I recently had the privilege of parenting a teenager for a couple of months through the foster care system. I could fill pages and pages with all that I learned through that experience, but one thing that certainly stands out in my mind was just how many times in those two months I used the word “no.”

“Can I play the ps4 for another hour?” No. “Can I eat another ice cream sandwich?” No. “Can I just skip that Math assignment for today?” No. If you have parented a teenager or are currently in that season of life, I’m guessing that you can probably relate. I remember thinking, “At this rate, I am going to become an expert at saying no.”

That word got used for many different reasons, but most often, it was because whatever was being asked was not what was best. As the parent, I was able to see a different perspective. Maturity and life experience have a way of providing that. There was never a time that “no” was used just to withhold or to be unkind.

I heard a podcast this week that really spoke to me. (You can click here to listen to it if you’re interested.) In the podcast, Elisabeth Elliott was teaching about prayer. She told a couple of stories that I would like to share. Here’s Elisabeth speaking about Amy Carmichael –

“Some of you, I’m sure, are familiar with the lovely little story that Amy Carmichael told to her little Indian children about when she was a little girl at the age of three. She was told that God answers prayer. Since she believed everything that grownups told her, she figured that this was something that she should test. Does God really answer prayer?

There was one thing that she wanted more than anything else in the world, which was blue eyes. She had brown eyes.

So she got down by her bed before she went to sleep that night and she prayed that God would change those brown eyes into blue ones. She went to sleep confident that in the morning her eyes would be blue.

She woke up in the morning, jumped out of bed, pushed a chair over to where she could climb up to look at a mirror and looked into the mirror at the same old brown eyes.

She said to her children years and years later, ‘I don’t remember whether it was an adult who said this to me or whether it was really God Himself who spoke these words to me, but somebody said, “Isn’t no an answer?”‘ Very often God’s answer is “no,” isn’t it, to our prayers? And so that was a very great lesson for her, of course.

Little could she have imagined at that time that there would be occasions in India many years later, as a missionary, when it would be essential that she be taken for an Indian or she might have been killed. So her very life depended on the fact that she had very dark hair and very dark eyes. God does know what He’s doing, doesn’t He?”

I was struck by a couple of things in that story. First of all, I was challenged by Amy’s childlike faith. Oh, how I want faith like that – to be able to ask God to do the impossible and expect for Him to do it. So often I pray without that kind of faith. Secondly, I was reminded that “no” is an answer. So often, when God says, “No,” it is because He knows what is best for us. He does indeed know what He is doing.

Here’s Elisabeth with another story, this time about Gladys Aylward –

“I heard the great missionary to China, who had been a London parlor maid. Her name was Gladys Aylward, and she told us in the 1960s shortly before she died how Jehovah God had sent her to China. She found herself standing on the wharf in China looking around on all the people to whom Jehovah God had sent her. And she said, ‘I thought about the fact that when I was growing up, I had two great sorrows. One, when all my friends were still growing, I stopped. And the other, when all my friends had beautiful golden hair, mine was black.’

So she said, ‘I stood on the wharf and I looked around at all the people to whom Jehovah God had sent me, and every single one of them had black hair and every single one of them had stopped growing when I did. And I said, “Lord God, You know what You are doing!'”

As I pondered these two stories, I was reminded of two passages of Scripture.

“You parents—if your children ask for a loaf of bread, do you give them a stone instead? Or if they ask for a fish, do you give them a snake? Of course not! So if you sinful people know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give good gifts to those who ask Him.” (Matthew 7:9-11, NLT)

“For the Lord God is our sun and our shield.
    He gives us grace and glory.
The Lord will withhold no good thing
    from those who do what is right.
O Lord of Heaven’s Armies,
    what joy for those who trust in you.” (Psalm 84:11-12, NLT)

Sometimes, the answer is “no.” Not because God is mean or because He wants to withhold good things from us. He knows what we need, and He knows what is best. He sees the whole picture, and He knows the plans He is working out for us.

So, we should ask big, but we should trust big too. We should pair childlike faith with unwavering trust in our Father, knowing that if He answers us with a “no,” it isn’t because He doesn’t love us. His plans for us are perfect, and He gives us good gifts.

Dear Father, thank You that You know what You are doing. Our perspective is imperfect, and we often ask You for things that wouldn’t be good for us. Thank You for being a good and wise Father who knows just what we need and when we need it. Please help us to not only have childlike faith in Your ability to answer our prayers, but also to have unwavering trust in Your goodness even if the answer isn’t necessarily what we want to hear. You are trustworthy and kind, and we are blessed to be Your children. Amen.

