Tag Archives: God’s Word in Prayer

Listening for His Voice

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He who has ears to hear, let him hear!  Matthew 11:15 (NKJV)

It’s been a long time since I wrote a post.  Dear sisters in Christ, I haven’t forgotten you! I’ve been praying for you, working on the edits of my third book, More Tea Cupp Prayers, moving into our temporary winter home, cooking for my hungry boys, homeschooling our youngest son, visiting my mom and grandchildren, reading God’s Word and listening for His voice.  LISTENING is what I want to share with you today.  

He who has ears to hear, let him hear! Matthew 13:9 (NKJV)

When we sit down for TEA with Jesus, the first thing we should do is open His Word, our Bibles, letting our Lord speak while we LISTEN.  Hebrews 4:12 tells us, “For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.”  And so, we pick up our Bibles, open and read, letting that two-edged sword slice through our thoughts as we LISTEN.

Do you remember what happened in Genesis when Adam and Eve did not listen to God’s instructions, eating the forbidden fruit?  They were kicked out of God’s beautiful garden forever.  Do you remember what happened when King Saul did not listen, performing the sacrifices before Samuel arrived?  He was removed as king of Israel.  Do you remember what happened to the rich young ruler who did not listen to Jesus? He went away sorrowfully (see Genesis 3, 1 Samuel 13, Matthew 19:16-22).

Our attitude for listening should be like that of the boy Samuel in 1 Samuel 3.  Four times God called to Samuel as he was falling asleep.  The first three times, Samuel thought it was Eli the priest calling him.  But finally, Eli realized it was the Lord, instructing Samuel what to do.  Read this beautiful children’s story and come to Yeshua like a child, saying, “Speak, for Your servant hearsd” (See 1 Samuel 3:10).  

Another Old Testament Bible story comes to mind about listening. In Kings 19, the prophet Elijah was in crisis.  He had just triumphed over the prophets of Baal at Mount Carmel, but now Jezebel was seeking to kill him.  While Elijah hid in a cave on a mountain, the voice of the Lord came to him.  As Elijah looked out, a great windstorm blew past the cave entrance, but God was not in the wind.  Next, an earthquake shook the mountain, but God was not in the earthquake.  Lastly, a fire like the forest fires of Montana roared past the cave, but God was not in the fire.   Finally, there was a still small voice.  Knowing this was the Lord God, Elijah wrapped himself in his mantle and went out to listen for God’s directions.  

Who else was a good listener?  Esther listened to Mordecai and spoke up for her nation. Naaman listened to Elisha and his assistants, washing seven times in the Jordan to be healed. Peter listened to his brother Andrew and came to meet Jesus. And who can forget Martha’s sister Mary who sat at Jesus feet listening and listening and listening (2 Kings 5, Esther 7, John 1:40-41, Luke 10:38-42).

My friend, God still calls us to listen today. Listening comes in many ways.  We listen as we read God’s Word. We listen for the voice of the Holy Spirit to guide us. We listen to trusted pastors and friends to point us to the Scriptures.  All the while, we are praying for discernment, we test the spirits, comparing the message to other Bible verses to see if this message is truly from God (2 Timothy 3:16, , 2 Peter 1:19, 1 John 4:1-3). Listening for God’s voice is so important today with all sorts of false prophecies and fake news going around.  Compare everything you hear to God’s Word and make certain it is from the Lord.  

What has God been teaching me recently as I seek Him in His Word and listen to His voice?  He tells me to honor the Sabbath Day and keep it holy. He’s saying to live by faith and not by sight as we wait for healing and a home. He’s called me to finish what I began over a year ago and press on toward the goal of the upward cause of God in Christ Jesus (Acts 20:24, 2 Corinthians 8:11, Philippians 3:14).  And, He’s shown me how to pray the names of God and rebuke the enemy in His name! (i.e. “In the Name of Yehovah Rapha, I rebuke the pain in my tummy, and claim Jesus’ healing, none of the diseases that were upon the Egyptians shall fall upon me or my family.  We are covered by the blood of Yeshua Messiah!  In the Name of Yehovah Jireh, I rebuke the destroyer who took our home and belongings a year ago!  I claim our inheritance in heaven, and also, God shall supply all our needs according to His riches in glory in Yeshua Messiah!!! (See Exodus 15:26, Romans 5:9, Philippians 4:19, 1 Peter 1:4).

Today’s TEA CUPP:  Read 1 Kings 19 for Elijah’s listening story.  Choose three more listening verses to look up in your Bible.  As you go through your week, reading God’s Word and praying, write what the Lord is telling you in your prayer journal.  Perhaps He is calling you to a task. Perhaps He has a promise for you to claim.  Keep listening for that still small voice of Jesus, dear one!  

Then it shall come to pass, because you listen to these judgments, and keep and do them, that the Lord your God will keep with you the covenant and the mercy which He swore to your fathers.  Deuteronomy 7:12 (NKJV)

Give ear, O my people, to my law;
Incline your ears to the words of my mouth.  Psalm 78:1 (NKJV)

For who has stood in the counsel of the Lord,
And has perceived and heard His word?
Who has marked His word and heard it?  Jeremiah 23:18 (NKJV)

Hear, all you peoples!
Listen, O earth, and all that is in it!
Let the Lord God be a witness against you,
The Lord from His holy temple.  Micah 1:2 (NKJV)

But blessed are your eyes for they see, and your ears for they hear; for assuredly, I say to you that many prophets and righteous men desired to see what you see, and did not see it, and to hear what you hear, and did not hear it.  Matthew 13:16-17 (NKJV)

Then the righteous will shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their Father. He who has ears to hear, let him hear!  Matthew 13:43 (NKJV)

But He said, “More than that, blessed are those who hear the word of God and keep it!” Luke 11:28 (NKJV)

So then, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath. James 1:19 (NKJV)

He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To him who overcomes I will give to eat from the tree of life, which is in the midst of the Paradise of God.  Revelation 2:7 (NKJV)

 (See also Numbers 9:8, Deuteronomy 4:1, Deuteronomy 5:1,  Deuteronomy 6:3-4,  Deuteronomy 9:1,  Deuteronomy 18:15, Deuteronomy 18:18-19,  1 Samuel 3:10,  Psalm 45:10,  Psalm 49:1,  Psalm 50:7,  Psalm 81:8,  Psalm 81:13 ,  Psalm 85:8 ,  Isaiah 1:10, Isaiah 32:3,  Isaiah 33:13,   Isaiah 34:1,  Isaiah 46:3,  Isaiah 48:12,  Isaiah 48:16,  Isaiah 51:1, Isaiah 51:4,  Isaiah 51:7, Isaiah 55:2-3,  Isaiah 66:5,  Jeremiah 6:17-19, Jeremiah 10:1, Jeremiah 19:3, Jeremiah 19:15,  Jeremiah 25:8,  Jeremiah 26:3,  Jeremiah 29:20, Ezekiel 2:8, Ezekiel 3:7, Ezekiel 3:10, Ezekiel 3:27, Ezekiel 12:2, Matthew 7:24, Matthew 17:5, Mark 4:9, 4:23,  Mark 4:24, Mark 7:14-16, Mark 7:37, Mark 9:7, Mark 12:29, Luke 8:8, Luke 8:21, Luke 9:44, Luke 14:35,   Acts 3:22-23,  Hebrews 12:25, James 1:22,  Revelation 2:11,  Revelation 2:17, Revelation 2:29, Revelation 3:6, Revelation 3:13, Revelation 3:22)

Scripture from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson.

