Rejoicing in hope …

Rejoicing in hope, patient in tribulation, continuing steadfastly in prayer.
Romans 12:12

Yesterday, while I was saying my prayers, God made me realise that nothing is impossible for Him and that I should hope positively that He will guide and help my daughter to prepare well for her exams such that she gets sufficient marks and accordingly admission for the course/college that is best for her.

Even if the situation seems difficult and probability less, God can make it happen.

He has already made plans for her.

I rejoice in this hope and thank and praise God for His abundant grace.

I need not worry. Nothing is in our hands anymore.

The grades that my daughter receives and her admissions, can never be attributed to our works since she was ill and has not been able to put in the necessary time and work. Her achievement can be attributed to God’s work only. It will be to His glory.

Only one more day for her English exam, which will be on the 27^th.

I rejoice in the hope that God will help her achieve her goals. I shall be patient without worrying unnecessarily. I shall continue steadfastly in prayer for God to guide and make it possible for my daughter to score good grades.

My father and my husband may say that my faith is impractical and that this is not God’s job, but I believe that God cares and has influence in the smallest issues of our lives.

He can definitely help my daughter achieve great heights.

Also, from today’s Night Life for Couples, I am reminded that when we face small troubles, we are given the opportunity to not forget God, to not be self-content and complacent, thus moving away from God. We see God’s work during these times and are able to praise Him more and more.

Times of Plenty
“I have set the Lord always before me.” Psalm 16:8
Just as we’re tempted to think God has forgotten about us when hard times come, so we tend to forget God when times are easy. Think about the marriages you have seen slide into trouble just when the couples seemed to have everything going their way.
Jesus told a story about a rich farmer who had no need for God. The farmer had his life nicely laid out. One year he produced such a bumper crop that he couldn’t store it all. In a world of suffering and starvation, that was his biggest problem! Then he said, “This is what I’ll do. I will tear down my barns and build bigger ones, and there I will store all my grain and my goods. And I’ll say to myself, ‘You have plenty of good things laid up for many years. Take life easy; eat, drink, and be merry.’ ” But God said to him, “You fool! This very night your life will be demanded from you. Then who will get what you have prepared for yourself?” (Luke 12:18–20).
Are you in a time of relative plenty in your life together? If so, be careful about slipping into arrogance and self‐contentedness. The next thing you know you’ll be behaving like the fool in Jesus’ story—as if you don’t need God. An old‐time preacher once wrote, “Blessedness is the greatest of perils because it tends to dull our keen sense of dependence on God and make us prone to presumption.”
Take a moment tonight to thank and praise God for all the good you enjoy. And remember to fully depend on Him each day, even when everything is going wonderfully.
Just between us…
Do we trust God in good times, or do we begin to feel self‐sufficient?
Do we give God the credit and praise when life is good?
How can we encourage each other to rely on the Lord at all times?
Lord, You have poured out Your goodness on our lives, and we are truly grateful. Forgive us when we let satisfaction dull our devotion to You. Amen.
Night Light For Couples, by Dr. James & Shirley Dobson

He’s always there…

To put everything in one, there is nothing you can want, there is nothing you can ask for, there is nothing you can need in time or in eternity, there is nothing living, nothing dying, there is nothing in this world, nothing in the next world, there is nothing now, nothing at the resurrection-morning, nothing in heaven which is not contained in this text–“I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee.”
Charles Spurgeon, Morning and Evening, Bible Gateway

What a wonderful assurance we have – God will never leave us not forsake us.

We can remain confident and live with hope that God will take us through our life, holding our hands and even carrying us through.

Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord.
Jeremiah 17:7

Yesterday’s reading of “Night Light for Couples” reminds me that there will always be trials and stress in life. If we trust in God and believe that He will be with us always, we can move forward in peace. God will give us strength to endure any situation. He will guide our thoughts, words and actions. He will make sure that the best happens for us. “

Below is the reading which is especially very meaningful and assuring for married couples.

