Be joyful always; pray continually;
give thanks in all circumstances,
for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.
I Thessalonians 5:16-18 (NIV)
These are tall orders! Orders that I have to work at practicing. I am not always joyful. I do not always pray. Giving thanks in all things is something that I have to work at too! Billy Graham wrote in Hope for Each Day that “Pray without ceasing” (I Thess. 5:17) “should be the motto of ever true follower of Christ.” He tells a story of a woman that wrote to him and said she had been pleading with the Lord for 10 years for the conversion of her husband and yet the husband seemed more hardened than ever. Billy Graham urged her to continue praying. The woman wrote him some time later and said the husband “miraculously converted in the eleventh year of her prayer vigil.” I bet she is glad she didn’t stop praying!
I know in my prayer life I get caught up with not only wanting things done MY way, but I want them NOW. I believe the lesson the Lord wants me to take from Billy Graham’s writing is that He, the Lord, is in charge. He, the Lord, will decide what. He, the Lord, will decide when. He, the Lord, will decide how. My part in His plan is to pray without ceasing and let Him work things out in His perfect will and in His perfect time. He doesn’t need me to tell him when, where or how! 🙂
Lord, thank you for this reminder today. I know that I need to put this into practice and I know that with your help and gentle reminders I can do better in this aspect of my life. I know that I do not know the plans you have for those I love and I will try be patient, waiting on You, in Your perfect time to work things out. Please give me the gentle reminders when I fail to do this.
Some of you may have read my blog when I wrote about Jonathan, my co-workers 10 week old grandson. He is really going down very quickly and will probably not live much longer…please keep that family in your prayers.
Some of you may have read my blog when I wrote about Jonathan, my co-workers 10 week old grandson. He is really going down very quickly and will probably not live much longer…please keep that family in your prayers.
It is Monday and I have so much for which to be thankful. I start my new job officially on May 3rd, but am going two days this week and next week for training. I am excited; looking forward to a new challenge. So, I continue to add to my gratitude list. You can visit and join the gratitude community. Click the Multitude Monday button.
46. a new week.
47. a new job.
48. a work project completed.
49. prayer group friends.
50. cozy blankets.
51. trees that are blooming.
52. aging parents.
53. memories.
54. courage to try something new.
55. Sunday worship.
I would love for you to share some of your thoughts!
Hi. I'm here from holy experience. what a great lst. definitely courage is a blessing, as are aging parents. I'm so blessed they are both still here. and I see you're blessed by your parents too. and congrats on that new job! nice to meet you.
How wonderful to be thankful in all things! Your post is encouraging…thanks for sharing your heart with us! Oh how we must hold onto those precious truths…that we can pray at any time…and we must never give up! What a beautiful story of the lady who prayed for 11 years for her husband to be saved…wow!
Your item ~ memories…they are lovely, but the really good ones can bring me to tears! Where does the time go??
Blessings,
Camille
Hi Mary- thanks for your gracious comment on my wobbly castle cake! I'm very struck by your words today- at our local churches' prayer meeting this morning we were led very much to remember to be grateful. Wouldn't it be fabulous if all over this God globe the Spirit was inspiring words of gratitude. I like that thought! And all the Monday bloggers sending incense to heaven… I don't know how I made the logo smaller- I got tired of copying it from Holy Experience through the long cade, and saved the image into My Pictures. After that it became the little tag that I just upload when I browse from the file. Hope that makes some sense- I'm a bit of a troglodyte really!