-Dana

It happened again this week. Twice. Sunday morning I was sitting on the couch, reading and praying. I was particularly focused on a difficult situation that had been escalating over the last several days. As I sat there, a text lit up my phone. It was a verse image from a friend, something that was part of her Bible reading for that day. 

“The battle is not yours, but God’s.” 2 Chronicles 20 v 15 

Perfect timing. Don’t fret and don’t try to figure out how you can fix it. Trust God. 

And Monday morning, I was drying my hair, getting ready to face the day, knowing that this same situation was going to require face-to-face discussion that evening. A friend who had not texted me since 11/29/20 sent this: “Just wanted to let you know I’ve been thinking/praying for you. You’ve been coming to mind more often. Just felt like He wanted you to know He is in control, He’s got it, He has you in the palm of His hands and His love for you is great! Praying for a great and blessed day!” Neither of these sweet ladies had any idea of what was on my mind/heart. The messages felt like they came straight from God, delivered by my friends. 

Another time, a friend of mine was dealing with a health issue that involved a report of lesions “too numerous to count” (i.e. very many). Although this description is fairly common medical language, I can’t say it is a phrase I had ever heard in any other context. That is, until that very morning in the book I was reading. I sent this message to my friend: “From the book I was reading this am – ‘Jesus came to bring us mercies too numerous to count, priceless in value, unceasing in application and eternal in endurance.’ Mercies too numerous to count… that’s the report that I am reading today.” 

Has this ever happened to you? Just the right song on the radio or running into someone you haven’t seen for a long time at the moment you needed a boost? Reading the Bible or listening to a sermon and hearing words that seem as if it they were meant just for you? Looking back at events and realizing that they had fallen into place exactly as needed as if orchestrated by a divine conductor? A little too amazing to be coincidence. Does God still speak and intervene in our daily circumstances? 

I believe He does. He communicates His love to us in so many ways, and it is beautiful when we see it, and unfortunately I would assume there are times when we miss it. 

The God of perfect timing. 

I was struck by His perfect timing as I read the story of Ruth recently. It just so happened that the widowed foreigner sent out by her mother-in-law to gather dropped grain behind the harvesters ended up in the field owned by a near relative of her dead husband’s family. And the owner happened to visit the field while she was there and take notice of her. These not-so-random happenings led to redemption for Ruth and gave her a husband and a son named Obed, from whose family line came King David and hundreds of years later, Jesus. 

And Jesus’ birth continued the perfect timing…“But when the right time came, God sent his Son, born of a woman, subject to the law. God sent him to buy freedom for us who were slaves to the law so that he could adopt us as his very own children.” Galatians 4 v 4-5, NLT 

And His death…“You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly.” Romans 5 v 6 NIV 

“There is one God and Mediator who can reconcile God and humanity-the man Christ Jesus. He gave his life to purchase freedom for everyone. This is the message God gave to the world at just the right time.” I Timothy 2 v 5-6 NLT 

God’s messages come at just the right time. The most important message of His love, expressed in the gift of His Son and also the countless just-for-you messages to remind you of how He loves you and how He is working out the details of your life for your good and for His glory. 

Oh, how He loves you! Watch, listen. He wants you to know it. 

“Let me hear what God the Lord will speak, for he will speak peace to his people, to his saints; but let them not turn back to folly.” Psalm 85 v 8 ESV 

God, thanks for Your incredible love. Love that is always on time. Love that sent Jesus to make things right when they were impossibly wrong. Love that knows what each of Your children needs. We need to know You are present, and You remind us of that in so many amazing ways. We are in awe of how You love us. Give us Samuel’s attitude, “Speak, for your servant is listening.” I Samuel 3 v 10. 

“My dove in the clefts of the rock, in the hiding places on the mountainside, show me your face, let me hear your voice; for your voice is sweet and your face is lovely.” Song of Songs 2:14 

-Leah

I am a dog person. But I have fallen hard for a feline friend that I have named Prince Charming. Isn’t he so handsome? Prince Charming is a stray cat that started hanging around our house last summer. At first, he totally ignored us. Then, he ate treats and food that we put out for him. Eventually, on one fine day, when he was curled up in a patio chair (and I was feeling exceptionally brave), he let me pet him. We have been fast friends ever since.

What makes this cat so special is the joy he brings when he shows up at my back door looking for his daily ration of treats and food. There were times in the fall when it was like clockwork. I would wake up, go downstairs, start the coffee, and open the back door. There he would be, just waiting on me to get there. His patience would be rewarded with treats, and I would pet him and let the sound of his purring make my heart smile.

Then winter came. His visits became more sporadic primarily because we have a very kind-hearted neighbor who lets all of the neighborhood strays camp out in his garage when the weather is bad. When Prince Charming is absent, I miss him. I go to the back door many times throughout the day, open it, step out onto the porch, and look for him. I’m always looking for him.

