Barbara Rainey's Blog, page 14

Unanswered Prayer: When God Doesn’t “Come Through” As You Expected, Then What?

Sometimes I wake up in the morning feeling sad and unsettled. I ask myself, “How do I have joy when it seems that so much is unresolved and unrestored in my life, my relationships, my world?” Do you know that feeling?

Have you thought about the disciples and the weight of their unanswered prayers when they watched their hope die on a cross? God didn’t come through for them like they expected.

And many times He hasn’t come through for me as I expected. I cannot list publicly all the relationships in my life that need mending or the problems that feel overwhelming and unresolvable. I can’t put a name to the general anxiety that creeps in regularly from life in this volatile world. Like a cloud that keeps growing until it blocks out the sun, I sometimes feel chilled, and in the shadows, even on a bright sunny day.

On days like this, I know that after fixing my coffee I need to settle on the couch with my Bible. I ask God to lift my eyes to Him. In the words of an old Puritan prayer that says it so well, I pray:

My Father who loves me,

Cause Thy face to shine upon the dark places

through which I may be called to pass this day

and may I be made to feel

that it is better to hold on to Thy hand in the dark

than to walk alone in the light.

Amen.

In one season of darkness in my life I was participating in a Bible study on the Old Testament book of Daniel. I read Daniel 10:2, which says, “In those days I, Daniel, was mourning for three weeks.” This was not a man given to exaggeration, but he made clear the facts that he mourned every day for 21 straight days.

Nor was Daniel an ordinary man, for he was repeatedly called a “man of high esteem” in his frequent interactions with angelic beings. Mistakenly we think a visit by an angel would be thrilling and life-giving, but Daniel found it exhausting and life draining. Why? Because the news from the angel was confusing and disturbing.

What seems to have caused Daniel’s three weeks of mourning was unanswered prayer. Visions of the future and visits from heaven did not erase his discouragement over unanswered prayer. He felt as I did—burdened, perplexed, joyless. At least, I realized, I’m not alone.

When God doesn’t come through, then what? That’s the shadow-casting sadness, the discouragement or perplexity for me at times. And nothing can be done but wait.

The renowned theologian and writer J. Sidlow Baxter once preached a sermon titled, “The Divine Delays of Jesus.” He wrote that nothing is unintentional with God, including the times that He waits to answer our prayers. His delays always have purpose. Often they are intended to reveal to us more who God is. In seeing Him we respond with greater faith. And we have hope again.

The Bible is a living book. When we go to it we are expressing faith in the Author. We are expressing hope in His words. And if we keep going to His living Word He will, in time give us just what we need. And often the verse or phrase we discover is itself an encounter with the Living God.

For us in the days of this pandemic and a world in turmoil these divine encounters with Jesus remind us that, in Baxter’s words, “no situation is ‘too far gone’ for our all-controlling Lord to overrule and transform.” 

It’s not about figuring out what God is doing, but about humbly seeing who God is and waiting with faith and worship no matter the outcome.

Baxter concludes his sermon with these summaries:

God can transform the most hopeless circumstances. “Beware of thinking that God is harsh as you drag along amid permitted sorrow or tribulation. He knows better than you.”Our greatest discoveries and blessings often come through our hardest trials. “… it is His permitting or overruling of calamities which leads to our most exalting and refining discoveries!”In divine delays there is always a gracious purpose. “Delay does not mean that God is neglecting you, much less that He has forsaken you. … no sincere prayer in the name of Jesus is ever left unanswered; and delay is always with a view to an answer bigger and better than that for which we asked.”

Living for Jesus is costly business. How easily I forget that following Him is often a life of difficulty as He helps me throw off distractions, mistaken assumptions, and sinful patterns that keep me from seeing Him clearly.

I became all His decades ago, but His refining work never ceases. Rather than getting easier, my faith trials become more difficult with time. Baby steps for babies. Grown-up strides for the mature. And I want to be mature, so I must accept His purifying work that is individualized for me even when I can’t see the next step ahead.

I’ve been in this place before, so I know He will continue His work. And I know the sun will shine again.

If the answers to my prayers don’t come at all, or as I expect, I will choose to believe and follow. Jesus loves me, this I know.

Easter proves it.

May you too wait by faith, hope by faith, trusting Him no matter what He brings in your life.

He is with you and will never leave you.

Remember and cling to this truth every day of your life.

To help you talk to God, we encourage you to print the beautifully designed prayer in this blog post. Click here to download. 

This is the fourth in a series of blog posts on prayer. I have loved reading old prayers since the days of my mothering when I discovered the prayers of saints like Susanna Wesley. Each blog post features an old prayer from someone now in the great cloud of witnesses (Hebrews 12:1). We have much to learn from these saints of old; though some words are not in vogue today they help us see God in ways we don’t in our modern world. I hope you enjoy this series!

