Real Life - A Weekly Blog Devotional

My mom read the book Tales of the Kingdom as a bedtime story to my brother and me when I was young, and it quickly became a family favorite. Staring at the pictures, I often wished I could be in the story myself. I’ve read it over again several times as an adult, getting something new out of it every time. (Sorry Mom, you can’t have it back)

Written as a fairy tale, each chapter expresses a different Biblical truth and ends with a moral for the story. One of my favorite chapters is called “The Apprentice Juggler.”

The Apprentice Juggler wants nothing more than to join the troupe and perform on a regular basis at the Great Celebration. Unfortunately, he has a terrible secret he is afraid the Juggling Master will find out about. His inner count is different than the other jugglers, and he is terrified he will mess up the next performance. Doing everything in his power to hide the fact his rhythm is off, he works hard to suppress the count he hears inside of his head.

Eventually, he cannot suppress it any longer and during the performance he lets himself follow his own rhythm. He ends up delighting the audience as a clown and learns a clown is “the best juggler of all.” It is a rare talent to be both a juggler and a clown and the Juggling Master is thrilled.

When asked why he never revealed his different rhythm, he answers, “I-I thought I would lose my place in the troupe.” To which the Juggling Master replies, “Lose your place? Find your proper place, rather. Didn’t you know that in the Great Celebration, all who desire a place, find a place?”

Have you ever felt like the Apprentice Juggler; afraid you have nothing to offer in the Kingdom of God because you aren’t like the other people you see serving? I have. And I was convinced I didn’t measure up. I was also convinced serving meant doing something I didn’t like to do.

But here I am, writing a blog, something I love to do and happens to be a hobby of mine. God gave me the opportunity to do something I love for Him.

Do you march to the beat of a different drum? Great! No one has the unique talents God has instilled in you. No one can tell your story. God has created so much diversity and we do not need cookie-cutter Christians in the Body of Christ. Listen to your own inner rhythm and offer it up to God. He wrote your rhythm, and He will use it!

Personal Application:

Make a list of your dreams, passions, talents, gifts, etc. and talk to God about them during your prayer time this week. Trust Him with those things. Praise God for your uniqueness. Ask Him to use you for His Kingdom.

Do you feel unqualified? I’ve heard this quote said two different ways, and I love it both ways:

God doesn’t call the equipped, He equips those He calls.

AND

God doesn’t call the qualified. He qualifies those He calls.

More of God’s Word:

1. Read 1 Corinthians 12

2. And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him. - Colossians 3:17

Lord,

Thank you for making me, me. Help me to stop comparing myself to others and to enjoy the way you made me. Help me to trust You with my unique gifts, talents, passions, and dreams. Show me how they can be used for You. May I glorify You with my life.

In Jesus’ Name I pray,

Amen

“Ah, Sovereign LORD, you have made the heavens and the earth by your great power and outstretched arm. Nothing is too hard for you.”  - Jeremiah 32:17 (NIV)

Fret, fret, fret.
Worry, worry, worry.

This week can be measured not in days, but in time spent worrying.  I can’t count how many times I’ve said the words, “It’s impossible.”

My “impossible” this week had to do with more hurdles in what has felt like a never-ending adoption process we began two years ago.  I have to figure out a way over this new hurdle before an immigration deadline expires in two weeks, and in my eyes it is impossible.

As I’ve prayed over the problem, God has been gracious to gently remind me who is in control.  He reminded me of my last two blog posts where I wrote these things:

-He is trustWORTHY
-Don’t be afraid to pray the prayer that never fails, “Thy will be done”
-Remember where our help comes from

Then He asked me to let go and rest in Him.

It was midnight last night when I finally surrendered and applied these truths to this situation.  I didn’t know how this hurdle was going to be overcome (I still don’t) but worry was replaced with the “peace beyond understanding” that comes from trust.  I was ready to go to sleep anxiety-free, but I wanted to check on one of my favorite blogs before I went to bed.  As the blog loaded on my computer screen, tears popped into my eyes.  I couldn’t believe what she had written for her latest blog post.  This is all it said:

“I have found that there are three stages in every great work of God: first it is impossible, then it is difficult, then it is done.”
-J. Hudson Taylor of China Inland Missions

Personal Application:

What about you?  Do you have your own “impossible” to overcome this week?  Run to the throne with your impossible and lay it at His feet.  Be persistent in your prayers over this issue.  Find a prayer partner to pray with you about it and to hold you accountable as you let go of worry.

More of God’s Word:

1.  Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.  Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.  For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.  - Matthew 11:28-30 (NIV)

2.  Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.  -1 Peter 5:7

3.  For nothing is impossible with God. - Luke 1:37

Love,

From the Word:

Read Luke 22:39-45

Key Verse:
Father, if you are willing, please take this cup of suffering away from me. Yet I want your will to be done, not mine. -Luke 22:39-45

I love good books and some of my favorites are Jan Karon’s novels “The Mitford Series.”  Set in the small Southern town of Mitford, they tell the story of a lovable, Episcopalian priest, named Father Tim.  The magic of the books lies in how ordinary life is in Mitford.

I have learned so much from Father Tim.  Before he starts his day, he always prays, “Make me a blessing to someone today.”  What an attitude!  Whatever happens today, Lord, please let me touch someone’s life!  He has a firm grasp on grace, and it shows up throughout the books.  But I think the most important lesson that I have learned from Father Tim is his famous “prayer that never fails.”Whenever he is counseling someone or trying to figure out a situation, he suggests that they pray the prayer that never fails, “Thy will be done.”

Why don’t we pray this prayer more often?  Fear! We forget that our God is trustWORTHY. If we are honest, many of us are afraid of what that Will might include.  It is almost as if we see God in Heaven saying, “Yippee!  She finally surrendered. Now I can pour on the really hard stuff!”

We must remember God’s character and His heart toward us.  He says, “For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the LORD, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope.” (Jeremiah 29:11)

He isn’t out to get us.  He is out to love us, mold us, shape us, draw us to Himself, and ultimately work out what is best for us individually and for the Kingdom as a whole.  Pray the prayer that never fails and trust for just the right answer.

Personal Application:

Does praying this prayer terrify you?  List what you are afraid of, confess your unbelief, and ask God to help you trust Him more.In his book, Absolute Surrender, Andrew Murray gives this exhortation:

“Oh, I want to encourage you, and I want you to cast away every fear.  Come with that feeble desire. I f there is the fear which says- ‘Oh, my desire is not strong enough.  I am not willing for everything that may come, and I do not feel bold enough to say I can conquer everything’ – I implore you, learn to know and trust your God now.  Say:  ‘My God, I am willing that You should make me willing.’”

Give the Lord Your fear, and then ask Him to make you willing and able to surrender to His good will.

More of God’s Word:

1. Lord, I believe, help thou mine unbelief! Mark 9:24 (KJV)

2. All he does is just and good, and all his commandments are trustworthy. – Psalm 111:7 (NLT

)3. God is faithful (reliable, trustworthy, and therefore ever true to His promise, and He can be depended on); - 1 Corinthians 1:9a (Amplified Bible)

Dear Lord,
Thy will be done.  As scary as it is to pray, I know that I can trust You because you are worthy of that trust.  Thank you that I can rest in knowing You are sovereign over the details of my life.  Equip me to let go and wait for Your perfect will.

In Jesus’ Name I pray,
Amen

Devotions will be published each Monday.  Check back October 20th for our next one.  Have a wonderful week everyone!

Love,

Woe to those who go down to Egypt for help,
who rely on horses,
who trust in the multitude of their chariots
and in the great strength of their horsemen,
but do not look to the Holy One of Israel,
or seek help from the LORD. –Isaiah 31:1 (NIV)

As I’m typing this, I’m holding a miracle. I’m rocking him to sleep in a sling, hoping he’ll stay asleep long enough for me to finish this post. He is beautiful and healthy, but there were many times over the course of the last four years I lost hope of ever holding a baby of my own again. After four consecutive pregnancy losses, I knew it would take a miracle.

Reading Isaiah 31:1 reminds me of a night at the beginning of this pregnancy.  I was home alone because my husband was working a swing shift.  As I got ready for bed, I discovered I was spotting.  I panicked.  It was so similar to one of my previous miscarriages, and I was sure I was going to lose this baby, too.

My first instinct was to call my husband, but I knew God was asking me to run to Him instead.

Too emotional to pray, I cried and sobbed. I had no words. All I could think of was the beginning of Psalm 121:

I lift up my eyes to the hills — where does my help come from? My help comes from the LORD, the Maker of heaven and earth.

Repeating those words over and over again, I was finally able to get out this simple prayer: “Lord, you are the only hope we have. Nobody can save this baby. You are the baby’s only hope. You are my only hope. Please help us now.”

I curled up on my bed, fell asleep, and by mid-morning the bleeding had stopped. It never started again.  Tonight, my baby is sucking on his binkie, rocked to sleep in the sling, lost in sweet dreams.

There really is no greater source of help in our times of need.  So often we are tempted to run to other sources for help before we come to God.  I could have called my husband or my mom. I could have surfed the Internet for answers and hope. I could have called the doctor on call, but everyone was powerless to stop a miscarriage if it was truly happening. Only God had the power to protect that fragile little life inside of me. Only God had the peace for me to be able to fall asleep. And only God could give me this amazing gift ten months later.

The title of this new blog is “Real Life.” In real life, there are times when we are desperate for help, or advice, or comfort. Sometimes the problems are small- just a bad day. Other times, they are monumental and threaten to destroy us. These are the times to “look to the Holy One of Israel,” and to seek “help from the Lord.”

Personal Application:

When you need help, comfort, or advice where do you turn?
In the face of trouble, what is your first instinct?
Are there problems you are facing this week you’ve forgotten to talk to the Lord about?
Take some time now to ask Him for help.

More of God’s Word:

Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.–Hebrews 4:16 NIV

Whatever hurts today, lift your eyes to the Healer.