Choose Your 5 Stones!

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And the God of peace will crush Satan under your feet shortly. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you. Amen.  Romans 16:20 (NKJV)

Almost a year ago I wrote the devotion “Wrestling with Abba Father,” ironically published exactly one week before we left our home forever due to a mold outbreak, not knowing I’d do more wrestling in the coming year than ever before!  I have to say that when you spend several hours a day on the mat wrestling for months on end, you learn more about fighting the good fight of faith! 

I haven’t written much about spiritual warfare in My TEA CUPP devotions in the past, focusing more on other parts of prayer. But as our world continues its moral decline and trouble of all kinds abound for God’s children, it is important that we put on the whole armor of God (Ephesians 6:11) and battle the enemy in prayer. Though Jacob wrestled with the Angel of God, our spiritual warfare is not against the Father, but rather in the name of Jesus we fight against evil forces of wickedness, Satan and his fallen angels with names like Leviathan, Legion, Baal and many others. Paul tells us, “We do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places (Ephesians 6:12).

Our Lord Jesus knew all about spiritual warfare. Right after He was baptized, the Holy Spirit took Jesus into the wilderness where He fasted for 40 days. At the end of those 40 days, Satan came to tempt Jesus.  But Jesus did not give in to the devil’s tactics.  He fought back with the Word of God, using the Sword of the Spirit to defend Himself (read Matthew 4:1-11).  When Satan showed up again in the doubts of Peter, Jesus proclaimed, “Get behind Me, Satan!” ordering the devil away with His words (Matthew 16:21-23).  

As I was reading the familiar story of David and Goliath a few weeks ago, I saw how it is a perfect example of using spiritual warfare in our prayers (1 Samuel 17). You all know the story of how David gathered the five stones to fight the giant Goliath for mocking the God of Israel.  With only one stone, David won the battle, perhaps because the battle had already been won in prayer.  Let’s look at what steps we must to do to be victorious like David in his spiritual battle over God’s enemy: 

  • We pray (Psalm 27)
  • We obey our Father (1 Samuel 17:17-20)
  • We practice on a lion and a bear (1 Samuel 17:34-37)
  • We size up the situation and ask permission (1 Samuel 17:20-30)
  • We gather our stones (1 Samuel 17:40)
  • We fight with the Word of God (1 Samuel 17:45-47)
  • We claim the victory! (1 Samuel 17:48-51)

I feel like I’ve been practicing on the lion and the bear this past year as we battled in prayer for healing and a home. I’ve progressed to gathering my stones and fighting the enemy with the Word of God.  What does this look like?  When I was on the verge of completing my third book, More TEA CUPP Prayers, I gathered my five stones.  I knew the enemy did not want me to finish this as he had used every tactic to try to knock me out, from sickness to despair.  So, on my final afternoon of writing, I wrote five promises from God’s Word in my prayer journal. These were my five stones to throw at the enemy if he came along during my writing. I wrote that day, Dearest Jesus, be with me to press on and finish More TEA CUPP! I claim these five stones of promise against Goliath in Your Name, Yeshua!

  1. No weapon formed against me shall prosper (see Isaiah 54:17).
  2. He who is in me is greater than he who is in the world (see 1 John 4:4).
  3. He who began a good work in me will be faithful to complete it until the day of Jesus Christ (see Philippians 1:6). 
  4. I shall not die but live to declare the works of the Lord (see Psalm 118:17).
  5. He shall give His angels charge over me to keep me in all His ways (see Psalm 91:11).

I also rebuked, in the Name of Yeshua Messiah, the “prince of the power of the air” from messing with the internet and computer (Ephesians 2:2)!  And I’m delighted to say that day was a victory for God’s side as More TEA CUPP Prayers is now at the publisher!  HalleluYAH! God be praised!

As I continued reading 1 Samuel, I remembered again David and Goliath. I noticed that David didn’t assume his first victory would guarantee the next victory over the enemy.  When he came to battle again, David first …inquired of the Lord, saying, “Shall I go and attack these Philistines?” And the Lord said to David, “Go and attack the Philistines, and save Keilah.” (1 Samuel 23:2).  That is a lesson for us, too: Keep asking the Father before battling the enemy, or we might become like the people in Acts who cast out demons in Jesus’ name and were attacked (see Acts 19).  

Paul tell us, “for the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds, casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ” (2 Corinthians 10:4-5). This reminds me of 2 Samuel 17:13 when Hushai gave advice to Absolom, saying they would use ropes to pull the city down into the river.  That’s what we do with our prayers!  Our prayers are like ropes, pulling the evil strongholds into the river!  Dear one, you can do this! Stay in God’s Word, claim His promises, always keep on His armor as you pray and go through your days.

Fight the good fight of faith, lay hold on eternal life, to which you were also called and have confessed the good confession in the presence of many witnesses.  1 Timothy 6:12 (NKJV)

Today’s TEA CUPP:  Read 1 Samuel 17.  Now it’s your turn.  Pick your five Bible verse “stones” to have ready for the next spiritual battle.  Put on the whole armor of God and stand!  Thanks be to God who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ (1 Corinthians 15:57)!  

…be valiant for me, and fight the Lord’s battles.  1 Samuel 18:17 (NKJV)

…the Lord does not save with sword and spear; for the battle is the Lord’s... 1 Samuel 17:47 (NKJV)

Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.  Ephesians 6:11 (NKJV)

But let us who are of the day be sober, putting on the breastplate of faith and love, and as a helmet the hope of salvation.  1 Thessalonians 5:8 (NKJV)

Therefore I run thus: not with uncertainty. Thus I fight: not as one who beats the air. But I discipline my body and bring it into subjection, lest, when I have preached to others, I myself should become disqualified. 1 Corinthians 9:26-27 (NKJV)

This charge I commit to you, son Timothy, according to the prophecies previously made concerning you, that by them you may wage the good warfare. 1 Timothy 1:18 (NKJV)

Blessed be the Lord my Rock,
Who trains my hands for war,
And my fingers for battle.  Psalm 144:1 (NKJV)

Scripture from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson.