If you missed the other posts on prayer, here they are:

“How to Enjoy Constant Access to God in Prayer”

“Praying for Those Who May Be Difficult to Love”

“Rushed Prayers: Treating God Like He’s a Vending Machine”

The post Unanswered Prayer: When God Doesn’t “Come Through” As You Expected, Then What? appeared first on Ever Thine Home.

Unanswered Prayer: When God Doesn’t “Come Through,” Then What?

Sometimes I wake up in the morning feeling sad and unsettled. I ask myself, “How do I have joy when it seems that so much is unresolved and unrestored in my life, my relationships, my world?” Do you know that feeling?

Have you thought about the disciples and the weight of their unanswered prayers when they watched their hope die on a cross? God didn’t come through for them like they expected.

And many times He hasn’t come through for me as I expected. I cannot list publicly all the relationships in my life that need mending or the problems that feel overwhelming and unresolvable. I can’t put a name to the general anxiety that creeps in regularly from life in this volatile world. Like a cloud that keeps growing until it blocks out the sun, I sometimes feel chilled, and in the shadows, even on a bright sunny day.

On days like this, I know that after fixing my coffee I need to settle on the couch with my Bible. I ask God to lift my eyes to Him. In the words of an old Puritan prayer that says it so well, I pray:

My Father who loves me,

Cause Thy face to shine upon the dark places

through which I may be called to pass this day

and may I be made to feel

that it is better to hold on to Thy hand in the dark

than to walk alone in the light.

Amen.

In one season of darkness in my life I was participating in a Bible study on the Old Testament book of Daniel. I read Daniel 10:2, which says, “In those days I, Daniel, was mourning for three weeks.” This was not a man given to exaggeration, but he made clear the facts that he mourned every day for 21 straight days.

Nor was Daniel an ordinary man, for he was repeatedly called a “man of high esteem” in his frequent interactions with angelic beings. Mistakenly we think a visit by an angel would be thrilling and life-giving, but Daniel found it exhausting and life draining. Why? Because the news from the angel was confusing and disturbing.

What seems to have caused Daniel’s three weeks of mourning was unanswered prayer. Visions of the future and visits from heaven did not erase his discouragement over unanswered prayer. He felt as I did—burdened, perplexed, joyless. At least, I realized, I’m not alone.

When God doesn’t come through, then what? That’s the shadow-casting sadness, the discouragement or perplexity for me at times. And nothing can be done but wait.

The renowned theologian and writer J. Sidlow Baxter once preached a sermon titled, “The Divine Delays of Jesus.” He wrote that nothing is unintentional with God, including the times that He waits to answer our prayers. His delays always have purpose. Often they are intended to reveal to us more who God is. In seeing Him we respond with greater faith. And we have hope again.

The Bible is a living book. When we go to it we are expressing faith in the Author. We are expressing hope in His words. And if we keep going to His living Word He will, in time give us just what we need. And often the verse or phrase we discover is itself an encounter with the Living God.

For us in the days of this pandemic and a world in turmoil these divine encounters with Jesus remind us that, in Baxter’s words, “no situation is ‘too far gone’ for our all-controlling Lord to overrule and transform.” 

It’s not about figuring out what God is doing, but about humbly seeing who God is and waiting with faith and worship no matter the outcome.

Baxter concludes his sermon with these summaries:

God can transform the most hopeless circumstances. “Beware of thinking that God is harsh as you drag along amid permitted sorrow or tribulation. He knows better than you.”Our greatest discoveries and blessings often come through our hardest trials. “… it is His permitting or overruling of calamities which leads to our most exalting and refining discoveries!”In divine delays there is always a gracious purpose. “Delay does not mean that God is neglecting you, much less that He has forsaken you. … no sincere prayer in the name of Jesus is ever left unanswered; and delay is always with a view to an answer bigger and better than that for which we asked.”

Living for Jesus is costly business. How easily I forget that following Him is often a life of difficulty as He helps me throw off distractions, mistaken assumptions, and sinful patterns that keep me from seeing Him clearly.

I became all His decades ago, but His refining work never ceases. Rather than getting easier, my faith trials become more difficult with time. Baby steps for babies. Grown-up strides for the mature. And I want to be mature, so I must accept His purifying work that is individualized for me even when I can’t see the next step ahead.

I’ve been in this place before, so I know He will continue His work. And I know the sun will shine again.

If the answers to my prayers don’t come at all, or as I expect, I will choose to believe and follow. Jesus loves me, this I know.

Easter proves it.

May you too wait by faith, hope by faith, trusting Him no matter what He brings in your life.

He is with you and will never leave you.

Remember and cling to this truth every day of your life.

To help you talk to God, we encourage you to print the beautifully designed prayer in this blog post. Click here to download. 

This is the fourth in a series of blog posts on prayer. I have loved reading old prayers since the days of my mothering when I discovered the prayers of saints like Susanna Wesley. Each blog post features an old prayer from someone now in the great cloud of witnesses (Hebrews 12:1). We have much to learn from these saints of old; though some words are not in vogue today they help us see God in ways we don’t in our modern world. I hope you enjoy this series!

