My eyes were swollen from crying. Satan's oppression was fierce, piercing my heart with tremors of fear and defeat. Honestly, at times I could scarcely breathe. It was horrible.
As I lay on the couch, I kept calling on the Name of Jesus. I pictured Him as my strong tower. I saw myself running to Him, but tripping and falling over rugged stones. Tears blinded me. Fear defeated me. My spirit opened and closed like the mouth of a baby bird, begging for Living Water.
I knew I needed help.
Facebook came to mind, but could I put my pride aside and ask my friends for help? Yes, I could. It took several prayers for courage, but I knew I needed my Christian family. I posted, "When my heart is overwhelmed, lead me to the Rock that is higher than I...that is higher than I. Prayers please."
Friends responded immediately with prayers and sweet words of encouragement. Their presence led me to His Presence. Although I had not revealed my source of panic, the Spirit of God opened their eyes to see. Chicken and potatoes came in. Gas money came in. Wood for the woodstove was provided along with money for rent. The chains of depression gripping my husband due to false accusations and unemployment broke in two, setting him free. My Mighty God reached down from heaven and set me high upon the Rock, high above my enemies and gave me peace.
Exodus 33:14 reads, "And He [God] said, 'My Presence will go with you, and I will give you rest.'"
The Hebrew term for "give rest" is nu'ach (noo-ahch) and means "To rest, settle down, to be soothed or quieted; to be secure; to be still; to dwell peacefully."
There is nothing quite like the soothing touch of our Daddy God.
Do you need Him today? Are you experiencing panic? Fear? Doubt? Are you stumbling on obstacles as you run to Him? Your brothers and sisters in Christ are standing by to pray for you, to under-gird you and to give you Jesus. Please don't let pride stand in your way. We need one another.
Allow them to lead you to your Prince of Peace. Jesus.
Father God, Your love is amazing. Thank You for Your faithfulness and Your grace that flows like a river. I lift up my friends to You who feel their grip on Your hand slipping. Grab hold of them, Jesus. Let them know, without a doubt, that You are near. I ask that You meet their needs in mighty and tangible ways. Wrap them in a soothing blanket of Your love. Thank You Lord. We love You.
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My precious reader, if you need specific, personal prayer, please feel free to contact me at nan@jubilantlight.com. I would be honored to lift you before the throne of grace.
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It's just about that time! Christmas is around the corner. If you are looking for a Christian speaker for your Christmas events, I would love for you to consider me. Please visit my website at www.jubilantlight.com to gain further information. I travel from Western North Carolina. Thank you.
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If you received Morning Glory via email, please visit the Morning Glory page. Brian Doerksen will give you strength for the journey with his song, "Enter the Rest of God".
I am so proud of you for taking that step to ask your friends for prayer on facebook. I know that was huge for you. Prayers, encouragement, and the love of my friends are so uplifting to me. It opens my eyes to God's earthly angels, FRIENDS. I love you.
ReplyDeleteThank you Christina. I try to be transparent in my writing so I can help others - that comes pretty easily. But Facebook is more one-on-one and that comes harder for me. So many folks on FB look to me for strength. Sometimes I feel that showing my brokenness somehow lets them down. But, like we talked about in bible study last night, THAT is a deception of the heart! Key word: FEEL. Hmmm...I think there's a lesson here. **grin** Love you!
DeleteThe verse you quoted, Ps. 61:2 is one of my life verses. I have it posted on my blog. It is very comforting when going through trying times. No matter how overwhelmed we feel, He is always there. God bless you.
ReplyDeleteLaura, do you know the praise song that goes with that verse? I have not sung it in years, but this past week God dropped it in my spirit. I sang it over and over again. Thank you so much for stopping by. I appreciate your words of encouragement. Blessings...
DeleteThank you for sharing...both in your need and in your precious thanksgiving! God's Hand in our lives is so real...just as our needing Him is so real. You capture this in your devotionals and they stir my heart! I send you love, continued prayers, and the thankfulness that you write from the most intimate places of your heart! You are a precious and mighty Woman of God!
ReplyDeleteFrom my heart...
Lisa! How sweet of you! Thank you for your kind words. You have blessed me this morning.
DeleteOh Nan, I love this message. I know how that feels...to need prayer and be ashamed to ask. Like you, I feel like people on FB turn to me for strength and I feel like when I ask for prayer publicly I'm showing my brokenness. Thank you for breaking through the barrier of pride to post that request. Thank you for being transparent in your writing. I agree, in our writing it's easy...not so easy on facebook though. Love you my precious friend!
ReplyDeleteI think it's a lesson we all have to learn. I love you Jamie girl.
DeletePraising God with you that you found His peace and blessing, even in the midst of the heartache. That's truly a peace that passes all earthly understanding.
ReplyDeleteAmen, Vonda. Love you!
DeleteNan,
ReplyDeleteSomething happened earlier this year that meant I had to reach out for prayer support. It was the best thing I could have done. Praise God for the body of Christ putting their arms around us in times of need. Thanks for sharing your heart so unashamedly. Blessings to you!
Amen Glenda! What would we do without our brothers and sisters in Christ. Sweet blessings to you!
DeleteTurning to a friend as asking is so important for us to really do and not say. Your testimony povided in this post is uplifitng and encouraging to many...more importantly women. I really thank you for giving us somthing to remember. We are to be able to reach out and ask. Many blessings to you and your family!
ReplyDeleteI love you Jewel Williams! I have missed you. I received your email and will answer it soon. I want to write you a long one to fill you in. When I saw your name, my heart did the happy dance :D
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