 

Tea in the Storm

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I first published this devotion on October 9, 2019, before covid, before the riots, before the 2020 elections, before January 6… I heard another storm of tsunami proportions is coming, a shaking this fall (2023) to bring our nation to its knees. Dear one, I tell you to fear not! Be steadfast, rejoicing in hope, patient in tribulation, continuing steadfastly in prayer (Romans 12:12).  Keep trusting Jesus!

The earth was without form, and void; and darkness was on the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters. Genesis 1:2 (NKJV)

God has always been in the storms.  Ever since He created the earth, His Spirit has hovered over the face of the waters (Genesis 1:2).  Today with hurricanes, tornadoes, flooding, blizzards, cancer, rushing children to hospitals, family difficulties, government corruption…we may wonder where God is.  Yet He is right there, ready to carry us through the storm. 

One Sunday our pastor gave a sermon on the passage from Mark 4:35-41 about Jesus calming the sea.  He pointed out for us in Mark 4:36 where it says, “And other little boats were also with Him.”  There are other little boats on the sea, too.  We aren’t the only ones in this storm.  Others need Jesus’ help and our example of faith.  Let’s ask Jesus to calm the storm for everyone. Today I give you a special TEA CUPP with verses from this story.

T for Thanksgiving:

He calms the storm,
So that its waves are still…
…Oh, that men would give thanks to the Lord for His goodness,
And for His wonderful works to the children of men!  Psalm 107:29,31 (NKJV)

 E for Exalting:

And they feared exceedingly, and said to one another, “Who can this be, that even the wind and the sea obey Him!”  Mark 4:41 (NKJV)

A for Admitting:

But He said to them, “Why are you so fearful?  How is it that you have no faith?” Mark 4:40 (NKJV)

C for Calling:

On the same day, when evening had come, He said to them,  “Let us cross over to the other side.”  Mark 4:35 (NKJV)

U for Understanding:

Now when they had left the multitude, they took Him along in the boat as He was. And other little boats were also with Him. And a great windstorm arose, and the waves beat into the boat, so that it was already filling. Mark 4:36-37 (NKJV)

P for Promises:

Then He arose and rebuked the wind, and said to the sea, “Peace, be still!” And the wind ceased and there was a great calm.  Mark 4:39 (NKJV)

P for Petitioning:

But He was in the stern, asleep on a pillow. And they awoke Him and said to Him, “Teacher, do You not care that we are perishing?” Mark 4:38 (NKJV)

Today’s TEA CUPP: Read the amazing story in Mark 4:35-41, The Sea is Stilled. Read Acts 27 or the book of Jonah for more storm stories. Use these verses as conversation starters in your prayer time with Jesus today, all week, or any time you or loved ones are going through a storm. You can claim God’s promise to still the waves.  You can wake Jesus up and ask Him, “Don’t You care?”  You can stand amazed at His miracles and proclaim, “Who is this, that even the wind and sea obey Him?”

 …Awake to help me, and behold! Psalm 59:4 (NKJV)

The waters saw You, O God;
The waters saw You, they were afraid;
The depths also trembled. Psalm 77:16 (NKJV)

You rule the raging of the sea;
When its waves rise, You still them.  Psalm 89:9 (NKJV)

Scripture from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson.

Calling the Seraphim

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When[leaders lead in Israel,
When the people willingly offer themselves,
Bless the Lord!  Judges 6:2 (NKJV)

The Lord God has been calling His children to anoint the borders of the USA and its states this summer.  Many are doing so while on vacation or as they make special trips for this very purpose. You can read about this amazing work of the Church in Dutch Sheet’s Paint Your State.  I received word of this border anointing just after returning from a trip to see family and wondered how I could still help while at home.  Let me share how Jesus has called me to join the “painting” of the states and perhaps it will inspire you to do the same!

Almost every morning, I take a walk down the country road where we are temporarily living in a camper.  The road goes over Interstate 90 and up into the mountains.  As I walk across the I90 overpass bridge, I see oodles of trucks, cars, campers, boats, motorcycles and so forth, traveling from west to east and from east to west.  And so, in the Name of Yeshua Messiah (Jesus Christ our Lord), I have anointed this overpass bridge!

Then he divided the three hundred men into three companies, and he put a trumpet into every man’s hand, with empty pitchers, and torches inside the pitchers.  Judges 7:16 (NKJV)

I’ve prayed for the Lord’s seraphim angels to station themselves on this bridge with trumpets in one hand and a pitcher in the other like Gideon’s 300 soldiers (Judges 7:16).  As each vehicle passes beneath the bridge, I pray these seraphim will pour their pitchers, anointing these vehicles with the Holy Spirit.  May their pitchers be full of new oil that never runs dry (Psalm 92:10, 1 Kings 17:14-16).  And God’s Spirit will go from Seattle to Boston, from Boston to Seattle, from West to East and from East to West. 

But my horn You have exalted like a wild ox;
I have been anointed with fresh oil.  Psalm 92:10 (NKJV)

The bin of flour was not used up, nor did the jar of oil run dry, according to the word of the Lord which He spoke by Elijah.  1 Kings 17:16 (NKJV)

I’ve asked the Lord to station these seraphim not just on my I90 bridge, but on all the I90 bridges across the country!  And not just on I90, but on ALL interstate bridges across our land!  So now the oil is being poured out from West to East, from East to West, from North to South, and from South to North!!!  Every vehicle will receive the blessing! Yehovah Rapha, our healing God, will heal this land! And Yehovah Shamar, our Shield, will protect this land!  America Shall be saved!  I command the forward our forefathers founded this nation on in the Name of Yeshua Messiah!  Go, Jesus!  

So he answered, “Do not fear, for those who are with us are more than those who are with them.” And Elisha prayed, and said, “Lord, I pray, open his eyes that he may see.” Then the Lord opened the eyes of the young man, and he saw. And behold, the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha.  2 Kings 6:16-17 (NKJV)

I’ve also asked Jesus to open my eyes to see these seraphim as he did for Elisha’s servant in 2 Kings 6:16-17, so that I can see those who are with us are more than those who are with the enemy. Though blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed (John 20:29).

Another thing I’ve been doing is praying the scriptures.  Many of you know I follow the M’Cheyne Bible reading plan.  So, with the verses I’ve read these past few weeks, I’ve prayed and written in my prayer journal for the USA….