You might remember that a couple of weeks ago, the weather was pretty rough. Here in Mount Gilead, we got about 8 inches of snow with some ice mixed in. The temperatures were pretty low too, and I went for days and days without a visit from Prince Charming. But I looked. Over and over again each day, I opened that back door and looked.

Finally, on Thursday morning last week, I opened that back door around 7:00, and he was there waiting on me. Oh, the joy! It might sound silly to you, but remember, I am pretty crazy about that cat. I did a little squeal, ran for the treats, took his bowl, and put the food in it. Then, as he ate, I spent some time petting him and listening for that purr.

When I came back in the house, a thought struck me. Hope is why I kept looking when that cat disappeared for several days. It is hope that led me to that back door over and over again. I had an expectation that on one of those times when I opened the door, I would see what I had been waiting for.

As I thought about it more, I was reminded of what Jesus taught us about prayer.

“‘Keep on asking, and you will receive what you ask for. Keep on seeking, and you will find. Keep on knocking, and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks, receives. Everyone who seeks, finds. And to everyone who knocks, the door will be opened.

 You parents—if your children ask for a loaf of bread, do you give them a stone instead? Or if they ask for a fish, do you give them a snake? Of course not! So if you sinful people know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give good gifts to those who ask him.'” (Matthew 7:7-11, NLT)

I love this version because it accurately captures the verb tense from the Greek. Keep on asking, keep on seeking, keep on knocking. There is persistence implied here. Why? Because of hope. It is hope that keeps us looking (asking, seeking, knocking).

“Now hope that is seen is not hope. For who hopes for what he sees? But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait for it with patience.” (Romans 8:24-25, ESV)

“Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.” (Hebrews 11:1, ESV)

I think there have been many times that I have prayed about something without hope that God would actually hear and answer, demonstrating the smallness of my faith. I asked one time, and then that was it. To use the cat analogy, I never opened the back door and looked for it. There was no expectation.

That is NOT how Jesus taught us to pray. We are to persist. Keep asking, keep seeking, keep knocking. Keep going to the back door to look. Our prayers should fill us with a hope that keeps us looking for the answer because we know it’s coming. Consider the account of Elijah and his servant, Gehazi.

“Then Elijah said to Ahab, ‘Go get something to eat and drink, for I hear a mighty rainstorm coming!‘

So Ahab went to eat and drink. But Elijah climbed to the top of Mount Carmel and bowed low to the ground and prayed with his face between his knees.

Then he said to his servant, ‘Go and look out toward the sea.’

The servant went and looked, then returned to Elijah and said, ‘I didn’t see anything.’

Seven times Elijah told him to go and look. Finally the seventh time, his servant told him, ‘I saw a little cloud about the size of a man’s hand rising from the sea.’

Then Elijah shouted, ‘Hurry to Ahab and tell him, ‘Climb into your chariot and go back home. If you don’t hurry, the rain will stop you!’

And soon the sky was black with clouds. A heavy wind brought a terrific rainstorm, and Ahab left quickly for Jezreel. Then the Lord gave special strength to Elijah. He tucked his cloak into his belt and ran ahead of Ahab’s chariot all the way to the entrance of Jezreel. (1 Kings 18:41-46, NLT)

Elijah’s faith sent his servant to look seven times. He was confident that his prayers were being heard, and hope kept looking.

I don’t know about you, but I am in need of an infusion of hope in some of the places of my heart – the kind of hope that keeps looking for answers to prayer when they seem to be elusive. I want to learn that persistence – the confidence that when I pray, my Father hears, and His answers are on the way. I want the hope that keeps me looking over and over again, waiting for the moment when the door opens and then answer is right there in front of me.

Dear Father, please increase our faith. Help us to be persistent in confident prayer, knowing that You hear us and You answer us when we call. Give us hope that keeps looking. Amen.

-Dana

One of the life lessons mothers teach their children is not to interrupt.  It is difficult for kids to learn – they have things that need to be said!  They can’t contain their enthusiasm, or they need something now.  They don’t notice that other people are talking, or they haven’t yet learned to care.  

This is something I have tried to teach my sons, but lately I have been unpleasantly surprised to catch myself interrupting!  Shocking, right?  Or maybe not.  I think for me it is not that I cut people off the way a child does, but that I jump in when they take a breath but before they are completely done with what they are saying.  Sometimes I find myself finishing people’s sentences for them.  This is not how I want to communicate.  Even though I don’t intend it to be, it is rude.  

What causes me to interrupt?   How can I improve my listening skills?  

