ANSWERED PRAYER!

No prayer is too small or insignificant to be heard and answered by God.

Some are answered immediately.

Sometimes we must wait. 

Others are not quite the answer we had sought.

There's an answered prayer here. Look closely!*

It's only significant to me. Hubby knew so he searched. He found it yesterday. It was after I accepted the loss. Acceptance. Then Gad answered  It was like a "trust" lesson.

Call unto me and I will answer thee and shew thee great and might things which thou knowest not. (Jeremiah 33:3, KJV)

When our prayers align with God's will (Thy will be done.) and purpose He always answers for our good and His glory. 

*Look carefully in the top right rectangle & it's in the lower left corner of that rectangle.

WIRED!

How are you wired? Are you wired for God's purpose specifically "Younique" to you? How will you know?

God's Word reminds us that we are fearfully and wonderfully made.....that He knows the plans He has for us and He will guide our steps. That's how He designed us for the purpose He has called  us to as His children. 

Call unto Him and he will answer and show you the great & mighty ways He has wired you!

JEOPARDY!

Friend Jerrie's gift, a Jeopardy! 2016 Calendar, has become a fun part of "our" (hubby plays too) morning routine. Just like when we know the answers during the TV show, it brings a bit of excitement to the day---not to mention competitive fun! What a thoughtful gift.

In Jeopardy! TV series, there is a risk everytime you "ring" in and there is always "double trouble," a hubby term, when you choose the "daily double" square, and have to decide if your confidence in the category allows you to make it a "true daily double." Risking everything ($$$) you have accumulated so far. Is the risk worth the loss? The final outcome could be on the line!

The answers on the calendar version, as always, are in the form of a question but how easy it is to just turn the page over when you are stumped. And you don't risk loss of anything---unless losing face with your spouse counts.

There written out in large bold print and "all caps" is what you need to know. You can't miss it. 

Answer given. Problem solved.

Don't we all wish our life questions were that easy to figure out! Those that really stump us. The "whys" we don't understand. The "what ifs" when we are trying to make the best decision. 

For me, there are so many parts of life that I don't have an answer for---but God reminds me, to call unto Him. (Jeremiah 33:3) He is the answer. 

I don't risk anything when asking. (James 1:5) 

There is no JEOPARDY!-type consequence when asking, (Romans 8:1) just forgiveness and wisdom.

Wisdom freely given by the ONE who is the answer.

I might not know the answer but I know the One who is the answer. 

"ON HOLD"

FRUSTRATION!!

Please hold!!......Please continue to hold!!!
The phone feels glued to my ear. My shoulder aches from holding it up.
Next option---speaker phone. The "hold" continues! Phone is carried from room to room!

"Your call is very important to us." Yeah---right!!

The worst offenders are Comcast, Insurance and Government Agencies!

3 hrs on this one---just had pic taken at 2 hr point. Multiple calls occurred because so many came in while on hold. With 3 hours "holding", one can expect that.

How grateful I am that the Lord NEVER puts me on hold!
I can "call unto Him and He will answer me."  (anytime night or day)
(2 Samuel 2:24)  (Psalm 17:6) (Psalm 50:15) (Psalm 120:1) (Isaiah 58:9) (Jeremiah 33:3)

Plan A to Plan B to Plan C and so on...

11/8/10 I would say I’m already to Plan S this month but last week even that

"plan" didn’t work. My new “hold on to your mind” plan seemed to be a “bust.” In the night, every time I would awaken, I’d remind myself, 3 Ss---don’t forget. Swimsuit. Sympathy card. Salad dressing. Half way down the street, headed to work----Oh no, I forgot my swimsuit with the sympathy card right on top of it. Turnaround required. Arrived at work at 5:35 am and all was good “til I went to put away my lunch goodies and I don’t even have the salad dressing. So much for Plan S.

I do know the basics of the best plan for my memory struggle. I need to D.A.N.C.E. through it. However, the steps for this dance seem somewhat complicated, especially when I feel silly asking for inane things like recovering lost/misplaced items (though I did find the black bathing suit)

Regardless of how I “feel” I need to continue to call out to Him. That’s His plan for me. You probably need that as well. Therefore, think on these verses today.

