Michele Huey's Blog: God, Me, and a Cup of Tea, page 30
October 5, 2019
Baba’s House
The Kaiser Willhelm II, the ship on which my grandmother came to America in 1910. The ship departed from Bremen, Germany, on April 26, 1910, and arrived in New York on May 4, 1910.
God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble. – Psalm 46:1 NIV
Baba’s house is long gone, torn down because word was, after she’d moved to the nursing home, it became a crack house. I don’t know for sure. But half a century hasn’t erased the cherished memories of the times I spent in the small duplex she rented across the street from my own home.
[image error]A rare snapshot of my grandmother, whom we called “Baba”
Baba’s house was my refuge—from a mother who frequently let her temper get the best of her, from two older siblings with whom I didn’t always get along, from feelings that I’d never measure up, from missing my father whose job required extended stays away from home, from a loneliness that often was too much for an awkward young girl to bear. Baba wasn’t a counselor—I doubt if she ever got past grade school.
At the age of 20, she left her home in what is now Slovakia to find a better life in America. She never talked about her past—indeed, she rarely spoke at all. She mostly listened—and fed me. I could never visit Baba without getting something to eat, even if all she could offer was buttered crackers.
I didn’t go for the food, though—the physical food, that is. I went because that was one place where no one compared me to my sister, where no one found fault with what I did, where I could vent and know someone heard not only my words, but my heart.
But you know how it is with life—you grow up, leave home, get an education, launch a career, start a family, and the next thing you know you’re a baba yourself. And everyone who’d gone before you has, well, gone before you.
Where do I go to find a refuge from a world that is even more troubled and perplexing as it was when I was growing up? A world in which I still feel awkward?
In 1940 songwriter James (J.B.) Coates penned one of my favorite gospel songs after he’d asked a dying neighbor where he’d spend eternity. “Where could I go but to the Lord?” the man answered.
Going to the Lord doesn’t refer only to the afterlife, though. It also helps us to get through this side of eternity.
Perhaps that’s where Baba found her strength to face life in a new country where she didn’t even know the language, to raise nine children after her husband died, to overcome her own demons.
Life’s relationships change. People we love die, move away, or are busy with their own lives. One day we find ourselves alone—and not only in the physical sense. I’ve learned, though, that I’m never really alone. I have God’s Word and His presence, for He promised that He’ll never leave me or forsake me (Hebrews 13:5), that He’ll be with be always, even to the end (Matthew 28:20).
So when “my soul needs manna from above”—and it does quite often these days—“where do I go but to the Lord?” For me, there really is no other place to go.
When I feel overwhelmed by the world around me, remind me that You, Lord, are my “Baba’s house.” Amen.
Read and reflect on Psalm 46.
[image error]The page in the ship’s manifest that has my grandmother’s name on line 13: “Bortnik, Anna F 20y M Hungary Lenarts, Hungary” According to additional immigration information, she was 5’2”, had fair complexion, green eyes, and blonde hair. She was to meet her brother Johann Bortnik of Passaic, NJ.
© 2019 Michele Huey. All rights reserved.
September 28, 2019
Moonflower Faith
I have fought the good fight. I have finished the race. I have kept the faith. – 1 Timothy 4:7 NIV
I’d never heard of moonflowers until a friend posted a picture of hers on Facebook. “The blossoms bloom only at night,” she wrote.
Flowers that bloom only in the dark? Intrigued, I did some online research.
Moonflower vines, I learned, can grow up to 20 feet, with 4-to-6-inch white, fragrant blossoms opening in the evening until the following morning.
How like faith—genuine, real, rubber-meets-the-road faith. Faith, I’ve learned, is only faith when you can’t see. When you’re in the dark, not knowing, not in control. When you have no one else to turn to but God.
Have you ever known anyone who possesses such a faith? I did.
To say that Louise was a joyful person was an understatement. Joy bubbled out of her. I rarely saw her without her bright smile and sparkling eyes—and sense of humor. Situations that would give me permission to wallow in self-pity, she managed to find the light side. Like the time she came to church sporting a black eye, caused by the recoil from her hunting rifle. The church pianist, she sat at the keyboard on the platform, laughing as she told us the story.
Louise and her husband, Carl, once led an active, busy life, led by their love for their family, their church, and their Lord. Blessed with musical talent, they often sang together, visiting numerous churches in the area. They produced cassette tapes, offering them for a donation to cover the cost of production.
When Louise was diagnosed with cancer, Carl was chronically ill himself. Since she could no longer take care of him, he went to live in a local nursing home.
Wanting to offer back some of the comfort she’d always given me, I made a batch of chicken soup and took it to her. But she was the one who ministered to me.
“When I woke up this morning,” she said as we sat at her kitchen table, “before I even got out of bed, I lay there, just praising God.”
[image error]Photo courtesy of Louise Tucker Jones
Louise lived the words she once sang: “You talk of faith when you’re up on the mountain. Talk comes easy when life’s at its best. But it’s down in the valley of trials and temptations, that’s when faith is really put to the test. The God on the mountain is still God in the valley. When things go wrong, He’ll make it right. And the God of the good times is still God in the bad times. The God of the day is still God in the night.”*
Shortly before she passed away, a month before Carl, I saw some pictures of Louise on Facebook. Her thin frame and head turban told of the battle she waged. But her bright eyes and smile that lit up her whole face told another story—a story of a moonflower faith, its beauty opening to the dark, exuding an unforgettable fragrance into the world around it.
O God, may my faith, too, be a moonflower faith. Amen.
Read and reflect on Hebrews 11.
*From the song, “God on the Mountain” by Tracy Dartt.
© 2019 Michele Huey. All rights reserved.
September 23, 2019
Just released!
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Are ghosts responsible for the mayhem and murder at the Mountaintop Theater? That’s what Melody and Don must find out.
Life is anything but a sweet plot for romance novelist Melody Harmon. Not only is she under contract to work with ex-cop-turned-suspense writer Don Bridges, but he’s also her on-again, off-again boyfriend—currently off again.
But when cast members of the local production of The Hound of the Baskervilles turn up missing, the director asks them to solve the disappearances discreetly. According to legend, the old sawmill-turned-playhouse is haunted—by ghosts known to abduct a human or two on occasion. Then the director’s mauled body is found in the woods surrounding the mountaintop theater, and Don’s granddaughter Kadie, a junior member of the cast, vanishes without a trace.
Police say wild dogs killed the director and Kadie ran away. “It’s only a legend,” they insist. But is it? Melody and Don must put aside their differences, defy the police’s orders to back off the case, and find Kadie before it’s too late.
Reviews:
Ghosts and things that go bump in the night are figments of mythology, right? Maybe so, and maybe not. Ghost Mountain delights the reader with homey scenes, precocious children, and a couple very much in love who can’t quite get on the same wavelength. Melody Harmon, aka Melanie Joy, romance author extraordinaire, and Don Bridges, retired detective and sleuth, couldn’t be more different. He’s astute, alert, and logical, and she’s not. He’s a planner who makes thought through decisions. She’s impromptu, often illogical, definitely governed by emotion, lives in the moment, and seldom if ever, thinks things through. She’s a bit obsessive compulsive, and he’s not. She loves her herbal tea. He’s a strong coffee man. Can these mid-life single adults ever get it together? Will they get married or will they break up forever? Will they be able to make a life for themselves and their respective families? I’ll never tell. You’ll have to buy the book to find out.
Ghost Mountain is a meandering stroll through Pennsylvania’s woodlands, hills, and valleys following a washed up romance author, Melody Harmon, and Don Bridges, who is a retired detective and suspense writer. Accompanied by their adult, and prepubescent children; friends and acquaintances; the reader is provided with a weekend of reading that alternates between romance and suspense sprinkled with mystery. Ghost Mountain is no comedy, or classic mystery, but rather a tender book filled with quite a few nail-biting moments and many unexpected chuckles. Michele Huey’s wit, wisdom, and writing skills have created a book to be savored with a cup of hot mint tea and a chocolate-raspberry scone, but a word of caution is in order. Be careful to wash your hands very well after trimming the rhododendron bush in your yard. You’ll have to read Ghost Mountain to discover why that piece of advice is relevant. Enjoy!
–Cass Wessel
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Looking for hope and encouragement in the everyday trenches of life? In this collection of Michele Huey’s devotional readings, you’ll find what readers of her weekly award-winning newspaper column have experienced for more than twenty years: a cup of inspiration, a spoonful of encouragement, and a generous outpouring of the milk of God’s love. … Savor and SELAH!
What others are saying …
“Your words always touch my soul. Beautiful. You write in such a way that it makes me feel like I’m there in the situation you are telling.” – Ribcca, blog reader
“I read Michele’s newspaper column with a pen and my journal, because she always gives some nugget of spiritual wisdom that I want to record.” –Betsy Sisitki
“Michele has a real gift for applying Scripture to everyday life. With both humor and candor, she encourages her readers to find hope and inspiration in all the mundane happenings of life.” – Gay Hankinson
September 21, 2019
U-turns Allowed
If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come! – 2 Corinthians 5:17 NIV
I’d just emailed my column to the newspaper and planned to spend the rest of that Friday morning finishing the budget work, paying bills, and finalizing the grocery list before going to town for my weekly shopping trip.
As I put the kettle on for a second cup of tea, I glanced at the time—10:30 a.m. Would I have time to enjoy it? I had to pick up the lawn mower bearings we ordered before noon, and the place was closed Saturday.
Knowing my penchant for procrastinating, pushing deadlines, and convincing myself I had time to “do one more thing” (or dawdle), I figured I’d better get out of my jammies and head for town—now.
I was about a mile from home when a thought popped into my mind: Did I turn off the burner under the kettle? I remembered thinking about it, but couldn’t remember if I actually did.
I checked the clock on the dashboard. I was pushing it, but I had to go back. If I had left it on, I wouldn’t have a house by the time I came home from town.
I made a U-turn at the intersection. Good thing. The water was boiling away when I stepped into the kitchen.
God allows U-turns, too. Look at St. Paul. Now, if there was ever a hard nut to crack, it was Saul of Tarsus. A fiery Pharisee, he was on his way to Damascus to search for Christians so he could throw them into jail when he blinded by a bright light and fell to the ground.
He heard a voice speaking to him: “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?”
The words pierced his soul. “Who are you?” he asked.
“I am Jesus, the one you are persecuting. Now stand up! For I have appeared to you to appoint you as my servant and my witness.”
Saul made a U-turn and, in his own words, “I was not disobedient to that vision from heaven.”
The Bible includes many other examples of people who made U-turns: the prodigal son, Zacchaeus, Mary Magdalene, and Matthew, the despised tax collector turned disciple who wrote the Gospel that bears his name.
Contemporary author Allison Bottke made a U-turn in 1989—and went on to produce nearly two dozen books of stories of folks who found themselves in hot water and made U-turns.
“No matter what we what have done, no matter where we have been, it is never too late to change direction,” she says, “because God allows U-turns!”
What about you? Do you need a turnaround? Do you need to go back to where you went wrong, or did wrong, and make things right?
Remember, no one is so far away that God cannot see, hear, or help. In the words of Anne Graham Lotz,“He forgives and forgets, creates and cleanses, restores and rebuilds, heals and helps, reconciles and redeems, comforts and carries, lifts and loves. He is the God of the second chance, the fat chance, the slim chance, the no chance.”*
Make that U-turn now. God is waiting at the intersection.
Thank you. Lord, for allowing U-turns. Amen.
*Anne Graham Lotz, My Jesus Is . . . Everything
Read and reflect on Acts 26:4-20.
© 2010 Michele Huey. All rights reserved.
September 14, 2019
Zealous God: A God with Gusto
[image error]Image by OpenClipart-Vectors from Pixabay
He put on righteousness as a breastplate, and a helmet of salvation on his head; he put on garments of vengeance for clothing, and wrapped himself in zeal as a cloak. –Isaiah 59:17 ESV
His disciples remembered that it was written, “Zeal for your house will consume me.” –John 2:17 ESV
Zeal. What, exactly, is it?
One online dictionary defines it as “great energy or enthusiasm in pursuit of a cause or objective.” Synonyms include passion, fervor, and gusto.
You don’t hear the word zeal used too much today. I wonder if the intensity of the word and its meaning cause people to back off. I mean, another synonym is committedness, root word commit. When you commit yourself to something or someone, you determine to see it through to the end, come what may.
Take marriage, for instance. When you pledge to become one until “death do us part,” you make a commitment to your spouse that you’ll work together to stay together come what may—sickness and health, poverty and prosperity, good times and bad times—you vow to love and cherish your mate for better or worse for the rest of your lives.
Promises made are only as good as promises kept. Life happens, people change, and love wanes, and we don’t fight for it. Like tending a garden, in order to survive the droughts, the storms, the scorching temperatures, the freezing ones, the bugs, the blights, the bunnies and other critters, you must be diligent at consistently nurturing and cultivating it.
That’s where zeal comes in.
I use marriage here as an example, but other pursuits in life also thrive on zeal. Such as rearing children, getting an education, learning a new skill, pursuing a career, developing God-given talents, helping others.
What does this have to do with God?
The Bible describes Him as a zealous God. Some translations use the word jealous, but that word has too many negative connotations.
God is zealous for His children—for you, for me. He is committed to us with a love that is unconditional, meaning it doesn’t depend on what we say or do or how we feel. We can run as far away from Him as we want (well, we can try), but we will never outrun His presence, His provision, His protection, and His love.
We are the cause, the objective He pursues with passion, fervor, and gusto. Why?
Simply this: He loves us.
He loves us so much that He gave us a free will to decide for ourselves whether we want to return that love or reject it. He loves us so much that He hates the sin that separates us from Him. He loves us so much that He sent His own Son to take the punishment for that sin so that we can be with Him forever in the place He’s prepared for us.
Imagine a father standing over the crib of his sleeping child. That’s God standing over us. In the words of the prophet Zephaniah, “The Lord your God in your midst, The Mighty One, will save; He will rejoice over you with gladness, He will quiet you with His love, He will rejoice over you with singing” (Zephaniah 3:17 NKJV).
No matter what. Come what may.
He is zealous for you.
My mind just can’t wrap around that kind of love, O God. But I am so thankful for it. Indeed, I can’t exist without it. As Your child, may I inherit a portion of Your zeal, so that I may reflect You to the world around me. Amen.
Read and reflect on Zephaniah 3:17.
COMING THIS WEEK!
Check for my new books on Amazon!
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Available both in Kindle and print versions. If you prefer a personally autographed copy, you can order one by email ing me at michelethuey@gmail.com . The print version is $15, but you can order two books for $25, a savings of $5. No shipping charges on prepaid orders. Be blessed!
September 7, 2019
Y – YHWH, LORD of All
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The ABC’s of knowing God better: the letter Y
Dear Readers,
As I put together the third volume of these meditations to release this month, I realized I never finished the series “The ABC’s of knowing God better.” So I wrote the final two meditations based on the letters Y and Z. In today’s blog we explore the meaning of YHWH, the names of God. Next week we’ll finish the series with a meditation on what word beginning with the letter Z describes God.
Y–YHWH
THE MANY NAMES OF GOD
Read and reflect on Exodus 3:13–15.
God also said to Moses, “Say this to the Israelites: Yahweh, the God of your fathers … has sent me to you. This is My name forever.” –Exodus 3:15 HCSB
“She will give birth to a son, and you are to name him Yeshua, [which means ‘Adonai saves,’] because he will save his people from their sins.” – Matthew 1:21 CJB
MY MOTHER WANTED TO name me Teresa, but my dad disagreed. “Her name is Michele,” he said.
And so it was. That is, until someone came along and called me Mickey.
“Don’t call her that. It might stick.”
And so it did.
I don’t know who said what in giving me my nickname, but until high school only family members called me Mickey. In school I was Michele. One l. Please.
When I got to high school, I determined Michele wasn’t cool enough, but so I changed the spelling of my nickname to Mikki. Which I thought was cool.
So my high school peers still call me Mikki.
On to college. Mikki just wasn’t sophisticated enough, so I went back to Michele. One l. Please.
And stayed with it.
When I started teaching, I was Miss Maddock. Halfway through my second year I became Mrs. Huey.
A few years later I became Mommy. I was already Aunt Michele.
Then twenty years ago another name was added—Grandma.
I wear my names with pride. Each one indicates not only who I am and who I belong to, it conveys relationship and position.
God’s names, too, indicate relationship and position, as well as His divine attributes.
It would take a tome to discuss all God’s names and what they mean, but I’d like to focus on a few that have a personal meaning to me.
First and foremost, God is YHWH. The divine name He gave to Moses when Moses asked Him what should he tell the Israelites when they asked, “What is His name?” (Exodus 3:13).
“I AM WHO I AM,” God replied. Which translates Yahweh, or YHWH, since the Israelites considered God’s name to be too holy to say aloud.
Yahweh is a form of the verb “to be,” which is translated in this verse I AM.
The English rendering of YHWH is LORD and is found over seven thousand times in Scripture. It means “Self-existence or Eternal One,” “The One who exists because of who He is, and speaks of His holiness, justice and hatred of sin. (“Names of God,” Children’s Ministry Resource Bible, p. 914)
Other names of God that have a personal meaning to me include:
El Shaddai – “Almighty God.” Strength, lifegiver, the bountiful supplier of all blessings also are included in the meaning of El Shaddai. He gives me life, strength and abundant blessings.
YHWH Yireh – “The-LORD-will-provide.” He provides for all my needs.
YHWH Shalom – “The-LORD-Is-Peace.” Only God can give me inner peace.
YHWH Rophe – “The-LORD-Who-Heals.” God restores, strengthens and heals me.
YHWH Roii – “The LORD Our Shepherd.” With tenderness, God cares for, guides and protects me, like a shepherd cares for his flock.
My personal favorite is the name Hagar gave to God when He met her in the wilderness after she fled the abusive Sarah: Lahai Roi, “You-Are-the-God-Who-Sees.” To God she was more than a slave, a servant, a foreigner. She was a person He cared for enough to meet her at her lowest point and meet her deepest need. To Him, she was not invisible. (Genesis 16)
And then there’s Yeshua, more commonly Jesus—“The LORD is salvation,” or “ADONAI saves.”
Which of God’s names have a personal meaning for you? Why?
Thank You, YHWH, for all that You are to me. Amen.
NOTE: The names for God and their meanings were taken from the Children’s Ministry Resource Bible © 1993 by Child Evangelism Fellowship, Inc.
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Look for God, Me, & a Cup of Tea, Vol. 3 to be released later this month. It will be available on Amazon both in Kindle and print versions. If you prefer a personally autographed copy, you can order one by emailing me at michelethuey@gmail.com . The print version is $15, but you can order two books for $25, a savings of $5. If you like fiction, I’ll be releasing Ghost Mountain, Book 2 in the PennWoods Mystery series, this month, too. Order one of each for $25. No shipping charges on prepaid orders. Be blessed!
August 31, 2019
The Birds of the Air
“Give your entire attention to what God is doing right now, and don’t get worked up about what may or may not happen tomorrow. God will help you deal with whatever hard things come up when the time comes.” –Jesus, as quoted in Matthew 6:34 (The Message)
It was literally the birds of the air that caught my attention one morning during my quiet time.
The morning temperatures were still warm enough to sit out on the back deck and absorb the peacefulness of the woods behind my house. I’d not slept well the night before, my mind whirring with worries.
I know—Christians aren’t supposed to worry, right? But life slams Christians, too. What makes it different for us is how we respond to it.
And I wasn’t responding very well. Not as well as I thought I would. It’s easy to spout Scripture when things are going relatively smoothly. But when the storms come, the winds tear at your faith, and the waves crash over your resolve to stand firm, it’s all you can do to hang on.
Scripture tells us to cast all our cares on Him because He cares for us (1 Peter 5:7) and He’ll sustain us (Psalm 55:22). It’s one thing to read those words; it’s another story entirely to do them.
Now, I’m good at casting. The problem is I keep reeling the burden back in. And casting it out again. And reeling it back in.
That night I cast my burden on the Lord by presenting Him with the whole list of what was worrying me. I claimed Philippians 4:19—that God will supply all that I needed. And, in keeping with Luke 11:9, I asked. I sought. I knocked.
Now if only I could leave the response to Him.
But no. I awoke the next morning with the burden still heavy on my mind, heart, and spirit.
The little gray bird flitting from limb to limb caught my eye first. Then the robin, worm still in its beak.
“Look at the birds of the air,” I heard God say. “They neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they?” (Matthew 6:26)
I looked up the Scripture—Matthew 6:25–34. Three times Jesus said, “Do not worry.”
And I remembered Philippians 4:6—“Don’t be anxious or worried about anything.”
I did the second part of that verse—“pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done.” But peace still eluded me. Because I kept reeling those worries back in again and again.
“Worry is like a rocking chair,” motivational speaker Glenn Turner noted. “It gives you something to do but it gets you nowhere.”
I’m not good at sitting and waiting for God to work. I have to be doing something—anything but be still.
“I have come, that they might have life,” Jesus said, “life in all its fullness” (John 10:10). Abundant life.
And worry compromises that abundant life by siphoning your hope, your joy, and your energy, and replacing them with anxiety, insomnia, tension, and irritability. In other words, you’re no fun to live with.
So, how do we deal with worry?
First, recognize where it comes from: the enemy of our souls, a lack of trust in God, and a weak faith. That’s a hard pill to swallow.
Second, respond to it by praying: cast your burdens on the Lord and leave them there!
Prioritize that worry list. Determine what’s most important and, with prayer, deal with that.
And finally, live in the present.
“Worry is carrying tomorrow’s load with today’s strength—carrying two days at once,” said Holocaust survivor Corrie ten Boom. “It is moving into tomorrow ahead of time. Worry does not empty tomorrow of its troubles. It empties today of its strength.”
Look at your calendar. See that square marked today? Focus on that. Live in one square at a time.
Do you dwell on the what if’s?
Do you focus on the worst-case scenario?
Do you lie awake at night because your worries are whirring through your mind and you just can’t put them to bed?
Maybe, like me, you need more practice with your casting—and learning not to reel them back in.
When I thought, “My foot slips,” your steadfast love, O Lord, held me up. When the cares of my heart are many, your consolations cheer my soul. –Psalm 94:18–19 ESV
Read and reflect on Matthew 6:25–34.
© 2019 Michele Huey. All rights reserved.
Photo courtesy of Mark’s Outdoor Shots, © 2019, by Mark Kephart Sr. All rights reserved. Used with permission. Click here to see more outdoor shots.
August 24, 2019
The Risk of Prayer
So I say to you: Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened. –Jesus, as quoted in Luke 11:9–10 NIV
In his book, Draw the Circle: The 40 Day Prayer Challenge, Mark Batterson tells about an African missionary whose church met beneath the shade of a tree near the village because they didn’t have a building in which to worship. The local witch doctor wasn’t too happy with that, so he cursed the tree and it withered.
When you preach Christ and His power, when you preach an awesome God who can do the impossible, when you preach the powerful presence of the indwelling Spirit, you better be ready to stand firm. Trials always come to test your faith, especially when you proclaim it.
In response, the missionary called for a public prayer meeting during which he laid hands on the tree and asked God to resurrect it.
In public. Where everyone could hear him.
“If God doesn’t answer his prayer,” Batterson wrote, “he would have dug an even deeper hole. That’s the risk of prayer, isn’t it?”
That made me think. How often do we say “safe” prayers, all in the realm of the possible? Do we have the courage to pray the impossible prayers? Or do we pray them, but give ourselves an out?
“Sometimes,” Batterson noted, “God calls us to ante up all the faith we have, and then let the chips fall where they may.”
When I read this devotional, appropriately titled “Shameless Audacity,” DH and I were in a real pickle. Two days earlier the transmission went in our pickup while towing the camper to the campground. Now, while we sat at the campground, the truck sat in the towing company’s lot, waiting for us to decide what to do with it.
Rebuilding the transmission would cost anywhere from $3,800 to $4,600. With taxes coming due in another month, the fuel oil tank needing replenished before winter, DH retired for nearly a year, and us living on a very limited income, where would the money come from? The extended warranty (that’s another story) expired in April.
It just so happened (translate: God-thing) a Christian couple were camped a few sites up from us. On one of his walks around the campground, DH stopped and talked to them. They, as well as everyone in the campground, knew of our predicament. After all, a tow truck had backed our camper in our site then left with our truck.
So they prayed with DH—that the truck would be fixed at no cost to us! Now that’s a bold prayer!
Bold prayers take bold faith. Shameless audacity.
Shameless means disregard for that others may say or think. Audacity is a willingness to take bold risks.
Faith calls us to believe nothing is impossible with God. “It’s the impossible prayers that honor God because they reveal our faith and allow God to reveal His glory,” Batterson noted.
I thought about the impossible scenarios in the Bible: the Red Sea parting and the Israelites walking across on dry ground. The walls of Jericho falling down flat without a hand touching them. Barren Sarah and 100-year-old Abraham having a baby. The virgin birth of Jesus. His miracles. His resurrection.
God specializes in the impossible!
If God can speak the universe into being, can He not take our impossible situations and turn them into HIM-possible ones?
I still don’t know where the money is going to come from to pay for the transmission. But I do know Jesus said to ask, seek, and knock. He promises that what we ask will be provided, what we seek we’ll find, and the door will open when we knock.
Oh, yes, the withered tree … “Not only did God break the curse and resurrect the tree,” Batterson wrote, “it became the only tree of its type to yield its fruit not once, but twice a year. A double crop! A double blessing!”
What impossible situation are you faced with today? What bold prayer do you need to pray?
Remember, sometimes you’ve got to ante up all the faith you have, pray with shameless audacity, and let the chips fall where they may.
Dear God, give me the holy boldness to pray the impossible prayers. Amen.
Read and reflect on Luke 11:5–9; 18:1–8; James 1:2–4.
© 2019 Michele Huey. All rights reserved.
August 22, 2019
What Scripture Says …
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Dear readers,
As my recent blogs have indicated, life has presented DH and me with quite a number of challenges. Time to strap on that armor and wield my weapon. In response to the flaming arrows, I’ve delved into the Word of God so I may use my weapon effectively and efficiently. Below are some of the verses I’m clinging to–verses you can store in your spiritual armory.
WHAT THE WORD SAYS ABOUT …
IMPOSSIBLE SITUATIONS:
But Jesus looked at them and said, “With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.” ~ Matthew 19:26 ESV
For nothing will be impossible with God. ~ Luke 1:37
Jesus looked at them and said, “With man it is impossible, but not with God. For all things are possible with God.” ~ Mark 10:27 ESV
Ah Lord GOD! behold, thou hast made the heaven and the earth by thy great power and stretched out arm, [and] there is nothing too hard for thee: ~ Jeremiah 32:17 KJV
Behold, I am the Lord, the God of all flesh. Is there anything too hard for me? ~ Jeremiah 32:27 ESV
PRAYER:
“For where two or three are gathered in my name, there am I in the midst of them.” –Jesus, as quoted in Matthew 18:20 (RSV)
The earnest prayer of a righteous person has great power and produces wonderful results. –James 5:16 TLB
Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness; for we do not know how to pray as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with sighs too deep for words. –Romans 8:26 (RSV)
And call upon Me in the day of trouble; I shall rescue you, and you will honor Me. –Psalm 50:15
Do not be anxious about anything, but In everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. –Philippians 4:6
In the morning, O LORD, you hear my voice; in the morning I lay my requests before you and wait in expectation. –Psalm 5:3
Call to Me, and I will answer you, and show you great and mighty things, which you do not know. –Jeremiah 33:3
Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need. –Hebrews 4:16
THE BATTLE WE FACE:
For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. –Ephesians 6:12
Not by might, nor by power, but by my Spirit, says the Lord of hosts. –Zechariah 4:6
And Moses said to the people, “Fear not, stand firm, and see the salvation of the Lord, which he will work for you today. For the Egyptians whom you see today, you shall never see again. The Lord will fight for you, and you have only to be silent.” –Exodus 14:13–14
“The Lord will fight for you, and you have only to be silent.” –Exodus 14:14
“Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.” –Joshua 1:9
Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm. –Ephesians 6:13
And he said, “Listen, all Judah and inhabitants of Jerusalem and King Jehoshaphat: Thus says the Lord to you, ‘Do not be afraid and do not be dismayed at this great horde, FOR THE BATTLE IS NOT YOURS BUT GOD’S.’” –2 Chronicles 20:15
“Do not be afraid or dismayed because of this great multitude, for the battle is not yours, but God’s.” –2 Chronicles 20:15
Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. –James 4:7
August 17, 2019
Fish ‘n’ Faith
“Put out into the deep water, and let down the nets for a catch.” —Luke 5:4 NIV
I’m not crazy about fish, but I am crazy about my husband, so a few years ago we took a family vacation trip to Canada—to go fishing, of course. Terrified of deep water, I strapped on my life vest as tightly as I could and clung to the small boat as it roared across remote lakes or puttered through narrow channels. The tasty walleye we were after could only be found in deep water.
Because I couldn’t swim, the fear of falling in was ever present. While others reeled in fish after fish, my line kept coming back empty—minus even the slimy minnows I’d managed to squish on the hook without throwing up. Eventually I did catch a “keeper,” but only because I finally overcame my fear of drowning and listened to the directions of someone more experienced than me at fishing.
Letting go of fear and heeding someone wiser applies to more than fishing—it applies to my faith as well. There are times I doubt the Word of God. I just can’t see the blessings He has promised in His Word if I will obey. Like Peter, I’ve “toiled all night and caught nothing” (Luke 5:5 NKJV). Rather than risk feeling insecure, I stay close to shore, wading only as far as my shallow faith will allow me. Yet He calls me to venture into the deep, yield my fears to Him, and open my heart to receive what He has for me.
Do I believe Him or don’t I? If I choose to believe, then I need to risk going in over my head. If I choose not to believe, then I lose out on His blessings.
It didn’t take a lot of faith for Peter to make the catch of a lifetime—just enough to turn the boat around. Neither do I need a lot of faith—just enough to venture out one more time.
Dear God, shore up my faltering faith. Amen.
Read and reflect on Luke 5:1–11.
From Minute Meditations: Meeting God in Everyday Experiences, © 2000 Michele T. Huey. All rights reserved.
God, Me, and a Cup of Tea
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