If you missed the other posts on prayer, here they are:

“How to Enjoy Constant Access to God in Prayer”

“Praying for Those Who May Be Difficult to Love”

“Rushed Prayers: Treating God Like He’s a Vending Machine”

The post Unanswered Prayer: When God Doesn’t “Come Through,” Then What? appeared first on Ever Thine Home.

The Barbara Rainey Podcast: Praying Together as Husband and Wife

Do you and your spouse pray together? As awkward as you feel it may be, that is the one thing I can say changed mine and Dennis’ marriage for the better. I know this time of year tends to be very hectic for most families, so as summer approaches, hopefully your schedule is going to slow down a bit and this will give you more time to spend together as a couple. When Dennis and I started praying together, it was just Dennis praying out loud at first, but I quickly decided I wanted to be part of this relationship. Dennis, myself, and God.

This is what Dennis and I talk about on today’s episode of The Barbara Rainey Podcast. We talk about how we got started, how it has changed our relationship, and why we believe every couple should put this principle into practice. You can listen to today’s episode here or on any popular podcast platform.

I hope you are encouraged in your walk with Christ and are challenged to give praying together a try if you aren’t already actively doing so.

Ever His,

Barbara

P.S. Today, with your gift of $35 or more, we would love to send you a copy of Barbara’s latest book, My Heart Ever His. This book includes 40 prayers that provides a stepping-stone to help you become more transparent with God and discover His welcoming embrace! You can request your copy here! 

The post The Barbara Rainey Podcast: Praying Together as Husband and Wife appeared first on Ever Thine Home.

Rushed Prayers: Treating God Like He’s a Vending Machine

Note from Barbara: Recently I wrote about the amazing access to God’s presence that we can enjoy because of Jesus’ death and Resurrection. If you missed it, you can find it here . As I’ve continued thinking about this, I’ve discovered I might know a little of what constant access might feel like for God.

As a mom, my children had unhindered access to me every day and they happily took advantage of it. Like most children, they asked millions of questions, told me all their troubles, ran to me crying, woke me up in the middle of the night when they had nightmares or they were scared of the thunder, and boldly brought me their accusations against their siblings.

While it was my choice to always be available, I got really tired of their constant needs. I likened myself to a vending machine. They poked and prodded me and pulled on my clothing like we do vending machines as we put in money and bang on the box if it doesn’t produce quickly enough.

Too often I come to God the same way … as if He’s a vending machine. I rush in and out of prayer. I sometimes hurriedly and, if I’m honest, presumptuously rattle off my needs as I’m flying out the door for the day.

Is your prayer style rushed?

Do you hurry to God with urgent “I need this now” prayers like my kids did with me?

Do you often forget the majesty and authority and perfection of who you are talking to?

I’m guessing the honest answer is yes.

Of course, He is God and He never gets tired of our requests. But that doesn’t mean I should take for granted the privilege of constant access to His holy presence.

And yes, it is good to pray as I’m driving or washing dishes, and yes, there are days when my heart is heavy or preoccupied and I’m not “all there.” Still God sees me in grace and love. He has compassion on me because He knows my weaknesses and frailties just as I knew those of my children. He is my Father who loves me and delights that I come to Him.

But He desires a growing relationship with me. He wants me to grow out of my toddler prayer habits. For toddlers and kids life is all about them. God wants me to mature beyond that stage and learn to talk to Him, my Father, and get to know Him too. His goal is for me to be more like Jesus in the ways He prayed when He was on earth.

In our modern era I think we might ask, “Have we become too comfortable in our view of God, too relaxed in our constant access? Have we remade Him into our buddy … or our “Mr. Fix-it”? Have we forgotten that He is holy?

This week I’ve chosen another prayer by Susanna Wesley, who lived in 17th century and raised ten children. Two of those children became well-known: John Wesley grew up to found the Methodist church and his brother Charles composed over 6000 hymns for the church, including favorites like “And Can It Be?” and “Hark the Herald Angels Sing.”

Susanna writes about our tendency to forget who we address in our constant access to our Father in Heaven. And she addresses our ever-present urgency in life which makes us rush in and out of prayer like my toddlers, preschoolers and even older kids who rushed into my presence asking what was for dinner or when they could watch TV or their screens, then dashed back to their rooms or toys.

To help us right our view of God, here is the prayer I love by Susanna:

Enable me, O God,

to collect and compose my thoughts

before an immediate approach to Thee in prayer.

May I be careful to have my mind in order

 when I take upon myself the honor to speak

 to the sovereign Lord of the universe …   

Thou art infinitely too great to be trifled with;

Too wise to be imposed on by a mock devotion …

Help me to entertain an habitual sense of Thy perfections,

as an admirable help against cold and formal performances.  