Then shall ye call upon me, and ye shall go and pray unto me, and I will hearken unto you. (Jeremiah 29:12)

Call unto me, and I will answer thee, and show thee great and mighty things, which thou knowest not. (Jeremiah 33:3)

FORGET IT!!!

7/29/10 I do. Lately I seem to forget lots--- especially if numbers are involved. This morning, I couldn’t even remember daughter, Molly’s phone # and it’s one of my “MFC.” (most frequently called) If I am dialing a number and get the prefix wrong it tends to start a brain storm of sorts and it only worsens as I try harder to recall the #. I seem to have a few mental blocks as well and confuse HHS # and Drenda’s # on a regular basis. I won’t even add passwords and pin numbers to the mix because they are impossible---6-8 characters are always required now and have to have letters as well as numbers.

At work old ones have to be changed on a regular basis for sake of security. Trust me, a hacker could get in to my account easier than I. Even when I have it written down I have to remember where I wrote it and where I stored that info----too many options for retrieval is maddening. I think my brain is encrypted and I need to break the code---or at least have a password that doesn’t require so many characters along with punctuation and other symbols. Instructions I’ve been given recommend using a password you can’t forget---“a strong mnemonic passphrase, easy to remember, without writing it down, but hard for others to guess.” Yea, right! I’d be the one having trouble guessing it.

So what’s with this forgetfulness.

Maybe I ought to quit trying to figure out what’s causing it and just learn to live with it. (Though hubby is the one who is really suffering---wearing himself out running interference and trying to give me clues. Sort of like “Charades” around here sometimes.)

“Crazy Ada’s” favorite words to rehash were, “Oh, just forget about it.” A conversation with her was like a stuck record---a “Groundhog Day” of sorts. But…….I’ve remembered them all these years. Now I plan to follow them----and "forget about forgetting," at least for now. Besides Jeremiah 33:3 is still in my memory bank, so I’ll just apply that.

Call to Me and I will answer you, and I will tell you great and mighty things, which you do not know.

I can forget everything else, but Him.

Check your Connections

3/4/10 Have you ever lost connections…….lost service when trying to Twitter……lost a Skype connection in a thunderstorm….lost a signal when texting on your iPhone or mapquesting on your iPod Touch…..lost e-mails on your computer when the server went down…..or lost documents when your hard drive crashed?

The first rule of thumb is to always check your connections. Nowadays some of those connections are no longer tangible like a plug in a socket or a USB port. Reestablishing a connection can be a hassle. Teenagers who are disconnected, even momentarily, often act as if it’s the end of the world.

Mankind is driven to connect. It’s our way of filling that empty space in our lives. Blaise Pascal (1623-1662) called it a ”God shaped vacuum in the heart of every man which cannot be filled by any created thing, but only by God....”

Are you trying to fill this void through “virtual” connections? Do you spend vast amounts of time “on-line” in some form or another or with your cell phone glued to your ear? Granted, interaction and dialogue can be attained in a nanosecond…..but these virtual connections can only go so far and can disconnect without warning. We can connect with the Lord just as quickly and that connection is always open as long as we keep a clean heart. Do you need to check your connections? Do you need to reconnect with God? No electronic attachments or cyber service needed. Connect with Him at anytime. How ‘bout today?

The LORD hears when I call to Him. (Psalm 4:3b)

Call unto me, and I will answer thee, and show thee great and mighty things, which thou knowest not. (Jeremiah 33:3)

ALPHA-BITS

11/22/09 This ABC emphasis was giving me fits and I was only on "A." But God….had my Batesville bud, Carolyn, e-mail me about a youngsters’ choir in Jackson, MS known as the Alpha-Bits. Ah-ha! That was it----I could recap all the A words that flooded my mind with just a little info, if some was pertinent, and still finish within a “reasonable” time frame. Plus, my readers, who really should be bloggers themselves, can offer input on those important words they might have included and give their reasons.

