Quiet, Day 5 Prayer and Praise

In honor of this weeks word I have a special challenge for you...... instead of our usual list of prayer requests that I know you will loving go through at the speed of light (smile).

Today I want you to find 15 minutes alone, yes alone. I know it is Friday, I know you have a million plus one things to do today to get ready for Thanksgiving. So, this is a challenge. Sometimes to change what we do we need a little encouragement to do something new. Today, I am your encouragement to be quiet. Shhhh. Time to spend 15 minutes with God.

Have a conversation with our Savior today. Be still and know He is your God. He is the reason we have to be thankful for all of the blessings in our lives. Give him a few minutes of your time to listen to him. If you can sit in peace; let him communicate with you. He knows your heart, now listen to what he has to say.

Heavenly Father~ Your love amazes me. Your faithfulness to me is unbelievable. Again you have revealed to me in my chaos that I can find time to be quiet with You. Lord, when I struggle with conversation and I begin to wonder where you are, may I see that it is my lack of quiet that is interrupting your Word to me. ~In your Holy name

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Thank you for your prayers for Kim H this week.
We did not have any new prayer requests this week; so please see last Fridays blog for the prayer requests that are still in need.
There will be devos on Mon Tues and Wed next week but we will be spending Thurs and Friday with family. You may still respond if you are interested in voting on possible options for next weeks topics. Thank you to everyone that has taken the time to share.
God Bless

A worship song to start off your quiet time.
Mercy Me: Word of God Speak

Quiet, Day 4

I don't know that there is a special formula for finding quiet in our lives. I do know that when I focus on my Savior and His promises, it becomes easier to put aside the noisy things in my life and respond to the grace He has given me.

Psalm 23

A Psalm of David.

1The LORD is my shepherd,

I shall not want.

2He makes me lie down in green pastures;

He leads me beside quiet waters.

3He restores my soul;

He guides me in the paths of righteousness

For His name's sake.

4Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,

I fear no evil, for You are with me;

Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me.

5You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies;

You have anointed my head with oil;

My cup overflows.

6Surely goodness and lovingkindness will follow me all the days of my life,

And I will dwell in the house of the LORD forever.

Quiet, Day 3

Yesterday I told you a little about my experiment with needed things to be quiet so I could accomplish whatever it is that I needed to get done. Being thorough in my investigation, I also kept track of how often I was quiet and listening to God in my prayer life.

Let me tell you something....I had no idea that I had such a hard time being quiet for God. I am a fairly calm, mellow person. I don't over schedule my family and am very aware of the craziness that can come when things are over committed. It turns out that I am good about those things when it comes to my own family but not so much for myself.

I am an on-the-go prayer. Pray continually, right?! In the life of a suburbanite mom that includes being the queen of the multi-task; I efficiently package my prayer life into fast-food bits. When I pray, it is at the exact moment that it pops into my head. Then off to the next to-do. My friend is sick; pray for healing for her and for the 10 other people that pop into my head for healing and move on (check). I am sure you understand where this is going. Now, not all of my prayer life is quite this shallow but I would say more so then not. I know God hears all of my prayers and have absolute confidence that I am still in communication with Him through my prayers.

Sometimes though, I miss the relationship in my prayer life. I don't always take time for it to be a two sided conversation. In my loud prayer life there is very little quiet time for listening. Yep, I just admitted it, in the last week I don't know that I have listened more than once to God asking me to be peaceful and quiet with Him. How much am I missing in my relationship with God?

The greatest part of being quiet is learning to listen.

Proverbs 8:32-36 (msg) "So, my dear friends, listen carefully; those who embrace these my ways are most blessed.Mark a life of discipline and live wisely; don't squander your precious life.Blessed the man, blessed the woman, who listens to me, awake and ready for me each morning, alert and responsive as I start my day's work.When you find me, you find life, real life, to say nothing of God's good pleasure.But if you wrong me, you damage your very soul; when you reject me, you're flirting with death." (emphasis mine)

Please continue to pray for Kim H

Remember to put in your vote for Thanksgiving week devotionals. If you have trouble with the poll on the blog, you can just respond to the blog and we will get your vote. What are you most thankful for this year?

Quiet, Day 2

When I started to think about this weeks word, I had decided to keep track of the times I would ask someone to be quiet or wish it were quiet around me.

Apparently, this is an area in my own life where I could use prayer and repentance. Ever time I was looking for peace and quiet it was because I wanted to read an email or talk on the phone. It wasn't for quiet time with God or quiet time to read to my children or have a peaceful conversation with my husband. Nope. Every single moment was selfish and self-serving. Can't they just see I need a few minutes to do this? Shhhh

I have a friend that participates in the week we are suppose to turn off our television sets. She does it every year and has for almost 10, I think. Her biggest frustration is the quiet. By Wed night or Thursday, her entire family is looking for loud things to do. They are so use to the constant sounds in the background. I am not one to talk, if we are home the t.v. is on. She has become a pro at the week without t.v. that she now schedules an entire week of events and activities to avoid the frustrations that come from the silence.

It is easy to be consumed in the noise of our everyday lives. When we finally find a moment of peace it is hard to focus on prayer and relationships. Silence forces us to deal with the things we want to avoid.

May I challenge you to evaluate the times you need quiet in your lives. Is it self-serving? non-existent? Find time for quiet with your family and with your God. Don't be afraid of what you may find out in the peace and quiet.

1 Timothy 2:1-3 (msg) The first thing I want you to do is pray. Pray every way you know how, for everyone you know. Pray especially for rulers and their governments to rule well so we can be quietly about our business of living simply, in humble contemplation. This is the way our Savior God wants us to live.

Please pray for Kim H this week.

Quiet, Day 1

We are only a short week and a half away from the official craziness of holiday madness. Yes, my friends, it has started and it only gets louder from here. Some of us enjoy the insanity that comes with this time of year, a few even like Black Friday. I, on the other had, do not enjoy it at all. It just gets too loud for me. It seems the closer we get to Christmas Eve, the louder all of it gets. Maybe it is just my impatience, I'm not sure, but by the time the 24th is here I will be on overload and a frantic mess.

I thought we would take some time before it gets too crazy to remind you (and me) to find time to be still and know your God in the midst of the noise. It is easier to focus on the blessings when we have taken the time to truly thank the One that has given them to us.

Matthew 6:6"But you, when you pray, go into your inner room, close your door and pray to your Father who is in secret, and your Father who sees what is done in secret will reward you.

Father~ I already feel the anxiety of the season creeping up on me. You know my hearts desire to stay a servant of your word and obedient to your calling on my life, Lord. Don't let me be caught up in the show this year, guide me on how to keep my focus on the things that are truly You, Lord. Strip the things from me that cause noise and distraction that make it hard to hear your voice. Lord, help me find the time and space to commit myself to you this Christmas season. ~In Your Precious Name.

Happy Birthday Hayley C.
Please pray for Kim H this week.
Don't forget to reply with the things you are thankful for, for our devotionals next week, you have until Friday.

K, Day 3

K, Day 3

Knees and Kneeling

Kneeling
Falling to one's knees as a gesture of reverence, obedience, or respect.

A few comments on the word Knees this week expressed the feeling that we need to be fervent in prayer (especially with the upcoming elections). It was also suggested that some feel more comfortable on their knees than with hands lifted high. So the word Knees is definitely linked to our feelings.

Knees are funny things. I have always thought that they look sort of funny. Scars on my knees show that I played rough when I was younger, especially the one that stretches the entire length of one of them. I have never really cared about my knees until last year when I twisted wrong and could no longer move about without my knee making a popping sound. I didn't think about how important they are until then.

They hold us up, keep us upright.

I am now suddenly overwhelmed with that comment. My knees play an important part of my life, mobility. I can't move easily without them. God is like that. He holds me up, keeps me upright and I can't usually move in any direction without him.

What's even more interesting to me is that to come to God, I usually kneel down. When I think of praising God, I usually think of hands lifted high and when I think of prayer, I think of kneeling down. The symbolism of raising our hands to God is a way to show we are being open to him, we are submitting ourselves. To be on our knees is a way to show we are reverent, obedient and that we respect our God. Many times I see people on their knees, arms open wide facing up to God or face down to the ground. The Bible says Ezra did not want to face God because he was ashamed of himself, so he spread his arms out wide and went face down. Daniel got down on his knees and prayed, giving thanks to his God 3 times a day. (Daniel 6:10). How often do I get on my knees to praise God? I know I find it hard to do that simple act of obedience at times. For me, I find that I tend to pray throughout my day. I tend to multitask. It would be hard for me to do the dishes spread out on the ground. But, the times I have felt most connected to God, were the times I had submitted completely to him, face down, arms out wide and on my knees. Our knees are pretty strong. They help us to stay standing. When we are weak and empty, our knees turn to jello. It makes sense to get down or fall down to our knees. I know that there have been a few circumstances in my life where my knees have turned to jello. Mostly they were times when I needed God the most. Too weak to hold myself up, too weak to take care of the problem myself. When we are on our knees it gives us a clarity and it helps us to stay focused on who we are communicating with. Jesus wants us to be reverent and obedient. We need to come to Him on our knees. In prayer and praise.

In Mark 1:40, a man with Leprosy came to him and begged him on his knees, "If you are willing, you can make me clean."

I love this verse. So little is said, but it is enough.

I know that there are times when we are in a rush or we just want to go with the motions. I know there are times we feel most comfortable with communicating with our friend, Jesus. That is okay, he likes to hear from us. He also likes for us to hear from Him. If we are quiet, on our knees and focusing on Him, it makes our communication more clear, we are more open to hearing from him and listening to what he wants from us. How often do we pray for God to help us with something and then go off and do something. Could he have answered us right then, would we be able to hear him? God wants us to be open, and when we are on our knees, we seem to be more intimate with God. I think I will still pray and praise throughout my day, while doing dishes, in the shower, before each meal and at bedtime with my girls. I think I will also take some time to meet with Him, on my knees, to hear what he has to say.

Matthew 6:6
But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.

Lord, I love you, I praise you. I thank you for all that you are and for who you are. I want to be obedient to you and I want to show you that you are the king of my life. I pray for quiet, uninterrupted, alone time with you. I ask that you give us the opportunity to come to you in obedience and lay it ALL at your feet. For those that are single, I ask that you be their comfort and guide them, help them feel complete in you, with you. I also pray for those of us who are married, that our spouses will join us, as one, to pay reverence to you, to praise you and to ask for those things in which only you can provide in our marriages. Help us to be open. Make us clean, LORD.
Please pray for Courtney D. this week.
Please pray for Linda W. and her dad who is going to have open heart surgery and a triple bypass.

Angela has given us a link to the post on Kindness that she wrote for her church. visit http://canvasfellowship.blogspot.com/

Quiet

Day 1

Quiet


(definitions from dictionary.com)

1. making no noise or sound, esp. no disturbing sound
   free, or comparatively free, from noise


2. silent


3. restrained in speech, manner, etc.; saying little


4. free from disturbance or tumult; tranquil; peaceful


5. being at rest.
   refraining or free from activity, esp. busy or vigorous activity


6. making no disturbance or trouble; not turbulent; peaceable


7. motionless or moving very gently
   free from disturbing thoughts, emotions, etc.; mentally peaceful


8. said, expressed, done, etc., in a restrained or unobtrusive way
   not showy or obtrusive; subdued
   not busy or active


9. to make quiet.
   to make tranquil or peaceful; pacify
   to calm mentally, as a person
   to silence

1 Thessalonians 11-12 Make it your ambition to lead a quiet life, to mind your own business and to work with your hands, just as we told you, 12so that your daily life may win the respect of outsiders and so that you will not be dependent on anybody.

Day 2

I want to look a little into what it means to live a quiet life. In the Word, quiet in this reference does not refer to the first three definitions from yesterday. It does not mean to be silent or have nothing to say. Quite the opposite, we are called to live our faith loudly, exalting our God.

Lets take a look at the other definitions.

being at rest: Matthew 11:29 "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."

peaceable, mentally peaceful, creating peace: Hebrews 12:11-15 "All discipline for the moment seems not to be joyful, but sorrowful; yet to those who have been trained by it, afterwards it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness.
Therefore, strengthen the hands that are weak and the knees that are feeble,
and make straight paths for your feet, so that the limb which is lame may not be put out of joint, but rather be healed. Pursue peace with all men, and the sanctification without which no one will see the Lord. See to it that no one comes short of the grace of God; that no root of bitterness springing up causes trouble..."

Does it surprise you that a quiet (peaceful) life takes so much work?

Day 3

Let me make a note of importance here, your salvation is about God's grace and mercy and your faith in Jesus Christ, it has nothing to do with what you "do".

That being said, I will now go on to say that everyone lives their lives in obedience to something. Are you living a life in response to God's love or are you still bound by flesh and sin?

Living a quiet life doesn't mean you are perfect. It is simply understanding that everything you do is a picture to the world of the God that you follow. What does your life say about your God?

Let us look at the scriptures again:

1 Thessalonians 11-12
11Make it your ambition to lead a quiet life, to mind your own business and to work with your hands, just as we told you, 12so that your daily life may win the respect of outsiders and so that you will not be dependent on anybody.

How is this world view of life different from what we are taught in society today?

Hebrews 12:11-15 "All discipline for the moment seems not to be joyful, but sorrowful; yet to those who have been trained by it, afterwards it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness. Therefore, strengthen the hands that are weak and the knees that are feeble, and make straight paths for your feet, so that the limb which is lame may not be put out of joint, but rather be healed. Pursue peace with all men, and the sanctification without which no one will see the Lord. See to it that no one comes short of the grace of God; that no root of bitterness springing up causes trouble..."

Scripture says we are a being molded by God, being made perfect. What importance does discipline play in our walk with God?

Why do you think both scriptures refer to the importance of physical strength?

Day 4

Matthew 11:29 "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."

These words tell us so much about our faith. Lets break it down a little. A yoke is used in farming, connected to oxen or horses to pull wagons or plows. Lets draw a picture here, I'm a visual person so hopefully this helps you too. Imagine if you will that your cross or burden in this life is your plow, you are the horse. Something needs to connect you to your calling, something needs to guide you, something needs to show you the way. Now by your faith you have connected the yoke, or Holy Spirit [whom adds no extra burden but will teach and show you the way] and He connects you with the life you are meant to live.

In this life we will all carry different burdens. Sometimes our plows feel heavy and sorrowful. Other times the work seems simple and joyful. Regardless of the current load, your soul finds rest. You are promised eternal life. These moments here, at this time and this place, are short and sweet but will be only a drop in the bucket in comparison to the amount of time our souls with rest with our Lord and Savior, Jesus.

Day 5

Look around you. What do you see? What do you hear? Is your life quiet? How do we know if we are living a quiet life? It is easy to get busy with the business of being called to serve God. I know many of you who have come to your Friday to-do list and are still working on the things from Tuesday. Do you think this is the life God intended for you? If someone took a still shot of your life, would they see a picture of the God you say you serve?

Abba, Father~This week you have so graciously reminded me of the importance of the life I lead. Thank you for your mercy, for inviting me to be a part of your family. Thank you that my life can be a picture of that love and grace. Forgive me for any discontent, bitterness, grief that I may have caused this week. May your light shine through me, may my life be the quiet life you call it to be. Dependent on only YOU!! ~In the precious name of Jesus.