When you have transgressed the covenant of the Lord your God, which He commanded you, and have gone and served other gods, and bowed down to them, then the anger of the Lord will burn against you, and you shall perish quickly from the good land which He has given you.”  Joshua 23:16 (NKJV)

…Yeshua Messiah, forgive this nation. Hear the cries of Your children who live here.  Turn hearts back to You! Pour out Your Holy Spirit. Forgive this land! Station Your angel armies at every border and highway and river! 

How long will the land mourn…? Jeremiah 12:14 (NKJV)

...Abba Father, help us to learn carefully the ways of Your people (Jeremiah 12:16) and follow all Your commands and be one nation under God again, a shining light to the world. O My Father, if it is possible (Matthew 26:39) remove this coming shaking and pour out Your Holy Spirit instead! May we repent and be converted that our sins may be blotted out and that times of refreshing may come from the Lord (Acts 3:19).  And that He may send Jesus Christ.  I claim repentance and times of refreshing for America! Come, Holy Spirit, Come!!! 

You have seen all that the Lord your God has done to all these nations because of you, for the Lord your God is He who has fought for you.  Joshua 23:3 (NKJV)

Today’s TEA CUPP:  Please join this “painting of the states,” anointing your state or county or city borders in the blessed Name of Jesus!  Share the unique way God has called you to pray for our nation on the Paint the States website.  Read Jeremiah 18:7-11 and keep praying! See the miracles our heavenly Father will do!!!

But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.  1 Corinthians 15:57 (NKJV)

Scripture from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson.

 

All Things Work for Good

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And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.  Romans 8:28 (NKJV)

All things, All things, All things! Not just some things or most things or things that are especially important, but ALL things work together for good!  That’s what God’s Word promises us in this well-known verse from Romans 8:28… And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.  

I love God. I love His Son Jesus.  I am called according to His purpose and so I claim this promise. That’s what the first “P” in the TEA CUPP is for, claiming God’s PROMISES. Dear sister, you can claim it, too!  You are called to be His daughter and He has great plans for you!  

As I was reading the book of Joshua in my Bible this month, I saw a beautiful example of this promise.  After their amazing victory in conquering Jericho in Joshua 6, the Israelites suffered a crushing defeat in Joshua 7 because one man Achan had kept the enemy’s accursed booty.  The Lord was angry at Achan’s disobedience, so He did not go with Israel’s army to defeat Ai that first time. Once Achan confessed his sin (Joshua 7:20) and received his punishment (Joshua 7:26), the Lord God was no longer angry and could once again go with Israel’s army to fight the battles. 

In the first battle, Joshua sent about three thousand men who were quickly chased away by the people of Ai.  This is where Romans 8:28 came in!  God used even the failed first battle at Ai to trick the enemy. In the second battle, He had Joshua station ambushes on the far side of Ai, unbeknownst to the people of Ai.  Then Joshua himself lead the group that marched up as at the first.

Then I and all the people who are with me will approach the city; and it will come about, when they come out against us as at the first, that we shall flee before them. For they will come out after us till we have drawn them from the city, for they will say, ‘They are fleeing before us as at the first.’ Therefore we will flee before them.  Joshua 8:5-6 (NKJV)

The Israelite’s followed the plan.  When the people of Ai chased Joshua’s army they fled as in the first battle, then the ambush attacked the city and set it on fire! When the enemy looked back at their city, their hearts melted and Joshua’s army turned back and pursued them all.  Read Joshua 8 for all of this exciting story!  It’s so neat how God let their first failure trick the enemy and they won the second battle! HalleluYAH! Praise Yehovah!

Yet, that is not the only Biblical example of Yehovah God working all things for good… what about God turning Sarah’s barrenness into the miraculous conception and birth of Isaac. What about David’s sin with Bathsheba producing the wisest king Solomon and the continuation of the genealogy of our Messiah, Jesus?  What about the prophet Daniel returning with the remnant to Jerusalem?  What about Paul’s shipwreck bringing salvation to the sailors and island people? And most of all, what about God turning the sin of Adam and Eve eating the forbidden fruit into a Seed that would one day be our Savior, Jesus Christ?

And so, I claim Romans 8:28 as a promise for my life. Nine months ago, I had to flee my home due to mold.  The enemy has been pursuing me in all kinds of ways… health issues, homelessness, pains, tears, despair, loss of pets… but like Joshua, I seek the Lord and keep pressing on and claiming His promise to work even this for good.  We are more than conquerers through Him who loves us!  

Just look how God has blessed us this summer… my old Bible study leader invited our animals and us to stay on her property.  A friend from our fellowship loaned us their beautiful camper.  With food and clothing we are content, yet still we pray for that new home Jesus is preparing.  Yes, we still have tears. Yes, we still have dark nights.  But we are confident that, yes, God will work all things together for good because we love Him and we are called according to His purposes!

Dear one, how can you claim this promise in your life today? If you are in a difficult relationship, God will use it for good.  If your children are prodigals, God will use it for good. If you are broke, God will use it for good. If you are hungry, God will use it for good. If you are hurting, God will use it for good.  If you are sick, God will use it for good.  If you are mourning for a loved one, God will use it for good. If you made a big mistake, God will use it for good. If you are homeless, God will use it for good.  if you are lonely, God will use it for good. If you are brokenhearted, God will use it for good.  In ALL things God works together for good to those who love God and are called according to His purposes!  

Today’s TEA CUPP:  Read the amazing miracle in Joshua 8 today!  Use the enemy’s strategy against him in your own battles, claiming victory through our Lord and Savior Yeshua Messiah!  

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 (NKJV)

For thus says the Lord: ‘Just as I have brought all this great calamity on this people, so I will bring on them all the good that I have promised them.’  Jeremiah 34:42 (NKJV)

For You, Lord, have made me glad through Your work;
I will triumph in the works of Your hands.  Psalm 92:4 (NKJV)

You are good, and do good;
Teach me Your statutes.  Psalm 119:68 (NKJV)

He heals the brokenhearted
And binds up their wounds.  Psalm 147:3 (NKJV)

Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us.  Romans 8:37 (NKJV)

But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.  1 Corinthians 15:57 (NKJV)

 And God is able to make all grace abound toward you, that you, always having all sufficiency in all things, may have an abundance for every good work.  2 Corinthians 9:8 (NKJV)

Being confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ. Philippians 1:6 (NKJV)

For whatever is born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world—our faith.  1 John 5:4 (NKJV)

Scripture from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson.

