Category: Prayer

“You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden.” Matthew 5:14

Late each winter, I enjoy seeing the appearance of the manzanita bloom in nearby gardens and on local hillsides. Few plants blossom at this time of year, but this sturdy shrub braves the cold and rain and sends forth a profusion of tiny flowers. Shaped like a tiny creme pink Japanese  lantern, each is a miniature work of fine art and craftsmanship . On a calm sunny morning, their spicy honey fragrance fills the air, attracting Bumble Bees and other pollinators. Many of these insects time their emergence to when the Manzanita begins to flower. These blooms are one of the first signs of Spring, reminding me that warmer and more pleasant days will soon arrive.

In all gardens throughout the world, there are those messenger plants, that signal a change of season or the coming of more pleasant days. Some brave snow and ice, wind and rains, even heat and drought. Yet they spring forth in spite of these hardships and bring us great joy and hope. I think of the Crocus that push up through winter snows with a flash of their brilliant golden blooms. They are like little splashes of sunshine set on earth to melt winter’s snow. In other places there are the Forsythia, Daffodil, Daphne, Magnolias, and the Bleeding Heart. What plant is a messenger in your part of the world? I thank God for these wonderful plants that bring hope, and joy to our lives.

Have you ever thought of yourself as a messenger of hope? A light that shines in the darkness, bringing good news and the beauty of the Gospel message of Jesus Christ? When we receive His gift of salvation, we are changed and made new. His Spirit fills our life and we begin to shine God’s light out to world around us. Every believer, has the light of Christ shining from within them. This is not an ordinary light. It is the kind of light that draws attention like a flower blooming right through a patch of snow and ice. It is concentrated and brilliant like an attractive blossom which draws life towards it and nourishes those who draw from its nectar. It is life giving and life sustaining.

Don’t hide His light or save it to shine another day, because it will likely lose its brilliance. Jesus once said, “Don’t hide your light under a bowl, but put it on a stand for all to see. Let your light shine before all people, that they might see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven”. Matthew 5:15-16

Take note of those early flowers that brighten those grey days of late winter. Let them remind you of how Christ wishes us to shine His light to all the world.

“Hello world, are you listening? Can you hear me today, amidst the deafening roar? I am reaching out to you; holding out my arms; waiting for you patiently. I am your safe passage through the storm”

Our God calls out to us each day. He has a desire to meet with us, so that He can share His life with our life, and bless us with His wisdom and love.

But do we listen?

He speaks in a still and quiet voice. Can we even hear Him?

There is so much noise that surrounds us these days. So much distraction. It deafens us, and prevents us from hearing Him

The God of our world, our closest friend, the one who loves us. He is near to us

God surrounds us with His presence. He touches our lives. But can we feel or understand this?

He reaches out to us every hour, each day. How is it that we don’t sense Him?  When we long to know God, and have a closer relationship with our creator

Please, turn off the noise, get away from the disruptions. Bring yourself into a place where you can reach Him

Switch off the phone, silence all distractions. Don’t watch the news all day, it will not give you peace. Bring yourself into a place where you can hear God

Seek Him, and you will find Him

Reach out to your God in a quiet place, where His Spirit may be felt. Speak to Him with all of your heart in prayer, and you will sense His quiet gentle voice

Shut out the buzz of life around you. even if it is only for a little while each day.  There, you will find His presence; In that place He will lift you. You will gain a greater understanding, and a new vision, that will make your life more whole each day.    12/21/2019

May the Lord, our God, touch your life this day, and make His way known to you. Through His Spirit, and by His Word, may you draw near to Him, for He is near to you.

Today, I pray that He will move in your life; with His love, and by the revelation of His goodness. Of which no person on earth can resist, nor can they deny, once they have come to know Him

May the Lord reveal His love and good intentions, for your life and for all that you may do. So that your joy may be full, and your purpose full of great intention

God is truly ready to work wonders in your life. He is always willing to reveal Himself, as you are able to receive Him, and to lend His hand along the path of His way in your life

May He walk beside you this day, and guide you in His truth. So that He may reveal still greater depths of His life, through the learning of His Word

Pray to Him. Believing

Seek God with all your heart and He will begin to astonish you, by the working of His life, into yours

What a great God, is ours, that He chooses to bless and never curse all who love and seek Him; and to all who conduct their lives with honesty and faith

What a great savior, is our Lord. Who frees us from the dark workings, of sin, and of death, and who shepherds us into safe places, forever more

May the Lord deliver you this very day, and strengthen you to endure

For in these days there is suffering and pain, but the joy of our God’s salvation will always see us through these things

For in His strength and with His love we will be consistently victorious  10/25/2006