Doubt. Hopelessness. Discouragement.

Three feelings that I have struggled with today because of a situation that is very slow to resolve. Yet in the midst of this, God shows me what my place needs to be in this story by encouraging me with another’s story, that of Obadiah.

1 Kings 18 opens with a vignette of Obadiah’s life. He lived in a precarious time, during the reign of King Ahab of Israel. As you may know, King Ahab goes down as one of the most wicked kings in Israel; he was married to Jezebel, a notorious woman in her own right. Together they were a formidable pair. The people of Israel had been suffering through a three-year drought when Obadiah is introduced. The Bible describes him as “a devoted follower of the Lord.” I was then shocked to find out what his job was: Obadiah was in charge of the palace! Imagine that. Talk about being in the lion’s den.

In his position, he, a devout believer, would have constant contact with the royal family. As I thought about that, it occurred to me that it was no accident that Obadiah was where he was. God strategically put this man of faith in the place where he would be able to thwart the evil that was going on around him. And the Bible shows us that he did that. When Jezebel tried to kill all the Lord’s prophets, Obadiah heroically hid 100 of them and supplied them with food and water. He probably would not have been privy to the inside information (and resources) that tipped him off to the prophets’ plight had he been living anywhere else.

As I was lamenting my own situation, I began to see that God also has me exactly where he wants me. Right in the midst of this mess that needs the prayer of a believer. Because only God can “unmess” it. Just like Obadiah, I need to put my intercessory prayers in that gap between heaven and earth as I pray for a resolution to this problem. I may not like the situation, but I need to make myself useful while I am here.

How about you? Where does God have you at today? That illness, that relationship tangle, that addiction is just the place where he needs a prayer warrior courageously interceding for healing and reconciliation. It’s time to get to work.

Doubt. Hopelessness. Discouragement + Prayer =  Faith. Hope. Encouragement.

Pray on!

With the New Year comes a fresh start free from mistakes, regrets, and failures of the past year. Hope and possibilities and expectations jostle  for space in my soul as I look to the future. Yes, if I’m honest, some anxiety too. But mostly excitement for what lies ahead. Like sojourners of times past, I want to welcome the Lord into these next 12 months. Or should I say, I with Him. I want to be sure the door of my heart is open to Him this New Year.

I recently read about an old Scottish tradition that placed much importance upon the New Year. Folks visited from house to house as the New Year rang in, wishing each other a good year while celebrating with food and drink. Once midnight passed, each household watched expectantly to see who would be the very first guest to cross the threshold of their door, thus portending what the next year would hold.  I can just envision a knock on the door and families gathered around the hearth to see who would take that first important step into their home.

To acknowledge this tradition, the Celtic Daily Prayer Book includes a “first-footing” prayer for the New Year, on page 238 called The Opening Door, in which the pray-ers welcome Christ to be the “first foot” into their home to bless them. What a lovely idea!

I was so taken with this thought that I wrote a short prayer myself to welcome Christ into my New Year.

Open Door

By Jane VanOsdol

I open the door of my heart this New Year …

to see Your glory all around me;

to hear the whisper of Your voice;

to smell the fragrance of Jesus in my life;

to taste the fruits of Your blessings;

to feel the presence of Your Spirit.

Welcoming your footsteps across the threshold of my heart,

Anticipating the gift of another year.

Amen.

I wonder if your heart is open to God this year? Do you feel the anticipation of new adventures waiting to be lived, or have difficulties of time past left you dreading the door before you? Open the door to Jesus so that He is the first one to set foot in your heart this year.

“Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with him, and he with me.” Revelation 3:20

May you experience the peace of Christ and the joy of living life with Him this year.

Pray on!

*Image courtesy of Freedigitalphotos.net artur84

Jane and I welcome you to Week Five of  Simple Thanks! Fifty-one, fifty-two, fifty-three … Hopefully you’ve been so busy counting God’s blessings you’ve forgotten bitterness and unforgiveness.  Continue to count your blessings-it’s the key to living fully in the moment with God! Life is a gift–rejoice and give thanks.

Introductory Video to Week 4

Community Call

Here is our Community Call for Trust the Bridge to Joy to listen to AFTER you finish the weekly homework:  Trust the Bridge to Joy

Weekly Homework

Below you will find homework for each level of study. Feel free to change from Level 1, Level 2, or Level 3  as your schedule allows! Remember, there is no pressure to complete every activity. These are just options for your growth. They can be accessed at any time, even after the study ends.

Level 1, Study: Weekly Goals 

• For Week 5, watch  SESSION 4: Trust, the Bridge to Joy.
• Complete the study guide  and between sessions homework PDFs.
• Add to your one thousand gifts list.
• Feel free to do any of the other activities from Levels 2 and 3 as your time allows.