God promises to bless those who trust in Him. The Psalms state that joy, deliverance, triumph, mercy, provision, blessedness, safety, and usefulness will come to those who put their confidence in the Lord. We need to rely on those blessings in our marriages—otherwise the stresses of life will pull us apart. And those stresses will come! When the house burns down… when a child becomes ill… when a job and steady paycheck are lost, it’s all too easy to let fear and frustration drive a wedge between partners. Even minor problems, such as a nagging cold or a sleepless night, can disrupt the quality of our marriage.
The good news is that we weren’t meant to succeed by depending only on each other. Marriage is a triangle—with husband and wife at the bottom corners and the Lord at the top. The book of Ecclesiastes conveys a similar truth when Solomon talks about the strength of a three‐stranded cord (4:12). If we invite the Lord into our marriage and trust in His strength, we can experience strength and peace in our marriage regardless of the circumstances.
Just between us…
When, before our marriage, did God prove strong for you in a time of crisis? What specific blessing did He provide?
How has He blessed us during hard times in our marriage?
What are some of the little stresses that tend to drive us apart?
In light of what we’ve read this week, how can we encourage each other to trust God more?
Dear Lord, we praise You that You—the God of love, power, and goodness— want to be a powerful presence in our relationship. When tests come, bind us together with love. When we are weak, be strong for us. Amen.
Night Light For Couples, by Dr. James & Shirley Dobson

Healing Touch

I have a medical condition called fibromyalgia with atypical facial pain. I was diagnosed 10 years back although I did not recognize that I had a problem in the earlier stages when I used to have unexplained pain and fatigue that I had attributed to be common signs of exhaustion that most people have.

Later, a persistent throbbing pain on one side of my face led to my diagnosis of atypical facial pain. Visits to a dentist and ENT specialist ruled out dental and sinus causes. I was referred to a neurologist who finally started my treatment.

At that time I was working in Kuwait. God gave me the strength and will-power to work and take care of my family in spite of my illness. Then God gave our family the opportunity to come back to India and a job for me that I could do from home. He provided all the facilities for me to slow down my pace and deal with my condition.

Recently, after a lot of prayer, God guided me to consult another doctor who has a different perspective. She feels that since there is no cure as such, I should try to improve my lifestyle through persistence and will-power. My medicines themselves cause fatigue and lethargy. So stopping them would be better if I can manage to live through the pain.

With God’s help, I am gradually reducing my medicines and pray that I will be free of medication one day. My exhaustion and pain are bearable and lesser than usual. Even when I had to go through the stress of my daughter’s hospitalisation, I was able to manage.

I thank God that He is healing me. It may not be an instant miracle like the one experienced by Peggy Frezon in her article in Guideposts (link below), but I am confident that God is working in me in His own way.

https://www.guideposts.org/inspiration/miracles/gods-grace/the-vision-that-led-to-her-miraculous-healing?source=zzzzzzzzzz&utm_source=MW&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=SC_CNTN_ZZ

That Proverbs 31 Woman…

A woman who fears the Lord is to be praised.
Proverbs 31:30

The below devotional that I read today is the answer to my quest on how to be a good wife. I shall fear the Lord and leave my thoughts, words and actions to Him to guide me to be the right wife, mother, daughter and sister for the good of my family.

Are you ever intimidated by the “Proverbs 31 woman”? Sometimes I am. How can we compete? Here’s a woman who brings her husband “good, not harm, all the days of her life”; gets up before the morning light; feeds her family; shows good judgment in her purchases; works “vigorously”; helps the poor; has time to make bed coverings for her household and garments for sale; has enough faith to “laugh at the days to come”; “speaks with wisdom”; has no use for idleness; and earns blessing and praise from her husband and children!
Let’s be honest, we can’t compete… but maybe we don’t have to. I’m not convinced, for example, that the woman described in Proverbs 31 is one literal person. Or, if she is, that she achieved all her accomplishments during the same period of life. Rather, I think that through the writings of Solomon, the Lord has provided us women with specific examples of the behavior to which we should continually aspire—just as all Christians aspire to be like Jesus, even though we’ll never actually reach His level of perfection.
I believe that the key to understanding Proverbs 31 is found in verse 30, the next to last passage in Proverbs: “Charm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting, but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised.” According to this verse, a “woman who fears the Lord,”—who seeks His will for her as wife, mother, and follower of Jesus—is the Proverbs 31 woman, no matter how a particular day or season of her life is going.
My encouragement to you as a wife is to seek God and submit to His direction—and add a dash of love in the process. I promise you that you’ll please your Maker, bring honor to your husband and family, and find a personal contentedness that will never be matched.
Shirley M Dobson, From Night Light For Couples, by Dr. James & Shirley Dobson

Couples – Friends and companions

Today’s devotional encouraged me to be a friend and companion to my husband in many ways.

I am grateful to God for carving out paths in my quest to develop my relationship with my husband to be happy and sound.

I have to spend more time to understand my husband, to participate in his interests, to encourage him and to intentionally find enjoyment with him even in activities that do not interest me so much.

We both have such opposite ideas, interests and viewpoints that I need to search for such things to do.

One mutual hobby of ours is reading, although genres differ.

I think I will start there and read an author that he recommends. Then we can discuss it and he will be happy that I took his advice.

Mr Homer Les, in a comment to one of my posts, enlightened me on how a wife’s duty is not just to obey her husband, but also to guide and support him to grow in God’s love. His wife had been “tough, stern, kind and gentle” to him, thus helping him grow out of his addiction. He has advised me to grow deeper in love with Jesus who will guide me to be the best wife for my husband.

Thank you Lord Jesus for guiding me step by step. Please show us new ways to get the most out of our life together.

Finding it difficult to be a “Suitable Helper”

The Lord God made a woman from the rib he had taken out of the man, and he brought her to the man.
Genesis 2:22

Below devotional from Night Life for Couples says that a wife should serve her husband devotedly.

I am very confused. I do not know what to do. If I am to serve my husband devotedly,

I have to be at his beck and call each moment. (Every time I settle down to read or sit or relax, he calls with something or the other to do.)

I have to blindly listen to him when he gives impractical and incorrect opinions or instructions.

I have to take actions that seem wrong for my child’s well being and growth.

I have to do things that he feels are good for me, but that I do not enjoy and do not feel are necessary.

My husband is a very extremely tensed person. He likes to do things immediately as and when he remembers without having to wait. His view points and upbringing are different from mine. His priorities are different from mine. His parents’ views and sentiments are different from my parents’. In short we are opposite in almost all aspects.

I have a medical condition called fibromyalgia due to which I experience pain and fatique with stress. I have to set my own pace to do things. I have my own organised and systematic way that I follow which helps me complete my chores and also take care of myself and my family.

So when I have to stop in between each moment for things that my husband can do independently or which he tries to impose upon me for my own good, I get overstressed.

I have tried to explain this to him. He cares for me and loves me, but does not understand how his behaviour can cause me stress. Whenever I try to explain, he misunderstands, leading to even more stress.

Guess I am blabbering away.

I pray to God to give me patience and understanding when I deal with him and to help me to be a good wife. I feel like a failure as a wife due to the negative emotions and thoughts going on through my mind.

Yet, I am confident that God will help us through and bind us together in spite of our differences.

Thank you Lord for keeping us together in love.

Below is the reading from Night Life for Couples that I had mentioned above.

From the beginning, God was clear about a woman’s primary role in this world. Genesis 2:18 reads: “It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper suitable for him.” No one took her role as helper more seriously than Jane Hill, late wife of Los Angeles pastor E. V. Hill. She loved him deeply and devoted herself to his needs. E. V. once received a death threat from gang members indicating he would be killed the next day. He woke up the following morning “thankful to be alive,” as he told it later. “But I noticed that [Jane] was gone. I looked out my window, and my car was gone. I went outside and finally saw her driving up, still in her robe. I said, ‘Where have you been?’ She said, ‘I… I… it just occurred to me that they [could have] put a bomb in that car last night, and if you had gotten in there you would have been blown away. So I got up and drove it. It’s all right.’”
A man is fortunate indeed when his wife is his devoted helper— whether she bakes him a cake, soothes his aching muscles, or even puts her life on the line for him. No role demonstrates more beautifully the way Jesus shows His love for each of us.
Just between us…
(husband) Does the role of “helper” seem insulting to you?
(husband) Is it easy for you to “serve” me as your husband?
(husband) Do I notice and respond when you do?
(wife) Which aspect of my support means the most to you?
(wife) Dear Lord, thank You for creating me to help and serve my husband. I embrace this ministry with all my heart! Grant me Your wisdom, strength, and joy in this calling. Bless him through my every word and deed. Amen.
From Night Light For Couples, by Dr. James & Shirley Dobson

A dash of love

My daughter has been discharged from hospital today. We are getting ready to leave for home. She has another 1 week’s treatment to complete at home.

Photo by Jasmine Wallace Carter on Pexels.com

During all the tension of her hospitalisation, my husband and I have opposite opinions, which is a cause of tension and disturbance to me and more to my daughter.

I am trying not to contradict him. I am trying to remain patient. However, I am sometimes not able to control my impulsive tongue.

Then today I read the below quote.

As you help and care for your husband, add a dash of love to everything you do.
James C Dobsonto

I realise that to each of my actions, I should add a dash of love, especially when dealing with my husband. This will help me develop more patience and understanding.

Thank you Lord God for this advice. Please guide and remind me each and every moment to add a dash of love instead of forging ahead without a pause.

