If you remain in me…
I have mentioned that I have been working on intentional prayer. Although I have shared in previous blogs that I am in the midst of a season of abundance, I am, like many of us, in the midst of spiritual battles as well. I don’t think that, as believers, we are ever free from a constant pull to move away from God. The enemy does not want us to draw nearer to God, instead he wants to pepper us with lies and doubts so that we turn away from God and dwell in darkness. Some days are easier than others. Yesterday was not one of my easy days. I recognized an anger below the surface that I could not trace its origins. I felt, well, off. So as I went to bed last night, I ended the day in intentional prayer that my anger be removed and that I would have the scales removed from my eyes and my ears opened to God’s truth and nothing else. Then, I woke up this morning in intentional prayer again. The first affirmation today was a shared memory via text associated with a verse, “If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you” (John 15:17, NIV). Then, I heard a song that reminding me to not be afraid and that “This is for my Glory”-I need to “choose to listen and believe.”
When we remain in the God’s word, there is nothing that will defeat us. What an absolute blessing that even in the darkest of days all we need to do is listen and believe in God’s word. That is the inexplicable peace that non believers see in us in the midst of trials, in the midst of loss. We still have hope, we still have peace because we trust in God even if it seems beyond our understanding in the moment. I have walked through this more times than I can count and each time as I look back I am thankful for unanswered prayers, I am thankful that my limited hopes and dreams did not minimize the plans God had for me.
I had this same conversation with a dear friend today. She said she and her husband sat in prayer and thankful for unanswered prayers. They would not be where they are or with all the amazing blessing in their life if their prayers of limited expectations had been answered. That is where trust in God, although difficult in the moment, is so essential for us to receive our true blessings. I have heard similar stories from so many others. I had similar prayers as Rob and I struggled to get pregnant, little did I know that in God’s time, we would be blessed with the two most amazing miracles which far surpassed anything I every prayed for. The perfect blessing in the perfect time-God’s time. And my final affirmation of the day? One of those miracles told me I am an amazing mom today- a teenager, can you believe it?
Today, I pray that each of you remain in God and in His words-He will not abandon you and He will answer your prayers, more than you could have ever imagined.
I pray these words speak to you and that you share with a friend. Don’t miss a blog post, subscribe to my web page.