The Song: Jesus Heal Me Now

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Sing to Him a new song… Psalm 33:3 (NKJV)

…Lord, behold, he whom You love is sick. John 11:3

The line of ladies stretched from the altar to the back of the sanctuary and up the middle aisle and never got shorter as more people kept joining it. We had heard from the Bible, stories of Naaman being healed from leprosy, the Israelites looking to Moses’ serpent on a pole, and the bleeding woman of the Gospels. Now from the worship leaders came this song which began woefully as a cry for healing, yet ended in jubilation.  As we learned the tune, we began singing along with the words on the overhead screen.  Many of the lyrics hit home as we had cried them many times while reading God’s Word, wondering, “how long, O Lord, until it’s my turn for healing?”  With each Gospel story of Jesus healing someone, we had prayed that miracle for ourselves and loved ones.  Would this be the day those prayers are answered?  Will our service today tip the scales of heaven and send the Father’s healing mercy raining down upon us?  The ladies stopped at three stations before the altar, first visiting one for repentance and deliverance, then a second for anointing with oil and healing prayers, and finally, the third to partake of the Bread and Cup.  Volunteers and pastors who also had experienced pain and healing in the past were compassionately leading the prayer stations, giving comfort as they themselves had been comforted by Jesus.  And as the healing began, we sang on…

  • Chorus 1:
  • Jesus heal me now,
  • Oh, heal me now,
  • Jesus heal me now,
  • Oh, I pray
  • Jesus heal me now,
  • Oh, heal me now,
  • Oh, heal me now,
  • Oh, heal me now,
  • Oh, heal me now.

 

  • Look on my affliction
  • And all my pain,
  • Lord, please heal me now
  • Oh, I pray
  • And forgive all
  • My iniquities
  • Lord, please heal me now,
  • Oh, I pray.

 

  • Chorus 2:
  • Heal me, O Lord,
  • And I shall be healed,
  • Oh, save me, and
  • I shall be saved.
  • Heal me, O Lord,
  • And I shall be healed,
  • Oh, save me, for
  • You are my praise.
  • Is there no balm
  • In Gilead?
  • Is there no
  • doctor to heal?
  • Yes! There is and
  • His name is Jesus
  • Christ, and by His
  • Stripes I am healed!
  • Bless be the Lord
  • Who forgives all
  • Our sins and heals
  • All of our pain.
  • He bore it all
  • In His body
  • On the cross,
  • He bled and died,
  • To heal us now.

 

  • Lord, behold
  • Your child You love
  • is sick and in pain,
  • Please have mercy,
  • Never forsake.
  • Oh, heal me now,
  • Oh, heal me now,
  • Oh, heal me now.

 

  • Lord, if You are
  • Willing to heal,
  • Just say the word
  • And cleanse me now.
  • (repeat)

 

  • Lord, I rejoice
  • I share Your pain,
  • But I’ve had more
  • Than I can bear.
  • Take it away
  • Into the depths
  • Of the sea,
  • Oh, heal me now,
  • Oh, heal me now,
  • O, heal me now.

 

  • My God, my God,
  • Why hast Thou
  • Forsaken Your
  • Child whom You love?
  • This pain has gone
  • On much too long,
  • Please hear my cries
  • And heal me now.

 

  • From the ends of
  • The earth I call
  • to You I cry,
  • as I grow faint,
  • Have mercy and heal
  • This body now,
  • Remember it’s
  • Your Temple, Lord.

 

  • This is my comfort
  • In all my pain,
  • Your word has
  • Given me life.
  • Unless Your Word
  • Had been my delight,
  • I would have perished
  • in my pain.

 

  • Everyone who
  • Calls on the Lord’s
  • Name, Your Word says
  • Shall be saved.
  • I’m shouting loud,
  • Down on my knees,
  • Jesus, please heal
  • And save me now!

 

  • I shall not die
  • But live to declare
  • The mighty works
  • Of my Lord (repeat)

 

  • I reach out and
  • Touch Your robe and
  • Claim Your healing
  • And power now (repeat)

 

  • I hear your cries
  • And see your tears,
  • Surely I will
  • Heal you now.
  • My child, your faith
  • Has made you well,
  • Go in peace now
  • And serve the Lord.

 

  • Your light shall shine
  • Like morning sun,
  • Your healing shall
  • Speedily spring forth.
  • Your goodness shall go
  • Before you always.
  • And my glory
  • Will guard your path.

 

  • I know the plans
  • I have for you,
  • Plans to prosper
  • And not cause pain.
  • Plans to give you
  • A hopeful future,
  • So I forgive
  • And heal you now.

 

  • He has begun
  • Good works in me,
  • And will complete
  • It on that day (repeat).

 

  • Now I return
  • to give You thanks
  • and praise my
  • Healing God now.
  • Let it be known
  • In all the earth,
  • That by the Name
  • Of Jesus I’m healed! (repeat)

 

  • I glorify
  • Your Name, O Lord,
  • Hosanna,
  • HalleluYAH,
  • God be praised! (repeat x3)

 

Today’s TEA CUPP: Today’s prayer song is for all who suffer from mold toxicity, chronic pain, long covid, vaccine injuries, cancer, autoimmune disease, heart issues, lyme, abuse and all other afflictions.  This song is a prayer for you… sing it in the shower, the car, everywhere you go… let it be Your healing heart-cry.  We will shake heaven and bless Yehovah Rapha, our healing God!

I see a vision of healing services with ladies singing this song over and over as dear hurting souls come forward to the alter, some carried by their friends. The ladies receive the healing for which they have cried, longed-for, and prayed. The Holy Spirit moves and their families come, too. No power of hell nor scheme of man can stop the flood waters of His healing Spirit as it moves across our land. Everyone who calls upon the name of the Lord Jesus shall be saved! HOSANNA! HALLELUYAH! GOD BE PRAISED!

Hear my prayer, O Lord,
And give ear to my cry;
Do not be silent at my tears… Psalm 39:12 (NKJV)

He has put a new song in my mouth—
Praise to our God;
Many will see it and fear,
And will trust in the Lord.  Psalm 40:3 (NKJV)

Beloved, I pray that you may prosper in all things and be in health, just as your soul prospers. 3 John 2 (NKJV)

 (See also Psalm 25:18, Jeremiah 17:14, Psalm 103:2-3, Isaiah 53:4-5, Jeremiah 8:22, Jeremiah 33:6, John 11:3, Luke 5:12, Psalm 22:1, Psalm 61:1-2, 1 Corinthians 6:19, Psalm 119:50, Psalm 119:92, Joel 2:32, Acts 2:21, Romans 10:13, Psalm 118:17, Mark 6:56, 2 Kings 20:5, Matthew 9:22, Mark 5:34, Luke 8:48, Isaiah 58:8, Jeremiah 29:11, Philippians 1:6, Luke 17:16, James 5:15)

Scripture from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson

4:7 I Thank My God

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Today I continue my 4:7 Prayers, Petitions and Proclamations…

