holding a grudge against another person? Let’s ask God to reveal any unforgiveness in our hearts so that we can come to him fully expecting to be forgiven of our trespasses.

5. We should pray about our own spiritual condition.

This model prayer includes the request to be kept from temptation and delivered from evil. Don’t we all need that prayer daily? Whether it’s our own sinful nature that’s tempting us or the devil himself, we want to be aware of what’s going on so we can run from it.

There’s so much about prayer in the Bible. We have the Psalms, where David pours out his heart to God. There’s Hannah’s prayer for a son, Hezekiah’s prayer for deliverance from the Assyrians, and of course, Jesus’ prayer in John 17. In the coming weeks, we’ll look at more of these prayers as we seek to learn and grow in our personal prayer lives.

Related posts:

• What Hannah Teaches Me About Prayer
• 5 Bible Verses to Encourage You in Your Prayer Life
• 10 Prayers to Pray for Your Daughter