Seeking God for Himself

When we no longer seek God for His blessings, we have time to seek Him for Himself.
Oswald Chambers, The Moral Foundations of Life, 728 L

The above quote is something to think about. Mostly my prayer has been requests and the routine liturgy with a request to make me do God’s will.

Recently I have been wondering about what more I can do for God, but was also trying not to stress about it since God will eventually lead me in His way.

I realise that spending more time to understand God, to seek Him through prayer, meditation and scripture is necessary. Blessings are always there for us. He knows what we need and what is best for us more than us.

Lord Jesus, thank you for leading our lives in your path. I know that you will do the best for us even better than any of our efforts and planning can achieve. Instead of focussing on prayer time with requests for blessings, please talk to me and teach me. Use me, Lord.

Let God do the work!

For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith —and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works, so that no one can boast.
Ephesians 2:8-9

Guideposts’ Daily Scripture & Reflection of 6^th February, reflects on this verse.

This is a reassertion to me that there is no need for me to break my head on what I should do for God. God’s Grace will always be with me irrespective of what I do or do not do. Of course, the Holy Spirit will guide me to do God’s will as per His wishes and in His time, but I do not need to worry about it. God is able to get things done by me.

It’s such a comfort. I can let it go.

Below is the writing from Guideposts.

A Time to Think
You will find it is necessary to let things go, simply for the reason that they are too heavy. —Corrie ten Boom
A Time to Act
Replace your restlessness with patience, contentment and peace.
A Time to Pray
Lord, keep me faithful in serving You all the days of my life.
Guideposts, Daily Reflection & Prayer

Let me conclude with the following wisdom from Oswald Chambers. I like the assurance that God will completely possess his children for His own highest end.

The life of Abraham is an illustration of two things: of unreserved surrender to God, and of God’s complete possession of a child of His for His own highest end.
Not Knowing Whither

Guidance of the Holy Spirit

“How attuned are you to the Holy Spirit’s guidance? How can you listen better when He guides, warns, and directs?”

Above is the question raised in the Devotional for 5^th February 2020 in “Our Daily Bread”.

The answer is that I do not know. I believe that the Holy Spirit guides each and every step that I take. However, on reflection, all my thoughts are not directed by the Holy Spirit although I am corrected and redirected by the Holy Spirit also.

But I don’t look for guidance consciously. It has always been there for me.

I would love to delve more into the scripture, focus and meditate to learn more and to hear the Holy Spirit guide and instruct me more clearly. I hope I can spend more time studying God’s Word and meditating to understand what he wishes to teach me.

I do read the Bible and pray most mornings and nights, but sometimes I wonder if God wants me to do more. I am confused because I do know that God does not expect anything from us and so His gifts are not conditional to me fulfilling anything. It’s just that sometimes I wonder if I need to do more. If I need to stop reading books and read only the Bible since I do love reading books a lot. Then I feel that God does not actually want us to sacrifice as such for Him. Well, I guess the Spirit will guide me finally to do God’s wish.

The Spirit teaches you everything you need to know, and what he teaches is true—it is not a lie.
1 John 2:27

Below is the devotional that made me reflect.

As the world’s fastest blind runner, David Brown of the U.S. Paralympic Team credits his wins to God, his mother’s early advice (“no sitting around”), and his running guide—veteran sprinter Jerome Avery. Tethered to Brown by a string tied to their fingers, Avery guides Brown’s winning races with words and touches.
“It’s all about listening to his cues,” says Brown, who says he could “swing out wide” on 200-meter races where the track curves. “Day in and day out, we’re going over race strategies,” Brown says, “communicating with each other—not only verbal cues, but physical cues.”
In our own life’s race, we’re blessed with a Divine Guide. Our Helper, the Holy Spirit, leads our steps when we follow Him. “I am writing these things to you about those who are trying to lead you astray,” wrote John (1 John 2:26). “But you have received the Holy Spirit, and he lives within you, so you don’t need anyone to teach you what is true. For the Spirit teaches you everything you need to know” (v. 27 nlt).
John stressed this wisdom to the believers of his day who faced “antichrists” who denied the Father and that Jesus is the Messiah (v. 22). We face such deniers today as well. But the Holy Spirit, our Guide, leads us in following Jesus. We can trust His guidance to touch us with truth, keeping us on track.
By Patricia Raybon, Our Daily Bread

REFLECT & PRAY

Dear God, attune our hearts to Your Holy Spirit’s guidance so we’ll run to Your truth and not to lies.