Philemon 4-7… I thank my God, making mention of you always in my prayers, hearing of your love and faith which you have toward the Lord Jesus and toward all the saints, that the sharing of your faith may become effective by the acknowledgment of every good thing which is in you in Christ Jesus. For we have great joy and consolation in your love, because the hearts of the saints have been refreshed by you, brother…. I thank my God for you, dear TEA CUPP Sisters, making mention of you always in my prayers. I’m so excited to hear how you sit down each morning with your Bible and a cup of tea to spend time in prayer with Jesus. And that your time in the Lord has been fruitful as you’ve prayed for family, friends and loved ones. You have refreshed their souls and mine and given me great joy. I thank Jesus again for you as I carry out the dream God put on my heart, to change this nation for Jesus, one TEA CUPP at a time. HalleluYAH! Amen! ❤️

Ephesians 4:7 But to each one of us grace was given according to the measure of Christ’s gift. 🎶Grace, grace, God’s grace, grace that will pardon and cleanse within: Grace, grace, God’s grace, grace that is greater than all our sin. 🎶 (Julia H. Johnston, 1911). Thank you, dearest Jesus, for Your grace which brought me to You. I remember the first time someone explained grace and mercy to me. They said grace is the Father giving us a gift we don’t deserve, while mercy is You not giving us what we deserve. Like giving the little boy who hits his sister a lollipop (grace) instead of a spank and the time-out chair (mercy). When You died on the cross for us, Lord Jesus, that was ultimate mercy, taking the punishment for all our sins. Then You rose to eternal life and are giving us gifts, some prophecy, some teaching, some evangelism, some hospitality, and the best gift of all, eternal life (grace)!  Thank You, Father, for sending us Your Son. Thank You, Jesus, for Your mercy and grace and good gifts.  We thank and praise and love You forever and ever and ever!  Amen! ❤️

Amos 4:7 I also withheld rain from you, When there were still three months to the harvest. I made it rain on one city, I withheld rain from another city. One part was rained upon, And where it did not rain the part withered.  Oh, Jesus, first I want to thank You for the rain and snow You’ve sent to Montana, the ranchers are all so glad. Yet it seems like it isn’t just You who is sending and withholding rain in recent years, but the devil himself is seeding clouds, blocking the sun’s rays, making the wind blow extra hard, and even controlling hurricanes.  O Father, You are the Creator of all, even the weather… indeed the wind and sea obey You (Luke 8:25)… don’t let anyone mess with Your creation!  Take back Your power over the weather!  We would rather be under Your judgment with the weather than under the curse of the enemy.  O Jesus, You died for this also!  Come and rescue us and our weather.  Make the land fertile again. Reign over us and rain down blessings upon us. Thank you, dearest Jesus!  All our springs are in You (Psalm 87:7)! Amen! ❤️

He gives rain on the earth,
And sends waters on the fields. Job 5:10 (NKJV)

In summer 2022, the Lord called me to write 4:7 Petitions, Prayers, and Proclamations…  I heard the Lord saying, “Pay attention to 4:7!” I started reading every 4:7 verse in the Bible. When there wasn’t a 4:7, I read the closest verse. I used these verses as Prayers, Petitions, and Proclamations to the throne room of Christ our Savior. Bit by bit, I’m sharing them with you, my TEA CUPP Sisters.  Thank you for reading and praying 4:7!  

Scripture from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson.

Lifting Hands in Praise

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And Ezra blessed the Lord, the great God. Then all the people answered, “Amen, Amen!” while lifting up their hands. And they bowed their heads and worshiped the Lord with their faces to the ground. Nehemiah 8:6 (NKJV)

Today I want to share with you my “Lifting Hands” story. I grew up in a Presbyterian Church where beautiful organ music, a talented choir, and often a university orchestra accompanied every hymn. The congregation stood solemnly, singing the traditional songs from the hymnal. You could sing as loudly as you wanted because the organ would drown-out any wrong words or off-key notes. But you would never think of moving as you stoically clasped your hymnal like the rest of the congregation.

When I met Jesus in college, I attended a group called the Baptist Student Union. A few of the students there would lead us in singing, one playing the guitar and others leading the choruses. I realize now that all the songs we sang were Bible verses, for when I read those verses today, the BSU songs immediately come to mind and I hum them the rest of the day. The words were cast on the wall with an overhead projector and we were free to sit or stand and bump arms with our friends.

From there I went to work at a Lutheran summer camp where God’s Word and songs became more alive for me. I learned songs with actions that kept the campers and counselors active. We sang tunes like “Pharaoh, Pharaoh, Oh, baby, let my people go!” while doing the actions of an Egyptian hieroglyphic. We sang “Jesus is real, He’ll never fail,” while casting an imaginary fishing rod into the lake and reeling it in. And, of course, we learned to “march in the infantry” and “ride in the Calvary” and “shoot the artillery” and “soar over the enemy” because we were in the Lord’s army! Singing to Jesus became a fun time of laughing and movement.

My first job after graduation was teaching sixth grade at a Lutheran Day School where I was also required to join the Lutheran Church. There we learned and enjoyed the singing liturgy of the Lutherans, the good old hymns, and the joy of being in a congregation filled with children. The Day School held a service every Thursday morning. Once a month they recognized the children who had been baptized during that month with a song that runs through my head yet today… we are baptized, I am baptized, we have passed through the waters and that’s all that matters, I have passed through the waters, oh thanks be to God! Yet still we sang traditional hymns as we stood in the pews.

When we moved to a new town, we joined a Methodist Church because my husband had grown-up Methodist. It was also a traditional church, but without the singing liturgy. A dedicated choir marched up the center aisle every Sunday in their red robes, inspiring us all to join them in praising the Father. As I juggled young children and a hymn book, I tried to join them in singing. It was truly a Spirit-filled congregation, for there we often sang, “Here I am, Lord, is it I Lord,? I have heard You calling in the night, I will go, Lord, if You lead me, I will hold Your people in my heart.” We received our calling into church camp ministry and they laid hands on us, praying and sending us forth.

From there, our family moved to a United Methodist Church camp. Our first summer, we had only a handful of counselors and none of them were song leaders. Over and over we sang a favorite one young man remembered, “He’s my Rock, my Sword, my Shield, He’s the Wheel in the middle of the Wheel, He’s the Lily of the Valley, He’s the brightest Morning Star, doesn’t matter what you say, I’m gonna get on my knees and pray, I’m going to praise Him till the day that Jesus comes – Hee, haw!” This was accompanied by appropriate hand motions, of course! We prayed for a guitar player the next year, and soon our campers were enjoying a variety of new and old songs at the morning outdoor chapel with fun arm movements lead by the counselors.

God called us to a new church camp in Montana in the year 2000. One summer, a group of volunteers created an outdoor chapel on the hillside where we could hold Sunday evening worship services. One week, a volunteer, a retired Methodist, told me about his call to lift his hands in worship. Why did he tell me? The Lord must have put it upon his heart. As a Methodist, he had never lifted his hands at church, but one day he was reading Psalm 134:2. and the Lord spoke to him, telling him this is what he should do. And so he did! And God put the desire in my heart to do the same.