Level 2, Community: Weekly Goals 

• For Week 5, watch  SESSION 4: Trust the Bridge to Joy.
• Complete the study guide  and between sessions homework PDFs.
• Add your one thousand gifts list.
• Answer the question on the Speak Your Mind comment section at the bottom of this post.
• Join the Community Call, Wednesday night at 7:00 p.m. EST on Talk Shoe (Information on TalkShoe is in your weekly email.)
• Listen to the Podcast for information on walking in trust with God:

 Level 3, Opportunity: Weekly Goals 

• For Week 5, watch  SESSION 4: Trust, the Bridge to Joy.
• Complete the study guide  and between sessions homework PDFs.
• Add to your one thousand gifts list.
• Answer the question on the Speak Your Mind comment section at the bottom of this post, join the Community Call on Wednesday night on TalkShoe, and listen to the Podcast at the link provided up above.
• Don’t forget to check out our private Facebook page. Leave your comments about this week’s study, post your prayer requests, or share any insights/questions you may have. Only members of our Bible study group will see these posts.
• Start your 1000 Gifts List in a separate journal.
• In the evening, do devotions 16-20 in the One Thousand Gifts Devotional journal.
• Read chapters 8-9 in One Thousand Gifts trade book by Ann Voskamp.
• Take advantage of the Extra Simple resources by clicking on the links below (I highly recommend the Joyce Meyer podcast):

Joyce Meyer: Stop Complaining

    I AM

  Hope and Trust

Image: Nutdanai Apikhomboonwaroot / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Image(s): FreeDigitalPhotos.net

God is calling you to rest and trust in Him. Please use this beautiful music by Paul Cardall to receive the grace that God has for you this moment.

 Questions of the Week (Please respond in the Speak Your Mind section at the very bottom of this page).

Name an area of life that God is calling you to entrust to Him. How can you begin to walk with Him in trust concerning this area? What progress have you recently made in trusting God?

.

Over the weekend, violent storms pummeled part of the Midwest, including my community. Although the morning started out sunshiny and beautiful, by the time the afternoon rolled around, I definitely had my eye to the sky as angry, black clouds played hide and seek with the sunshine and warning sirens echoed through our neighborhood.

The worst of the storms passed slightly to our north, but some friends of my son, Jesse, weren’t so lucky. Trinity’s family home was hit and partially destroyed by a tornado. The storm took out two rooms of their home and a salon that was also on their property that they used for a home business.

Jesse, Cameron, Trinity, and Heather headed north to see if they could help Trinity’s family, bringing along a pack of water bottles. The area was hit hard, and the four of them ended up joining a crowd of people helping a neighbor whose barn was destroyed. They ordered pizzas for the family and worked in the dark trying to bring some order to the chaos.

Even though Trinity’s family was hurting, they reached out to help others, becoming the hands and feet of Jesus. Bringing hope and healing into despair and destruction.

The message carved in the mud on Trinity’s house is a testament of faith, words of hope in the midst of a storm where The Sacred is intersecting the not so Everyday.

Then Jesus said to him, “Get up! Pick up your mat and walk.”

Read John 5: 1-9

Don’t you just love that Jesus isn’t afraid to live His life on the edge?

As chapter five opens, we see that Jesus is once again in the middle of a group of people who aren’t the up and comers of Jerusalem: they are all blind, lame, or paralyzed (v 4). Can’t you just picture Jesus walking by the Sheep Gate and being drawn to the crowd of helpless people lying by the pool? Jesus always has the poor, the orphans, the helpless, and the sick on his radar, and I can just imagine Him making a beeline for the worst one there. Verse six tells us that Jesus learns that one of the men has been sick for 38 years.

Jesus then asks him what seems to be an obvious question: “Do you want to get well?”

Why would Jesus ask this question when the man has been lame for 38 years? Surely the answer has to be yes. I wonder if Jesus did this because the man has lost hope, accepting this affliction as his permanent reality. Perhaps Jesus needs to reawaken in this man his dreams of a normal life and a healthy body.

You’ll notice that the man doesn’t directly answer Jesus’ question with a yes or no. He instead offers an explanation as to why he hasn’t received healing—he has no one to help him in the pool when the water is stirred, so someone else always gets there first. If that’s the case, it’s no wonder the man is discouraged.

Probably every day a friend or family member on his way to work carries the lame man to the pool and then picks him up on the way home. All day the lame man simply waits and watches the water—we don’t even know how often the Spirit stirs the water. Every day, week, or month? At the first ripple of water, the man desperately tries to crawl or roll to the pool, but for 38 years, someone else always gets there first.

I can just imagine that Jesus stays quiet until the lame man stops talking. Jesus locks eyes with the man and tells him “Get up! Pick up your mat and walk.” And just like that, he does. Thirty-eight years of atrophy gone in one second.

What can our friend from the pool of Bethesda teach us?

• A vibrant faith reawakens hope in our lives. When the lame man meets Jesus, he sees the power of God in Jesus. This ignites his faith, and Jesus heals him.

• A vibrant faith sometimes requires us to make a move. The lame man has to act on that faith. He takes Jesus at his word, picks up his mat, and stands up.

Where has hope died in your life? Jesus is trying to get your attention, look you in the eye, and shake you out of your spiritual paralysis.

What is he asking you to move out of and on to in your life? Like the lame man did, we need to pick up our mats and leave behind the years that crippled us. Faith flies in the face of years of bad habits, patterns, and stagnation and moves us toward health and healing and possibilities.

This is the first blog in our faith series. Please leave a comment below on your thoughts, feelings, or experiences in growing your faith.

Image: FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Christmas is one of my favorite times of the year. I love the expectation and the preparation of the season as we ready our hearts and minds for the coming of the Savior. God wants you to know that whatever you are facing this Christmas season you have reason to hope and rejoice because He is with you. To do the study “God With Us,” just click on the link.

<p><a href=”http://www.freedigitalphotos.net/images/view_photog.php?photogid=1556″>Image: nuttakit / FreeDigitalPhotos.net</a></p>