Sometimes God Says No

Someone posted this question on Twitter: Do you get mad when God doesn’t answer your prayers?

I have a problem with the question.

It seems to me that the question assumes that God is always supposed to give me what I want. That doesn’t seem very loving.
What kind of parent would I be if whenever my grandson told me he wanted chocolate chip cookies for dinner I always said go ahead, eat the whole bag? No, because I love him I provide him with nutritious meals that include protein, vegetables, and fruit—most of the time anyway.

When Jesus taught the disciples about prayer he told them this story: 9 “Which of you, if your son asks for bread, will give him a stone? 10 Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake? 11 If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him! (Matthew 7:9-11, NIV)”

Could it be that this is where the misunderstanding comes from? We hear Jesus say that God is the best father, he won’t trick us. No, he will always give “good gifts” to those that ask him. And we presume that those gifts are the goodies that we want, not necessarily the “good things” that we need. I think we would do better to hold up Romans 8:28 alongside this if we want a truer picture of God’s provision.

I think we make a similar type of mistake when we read Psalm 37:4: “Take delight in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart.” At face value, this verse seems to promise that God will give me the things I desire. Over time I have come to believe that verse is promising something much different than my wishes for a nicer house, car, or even weight loss. When we delight ourselves with God, he becomes the desire of our heart and he is abundantly willing to give more of himself to us. When my focus is on him, then he can place in my heart the things that I need to be pursuing, desiring.

I just don’t think God is sitting on his heavenly throne waiting to dote on us like spoiled grandchildren. I believe that sometimes God answers our prayers with a resounding and emphatic, “No.” I also think that sometimes he tells us, “Not yet, trust me.” But when it’s right and in line with his plan, then the answer is, “Yes.”

I was visiting my mom in Arizona and we were going through a little tourist trap buying gifts for family and friends. I saw a tea towel that had this saying printed on it: God always answers our prayers. Sometimes his answer is yes, other times it’s no, and occasionally not yet. But there are times when God looks down at us and responds to our prayers with, “You’ve got to be kidding me!” It was kind of like the cap above, but a little more feminine. It made me laugh, but it also made me think about some of the crazy things I’ve prayed for. The first thing that comes to mind was when our younger daughter had a sledding accident and severely broke her wrist. As I ran be with her, I prayed: “Please God, don’t let it be her left wrist (she’s left handed).” I stopped in my tracks as I realized the absurdity of the prayer. As if God was going to say, “Oh no, I broke the wrong one,” and switch the break to the other arm.

What I learned that day is that my heart and my head were on two different planes. All I really wanted was for my daughter to be safe, to be okay, and I lifted her situation to the only one who could truly get her through it. Thankfully, I believe the Spirit was my perfect translator. While her it was her left wrist that was broken, her time of need gave us a little extra time to bond. She had been struggling with independence and not needing Mom to be sticking her nose in all her business. The broken wrist meant she needed me again. I didn’t see that one coming, but God knew.

No matter how God chooses to answer my prayers, I totally believe that he who knows me best and loves me most will always give me exactly what I need. It may mean that I have to adapt my prayers to follow Jesus example in Gethsemene: this is what I want God, but nevertheless, your will be done. How could I ever get mad at that?

Wondering and Wandering: A Prayer for New Seeing

“Lord, the calendar calls for Christmas. We have traveled this way before. During this Advent season we would see what we have never seen before, accept what we have refused to think, and hear what we need to understand. Be with us in our goings that we may meet you in you coming. Astonish us until we sing “Glory!” and then enable us to live it out with love and peace. In the name of your Incarnate Word, even Jesus Christ. Amen. From The Unsettling Season by Donald J. Shelby

The world we live in refuses to be seen with old eyes, in olden ways. What once might have brought comfort, pales before the high speed gods and goddesses of this age.

The RHWC (red-haired wonder child) and I spent a lot of time cuddling this weekend. I think he was getting sick and I need to hold onto him. He is 6yrs old and turning 7 in a little over a month. Everytime I thought about one of those kids in CT, I wept. I have three grandchildren who just turned 7 or will turn 7 next month. They may be onery, and frustrate their mommies, but they are innocent and I cannot fathom anyone thinking they would need to die.