This advice is from James’ letter: “My dear brothers and sisters, take note of this:  Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry.” (James 1:19)

Let’s look a little closer…

He addresses his audience as “My dear brothers and sisters.”  He is communicating value and care.  Practicing good listening is another way to let people know that they are important to you.  And it does take practicing, it’s definitely not a skill we are born with.

“Take note of this.”  Pay attention.  Listen up.  Paying attention implies cost.  Listening will cost us – we will have to let go of the hurry to share our opinion.  We might even lose the chance to put our two cents in.  We have to believe that the speaker is saying something we need to hear.  

“Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak…”  Everyone, myself included.  Listening should be my default and speaking on the back burner.  

In case we need convincing, here are a few verses from Proverbs that confirm the value of listening and of not talking too much.

Proverbs 1:5  “let the wise listen and add to their learning, and let the discerning get guidance…”

Proverbs 10:19  “Sin is not ended by multiplying words, but the prudent hold their tongues.”

Listening carefully and not monopolizing a conversation requires humility.  Like the humility Paul describes in Philippians 2:3-4.  “Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit.  Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of others.”

Proverbs 26:12  “Do you see a person wise in their own eyes?  There is more hope for a fool than for them.”

Being heard is one of the basic needs of human beings.  Becoming like Jesus means becoming humble enough to put in the effort to listen well and in that way to help people know that they matter.  To follow up on last week’s post from Dana Jaffee, it is a way of giving love.  

Ready, Set, Love!

Ready, set, LISTEN!

God, thanks that You have given us the perfect example of humility in Jesus. Thanks that You promise to listen to us whenever we speak to You. Teach us to listen well to the people in our lives. May Your love flow through us.

-Leah

Many friendly competitions have started with these words – “Ready, set, go!” or “Get ready, get set, go!” These words signify that action is imminent, whether it be a foot race or a marshmallow eating contest. There is this moment of anticipation that something is about to begin.

Ready. When competitors hear that word, they are supposed to prepare themselves. This is mental preparation. The time for waiting is over, and it is just about time to act. Be on the alert because it’s almost go time. Get ready.

Set. This word tells competitors that they should make sure their bodies are in position This is physical preparation. This is the time to do whatever you need to do to be sure that your body can spring into action in the next moment. Get set.

Go! It’s on this command that the competition begins – the moment that the preparation turns into action. At this point, there’s no time for one more stretch or any additional practice. The race has begun. Go!

Today is a day when many of us celebrate love. Valentine’s Day is a Hallmark kind of holiday. There are people who are into it and people who can’t wait for it to be over. But taking the time to think about love isn’t a bad idea. In the words of a song that Dionne Warwick made popular in 1966 – “What the world needs now is love, sweet love.”

It’s been a long, hard year. People are tired and worn out. There’s been loss, disappointment, contention, and plenty of stress. As believers in Christ, we have an opportunity to step up and share God’s love with people who really need it. It’s not really a competition, but it certainly is a challenge. A challenge issued to us straight from God’s Word.

“Dear friends, let us continue to love one another, for love comes from God. Anyone who loves is a child of God and knows God. But anyone who does not love does not know God, for God is love.

God showed how much he loved us by sending his one and only Son into the world so that we might have eternal life through him. This is real love—not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as a sacrifice to take away our sins.

Dear friends, since God loved us that much, we surely ought to love each other. No one has ever seen God. But if we love each other, God lives in us, and his love is brought to full expression in us.” (1 John 4:7-12, NLT)

“‘So now I am giving you a new commandment: Love each other. Just as I have loved you, you should love each other. Your love for one another will prove to the world that you are my disciples.'” (John 13:34-35, NLT)

We should consider ourselves challenged. Our Father has given us clear directions. If we haven’t loved well lately, today is a new day. Let’s step up to the start line.

Get ready. We need mental preparation for this challenge. We need to find out all that God has to say about loving others in His Word. We need to pray that He will teach us to love like He does and that He will give us opportunities to demonstrate His love. We also need to depend on the Holy Spirit who is at work in us to produce that kind of love. These preparations are completely necessary if we are to succeed.

Get set. There is physical preparation involved as well. We have to put ourselves in a position to love and serve others. We need to be where the hurting people are in order to love them well. That might require leaving the confines of our comfort zones. We might even have to take on a position of humility (I’m reminded of Jesus taking up the basin and the towel).

Love! It’s time to spring into action. There are hurting people all around us who need the hope that we have. Let’s spend ourselves on loving them. As we do that, God’s love can be brought to full expression in us, and the world will know that we are His.

Dear Father, You are love, and You teach us how to love. Please help us to have a compassionate heart toward the people around us who need to know Your love. Prepare us mentally and physically to be able to share Your love with others this week as we have the opportunity. May we have open eyes to see those opportunities, and may Your love at work in and through us bring hope to the hurting. Amen.

-Dana