Prayer Continues

My Devotion

My Heart

Prayer Continues

Teresa Jenkins

Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.  1Thessalonians 5:16-18

Rejoice in the Lord always.  I will say it again: Rejoice!  Let your gentleness be evident to all.  The Lord is near.  Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.  And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your heart and your minds in Christ Jesus.  Finally, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or worthy of praise—think about such things.  Whatever you have learned from or received or heard from me, or seen in my—put it into practice.  And the God of peace will be with you.  Philippians 4:4-9

Surviving the fire of disappointment, hurt, and bad circumstances, calls for great joy and celebration.  I would like to say that my faith never waivers through the storms, that I am always joyful in trials that come my way. I fall short in the instructions above.  I made it through, prayers were answered, signs of change are appearing dimly at this moment, but God proves His faithfulness once more.  For days and weeks I went through the unknown with only my weak faith to hold on to.  The size of a mustard seed is all I had, packed with all that God has brought me through my whole life.

Be full of joy: When times are hard and the unknown is looming like a cloud over you joyful is non-existent with maybe a little here or there.  That’s when we fight the fear, the anxiety, the doubt and bring to mind thoughts worthy of thinking about, and doing what you know to do.  Think about all the times God has already brought you through, even in those times we barely acknowledge Him.  He was always there working things out for our good, bringing the things into our life to fulfill the plan He has for us.  What about the times we never even knew what He was doing?  Those are the thoughts we begin with, those are the things that helps our joy to grow.

Pray all the time for all things:  Good times or bad times, pray.  When life is going relatively smoothly or even great pray giving thanks.  When the battle is on; pray giving thanks.  Present your requests to God.  With prayer and petition present your need.  Petition, that one always confused me, petition is a request signed by as many people as possible to bring about change or grant any kind of need.  Paul is teaching us here to get other believers, to pray about your need or problem, to agree with us in prayer. “Again, I tell you that if two of you on earth agree about anything you ask for, it will be done for you by my Father in heaven.  For where two or three come together in my name, there I am with them.” Matthew 18:19-20  Which I did, and so many of the people I asked to pray, could empathize because they had been where I am and that gave me peace more than I knew possible.

Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves have received from God.  2Corinthians 1:3-4

Though I have been on an emotional roller coaster ride at the end of 2018, this time was different.  Every day tears would wail up and flow down my cheeks not because I didn’t believe, but because my heart hurt so badly for the circumstance I was in.  Even in the tears I felt the peace that passes understanding always with me.  Waking up from a bad dream my first words were “no bad thing.”  My broken heart knew God was with me and right in the middle of the problem working all things together.  I put it all in God’s hands and tearfully let go not knowing the outcome.  God is still at work, and I prayerfully follow His lead, giving thanks for the gifts and blessings I do not even know what they are yet.

God has taught me so much through this most recent trial, all of which He’s tried to teach me before, finally I took that step in faith to learn it.  We don’t have to have God prove His love to us, if He never did anything more than Jesus, that is enough, but God lavishes His love on us every single day. 

I’ve learned how to pray for God’s will, not my will and things turn out so much better than I can imagine. (Ephesians 3:20) I’ve learned to walk in the dark room and let Him lead me out.  (2Corinthians 5:7) I’ve learned that even through the tears there is joy and the benefit to Rejoice in the Lord always. (Psalm 30:5b)  It’s ok, no matter how big or small the need, God wants to be the solution. (Phil. 4:6)  I’ve also learned that the joy of the Lord is my strength.  (Nehemiah 8:10)

God’s life for us is abundant and no matter the season, no matter the trial, no matter the goodness we experience, God’s love and faithfulness to us never ends, but abounds more and more.  With God all things are possible.  Give thanks and praise for what He has done and what He is going to do, then testify so that all may know the gift through Jesus.

In HIS Time
Teresa