In addition to hugging, the RHWC and I had a conversation about God. He has only recently begun to be open to matters of faith. Before we started attending our current “turch” (that’s how he pronounces it), he pretty much refused to go. This was very disconcerting to us. We are people of faith and we have prayed long, hard, and often for our children, grandchildren–our families in general. The RHWC turned a corner when he started to develop friends at our “new” church.
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On Saturday evening, we were cutting out paper snowflakes, and the RHWC asked, “Mema, don’t you think it’s weird to believe in God? I mean how can we believe in something or someone we can’t see?” “Oh buddy,” I thought to myself, “that is the million dollar question.” So after a brief discussion of faith, he weary of waxing theologically, and decided to watch some TV instead. The yellow theologian, Spongebob, I believe…

So it has been a week. I’ve been fighting illness and fatigue…please excuse my absense. I did call the doctor’s office, but there must be a lot of sickness going around, because I still haven’t heard back.

I love the prayer we started this post with. It’s one I could easily say everyday. I pray that what astonishes you is the goodness and grace of God and not the seemingly overwhelming power of evil. I pray that not even illness, evil, or fatigue will keep you from seeing his wonder, or finding him in all your comings and goings. Amen.

Wondering and Wandering: Sad

I am the hugest of optimists. I can find the positive in just about any situation. I am naive. I am hopeful. I find good in people. It’s who I am. It’s how I roll. Typically.

But today I’m struggling. Today I’m weighted down with a sadness that is heavy and hurt-full. I mourn with those who mourn. I weep with those who weep. And I pray with those who pray, adding my loud amen to all the prayers for comfort.

Tomorrow morning our choir is going to be singing this song. It just seems to fit today.

Wondering and Wandering: Filling the Moments

A Prayer:
Father God,
Why is it that I think I must get somewhere, assume some position, by gathered together, or separated apart in the quiet of my study to pray?
Why is it that I feel that I have to go somewhere or do some particular act to find you, reach you, and talk with you?
Your presence is here
In the city–on the busy bus, in the factory, in the cockpit of the airplane; in the hopital–in the patients’ rooms, in the intensive care unit, in the waiting room; in the home–at dinner, in the bedroom, in the family room, at my workbench; in the car–in the parking lot, at the stoplight.
Lord, reveal your presence to me everywhere, and help me become aware of your presence each moment of the day.
May your presence fill the nonanswers, empty glances, and lonely times of my life. Amen From A Thirty-Day Experiment in Prayerby Robert Wood.

I will confess, I enjoy Pintrest. I don’t have a personal Facebook page, can’t–long story. So, I enjoy Pinterest. One of my boards is Sacred Spaces and Places. Some places just feel “fuller” with spirituality for me. I guess that’s why the words to “How Great Thou Art” get to me:

Oh,Lord my God! When I in awesome wonder
Consider all the works thy hand hath made,
I see the stars, I hear the mighty thunder,
Thy power throughout the universe displayed;

Refrain:
Then sings my soul, my Saviour God, to Thee,
How great Thou art, how great Thou art!
Then sings my soul, my Saviour God, to Thee,
How great Thou art, how great Thou art!

When through the woods and forest glades I wander
and hear the birds sing sweetly in the trees;
when I look down from lofty mountain grandeur,
and hear the brook, and feel he gentle breeze;

Refrain

And when I think that God his son not sparing,
Sent him to die – I scarce can take it in,
That on the cross my burden gladly bearing,
He bled and died to take away my sin:

Refrain

When Christ shall come with shout of acclamation
And take me home- what joy shall fill my heart!
Then I shall bow in humble adoration
And there proclaim, my God, how great thou art!

Then sings my soul, my Saviour God, to Thee,
How great Thou art, how great Thou art!
Then sings my soul, my Saviour God, to Thee,
How great Thou art, how great Thou art!

If you want to listen to it, try this I sat and listened several renditions of this favored hymn. I especially liked this one for it’s simplicity. The cello also touched a spot in me.

Last Friday the hubster and I were blessed to be able to spend the day together. We drove south to a little town that has a furniture store that advertises on Craigslist. The drive took us on rolling, tiny country roads that warned us often to be alert for Amish buggies. It was a gray day, but that just seemed to add to the coziness of being together. The store was nice and we oohed and ahhhed over pieces we would love someday to have. On the ride home we took a different, but equally bendy and tiny road. It was such a special time together. On the way down we practiced the song we’re singing as a duet on Christmas eve. Then on home we chatted and commented on the different houses we noticed on the way home. Houses tucked in the woods. Log homes. Big inviting farm houses.