Lift up your hands in the sanctuary,
And bless the Lord. Psalm 134:2 (NKJV)

At the time we were attending a Methodist Church and a closer Lutheran Church, both with choirs and traditional hymns. As the desire to raise my hands increased, I would grasp the pew in front of me, keeping my hands down during the hymns, not wanting to be different or cause a stir. When I would go home to my parents’ church, I would again grasp the pew ahead of me, knuckles turning white as I resisted the urge. For 10 years I did this, even after we started attending an Evangelical Church so our kids could partake in the youth group.

Finally, one Sunday, I let the Holy Spirit take over and I raised my hands as we stood in the back of this Evangelical Church, noticing a few others scattered around the sanctuary were also raising their hands. Finally, I followed the example in God’s Word, the desire of my heart, and the call of the Holy Spirit, reaching my hands up to our Father in heaven as I magnified His Name in song. And now we attend our Sabbath home church and a fellowship group where most hands are raised. And for me, as the good old hymn “I have decided to follow Jesus” says, there’s “no turning back, no turning back.”

…“Stand up and bless the Lord your God
Forever and ever! Blessed be Your glorious name,
Which is exalted above all blessing and praise!
You alone are the Lord;
You have made heaven,
The heaven of heavens, with all their host,
The earth and everything on it,
The seas and all that is in them,
And You preserve them all.
The host of heaven worships You. “You are the Lord God… Nehemiah 9:5-7 (NKJV)

Today’s TEA CUPP: What is your posture when you are praising the Father? Are you standing in the pew, singing with the congregation? Are you curled up on the sofa with pen in hand, writing in your prayer journal words of adoration? Are you sitting with head down, hands clasped, heart beating for the Lord? Are you prostrate on the ground, bowing in honor? Are you standing with hands up high, exalting, lifting the Name of Jesus, reaching toward His throne in heaven? However you position yourself, Our Father God sees you, knows you, loves you and is so blessed by your love and praise. Keep exalting Christ our Lord, dear sister!!!

If you would prepare your heart,
And stretch out your hands toward Him… Job 11:13 (NKJV)

Thus I will bless You while I live; I will lift up my hands in Your name. Psalm 63:4 (NKJV)

Let my prayer be set before You as incense,
The lifting up of my hands as the evening sacrifice. Psalm 141:2 (NKJV)

My hands also I will lift up to Your commandments,
Which I love,
And I will meditate on Your statutes. Psalm 119:48 (NKJV)

Hear the voice of my supplications
When I cry to You,
When I lift up my hands toward Your holy sanctuary. Psalm 28:2 (NKJV)

Scripture from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson

A favorite hand-lifting song from church camp

But we see Jesus

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But we see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels, for the suffering of death crowned with glory and honor, that He, by the grace of God, might taste death for everyone. Hebrews 2:9 (NKJV)

But we see Jesus... these four words from God’s Word have been filling my thoughts during the past few months.  As we endured the hardships of a mold evacuation and relocation, we have seen Jesus at work in our lives.  From my husband’s knee to two Gideon Bilbes to our milking goat, we have seen the miracles of Jesus.

…nor do we know what to do, but our eyes are upon You. 2 Chronicles 20:12 (NIV)

But we see Jesus… in my husband’s knee… In early November, my husband Kent’s knee started feeling funny at a Thursday Taekwondo workout with our youngest son Joel. By the next day, it was swollen to three times its normal size and he could barely walk.  We attended our Friday fellowship that evening where they laid hands on his knee for over half an hour and prayed for him in Jesus’ Name.  While they were praying, his knee visibly shrank, but still had a little swelling. The next day it was still sore and Kent thought one of the titanium screws from his 2002 surgery had pulled loose.  We found his old brace and he started wearing that, continuing all his farm chores, snow shoveling and working.  One day after about a week, my husband forgot to wear his brace to work and never put it on again! But the knee was still swollen in the evenings, so he kept his December doctor appointment where he had the surgery twenty years ago.  The doctor took four X-rays and said, “It’s just arthritis! Keep doing what you’re doing, working, walking, hiking, doing Taekwondo and all. All the screws are in place!  Staying active is the best thing.”  And so, we praised Jesus for this amazing healing, especially at a time when we needed a little extra good news!  🙏🥰

Look to the Lord and His strength; seek His face always. Remember the wonders He has done, His miracles, and the judgments He pronounced.  1 Chronicles 16:11-12, Psalm 105:4-5 (NKJV)

But we see Jesus… in two Gideon Bibles… The morning after our final mold evacuation, we awoke at a guest house, so thankful for beds, mattresses, and quilts for a good night’s sleep.  Yet now it was morning when I like to have my quiet time with Jesus.  All of our books had been thrown away because of mold spores, but I could not let my Bible be tossed out with all the notes in the margins and prayers for family and friends.  So my Bible was packed into one of the many boxes that went to storage.  How could I have my morning tea time with Jesus?  He had a plan!

Way back in 2011, when we first left church camp ministry to begin caring for guest houses, we had asked a friend who is a Gideon if he had some Bibles we could place in the houses for which we caretake.  Our friend was glad to provide the Bibles and we placed them in two of the guest houses.  Only the Lord knew that years later, we would be homeless and the owners would so graciously let us stay in one of these very guest houses. That morning after our evacuation, I went to the bedside table where I thought the Bibles might be, and sure enough, the two Gideon Bibles were still there! One for me and one for my husband!  Kent said most of Ephesians and Galatians were missing from his, we hope a guest enjoyed those so much he wanted to take them home!  And so, I never missed a morning of reading my Bible, because 11-1/2 years before we had placed Gideon Bibles in the very guest house that we would someday visit as “homeless” people on a cold winter day.  And now a friend has given us new Bibles, too. God is so good!

I rejoice at Your word
As one who finds great treasure.  Psalm 119:162 (NKJV)

But we see Jesus… in our milking goat…  And here is one last story you will like… we first got the goats because Joel can’t digest cows’ milk. Our goats have been such a blessing with the mama Gloria producing enough milk for Joel and sharing with others. However, with everything going on in November, we thought we should dry-up our mama goat to make our move easier. Kent reduced the grain and started milking less, but she kept producing! Gloria would not dry-up, she kept giving milk! And so, Kent started giving her the usual amount of grain again and she is in full production, being milked twice a day. Joel has plenty of milk to drink and we have extra to share… it’s like the flour and oil that were never used up during the famine in 1 Kings 17! God is so very good! 💗🐐🥛

For the jar of flour was not used up and the jug of oil did not run dry, in keeping with the word of the Lord spoken by Elijah. 1 Kings 17:16 (NIV)

But we see Jesus… in the love of brothers and sisters…  thank you so much for all your care and prayers. My tears in God’s bottle are now tears of joy! We thank Jesus for you!