Disclaimer---I am somewhat of a nomenclator---I create my own terms---but blog readers already know that; i.e. decaDANCE, (misspelled according to grammarians but used by me to make a point) or Answerer (11/19 entry) as a way of personifying the noun. BTW, spell check doesn’t like nomenclator but I didn’t make that one up--- I’m sure it’s at least in an unabridged dictionary. Humor me. Maybe even share some of your own.

“Answerer” addition---Ann P., a student in one of the university classes that I taught in the 80s would write Jer. 33:3 at the top of each of her exam papers. Though I know it by memory now, I had to look it up at that time. “Call unto me and I will answer thee and show thee great and mighty things which thou knowest not.” (KJV) I wrote “in red” on her paper that I hope she at least did her part by studying her notes rather than relying on these weekly “answer” miracles. She indeed knew the Answerer. She accepted my joke and we built on that spiritual connection. She actually was a good student and we have kept in touch via others for several years. She even honored me by “placing” a brick in my honor at the “main” city of Memphis library.
Awesome—alluded to in praise chorus of first “A” blog
All in All---You’re my strength when I am weak. You’re the treasure that I seek. You’re my “all in all.”(Thanks Sam & Lo for partial lyrics from this Point of Grace song.)
Ephesians 1:23…the fullness of Him who fills all in all.
Alpha and Omega---omitted at this time because I’ll probably end with that one.
Anchor---The night before my first surgery my brother, whose daughter, Allyson, died in a car accident, called me to touch base and tearfully told me that he wished he had my faith. I reminded him that he did. He just had to hold on to it. It’s the only anchor that holds. I’ve never known pain like his but in the pain I have known, it’s been my faith that has anchored me. The "author and finisher" of that faith is Jesus. (Hebrews 12:2)

All of us know pain---it’s universal, whether physical, mental, spiritual or emotional. But not everyone has an anchor.
Even in times of my deepest emotional pain the Lord anchored me. He was my hope when the world seemed dark as if the very windows of my soul were tinted with a blackness.

We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure. (Hebrews 6:19)

Alpha Bits---sounds like a cereal that would be good for the soul if you considered one of the Lord's attributes each morning with your “cuppa” praise.

PRAYERFUL PLEA

8/26/09 Prayerful Plea is the request from one whose writings have blessed so many of us, Sarah Young.
During these past eight months of my MAC journey so many of you have told me that you are “on the same page.” It’s become our way of sharing the fact that we’re reading the devotional, Jesus Calling, every day. Many times we have joked that the daily entry was written just with us in mind. I don’t know what Jesus Calling said to you today, but this part _______ (fill in the blank yourself) was written just for me!! My part from the August 26 entry dealt with needing to detach from the disturbances around me and to quit striving for control.

Sarah Young is the author of our shared book and she is asking for folks to prayerfully plead on her behalf. Here’s an excerpt from an e-mail I received this week from Cindy Cole in response to questions about Sarah’s health.

Sarah Young . . .who is in Kansas City undergoing treatment for Lyme Disease . . .in a letter from Sarah dated August 5th, she said, “Stephen (her husband) has to leave Kansas City August 18th . . .a wonderful Christian family will take care of me after he leaves. Please pray for them and for me during this difficult time. My level of disability has increased markedly since I’ve been on IV antibiotics, especially the vertigo, weird brain sensations, and weakness. I’m scheduled to begin IV antibiotics again on Monday . . . I’ll need prayer that my liver will cope with the treatment this time . . . and that the treatment will be effective. My twelve weeks of treatment will end on October 15th or l6th, and I need to get strong enough to travel all the way back to Perth. This is not only a prayer request, it is a PRAYER PLEA. I have never felt so helpless in all my life!” Sarah began IV therapy on July 23rd . . . has a treatment every morning at 6:45am and another every afternoon. She said, “This is a grueling regimen . . . seven days a week for three months.” Steve and Sarah are missionaries in Australia.

As one of her faithful readers, I feel it is a privilege to go before the Throne of Grace on her behalf. I hope you’ll join me. A card of encouragement might be nice as well!!

Sarah Young
c/o Donna Mastalio
10804 W. 118th Terrace
Overland Park, Kansas 66210