Way back when we were dating we would drive in the country and do the same thing. Then, though, there was this thinking that we “needed” to be in one of those kinds of homes to be happy. Now, nearly thirty-four years later we know, we could live in a tent and be happy together. We’ve walked through dark days together and know with clear certainty that it’s not the place, it’s the relationship that means so much.

How can it be any less with God? Sure, I my soul will be stirred by the beauty of a place–but I don’t have to go anywhere to find my God, my Savior, my Eternal Friend. He fills every moment, every place, in my life–when and if I let him. I just want to get better and better at letting him.

Politically Naive and Prayerful

I’m not a highly political person. I tend to roll with the flow instead of swimming against the tide. I ride the wave, I don’t make them. I don’t share my opinions very often, because I’m not as savvy as those around me, and I’m not a big fan of conflict. But I do have a couple things I want to say now that this election is over.

First, I firmly believe that our system is horrendously flawed. The thing that grated on me the most as this election droned on was the endless impossible promises that were being made. No one can promise anything because as soon as they try to push for their platform and programs their efforts are thwarted by the other party who, responding like a spoiled three year old puts their own interests (read pride) ahead of their opponents. Civil servants. That’s what we need not self-centered, ego-driven, professional systematicians who completely lack civility and have no concept of what it means to be a servant.

And we are no better than they. I was scrolling through my tweets today and I began to unfollow people. I get it that someone might be disappointed that their candidate didn’t win, but to make statements like: freedom and democracy died yesterday does nothing but fuel the fires that are burning and destroying. Are we spoiled children who only know how to take our marbles and go home when we don’t get our way? Or are we adults who know how to work together for the common good? Why does it take tragedy and adversity to blur the political lines so we can work in unity? Why isn’t this modus operandi?

I finally came upon a few tweets that encouraged prayer for our nation, our leaders, and our president. As believers, shouldn’t that be what we are about? If there is one thing I heard, it is this: it is time to move forward. Moving forward doesn’t mean abandoning our values, but it does mean letting go of the thinking that we have to go back in time to something for things to be better. Let’s make things better now.

When I was a therapist working with children, I often used an illustration about making cookies. As anyone who knows me will attest to, I am not a cook, nor a baker. In my life I have burned more cookies than I can count. My cookies also tend to stick to the pan, resulting in more crumbs than cookies. I gave up crying about crumbly cookies long ago because I learned that cookie crumbs are valuable, too. Cookie crumbles go good on ice cream or in oatmeal. They are not something to be wasted, they are to be used and celebrated. Life offers us many opportunities to look for creative solutions and possibilities within situations. I can see oodles of applications of this to our situation today.

One of the things I have found to be critical in my life of faith and in my life as a responsible citizen, is personal accountability. This political climate and situation isn’t an ‘us vs. them’ problem. We all need to be accountable and responsible. We need to be sure that our horizontal relationship with God is right and then work for the same in our vertical relationships with one another. Freedom and democracy didn’t die, but I sure wish animosity would. I wish self-promotion would. Those are the things that are choking out what is good, and true, and Godly.

So how will we respond? Will we whine and put bumper stickers on our cars that inform others we didn’t vote for this leadership and we don’t intend to work with it either? If so, I’m pretty sure it will not be honoring to God or impactful on a world in desperate need of a Savior. Or will we choose to work towards unity? Will we speak up for those who have no voice? Will we endeavor in our words and our actions to do nothing that is not honoring to God? Will learn to agree to disagree without being disagreeable? Will we seek to move forward without beating others over the head with how things used to be and make something good and right out of what we have now?

The balloting may be over, but there are still plenty of choices to be made.

Thankfulities

I love making up words. I can’t help myself sometimes….

Anyway. I’ve read some posts that have been encouraging people to daily write about what they’re thankful for. I like this idea. I was impressed to even read that my older daughter is participating in this.

Realizing that I am already a day behind, I will consider two things for which I am thankful.

First, I am thankful for my dogs. We inherited our two from our youth pastor at our former church. At the time he thought he was going to be moving and starting work on his PhD. He felt it would be difficult enough to find a house for his growning famil to rent and suspected that he wouldn’t be able to take the dogs. His desire was that someone would adopt both dogs since they had been together since they were pups.

Here are the boys:
This is Lucky

And this is Spenser

And this is the boys taking me for a walk. <a href="” title=”Walking”>

I’m thankful that I found the split leash so that I can walk them together. I’m abundantly thankful that I found the no-pull harnesses. Before I had these two items, walking the dogs was next to impossible. Each time we walked I’m sure my arms grew a couple inches. They still pull me along, but that’s more because I’d rather stroll and they’re looking for an aerobic workout. I really love taking walks with them now–it’s good for both of us.

My second thankful thought belongs to my church.

Nelson and I have been attending here since July 2011. I am a member. It is such a blessing to me to see my husband involved again and digging deeper spiritually. We also take our grandson and he has been getting so much from his time there as well. Just the other night, he and I had a pretty lengthy conversation (keep in mind, he’s only 6) about baptism. Tonight and tomorrow Nelson and I will be attending a marriage seminar, too.

This is our senior pastor, Pastor Tom.

Our congregation would appreciate your prayers for our pastor. On Wednesday evening he was admitted to an area hospital with Dengue Fever and pneumonia. Thanks!

Prayer Patrol

As I began the year, I asked God to give me a word or theme that would be a guide for me as I journeyed through the days. The word that seemed to bubble up for me was prayer. Right on the heels of that I found and ended up teaching Will Davis, Jr.’s book, “Pray Big” at church. No sooner had I started that than I was asked to participate on a parachurch weekend team in the position of prayer. I like it when God makes things that plain.

This weekend is the time when I will be sequestered away and focused on prayer. I can barely describe how honored and humbled I feel to be given this opportunity. I have been part of the music ministry, given talks, and even been responsible for the spiritual direction of the weekend, but being asked to pray…wow.

During our last team meeting I was sharing with someone how blessed I feel to participate this way. I mean, when was the last time someone told you that all you had to do for the next three days is pray? Some might consider that boring or a daunting task. Not me.

Now the downside to this hit me last Sunday as I sat quietly in my pew at church preparing for the worship service to begin. I read over the list of prayer concerns within our congregation and was immediately aware of a heaviness in my heart. My eyes filled with tears as I realized that to really be engaged and involved in the ministry of prayer is be broken, broken and open to the needs and hurts of others and broken and open to the God of Heaven whose deepest desire is to meet those needs.

I have thought about that a lot this week. I have walked through the week with a new sensitivity and awareness. Prayers have been whispered immediately so as not to be forgotten. I gained a deeper connection with the way the Word describes how Jesus was moved with compassion as he looked out at the people of that day. Are you familiar with those passages? Two places in Matthew’s gospel, Matthew 9:36, and 14:14, describe how Jesus responded when he looked out over the crowd and saw their needs, both physical and spiritual. Later, in Luke 15, we find the story of the Prodigal Son, which could be called the Loving Father. In it we find that when the son finally comes to his senses and is walking home, practicing his apology along the way, he is swept off his feet by his father who deaf to the son’s words meets him “filled with compassion.”

I have often been put in the position of pray-er because of my former ministerial roles or my personality, spiritual and extrovert. It’s like being given the job of secretary in a group because you’re the only girl. I used to respond with a ready, “Have prayers will pray.” I never minded it, but I don’t think I really got the real deep meaning until recently. Being looked to as one who prays is an awesome responsibility.

I remember how this awareness came to a church I attended many years ago. Our beloved pastor was dying due to the ravages of cancer. It got to the place where the cure was worse than the disease and were put in the position of standing beside him as he finished his journey. Fortunately, our congregation had several retired or unassigned pastors, I was one, who were able to divide the responsibilities and make sure that there was no lapse in spiritual leadership. During this time, the prayer life of this congregation reached a new and deeper level, and the really amazing thing was how it went beyond the walls of our building. People in the community began to see how our lives and the life of the fellowship was being changed by prayer. We began to receive calls from people asking for prayer, people who had no ties to our body, but who were moved by the prayers of the people there.

I want to be that kind of person of prayer. I don’t want to be a “rent a pray-er” or someone who gets the job just because of a role or theological training. This broken feeling is heavy, but I don’t want to lose it–not because it makes me special, but because it forces me to go deeper in my relationship with God. There are moments when I just feel I can’t not pray. (Yes, I know that’s a double negative.) I’m praying as I walk through Walmart, at the bank, for the loud kid and frustrated parent at the Library. I pray for the car speeding by me that they will arrive safely and if they’re speeding because they’re trying to get to someone at a hospital (because no one should be in that big a hurry for any other reason…). I’m starting to see that anything and everything can be turned into prayer.

I feel ready for this weekend. That’s a little scary. I believe that there are going to be some tough spiritual battles this weekend. It won’t be a cakewalk. But the words spoken to Esther by her uncle have been ringing in my ears: you have been chosen for such a time as this.

Have you ever wondered what you have been chosen for? What will God accomplish through you this weekend? Do you believe that he wants to be that intentional in your life? Will you be open to it?

Job 37:14

In a few weeks I will participating in a parachurch weekend (similar to Walk to Emmaus).  It is such a blessing to serve on the team.  Sometimes I wonder who receives more team or participants.  But I don’t worry too much, I just soak it all in. 

Our theme for the upcoming weekend is Job 37:14.  I have been working on something that I want to offer for palanka.  I thought I’d share it here because the truth applies to wherever we are in our journey and whoever is right there with us.

Stop! It’s a word that I find myself often using with my grandson. Stop talking. Stop cutting. Stop. Stop. Stop. And the most frustrating thing about that is that if he would stop when I told him to, it would save him—and me—so much grief, or clean up, or apology. But even at just 6yrs of age, he thinks he knows more than me. To say that he’s willful barely touches the depths of his strong character. But what good is that kind of strength if there’s no willingness to trust one who is older, wiser, and more experienced?

Do you ever wonder if God ever feels that way with us?

 

Consider. Think about it. Marvel at it. Ponder it. Reflect on it. Look deeply. See what’s there. Take it apart. Touch it. Taste it. Ask questions about it. Desire to know it inside and out, upside and down. Imagine the infiniteness.

 

Do you think God ever wishes we would consider Him that way?

 

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The wonders of God.

The miracles of God.

The amazing things in creation.

The mind-boggling things we have no explanations for.

The delicate and fragile.

The strong and enduring.

Powerful natural moments bringing beauty and disaster.

Tragic accidents that result in devestating loss and incredible unity.

Feats of athleticism and artistic creativity.

Simple and complex.

Unfathomable and unexplanable.

Beginnings and endings.

Love. Joy. Peace. Grace.

Wonder-full gifts from wonder-full Father.

 

And here’s the most incredible thing of all. Since the beginning of time he has been working in the lives of thousands of people to prepare this weekend just for you. You are here by His design. You were meant to be here right now, with these people, in this place. And they were meant to be here with you. There will be no other perfect time for God to give you the gifts of grace like this moment.

 

Stop and consider that!

Balaam’s Ass

Text: Numbers 22

Just about every time that I’ve heard this story, the emphasis has been that if God can use a donkey to get his message across then certainly He can use “me” (the me being whoever was telling the story). But as I read the story today,I saw something very different. The focus seemed to shift from the cowering mule to the persistant angel.

Have you ever wondered what it takes for God to get through to us?  How many signals do we ignore? Or maybe a better question is why? What this account shows me, and so much of my life testifies to, is that God works in many ways, by many means, to get His message, His plan, across to me. The how of my missing may be more directly related to why. He is the hound of heaven, but I have become very good at tuning out the barking dog.

So I took some time to reflect on why I’ve been ignoring the barking dog.

I’m comfortable with the way things are.

I’m afraid.

I’m listening to something else.

I assume, or hope, the dog is barking for someone else.

I’ve come to accept the barking as just a part of life. Everybody has barking dogs, thy’re eveywhere, so what you going to do?

I am thankful as I have journey through this Lenten season that God has barked, spoken so clearly to me.  I started out the year thinking that I was going to focus on prayer.  While I have to a certain degree, it has been because my fear has driven me to it.  Having opportunity to teach a Suday School class where we discussed a book about pinpoint praying helped that focus as well. 

God hasn’t used a donkey to get through to me, unless you are considering my own metaphorical stubbornness.  He has however gotten my attention through some unusual things.  I heard him whisper that I had been worrying too much as I stepped on the scales every morning and saw the frustrating results of my emotional eating.  He answered my prayer about writing with a scholarship to  the Blue Ridge Mountains Christian Writers Conference and then to me that it is time to stop dreaming and start doing.  For so long I have been praying about a particular issue that my husband has been struggling with for years and this past week during spiritual enrichment services the Spirit broke through.  And I felt God’s smile envelop me and assure me that he has heard my heart’s cry and not to worry because he’s been working in ways I cannot see because he loves my husband more than me.  I let him know that I’m okay with that.

I wish I could stay right here in this spiritual place, feeling encouraged and provided for.  I’d happily just pitch my tent and sit.  I hear him so well here.  But that thinking didn’t work for the disciples when they wanted to stay on the mountain.  So  I guess I’ll travel on, but I’m going to be listening harder.  No donkey’s going to have to get my message from God.

We’re Still in Lent….I’m still journeying

Have been thinking a lot about fear these past few days. Have been feeling it, too. Not liking it very much conceptually or emotionally.

I broke down and tried to tell a friend about it. We were having our weekly Bible study (currently we’re translating and studying the Gospel of Mark). Before we dive into the text, we spend some time catching up and sharing what’s been happening in our lives. She asked me if I had been doing any writing and I had to confess that I had been too frozen by fear to be creative at all. She didn’t get it. I don’t blame her, neither do I.

I am facing a day in the very near future when I will bring to a close a very shame-filled part of my life. March 26^th should be a time of celebration, but I am afraid that some kind of hiccup in the system is going to happen and instead of an end I will just experience a never-ending dark hanging over my life. My fear isn’t completely unfounded for in the middle of this “sentence” there was legislation that temporarily snatched away the hope of an end. It was a very dark time for me. I found that living without hope of end of pain, emotional in my case, is difficult to say the least.

My friend went on to ask me how my faith was impacting this fear. Her question implied that if I had faith then I wouldn’t have fear. I wish it were that simple. Perhaps the problem is that for me, it’s not just about fear–it’s really about control. Who’s really in control of my life and can I trust the one who is in control to do a better job of managing my life than I can? What if He takes me to a place that is overwhelmingly difficult? Why can’t I have some of the ease that others get?

Thinking this way took me on a journey through scriptures that should bring me comfort and contentment. There is the verse that is often quoted from Jeremiah, that God has plans for, plans that involve hope and a future, is generally taken out of context. If you read the entire chapter, you find that God has put his people in a very dangerous exile and told them to get comfortable. Job, asks a question that echoes what these folks must have been feeling and fearing: shall we take the good and not the bad? Life must have looked better to the one to whom the Psalmist wrote Psalm 37. He or she seemed to be in a difficult place and when they looked around them people who were living rough and faithless lives seemed to be prospering. It didn’t seem fair.

Ok. Everything written up to this point is from yesterday and before. What a difference a day makes. Or at least, what a difference a sermon can make. I had one of those moments this morning when I was almost positive that my pastor had been reading my emails, blogs, or mind this week. His message was straight from God’s heart to mine. (And I told him so, too.)

The title of the message was “Victory and Deliverence.” He used Acts 12:1-11 as his text. It was one of his more powerful and spirited sermons. Or maybe it just seemed that way, since it felt like he was sharing it just with me. I was most affected by the first half, the part about victory. He shared that he had a thought, one that didn’t come from his many books and it impacted his preparation. “Victory doesn‘t require winning.” He spoke about trusting God and not being concerned about the outcome. The pump was primed for me during the offertory, of all things. The pianist played a beautiful arrangement of “Because He Lives.” As I listened to the music, I was totally captured by the phrase: “Because He lives, I can face tomorrow. Because He lives, all fear is gone.” Looking at the pieces individually may not have the same impact for you, but it just about knocked me over.

Pastor didn’t know about my nagging fear. He knows March 26 is coming for me, but he had no idea how I had been struggling. The pianist has no clue about my fear or the importance of March 26 for me. Yet both she and the pastor, in obedience to God shared exactly what I needed to hear to get me through this trying time.

Tuesday, the 27^th, may not be any different than the day before. Some emergency law may go into effect that in effect snatches away my intensely anticipated and longed for freedom, but I know I’ll be okay.

To seal the deal for me, one of the major points in this morning’s Sunday School lesson (which the co-teacher taught today, not me) was that we need to have a “so be it” attitude (think Mary speaking to the angel about being God’s handmaden, or Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemene) in our relationship with God, especially as it pertains to our prayer life.

I no more know what the 26^th or 27^th will hold any more than I know what’s going to happen in the next minute, hour, or day. What I do know is that I know who’s I am. I know that whatever the plan is, wherever the path leads, I can trust the maker of path and plan to have what’s best for me–even when I can’t see it or don’t understand. I have already been delivered from the worst and am a victor through Christ. And really, what more do I need? I can’t think of anything.

Funny. I don’t feel afraid anymore. And the only thing that’s changed is me.