Save me from engaging in rash and precipitate prayers

and from abrupt breaking away

 to follow business or pleasure

as though I had never prayed.

Amen*

Though Susanna lived hundreds of years ago, her words could have been written today. Such is the commonality we humans all share across the ages.

She reminds me if I were to see God as He is, my self-centeredness would fall away. My petty preoccupations would feel as insignificant as they truly are. And I would fall on my face before Him. I would ask less and surrender more. I would happily say as Jesus did, “Thy will be done” (Matthew 6:10) no matter what the cost might be.

Susanna asked for a right view of our Father in Heaven so she might be saved from what we are all so easily prone to do—bluster in before Him impetuously and arrogantly, thinking only of ourselves and what we want or think we need. She’s asking Him to help her remember to focus first on His worthiness, and to worship Him before we present our list to Him.

Will you consider Susanna’s prayer for yourself?

May a heart alignment save us from ourselves as we come before the King of kings in prayer.

And I hope you will print this beautifully designed prayer to hang somewhere in your home or to keep in your Bible as a reminder on how to approach our holy and awesome God.

This is the third of five blog posts on prayer between now and June. I have loved reading old prayers since the days of my mothering when I discovered the prayers of saints like Susanna Wesley. Each blog post features an old prayer from someone now in the great cloud of witnesses (Hebrews 12:1). We have much to learn from these saints of old; though some words are not in vogue today they help us see God in ways we don’t in our modern world. I hope you enjoy this series!

If you missed the other posts on prayer, here they are:

“How to Enjoy Constant Access to God in Prayer”

“Praying for Those Who May Be Difficult to Love”

To help you talk to God, we encourage you to print the beautifully designed prayer in this blog post. Click here to download. 

*Taken from The Prayers of Susanna Wesley by W.L. Doughty, 1984, Zondervan Publishing. Used by permission of Zondervan.  www.zondervan.com ., p. 25.

 

 

The post Rushed Prayers: Treating God Like He’s a Vending Machine appeared first on Ever Thine Home.

The Covenant of First and Second Mothers in Adoption

Note from Barbara:

Jodi and I have walked parallel tracks. We’ve both given years to serving and growing Christian Alliance for Orphans, cafo.org, and we’ve both come close to birth mothers and been profoundly changed by the experience. While tomorrow’s National Birth Mother’s Day will get no press or sudden spikes on social media we can be sure God sees. He who wrote the stories of birth mothers into His Book and values adoption because it was His original idea. Read Jodi’s story and marvel at God’s amazing mysterious yet wonderful ways of weaving families together for His glory. I’m delighted to introduce you to Jodi today and hope many of you will find her book Second Mother: A Bible Study Experience for Foster and Adoptive Moms of interest and help to yourself or someone you know.

By Jodi Jackson Tucker

As a follower of Christ, I understand the power and legacy of a covenant.
I have been graced to live within one of the most beautiful covenants: the covenant between
me and my children’s birth mothers. It’s hard for me to imagine any covenant more sacred than
the relationship between a birth mother and an adoptive mother. It has been a ribbon of grace
over my life.

My journey into this covenant began when I was chosen by a birth mother, finding herself in a
troubled situation, who made the noble choice to ask me to raise her child. This brave woman
was the first mother, and I became the second mother to our daughter.

If you’ve never had someone put a newborn baby in your arms and say, “Here, have my child,”
there is no way you can understand what that feels like. Every other gift I have ever received in
my life can’t come close to that moment.  It’s a covenant of the most holy and sacred kind.
I had no idea then that God planned to give me more children through adoption. Soon my
family was full of children born to other mothers. I learned to give homage to each child’s first
mother and embrace all that was unique about that child as a gift from her. One has her first
mother’s luminous cheeks. Another, his first mother’s beautiful eyes. What I see in my children
is the beauty of the women who carried them and loved them enough to make a way for them
to be safe and nurtured.

And as I became a second mother, I discovered that Scripture is full of stories of adoption!
And I began reflecting on those stories and how they echoed in my own life.

In the pages of Scripture, we see that Hannah gave her son Samuel to Eli, Mordecai was raising
Esther after she was orphaned, and Joseph was the adoptive father of Jesus, just to name a
few! Through these people’s stories, I suddenly felt seen by God.

But by far the Scripture that impacted me most is the story of God’s deliverer of His chosen
people. In Exodus, we encounter the story of Moses, born to an enslaved Hebrew Jocabed. She
was frantic to save her baby boy from Pharaoh’s cruel edict to kill Hebrew infants. Desperate to
save her son, Jocabed floats Moses in a basket in the Nile River, praying against hope that an
Egyptian woman might save him.

Exodus 2:3-4 (NIV) tells us:
But when she could hide him no longer, she got a papyrus basket for him and coated it
with tar and pitch. Then she placed the child in it and put it among the reeds along the
bank of the Nile. His sister stood at a distance to see what would happen to him.

No matter how many times I read this Scripture, I can’t grasp the amount of courage it would
take to float my baby on a river full of danger. Jocebed shows us the heart of a birth mother:
desperate for the life of her baby, and willing to suffer pain and loss to give that baby a chance.
And God answered Jocabed’s prayer:

Then Pharaoh’s daughter went down to the Nile to bathe, and her attendants were
walking along the riverbank. She saw the basket among the reeds and sent her female
slave to get it. She opened it and saw the baby. He was crying, and she felt sorry for
him. Exodus 2:5-6 (NIV)

This story shows us that God understood there would be brokenness in the world, and He gave
us the covenant of adoption so he could write redemption stories. God loves redemption
stories, and He has used many women, together in the sacred covenant of adoption, to write
them. First mothers and second mother are bound together forever across the life of a child.

By following God’s call to preserve the life of a child, a beautiful community of second mothers
worldwide has been born. And tomorrow on National Birth Mother’s Day, we pause to
remember the first mothers who bore our children.

I invite you to join me tomorrow in praying for birth mothers of all kinds. Pray for the mother
who gave her child to another mother, for the mother who lost her children to foster care, for
the mother who floated her children in the river of an orphanage to escape poverty. Let us
honor these mothers and ask the Father to draw near to them as we remember that they gave
the greatest gift of all … the gift of a child’s life.

 

 

Jodi Jackson Tucker and her husband, Jerry, are the parents to nine children, six through adoption. She is the author of two books, including Second Mother: A BibleStudy Experience for Foster and Adoptive Moms. Jodi is an alumnus of Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary and a Certified Chaplain. She is the founder of a www.secondmothers.org

The post The Covenant of First and Second Mothers in Adoption appeared first on Ever Thine Home.

Praying for Those Who May Be Difficult to Love

Note from Barbara: This is the second of five blog posts on prayer between now and June. (You can read the first here .) I have loved reading old prayers since the days of my mothering when I discovered the prayers of saints like Susanna Wesley. Each blog post will feature one of these prayers from someone now in the great cloud of witnesses (Hebrews 12:1).  

We have much to learn from these saints of old; though some words are not in vogue today they help us see God in ways we don’t in our modern world. I hope you enjoy this series!

In this series on prayer I’m taking us back to Easter regularly because it’s there on the cross that we find answers to some of our hardest questions. Like this one: How do I love and pray for someone who is difficult?

This is not abstract for me because I have people in my life who are challenging. And the concept of praying for those who have hurt or wounded or intentionally caused me pain is not easy to do.

On Good Friday, on the cross, Jesus modeled two ways to move past the difficult with prayer and love.

The first was when He was lifted up on the cross and it dropped in place, sending excruciating pain throughout His body. His first words after that moment were these: “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do” (Luke 23:34).

What would you have said while hanging on rough splintered wood? I’m quite confident I wouldn’t first pray and ask God to grant forgiveness. Instead I’d be so absorbed in the pain and shame of that cruel and torturous experience that my eyes would be turned inward, not outward on others.

Jesus was actually practicing what He’d preached in the Sermon on the Mount. He taught those listening to “pray for those who persecute you” and “bless those who curse you, pray for those who abuse you” (Matthew 5:44 and Luke 6:28).

Do you think that, just because this was Jesus, it was easier for Him than us?

One of the lessons in my seminary class this semester was on the person of Christ and His perfectly united dual nature. It means He was fully human and felt exactly what we would have felt. So as He hung on the cross, 100 percent innocent of any wrong, we can assume He felt the desire to withdraw into Himself and not pray.

Desire isn’t sin, but acting on desire in a way contrary to God’s will is. Jesus resisted the desire to hurl an insult or to simply refuse to forgive them. He chose to pray, which was the Father’s will.

Though for us it feels impossible to be kind and pray for someone who has hurt us, we must if we are serious about being Jesus’ disciples. Just as Jesus chose to forgive in prayer, so it is a choice we too can make. And He will help us.

Don’t wait till you feel like praying, do it by faith. As did He.

On the cross Jesus modeled a second way to respond in prayer to difficult people: He showed compassion on the thief hanging next to Him. Jesus willingly looked at someone else who needed His love.

This man had broken God’s laws and man’s laws and he knew he was guilty. Your family member or co-worker may not ever express guilt or regret, but God still calls us to follow Jesus’ example and show love.

I remember days when fights between children at our house would resound down the staircase long before breakfast hit the table. Not a morning person, I struggled to be the adult and respond with compassion and patience, and many times I failed. I needed Jesus myself and in my family. And I still need Him with my people today.

One of my favorite little books is a selection of prayers by Susanna Wesley. Without modern medicine she gave birth to 19 children, though nine died as infants. She raised ten to adulthood. And two of them you might know—Charles and John became leaders in the church. John founded the Methodist church and Charles wrote over 6,000 hymns, many still sung today.

I’ve loved Susanna Wesley across the centuries because I know she too must have dealt with a lot of sibling rivalry. And a lot of exhaustion, pain, discouragement and loss. By reading her prayers in the book, The Prayers of Susanna Wesley, I sensed her cheering me on in my mothering battles and challenges.

One of her prayers relates to the difficulty of loving and praying for those hard people in life. I’ve adapted her prayer into a longer one—note her words in quotes.

 

Abba Father,

I come asking how to love my family,

my friends, my neighbors,

 and the many with greater needs that I can supply;

 I am finite and feeble.

 

Help me serve and give and know

that “if after doing all that I can to make others happy,

they yet remain obstinately bent to follow those ways that lead to misery,

I leave them to Thy mercy.”

Amen.

 

These words speak to our timeless dilemma as humans. Susanna’s words are appropriate for anyone dealing not only with squabbling children but also with family members, friends, and even fellow church members who might be difficult to love.

The wisdom of her prayer is twofold.

First, I marvel at her desire to serve others, deserved or not. God Himself has never washed His hands of us, saying, “I quit!” And Jesus didn’t quit on the cross. To become like Him means we cannot quit either, no matter how often we find ourselves provoked by headstrong or irritating personalities.

Second, we witness Susanna’s ultimate trust in the Master of the universe, the Sovereign Lord who, in mercy, mines the depths of every human heart. She knows the One with enough power to raise the dead, be it a corpse or a wayward heart.

So who in your life has come to mind as you’ve read this? I’m confident at least one name or face has been present with you as you’ve read this far. I have a name in mind, so know you aren’t alone.

Will you join me in choosing to be like Jesus?

Will you choose to forgive? Again? Even if it seems like the millionth time?

Will you ask God to give you love for this person? Again?

Jesus told His disciples, “by this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another” (John 13:35).  This isn’t optional.

Pray then for opportunities to bring others peace, to alleviate their pain, to bring a touch of hope. But also ask the One whose mercies are new every morning that those you serve might encounter the grace of Christ, who makes all things new … no matter how impossible the task may seem to you.

To help you talk to God, we encourage you to print the beautifully designed prayer at the beginning of this blog post.

If you enjoyed reading this, be sure to read “How to Enjoy Constant Access to God in Prayer.”  

The post Praying for Those Who May Be Difficult to Love appeared first on Ever Thine Home.

Friends & Family April 2022

To my friends far and wide:

Christ is risen!! The best news of this month and of all time.

Here’s a photo of a cross our 83-year-old neighbor built for us out of our old deck boards. We finally cemented it in the ground last fall and I have loved seeing it every day out our window. I took this photo the Monday after Easter with our snowball bush in full bloom behind it.

I have lots of stories and good things to share in this email, including a few of “my favorite things,” so grab a cup of tea or coffee and enjoy!

Dennis and I spent Holy Week and Resurrection Sunday at home, just the two of us. Primarily because of my full schedule, adding a trip to see some of our kids was not wise. We’ll be seeing most of them in May when our grandson gets married and we attend two high school graduations. Pics to come in May!

On the first weekend in April I was privileged to speak at a women’s retreat here in town for Christ Community Church. I spoke on a topic I’ve been doing a lot of thinking about: “Disappointed in God: How to Grow Hope in Hard Seasons.” As always, I learned a lot as I prepared. Probably more than the attendees. My oldest, Ashley, came and attended with me which was a huge encouragement. She’s a cheerleader for me.

Here are a few photos of the weekend.

my Ashley and me at the retreat

 

 

 

Soon after the retreat Dennis and I enjoyed lunch with Eugen and Nicoleta, a dear couple from Romania who are in the states for a month. Eugen is a pastor and together they lead marriage retreats and seminars in Romania using the Art of Marriage video series. They are making a HUGE difference in their country.

This visit was a highlight for us. We always love hearing what God is doing around the world with the content we helped create! But there’s more …

In addition to their marriage ministry, Eugen and Nicoleta now have an important ministry to refugees from Ukraine. Living near the border they’ve seen a steady influx of refugees fleeing the bombing. Their church now houses over 100 families, mostly women and children. They are providing activities for the children, including art therapy and singing, to help them try to process the enormous losses. One little boy drew a picture of a house with a front door and windows but with tears falling from the bottom of the house. It’s more sad than any of us can imagine here in our still safe and secure country.

Here is a photo we took after we had lunch.

Eugen, Nicoleta and their two sons

My seminary class is nearly complete. I have one more big assignment on the doctrine of Last Times, which should be interesting. I’ll then have a final exam in early May. I’ve enjoyed the class a lot but I will also be grateful for a summer break. I’ve signed up for “The Story of Scripture” for next fall and I’m already looking forward to it!

I’m continuing to invest time in making needed upgrades to the old farmhouse that now belongs to my two brothers and me. Two weeks ago I had a painter working at the farm and he called me as I drove to a meeting to tell me we had a leak in the roof. So we scrambled and found a roofing company close enough to come look and give us an estimate. Then we called the insurance company for an inspection to see if any of it might be covered. Within 10 days we had a new roof. Just in time for a series of big storms that blew through the week before Easter. Thankfully no new hail damage this time though many others in our state suffered lots of hail damage.

 

Photo of my new blue door at the farmhouse

I was a teenager when The Sound of Music hit theaters. I loved everything about the movie—the history, the improbable love story, the adorable children who seemed to love each other, and good triumphing over evil. All the right ingredients.

The movie made famous the song “My Favorite Things,” which I can recite to this day. While I do like some of the items in the song, here are a few of my favorite things which might make fun Mother’s Day gifts for your mom, your daughters, your sisters, or anyone else … including yourself!

My friend Sara introduced me to these kitchen towels. As soon as I saw them I knew I wanted to try them as napkins. I’m not fond of paper products at our house even though paper is easier; I hate the waste. I love these as napkins and I’ve already bought some for Mother’s Day gifts this year. Can’t say who they’re for!Another favorite is a small item called Book Darts. Also on Amazon. I love these little metal, arrow-shaped tabs for marking portions of books I love and want to return to. I’ve gifted lots of these too.And third is a set of my favorite blank note cards. We created these about five years ago using a painting I did of three pears. We ran out and just recently reprinted them in a larger size and packaged them in sets of eight. I’ve loved them for thank you notes and other communication, because who doesn’t love getting a real hand-written note in the mail? It’s such a rarity. A gift in itself.

Thanks to all of you who read to the end! Though I tried to be brief it just wasn’t possible. And I’m afraid next month won’t be short, either, with graduations and a wedding to share!

Love to all.

Ever His,

Barbara

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The Barbara Rainey Podcast: A Mother’s Legacy

As Mother’s Day approaches, I thought it fitting to share this conversation with our daughter, Ashley, on our podcast today. While this particular conversation was recorded several years ago, the things we discussed are definitely still relevant today! We talk about when we understood what leaving a legacy meant to each of us, about feeling like a failure in the hard moments of raising babies, and about what we have learned as mothers. We also talk about our book A Mother’s Legacy that we wrote together a number of years ago.

While for some, if not most of us, the mention of our mother conjures up warm feelings and a flood of sweet memories, not all our memories are sweet. Some of you may find it hard to remember any good memories. Even the best of mothers has made mistakes, but the Lord has a way of redeeming even those moments. If you read through A Mother’s Legacy you will hear stories about how women overcame hard times either as a mother or with their own mother. It is my prayer that as Mother’s Day approaches you are able to celebrate the best moments with your mother and allow the Lord to redeem those not-sweet moments. 

I hope you take a few minutes today and listen to this fun chat between my eldest daughter, myself, and Dennis on one of my favorite subjects, being a mom! You can listen here or on any popular podcast platform.

I pray you are able to celebrate this Mother’s Day with your own family. 

Ever His,

Barbara

P.S. Today with a gift of $50 or more, we would love to send you a copy of our book, A Mother’s Legacy. You can request your copy of the book here.

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How to Enjoy Constant Access to God in Prayer

One week ago the world celebrated or at least recognized the pinnacle moment of history; the Resurrection of Jesus Christ. Sadly, by the next day most everyone went back to normal living as if it never happened.

But what should be different? Or perhaps the better question is: How can my life today be changed by the Resurrection of Jesus? How can my life be transformed by the miracle of the Resurrection that happened over two thousand years ago?

Two words sum up one big difference, one seismic change that can then transform everything: Constant access.

When Jesus breathed His last on the cross, many miraculous phenomena occurred at that moment; some simultaneously, including an earthquake and graves opening with some of the dead coming to life. But for our topic today the wonder that seems more jaw-dropping to me was the ripping of the huge curtain before the Holy of Holies in the Jewish temple (Matthew 27:51). The Holy of Holies was a sacred square room where God dwelt, and no ordinary person could enter that room and therefore into His presence. The curtain guarding God’s presence was thick, heavy and woven in one gigantic piece; various Jewish sources say it was from 30-60 feet tall.

The tearing of the curtain from top to bottom, as if by invisible hands, signified many changes God was making, but an important and practical one for us today is it symbolized a new and constant access to God’s presence. Because of Christ’s sacrifice, the curtain was torn in half, by God Himself, inviting entrance into God’s holy presence for all who desire to come to Him. It’s as if God hung a sign over that space that said, “Now Open.”

That means we can talk to God, which is to enter into His presence, at any time in contrast to those who lived before the Cross who could only be near God by going to the temple. And never could they go behind the curtain.

So how does this change our prayers today?

First, we can pray anytime and anywhere because the way is now open. Jesus actually modeled this kind of praying for us. The Gospels record Him talking to His Father in various places during the day and the night. And He demonstrated a simple pattern to follow instead of giving us a list of rules with dos and don’ts. What we call the “Lord’s Prayer”—starting with “Our Father who art in heaven”—invites a personal, anytime, anywhere kind of relationship.

Any time means God is always available. As Psalm 121:4 tells us, “Behold, he who keeps Israel will neither slumber nor sleep.” I love this verse because I know when I’m awake at night, which is more than I’d like, I can talk to God in the darkness of night and know He is listening.

Psalm 121:4 was the inspiration for a wonderful prayer in God’s Minute: A Book of 365 Daily Prayers published in 1916, a little book full of great prayers that I found at a flea market:

My ever-present Father,

 I praise Thee for constant access to Thee in Jesus Christ.

Thou art ever the same.

I give thanks there is never a “Closed” sign

 posted before Thy throne, nor “Away for Vacation.”

With Thee there is not even any shutting the eyes.

For Thy Word says,

“He who keeps you will neither slumber nor sleep.

How great is my God.

Amen.

Think about that! God is always available, never sleeps and is ready to listen any time I call His name!

It is incomprehensible to me to imagine life without sleep. As a mom I often craved sleep and even made it an idol. Even in my empty-nest years, without children waking me, good restful sleep is something I often long for.

Someday I will leave the confines of this earthly body. God’s promise of being made in the image of Jesus, with a glorified body, will become reality. To be unencumbered by fatigue sounds wonderful!

And it might be fun, too. Remember Jesus appeared in rooms without walking in the door? And He walked on water! What freedoms might we enjoy one day when we are with Him? For now, you and I are too confined to our earthly bodies, the tents in which we now reside.

But God. He neither slumbers nor sleeps!

Second, we can experience God’s ever-with-me presence anytime and anywhere. In the Old Testament God confined Himself to that small room, the Holy of Holies, inside the temple behind that huge thick curtain as part of His plan. Because His people didn’t have the presence of God with them as we do with the gift of the Holy Spirit, they had to go to the temple and offer sacrifices to be near God and to make peace with Him.

What a spectacular difference in life before the Cross and after! Yet, sadly, we are so accustomed to this access to God that we often take it for granted. As we look at prayer for the next month, remind yourself of the wonder of God’s access and His presence with you and in you! The Old Testament saints would be in awe. And so should we.

Practically this means I don’t have to go to church to pray and be near God. If I know Jesus as my Savior, He is not just near me, He is by His Spirit IN me. Jesus said to His disciples during the Last Supper that the Holy Spirit “dwells with you and will be in you” (John 14:17).

The holy almighty presence of God resides WITHIN me, not just near me. Let that sink in for a minute and you might feel different about your day today.

So even when we are tired or feeling far from God we may at any time, in any place, for any reason confidently approach “the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need” (Hebrews 4:16).

When you wake startled from a harrowing nightmare or from the cries of a sick child, or when you toss with the insomnia of an anxious heart, His eyes—and His heart—are wide open. Is there anyone else like Him? No lover, no ruler, no mother can ever compare to His unshakable open-door policy.

God invites you to approach His throne boldly. Not cautiously, fearfully, or only during certain hours, but with confidence.   Simply stunning is our access to our God.

Do you know Jesus? If you have surrendered your life to His safekeeping, this is the kind of relationship He wants—free unlimited access at any time day or night. Run to Him boldly, in every hour—and give thanks that He is perpetually available to your every need.

If you don’t know Jesus, now is a great time to surrender to Him. This kind of anytime anywhere prayer is how you begin a real relationship with God. Start by telling Him you want to know Him and that you want Him to rule and reign in your heart. Confess that you’ve done a lousy job of running your life on your own and that you want His help. Tell Him whatever you desire, but most important is your surrender, your admission you can’t do life on your own.

God loves to hear that from His children. He’s a good Father who wants the best for His kids, so invite Him to start that work in your life. This Easter season is a great time to begin!

 

This is the first of five blog posts on prayer between now and June. I have loved reading old prayers since the days of my mothering when I discovered the prayers of saints like Susanna Wesley. Each blog post will feature an old prayer from someone now in the great cloud of witnesses (Hebrews 12:1). We have much to learn from these saints of old; though some words are not in vogue today they help us see God in ways we don’t in our modern world. I hope you enjoy this series!

To help you talk to God, we encourage you to print the beautifully designed prayer at the beginning of this blog post.

 

 

Click Here to Download the Prayer Printable PDF

 

If you enjoyed reading this, be sure to read “Pestering God,” another post by Barbara about prayer.

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I AM the Resurrection and the Life

“I AM the Resurrection and the Life.
Whoever believes in Me, though He die,
yet shall He live.”
John 11:25

Today we have arrived at the summit! The pinnacle moment of our faith.

The tomb is empty … grave clothes vacant … stone rolled away! The Lamb of God has taken away the sins of the world!!!

Celebrate today as no other day or event all year.

Christ is risen!

Christ is risen indeed!!!

Hallelujah what a Savior!

Happy Easter everyone!

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