 I thank my God every time I remember you. In all my prayers for all of you, I always pray with joy. Philippians 1:3-4 (NIV)

But we see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels, for the suffering of death crowned with glory and honor, that He, by the grace of God, might taste death for everyone (Hebrews 2:9 (NKJV). O Jesus, we see you… this is our story! We see You! For like Stephen, the clouds have parted, the heavens are open, You are sitting at the right hand of the Father, saying, “Hold on a little longer.”

Today’s TEA CUPP:  Read 2 Chronicles 20 for an amazing prayer, story, and promises from God’s Word.  Keep looking to HIM, Jesus loves you so much, dear sister!  He sees you and cares about you.  He knows exactly what’s going on in your life right now. Keep looking to Yehovah God, Yeshua Messiah, Our Lord and Savior!

I lift up my eyes to the mountains—
    where does my help come from?
My help comes from the Lord,
    the Maker of heaven and earth. Psalm 121:1-2 (NIV)

If disaster comes upon us—sword, judgment, pestilence, or famine—we will stand before this temple and in Your presence (for Your name is in this temple), and cry out to You in our affliction, and You will hear and save.  2 Chronicles 20:9 (NKJV)

…Do not be afraid nor dismayed because of this great multitude, for the battle is not yours, but God’s. 2 Chronicles 20:15 (NKJV)

 You will not need to fight in this battle. Position yourselves, stand still and see the salvation of the Lord, who is with you… 2 Chronicles 20:17 (NKJV)

...Praise the Lord,
For His mercy endures forever. 2 Chronicles 20:21 (NKJV)

But my eyes are upon You, O God the Lord;
In You I take refuge;
Do not leave my soul destitute.  Psalm 141:8 (NKJV)

Therefore I will look to the Lord;
I will wait for the God of my salvation;
My God will hear me.  Micah 7:7 (NKJV)

Scripture from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson

Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica

My Tears in God’s Bottle

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You number my wanderings;
Put my tears into Your bottle;
Are they not in Your book? Psalm 56:8 (NKJV)

 Mattresses outside the door… a garbage bag split open spilling books onto the frozen ground… trailers weighted down so much the tires are compressed… 33 years of belongings headed to the dump… the framed wedding picture, the toddler ride-on toys, the school books, the bunkbeds, the easy chair (nothing is easy, who gave it that name?) … even a 54-year-old teddy bear… all waiting in our yard for dump day. But the Lord must have been smiling down on us, for the sun shown on this January day, He sent helpers, and the massive haul to the transfer station was completed.

Just two weeks before, the temperatures had plummeted far below zero. The snow sculpted the landscape, biting bare fingers. “No one should have to evacuate for mold in winter!” we cried! Thank you, Jesus, for warming Montana by 70 degrees, from 30 below to 40 above! Thank you for this lull in the weather to bring my brother and other helpers. Thank you for all the dear ones who are praying for us!

God’s Cloud has definitely lifted from our home on Dry Creek Road, and we are following Jesus where He leads us, our next stop being a temporary guest house. Turns out that Dry Creek may have been dry, but the ground around our rental house was not. All the irrigation water from uphill came right to our cellar, which, combined with attic problems, created a mold sandwich with our family in the middle! So, all the mold-spore-infested-sandwich-fixings were strewn outside the door, awaiting their doom at the dump.

My dear husband still has the garage and barn to finish sorting, tossing, packing and cleaning. He could use a hand if you have one, or two. There is nothing more depressing than throwing away all your belongings, but if you have company, the job is lighter. For God tells us to bear one another’s burdens and so fulfill the law of Christ. Thank you to my brother and dear friends who have already come to our rescue. God bless you all!

We are counting our blessings. The other evening I left our borrowed house in a borrowed truck wearing borrowed clothes and realized that even our very breaths are borrowed from the Lord until He calls us home. And so I thank Him for dear praying friends, a box of notecards, a new prayer shawl, new Bibles for our family, a bag of sweaters, a winter coat, a home for our kitties, grocery deliveries, a surprise envelope, sheets for the new mattresses we will have someday, school supplies for our son, bits of cheer, packing and sorting, cleaning and delivering appliances to the thrift store, a trailer loan, a truck loan, a guest house loan, loading and unloading, a love offering, a phone call, a text, an email, a smile, a note, a prayer… thank you, dearest Jesus for taking care of us with all these dear ones. Bless each one! And we thank You in advance, Lord Jesus, for the next home You are preparing for us… please remember the barn for the animals and a garden, and please heal us. Thank you, Jesus, You know what we need before we even ask!

Today’s TEA CUPP:   A tent or a cottage, why should I care? They’re building a palace for me over there; Though exiled from home, yet still may I sing: All glory to God, I’m a child of the King (Hattie E. Buell, 1877).

p.s. Please keep praying for our healing and new home. God bless you!!! 

…I have heard your prayer, I have seen your tears; surely I will heal you… 2 Kings 20:5 (NKJV)

Hear my prayer, O Lord, And give ear to my cry; Do not be silent at my tears; For I am a stranger with You, A sojourner, as all my fathers were. Psalm 39:12 (NKJV)

I am weary with my groaning;
All night I make my bed swim;
I drench my couch with my tears.  Psalm 6:6 (NKJV)

Those who sow in tears
Shall reap in joy. Psalm 126:5 (NKJV)

…Weeping may endure for a night,
But joy comes in the morning. Psalm 30:5 (NKJV)

My new temporary Daniel window with borrowed mug and Gideon Bible and dish towel prayer shawl.  

…she has washed My feet with her tears and wiped them with the hair of her head. Luke 7:44 (NKJV)

…For your Father knows the things you have need of before you ask Him.  Matthew 6:8 (NKJV)

You shall laugh at destruction and famine…
You shall know that your tent is in peace. Job 5:22-24 (NKJV)

I am weary with my crying;
My throat is dry;
My eyes fail while I wait for my God.  Psalm 69:3 (NKJV)

You have fed them with the bread of tears,
And given them tears to drink in great measure.  Psalm 80:5 (NKJV)

…And the Lord God will wipe away tears from all faces... Isaiah 25:8 (NKJV)

…The voice of weeping shall no longer be heard in her,
Nor the voice of crying.  Isaiah 65:19 (NKJV)

Oh, that my head were waters,
And my eyes a fountain of tears,
That I might weep day and night
For the slain of the daughter of my people!  Jeremiah 9:1 (NKJV)

Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson.